While reviewing my company’s social media feeds, I came across something that was not surprising, but still in poor taste nonetheless. A young entrepreneur had placed a business offer on Facebook trying to determine if anyone was interested in an upcoming service offering. The comments the young woman was receiving on Social media were somewhat condescending and borderline harsh.
Lack of Relationship
Many of the comments were related to a lack of relationship, and no social proof of her ability to add value if hired for the assignment. Unfortunately, the young lady had failed to do what many entrepreneurs or business leaders must do early in the sales process…establish the value progression.
Whether you are a seasoned business owner, a C-Suite executive or someone just getting started working from home, you must establish your value progression. What does this progression consist of or look like?
Four Things to Engage in Sales Process
Four things need to happen prior to approaching anyone to engage in the sales process.
1. You must identify your ideal client or the segment of the market you want to go after.
2. Determine where you can find them (ideal clients) or what their interests are prior to the next steps related to engagement.
3. Now you need to establish what you will leverage to draw them in or to demonstrate your ability to deliver.
4. Determine how your service, product or partnership will add value to them and their goals.
The young entrepreneur had a great product, certainly possessed a compelling offer and was ready to demonstrate her ability to deliver. So, what was missing?
Be Mindful of Your Value Progression
Judging by the comments, she had missed “step one” in the value progression. She had failed to identify her target audience/market or ideal client. Therefore, her approach resembled more of a shotgun blast, rather than a laser-focused initiative with measurable outcomes. For this reason (unfairly I might add) the comments I described earlier were from individuals that did not see the value in her offering because they were not her ideal clients.
If it appears your sales are stalling or you may have hit a proverbial profit wall, be mindful of your value progression and if you are doing the pre-work that is needed to make sure your sales funnel is healthy and makes sense. You cannot fix a sales barrier if your value progression is broken from the start.
Please leave a comment or post on my Facebook Page and let me know how you are continually trying to improve your value progression or offering. Thanks for contributing to your community!
