I WANT TO GET INTO SALES
IN OUR NEW FIRM ... Jack
by Alan J. Zell, Ambassador of Selling

Q. Mr. Zell, I want to get into sales in a firm that is just starting. Two others and I are starting a business. Since my partners have an aversion to being in sales and we need sales to survive it seems they want me to get into sales and, while reluctant to do so, I see it as a challenge. But, I don't know what to do. How do I go about it? Do I go door-to-door initially? Do I do cold calling first and, if so, to whom and when?

Jack

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A. Jack, congratulations, you are one step on the road to being in sales with your questions.

The answer to your questions is "Yes and No." If you go out and get customers before the business is ready to do the work, will customers wait? Most likely, not. If you wait until you open how long do you think it will take first to get a client and then how long to get additional clients. Then, can the business support itself until sufficient money comes in to cover all expenses? You are, I'm sure, thinking you are between a rock and a hard place. And, you are.

Without knowing more about your business it would be very hard to say more than this.

First off, is there a need for what your business does? It is not a case of what the business wants to do, it is a case of whether others want or need the business to do what you want to do.

I presume from the questions, that you do not have a business plan either in the works or finished. If not, you should. Too many businesses open up without a plan. Failing to plan is planning to fail.

A business plan has to cover all 4 aspects of business -- management, operations, finance and sales & marketing. A plan has 2 parts to it -- the narrative and the pro-forma spreadsheet of projected sales and expenses.(See our Going Into Business Pre-Business Planner & Software.)

Also, have the three of you have written agreement(s) on the responsibilities and obligations each of you has to the business and to each other that relates to who does what and how money is handled? If you don't, then you should have one right away or you are asking for trouble. I have an exercise for the three of you to do independently that will help you come up with an agreement.

Lastly, your partners may not think they are in sales. But, let them, as the ones doing the work, do it wrong and they'll find out if they are in sales . . . negative sales.If someone in your business is doing something that doesn't lead to a sale, why are they doing it?

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