The old saying goes there are few problems not cured by enough sales.
So, that must mean regardless of what problem you have the way to solve that problem is to invest more in sales, which would make sales “The” answer to about anything that bothers you. Since I am the guy who twice sold myself out of business I know there are times when sales is NOT “THE” answer.
In days past the general population also believed that whatever afflictions you had “snake oil” would solve it. The ingredients in “snake oil” were alcohol and morphine where if you took enough surely numbed you to all problems.
For years, every business looked for a simple way to solve every problem or to at least numb everyone into temporary comfort. The “snake oil” for business was and is for many today still sales. Sales is too often “The” answer for every business problem.
5 Times Sales is NOT “THE” answer
Time 1 – (When sales is the whole “Revenue Generation” effort) “Revenue Science™” has taught us that sales is just one part of “Revenue Generation” and depending on how sales is defined lots of companies don’t even think they do sales.
Some say to have sales there must be sales people. Organizations like Amazon, eBay, Google, and even Apple have few sales persons compared to where their revenue comes from.
If you have been to Disney, you didn’t go because a sales person up sold you at the county fair. You probably went online or went through AAA or AARP or just got up early to stand in line to give a lot of money to the Mouse.
Time 2 – (When the goal is to sell the buyer not add value to the buyer) The days of sales persons doing cold calling, door-to-door or phone solidification are fast going the way of that traveling medicine show selling “snake oil” one stop at a time. Sales is best done by helping the buyer to buy in person, online or both at the same time.
Time 3 – (When the sales focus is on closing the transaction) Most leaders who survive and thrive by providing a product or service in return for money build organizations around that need for “more sales.” What is needed is more of the right types of sales, at the right margins, contracted at the right time in the exact volume that can successfully deliver and are supported to deliver and receive the most value for the buyer.
Time 4 – (When it is about the product) To make sales “THE” answer there must be another party. If you are going to sell something (and be successful) there must be someone willing to be sold to – “who wants to be your prospect?” Most people do everything they can to avoid and protect themselves from car sales persons, insurance sales, realtors, and time share representatives. Very seldom do any of us want to be “sold.” We never want to be up sold, cross sold, or become an increased wallet share. We don’t want to be farmed, strategically targeted or be part of your account plan. Buyers want help solving a problem.
Time 5 – (When the metric is quota) When we need to acquire something and we want help buying the best thing that fits our situation not just a transaction to complete the sales person quota. We want someone to help us buy the right thing, at the right time where we receive the greatest possible value.
There will probably always be some form of “snake oil” or used cars or Florida Swamp Land being sold by a sales person who needs a buyer to complete the transaction but that will be the exception.
Most things are or soon will be bought without a sales person. Gasoline, airline tickets, clothing, groceries, shoes and trips to Disney are already there. It seems clear that buyers want help buying. The help buyer’s want varies by buyers, products, the technology available and thousands of other options, yet sometimes that help will be a professional “sales” person.
When the buyer finds a way for them to buy that is more pleasing than any other known way to buy and it solves a compelling problem the buyer receives value. Creating that “more pleasing” way to buy is a sales approach that may or may not have sales people and if at the end of the sales approach the buyer gets the value they seek and the seller ends up with profitable revenue – that is “the answer” to almost every problem.