Can I market and sell
So you are a good trainer, get good results from your practices,
learners learn and clients are happy. But will you survive in business?
If the above is true about your competence as a trainer then the answer
is simple and dependent on one single factor; your ability to sell. We
at the Learning Practitioners' Association hear of practitioners
entering the freelance world full of hope and confidence in their
ability to train, with no concept of business or commercial acumen. This
article is a pointer, merely scratching the surface of two of the key
factors that will make or break a business; Marketing and Sales.
The first thing that we need to do is consider the business terminology;
-
marketing; the strategy and plans, that
when implemented will put your defined product in front
of a potential client
-
sales; the transaction that results in
your product or service being bought in exchange for
money or other returns
Let us expand on these definitions a bit
further.
Marketing
Lets get down to basics. So what is your product or service ... ? Now if
you just hesitated then you had to think. That is not a good sign. Your
products and the message about your product should be so engrained in
your psyche to the point it should appear instinctive. What is your
name? Immediate response. What is your product? Immediate response. And
how do you get to this immediate response? Your marketing strategy.
Your marketing strategy should consist of something like;
-
your brand
what you and your products are and how you and they are
perceived in the market, and this is not about logos and
colour schemes; that is another matter. A brand identity
exists before it is represented by a logo
-
your message
your brand positioning statement and key message. This
is
-
your targets (who you are going to
market your products too)
Some marketers will suggest others topics,
give these elements different names and will have particular
ways of going about developing a strategy. The one key
factor is that work takes place to focus you on what you are
and what you do. And as someone who has gone through such a
process, led by a top marketer from one of the largest fast
moving consumer goods companies in the world; the experience
is impressive. And if there is one give away that I would
challenge everyone to consider it is the 'brand positioning
statement'. It goes like this:
Let me explain:
-
target: who are your primary and
secondary customers; be very specific
-
our brand: what you or your
product/service is
-
frame of reference: the consumer
grouping of like products
-
point of difference: consider ALL you
competitors and decide on why and how you are different
Undertaking such a brand positioning
exercise is a revelationary process as it underpins all that
you do. If you fail to do this then the foundation of your
whole marketing plan is weak.
So you have got your brand message and your
products and have your elevator speech and are ready to
conquer the world. Now what? Simple; implementation.
Marketing as an implementation is an activity that expends resources; it
generally costs money or time or both. It is an activity that should
have strict performance measures that can be evaluated to ensure that
the expenditure is used appropriately.
Consider this statement: Our marketing implementation plan is to get our
products in front of as many people as possible.
Complete baloney.
How about being a little SMARTer and phrase your marketing plan along
these lines:
Our marketing plan is to place 'Working Smarter' in front of 5,000
potential purchasers with an interest in productivity within the next 6
months. Our expectations are to get 1.5% of those potential purchasers
to download the 'Working Smarter' brochure.
As you can see the above statement is fairly specific, it is certainly
measurable, it seem reasonable achievable and relevant to those looking
from productivity gains, and of course it is time bound. Notice there is
no mention of making any sales, that comes later.
How the above is done is down to the implementation of the plan. What
are your marketing channels going to be:
-
social networking (can exposure be
measured)
-
email broadcasts (very measurable with
statistics packages)
-
conventional advertising (costly)
-
internet advertising (Google and
LinkedIn can be measured and monitored)
-
networking (again difficult to measure
and can get costly in time)
-
exhibitions (very expensive but a good
way in)
These are just some 'marketing' channels, costing varying amounts in
time and money. With a strong brand position you will gain a sense of
which of these and other channels will be your best route to market. And
do be aware that if your 'target' does not occupy a channel then you can
dismiss it; regardless of whether it is being promoted by exponents as
the best think since sliced bread.
As I have said at the start, marketing and sales are different; they are
different countries speaking different languages and having a different
cultural behaviour set. Some people are good a marketing and not good a
sales, some are good at sales and not at marketing. Those good at both
have got it made.
Sales
Marketing can be seen as 'detached', more about planning, providing
information creating awareness, interest and possibly desire in your
products or service. Sales is about the transaction or getting to the
transaction; it is about action.
The type of products and client will determine the 'sales' approach that
you will take. Do you need to:
-
close by establishing clients emotional
drivers quickly
-
consult and establish high capabilities
of your intelligent solution
-
build relationships and attract business
eventually
-
display your products and make it easy
for the customer to buy
The above are taken from How to select a sales force that sells;
HRChally, www.chally.com
A guess is that most practitioners will prefer to build relationships,
but it is a long haul. Eventually you will need to close a sale and for
many in the sector, this can be a painful process. Trainers like to
train and don't like talking prices or negotiating contracts. It is a
necessity and I would argue a necessity that can be learned. There are a
number of Sales Trainers on the TrainerBase who may offer coaching or
open courses; talk to them. An alternative is to undertake some self
directed learning. One methodology that is worth reviewing is SPIN by
Neil Rackham. This is very much along the consultative selling route for
big ticket items. An American sales guru is Brian Tracy. In some way his
methodologies including objective handling and closing are counter to
Neil Rackham's, but by considering both and learning 'the techniques';
when a situation arises, where an objection is levelled; at least you
will know how that objection can be countered.
Finally
Marketing and sales are an essential component of a successful learning
and development practitioners skill set and a reason why they are
included in the Standard for Learning Practitioners. If you would like
to benchmark yourself against what the Association recognises as a
requirement, them please feel free. And if you want to prove your
competence and be recognised by the Association; you should consider
becoming a Certified Learning Practitioner.
If there is anything else you would like to know about what the
Association is doing to benefit its members please feel free to contact us.
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