Five steps to sell more in the global marketplace

31/03/2016

Sell more in the global marketplace

Sell more in the global marketplaceIn life and in business, we always say we want to be successful, sell more of our products or services, and become leaders in our fields.

When I hear these statements, it reminds me of what I say to my university students during lectures regarding the difference between a “goal” and an “objective”.

Goals are generic: for example, when some people say when they want to be “successful”. Being successful is a vague and an undefined end result.

Objectives are what we need to use in business. An objective must be SMART:

  • Specific: it has to have a clear relation to what the business is doing
  • Measurable: it has to be measured in order to understand when it is completed
  • Achievable: it has to be possible to achieve considering the resources and the structure of the business
  • Realistic: it has to push the business a bit beyond its limits but not to utopian unattainable utopia
  • Time Defined: it has to indicate by when it has to be achieved

Objectives are usually created for different functional areas, such as strategy, financial, operational, marketing, IT and human resources. In fact, businesses must have objectives in each of the above functional areas.

An example of a financial objective is: “Company XYZ will increase its profit margin by 4% by March 2017.”

For human resources, an example might be something like: “Company XYZ will reduce employees’ level 2 turnover by 12% by November 2017,” whereas for marketing, an example would be more like: “Company XYZ will improve customer satisfaction by third quarter of 2017 by increasing percent of returned customers from 17% to 28%.”

Objectives make the difference between a dream and reality.

Develop the process and simple rules you need to achieve your objectives

This topic of success also reminds me of the definition Earl Nightingale gave in his article called “The Strangest Secret Article” published in 1950: “A success is anyone who is realizing a worthy predetermined ideal, because that’s what he or she decided to do … deliberately.

Basically, Nightingale says we must have a purpose (the objectives I mentioned above), but if we read between the lines, we realize that we also need to have a process that is good enough for us to be able to achieve success.

Success is therefore the result of clear predetermined objectives, and the implementation of a step-by-step process.

Going back to business, if we want to become successful, we have to know the rules (the process) and predetermine our objectives.

We, the businesses, have to create the internal environment that can synchronize with the external environment following some simple rules.

I call the rules simple, because science has always proven that complex behaviors can also have very simple rules.

Think about the way Albert Einstein wrote the concept of relativity using the famous formula Energy=mc2. A simple formula describes a very complex phenomenon.

Taking action is the first step towards achieving your objective

To better understanding what I want to communicate, I want to encourage you to follow these 5 steps:

1. Why are “you” in business?

Perform an introspective exercise to discover who you are and what you do the best.

2. Look around and find the “right” customer as per “The Art of Synchronization©” model

Use customer segmentation techniques to create a clear target market to understand their rules of interaction.

In my webinar, I will talk more about the “Art of Synchronization©” and I will refer to a study on computer graphic simulation conducted by Craig W. Reynolds in 1987 to explain how simple rules can create very complex results in computer animation. I suggest the same principle applies in everyday aspects of life.

3. Discover what the customer wants from you

Make an emotional connection: all the sales involve emotion and trust. How have you done lately focusing on establishing an emotional connection with your customers?

4. Developing and maintaining sales excellence

This requires informal leadership and morality. Business often pushes the message on why their product is the best too hard. What about making it easiest for your customer to remove any barriers that may prevent them from business with you?

Like science? Here's a cool example that will help you further understand this concept.

This is the principle known in physics as the quasi stationary theorem. According to this theorem, for every force a contrarian force exists creating equilibrium. It doesn’t matter if the force is “good” or “bad”. For change to happen the status quo, or equilibrium must be upset – either by adding conditions favorable to the change or by reducing resisting forces. Kurt Lewin, considered the father of organization change, suggests to reduce resisting forces to make the change happen. This conclusion is linked to the creation by Lewin to the force field analysis theory, used still today in change management.

5. Create, hone and perfect techniques that will help to grow your business

The three simple rules are: Collision avoidance, Velocity matching, and flocking centered.

In computer animation, the collision avoidance is codified stating that a certain distance must be kept among the moving pixels to avoid collisions. In business, I refer to buyers and suppliers instead of pixels. The collision is intended as a crash between the participants and must be avoided.

Another rule is to match velocity enough to get in the orbit between suppliers and buyers.

Flocking centered, using the analogy from computer animation, means creating the conditions to create the flock or working together.

What do I need to do now?

I want you to attempt to think about the entire process and the importance of thinking critically. To look at everything around you using a structured process, in order to improve your chances to achieve your definition of success.

Ask yourself how can you be the leader in your industry, working together with your leader customer to reach the realization of a worthy predetermined ideal, because that’s what you and/or your customer decided to do, deliberately.

If you set an objective, and build a process to accomplish it, a leading role in your industry is well within your grasp.

Want to learn more on the topic? I hope to have the privilege of your attendance at my webinar, “Five Steps to Sell More in the Global Market (The Art of Synchronization©)”.

While there isn’t a single, absolute, or unique method for success, I hope you’ll find this to be helpful as you work towards establishing and achieving your objectives.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the contributing author, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forum for International Trade Training.

About the author

Author: Dr. Michele Vincenti, CITP|FIBP

As the President and CEO of Alvana Business Consulting Inc., Dr. Michele Vincenti, CITP|FIBP is able to bring over 30 years of experience to help businesses at the C-level, particularly in financial matters. He has also used his considerable international trade expertise to teach at a variety of post-secondary institutions in Canada and abroad, and is passionate about sharing his knowledge with new generations of business professionals.

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