Are you a solopreneur? Take these three sales-related actions immediately.
1. First, choose a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Tool.
No matter how good your memory is, it will be impossible to keep all the details straight as your company continues to grow. Remembering those details is crucial for building long-lasting relationships with your customers.
A CRM provides you with the ease of tracking all details, from small details that arise in customer conversations to key dates (follow-ups, customer events, etc.), and managing a lead (i.e., a piece of business) through the steps of the sales process (from lead to prospect to negotiation to closed/won or closed/lost).
There are plenty of free options out there for solopreneurs just starting out. I'm personally trying out Notion and their "Sales CRM" template; however, the most important thing is finding one that works for you, and a quick search will present your options.
2. Next, refine your 60-second elevator pitch.
Having a short, concise overview of your business will help you as you start to share your business with others. It gives people a solid idea of the value you bring and can open the conversation to go deeper as needed. Your elevator pitch can be used as a base and customized depending on who you're speaking with. Knowing exactly what you offer translates to better marketing as well. Use the template below to get started:
- Name + company name
- Who you help
- How you help them
- What they walk away with
For example: "My name is Jenny, and I'm the founder of Jenny BV Sales Coaching. I help solopreneurs and startups establish sales systems and strategies as they start out, making sales feel less intimidating. Within our very first call, we'll have achieved clarity on where you need to focus, reframed what sales means, and created a plan of next steps to help you reach your sales goals."
3. Now, let's talk about the "Quantity over Quality" approach.
It may sound controversial, but, especially in the beginning, it's MORE important not to be too precious. See every conversation as an opportunity to learn and to get just a little bit better for your next conversation. Practice, practice, practice, hone your skills, and repeat. Track every business lead through the steps of the sales process in your CRM, and you'll begin to have the data to see how many calls you need to book for x business, how long your sales cycle takes, and basically all the information you need to make data-driven decisions. At the end of the day, sales is a numbers game, and filling the top of your funnel ensures that the right business trickles down and becomes your customer.
