The Salesby5 Blog

At the office, we have about 10-15 projects in our pipeline that have to do with growth, business opportunities, and new clients.  These are not tasks or goals.  This pipeline for growth is all about discovery and research, then testing to see how fast and cheap you can fail or win. The average business has no pipeline, but has ideas on how to grow that aren’t in writing. This can be dangerous for a company and for the country.  It has has already proven to be fatal for many businesses, such as the American automotive industry, as well as many other manufacturing companies.

What is the right number for projects in the pipeline?  Well, it turns out about 15. The most important part is that you have a system that isn’t just in your head.  A real system for when a project (idea for growth) consists of the following steps: researching, reporting on findings, revising the idea, and then deciding to move forward, change direction, or stop.

We have one owner of the pipeline - Nan. He does not necessarily have to do anything with it, except to make sure the people who are researching or working on elements of our pipeline know their jobs.  Great sales and marketers have a pipeline in writing, not in their heads! Thoughts are in your head, goals are in writing!

What is your pipeline for growth?

Do you show up and throw up?  If someone asks you what you do, is your response long winded?  Are people leaving the conversation before you can ask them the same question in return?  Our “marketing piece” is literally an airline-grade barf bag with a Sales Safety Information card inside of it!  It is remarkable, meaning people actually remark!  We were recently in Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and we were handing out barf bags.  Later in the trip, someone overheard our company name, Sales by 5, and said “Oh yeah, the barf bag guys!”  So for all of you without a barf bag, check out our Sales Safety Card tips below.  And if you’re dying for a Sales by 5 barf bag, shoot us an email and we’ll pop one in the mail to you.  If we run out, we’ll get one to you as soon as we are restocked.

Sales Safety Information

1.       10 seconds: This is how long it should take you to peak someone’s interest on what you can do for them.

2.       Listen twice as often as you speak

3.       Numeric precision on your communications messages greatly increases your credibility and the difference you portray. Example: We return your calls in less than 5 minutes.

4.       Clarity in your marketing messages (5^th grade reading level) increases your odds of selling by 70%.

5.       Focus in your marketing messages to one thing increases your odds of selling by 60%. Eliminate the irrelevant.

6.       Your image matters, so do the features, but your overt benefit and the real reason to believe you can deliver that benefit matters the most.

7.       If you have dramatic difference from your competition, you have 370% greater odds of success and profitability. Source: Harvard Business Review. Not sure if you have dramatic difference?

8.       Salt and Pepper: If you were helping a restaurant get more customers, you would not advertise that you have free salt and pepper. Is your company selling salt and pepper to your industry?

9.       Does everyone in your organization know what to say when asked what you do? These sound bites should be artwork on your walls!

10.   Does your business card give the recipient the benefit received when working with you?

If this got your attention and you’d like to apply it to your company, check out our Eureka! Winning Ways program.