Howard Wong78227

A lot of people in business fail to recognize a subtlety that makes all the difference between mediocre achievement and great success. The issue I'm talking about is whether you sell in or sell through.

Selling is a method most companies mistakenly use they are trying to sell products that are repeatedly consumed. These companies only focus on how to get that customer to buy their product or service one time. They are not particularly aware that if they dont attempt to sell the product repeatedly, the customer has no compelling desire to ever purchase from them again.

I believe that in order to build a business you have to realize and understand the fact that your greatest area of likely growth is getting existing customers to buy more products more often. How do you do that? Depending upon the business youre in, you need to focus on selling through.

The process of selling through is going to mean different things to different industries. For example, if you are a wholesale supplier to different retailers, just getting retailers to buy your products and put them on their shelves or hang them on their displays or put them in their catalog, isnt really enough.

If the positioning, the marketing, the propositions that the retailer extends to their customers are not compelling enough or if there is no customer demand for the product or service, all you end up doing is getting a one-time, one-shot sale, and that is tragic, because the same effort with the right mind-set or strategy could produce a repeat customers indefinitely.

The key to selling through is to help your customer get the maximum benefit and the maximum use out of your product. Your goal, if youre really committed to building a successful business should be to make absolutely certain that your product gets passed through and consumed to its fullest and delivers the maximum benefit.

For example, if youre an accountant and you calculate tax returns, your clients should know that you are saving them the most money, that you are looking out for their welfare and that you are getting them the best yield. When they understand and experience those benefits, then, they will be committed to continuously using your services.

Another example of selling through would be a clothing manufacturer. To maximize your business you would have to do everything in your power to make sure that the retailers know how to sell, how to advertise, and how to display your merchandise.

In this case you should do whatever you cost-effectively can to get market demand established so that when they buy from you, they know that youve already helped them sell through, because youve established and created customer demand, awareness and interest.

The point here is simple: Just selling to someone the first time is only the beginning of your responsibility. If you want to maximize your business, youve got to concentrate on what happens for the purchaser after he or she has purchased your product or service.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and success coaching programs. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in career coach training. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many businesses around the world, on the subjects of leadership, achievement, goals, strategic business planning, and marketing. Joe is the author of three books, Starting Your Own Business, Finding Your Purpose In Life, and The Guerrilla Marketing Workbook.

Copyright2007 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

posted by howardwong69883 @ 11:50 AM 0 comments