SALES CULTURE - Life Lessons

Money is not just what makes you wealthy. Knowing how to call money forth whenever you need it is what qualifies you as wealthy.

It was an embodiment of blessings at the webinar session with Brother Jonathan Oladeji who was our resource person for the webinar. I was charged up for action and in here, I divulge what I learned and I also added few thoughts.

cultivating successful sales culture - eflier designed by TIMSE

To strengthen our calling, fulfill our missions and ministries; we all have to be sustainable. So, whether you are officially in business or not, we all need to know how to make money; turn out profit and maximize our impacts.

So, why don't we sell well: we often focus mostly on building our technical skills; neglecting marketing skills.

School system taught us once you can read and pass, you will be okay. That is quite right but not true. If you have a high grade point but don’t know how to sell yourself before an interviewer, you will still be overridden by others.

Steps to winning Sales

I summarize what he listed into three; 

1. Know your product. 

2. Know your target audience; and 

3. Know your marketing channel.

We really have to sit down and write these things down; don’t just assume. What really are you offering who are you offering it to; and how will they know about you? This is where brand awareness comes in. Once you know your vision and mission; then craft your brand story and brand image in such a way that it would be irresistible (PS: if you’re at this phase, you can mail me. I’m a branding designer and I also consult on brand strategy)

So, how do we actually learn to sell?

Continuous learning, self-development is key. Read books, take a marketing course, and learn the art of negotiation.

Face your fears. Learn to handle rejections. I recall a nugget I learnt recently from an award-winning neurologist; Nigerian-born, Australia-based Dr. Niyi Borire in his Mental health toolkit program during the Men’s Arcade Bootcamp seminar organised by immerse-circle. Our unconscious mind experiences aptly stores our past experiences and controls our decision-making. So, we have tried one thing and then another; and we feel relunctant to try another. Meanwhile, that repeated trial is what we need to break through. By experience, we will learn what works and what doesn’t.

Call to Action. Bro. Jonathan exemplified this with local businesses; such as an akara seller who relentlessly advertises with statements such as “o gbona felifeli” (native lingual) meaning “it’s hot, come and buy now while fresh.” It’s not enough to give an offer. We need to back it up with an assertion of urgeny/ importance.

By nature, I am an introverted person  (Timothy Aderogba). So I raised a question – “I'm often faced with a kind of Shyness on Social Media. After seldom postings, i don't want to bother my contact lists with frequent messages.” I know there are many like me; you might even be a sanguine by nature but still shy online. Be confident in yourself and in your product. Push and don’t be intimidated.

Bro Jonathan mentioned that there is ethical posting which should adhered to. You don’t have to spam people with direct messages; which can lead to blocking. Nonetheless, utilize less intrusive strategy by focusing your posts on your own platform; such as status and feeds on social media.

 

These are all excerpted lessons from Joyous Innovations Sixty-Seven webinar; Held Wednesday July 28, 2021

Resource Person: Mr. Jonathan Oladeji; an Author, content developer and PhD Scholar in Real Estate; currently resident in South Africa.