How you answer this question determines how you view the customer. Tesla recently announced that they were going to close their stores, move sales online and in doing so be able to cut their prices by 6%. You would probably say that this is an expensive move on their part. Tesla soon took back their statement and shared that they would not close as many stores and as a result, only have to reduce their prices by 3%. Would you say that Tesla is now calling sales an unnecessary expense that could actually be totally avoided? Here’s the link to the full article.
Tesla sees sales as an activity required to handle transactions. Clearly, they don’t view sales as something that is able to generate incremental opportunities.
Sales is not about servicing the business, taking care of orders that roll in, etc. If you view sales this way, it is truly an expense. Every sale needs to be monitored and reduced wherever possible because each can be a drag on profitability, just like all expenses.
Let’s start to look at sales as merely an activity designed to create incremental sales, either from existing customers or new prospects. By changing your mindset, you’ll see sales as an investment. In order to maximize your return, optimize this valuable investment by making adjustments along the way, just like with personal investments. This will help build on your initial investment and produce more growth.
You can’t afford to view sales as anything but an investment. Making sales an investment proves that your sale has a future and that you’re confident in your ability to help others.
The important questions you need to ask yourself are:
- How do I invest more in sales to create an even bigger investment?
- What do I need to change to improve how I manage my time?
- Do I need to make changes in my sales process?
- Do I need to change how I prospect?
I can tell you that sales will never be an expense in any organization that I am involved with. There are too many opportunities and people to help for sales not to be an investment. One of the greatest benefits of sales is the investment it pays out for the buyer and the seller.
Copyright 2019, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results
