How to Sell Anything to Anyone

“Are Major Record Companies Becoming Obsolete?  Are they still relevant, do they still serve a purpose? Is the independent route a better way to go, for business and artistic reasons?” Rege Behe for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The Big Four are not becoming obsolete. Their traditional way of doing business is becoming obsolete.

Music is still alive and well, it’s the way it’s distributed and consumed that’s changed and ultimately putting the major labels’ future in jeopardy.

The mistake that they’re making is clinging to an old format. The music business changes all the time. It went from vinyl to tape, from tape to CD and the record labels adjusted to the changes. Now, the music really went digital and free and the labels are reluctant to adjust to this new reality.

Objectivity is the most essential attribute that an entrepreneur or anyone selling anything can possess. The day the majors realize that no matter the amount of lawsuits, government laws, digital rights management and other dissuasion tactics will stop the changes that are going on will be the day that they will adapt to the situation to be alive in the long-term.

There’s a new way of doing business in the music industry. Record labels should embrace that new model and create new brands to use as chess pieces. Some people call the Big Four greedy. I call them defensive.

Courtesy: dpicker

I was once told that AOL went under as an Internet service provider because it was clinging to its dial-up business because of its profitability instead of embracing the new change (broadband) that was going to eat through its profit. What happened is history as far as AOL is concerned.

In business and life in general, nothing ever stays the same. A time comes when tough decisions must be taken. The majors are so far choosing to clinging to the tried, tested but dying format instead of embracing, the new, unproven, unsure but future way of doing business. It’s human to be defensive about changes that directly affect the chequebook. It’s also human to come to a realization that things change and that to avoid obsolesce, one must adapt.

There are so many theories on business strategy, marketing and sales. Which is the best to follow?

The number one of objective of entrepreneurs should be to be number one in their market or field. Being on top is the best place to be in business as all sorts of benefits (the financials one are the most coveted) await them.

That said, it could be argued that getting on top in business is like racing to be the number one on top of a mountain, say the Mount Everest.

Courtesy: watchsmart

“To climb Mount Everest, you’ll need sharp skills, iron nerves, and some serious smarts”, says the National Geographic. Surprisingly, these same requirements will help entrepreneurs achieve domination in business.

All the 2,436 individuals (by 2007) who’ve ascended Mount Everest used different strategy and tactics. But a quick interview would reveal that from the lessons learned, there are efficient ways to get on top. Those are the ways that maximize the amount of time, money, energy and competition that the climber has to deal with.

The scenario is definitely no different in business. While there are so many theories about strategy, marketing and sales, there are efficient ways to get to the desired objectives.

Such principles that consider resources such as time, effort and capital and external factors such as competition, market trends and timing are the ones that entrepreneurs should adopt and adapt to their ventures.

A lot of consulting clients or individuals who listen to my talks profess their love or disdain for particular business theorists, schools of thought or books. While we live in a world where everyone is free to express their feelings, I feel that entrepreneurs should focus on picking up what works for them from the said pundits, theories or publications and leave the gossiping to the tabloids.

Time is a precious asset and it’s better spent building one’s business than deliberating the merits of one school of thoughts over another.

I have never ever read a business book or listened to a business speaker and never picked up anything new or perceived a concept in a different light. Yes, there’s a lot of garbage out there (but who am I to judge? One’s garbage is another one’s treasure) but there’s always something new that I pick up.

I don’t remember which business guru once said that if he reads a $15 book and picks up a good idea, it’s a good return on investment. It cannot be said any better.

What’s the best theory to follow?

One that leverages your time, money and effort in getting and staying on top of the mountain.

I’m a 15-year marketing veteran un-employed for the first time. I have been offered a position consulting for a small B2B company rebuilding and launching their corporate web/e-commerce site. The position will include managing outsourced vendors, budget management, creative oversite/review, copy writing and SEM/SEO. How much per hour can I charge for this type of service? - Via Marketing Profs 

For the past ten years, I have advised many entrepreneurs including those selling their professional services and have come to a realization that there’s no industry where pricing does not make any sort of sense than the consulting business.

Two consultants providing the exact same services can charge different fees and still attract herds of prospective clients.

Image courtesy: AMagill

That said, my take on consulting fees is that anyone can charge any fee as long as the marketplace is willing to pay for it.

How much consultants charge depends mainly on their spot in the food chain. The winners take all, while the laggards settle for the leftovers.

In the SEM/SEO field for instance, a Danny Sullivan could charge $ 2000 and have thousands of companies and corporations lining up to hire his services while a very bright but unknown SEM/SEO can struggle to even charge $20 an hour! 

I am not saying that Danny Sullivan is no good and would not be worth the money. On the contrary, smart companies should pay him $ 20 000 to hang out with them for a day.

For the relatively unknown consultant to get somewhere, she or he would have to work on her or his marketing, especially the branding side, to be able to 1) attract consulting clients 2) justify the fees charged.

What’s a consultant to do to be able to charge high fees? The answer is easy: give prospective clients a reason to demand her or his services. Danny could ask any fee because he’s one of the undisputed and recognized father of the SEM/SEO movement.

So what’s the answer to the question?

Charge according to what the market will value you at. If you don’t like the fee value, work on your marketing to move up the food chain.

I’m seeking suggestions for a golf instruction website tagline. The web site provides video golf lessons and tips from Golf Pros. Also, covering golf fitness and the mental side of the game. - Spotted at Startup Nation

In a business context, a tagline must tell prospects the reason why to choose the seller’s offer over the competition. Its role is also to provide credentials for the brand, product, service or business in question.

Photo courtesy: Phillip Ritz

For a golf instruction website, the tagline has to: 1) tell the Internet user interested in golf lessons why he or she should choose this site over the thousands covering golf related issues 2) generate credibility so that users take its content seriously.

If for instance the golf related content is geared at novices, while competitors’ sites featured content for advanced players, the tagline has to reflect that.

If for instance the pros providing advice are past winners of major golf titles (while other sites feature tips from not so accomplished golfers), those credentials should be reflected in the tagline.

If the golf content is in video form as opposed to text form as found on typical golf websites, that distinguishing element should be the premise of the tagline.

What makes the golf instruction website different and a respected content source? The short, one line answer is the tagline.

I should add that creative writers and advertisers are into catchy, amusing or feel good taglines. Some hardcore marketers who believe that words should sell and not entertain usually frown at them.

My take is that as long as the tagline provides the difference and the credential to the concept sold, it can be as catchy, funny and feel good as it wants.

It seems that all of the popular selling books I’ve read come from authors who themselves are extroverted “people persons”. In my opinion these authors also ignore the fact that not all people are extroverts like themselves. Things like “small talk” are despised by introvert clients, like myself. We just say, cut to the chase! How can I learn to be a salesman with my introverted personality?  - biz123

Selling as a business function comes in different styles. Some people are into hard sells that use methods such as “hypnotic selling” and so on. Some people are into soft selling while some are into preselling.

Image courtesy: bonkedproducer

Introverts are better off practicing preselling. It’s basically positioning a product, service, cause or brand in a way that the person pitching it does not have to do much persuading. 

Dentists for example practice a lot of preselling. It’s a rare occurrence to see a dentist touting his practice or service. Instead she or he will ask her or his clients for referrals. That way, the happy clients do all the selling for her or him.

Preselling is setting up a product, service, cause or brand in a way that when it’s brought in front of an interested prospect, the selling happens naturally with no hardcore pitching going on just like in brand building.

Need introductions to angel investors or VC…

Ok, here’s my problem…I want to find angel investors or VC for pitching my project (actually, it is not mine but I’m representing a foreign team - me living in US). I think the project has a future (already built there’s a demo built). (see entire question as spotted at Linkedin Answers) - Mircea Goia, Content Engineer - Business Analyst at Pearson

Finding angels or VCs is the easy part ( a simple web search will reveal more directories than an entrepreneur will ever wish for). Selling them onto a project is the hard as nail part.

Image courtesy: Pfala

My approach to getting start-up funds though angels and VCs is the same as selling a product, service or cause: it’s not about the cold hard sell but positioning oneself to be noticed and solicited.

It’s easier to attract potential investors who are willing to bet on a project than convincing those who have no interest whatsoever.

That said, the most powerful weapon an unknown fund seeker can use is third-party validation. In other words, to get respected, recognized and reputable sources to directly or indirectly endorse the entrepreneur or her or his concept.

In this case, we’ll focus on how to make a concept so hot that it attracts massive angels’ or VCs’ interest.

The project that needs funding to be brought to life solves a problem.

Entrepreneurs are problem solvers. It also turns out that the best way to get people’s attention is to point out a solution to their pressing problem. It also turns out that the media is in the business of solving its audiences problems.

A media outlet that constantly solves its audience’s problem will have a loyal audience which attracts a bigger audience or in simple English, more advertising revenues which means a big pay day for all the parties involved.

Where are we getting at with this?

Unknown entrepreneurs seeking start-up capital should put their concept on the map by publicizing the problem that it solves. Human nature has a tendency to hail as hero, a person or concept that solves a pressing problem.

Let’s assume for a second that the project in question is a search engine. The first hurdle that the company will have to overcome is Google, the search king. But Google search is not perfect (nothing in this world is). By pointing out a major flaw with Google search and offering alternative solutions, the entrepreneurs at this start-up would have the media’s (bloggers at first then hopefully the NYT and WSJ) attention.

If this alternative is deemed as important, the concept would put the start-up on the map and this media attention would attract very interested investors.

Start-ups that have a choice among many angels or VCs are in a better position that those desperately trying to sell to the sole investor that accepted an appointment.

Critics to this approach may say among other things that the time spent on the PR campaigns could be better spent fine tuning the product or pitching to more investors. While that may true, the kicker of publicizing a concept before it’s fully launched is that entrepreneurs get to measure the reaction of the media and the market and adapt their product or sales message accordingly.

Instead of chasing after angels and VCs, entrepreneurs should put themselves in a position where the opposite happens. Getting angels and VCs to chase after them. It’s a much better feeling. If you don’t believe us, ask Sridhar Vembu or Markus Frind.

Could you suggest any name for a beauty & wellness salon? I am opening beauty & wellness salon. - K360°, via Yahoo Answers.

The naming of a personal or professional services enterprise such as a beauty and wellness salon, in this specific case, is a marketing decision based on the overall business direction. In other words, the name of the business will have to be based on the unique selling proposition that will it stand out from the competition.

Image courtesy of deanwissing

If a recognized, reputable and respected authority in the field founds the beauty and wellness salon, by all means, the business should be named after him or her. Parlor names such as Sally Hershberger Salon, Frederic Fekkai Salon, Orlo Salon come to mind.

If the salon’s unique selling proposition is styling toddlers’ hair for example, then a fun name will have to be chosen. Googooli, a California based hair salon for children, is a perfect example. In this instance, the name needs to communicate the distinguishing factor of the salon over others.

Jack Trout and Al Ries wrote in their marketing classic ‘Positioning’ that the name of a company was the most important marketing decision. They were onto something. After all, a name can convey a good or bad feeling about a person and a business. There’s a good reason why in movies villains seem to always have names that make them sound mean and unlikable while the good guys seem to have cool names such as Neo, James and so forth. 

Steve Rivkin, a naming consultant, wrote a very nice report on how to come up with names for a business. It’s very useful and contains a lot of tips. Get a print out of “33 Tips & Tactics for Generating Names”.

In most human endeavors, the beginning is always the hardest stage. The situation is no different in entrepreneurship. Those statistics about 90+% of new ventures failing within the first year are not unfounded  after all.

The beginning is also the most important stage for entrepreneurs. This is where and when all the crucial decisions that will determine their businesses or projects success or failure. For an entrepreneur to succeed, it is imperative that he or she develops and executes a flawless strategy or “master plan”.

Decisions such as the USP to develop, the name of the products, services, brands and/or company, the location of the business, talent to hire, attracting capital should be undertaken after crafting a clear game plan that will lead to success.

The early-stage entrepreneur has a lot of selling to do. The first sell is selling himself or herself on his or her concept. Other (sometime tough) sells include selling the concept to investors, selling himself or herself to the partners, selling his or her products or services to clients, selling suppliers on the idea of accepting late payment but deliver needed goods on time, sell their story pitches to media personnel and so on.

It goes without saying that the greatest entrepreneurship skill is selling. Anyone who can sell anything to anyone will succeed in winning it all. All!

Most people think of selling as salesmanship. They think that it’s all about as being loud and pushy like telemarketers, car and insurance salespeople have the nasty reputation for. 

They think that it’s all about being smooth with words, being charismatic, extrovert, be born for it, or having the ability to charm or even hypnotize. They wrongly think that selling is all about cold calling, interrupting people and being sleazy.

Such a negative perception of selling and such misconceptions limit early- stage entrepreneurs in moving forward and developing their idea from an abstract notion to a fledging business or project.

The truth about selling is that it can be done the easy way or the hard way. The effective way versus the ineffective way. The efficient way versus the inefficient way. The pushy way or the soft way. The smart way or the useless way. It’s up to the early-stage entrepreneurs to choose their direction by choosing a viable strategy first and foremost.

Let’s consider a common early-stage entrepreneurship situation: attracting the first retail customers to a new fashion boutique.

The hard way would be to go on a street corner and distribute flyers hoping that some people would eventually trickle into the store. No matter how well the flyer handout method is executed (proper targeting, a well crafted flyer message and so on), it’s a time consuming activity that won’t even yield satisfactory results.

A smarter way would be to plan a launch party that would be organized to also attract the local media who would write or talk about the party and the store and generate a wider awareness. Even if the party runs into problem and the execution is not flawless (the DJ’s music kept on skipping, the snacks tasted terrible or people get into a fist fight) but the media covers it, it’s a far better start.

How to Sell Anything to Anyone is a blog on strategy in early-stage entrepreneurship. It’s geared at entrepreneurs who are not marketing, branding or sales pros but more at individuals who have a good idea or new business that they want to market and take to the top. Issues covered include idea generation, idea smithing (turning the abstract idea into a tangible concept), strategy, marketing, branding and other general entrepreneurship issues such as raising capital, growth and staying focused.

How to Sell Anything to Anyone may seem too basic to seasoned marketing pros and to some experienced entrepreneurs. While the content is presented in a simple formate, the concepts presented are solid and can be applied by early-stage entrepreneurs in New York City starting an airline companies for instance or early-stage entrepreneurs in India starting prepaid card selling businesses.

How to Sell Anything to Anyone is not Business Week, Advertising Age, INC or Entrepreneur, four great business publications that are must weekly reads by every entrepreneur. How to Sell Anything to Anyone is about breaking down strategy, marketing, branding and sales in the early-stages into simple, actionable plans.

How to Sell Anything to Anyone is about strategy in early-stage entrepreneurship: what works to what does not work in winning the entrepreneurial game. The aspiring or new entrepreneur will find here a helping information resource that she or he can use on her or his way to taking over the world or whatever her or his objective.

How to Sell Anything to Anyone is mainly written by Jean Biri, an entrepreneur turned business strategy consultant to (you guessed right!) early-stage entrepreneurs. Since 1998, Jean has advised hundreds of business owners, professionals and individuals involved in short-term ventures on issues of strategy (finding the perfect competitive direction), marketing and branding. He’s the founder and principal of Groupe Biri, a Montréal headquartered strategy consulting firm.

He started his business career by creating content site that he promoted via Search Engine Marketing. His success led other entrepreneurs to solicit his talents and soon enough, he realized that the biggest hurdle that they faced was standing out in sea filled by competitors. This led to a more strategic and marketing work that he provided to entrepreneurs. To date, he has consulted with clients selling different types of products and services and located in various parts of the world, which works out fine for him, a self-proclaimed global nomad.

How to Sell Anything to Anyone came up as away to reach out to more early-stage entrepreneurs whose principal problem seem to be strategic in nature whether they’re interior design firm owners or successful professional athletes with business ideas.

How to Sell Anything to Anyone is your blog. You’re not alone. You’re in great company. Feel free to ask all the questions and they will form the basis of the articles that will be written and posted. No question is too small or ridiculous. If Jean can’t provide you with an answer, fear not, someone out there will and shall be tracked down for you!

Please note that in business, especially entrepreneurship and strategy, there’s never one way to achieve any given objective (such as reaching the number one spot). How to Sell Anything to Anyone welcomes differing viewpoints as long as they’re presented in rational and non abrasive ways. “You’re full of ***” type comments from anonymous posters will be deleted. After all, we do not hold the keys to the secrets of the universe and we have much more to learn so that we can share it all.

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