Published on February 7, 2013
Today’s blog is a little departure from my usual ramblings on online marketing. I’m devoting this post instead on the topic of human capital, that is, the people that make up your business.
We all begin our small operations from a handful of collaborators. Even more common are operations led by a solopreneur - a one man show. But as entrepreneurs see their efforts pay off, growing their teams become inevitable.
In my personal experience building several businesses along the way, I’ve always held the practice of hiring and keeping team members that have a spark of salesmanship about them. What do I mean specifically? I am attracted to people who can act like me when a business opportunity is on the table. Somebody who (a) knows our products well (b) and can articulate how it can help a prospect make their lives better. For those of you who already have these people on your team, lucky you! But did you know you can also mold salesmanship even if it’s not on hand immediately? I’ve listed what I like to call the three Cs to make this possible:
You have to be clear about what is important to your company at the end of the day. Is it a certain level of service? A dollar figure achieved in sales? Number of people served? If you can connect the team to the bottomline goal, then a major step towards salesmanship has been made.
A simple concept that often gets lost in execution. The key word to successful communication is being as transparent as possible. Be honest. Your honesty will come across to the team and will become a natural part of the way they regard business partners. A culture of transparent communication also helps your team better approach business opportunities.
In much the same way they look to you for direction, you, as business owner need to be open to collaborate with them on their inputs. The most important thing to know regarding your team members is that they experience the frontline. As you become bigger, you, the owner, turn towards a more leadership-oriented role. You tend to become distant from the details. Trusting your worker’s inputs leads to real collaboration. This fosters a confidence within them to recognize situations where they can act to generate business opportunity.
As you practice the three Cs in everyday office culture, a natural rise in profits will be seen as a result. Although your team members are not necessarily the direct people who bring in the profits, recognize that the collective shift to a salesmanship mindset is in the works. Make your wins known to your team. Be sure to inform for example in monthly meetings, by the bulletin boards, or thru a group email, that your overall business goals rose, thanks to them. Take it a step further by sharing the wealth, thru bonuses or additional perks. Sharing is a great way to manifest trust within the ranks.
We at Blissdrive can help you finetune your business goals so you can help mold a better culture of salesmanship within your ranks. The way we work is by melding traditional marketing elements with today’s emerging technologies. Call Bliss Drive via (949) 229-3454 for a free assesment - we’d be happy to steer you to the right direction.
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