My column in the Business Daily, Sales Pitch, turns three today. Today’s piece is the 151st. This makes me reflect. Did I know what I’d write about today, 150 articles ago? Of course, not. Was I skeptical I might not have something to write about? Of course, yes. Yet, here we are today. And in
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Today I’ll play Agony Uncle and respond to some queries and feedback I’ve received over time. Your tricks work I’m sad. I’m sad because I have been misunderstood. You see, I have been excitedly told by some ardent followers of this blog that they have used “the tricks in your column and they always work.”
Chances are that marketing has already made the buyer attracted to the possibility of a friendship. But selling is a friendship with benefits. What she now wants to know is, “What benefits accrue with the friendship?“ To begin with, it’s not about your product. It’s never about your product. And just so we are clear,
Dear Student, You’ve been sold a bill of goods. You’ve been deceived.Your grade does not define you. Yes, I know, your teachers, parents, relatives and all those grown-ups you look up to may have told you otherwise, and I understand why you believe them. They are your support structure. Surely, they know better. In many
Despite disruption in the finance sector in Kenya, it remains a global trailblazer. Saccos, banks and fintechs, should know that they are leading not following. They are charting their own path, not taking a well-trodden one. To survive (let alone thrive) they should also know that the sector has expanded to include telcos’ and fintechs
Financial Sector in Kenya, Fintechs, Fintechs in Kenya, Growth of Mswhari, KCB-MPESA, Sacco movement in Kenya, Stima Sacco and M-Pawa
It is the seller’s job to remove the jagged edges in communication, creating a warmer relationship with the buyer and making the sale easier. Communication is a complicated thing. Even when you correctly hear what the other person said, it may not be what they meant. When a customer asks for a drill, the obvious
It’s not Uber that’s the ‘enemy’; it’s the Internet dummy! Parity access to information fundamentally changes how selling is done today. We are in the Information Age. Insisting, “This is how I’ve always sold and it’s always worked”, just won’t cut it. Two years ago we said here that analogue and digital are terms bandied
With intense emotion fused into the day, logic is suffocated, need becomes craving, and price is deemed irrelevant All logic will go out the window this Valentine’s Day. A stem of rose that usually sells for 10 shillings and carries over to the next day unsold, will sell for ten times more and run out
“…those that have resolutely chartered their own waters have emerged triumphant. And the same society that was against them, now becomes their cheering squad.” The foremost formidable challenge selling faces is that it goes against the societal grain. Most people are happy to take the well trodden path, not the one less travelled. They are
“If you had read the invitation properly, you…” or “if you were listening to what I was saying, you…” and embarrassing the buyer by insisting you were right, are all signs of impatience. You may win the battle but you will lose the war Patience pays. Successful businessmen and salespeople know this. Mediocre salespeople are