By Emily Page 2/27/2019
As a brand owner, you have a million competing priorities. When you sit down to create your "TO DO" list how do you identify the priority? Is it by focusing on the largest burning raging fire emergency? Or do you pick the creative fun product development that gets you jazzed up like imaging and sourcing the next SKU on your product line?
I believe your #1 priority should be determined by asking yourself the question: "What can I do today to drive our sales?
I believe your #1 priority should be determined by asking yourself the question: "What can I do today to drive our sales?"
REASON 1: Sales Is Your Business
This must be your focus, and an active question you daily ask yourself and have your mentors and accountability partners ask you. Just like working out, it is so easy to get distracted and pick to do the easiest or most entertaining project and neglect the harder things. Procrastination can kill your business when you miss opportunities to close a deal or spend more money on inventory that actually take you further away from profitability,
It's a misunderstanding to believe that your business is defined by what you do. Your business is actually defined by the act of giving your service or product in exchange for money that covers or exceeds expenses - anything else is a hobby or art.
Your business is actually defined by the act of giving your service or product in exchange for money that covers or exceeds expenses - anything else is a hobby." - Emily Page
You can do your service and product and be successful and never get paid... if you're an artist or hobbies that is in it for the love of the craft. But if you're a business owner you are successful when you provide a service for payment and not only make ends meet but are able to fund your own growth. If you let anything else determine your priorities, you are not considering the most important pieces to making your business thrive.
REASON #2: Sales Will Set You Free To Do Your Hearts Desires
If you focus on sales today, you will have freedom to make REAL and EXCITING choices tomorrow.
When sales occur you have cash to fund your creative growth decisions. In a post-Silicon Valley world where "VC" money seems normal, we've forgotten that real and legit businesses owned by the average person are built by sweat, creativity and bootstrapping. When you sell you can afford to buy that new packaging or hire a marketing person to do the things you dream about.
When you sell more, you will attract the notoriety and financial interest of people you're currently chasing. Whether the goal is to be on the cover of FORBES magazine OR get VC money - success attracts interest like a huge planet with it's natural gravitational pull. Grow bigger and you won't need to chase the support and attention for your business.
REASONS #3: Sales Will Inform Iterations In Your Business You Never Could of Imagined Otherwise
Huge multi-page business plans can be very overrated for small to medium sized businesses. So often you will end up changing your business model because if you haven't started yet, you don't fully know what customers want. You will find out the more you sell and pitch your current products: the buzz words that catch attention, the prices they want to pay, the deliverables and turnaround times that make a customer excited. You can't always know these pieces and sometimes a different flavor or product/service is more popular or needs to be tweaked.
The best way to find out what customers want? Sell, talk, pitch... find what resonates...
The best way to find out what customers want? Sell, talk, pitch... find what resonates... find what they are willing to always say yes to... find out how to raise your prices or reduce your costs.. and deliver more satisfaction.
If you focus on sales as a business owner and make it what you spend the MAJORITY of your time on, you will build a business with a strong foundation, lots of clarity and most importantly cash in the bank or due to you on the balance sheet.
What can you do to apply this?
Daily and weekly screen your priorities by asking yourself: "What can I do today to drive our sales?"
Schedule on your calendar 25% or more of your time to only focus on sales. Doesn't matter what else comes up... treat it like your daughters dance recital... it's set in stone and you couldn't miss it for the world.
The results will be sales which will equal your future business success.
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This video will specifically address this question and give advice on how to make Sales Your #1 Priority.
https://youtu.be/4VnXt05WLwY
About the author: Emily Page has over 12 years of experience in selling consumer brand products in the food industry with packaging. She is the CEO and founder of Pearl Resourcing (http://pearlresourcing.net), an international packaging and product development company where she has launched multiple 7-figure brands into retail and e-commerce with 2-5x growth in sales. Follow her on LINKEDIN for regular articles and updates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilypage/
Graphics by: Kat Reyes, VP of Brand & Marketing at Pearl Resourcing: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kat-reyes-design/.
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