Maidsfield Blog - Partnering and Business Development

As a discussion piece to my first newsletter, just out today, I want to open for comments on the premise stated in the title on an attitude to Sales. See the newsletter article at www.maidsfield.com/newsletter

Many people dislike sales. When they think of sales they think of the hard sell, door-to-door, using all the tricks in the book with a ‘just-get-that-sale’ approach.

It doesnt have to be about knocking down the door to get to the prospect. Sales is more about sitting down with the prospect to help them resolve a need they have. Of course you have to convince them that yours in the best solution.

The “Ideal Client” is a client that suits your business capabilities, track record and ‘personality’. It’s not just a profile of you most profitable clients, but it must take into account those you like doing business with, those you deliver value to easiest, those who refer new clients to you because they are true supporters of the on-going value your business delivers.

So how does your Ideal Client find you?
How do they know that you have a track record in resolving of supplying to a particular need?
Is your message too broad? and it can start broad and narrow as you business develops?
Do you provide clear case studies that your Ideal Client can relate to?
How much do you know about “What defines Success for your client?” and what piece of that success you provide and who provides the rest?

Where does Marketing fit in to it, or is that something for the big brands?

Easy questions hard answers…

on EirePreneur recently, it briefly discussed on leaders sometimes getting burnt. This is indeed more so true of pioneers as opposed to market leaders.

Striving to be Market Leader might simply mean you will strive to be best at what you do and move to dominate the focussed niche you defined for your business, whether regional, sectoral, segment, demographic or many other criteria.

Richenda, my wife, remembers when U2 played at Waterford Regional Technical College, now WIT, at a price of 50 pence per student. She didnt go, she was a bit young. Who was U2 then anyway? But no doubt they were great. Many people missed their opportunity to see this U2 greatness in the making.

How do you become great? It’s not by one great deed nor one great goal nor one great success. Many people rest on one thing of greatness and it fades.

I’m so lucky to regularly meet so many great people today in business in Ireland and further afield. I am always keen for these people to share their knowledge and experience with the industry, within an industry organisation such as it@cork for example.

The it@Cork annual conference is coming up and many great people are speaking and attending. do see www.itcork.ie for more information.

I am really looking forward to hear Jim Mountjoy speak. A great person indeed, both for his achievements and his contribution to the technology sector in Ireland. Jim doesnt speak in public very often and maybe curses the thought of it. No doubt his to-the-point approach will come across from the podium as much as it does across the table. If you dont know of Jim, just do a google and you’ll see.

Other great people speaking at the conference include Charles Handy, Robert Scoble, Joe Gantly and many more.

Great People will gather in the 100’s in Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork - November 30th - Book at www.itcork.ie

In your mind, Who are the great people in the Irish Technology Sector? Do we do enough to reward them for their leadership and contribution?