Asking for the Business...Every Employee Needs to do This!

Greetings! 

Does every employee in your company ask or know how to ask for the business? I challenge you to find out the answer to this question. Ask every employee in your company if they are a sales person and marketeer for the company. The employees with “sales” in their title or function will respond with a yes. I bet you will hear most say no that are in an administrative or support role/function. Why?

Responses that you will hear include “that is not my job function”, “I do not know enough about the company’s products and services”, “fear of rejection”, and “even if I made a referral, there is no way for me to pass the referral to someone in sales”.

There are companies whose products/services might be limited, such as selling a Boeing 747 airplane. So for now let’s talk about the companies who sell their products and services to a wide range of customers. We will return to this example later.

Imagine the increase in revenues if everyone in your company was speaking positively about your products and services and asking others to buy them. If you have 200 employees and 150 of them are in administrative and support roles and each sells a product or service or makes a referral each month. Now that is hefty return on investment! Granted, not every referral will be a sale nor every potential customer will buy…what if half did so?

How can you create such an occurrence among your employees? The answer is to design, develop, and implement a program that will create a sales and business development environment. Several of the components include:

1. Get every employee to see they are a sales person and marketeer for the company and that they affect the company’s bottom line.
2. Provide them with the tools, skills, and a process for them to see that selling the company and its products and services is not that difficult.
3. Create a process to accept the sales and referrals from the administrative and support employees.
4. Reward everyone for their efforts and that does not necessarily mean dollars, seeing that each person makes an impact to the success of the company and the results of that growth, will motivate everyone.
5. Monitor, track, and report the process and results throughout the organization.

What is the benefit of such a program? The benefits include increased revenues for the company, increased confidence among the employees, and increased and enhanced image and brand!

Oh yes, back to the company that sells a product like Boeing 747 airplanes. Maybe it is true that employees would find it difficult to make a referral. Just imagine if every one of them speaks positively about the company and see themselves as marketeers. That attitude and culture may be the edge needed to gain that next contract!

So, make sure that everyone in the company knows how to ask for the business, make a referral, and positively market for you!

If you wish to learn more about implementing a customized program for your company, contact me. I would love to speak with you.

Until next month,

Nyda