4.2 Making contact

If people don’t know you exist the sale will never happen. During the ‘Making contact’ phase you need to start making contact with potential clients and customers.

How do you make contact?

Your background research will hopefully guide and inform your approach, though ultimately the way you make contact will very much depend on two key things:

  • the nature of the product, service or idea you are offering

  • the profile of the clients or customers you are targeting.

Each will have a bearing on the nature of the sales channel chosen and the key messages you choose to convey.

If you are selling to consumers the key focus should be on where they are and where they purchase. So, for example, if you have developed an app that you believe will appeal to 18-year-olds, then you need to be online and building awareness on platforms and social media relevant to that demographic. Alternatively, if you are selling a service to busy working parents or to retirees then a very different approach would be needed.

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Figure 5 If you are selling to a very specific audience you need to engage with them at a place and a time that suits them
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Young woman looking at a mobile phone. She is sitting at a restaurant table, with a coffee in front of her.

Figure 5 If you are selling to a very specific audience you need to engage with them at a place and a time that suits them

If you are selling to businesses the approach will be quite different. While you might need to ‘go to where they are’ by attending trade shows or industry networking events, cold-calling (i.e. making an unsolicited call to a business or contact) and direct mail or emailing will probably also be necessary. Introductions from existing customers or trusted contacts can also be of critical importance when engaging with businesses.

Exhibition space with stands and crowds of people
Figure 6 Exhibitors at a trade show

If you are ever in doubt about the best channel to use, why not ask your customers or look at what other businesses are doing successfully. You might be surprised by what you find out, and by showing interest in people from your target market you could find sales in new and unexpected areas.

The elevator pitch

As you engage with potential clients and customers, whether face-to-face, online, by phone or any other channel, it is critical that you have an ‘elevator pitch’ ready.

An elevator pitch… is a short description of an idea, product, company, or oneself that explains the concept in a way such that any listener can understand it in a short period of time. This description typically explains who the product/company is for, what it does, why it is needed, and how it will get done.

(Wikipedia , 2018)

A coherent elevator pitch will help you to swiftly and effectively communicate the essence of your offer. If in doubt, give it a go and see what the reaction is like… developing an effective elevator pitch takes time, effort and practice!

Activity 3 Your elevator pitch

Timing: Allow approximately 15 minutes to complete this activity

What is your elevator pitch? Spend some time developing or refining your elevator pitch and testing it on some friends and colleagues. Be sure to get some feedback from them on how effective they felt it was in describing your business and business idea.

Discussion

Developing an elevator pitch is one thing, perfecting it is another. By constantly practising your pitch you will become more effective at outlining the key elements of your offer in a way that it is interesting and engaging. If through the practice process you find that people are not quite understanding the key elements then it should act as a prompt to modify and revise your pitch.

4.1 Prospecting

4.3 Understanding and identifying needs