Recently, I came to realize that several of the most fascinating, constructive, and lucrative business meetings I’ve had have been the result of the following process. When the realization first hit me, I walked myself back through my experiences and drew upon the conclusion that I could not have acted in a more focused and strategic manner had I planned it from the beginning. If there was a Nobel Prize for sales, the following process would be celebrating on a beach somewhere right now.
• Somewhere in back area of your office or store, set aside a small area which I will refer to as your ‘showroom’.
• Think hard about who your ideal customer or client is and identify a material object that they are likely to purchase.
• Using a sales forum specific to your local area (Craigslist, eBay, Kijiji, newspapers...) find a posting where someone is selling one of the items that you have selected.
• Set up a meeting with the seller and if you like what they are selling, purchase the item.
o The exact same process I am describing below is applicable to your purchase of this item. Do not waste this opportunity.
• Take the item back to your store or office and place it in your showroom.
• Using the same means by which you were able to track down the item for your purchase, advertise the item for re-sale. If you can charge more than you purchased the item for, consider it a bonus.
o I recommend free online advertising sites as they are extremely popular and have the added benefit of being free.
o Where there is a charge to post your ad, build the advertising cost into the price of your product whenever possible.
• Each time someone wants to purchase your item, they have to walk all the way through your office or store in order to reach your showroom and view the item.
• While they are walking through your store, you have a perfect opportunity to present your business and learn more about theirs.
• Most importantly, you have already qualified this person as a potential client or customer of your business because of the item that you are selling.
This process is all about qualified lead flow with guaranteed face to face engagement and presentation of your products and services. A multimillion dollar industry has been built providing qualified leads for businesses, usually just providing contact information of potential customers in the form of emails or phone numbers. My process is free and guarantees you multiple opportunities to meet with your target marketplace, both when you buy and sell your items. Best of all, this process is not only free but provides the opportunity to make a few bucks on each of your purchases.
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