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Cut Through the Noise

The Rules

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Focus your time and your money

Many people think that you must be very smart and educated to build a business into a great success. In the book Growing a Business Paul Hawken, founder of Smith and Hawken, says that trade craft and attention to detail are the keys of success.  Neither of these skills has anything to do with your education.  Growing a business comes from focus and focus comes from a written plan based upon your mission.  Building a business comes from the relentless pursuit of the business plan and attention to your mission statement. 

If you don't know Paul Hawken's story, he built two multimillion dollar retail companies and sold out when he wanted to move on to something else. He has been a long time business consultant before and after the sale of each of his companies. 

In my work, with many small business owners, and my study of successful companies, one thing that is common in companies with problems is that they have lost some of their focus. They replace their  focus on a customer with a bottom line focus. Many times they lose track of who their client really is and what they are selling. This is why when they start to do advertising as a way to prime the pump the message is not focused. The hope is that new types of advertising will attract new clients.  

I will give you one example of a large corporation that has shifted its business plan and it's sales model in the hope of attracting new customers, but without a process to keep them...Chevrolet. During the past 30 years Chevy has had 14 different cars that it has sold. These cars have names like Chavelle, Corvair, Vega, BelAir, Impala, Baretta, Monte Carlo, Chevy II, Caprice, Camaro, Celebrity, Monza and Nova. Most of these cars where designed to meet one of three markets the entry level, the family and the sports car. At this time this company that was once able to claim that it sold two cars for every one sold by Ford, now it sells less than Toyota. What is the name of their entry level car? 

Look at the names of the cars that Toyota has had during the same period, Corolla, Camry and Celica. Do you have any idea why their cars keep getting a larger and larger share of market?  Maybe their mission statement will help to understand the focus.

All coaching or training programs are done either on the phone, online or in person. You chose what works for you.

Our Mission Statement is as follows:
"To attract and retain customers with high-value products and services and the most satisfying ownership experience in America"

Our Vision Statement is as follows:
"To be the most successful and respected car company in America"

At one time a goal at Toyota was that no car part would break. It might wear out but not break.  If you are a car buyer and moving into your first car doesn't the Corolla seem like a reliable choice? When you move up it is to a Camry. The other choice would be to start with a Celica and move up to a Camry.  They make a car in each model with fewer than five exterior and three interior choices. 

At the end of this article I have some links to other mission statements at companies like S.C. Johnson, Smith and Hawken and Crate and Barrel. Each of these companies has exceeded their competition and managed to sell products at prices higher than their competition.  They are relentless and have many parts of the work in common. 

At Mastery of Sales we believe that a sales team should be created with three components, people, process and presentation. Hire the right people and train them in your process so that they sell more with powerful presentations.  

If you want to grow your business a build a business plan, design your sales and service strategy based upon the best features of others and be relentless in the pursuit of you goal. Remember that Musashi says in A Book of Five Rings, "The purpose of a merchant is to take a profit." If you are in business it is better to be Southwest Airlines than any other American airline because they know how to take a profit.

Read the mission statements by these great marketing companies. Learn from what they say and emulate their best qualities.  If you don't see something unique in them, then give me a call and I'll help you see how each is able to sell Value not product, which makes them more profitable than others in their industry.

http://scjohnson.com/family/fam_com_phi.asp

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/corporate/default.asp?

http://www.southwestair.com/

http://www.smithandhawken.com/html/resource/rsc_story.jhtml

Need a speaker or trainer at your next event or sales meeting?  Call Brad Sandy at 800-735-5717  (800-sell-717) 

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If you would like personal coaching to increase your sales results or to grow you company...call me. We can talk and you can decide if it will help you have Your Best Year Ever. All coaching or training programs are done either on the phone, online or in person. You chose what works for you.