Learn How to Sell Your Business Deal in 12 Steps.

There are tons of “How to Sell” books it’s hard to find one to follow especially if you already have your own business deal prepared.

There’s simply too much to read and you don’t have the tme to chase down every single idea or book. So, you decide to attend a real life class.

In a business or entrepreneurship course, you’re invariably made to create your own “Elevator Speech”. This is a summary of your business, what it does and what it costs, what you’re supposed to be shoving down everyone’s throat.

You know what I mean. The regurgicated stuff that you hear from just about everyone in a business “meeting”, a Board of Trade Meeting and some business type love-ins. But boy, does it ever make you want to pack up and run out of the room!

Then, one day, you hear someone come up with something thouroughly different. He or she is so engaging! But there doesn’t seem anything special about it all except, there’s alot more being delivered by that person. You want to know more.  And that’s the magic!

 

These are the ways that will endear you to your audience. They pay attention, they want to know more.

 

1) Be the Most Prepared Person Everytime:

 An impossible task you might think to be the most prepared in every situation. But think about it for a while why you would want to strive to be that person.

This will always put you in a comfortable position. You can always answer intelligently anything related to your business or the DEAL.

At the very least, you come off as the guy that is always able to act correctly and not react inappropriatelyto every situation.

 

2) The Power of Knowledge:

Saviour et Pouviour; Knowledge is Power as they say. Knowing your opposing side, or what makes your would be supporters tick can put you in the driver’s seat.

You become the go to guy or gal. You’re the information source, so whom will everyone turn their attention to ? You, of course.

Knowing the game, you can out-manouevre any opponents you may have. Business is after all, a very serious competition.

 

3) Focus on Solutions:

Use your knowledge and preparation to turn the tide in your favour completely by presenting solutions to queries. Then expand more on the solutions through insights, logic and reference to proof.

 Too many people fall into the deal breaker trap of trying to quell disruptions and problems that are invariably brought up in meetings; not unusually, your deals will be one of them. Remember the competition.

 

4) Set Up Plans of Action With Others’ Input:

 A little odd sounding at first because you seem to be giving up control. But in reality, you are asking for feedback, more knowledge and figuring out what others are thinking.

At the same time, you are tapping into the expertise of other players in the deal or plan.

By including the many parties, you are telling them come and play my game. When they do, you can start to tell them the rules because you are actually leading the show. Remember, you’re the go to guy or gal.

 

5) Avoid Distraction:

 Always come to the point. You will always need to be the sheppard. Guide the “sheep” where you want them to be. In fact, enlist some “border collies” – those people that see your point of view and have the same direction for the deal.

Confusion will reign if the subject matter goes into a tangent. At best, if that occurs, your purpose becomes diluted and the participants will not have an accurate view of your presentation.

Then when you can understand to avoid distraction and bring your audience back to the subject matter quickly, with knowledge and clarity. 

 

6) Develop and Use Your Strengths:

 Everybody have strengths in a particular situation and others will falter. But then visa versa happens too. Your advantage will be to develop what your strengths are.

Just like a sprinter will win in short bursts of speed and the marathon runner will win with long distance striding across the line.

In developing your strengths, it is not to say that you want to crush your opponents. Not at all. It is all about your ability to CONTRIBUTE.

 

7) Your Contribution Has Value:

Have the knowledge that your contribution to any deal or project carries value. This is especially so when you have become the most prepared person everytime.

Of course this can take some time for you to develop that reputation. But continuously doing so will soon gain you such a reputation among your peers, among your competitors and better yet, among your supporters.

Before this can happen, always know that well researched and well developed plans and ideas always carry great value and are often the subject of discussion. When it happens, it becomes your chance to shine.

 

8) Find Applications for Your Strengths in Other Areas:

Great Entrepreneurs are well known for their ability to apply their knowledge and skills to many diverse businesses. This is because the areas needed for their expertise are in every enterprise and in every situation.

A good example to demonstrate the above is the much vaunted term of “transferable skills”. This is where a worker is hired even from a different job or industry simply because the skills and abilities this employee has meets the requirements of the new job.

Also, as an entrepreneur you will develop the ability to learn to adapt to many situations. The better you apply your knowledge well, the better you will be able to make your deals stand out in a better light.

 

9) Cultivate – Win, Win,Win:

 For your business or deal to progress, the invited or involved parties or stakeholders will need to benefit from it.

Win 1 = The project or deal is a profitable venture to be a ble to pass around the goodies to all involved.

Win 2 = Your stakeholders (investors, employees, partners) are also planned to receive their benefits and/or profit.

Win 3 = Don’t forget yourself! Everything else wins but make sure that your share is commensurate with your input – you may actually take the lion’s share, but please make sure everyone knows what everyone else understands the distribution of proceeds.

 

10) Work With Those Who Seek You Out:

A great deal will always have supporters and detractors. Work with your supporters. Better yet, work with supporters who know they have something of value to contribute.

You’ll of course have to discover what it is they can contribute to the project. The results can be surprising and often, you may not even have thought of it. Diversity is often a good thing.

After presenting your deal, a great way to guage interest and whom to work with are those that will seek you out.

 

11) Cultivate Your Personality:

Most of the time, this will be the deal maker or breaker. Cultivating a respectful and likeable demeanor will get you more supporters and make it appear that you are much easier to work with.

Billionaires or millionaires or those just starting out are still people. All have the same needs of interaction, but perhaps at different levels of financial needs. Being abrasive will not win you friends anywhere.

Think about it. So you deal speaks volumes and you do get many interested parties, but trying to cut that win, win, win scenarios will not likely materialize simply because you’ll get arguments across the board on many items on the deal agenda.

Many people you will deal with have no clue about this part of making deals and projects work. But stand back and observe what personality works and what doesn’t, you’ll find that the best and most successful deal makers are often the most likeable and appear very “educated” in many eyes.

 

12) Cut the Deal Early

This goes both ways.

If your gut feel tells you the deal is going really well, go into the deal cutting process – remember the early sales by asking for your customer’s credit card? It’s the same here – they are ready to buy.

If it starts to get difficult, especially like in 11) above, cut and run gracefully. This saves you time, money and will prevent your self destruction – or this deal may break you.

It is always far better to create and fine tune another deal than to get into one that is likely to go sour on you. Often you will know fairly early on if the deal is going to fly or crash.

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