Issue link: https://docs.hic.us/i/403552
C C h h a a p p t t e e r r 2 2 – – S S e e l l l l i i n n g g This chapter will cover techniques and concepts for making sales to customers. Your Marketing Plan should provide exposure, focus and leads, thereby enabling the selling process to proceed smoothly and efficiently. Many people get nervous when the term "selling" is used, but it need not be a point of worry. With a little bit of planning and preparation, you will find the sales process to be a positive experience. The ABC's of Selling Embroidery So you've finally done it! You've gone out and purchased that commercial embroidery machine that you've been dreaming of, and now it's sitting in the corner of your living room, all shiny, new and exciting. Ever since the machines arrival, you've been as giddy as a kid at Christmas, playing with the buttons, and trying out the features, all the time with a silly ear to ear grin plastered across your face. In fact, your adrenaline level has probably been so high, that you need a good strong cup of coffee to slow yourself down! Commercial embroidery machines do a lot of neat stuff, and the business can be quite fun and exciting. But the operative word here is business. While that new machine can do some truly amazing things, those features come with a price tag that will most likely be arriving by mail once every 30 days. So you must be prepared to generate revenue, by putting the equipment to work doing what it was designed to do – fill embroidery orders. Of course to fill orders, you must first write orders, so its essential that you focus a good portion of your time on making sales, which is a key ingredient for success and profits. For many new business owners, the thought of making a sales call is utterly frightening. But it shouldn't be. Almost every business in existence relies on making sales, so it's a normal function of everyday business life. In fact, selling can actually be a lot of fun if done properly. It gives you a chance to get out of the shop, meet new people, develop relationships, and of course, generate income. So sales really should be your primary focus, but where do you start? It all starts with identifying what it is you are selling. What would your answer be? Embroidery? Wrong. Embroidery is your product, but what you're really selling is yourself. Ultimately the customer is buying you, not just your products. This means you must sell yourself first! For the customer, your company and product is probably new territory for him. He has no idea whether your goods and services are dependable or not. For him, it's a step into the unknown, and he www.hsi.us care@hsi.us 125