The Entrepreneurial Itch

In my previous post, I talked about how a successful business is like a stool with three legs to keep it stable. The second leg of the stool is selling and marketing. This is definitely my weak point. I was never taught how to sell or market anything in my life. I think this is one of the greatest flaws in the North American educational system today. No matter what we do, we need to be able to sell to be successful. Why aren’t we taught how?

Leg 2: Selling and Marketing

Everything I know about selling I learned one of three ways:

• By making mistakes myself
• By learning from clients who know how to sell
• By listening to, and reading books by, people who know how to sell

You may be great at what you do. You may even be the best in your area. But how are you going to be successful, or even survive, if no one knows you or your business exists?

The simple truth is that you need to think about what sales skills you have. If you don’t have these skills, are you willing to work on them? If you are shy, are you willing to venture out and take some classes or attend networking training, such as Toastmasters? If the thought of selling scares you to death, you’ll need to consider how you will get over this huge obstacle.

If you are motivated, you can surmount it to some degree by reading books written by people who know how to sell. However, if you truly believe you will never become proficient at selling, you may have to find an associate you can work with who does know how to sell.