Complexity is the enemy
Reuben Swartz
Fun "Anti-CRM" for Solo Consultants Who Hate "Selling" but Love Serving Clients. Put the "relationship" back in CRM: conversations, referrals, follow-up, lead magnets, proposals. Host of the Sales for Nerds Podcast ????
When we're?deep into our field, we sometimes get so deep that clients and prospects have trouble understanding. Think of a doctor describing an operation to another doctor, rather than to the patient.
Us software people are some of the worst. As computer science giant Donald Knuth wrote:
“The real problem is that programmers have spent far too much time worrying about efficiency in the wrong places and at the wrong times; premature optimization is the root of all evil (or at least most of it) in programming.”
We are making things more complicated than they need to be, just because we can, and we think we know enough that we should.
This is the?curse?of?expertise.
But there's another form of the?curse?of?expertise-- the belief that everything should be as complicated as open-heart surgery. So we know we need some help with sales, and we read books for top sales reps, take training courses, implement fancy CRMs, etc.
And what happens? We get frustrated, wonder why we don't get it, and then we find another shiny object that will surely fix our problems... etc, etc.
Sales and marketing isn't our area, client work is. (Even when you're?a sales and marketing consulting-- so I'm told.) We need a biz dev process that's simple enough to be effective and sustainable.
This is where the 2-Step Sales Process comes in. So simple, even I can do it.
How does this compare to your sales process?
Hopefully, that's enough to get you started, but if not, join me for a webinar on Thursday at noon CT where we'll get into more details (link in the comments).
I help service-based entrepreneurs generate more consistent, predictable income in a repeatable way.
1 个月This is so good! It's about getting in the reps, talking to people and figuring out how to best serve and support them!
Stay Out in Front?! Providing Powerful Competitive Intelligence to Executives Making Critical Decisions | Servicing CEOs, CSOs, CMOs, Brand Managers & CI Leaders | Keynote Speaker and Workshop Facilitator | CI Fellow
1 个月Reuben Swartz Agreed! It doesn't have to be more complicated than the two steps you outlined. It's #2 that people seem to be unsure at times on how to do, with many, I guess, not sure how to make outbound calls or walk up to people at a tradeshow and start a conversation. I will admit though that these days, it does tend to require a lot more touchpoints to get the people you want to talk to to actually agree to talk with you. Is there one core strategy or tactic you have found works best to get a quicker acceptance to have a conversation?
Speaker | Author | Mentor Science & Tech Execs to Drive Decisions Faster| HOW-TO Model??Creator | Your Guide to Telling 'Stories that Stick' to Stakeholders
1 个月Wow, a 14-step sales process sounds like a headache for everyone involved! Simplicity really does win, both for clarity and actually getting things done. I always say, if your process feels like a marathon, it’s time to rethink it. Reuben Swartz
America’s “Usable AI for Business” Expert: Keynotes and Consulting | Specializing in Firms, Franchises, and Organizations: Automate the Ordinary, Personalize the Extraordinary
1 个月Reuben Simplifying the sales process makes so much sense—clients want clarity, not confusion. How do you balance simplicity with providing enough detail to address complex client needs?
At Seven Figure Profits?, we help high earners escape burnout and low profits, what we call "7-Figure Poor." With trusted strategies, we’ll guide you to sustain wealth and thrive long-term.
1 个月This is a great reminder! It's easy to overcomplicate things when we're experts in our field, but sometimes the simplest approaches are the most effective. Thanks for sharing this perspective!