Reflecting on Kick Start your Startup Workshop

July 16, 2019, I had a great experience sharing insights on how to kick start a startup and generate sales for a business. I spoke about how to build marketing strategies for a startup company that is left behind in reaping promising results. It was a win-win experience where I learnt many new things from the attendees of the workshop and the problems that are often experienced by them to convert a prospect into a potential client. We discussed and brainstormed on various strategies to be embraced to generate sales for the companies that are in the nascent stage. Not many people are aware of the fact that personality and character would actually play a critical role in what we are selling to the customers.

For instance, there is a start-up company that has developed a product that is slightly similar to the other products in the market, but is not able to generate the expected result. The reason is pretty simple - until and unless a product is unique from the other similar products available in the market, customers will not turn their heads towards you and for that matter, every one of us.

I strongly suggest that you have to build a brand image and bring the same to the product you have created. You should not just build an image for your brand, but live your brand and integrate the value system that is at the core of your business idea. When a customer approaches you, he wants you to understand their requirements and check whether the professional goals, vision and mission of your company reflects on what you are selling and how confident are you on your product.  One has to understand that selling a product to the customer is not just to make money, but to gain their trust. This helps one to touch the sky in their niche for the years to come.

Many companies that are in the market are selling software and ERP solutions to a wider customer base. They believe that pushing the customer in the sales funnel, motivating them to buy the product, and deploy the product in their company will finish their job. This thinking has to be changed. They are many who are least bothered about the training to be delivered on effective use of the product. The person who interacts with the client has to step into their shoes to understand their business problems and come up with the right solution that eases their problem. When a company does this, it is going to reach the pinnacle soon. This can retain the client forever and add new ones through referrals. We have to closely connect with the customers to understand their smallest requirements. The rapport you build will help you get tremendous response from the customer.

One should learn about the customer needs, i.e. what exactly the customer is expecting from the product or service and whether the product or service will help them to attain their business objectives or not. There should be a creative team to meet the demand of the customers. They also should consider the client ideas and imbibe those ideas to build the solution. This helps you to convert a sale without much toiling. 

There are many people from the audience who raised the question about wasting their time and money in building the prototype for a contract. If the contract or bid is rejected, the time spent goes futile. You can avoid this by making a smart move. You need to design the prototype on how the business operates. More importantly, if the person is not able to control the project cost in the initial stage, they end up spending more than the set budget in the later stages of the project.

When you are building a prototype, make a small investment. This prototype will convey the customer on how you are planning to design a product for them and how you are operating. This should leave a positive impression and convince them to shortlist your bid.

Moreover, if you have sent the prototype and the business deal is still in the negotiation phase, you need to maintain good communication with the client. This shows your interest levels on the project. The bidding companies should give a convincing and motivating reason to the buyer to buy their products. When you give a strong reason, they would be happy to turn as your client. The reason that is given should be holistic, sustainable and should compel the client to buy the product. If you are in the nascent stage and want to grow bigger, you should show the passion and culture to the client to increase the odds of converting a prospective to a loyal client. If you show the credibility in what you are doing, the buyer would be happy to buy your product or avail your service. They start to like, admire and trust the products and refer you to many of their customers.

It is now time to push your boundaries, start to build a good rapport with the clients, show your personality to accelerate your business that is running a glacial pace with jet speed. When you follow these points, you can still make the client buy your product that is pricey compared to the other similar products in the market.