CapForge Accounting

While it’s not okay to completely drop the ball on customer service, you can still get away with more if you are truly good at what you do.

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Sales are the lifeblood of the business, and owners feel like they don’t want to risk a blown opportunity to bring in new revenue and keep the business funded and profitable. They also know that if things have been slow, they may be more willing to discount, and if things are super busy, they can quote high to make sure a new job is worth the strain on capacity. These are not things the salesperson is going to know or typically feel comfortable doing without at least checking first.

So it all makes sense why sales are often the last thing an owner wants to delegate, and the one they feel is going to be hardest to teach. We get it- they have a point. But it also means that if the owner isn’t available, then no sales happen- and that’s a scary proposition for any business! And it means that if the owner doesn’t have the time to do proper sales, which includes follow-up and being able to take calls and respond to emails quickly, it’s going to hurt the business as well.

If you, as the owner, are 100% responsible for sales, it’s going to be much less appealing to buyers knowing they must take on the same role, at least to start. On the other hand, if the business can make sales even when you aren’t around, you’ve suddenly got a whole different prospect on your hands, and the value just shot up in the eyes of potential buyers.

The bottom line is this- don’t let yourself be the only one in your business who can make a sale!

Don't just look for the obvious $20 subscriptions.

The biggest opportunities may be hiding in payroll, insurance, software, marketing, merchant services, or other major vendors.

You could find hundreds—or even thousands—of dollars in annual savings without generating a single additional sale.

Everyone solves problems to some extent; the difference with an entrepreneur is that they don’t give up after two or three failed attempts. If you want to get to the X (whatever that is for you), then when a hurdle presents itself that blocks you from going straight to the goal, you won’t just stop after trying to go over, or under, or around.

You will try going through, you will try going way around the side, you’ll try tunneling, you will try building a catapult to launch yourself over, you will try sweet-talking the hurdle into voluntarily stepping aside. You will try a bribe, you will try a disguise, you will try going around the world in the opposite direction to get back to where you want to be.

The better you get at solving problems, the more you notice two things that occur. One is that you have fewer problems- you just naturally start anticipating solutions before problems even arise, and you plan for them. The second is that you stress less and remain calmer because you know you can handle whatever gets thrown at you.

Being a business owner doesn’t come with a roadmap, and not everything you face is going to have happened before and have a predetermined answer.

Don’t give up, don’t limit yourself with assumptions, and don’t quit trying solutions until the last second runs out on the clock. Being a great problem solver will take you far in business and in life!

The best value-add isn't necessarily the one customers value the most.

It's the one with the best relationship between:

Customer value ÷ Your cost to deliver it

Before adding something to your business, ask:

“Will my customer value this MORE than it costs me to provide?”

If the answer is no, don't add it just because it sounds cool.

Nothing in business happens unless you make a sale. Before that, it’s just an idea, and expenses, and time, and effort. Once someone decides they’re willing to hand over their hard-earned cash for what you are offering – then you have a business. It may still not work, but it’s at least a lot closer!

Being able to sell well is a big part of any business, and if you’re doing everything else right, then getting your sales skills up to par is going to really drive your success to the top.

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Happy Labor Day from our team! Take a hard-earned break and enjoy the long weekend.