Lesson 1: The Selling Process
The Selling Process:
If you’ve studied marketing, you may have seen an array of diagrams that outline different phases to your typical consumer’s behaviour in buying. I’ve seen 3-step, 4-step and 7-step diagrams that outline the process and they’re all really interesting! However, I always prefer to keep it simple.
After interning for a while now, I can see that simple works best because although some of us may know some complicated people, we all tend to be simple when it comes to buying our food, our clothing and consuming overall!
Because of that, I like to stick with the simple 3 – step diagram. This diagram is your very simple “See – Think – Do” methodology. However, I like to see it as growing a fruit tree from a seed. “Seed – Grow – Harvest”.
Seed – Grow – Harvest
Seed – Grow – Harvest is a great framework to understand and use to bounce some ideas off for any marketing campaign you may have in mind. Essentially what it does is give you frame to work off for each part of your demographic your marketing to. Each person may be in their own phase and it’s so crucial to understand what phase and how to approach people of each phase otherwise you may be driving away potential buyers more so than attracting (and these potentials make up about 60% of your market!). Additionally, the Seek – Grow – Harvest framework can help create a strong long term plan in growing your marketing strategy or branding. To find out how exactly this framework works, check out this free worksehet we just released!
Why a tree? Why long term?
While interning at Intentree, I often see people fall into the same marketing trap when starting their own business. This is called the “get rich quick” trap. You are just starting out, your overheads may be quite high, you’re doing whatever it takes to close a deal even if it’s a small one. Every deal counts because you want to be breaking even as soon as possible.
The hard truth is, there is usually no “Get rich quick” method for any business. Even if there is, there is often a “Close down sooner” or “Get sued big” outcome waiting in those exact same waters.
The point of running a business is to have this long lasting entity that can generate revenue, profit and therefore income. That’s not dissimilar to a fruit tree, bearing fruit regularly over time! The thing is, this tree may be bearing a lot of high quality fruit today (or it may not be). Whatever the outcome it is today, it is more often due to what has happened across previous years, months, weeks than what has happened today.
To make sure that tree bears maximum fruit, it needs to be nourished from the day it was a seed and destined to be put in soil. Pick your best seeds, grow and nurture them and definitely don’t forget to harvest the fruit when it’s ready (otherwise it may go to the crows)!
What I see in the most successful businesses, companies, start-ups that have come our way is, they’ve taken the same approach in order to generate their success so consistently. It’s such an amazing feat to spectate (if you have the patience).
Want to learn how to grow your own marketing fruit tree? Give this a read!