This is probably the most important blog in this entire series. The real key to a successful business. If you are thinking of starting a new business or are struggling with yours here is where you might be falling short. 

Let's use a business that sells widgets as an example. You might think that having a great design staff to build the best widget is important. That your widget out performs all the other widgets on the market.

The truth is you can design the best widget. It can do everything a widget is supposed to do and then some. It can be made from the highest grade materials and have a lifetime guarantee. You can sell it for 99 cents and the truth is if you don't have a good marketing plan and sales staff you will be stuck with a warehouse full of great widgets.

On the other hand you can make a widget as cheap as possible. Doesn't do what it is advertised to do. Breaks the first time you use it and if you have a great marketing plan and great sales personnel you won't be able to keep them in stock.

The industry has proven this for decades. How many of you remember the Ronco commercials that aired on TV during the 70's and 80's selling some real garbage? Stuff made from plastic so cheap that it broke right away. Junk that most people wouldn't even actually use but they made tens of millions of dollars. Today some of the exact same items are being rehashed and sold on late night TV today using the same methods.

Here at KNL we can build you a great website. We can make you a great promotional video. We can even help you set up and get into motion a social networking campaign but the bottom line is that as necessary as all these tools are you need to have someone that lives, eats and breathes selling your product and or services.

Even though the marketing tools I mentioned are expected in todays market if you have a real, a true sales professional that knows how to close a deal they can do it without all those things. The problem is that having that gift of gab is a rare gift and few have it. And the ones that do are either working for a fortune 500 or unfortunately, from my experience, they suffer from some issue in their life that inhibits their success and they bounce from job to job.

But that doesn't mean that some of these skills can't be learned. The first thing you need to do is find someone that is very likable. People buy from people they like. If they don't like you they won't buy from you.

The next thing is to learn how to close. Closing is completely different from pitching. Anyone can pitch a product especially one they like and believe in. But that isn't how deals are done. Deals are done by closing and if you can't close you may as well not be in sales.

The next thing is that you have to have someone that has connections in the area that would be a big market for your product or service. This can be built up but that means you are going to be paying someone to do the ground work and usually sales are not done during this period. So you are paying people to make contacts and if they are not able to close it will be an expensive exercise.

Often business owners try and do it all in this economy and that just isn't effective. You need to have a great sales staff. There are a lot of materials available and a lot of seminars that are available that can help someone interested in a career in sales.

So if you are thinking of starting a business make sure you have this part of it nailed down first. If you are looking for a job I suggest that you start reading some books about sales and learn how to do it. If you look in the want ads there are always sales jobs. If you are good at sales a company will make room for you. You actually will bring in more money than it costs them to have you so it is common sense to hire a good sales professional.

I recommend reading some books by a man that used to be the worlds best car salesman, Joe Girard http://www.joegirard.com/ He was number one in the country for years. The things that he did were what anyone can do to become a great salesperson. You can probably check out his books at your local library. There are others as well, Brian Tracy teaches the psychology of selling. There are a lot of resources available but you have to practice what they teach. You can't just read the books.

In my next blog I'll talk about how to close a deal.