Stop. Are You Asking for the Sale?

Along the founder journey, you’re often fixated on the solution to your latest challenge. You’re flowing, living in the moment, evolving, iterating – all forward. It’s easy to catch yourself in the forward momentum but when you stay in movement without pausing periodically, you’re going to get sloppy and inefficient. It’s a non-negotiable to schedule breaks to reassess how you’re doing the little, foundational things.

I had a conversation recently with a company selling equipment B2B, struggling to increase sales. They network at industry events and utilize beautiful educational materials, have genuine conversations – and then once the event’s over, that’s really it.

Their oversight? A simple CTA.

When this company demonstrates its product, it has a 100% close rate, yet nowhere in their marketing are they directing the customer to schedule a demo.

The barrier? A lack of internal processes to screen inquiries.

So what’s the solution? Implement some simple internal steps to screen scheduling inquiries, set up a landing page, and start building a list so all of the time, effort and cash spent at events isn’t lost in the ether.

Regardless of industry, product, or service, the sales basics apply and aren’t a nice to have – they’re a must. Getting back to basics isn’t embarrassing. It is challenging to build alongside increasing success, though. How does the analogy with startups go? You’re build the ship while it’s flying? It’s a popular saying because it’s true and ifykyk.

If you do nothing else today, take a quick beat and ask:

• Are we asking for buy-in at every touchpoint?
• How and where are we placing CTAs?
• What internal processes need improvement in order for us to keep in touch with our network?

Remember, if potential customers or referral sources are taking the time to chat with you, they’re looking for a next step so give them a directive. Tell them what to do to follow up. Keep it simple and intriguing – “here’s where to express your interest,” “here’s where to read more,” “here’s how to text me,” something clear and quick.

Keep going, keep building while you’re moving, keep it simple, and keep pausing to ask yourself if you’re doing the little things well. If you need a lifeline, schedule a quick 10 minutes with me and we’ll do a basics check-in together.

You got this.