No White Flags

With slowing economic conditions comes uncertainty and loss of confidence. Companies begin to wave a white flag to consumers by discounting items that were previously sold at higher prices with no problem. Staffs are cut and people are laid off. In their totality, these times are unnerving and ultimately downright scary, but they can also mean opportunity. While just about every consumer survey says that people with the means to buy a certain product are much more likely to do so while companies are offering huge discounts, even companies who are holding their price benefit from this trend. Let me repeat this last part: Surveys show that while consumers are more likely to buy while prices are being slashed, this does not mean they will buy the discounted brands if they are in the market for a particular product.

In fact, companies that aggressively market the things that separate themselves from their competitors thrive during these times. How? The way in which these distinctions are drawn and then conveyed to customers is key and greatly impacts a company's success. Everything from external marketing (trade shows, print ads, TV ads, web-based marketing, etc.) to internal sales processes can and does affect the results of these efforts. All too often, companies spend money to get part of this formula right while missing the boat on the rest. Knowing what separates you from the pack and putting this knowledge to work are two completely different things. Without their synthesis, the final results are predictable, common, and unfortunate. This is where Defiant Sales Consulting comes in. We can put all of these pieces together simultaneously and get the results that your business needs.

Our outside expert analysis can offer a fresh perspective. All too often, misplaced loyalties cost companies money. We hang on to sales people that have lost their effectiveness or have become complacent. Salaried staff can get complacent as well, and the results are disastrous. Similarly, getting comfortable with advertising sources can be just as costly. Ad reps can be persuasive and are taught to build relationships with their customers. These relationships can sometimes blind a client to a less than stellar performance on the part of an advertising firm. This can become a cycle that is hard to escape, which is why it is so important to understand what it is, with specificity, that defines your business. In other words, your sales processes have more to do with your future than any other factors, including the state of the economy.

The implementation of a modern business model that directly speaks to the paradigm under which you operate is crucial. A true system of generating, selling, and then closing leads is the cornerstone of success. Having a sales staff and placing ads does not qualify. They are not enough! Things like "branding" and "positioning" are necessary and effective tools, but to overemphasize them can lead to trouble. If it were this easy, everyone would own successful, lucrative businesses. It takes a much more concerted effort to obtain the results you want, and that is exactly what we at Defiant Sales do.

As sales people come and go, your business must be able to adapt, rehire, and forge ahead without skipping a beat, which is why the process itself is much more important than the individuals that participate in it. Your sales process should operate very much like a machine. It should be predictable, easy to tweak as needed, and sustainable. Most business consultants will fix a problem here and there but leave you helpless to solve future problems without their help. Here is where we differ. We don't just fix problems; we create a system that allows you to control both its implementation and the individual players that act within it. This is power.

There is no better feeling than having absolute control over your business and its revenue-generating process. Controlling these aspects of your business will give you the ability to navigate through the hard times, as well as the good times, without having to make major changes and without having to panic. No more layoffs or downsizing. No more "sales" that only create cash flow as you watch your margins go directly into your customers' pockets. Defiant Sales will create a machine that grows markets in good times and focus on taking a bigger share of your existing market in bad times. "Grow it big or take it from your competitor!" Either way, your revenue streams are not a result of simply having a good product. Instead, they are a direct result of taking the leash off your sales machine.

The problem with relying on a good product is that a cheaper product will often win out if not challenged the right way. If you think I am wrong, go to Wal-Mart at midnight on any day of the week. It is nothing more than a warehouse for cheap disposable products. The reason for Wal-Mart's success has never been its product quality. Instead, it succeeds due to a very aggressive business model. While many despise the company, no one can deny its success. Succeeding in your market will require an aggressive approach. As your competition contracts, you should explode onto the market. Let Defiant build you a sales machine to do just this.