Sales Path for Solopreneurs

I concluded a design thinking workshop yesterday. In this session, the participants explored ways to 10X the business for interior designers. The process that emerged from their brainstorming and storyboarding can be used by most solopreneurs.

1. Build Network: Solopreneurs get a lot of their business from referrals. Yet, very few of them make a conscious effort to build it. There are many ways of doing it. They can join organizations like BNI, MACCIA, Saturday Club. These organizations provide local connect. That is the first step in the networking process. The solopreneur can also activate his network of past customers, suppliers, friends through online and offline mediums. LinkedIn is an efficient channel to explore. Attending events and workshops is also an efficient way of building a network.

2. Engage Network: It is essential to engage people in our network. There are simple ways of doing it. It includes things like wishing people on their anniversaries, gifting, promoting their products/services, and sharing relevant content with them.

3. Generate inquiries: Most of the owners of small businesses do not have a formal process of generating business inquiries. Very few of them have an online form on their website. Also, they do not make it easy for their contacts to refers them to others. Preparing an e-referral form and sharing it in their network is a simple way of initiating this process. A much professional way of doing it is conducting free seminars and educating their target audience.

4. Show Value: The solopreneur needs to convey the value that they provide to their customers. This can be effectively done through testimonials, blogs, videos, Podcasts, etc. Another popular way of doing it is by offering a small, free sample of your product/service.

5. Deliver Value: Very few businesses have the guts to commit their value upfront with the customers. For example, no competitor has stood against Domino's 30 min delivery challenge. Solopreneurs can state their commitment in writing with their customers and hold themselves accountable for delivering it. It allows them to know how they fare against it and provides an opportunity to generate referrals. A certain standard of delivery is a must but, what the customers expect from them are empathy and accessibility.

This is an iterative process.

Metrics:

1. The number of active contacts added to your network over the current base. A good starting point is 2X.

2. The number of people wished on important days/month.

3. The number of people gifted/month.

4. The number of blogs, videos, and other contents generated per month.

5. The number of testimonials secured/month.

6. The Net Promoter Score.

7. Finally, the number of inquiries generated/month.

• Subodh

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