Selling for an SMB (especially on the “S” side of “B”) can be challenging, especially if you’re used to working for a larger firm. There’s usually not much in the way of sales support, and people often end up doing multiple jobs. All of that is manageable, however, providing you have the right attitude about your job. Unfortunately, there are seven erroneous myths about selling for small firms that may be negatively influencing your attitude. Here they are, along with the corresponding truth:
- Myth #1: Prospects won’t buy from us because they’ve never heard of us.
- Truth #1: It’s an advantage when prospects lack negative preconceptions.
- Myth #2: Prospects won’t buy because we’re new in the business.
- Truth #2: Prospects are always interested in something new and different.
- Myth #3: We can’t compete because we’re only a tiny handful of people.
- Truth #3: It’s an advantage not to have a bureaucracy to weigh us down.
- Myth #4: Customers won’t buy because our product is new in the market.
- Truth #4: In today’s world, true innovation is (almost literally) priceless.
- Myth #5: An enterprise CEO can’t possibly be interested in speaking with us.
- Truth #5: It’s in a CEO’s best interest to learn what we’ve got to offer.
- Myth #6: Prospects are asking us to do a lot of work to get their business.
- Truth #6: We have the right to ask for major concessions in return.
- Myth #7: Big companies have more resources, so they’re likely to win.
- Truth #7: Big companies frequently bite off way more than they can chew.
Here are two more posts about selling for smaller firms:
