Salesprenuership: How to get an idea launched using your professional sales skillset
Hey Sis! You may know me as the operational head behind the brand, Sistas In Sales, the event lead, the social media admin, the sales lead and the CEO. I’m writing this piece to discuss how your practical sales skills can help you launch a successful business and brand. Within one year, Sistas In Sales had secured over 20 sponsors (Google, Salesforce, Bobbi Brown, and BuzzFeed) just to name a few, launched a website/blog, a Slack channel and hosts quarterly events. Allow me to share with you how we got to this place, and what you can do to get your side hustle off the ground using your current sales skills! 1. Business Plan – As sales professionals, we have a good understanding of what our company’s business plan is from listening to the All Hands, attending company wide meetings or simply asking your manager where they think the company is trending towards. Use that same ambition to sit down and create your plan, there are dozens of templates online you can use to get you going, starting with this one. 2. Data is King – You need a database of information from your prospects, customers to successfully scale your brand. Larger companies typically invest in CRM systems like Salesforce. Sis, we can use good old fashioned Google Sheets to create a simple spreadsheet of names, phone numbers, roles, LinkedIn profiles and email addresses. 3. Elevator Pitch – If you’ve ever cold called (like my earlier days), then you know the value of truncating your value proposition into 20 seconds. Practice on your friends, and use this formula to come up with it. “My name is A, and I am B, I work with C to help them to D.” My name is Chantel George, and I am a professional digital media saleswoman, as well as CEO of Sistas in Sales. I work with women of color in sales and business to help them connect with other women of color saleswomen, provide an authentic sisterhood in an industry that lacks diversity, expose them to networking opportunities, senior black saleswomen in sales/business, and educational opportunities to perfect our craft. 4. Create content – Content can take different forms, social media posts, website pages or blog posts. I’m agnostic! Test all avenues and see what you can keep up consistently. The biggest tip here is to be consistent! 5. Tell your friends and family – Then tell them again. You never know who knows someone who can help you. My Bobbi Brown sponsorship came from my cousin who was interning there at the time, next thing you knew we had full size BB makeup in our first swag bag. 6. Create an LLC only IF you need to! Are you planning on opening another business account, make contracts under your business name or do you foresee suing people? If so, then create it knowing that this can be a costly venture. More information here. We hope these tips serve as a reminder of how to use your already amazing sales skills to launch your side hustle!