A newborn baby enters the world, gets smacked on the bottom because it needs to start breathing immediately. New business ventures launch in an identical fashion. The newly birthed enterprise immediately demands revenue which only results from aggressive sales activity. That urgent speed to market reflects the earliest glimpse of the business’ branding. When growing a business, several tasks and responsibilities compete as high priorities. However, the one priority that is inevitable among every growing organization is growth itself. Consequently, successfully performed sales activities emerge as the highest priority. Initially generating revenue requires dedicated efforts that focus as narrowly as possible. Failure to execute results in business’ leaders stealing a classic movie line from “Oceans Eleven”: “You had one job!!!”

Know Your Target
Furthermore, to grow rapidly, businesses often deploy a niche strategy. Reinforcing the “one job” mindset to maximize results, the business targets “one niche”! Particularly among younger companies, a quick sale is often superior to a big, slow sale. Of course, a big, quick sale supersedes all! Nevertheless, the quick sale fuels the bank account to fund getting to the next piece of revenue.

Shorter sales cycles directly align with producing customer solutions quickly. Success requires solving problems with incumbent knowledge instead of developing customized expertise. The more thoroughly that the sales professional knows and fulfills specific niche targets’ needs, the faster revenue appears. Superior knowledge regarding prospects enables quicker communication of specific solutions. Nimble businesses who demonstrably know their specific target market, close deals quicker and generate momentum for future customers which in turn grows their knowledge base further.

Know Your Stuff
This increasing knowledge evolves quickly into niche intelligence fueling the enterprise’s growth. Successful, nimble organizations acquire knowledge through multiple channels. Prospects and customers help tremendously as they articulate critical needs and desires in the sales processes. Friendly competitors and established colleagues offer a wealth of knowledge. Likewise, industry intelligence, consulting content, competitors’ annual reports, friendly suppliers, disgruntled job seekers, and aspiring collaborators are viable sources. Every stone left unturned has a potential dollar beneath it.

Growing enterprises must generate revenue with assistance from professionals who willingly share their inside intelligence for a fee, a favor, or old times’ sake. The objective is to equip the sales effort with as much knowledge, wisdom, and hacks that lead to the next opportunity. Knowing your stuff ultimately means knowing the marketplace dynamics, competitive personalities, industry trends, and competitors’ strategies. In entrepreneurial arenas, multiple intelligence channels are mandatory.
Having the ability to discern prescience, rumor and fact is key to achieving successful, rapid growth. Listen, learn, compete, and apply are the cornerstones for fulfilling the “one job”!

Takeaway
When a sales organization or professional pursues its one job, results are the only objective that matters. Leveraging organizational expertise in one niche effectively generates enviable market momentum. When the enterprise is small, be nimble to learn, be quick to apply. Slow and small participants get eaten. Success mandates that sales efforts iterate often and fail quickly. That tactic results in winning business promptly, leading to an organization that grows strongly. Organizationally learn to execute efficiently the team’s “one job”. Additional opportunities will follow those victories. The nimble newbie may not initially get it all, but it will get enough to keep growing stronger.

By Glenn W Hunter
Managing Director of Hunter And Beyond, LLC