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HOW TO SELL YOUR IDEAS @sobafemi

#AUDACITY2LEAD how to sell your idea

 

I have been directly exposed to privileged ideas & businesses of over 500 People in the past 30 months.

I see a pattern.

We all have loads of ideas flushing through our minds. No one has a monopoly of this flush.

The unfortunate part, though, is that over 80% of spontaneous ideas NEVER get to the level of being finished.

So today, I hope to share my own procedures for selling ideas. How it has worked for me for since I started @bhouseng in 2003

I have sold ideas that ran: #BreakfastwithSamObafemi (BSO) 10 times, #BSOCre8 for 6 months and #TheBizClinic 5 times.
 

Here then are my thoughts on how to sell your ideas:
 

1. POSITIONING:

Ideas can be triggered & induced via positioning yourself in a ‘conducive’ environment. Get yourself prepared.

Sam Adeyemi suggests ‘spending’ to go to a place where your Creative Juices can explode. An Exotic Hotel. A Beach. A Vacation.

The right environment will always stimulate an idea. A consistency at this breeds Quality Ideas. So make this a habit!

2. TRAPPING:

Your mind is a writing pad. So many graphical thoughts will flow spontaneously. It takes more than thinking to have an idea.

You must develop the sensitivity to ‘capture’ and ‘trap’ what you have as an idea. This could mean: writing it down, meditating on it, etc.

3. DEVELOPING:

One fact with ideas is the ‘place of urgency’. Never be slow with giving ‘flesh’ to your chosen idea.

This may be drawing a list of ‘stakeholders’, a ‘graphic design/image of the idea’, ‘setting a date to start’, etc.

The Universe likes speed. Don’t second-guess. Don’t hesitate. Get hooked up to your idea quickly. Paulo Coelho says “Commit.”

4. COMMIT:

A Yoruba adage says “If you need me to help you mount a basin on your head, attempt to bring it to your waist first.”

Start investing your own time, finance, skills, et al in that idea. Don’t go searching for ‘help’ yet. Do your own implementing first.

It is easier to identify areas of need when you have attempted your own efforts ahead of seeking ‘help/support.’

5. DRAW:

This is where you have grown mature enough to ‘sell’ your own initiative. This is the real selling phase.

I will use the GROW Model to discuss this point.

GROW is one profound tool I learnt from The Coaching Academy

GROW represents:

  • Goal
  • Realities on Ground
  • Options Available
  • Way Forward

Goal (G) means what is to be achieved. Here, we want to ‘sell’ an idea. That is the ambition. Not to raise money or increase customers. It is to increase acceptance of your idea(s). So focus: Sell an Idea (GOAL)

Realities On Ground (R) means what do I have at my disposal to sell what I have conceived?

This could be:

  1. Social Media
  2. Friends who are a good networth
  3. Cash for physical marketing materials like TV, Radio, Fliers, et al

What resources do you have to translate ‘intellectual value’ to ‘physical’ and ‘social’ value? Could be time, people, skills etc.

Options Available (O) mean from each Reality on Ground (R), what options are at my disposal that I can utilize?

For instance, if it is people, who are the people? If media, which of them? Paper, TV, radio or internet? If time, which part of the day? Morning, noon, or night?

For every reality you can identify, determine the options to dissolve the impact of the reality.

[Tweet “For every reality you can identify, determine the options to dissolve the impact of the reality. @sobafemi”]

Way Forward (W) means of all Options outlined, which one(s) are MOST Promising? Once known, hit off immediately.

When an Option flops, move gears to your next best option. Never let one option take you hostage. Move quickly when you have exhausted one.

Selling an idea involves ‘dropping shyness’, ’embracing razzmatazz’ and ‘creating visibility’. Make sure your potentials are recognized.

Selling an idea demands PERSISTENCE too. Keep analyzing options until it clicks. Don’t quit yet. Give it another shot.

A Picture speaks more than A Thousand (1,000) Words. Use images generously to project your mind’s eye. Talk in colours and images.

Selling is an Art. Learn it. Know Your Target Audience and their Tastes then give them what they crave for. Speak their Language.

[Tweet “Selling is an Art. Learn it. Know Your Target Audience and their Tastes then give them what they crave for. Speak their Language. @sobafemi”]

Selling is a Science of the Mind. Appeal to emotions first, logic next. Touch a need before appealing to specification.

Selling demands Counting Figures. Measure who you won over to ‘buy your idea’ and ‘Why’ he/she did. Know ‘why’ others did not.

Become a Natural Seller. Let everything you do project a selling body language. That way, your appeal goes UP and resistance DOWN.

Be Yourself at all times. You may NOT get it right at first, you will, down the years. Just keep at it and never shy from learning from the best around.

I hope I have helped you today with my very few words.

I pray so. Amen and may the Spirit of God finish the clarification. Amen.

And if you have questions, leave it in the comment section, I’ll answer you.

This post was written by Coach Sam OBAFEMI. Organisational Strategist & Life Coach. (C)052014 for #Audacity2Lead twitter hangout. Follow Coach samOBAFEMI on Twitter @sobafemi

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5 thoughts on “HOW TO SELL YOUR IDEAS @sobafemi”

  1. Pingback: Best Advice Before Leaving Your Job to Pursue Your Passion - #18 - Audacity2Lead.com

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