Reading Time: 4 minutes

Executive Chairman of the Think Grow Lead (TGL) Group, Duane Lue-Fung, sat down with Money Moves Ja host Kalilah Reynolds to talk about how businesses can grow during the pandemic.

Lue-Fung is of the view that several businesses are now grappling with sales problems during the pandemic because staff lack the skill set to connect, convince and persuade people the right way.

He states that sales are a very vital aspect of any business and as such businesses must zero in on all the opportunities that are out there and close them.

“Sales are everything, it’s like oxygen in your business,” he said.

He also noted that some businesses do well in sales because of the conditions but when those conditions get challenging salespeople find it difficult to grow the business if they do not possess the right skills to be able to quickly adapt and execute their mandate in a particular way.

The sales expert shared that with the pandemic moving the goal post on how potential customers are reached, sales teams must now find alternative leads to reel in potential customers or continue to suffer losses.

He went on to share that the sales industry has never been a walk in the park,  but it has proven particularly difficult for many companies in the middle of a pandemic.

“It’s tricky, first of all, it was hard to sell even before the pandemic,” he continued.

Awareness

Lu-Fung says that businesses will first  need to get to the source of their problems within their company, so that they can be addressed in a suitable fashion “It’s like going to the doctor,” he needs to diagnose, “If you don’t know you have a problem how can you then fix it.”

Hunters vs. Order takers

He states that salespeople must be aggressive, especially during the pandemic and that it will suit businesses to abandon the approach of “order taking” and adapt one of “hunting”.

“You looking for people with the ability to prospect and bring in the sale. We have a tendency in Jamaica to have a lot more order takers. If you go into organizations, they wait for the phone to ring, they are not natural hunters.  Now more than ever you have to change that mindset. You need to be an effective hunter,” he said.

However, Lue-Fung made it clear that there are processes and methods involved in learning the skill of hunting.

Closing (Less talking, more listening)

Lue-Fung explains that it is important to master the art of listening more than you talk as “telling is not selling.” The skill of learning to read people, and picking up sensory acuities to know what closing techniques to use specifically, will make you an excellent closer.

He went on to detail the importance of engaging your prospect in consultative conversation, by asking questions and challenging your prospect as a way to qualify them for the product or service you are selling. This will help avoid wasting time with a prospect that is not able to purchase from your business.

“Puppy Dog Close”

The Puppy Dog Close is a sales technique allowing prospects to test the product or service for several days before making a decision. Its offers a free trial or a test period before clients agree to close a deal.

Lue-Fong recalls the sales technique that dates back to the 1960s where salespersons who sold dogs would allow potential customers to take home a dog and if they like it they could keep it, hence “Puppy Dog Close”.

He also stressed the importance of the “Stand out Brand (SOB)” technique, how salespeople must be keen on appearance “Smile” and just providing a most memorable experience for their clients. 

Finding new customers (Hunters and Preys)

According to Lue-Fung, sales should be predictable and as such you must understand your target market, and with the right leads it is important to adapt the discipline of hunting routinely until you reel in the customers you are hunting.

He is of the view that understanding leads and target markets will also equip businesses to plan ahead, setting different sales targets to fit their niche markets.

Flexibility to change

“Winners never explain, winners never complain,” since the pandemic started the hunting landscape has changed for many businesses who will need to adapt to new ways to reach potential customers. One of the newest methodologies Lue-Fung touched on is the transition to “Social selling or Virtual selling.”

Businesses will need to put effort into the presentation of their brand in the virtual world, be it revamping the company’s look, updating scripts or changing engagement techniques.

Duane Lu-Fung is an established entrepreneur with over 20 years’ experience in creating and growing companies. He rose to prominence as the young entrepreneur who grew a home-based business into a multi-million-dollar copier and business solutions provider, ranked in the top five across the Caribbean.

His prowess and business acumen was acknowledged in 2007 when he was the recipient of the Governor-General Award for Entrepreneurship and was recognised by the Business Observer as one of Jamaica’s 50 most influential men.