Yes, But Are You Really Any Good At Selling Vacuum Cleaners? — by Dan Lynn

By Dan Lynn

When you first start a business, getting customers is the biggest challenge. Since you don't have any credibility, it's very hard to convince someone to do business with you. Think about it - you have no customers, no employees, no history. Why would anyone do business with you? Although you are certainly full of "piss and vinegar", that's only going to get you so far. It's a Catch 22. You can't get customers unless you have customers.

So, how do you get the ball rolling. Well, often you have to start with your "friends and family". Those people who are closest to you including immediate family members and/or your most trusted colleagues and connections.

Have you ever noticed that vacuum cleaner companies and cutlery companies (as well as many other industries) often hire kids right out of school to sell their products? Why? Well, they know that even if the individual isn't any good at sales, they will sell at least a couple of vacuum cleaners - one to Mom and Dad and one to their "Aunt Susan". Well, starting a business is no different. Your first deals/sales will likely come from your "Mom and Dad". For us it was our great friends at ADP. They trusted us and we didn't let them down. We refused to let them down. As a result, we providied services to ADP for over 7 years. We will always be extremely grateful to our great friends at ADP.

But at some point, if you truly aspire to grow your business, you have to find out whether you are actually any good at selling vacuum cleaners. The good news is that we are damn good vacuum cleaner salespeople.