Everything I Know About Sales,
I Learned in Kindergarten, Part Three

By Janis Dalessandro

Editor's Note: As part of our continuing commitment to industry education at the Fiery-Foods & Barbecue SuperSite, we are pleased to present a new, three-part article for our College of Chile Knowledge e-zine. Here are the techniques that a former newbie to the industry used to put her gourmet products into stores all over the country.

Imagine What It's Like to Be in the First Grade

d’Oni Enterprises may be a small company. But it is also a company with big dreams. We have accomplished an awful lot since we started our company. But we never rest on our laurels. We’re always looking to the future, keeping abreast of industry trends and the way that they might impact our business, brainstorming new product ideas, thinking about establishing partnerships with likeminded individuals and organizations, seeking out ways to expand our reach and increase our profitability. Our marketing materials, product packaging and collateral materials are high-quality and as professional-looking as those of much larger companies. In fact, since we began in business, many people in the industry have been surprised to learn how small our company actually is in terms of staffing. And that’s as it should be. One of our primary objectives was to create a professional image that positions our company and our products amongst the entire roster of players in the marketplace. And we did. Small doesn’t mean unprofessional or unsophisticated. Small just means you’ve got plenty of room to grow.

When it comes right down to it, small businesses really don’t operate all that differently than the big boys. Sure, they have a lot more hands on deck than we do, but the operating philosophies are very often the same. I think sometimes it’s easy to forget that the companies we look to as the most successful all began as small businesses like us.

I began my professional career working in a company that was started with a $700 investment and a handful of employees. Today that same company is a multi-million dollar enterprise and a leader in its field. And while I’m still not sure what I want d’Oni Enterprises to be when it grows up, I have never stopped thinking about the possibilities. You shouldn’t, either.

Bring the Teacher an Apple

None of us lives in a vacuum. Our success depends on a team of people, each doing their part and doing it well. So it’s important to remember to make people feel good about their contributions to the process and to recognize their efforts.

Phone calls, handwritten thank you notes and prompt follow-up are three keys to establishing positive and lasting relationships with your vendors, customers and prospects. In a world where email has replaced office visits, anything you can do to put a friendly and personal face on your interactions will make them more memorable and more likely to deliver positive results.

People just prefer doing business with people they know and like. Trust develops more easily among friends. Vendors are more likely to go the extra mile for people that are easy to work with, treat them with kindness and respect, and pay their bills on time.

Think about how YOU like to be treated by people. Then make sure you treat the people in your business circle the same way (or better). I guarantee you’ll see dividends from giving the gift of thanks.

Practice Good Citizenship

In the current economy, more and more business decisions are being made based on ROI (return on investment) outcomes. Lots of marketing tactics have merit but increasingly, when budgets are tight and things have to be trimmed, the first things to go are the ones with the lowest ROI. These often include "feel good" tactics like cause-related activities.

d’Oni Enterprises believes that being a good corporate citizen is an important part of its mission as a company, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because it makes us feel good to do it. We look for tie-in activities with organizations, causes that we believe in, and feel close to. Sometimes the ROI is a little bit harder to measure, but we know our company will benefit from the positive public relations that come from affiliating with well-respected organizations. We’re currently supporting selected charities that are so diligently working on behalf of those affected by the September 11 tragedies. Some of those who lost their lives may have even been our customers, so it makes us feel good to know our company can do something to help.

d’Oni’s good corporate citizenship also extends to our industry colleagues. We always try to provide assistance to other companies where we can, offering our expertise and contacts to those who ask for our help. After all, we might need to ask them for help someday.

Our company likes to think that we’re not only putting good products out into the marketplace - we’re putting positive energy out there, too. And we’ve always found that caring about the world and being kind to the people in it carries its own reward. Our business success to date is proof of that.

Take Naps

Like many of us, my specialty sauce company is not my only focus. I have a wonderfully supportive employer who understands my dream and has helped me work out a flexible schedule that gives me time to make that dream reality. Some of you may have full-time jobs or children that also place demands on your time. It is very easy to become overwhelmed, especially when the unexpected happens like the events of September 11, which have affected American businesses large and small in similar ways.

People in our industry are, for the most part, passionate, driven people. We like challenges. We enjoy selling and the art of making the deal. We work hard and when the time comes, we play hard, too. We’re high achievers and sometimes, that can take a toll.

Sometimes we forget that we’re only human and that as humans, we need to take care of ourselves. It’s easy to believe that every free moment we have should be spent on the business at hand. But as the business community continues to feel the effects of that sad day in September, it’s never been more apparent to me that sometimes, things are just out of our control. And it’s at those times that we have choices to make.

Sure, I could spend more hours at the phone making calls to try to make up for the business I’ve lost because fourth quarter plans were suddenly cancelled as American business watches to see what’s going to happen next. But if I’ve made ten calls and everyone is telling me the same thing, making ten more calls may not be the wisest way for me to spend my time. I’ll probably get bummed out and it’s hard to make a good impression on anyone when you’re feeling deflated.

That’s when it’s time for all of us to do something else. Playing with my new puppy, Chai, for a little while makes me happy and energizes me to come back to the tasks at hand with a renewed spirit. I used to feel guilty if I didn’t spend every free moment trying to build my company. But then I remembered that corporate America pioneered the two-hour "business lunch" as a way of breaking the monotony of a busy or stressful workday. I've also learned to make choices in my self-imposed downtime; I don't have the time to choose all that I would like. Instead, like everything, I weigh options. In the same two-hour time frame that lunch takes, you could go for a run, take a dance class, get a massage and facial or simply watch a television. The bottom line is: I’ve learned that I’m one of my company’s most valuable corporate assets, and certainly one that should be nurtured and protected.

Contact: janisd@d-oni.com

Web: www.d-oni.com

Online College of Chile Knowledge

Top of Page