David Beckham burst on to the footballing scene in the mid-90’s, and from the moment I watched his halfway line effort fly into the back of the net on the opening day of the season, I (along with most) had a feeling that this kid was going to be around for a while.
We weren’t wrong. I’ve lost count of the number of times Beckham has enthralled me with his pinpoint passing and killer free kicks. The man was, and (somehow) still is a footballing hero. Now, not too short of his 40th birthday, ‘Becks’ is set to reinvent himself once again, after news emerged that he’ll leave LA Galaxy before the end of the year. What next for ‘brand Beckham’?
For me what’s interesting is not the ‘what’ or ‘where’ but the mere fact that there is a ‘next’. The majority of footballers are all washed up by the time they hit 35, but here’s one that manages to hold on to his value. Why?
Well, and I think there is a selling lesson in here for us all, Becks (along with his PR team) has mastered the invaluable art of reinvention.
It’s not just Manchester United fans that love him, all football fans do. So do women and children. Here is a product that can never be worried about saturating a market – because there will be another one right next door to sell to. Beckham the footballer, Beckham the model, Beckham the celebrity, Beckham the family man…
Do you have a concentrated selling strategy?
It’s something for all sales professionals to consider: how concentrated is your selling strategy towards one market or one set of customers? Could you, with some creative thinking, change the way you market and sell to appeal to other markets and expand your prospect and customer base?
It’s the ideal selling strategy. Dell has managed something similar in recent years too (thanks for some strategic support from the experts at Natural Training, of course). With poor levels of customer service that were damaging the brand’s relationships with customers, it needed to make some radical changes. Following the launch of a customer advisory panel that gave incredible insight into the customer experience, Dell managed to change the way it sold technology.
Today, Dell is the ‘one to watch’ in terms of utilising social media to deliver excellent customer service. The company reinvented itself to become a more efficient and appealing business to work with. Same company, same brand, same products, just a different approach that appeals to a far greater number of people.
With my sales training hat on (sorry, can’t help it) I want to ask you what you’re planning to do to reinvent yourself in 2013 – because there’s no better time to take a leaf out of never ending brand Beckham story or the reinvention of Dell. As we illustrate in the new Natural Training book, The Natural Sales Evolution, the modern selling environment has changed.
Make the sale happen
Today, for sales professionals to be effective and successful they must be able to ‘make the sale happen’ – it won’t come to you anymore, those days are long gone. And if this means taking control of their approach to selling and going against the grain, then so be it.
At Natural Training we want to get you thinking about how you can get closer to your prospects in 2013 in a range of new ways. Why? Because the way your customers buy has changed, and unless you reinvent and adapt your strategy, you’ll be left behind.
Step one is to download FREE chapters from our new book, The Natural Sales Evolution. You can do that by clicking here.
The second step is to get in touch with the team at Natural Training and find out how our selling strategies for 2013 are geared towards success and increased profits. Call the team on 0207 043 1582 or email hello@naturaltraining.com.
