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Selling Your ldeo?,

from Merchant Magazine - September 2006

from Merchant Magazine - September 2006, page 86

Monster Home Depot In The Works

B1 Jim Da*son

If IHETHER w'e realize it or not. Y Y rve are all in the salcs business. Regardless of n'hat rie clo lirr a lir inc. in one rval or iinother \\e are aluars selling oursclves and our ideastc'r other people. When it comc-s to problem solvin-u. inrprovinc the- norkplace. and crtharrcing cLlstonrL-r scrvice. this abilitl bcconrcs crucial.

While emplo\ecs at all lercls harc good ideas tirr hon to clrirc thc business to greater success. rnanagcnrcnt often seems to be hard ol' hcaring. Wh1'lr Because most cr.t.tplorccs don't knori hou to: ( I ) articulate thc problem well enough to idcntif,r its causc. and (2) get the resources and support thet need to resolve it.

Essentialll most emplolees don't kno\ ho$ to sell th!-ir iclL'as t() thc dccision-makcrs sho harr- thr-' porisr to bur. Thc good neu s is that lr'arninS hou to sell rour idcas can b!'an !'\citing sir-stcp proces\ that can hoort \()tlr eitrecr lrl.l heneiit )()ur ()rSi.rnilltion.

1 t,a1.the Foundation. \\'hcn rou scnd an L'nrail. ans\\er a call. or att!'n(l a nrL'L'ting. \ ()u arc sL-llin!t roursclf. E.rcn intc-raction makL'\ lrn irrtltrc:.itln. Il r ou ri ant pc'oplr' ttr he lrttfiretcrl [() \()tlf idcir\. \{)tl'\c !')l to bc pc'rccirccl as positir!'. ()pL'nnindcd. antl trustnorthr. \\.hr-'n dartrr-da) prohlcllt\ uris!'. ttffc'r to hr-lP \ ht-rc- t ()u cirn. It r rtu shrtri iniliatirc. irt.tcu.l dl r'rrtttIl;rittint r)r .riticizing. rou'll carn lhc rcputation ot bcing sorticonc rrhtl can lnakc'a diil'c-fCllCr--. t Itl(tt\( l1r2 11,7r,1,g1 j\,

2. Define the Opportunitl'/Problem.

\-tru can'l :t'll r our idca until r ou hure ilclrlr rJcntiticd lltc o1r|o11111111 at hand or thc' prtrblc-trt and it. undcrlr ing cau:c. Dc-tt'rntinc' $ hlrt lrdr anIl.lSc's tlic' ()pp()rtUnlt\ Call SCnCralc ()r n hat it rr ill ctrrt ii ntr action i: takc'n. Thcrc lrrc 0nlr thrc'c- r!-a\olt\ a hu:ilrr'\\ \\ ill takc ae tiolt: because it's ta:tcr. bctt.'r or chcap.'r. -\sk othr'rs rr hat thc'r think about rour idc-a. L're thir trcc:.r:ion trr build rt'lution:hip: rr ith thorc s hrr undcr.llrnd and :upp()rl \()r.l antl clr|r hclp rou Sr't t() th!' dcc i: trn - nrakcrr.

3. Prepare lour Proposal. Onc.- r()Ll'\c d()lrc )ottr ltotncriork.

At Swanson Group, we plant more than a million seedlings a year. By nurtunng and renewing our forests, we make sure our customers have a ready supply of framing lumber, studs and plyrvood.