Meet the barber who turns the hustle into a business and Yfumble

1. June 2015
Issue #3
Entrepreneurs
T&T’s
Content:Local | Vision:Global
A Byte into
brownie
Communicationwho turn a hustle
into a business
Meet the
barber
in an age of information
Selling

2. “Specialist in Out-of-Home Advertising”
10 Gatacre Street, Woodbrook, Port of Spain, Trinidad, W.I.
1-868-221-6800 | www.pandd.net | info@pandd.net
Together we can rule
OUTDOOR

3. Table
of
Contents
T&T’s Entrepreneurs Magazine Issue #3 , JUNE 2015
6
13
10
Freshmanpreneur
Juniorpreneur
Seniorpreneur
Brownie
Communication
Master Of Fades
98.1fm
04 Hone Your Skills
09 On The Brink Yfumble
16 Marketing Advertising Practices (MAP) Labour Of Love
18 Sales Selling in an Information Age
Nahum Media Ltd are the proud publishers of the T&T’s Entrepreneurs Magazine.
Feel free to contact us at (868) 288-0940 or send an email to the editor bridget@nahummedia.net
Publisher
Nahum Media Ltd
Editor-In-Chief
Bridget Baptiste
Head Journalist
Renell Medina
Design & Layout
Karthik Ramamurthy
Contributors
Mical Marketing
Up Sell
Printed By
Nahum Media Ltd.
Photography
Nahum Media Ltd.
3T&T’s ENTREPRENEURS | June 2015

4. Hone Your Skills
This required ability is aided by some
supportive personal attributes, such
as confidence, initiative, problem
solving and determination, but the
basic learning principles must include
the following:
1. Satisfaction will come from
learning something new every day.
This goes hand-in-hand with every
entrepreneur’s desire to do things
better, and make a real impact on
the world. This is a key part of
enjoying the journey, as well as the
destination. It doesn’t imply any
sense of superiority or weakness,
but often provides motivation
beyond money.
2. Success requires challenging
assumptions and status quo. With
this principle, real entrepreneurs
start with a conviction that new
learning will reveal flaws in
existing models, leading to new
opportunities. The Internet is the
source of data for alternative views,
and social media allows direct
customer interactions to test these
views.
3. Learning means understanding,
far beyond memorization. Great
entrepreneurs strive to understand
the depth of a customer need,
rather than just the ability to
recite a longer list of features.
Technologies are not solutions,
but understanding a technology,
in the context of a customer need,
will result in more competitive and
long-lasting solutions.
4. The act of communicating and
writing enhances learning. The
process of documenting what you
think you know in a business plan,
for the team and for investors,
solidifies your own understanding
of your new business. With that
learning, you are able to more
effectively share and market your
solution to customers and business
partners.
5. Building a new business is not
rocket science. Growing a business
is understanding the needs and
thoughts of regular people and
simple financial transactions, not
some complex technology that you
might assume you can never learn.
With the Internet, you can see all
you need explained in a dozen
ways in text, videos, pictures, and
podcasts.
6. Learning is nothing more than
looking outside the box. Extending
your knowledge is like dealing
with competitors—if you aren’t
extending your comfort zone,
you are losing ground. With the
Internet, you can quickly test your
new business concepts, with crowd
funding and social media, and get
quick feedback from around the
world at low cost.
7. Relationships are a test of your
learning readiness. Building a new
business today is all about building
relationships with your customers
and your team. As an entrepreneur
with a new startup, you are the
brand, and customers today expect
a relationship. In addition, you
always need relationships with
advisors, investors, influencers,
and peers.
8. Proactively ask for help and
anticipate the need to pivot. With
the Internet, you can ask for help
from normally inaccessible experts,
with minimum personal exposure
and cost. It’s easy to see how often
others have made changes, so your
own learning and associated pivots
shouldneverbeanembarrassment.
Avoid the arrogance trap.
No one is too old to learn new things as
an entrepreneur, whether you are just
out of school at twenty, or just finished
your first career at sixty. If you follow
the principles outlined here, and take
advantage of the pervasiveness of
the Internet, you too can be a part
of the solution rather than a part of
the problem. A failed startup is the
harshest learning lesson of all, and we
don’t need any more of these.
A
spiring entrepreneurs who rely only on traditional learning vehicles (teachers, classrooms, and risk-free practice)
are doomed to failure in founding a startup today. Either they are never really ready to start, study an opportunity
until it has passed, or fail with tools and techniques from a bygone business era. The Internet and the current
information wave have changed everything.
Being a successful entrepreneur these days requires a current insight to a myriad of issues, including many that haven’t
yet been integrated into the traditional academic learning vehicles of textbooks and professors. The Internet is both the
problem, by facilitating constant change, and the solution, by providing an absolutely current view of customers, trends
and best practices.
The challenge is to find the time and initiative to keep up with the information wave, and be able to curate the data into
knowledge that must be learned, unlearned or relearned. It requires an attitude of self-education, versus an assumption
that someone else will provide the education. For entrepreneurs, change is the norm, so you have to relish it before you can
make it happen.
4 June 2015 | T&T’s ENTREPRENEURS

6. Persistence
is
key
Freshmanpreneur
We are made to
persist, that’s how
we find out who we
are.
“
“Tobias Wolff
Melinda Right
6 June 2015 | T&T’s ENTREPRENEURS

7. If there is one life lesson
that runs through and
true Natasha Brown’s
life, it is that hard work and
persistence are rewarded
with success. Her persistence
and drive has birthed
Brownie Communication- a
communications company
making its mark on the
communicative landscape.
The communications guru
did not always have it easy,
however, as with most things
the start to her success
was not a smoothly, paved
road. Brown, in a phone
interview said, “Well I am
Natasha Brown the founder
Brownie Communication
Concepts, which provides
communication solutions to
small and growing start-ups
or business enterprises. The
reason I am focusing on small
and growing enterprises is
because I really found that
there was a lack of interest
by the bigger organizations in
what these small companies
are doing. There was a lack
of exchange. If you’re a big
communications company
you would not know the
small man on the ground.
Likewise the small man on
the ground would not be
able to access your time or
attention and resources if you
are too big in communications
and that is where I come in. I
am providing that answer,”
she said “I am the interlink
between the small man
and the man who needs
communication services for
his business whether it is
media relations, marketing, if
you need writing a frequent
presence on social media,
Twitter, Facebook, that kind
of stuff...if you need regular
content. I will work with you
to get it out there.”
The small but creative
communications company
began out of, what Brown
termed, necessity.
In 2013, she said, the business
that Brown once worked for
closed down and stopped
operations. At the time
Brown was working on her
final paper for a MA in Media,
Communications and Public
Relations from the University
of Leicester. She was working
steadily toward the goal of
obtaining the MA and, “really
had no interest in getting
into a business enterprise
but whenever my friends
had work they would always
present it to me.” A friend, who
owns a television studio, asked
Brown to write some scripts
for the station. Although, not
widely known in the freelance
world, Brown’s client base
base grew, doing jobs for
different companies. In 2014,
she got a small contract, which
too ended, but her resume
began making the media
rounds through the University
of the West Indies (UWI)
Alumni Association- Brown
is also the holder of a BA in
Media and Communications
from the UWI. The then UWI
Alumni president contacted
Brown and asked her to assist
him with his church-based
organization in Chaguanas.
Brown made the trips to
Chagaunas to assist. Although
the organization was unable,
to pay much, Brown said
she was grateful for the
work and readily accepted
it. She then began seeing the
need for it to have constant
communication work done.
Brown then realized that she
could be the one to step in
and provide the work needed,
under her own name and
brand. That was the genesis
of Brownie Communication
Concepts. “Right then and
there, I decided I am going to
parlay this into a business,”
she recalled. She was also
uncertain, at the time, as to
when she would return to
full time employment and she
wanted the ownership and
pride that comes with having
something uniquely one’s
own. Having had two contracts
end, leaving her in a state
of uncertainty, Brown was
convinced that starting her
own was the way to go. “While
I knew entrepreneurship
would take its toll on me and
time and effort, it had the
promise of stability,” she said.
And so the process of building
and creating Brownie,
communications began. In
the middle of 2014, the name
search began at the Ministry
of Legal Affairs, then its
registration. As for how the
company got its name, she
said, “All I knew I was called
Brownie a lot. I would see
friends and when I got emails
from my boss, it would start
with Brownie I need you to
do this.” “I did not know why
it stuck with people so much
and so I said I needed to do
something with this,” she
added. When she solicited
the advise of friends on what
she should call her company,
Brown said to her friends all I
have is Brownie but they told
her to run with it and make it
her signature. Another friend,
whom she described as a
great designer, came up with
the logo. Brown surmounted
uncertainty and doubt to get
the young company going. She
wondered, as well, how would
the company stand against
larger industry names, such
as Mango Media and others,
but with persistence and faith,
she overcame these and began
building her company. “I
started reading this marketing
book and it said focus on your
own brand identity and focus
on your own promise, so if my
promise is to the small and
medium enterprises and start-
ups that would be my focus,”
she said.
Although Brown is yet to see
much financial return on
her investment, she remains
committed and focused,
knowing that it all takes time.
She is prepared for her time,
for that time when Brownie
Communication Concepts
puts its stamp on the world.
Until then, she plugs on in
the communication field,
slowly building her name.
When asked what advice she
would offer to other young
entrepreneurs, Brown said,
“In terms of how difficult
it was for me, as a young
entrepreneur, of course, you
don’t have the necessary
insight that the larger players
in the game would have so that
is why you kind of have to keep
at it. Keep reading the books,
keep reading the articles.
In the communications
fields there are so many
new developments, daily...I
invested in books, I invested
in articles and blogs, ensuring
I read everyday what is going
on in the field...what new apps
are out there, new techniques.”
Brown, always seeking
consistent development
attended a conference with
NEDCO. “You always have to be
aware of what opportunities
there are and take advantage
of them,” she said. And so if
you’re young entrepreneur,
looking to put your stamp
out there remember, Brownie
Communication Concepts is
always there to help you.
7T&T’s ENTREPRENEURS | June 2015

9. On The Brink
fumbleKevan Sinanan came out victorious in the “i2i” (Idea to
innovation) competition. This competition allows young
aspiring entrepreneurs to showcase their idea and once
it is outstanding it will be brought to reality hence the idea to
innovation concept. His idea is basically a device where a light
will shine on your key when close to the lock as the sensor will
pick it up. He worked alongside i2i for approximately one year
but prior to the i2i competition he worked on his own for two
years where he used his own funds to pursue his idea. Due to not
having financial resources readily available he is still an upcoming
entrepreneur as this device will require a considerable amount
of time, effort and working meticulously and assiduously for the
product to meet his expectations. To achieve this he was able to
network and upon networking he found the right people to help
him build this device where he lacks the expertise. He noted that
this upcoming product would beneficial to everyone including
people who are visually impaired as the key will not only light by
also vibrate. As an upcoming entrepreneur he is faced with many
challenges in his attempts to get the product completed but he
lives by the motto “think big, think global”. With the support of
his friends and family he hopes to get this project completed in
a timely manner solving the problem of fumbling with keys. You
know when you just get home from a hard days work, its late,
you are extremely tired maybe even hungry then cannot find the
correct key for your lock? How much more horrible can your
day become? Worry not! Yfumble will take that fumbling stress
away from you!
Y
9T&T’s ENTREPRENEURS | June 2015

10. Juniorpreneur
10 June 2015 | T&T’s ENTREPRENEURS

11. As a young boy growing up
Faisal Mohammed known
as Fais had an interest in
cutting peoples’ hair. This interest
led him to cut peoples’ hair that he
grew up with in the neighborhood.
Having been entrusted by others
with their hair, he would do this for
free and would not refuse cash if
offered. As he became aware of his
innate skill in cutting hair he decided
to do a basic course in barbering at
YTEPP. At the very first class after
being able to showcase his talent,
the lecturer was in awe of his talent
and told him to return at the end of
the course as it was unnecessary to
come to class with his remarkable
skill. As such he became certified
officially in 1992.
Little did he know the following
year would be the year of the
beginning of his career? He started
his first barber saloon at the corner
of Farouk Avenue and El Socorro
main Road in 1993. Ten years later
Master of Fades was relocated to
1 Mohammed Ville, El Socorro
Road, San Juan, in 2014 Master
of Fades branch out into selling
barber supplies and equipment
retail and wholesale he’s also the
distributor of the #1 bestselling
product internationally named
Elegance USA. He promised himself
he would be different from every
other barber as his aim was to be a
professional rather than a hustler.
Hence, professionalism was priority
for him as he strives to make his
clients as comfortable and satisfied
as possible. The barbering industry
is usually deemed a “hustle” but for
Fais it was his life. As a result he had
to hold his head high, be confident,
strong and remain devoted to what
he did. Because of his assiduous
demeanor he never really had fears.
However, like every entrepreneur
he had his fair share of turbulent
times. He is a strong believer in
sharing knowledge as he is confident
to know that his God given talent
belongs to only him and no one can
take away his uniqueness. His goal is
to broaden other peoples’ horizons
in the barbering field.
His entrusted faith in God and
believing in himself and with the
willpower and determination he can
now sit back and bask in his success.
With, his wife support together
they have built an empire which
holds steadfast to his vision of
professionalism. Her unwavering
support through the years has
helped him tremendously and
motivated him to continue fulfilling
his dream. Fueling his drive for
success were his two beautiful
daughters whom he wanted to give
the best life possible inspiring him
to work harder every day.
Apart from barbering, he also takes
pleasure in leisure activities such as
cycling and spending time with his
family. His selflessness, dedication
and industriousness led him to
become the 1st place winner in The
Caribbean nail and beauty trade
show at Center of Excellence last
year as the only barber supplies
booth. He was also interviewed by
Skills TNT for being a skilled Barber
and was added on their website. As
a successful entrepreneur, he has
other goals in mind that he hopes
to achieve, He currently sells male
clothing and accessories at his
barber saloon but his long-term
goal is to open a barbering school
someday. With the right attitude,
faith in God and support systems
such as family and loyal customers
he can take delight today in being a
successful entrepreneur as a barber
for 24 years who does not hustle
but takes his time to do his work
scrupulously.
Master
Of Fades
11T&T’s ENTREPRENEURS | June 2015

12. LOCATION: Kapok Hotel, St. Clair
DATE: Saturday July 25th, 2015
TIME: 5:00pm to 10:00pm
TICKETS: www.theperfectlifefor.me
All Inclusive
Fashion, Live Theatre, Networking & Charity
Auction

13. SEniorpreneur
98.1fmIsaac 98.1FM and the Family
Focus Broadcasting Network
(FBN) exists today as a result
of the one woman’s vision to
bring healing to the nation
through radio ministry.
Dr. Margaret Elcock began
ministry while employed at
TBC and has since emerged
to own her own network the
Family Focus Broadcasting
Network. The Network
shares hope encouragement
and support to families
locally and internationally
and we continue to be a
sound voice to the nation.
13T&T’s ENTREPRENEURS | June 2015

14. Twenty-four years ago, blazing the trail
on the Trinidad Broadcasting Network,
95.1FM, with secular music was Margaret
Elcock. She was an excellent employee
who took pride in her job as an Announcer.
Little did she know her life would change
drastically. This change occurred when she
gave her heart to the Lord Jesus Christ. With
this change, she felt it was necessary to
resign from that particular program which
was associated with secular music. She
eventually came off radio for three years
as she needed to seek God’s guidance as to
His plan and purpose for her life.
After three years of being off the air she
decided to jump right back into radio as
she believed this was her calling. Because
she had experience and a good working
relationship with the Trinidad Broadcasting
Network she began to purchase airtime
where she had a program called Sounds
Glorious aired on 95.1FM. Although the
program did well, she felt the call in her life
was to do so much more.
She prayed and fasted for three days for
the Lord to give her the right name for the
station. Down on her knees she sought the
face of God to determine what she should
do and God answered her prayer placing a
vision in her heart. Out of this vision came,
the first gospel radio station in Trinidad
and Tobago. Equipped with years of
experience in the field of radio and a knack
for announcing, God used her natural
talent for His Glory. Only after those three
days He revealed to her the name, I.S.A.A.C
“The Promise”. I.S.A.A.C, an acronym
for Inspirational, Spirit-led, Anointed,
Appointed and Christ-centered. Her desire
for this station came out of a need for the
nation as we are constantly plagued by
murder, rape and suicide, to name a few.
She felt the nation needed positivity, prayer
and inspiration 24 hours a day and this is
the unique aspect of her business. For
her, it was less of a business and more of
a ministry. Out of this radio ministry came
many different programs which she named,
such as “Family Focus”, “Kingdom Kids” in
which the children can relate to what was
being said and taught on the program as
it was age appropriate. Other programs
include “Youth in Focus” which specifically
targets youth. Some other programs
include “Men Talk” , “Forever Young”,
“Women of Promise” and the programs are
geared towards the entire family as it was
the first institution created by God.
The radio station was doing exceptionally
well and this was only because Margaret
obeyed the calling of God in her life. She
once used her God given talent for worldly
reasons until God turned around her
life and she was now able to minister to
others with that same talent epitomizing
the concept of “nothing is impossible with
God”. She ran her radio station based on the
bible verse Ephesians 4:29 which says “let
no corrupt communication proceed out of
your mouth except that which administers
grace to the hearers”.
With 98.1 being in business for thirteen
years, Margaret Elcock was now a successful
entrepreneur and can afford to sit back,
relax and enjoy life. She enjoys traveling
the world, seeing different places and
experiencing different cultures. However,
these luxuries did not happen overnight.
Before she owned her own business she
was an employee who started off taking
instructions from someone where she
gained tremendous experience, however,
she always aspired to do more. That
aspiration led her to where she is today.
After twenty-four years of ministry she is
now the President/Founder of the Family
Focus Broadcasting Network and the CEO
of I.S.A.A.C 98.1. She received a National
Award – Chaconia Medal Silver; for religious
education and an honorary doctorate from
St. Thomas University of Florida. However
she faced many challenges one of them
being overzealous to do a lot, she wanted
to do radio, television and a magazine.
. Though this proved to be challenging
Margaret Elcock has always picked herself
up and pressed forward. She had a vision,
a plan and the right people to make God’s
vision become a reality.
Although we know fear is not of God, we are
all human and sometimes we can still be a
“doubting Thomas”. Her biggest fears were
financial instability, not staying relevant as
she was the only gospel station at that time.
However, with God’s divine intervention
and faith she managed to trust Him and all
her fears were cast away.
She is absolutely satisfied with her life and
her business as she continues to reap the
rewards of her labour and obedience to
God’s will for her life. Some of her more
satisfying moments is the privilege of
seeing her workers contented, the growth
of the business and feedback from listeners.
She pointed out the most touching moment
for her was a South African woman who
visited Trinidad and testified of how much
the station has impacted their lives in South
Africa. They listen via the station’s online
stream in South Africa. was amazing for Dr.
Elcock to receive international feedback,
which made her aware of how much of
an impact the station has on the lives of
people. She has received testimony from
listeners in Japan, Australia and even Israel.
Now there are two other gospel stations
107.1 and 99.5. In Christianity we are
known as one body of Christ therefore Dr.
Elcock does not see the other stations as
competition but rather is happy for her
brothers and sisters in Christ who are
ministering to others. Her hope one day
is that a Christian conglomerate would be
formed which would comprise Christian
television programs, newspaper, magazine
and radio.
Her message is delivered via radio
impacting and blessing the lives of many
around the world. This however could not
have been possible without God first and
foremost, and the support of her family.
She is also recognizing the support of
Covenant Partners, Ministers of the Gospel,
Intercessors and Board Members all of
whom have made invaluable contributions
to the organization. . Always remember “in
all your ways acknowledge God and He will
direct your path”. If God has done it for Dr.
Margaret Elcock He can and will do it for
you!
14 June 2015 | T&T’s ENTREPRENEURS

16. Marketing Advertising Practices (MAP)
LABOUR OF LOVE
For the love of it
Look at entrepreneurs who had self-made success stories, and
chances are that their empires were built upon doing something
they loved.
Still, the attitude persists today that for your company to grow you
have to be “all business” and leave love at the door. Even reading
this there are those who may be wondering what love has to do in
relation to marketing a business. So just to remind you: Whatever
you say, think, feel or do, marketing is mainly about one essential
thing — getting people to love what you are offering … love it
enough to commit wholeheartedly to it and enough to forsake all
others and cleave to it for life. Which business would suffer from
people feeling that passionately about your product or service? Odd
are none. Now imagine what would happen if they felt the opposite.
Get the picture?
Producing happiness
There are several other ways that doing what you love works long
term for the benefit of your business. When you have passion for
what you do it does not feel like work, so you end up working harder
and being far more productive. This kind of thing is contagious.
Happy companies tend to produce happy customers. That’s
marketing from inside out and from the ground up. Next, we tend
to keep better tabs on what we care about. That means if you truly
love your business you will keep a close eye on it every step of the
way. You will be always aware of its ups, downs and in-betweens,
which will give you a complete understanding of why to move, when
to move and in what direction you need to move. After you’ve gained
that experience you will find yourself with an uncanny ability to
perceive — even predict — market trends. This is an invaluable
power to possess.
Infinite possibilities
Another love-plus is that when your company is aligned with your
values it fosters self-esteem. Self-esteem translates into confidence
— a mainstay of successful thinking and doing. Finally, all human
beings have an innate need to be creative. From the dawn of time
to now, people have used whatever was available in the act of
creation, whether artistic, scientific, technological, etc. Properly
loving something requires being constantly creative. It demands
adjustment, flexibility, imagination, innovation, penetration (no
pun intended) strength and courage. Apply
this attitude and everything else spoken in
this article as a company and you will witness
infinite possibilities. As the saying goes, “Love
makes all things possible.”
1. Do work that matters to you. This means being true to
yourself. Great businesses are built on being creative, not
being a copycat. By all means stand out from the crowd.
2. Don’t pursue perfectionism. Perfect is usually an idea
based on other’s opinions. Aim for precision instead in
everything you do.
3. Never forget that there’s good advice and there’s bad
advice. Take time to try and tell the difference.
4. When considering information also consider where it is
coming from. Do you trust that the source has your best
interest at heart and is knowledgeable?
5. If you realise you need expert help in some area, get the
help.
6. Exercise all of you: your mind, body, heart. Go walking;
always try learning new things; be generous. Everything
that stretches you in some tangible way makes you bigger
and better.
7. Fail. Yes, fail. If you are not failing you may not be
succeeding. Failure shows you’re trying new things.
Trying new things is the only way to grow and make
meaningful progress.
8. Value time as time. If you value time as money you may
never do what does not immediately give returns. You may
never take time to dream, imagine, chat, relax, learn: all
things that feed your knowledge, experience and creativity
— three things no business could get ahead without.
9. Dig deeper. Don’t ask, “How can I get clients?” but, “How
can I get quality clients?” Don’t just look at how many
Facebook friends you have, but at how many actually
benefit you.
10. Learn that clients who don’t respect you are not worth it.
Without their weight you will be able to focus on providing
quality work to quality clients. I bet each quality client will
bring at least one more, who will then bring one more, etc.
11. If you show you have confidence in yourself there’s a
better chance clients will develop confidence in you.
12. Use the Internet to effect. Find what will work for you
and use that specifically, rather than wasting time, energy
and effort on things that will produce no returns. The
Internet can be a tool or a loaded weapon. It all depends
on how you use it.
Different things make different people happy. But if you are an entrepreneur
the following steps are likely to help you stay motivated and keep you in love
with your business.
16 June 2015 | T&T’s ENTREPRENEURS

18. W
hat do we know by the
terminology “Information
Age”? How do we define it?
What does it mean for us? And where
is it taking us? Have you ever really sat
down and thought of this?
Yes, technology has changed the world
- from smartphones to tablets to
holograms and drones. We all know that
within the last ten years, technology has
given us so much more.
But if you sit back and think about how
this has changed human behavior, you’d
realize that so much more has happened.
I was speaking with a colleague recently,
and I’m sure many of you have had a
similar conversation like this before. It
went like this;
“Mr Havelock, I’m looking to get a new
car but I haven’t really decided on my
options as yet. I met the Salesmen for 3
different cars but I am just not sure if I
feel comfortable moving forward.”
Now, mind you, I used to be one of the
top 2 car salesmen at one of the local
dealerships.
“Wayne, what’s keeping you back?”
“Well, different people said I should wait
and see, wait for model upgrades and/ or
the economy to stabilize before I spend
more money, but the Salesmen are telling
me I should move now. I think I’m going
online and read some reviews as well as
look at different articles”
Well, isn’t that interesting? Before Wayne
makes his purchase he decides to go
online. What can going online do for him?
Equip him with the knowledge he didn’t
have previously about other customer
experiences, the market and economy,
right? Simply put, the Information Age
gives the buyers power to make big
decisions. The world has changed with
technology. Human behavior in the
Buying cycle has changed.
Selling is a process. Sales are outcomes
of that process.
I remember using a library and going
through encyclopedias for my research,
which would sometimes take hours to
find my answer. Now, in seconds you can
get it by just typing in half of a question
or sentence in Google. When was the last
time YOU opened an encyclopedia?
So, salespeople in today’s world need
to change their selling approach. From
finding customers to attracting the right
customers and from following the old
ABC rule of selling (Always be Closing) to
using what we now call the 80/20 rule.
In his famous book, Best Selling Author
Daniel Pink spoke a little bit about this.
In fact, he did a presentation right here
in Trinidad 2 years ago at Arthur Lok
Jack Graduate School of Business. He
said that the world has changed from the
industrialization age to the information
age where initially, the Seller was the
one who had all the knowledge and was
able to convince people to buy. These
buyers would have then regretted their
purchases which led to buyer’s remorse.
This is why the world now has a
negative meaning to the word ‘salesman’
whenever it is heard. Like ‘Pushy, sleazy,
ugh, eww’, and so on and so on.
By having all the information about
your company’s product or service at
one’s fingertips, the buyer has all the
knowledge and can know if a Salesman
is genuine or not. So, Sellers beware. The
modern-day salesman has a lot more
work to do. However, he is also rewarded
for his achievements.
The information age has significantly
equipped the consumer with so much
knowledge that in some cases, they know
more than a salesman himself. Thus, the
consumer is powerful and any salesman
who decides that they want to walk with
their old school way of selling to this new
world customer, better look out, because
one Tweet, Facebook post or LinkedIn
news travels fast. I’m sure you don’t want
to have any negative representations of
your company as public as that.
So to the New Salespeople out there,
to the companies that especially needs
the Salesforce, get the right tools, but
also with the right training. If you’re
a salesperson, go and register for a
sales course, if you have a company or
manage a team, call in the right people
to do some Sales Training sessions today.
Familiarize yourself or your people, to
work with the informed customer. This
action will significantly outweigh telling
a salesperson to “just go out there, find
new customers and close close close” in
your weekly meetings.
Adrian N. Havelock
CEO/ Business Consultant/ Sales Coach
“Selling – It’s Simple Communication”
www.adrianhavelock.com
SALES
Selling in an Information Age
18 June 2015 | T&T’s ENTREPRENEURS