Headlines that a company in our local market is experiencing rapid growth are ones that always grab my attention. That was the case when I read that Axxess, a home health technology company, has acquired Home Health Gold. Often times, when I mention growth like this in the technology sector, people will disregard it as part of “that” industry. Mega success stories like Apple, Microsoft, or Facebook has left many people with the misconception that growth in technology is a given. The widely publicized successes blind us to the fact that every success story masks multitudes of failed tech ventures. So what separates growth like Axxess is experiencing from technology ventures that flounder? While part of any company’s success is due to the right offering at the right time, clearly communicating the product’s concept and how it benefits people is key.
I love the story told by the inventor of the Palm Pilot. When he was getting ready to raise investments, he toured his potential investor groups with a block of wood that had some numbers scribbled on it to look like a keypad. “Now, do you suppose anybody would want to carry something about this size? Would it be useful to enter all kinds of data in it like a calendar or phone numbers that can be retrieved at a touch of a button?” the inventor queried each group. He wasn’t wowing his audience with bells and whistles, he was stating a simple benefit that everyone could understand on why people would want to use his device.
Would he have experienced the same success with a finished prototype? It’s difficult to imagine that he would have failed to get funding but his vision very well could have been muddied by non-critical discussions like “I think the case should be black.” “I think the front should be plastic, not glass.” “I don’t think that’s the right interface you need.” “I don’t think that…“ The conversation would have focused on the details of the prototype rather than the concept of the invention.
Finished products can over-complicate sales. Of course the delivered product needs to fulfill the concept’s promise, but all those features being introduced in the sales process can blind people to the real benefit being offered.
Bringing a rough prototype to a group is hard for some leaders and sales people but at the end of the day it’s the concept rather than the technology that drives success. The quote from Axxess CEO, John Olajide, expresses his company’s current concept perfectly, “Uberize the industry”. I have no doubt that a lot of very sophisticated technology is leveraged to achieve this concept but I’m not a technology expert. Fortunately that concept description doesn’t require technical expertise for me to understand the benefit from their product.
Great leaders and sales people know that people can get excited about the concept. Focusing on your core concept over the product is something that leaders in every industry should do. Strive to present ideas, concepts or visions before they’re fully cooked. That enables everyone to get involved, and the weight of implementation or persuasion doesn’t fall only on the shoulders of the leader, development team, or the sales team.
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The first contact with a potential buyer may not be in a face to face setting or on a phone call, but via email. It’s not always obvious what we should do once we receive such an email message; move beyond the email to start a productive discussion. |
Having personally tested and proved the Sandler Method to be effective, Tina is passionate about assisting clients in reaching their full potential through the Sandler sales methodology.
