I was passed some research information today that was carried out by The Directors Centre. It looks at which is the most effective selling method. Number one was face to face selling with 43%. Second highest was referral business and the third highest was networking with 8%. All other methods ranked 5% or less and included advertising, telesales and the internet.

So the question is, given this research are you going to focus all you activity on face to face selling and forget most of the others? If you do you would be a fool. Look at the question again.

‘Which sales method is the most effective?’

I think this means which is the most effective way to CLOSE a sale. There can be no doubt that a one to one conversation with a person is the best way to close a sale, but what about generating the enquiry in the first place? Without advertising, the internet, e-mail, PR, direct mail and so on where would these prospects hear about us? Would they trust a large contract to a company with no website or brochures?

My website generated 2 calls yesterday from companies wanting speak to me about marketing consultancy one in Leicestershire, the other in Northamptonshire. They had never met me, but had found this website because it well optimised and comes up high in the search engine rankings. This is not a co-incidence, but is part of The ideal Marketing Company’s marketing. I am seeing the companies later this month in person to offer a free 1 hour marketing consultancy. At the end of the hour they are free to take away the ideas and use them for themselves or they may decide to engage my services if I have the time available and they like what they see. Would this be classed as ‘ face to face selling’ or business generated by the internet. The truth is it is a combination of these to ‘marketing cogs’ that work together to power your business forward.

I agree totally that you cannot beat a meeting to close a sale, but generating the enquiries in the first place is every bit as important and reminds me just how misleading surveys can be if you take them at face value