Creative Entrepreneurship and the Importance of Sales: Insights from Daniel Priestley

Key Takeaways

1. Love for Work and Harsh Realities

   • Creative people often love their work but need to be good at sales to sustain it.
   • Successful creatives have a sales process attached to their work.
   • Myth: Great work will sell itself. Reality: Successful creatives are also good at selling their work.
   • Acceptance: Necessary to avoid being a struggling artist.

2. History and Evolution of Sales

   • Legacy idea of sales (1970s-80s): Unethical practices with used cars and stockbroking.
   • Modern high-end sales: Found in luxury and professional markets (e.g., LVMH, Bentley, luxury real estate).
   • Sales today: A high-quality experience rather than forceful personality tricks.
   • Importance of disqualification: Great sales process disqualifies unrealistic clients.
   • Misconceptions: Good sales ≠ Exaggeration; Introverts can be excellent in sales.

3. Sales Process and Mindset

   • Sales Rhythm (LAPS): Leads, Appointments, Presentations, and Sales.
   • Importance of Regularity: Like fitness, sales require a consistent rhythm to optimize.
   • Numbers Matter: Track LAPS to find areas for improvement or volume.
   • Leads Generation Tactics:
     • Online assessments (e.g., 'Are you leveraging video effectively?')
     • Discussion groups
     • Introduction events (e.g., 'Introduction to Branding')
     • Registration of Interest forms
   • Steps for Intro Events: Assessment, qualification questions, warm outreach, and transition to one-on-one appointments.

4. Structure of Sales Conversations

   • Framing and Rapport:
     • Framing: Presentation and environment matter (e.g., assistant for scheduling, published work).
     • Rapport: Building chemistry and trust through common interests, listening, and needs.
   • Permission Asking: Transition into structured discussions after Rapport.
   • Structured Conversation:
     • Where are you now?
     • Where do you want to be?
     • What’s in the way?
   • Example questions: Future Vision, Key Moments, Current Challenges.

5. Insights, Method, and Solution

   • Share Insights: Offer high-level observations on the client's situation.
   • Methodology: Outline steps and process.
   • Solution: Package offering tailored to client’s needs and situation.
   • Invitation for Pushback: Engage with client’s reservations to solidify trust and solution.

6. Psychology of Sales

   • With or Without You Energy: Confidence that comes from abundance mindset and professionalism.
   • Professionalism in Sales: Treat sales as a profession requiring training, technology, and tools (e.g., CRM).

Resources and Tools

• ScoreApp: Online assessment platform for generating leads and sales insights. Offers templates and AI-integrated solutions.

Final Thoughts

• Impact of Professionalism: Better sales lead to fewer sales calls and more focus on creative work.
• Authenticity in Sales: Importance of being genuine and transparent in the sales process.

Actions:

• Review this material regularly to reinforce the concepts.
• Apply tactics like LAPS and structured conversations in your creative business.
• Consider using tools like ScoreApp for generating high-quality leads.