Many businesses and solopreneurs are facing one of the biggest drops in customers and income since they have been in operation. Some estimates put corporate revenue at a 45 percent loss overall since the beginning of April. The loss of income to owners is seen across numerous industries, products and services.

   

Tucson sales training expert Don Zavis says now is a great time for business owners to be proactive. It is important to take this opportunity to assess damage and be prepared to repair it. We can do this by understanding how to stand out as a business or professional and how clients or customers may have changed their buying patterns so that we are able to not only recapture the old ones, but also to gain new ones.

   

Zavis has been training people how to sell their products and services for 40 years. His career in the field of effective selling techniques allows him to understand what it takes to identify the right customers, differentiate from competitors, provide solutions and most importantly, to increase revenue. It’s simple, Zavis says, “I can help you sell more.”

   

According to Juan Delgado of RooFs are HoT, Zavis has focused his career on helping others help themselves. “Don helped me increase my sales by 300 percent in one year. He instills a different business model than I have used in the past by teaching us how to prequalify serious customers through understanding their needs and presenting solutions,” he says. Delgado has been a professional estimator and project manager for years, and this new model has helped him gain significant additional business in a short period of time.

  

Adena is a social worker and consultant for mental health facilities. Her comments regarding personalized training efforts show Zavis can tailor his training to the individual’s unique needs. “It is important for me to be a professional and not ‘salesy’ in my business dealings. Don understood that and provided me with expert guidance and support,” she explains. “His monthly offerings of 1:1 and group coaching, video education/motivation support and in-person trainings offer high value for a reasonable cost.”

   

Every professional must sell themselves in addition to a service or product in some way or another. Whether a solopreneur working as a massage therapist or the owner of a local CBD store, having the skills to anticipate what customers and clients are going to need, and being able to deliver that solution will be the key to success for many. Zavis says that “people are really good at what they do” but the selling part is sometimes illusive. “Many of the sole practitioners will wear a number of hats and become spread too thin,” says Zavis. “It is important to consistently refocus energy on one-to-one and eye-to-eye development.”

   

He also comments that social media and advertising are only one part of the big picture. A comprehensive plan to “garner attention and be visible” is the ultimate goal for businesses and owners to remember. Making direct contact, being in front of an audience or group, in addition to asking the right questions, can accelerate growth, but it must be done with passion and effective skills.

   

Zavis brought his family to Tucson in 2015. Although he maintains offices in Michigan and California, his primary office is in Oro Valley, where he conducts weekly courses in a classroom setting, in addition to many online videos presenting great tips for anyone to sharpen their sales skills. His resume boasts over 3,000 professionals trained during his career, along with being ranked in the top 5 percent of Sales Trainers and Coaches nationwide. He provides individual and group coaching for businesses and has live broadcasts and daily sales tips for those in the program.

   

Zavis’ tips are bold and useful. His videos on YouTube have unique and valuable points and can by implemented by everyone. His no-nonsense “take” on the value of appropriate selling techniques for individuals and sales teams alike are refreshing and give us a clear picture of various ways to increase skills for any type of professional.

   

For example, Zavis recommends that for customers that have objections to cost and are hoping to devalue the service or product, a business owner should just say “no”. Zavis explains, “‘No’ reminds them why they don’t just keep doing what they’re already doing—it’s free.” Clients may want a better deal, but the skill in selling is to know one’s value and not let others subtract from it.

   

He also suggests that we are all “our own billboard” and must present ourselves in the way we want others to see us. In this time of public isolation, it might be difficult to get in front of others, but know that we must periodically “isolate, identify and review every aspect of your world”. Having a fresh and clear understanding of our circumstances as a professional or organization is always a key to success.

   

We should take the time now to reevaluate our business and professional goals and to understand how effective sales skills and marketing techniques can help us meet our business goals in any circumstance. Zavis strongly suggests that this is a great time to inflect and reimagine our success. It might look different for everyone as the world is changing in innumerable ways. One thing is for certain, for those who are not prepared to take on the future with new skills and a fresh outlook now, it is never too late to start.