Sales and Delivery

Published on 28 March 2019

Everything in business starts with an idea. This idea is then developed into a concept, which you have to prove can make money. Once you have this proof, then it is time to market it and reach the point of sale. In a recent Hub Live, Courtney Abell sat down with SmartHub Mentor Simon Lever from CROSS Asia Pacific to learn more about the sales and delivery process.

Simon Lever owns three businesses based out of Central Queensland and one of these businesses is CROSS Asia Pacific, or CROSS APAC. Cross Asia Pacific assists other business owners in order to improve their practices in workplace health and safety, human resources, business health checks and disaster management recovery. Having a local, interstate and international market, sales and delivery are key to Simon’s line of work, and customer service is very important to his role.

Sales and Delivery

Simon believes that regardless of the product or service you’re trying to sell, the most part of sales is to know exactly what you’re selling and who you’re selling it to and this is because marketing is the key to sales. If you don’t market effectively, you won’t make any sales. “If you can’t identify what your product is to sell, you will waste a lot of money straight-up on marketing. You’re going to burn through a lot of energy and emotion and your business will suffer because of it. I’ve found that with a lot of start-ups; at some point they think they have failed, but they haven’t. They just need to change their marketing strategy,” Simon said.

This is one reason why Simon works as a mentor with the SmartHub, because it’s a supportive environment that allows people to share their knowledge. “People bounce ideas off each other, ‘don’t do that because it didn’t work for me, we did this instead.’ It’s just a great atmosphere where you can come into with an open mind and be willing to share.”

As we move towards the future, technology will play a larger and larger role in how businesses are run. When looking for ways to improve your service delivery, Simon recommends looking towards technology for answers. “To survive in today’s market, you have to be looking at technology, not just for compliance, but to streamline your business so that you can be more efficient and to compete in the marketplace.”

After the marketing and sale process, comes the delivery. Deliver is where some people may falter. “Some people are really good sales people, they’re great at getting that sales transaction, but then they have to fulfil their end of the transaction,” Simon explained. “Is there a six-week lead time? Or can it be shopped tomorrow? If I sold you one and now you want to buy 1000, how do I get that momentum to deliver the product or service? How can we keep that going? That’s what delivery is.”

Simon finds the difference between other businesses and CROSS APAC is that CROSS APAC understand what it’s like to be in that position. “I’ve got three businesses and I help other businesses and there’s nothing worse than being in a situation where something has just “popped up” and then having to determine exactly what you are going to do next because of it” We help our clients by spending time with the business owners and the business, We go there and immerse ourselves into their situation. We get to know the people and understand the dynamics. At the end of the day there’s no point in trying to convince a business to change if the owners are resistant to it. Everyone needs to be on board.”

Developing our Region

One of the advantages for Central Queensland is the amount of opportunities we have available right now. Fortunately for Simon, he sits on a number of committees in our region is aware of the requirements of the projects currently underway. According to Simon, there’s a need for skilled people and skilled businesses who are compliant with Workplace Health and Safety, Fair Work, Human Resources and tax. “These businesses have got to be mindfully aware of what to do in that space to grow sustainably. You can’t just say that ‘you want to be up here,’ and push a button. You’ve got to put systems and strategies in place to get there; And this is where the sales delivery is. You’ve got to meet your goals along the way, consider the big picture and grow sustainably.”

With so much growth underway in the region, Simon says it’s important for all industries to consider how they’re going to grow with the region.

Growing with the SmartHub

The SmartHub is a great place for businesses to go for ideas, support and advice, as the environment and community is built to help businesses succeed. “At the SmartHub you might come across a conversation and be able to help solve a problem. That’s the beauty of the SmartHub, the open-minded community and the environment where people are having a go!” Said Simon.

If you’re interested in growing your business with the SmartHub, drop in to Customs House at 208 Quay Street to look at the space, have a chat and learn more about how SmartHub can help your business.

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