You can try to escape it. You can hide from it or put it on the to-do list for the tomorrow that never seems to come. Maybe you're packed up with work and don't think you need it. But, the bottom line is that if you want to have a business, you can't escape selling.

We're talking sales here, not marketing. Marketing is about the future. Selling is about the here and now.

So, you say you're not cut out for sales? Does the idea of making a cold call start your heart beating so fast your shirt is moving up and down? Don't sweat it. You're already a pro. You just don't know it. You've been doing sales since you were a wee little tike. Do you remember a time when wanted something and gave your mom or dad a brilliantly conceived stream of logic as to why they should buy it for you? You were selling. How about trying to get your point of view across to your significant other? Yup. You were selling. Ever try to talk your way out of a traffic ticket? You guessed it — selling.

Selling has gotten a bad rap. Selling is not about the guy in the plaid pants and striped jacket hawking an Edsel that was only driven by a little old lady to the grocery store in Santa Barbara. Sales is about helping. It's about solving a prospect's problem. Often it's about first showing the prospect they, indeed, have a problem.

The big idea with getting the guts to sell yourself is to first believe with every fiber of your being that you've got something good to offer. If you don't truly believe that, you're going to have a tough time. One of my teachers in art school, who is now the CEO at a multimillion dollar ad agency in Southern CA, once told me, "Hey, if they don't want you, it's their loss." Words to live by.

Like most things, if you're going to be effective, you've got to have a plan in place. That's what this article is all about. The Sales Plan is a subset of your overall business plan. It addresses your sales goals, methodology, prospect lists, scripts for calls and presentations, sales letters, task schedules, sales tools, along with estimate and proposal methods.

Let's start with setting some realistic goals. There are only so many billable hours to play with each week. Typically, out of a 40 hour week, you'll be spending 25% or more of your time doing administrative, businessy stuff like billing and general office tasks. If you've run your rate calculations (see "How Do You Rate? Figuring Your Real Hourly Rate"), you're well on your way to setting your sales goal based on how much dough you're after.

Let's say you want to make 50 grand a year at a rate of $75/hour. That means you've got to bill roughly 30 hours each week for 50 weeks. Yeah, you get 2 weeks off along with 5 sick days and that holiday nonsense. You drive a hard bargain. That translates into about 120 hours each month. If you look over your time sheets each week, you can quickly gauge how you're doing and if you need to crank up the sales machine. If you're not billing those 30 hours each week, I bet you've got the time to do the sales thing.

Okay, so now you've got a goal. What are you going to do with it? Well, it's always nice to have some qualified prospects to talk to. Where do you get them? The best way is to build your own list. You'll get to know them during the researching. Get chummy with the Reference Librarian at your local library. They can point you in the right direction and save you a load of time. Also, be sure to stop by your favorite bookseller for a cuppa joe and peruse their sales book selection. Odds are, they'll have bunches.

Or, you could always buy or rent a list from places like The List or Creative Access. You'll want a few hundred names along with accurate contact information. Don't stick just anybody on your list. Be selective. Find those places you really want to service. Make sure they are folks who buy what you sell and, very important, have the moolah to pay you the big bucks. Look for the ones with the big pens. They use them to write the big checks.

Now you've got a goal and people to contact. What's next? How about figuring out what the heck you're going to say to these nice people and how you're going to reach them. Enter the script and sales letter templates.

Let's talk cold calls first to get the terror over and done with. A cold call is when you pick up the phone, talk to somebody you don't know and who doesn't know you from Adam's cat. Think of it as playing Dialing for Dollars. If the idea of a cold call leaves you with thoughts of some relentless phone solicitor, calling you around dinner time, trying to get you to buy long distance services, chill out. A script is nothing more than an outline to help you stay on track. I'm a firm believer that one should never deliver a spiel word-for-word. It should simply guide you. It's easy to get off track.

There are lots of books out there where you can find a phone script, but I'd recommend you write your own. Be yourself and don't try to come off as someone you're not. Draft one and take it for a whirl. After several calls, you can make adjustments if needed.

What should you include? Here's my hit list:

•  Identify yourself, as in "Hi, this is Neil with Tortorella Design."
  
  
•  Ask them if it's a good time to speak. You want their attention and it's just plain polite.
  
  
•  Confirm that they are the person with buying authority
  
  
•  I like using the word "idea." It's hard to resist. How about something like, "Mr. Shmoe, I have some ideas I'd like to discuss with you about enhancing [Company name's) brand visibility. "Ideas" are nifty and they're somewhat noncommittal. Most people like to talk "ideas," and who would say, "Nah ... I'm not really interested in any ideas that might help me."
  
  
•  Set an appointment. Give them a choice between two times. As in "How about Wednesday at 10? Or, would Friday at around 2:30 work better for you?"
  
  
•  Get off the phone.

• Dress the part. That means no jeans, Hawaiian shirts or [gasp!] t-shirts and Nikes¨. You're supposed to be a pro. Look like one. That doesn't mean drab. It mean stylish.
  
  Beyond this are your portfolio case, brief case and any other luggage you'll be carting around. Make sure the cases are clean. If you're using a board presentation for your work, make sure there are no bent corners, the acetate sleeves are clean, etc.
  
  And for Heaven's sake, shine your shoes! Okay, I'll stop being your parent.
  
  
• Be on time. This is a no-brainer. Give yourself plenty of time. If, for some reason, you end up running late, call them.
  
  
• Shake hands. They call them first impressions for a reason. There's never a second chance to make one. Hand shakes still count. Don't wimp out. A firm handshake sets the stage and shows your confidence.
  
  
• Find some common point. When you enter a prospect's office, look around. Are there any photos or nick nacks that present some common ground. Anything interesting you can pick up on and make a comment? A bit of small talk helps to break the ice and relax both of you.
  
  
• Listen more than you talk. Ask a open-ended questions. Those are the ones that can't be answered with simple "yes" or "no." Ask the question, then listen and take some notes. Most owners and higher management love to talk about their companies and you'll likely gather a lot of good information.
  
  
• Show your wares. When you go through your book (or better, case studies), don't ramble about a lot of technical stuff unless it's relevant to the problem or solution of the project. Your prospect wants to hear about how you increased sales, enhanced market position, solved world hunger or other lofty achievement your hard work produced.
  
  
• Ask for a project. It's amazing how many creatives don't do this. Duh! That's why you're there. If you don't ask, you don't get. All you end up with is a nice chat with somebody you just met ... and may never see again. How's this for simple? "Can I prepare a proposal for any upcoming projects?" What's the worst they're going to do? Say "no?"
  
  
• Thank them for their time. You just took several minutes or more of this person's time. Be considerate and thank them.
  
  
• Follow up. Here's a novel idea. Send them a handwritten thank you note. They'll freak. Hardly anybody does this anymore and you'll make a huge impression (not to be confused with the first impression you made earlier). There will be plenty of time for phone calls and emails later.
  
  Next will come your process for creating estimates and proposals, but I'll save that for a future edition.
  
  Finally, you'll want a timetable to do this stuff. Put your sales activities on your calendar. Something like:
  
  
• Daily:
  Five phone calls each morning (it won't take too long)
  Send one letter/postcard, etc. every other day to a new prospect
  Make at least one post on business-orient online forum
  
  
• Weekly:
  Add five new prospects each week
  Run billable hours report to gauge needed sales activity
  
  
• Monthly:
  Send a bulk promo mailing every other month

Sales is necessary function on business and a darn important one at that. Once you have your plan and resources set, rehearse your telephone and face-to-face pitches. Tape yourself or give a few test presentations to folks you know and who like you. They tend not to throw tomatoes and will usually be honest. Once your comfortable, get to work with the real thing.

Like so much in life, practice makes perfect. Or better, perfect practice make perfect. The more you do the sales thing, the easier it get. Ask prospects for feedback when you don't win the gig. What could you have done better. Odds are they'll wish they had such diligent salespeople on their staff.

Now, get out their and sell, tiger!