Recently, the CEO of WalkintoKorea, Kang Deahoon, presented his marketing book 'Survive to Sell' at TEKTiTE Digital Innovation. The book contains 140 vividly-told stories of survival methods of companies, especially to cope with the post-corona era, such as digital marketing strategies that strengthen global networks by combining analog relationships and low-cost advertising marketing strategies. Below is Mr. Kang's lecture at TEKTiTE Digital Innovation.
(WalkintoKorea CEO Kang Deahoon, author of 'Survive to Sell')
"Hello. It is an honor to attend TEKTiTE Digital Innovation.
I have started four businesses in 27 years. The first business was manufacturing a water purifying device. The second was to set up an export agency to sell chemical products and other clients' products to the global market. The third was a marketing advisory firm, now running a media company. Based on these diverse experiences, I provided export advice to 70,000 member companies as a consultant to the Korea International Trade Association (Kita).
Today, countries worldwide support start-ups as a driving force for national development. We provide good facilities to cool intelligent buildings and provide funding for start-ups. Even in Netflix's movies, entrepreneurs are presented with great images that can meet attractive people of the opposite sex.
However, business is not a drama in a movie or a seminar in the MBA course. It's a big game where you risk money, time, and life. As a start-up, you deal with a global company like a dinosaur that is hundreds or thousands of times larger than you. You fail unless you're faster, cheaper, or more innovative than them. Start-up managers are workers in the '3D industry: dirty, difficult, and dangerous' who work more than any other job and are responsible for legal and financial issues.
As a consultant, I have met numerous start-ups. Some have become successful unicorn companies that generate high sales and create thousands of jobs. However, most start a business without market research, learning management, or even essential financial preparation. Without luck, start-ups will fail. In Korea, "business failure" means a loser. And it is still not easy for those who have lost the battle to recover their financial and social trust in Korea.
I regretted this and wrote several books. In addition, we created a 'field-type start-up camp' for practical education rather than theoretical education for start-ups and operated programs in Asian cities such as Korea, China, and Japan.
I hope you will read the books of executives introduced in the PPT of 'Startup Marketing for Survival' that I am providing today.
Jack Welch's book Winning, Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel's Zero to One, Harold Geneen's managing conglomerate, and Legendary Sales King Joe Girard's 'How to Sell Anything to Anybody' captures the essence of a time-tested survival strategy.
Today, I would like to emphasize only the 'field sales' part, the core of my book 『Survive to Sell』.
Skim the bubbles in your thoughts of fantasizing about starting a business. Everyone who participates in the market is in an economic war. If you do not know the harsh reality, you will shed tears of blood. Your start-up cannot be like Samsung Electronics, which spends trillions of dollars on advertising. Your company's R&D, accounting, and even production departments are where you're spending money right now, not making money. However, only operations generate cash flows.
So, as a start-up, you have to go out into the field and make sales. Email us now, or call us to make an appointment. You have to attend trade shows, meet customers, and find buyers. Digital companies also need to formulate marketing strategies based on customers and sites.
The marketplace is the battlefield, and the global market is like the Olympic festival. Only outstanding products and services win. So, if you do sales activities in the market, your team's marketing capabilities will be strengthened, and your level will be improved. If you succeed in sales and make money, you become a hero like Theseus in Greek mythology.
A company can survive as long as the sales are good. Here are some of the benefits of selling:
You can hear the voice of customers through on-site sales, and the voice of the customer must be directly reflected in products and services. Another is to meet customers and potential buyers to understand competitors' strategies and strengths and weaknesses. The insight to beat your competitors comes from the field.
The other is that a relationship with a customer begins through sales. Selling gives you products and receives money and allows you to build new business through connections with customers. It is easy to think of customer relationship management (CRM) as a data-driven system. However, the goal of a proper CRM is to make it your kingdom that shares values and emotions, just like the fandom of BTS.
I visited more than 1,000 companies worldwide and conducted sales during that time. At that time, the answer I heard the most was NO. I am still not used to this answer of No that no one likes. But we have to find a solution among many Nos. Changing No to Yes is a fun game that requires hard work. When we become simple sellers, we get another No. I can say this. Sales are not sales. A salesperson is a consultant who solves problems for customers, markets, and the world through products. If you learn to meet customers face-to-face, solve problems and communicate with the market, your survival skills will be much stronger. We have to sell to live. Thank you."
Buy 'Survive to Sell' by author Kang Deahoon here.
