Know what you don't want to sell

Most companies know what they want to sell. They create elaborate marketing strategies to promote their business and products or services. They spend enormous amounts of money to advertise.

  

I'm not saying that any of that is right or wrong. It really depends on the situation.  But here's the real question: Do you know what you do NOT want to sell? Most companies have products and services that are offered, or are in the catalog, or listed on the website that they don't really want to sell. It may be for financial reasons. It may be for personnel reasons. It may be manufacturing efficiency related or even product component availability.

  

If you don't want to make the product or you don't make any money offering the service, why do it?

Do you need to offer the product or service due to competitive forces? Maybe you'd be better off not offering the product and referring customers to other manufacturers or service providers. I know, this sounds like the rantings of a crazy man, but maybe not. Carefully consider dropping those products and services from your offering. It may be a "we've always done it that way" kind of thing. If you rarely sell it and don't make any money off the product or service, perhaps you can just quit doing it. Can you buy it from your competitor and just get out of the market all together? Consider a manufacturing agreement with your competitor to buy the product from them and offer it for resell on those rare occasions when you actually need the product. 

  

If a manufacturing agreement won't work in your situation, think of other options to buy or otherwise acquire the product or service. Maybe you'll find that your customer can use a different product just as well. Maybe, if you sit down and discuss the situation with the customer and find out what their real needs are, you'll come up with a different solution that better suits their needs and your bottom line.