This week in our Series “How to Plan and Run a Business in Your 60s,” (Week 7).

Why, Without Sales, You’re Stuffed

I’ve seen it a thousand times.

Business owners scratching their heads, wondering why production is stalling or why they can’t negotiate better prices with suppliers.

Here’s the “unfiltered” truth: You can’t fix production, and you can’t leverage suppliers, if you don’t have sales.

Sales is the oxygen of your business. Without it, you are stuffed.

I don’t usually put it that politely in person, but for the sake of the blog, let’s call it “critically compromised.”

We move from Marketing (week 6).

To Sales—the engine that turns interest into revenue.

For entrepreneurs over 60, your greatest sales assets are wisdom, patience, and professional experience.

However,as i keep mentioning the approach changes drastically depending on whether you are selling to individuals (B2C) or other businesses (B2B).

B2C vs. B2B Sales: (The Differences)

Understanding who you are selling to determine’s your strategy.

B2C (Business – to – Consumer):

• Selling directly to individuals (e.g., retail, personal services, consulting to individuals).
• Decision Maker: Usually one person (or a couple).
• Cycle: Fast, sometimes impulsive.
• Motivations: Emotion, convenience, personal desire, price.
• Focus: Emotional connection, brand reputation, speed to close.

B2B (Business – to – Business):

• Selling to companies (e.g., B2B consulting, IT services, professional services).
• Decision Makers: Multiple stakeholders involved (CFO, Manager, Purchasing).
• Cycle: Longer, complex, and requires high trust.
• Motivations: ROI (return on investment), efficiency, risk mitigation.
• Focus: Building long-term relationships, educating the buyer, showing business impact.

Face-to-Face:Sales Techniques

In your 60s, you bring a high degree of credibility. Use it.

1. Embrace Your Experience (The “Wisdom Advantage”): Don’t try to look 30. Your gray hair represents experience. Frame your age as resilience and knowledge that younger competitors lack.
2. Sell Solutions, Not Benefits: Don’t just list product features. Ask open-ended questions to identify the customer’s pain points, then tailor your pitch to solve that specific issue.
3. Active Listening & Empathy: Older adults (and buyers in general) respond better to someone who hears them. Spend 70% of the time listening and 30% talking.
4. The “Cup of Tea” Method (B2B Focus): High-value B2B deals are often closed in person. Focus on building rapport and taking time to connect personally, not just running through a deck.
5. Preparation and Professionalism: Always research the person or company before the meeting. Bring relevant, high-quality demo materials or case studies.
6. Confident Closing: If you are face-to-face, you have already earned trust. Be direct about the next step. “Based on what we’ve discussed, I recommend we move forward with option B. Does that work for you?”.

Telephone Techniques: (Appointment-Only)

Goal: Get a meeting, not to make a sale on the phone.

1. The “Respect” Opening: Immediately respect their time to get their attention. “Hi [Name], this is [Name]. I know I caught you in the middle of your day, do you have two minutes to hear why I called?”.
2. Sell the Meeting, Not the Product: If you explain your product, they will say “I’m not interested.” If you talk about a 10-minute discovery chat to help them save time/money, they might agree.
3. Use the “Feel, Felt, Found” Handling Objection:

• Prospect: “I don’t have time to meet.”
• You: “I understand how you feel [Prospect Name]. Many of my current clients felt the same way initially. However, they found that taking 15 minutes for a demo saved them hours of labour later.”

1. Offer Two Specific Times (Alternative Close): Never ask, “When are you free?” Ask, “Do you prefer Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning?”.
2. Leverage Referrals: If you know someone they know, lead with it immediately. “I was speaking with [Referral Name] and they mentioned that your company is looking to…”.
3. Prepare for Voicemail: 80% of calls go to voicemail. Have a script ready that mentions value, not just your phone number.

These are just some of the basic techniques, for more in depth sales advice please contact for private discussion and training pdf’s.

For those not at the Sales face!

Maybe you have a sales team or individual sales representatives.

The questions then become very different.

Are they adequately trained and managed and led correctly, do you have systems in place to drive effective sales strategies crm etc.

To determine if your team and systems are up to par, here is a breakdown of three areas I always focus on within my Sales strategies.

Training, Management, and Systems

Training:

Are they “Clones” or “Consultants”?

If you have a sales team, they shouldn’t just be reciting your life story; they need to replicate your result.

• The Script vs. The Framework: Do they have a “script” (robotic) or a “framework” (flexible)? Effective training ensures they know how to handle objections using the Feel, Felt, Found method we discussed earlier.
• Role-Playing: This is often overlooked. Do you spend time acting as a difficult client to test their telephone and face-to-face techniques?
• Product Knowledge vs. Empathy: Most teams are over-trained on what the product does and under-trained on how to listen to the customer’s pain.

Management & Leadership:

The “Driver” vs. The “Coach”

In your 60s, your leadership style should lean toward Mentorship.

• KPIs (Key Performance Indicators): Are you measuring the right things?
• Activity Metrics: Number of calls made, appointments set.
• Result Metrics: Conversion rates, average deal size.
• The Sales Meeting: Is your weekly meeting a “drilling” session or a “strategy” session? Use your wisdom to help them unstick deals that are stalling.
• Incentive Structures: Does your commission or bonus structure actually motivate the behavior you want (e.g., long-term B2B relationships vs. quick B2C wins)?

Systems:

The CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

If your sales data is in your head or on a yellow legal pad, your business is not scalable (and harder to sell later if you want to retire).

• Why a CRM is Non-Negotiable: It tracks every touchpoint. If a salesperson leaves, the relationship stays with your business because the history is in the system.
• Pipeline Visibility: Can you see at a glance how many leads are “Warm,” “Hot,” or “Closing”?
• Automation: Modern CRMs (like HubSpot, Zoho, or Pipedrive) can automate the “thank you” emails or follow-up reminders, allowing your team to focus on the human side of sales.

The “Self-Audit” Checklist

Ask yourself these three questions:

1. “Could I go on holiday for a month and the sales wouldn’t drop?” (If no, your team isn’t managed/trained well enough).
2. “Can I see exactly where a lead came from and why they didn’t buy?” (If no, your CRM/Systems are lacking).
3. “Does my team represent my brand values with the same level of integrity I do?” (If no, your leadership needs alignment).

Next week’s final part of mini series. (Week 8)

Overview of planning and running a business in your sixties we look at why systems are so important.

Whether your business is just you, or a much larger organisation, we need systems to cover all aspects of running a vibrant and sustainable modern business.

From accounting, marketing, sales, production and purchasing, we need usable systems right for your business.

For anymore in depth information please do not hesitate to contact me or comment.

I would love to hear how you set, plan and reach your Sales Targets.

A single bad subcontractor or third-party provider can destroy a profitable project.