Never, in all my years in sales, did I ever think I'd write an article on this topic. But recently, I've been reading some interesting studies that show that liberals and conservatives have some real, genetically hard-wired differences. For example:
When Forbes magazine interviewed me about what salespeople should never do, the five "no-nos" below immediately popped into my mind. But it was so fun thinking about them that I decided to run a NEVER-EVER contest. (see details below)
Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots threw a long "Hail Mary" pass as a last-ditch effort to win the Super Bowl. But, instead of connecting with one of their receivers, it got batted down in the ensuring melee.
Of course, this got me thinking about sales and football. I actually know a whole lot more about the game than you might expect.
Most sales gurus will tell you to call your A prospects first. After all, they're the ones who are most likely to buy -- and you'll be closing orders before you know it. Plus, you're not wasting your precious prospecting time with low-priority opportunities.
Have you ever been called in by a prospect who's all excited about making a change? They're busy meeting with vendors, looking at all their options. And, they want you to get a proposal to them right away -- or to do a presentation.
Stop, stop, stop! If you don't fully understand the 'why' behind all this activity, you may be spinning your wheels for nothing.
This not meant to be a political statement. It is simply commentary about what a candidate did - and what we, as sellers, can learn from it.
When Texas Governor Rick Perry entered the presidential race, he immediately soared to a front-runner status. But, it didn't last long due to his performance during the Republican debates.
For those of you who don't follow American politics, during the recent debates Perry stated that he'd eliminate three federal departments. When asked which ones, his mind went blank. He came up with two, but the third eluded him. For 55 seconds, he wracked his brain, babbled and even looked to his colleagues for a little help. (Check it out on YouTube.)
As sellers, we want to keep as many options open to us. We want to be able to pursue business with anyone who has the potential to buy from us. But doing this actually has a boomerang effect and reduces your sales effectiveness.
Here's what you need to do to get more hot prospects in your sales pipeline:
Today's video is designed to get you thinking. Seriously thinking. If you're on a sales team, talk about it together. If you're on your own, explore the ramifications. What you discover may have a huge impact on your success this year.
And when you're done, please add your thoughts & comments below. Your ideas may stimulate us all to think at a higher level.
There's no pussyfooting around it. I feel pretty strongly that I'm right on about this.
My prediction is that we will soon see the total demise of nice salespeople.
And here's why. Today's crazy-busy decision makers have absolutely no time nor interest in working with sellers whose main focus is on building relationships & providing great service.