Wild Card, Success Mindset

Selling Secrets from the Giraffes


Sales Safari Series

sales safari - giraffeWe didn't watch the sleeping rhinos for too long before we decided to move on. Little did we know what awaited us just around the bend.


Nothing can prepare you for being right in the midst of herd of giraffes. As these tall, gangly, beautiful animals nibbled the leaves off the top of the trees, we snapped photo after photo.

But the giraffes weren't alone. Over the course of our 3-day safari, we saw them with wildebeest, kudo, impala, tsessebe, zebra, springbok and more.

They stay together because, when you're hunted daily by the big cats, jackals and hyenas, there's security in numbers. Plus, each of the herd animals bring a special talent to the group. For example:
  • Being tall, giraffes are usually first to spot any hunters who approach. All the other animals keep their eyes on them.

  • With their widespread eyes, the wildebeest has a broad field of vision and can sense danger from the side.
  • Kudus leap straight up in the air when they see a predator. This shocks the hunter, but gives them - and the herd - a chance to escape.

And here's something that you may not know. Predators don't have eyes like ours. They can't make out color. Instead, the predators only see outlines. When prowling for food, they're looking for the shape of the impala and the shape of the giraffe. When they spot it, they attack.

That's why giraffes have spots. They break up the shape. It's the same reason other herd animals have stripes and lines and blobs. When the predators can't see a shape, they can't attack. And, it's even harder when the animals are moving en masse.

So what can we learn about sales from the giraffes?

  1. Get lots of ears listening & eyes watching for you.
    Develop strong relationships with your customers so they'll alert you to opportunities and advise you of any potential problems. If you have multiple people from your own company interacting with your customers, they should be on the alert too.

  2. Be ever vigilant.
    Keep your head up high, always on the alert for competitive inroads. Look for signs of their predatory activity within an account. Analyze the questions you're being asked to see if they smack of a sneak attack.

  3. Camouflage your activities.
    When you're trying to get into a new account, you don't want the incumbent to see you coming. If that happens, they'll attack and destroy your chance for success. That's not good. Your best chance of success comes when you sneak in, pursuing an opportunity that's crumbs to them but well worth it to you.

As you can see, the giraffe knows a whole lot that help you be more successful in sales. And who would have ever thought that was possible.

After a successful career in the sales world, writing five books, and speaking internationally, Jill is now tackling an even bigger challenge. She's focused on bringing the "millions in the middle" together to solve some of the biggest issues facing our country and the world. Jill truly believes so much more is possible if we can work together.