| Everyone wants to earn more, but few are
willing to change behavior to do so. In fact, most aren’t. In my work of over 19
years with the high sales achiever, I find that most of them operate with a different set
of rules about selling and the pursuit of new business. These new rules help govern their
behavior and actions in the sales cycle. I have over 25 rules that I’ve documented,
but here are the top five for you to consider:
1. Define what you want to attract.
High sales achievers are very specific about what they want
to attract, both in terms of financial outcomes and business relationships. The Universe
has an interesting way of delivering to you exactly what you order, so be specific on your
order when you place it. The Universe doesn’t respond well to, “I just want to
make more money.”
2. Bring up what scares you.
Most sales executive fears are an illusion. The worst thing
we can do with fear is to ignore it. That feeling of fear is trying to tell you something
and what it’s telling you is, to act on it. If you’re in a sales process and you
feel some fear about bringing up a difficult subject, then that’s exactly what you
should discuss. Reveal what you feel.
3. Never Coerce.
It’s been my privilege to work with some extremely
high achievers in the profession of business-to-business sales. One thing I find about
them is that they are ‘detached to outcomes.’ They spend no time
“convincing, persuading, and defending.” And they spend little time trying to
coerce prospects into their way of thinking. When you, a marketing and sales professional,
begin to encroach on your prospect’s freedom, you become the pain and they’ll
get rid of you. Tell people up-front “it’s alright if you decide this is not a
fit at this time, let me know and I’ll be gone.” But do that up-front. That way
you’re not 18 months into the process when you hear ‘no.’
4. Think “Process.”
The greatest businesses in the world have the greatest
processes in the world. So why should a sales professional be any different? Of all the
processes that the high sales achiever has, the most important one is the sales process. A
great sales process is one where you can, in a step-by-step fashion, lead people from
beginning to end with the constant understanding that some people will qualify “out
of the process” and you can move on. Not only should you have a process, but you
should also follow it and be indignant about the prospect’s adherence to it. Great
sales processes are better for the prospect because it helps them identify their problem
quicker and create a better solution. If you feel your sales process is only in your best
interest, then you’ve got the wrong process.
5. Think ‘Leverage.’
One way to leverage your strengths is to hire other people
and train them to do the things you don’t want to do. But as sales
professionals--even as high achieving sellers -- you might not have the latitude to go
hire staff. But what you can leverage is “current relationships.” High achievers
never make cold calls. Why would they? The reason: they have learned the power of referral
marketing. They find a way to use their current client/network relationships to bring them
new, ideal clients.
This is not as simple as “give me ten people you know,
so that I can go make a sales call to them.” It is a thoughtful, strategic way to
generate enough goodwill with your clients that they demand to introduce you to their
friends and associates. A great referral program doesn’t work if you’re not
thinking “leverage.” |
