Consistent top performers, Agile Sellers, always have a plan and focus on the effective/efficient execution of that plan. That’s one of the things that sets them apart from all others.
Amazingly, too many sales people really don’t have a plan. That is they never start with the “end in mind,” identifying all the things that have to be done to reach the goal. They don’t do the research or analysis to determine the most effective means of achieving their goal. For too many, the vision for the plan is the next step. They know what the next step is, perhaps the one after that, but don’t have a plan that gets them to their objective.
But sometimes, regardless of how well we plan, things come up. The customer shifts priorities, other things out of our control arise. However well we plan, something happens to destroy our plans.
This derails many people. They don’t know what to do, how to respond. They may be slow to recognize they need to adjust their plan (even the next steps), they may be oblivious (usually those folks who don’t have a plan in the first place). Both tend to persist doing the same thing, time after time, never changing, but never making progress.
Agile Sellers are different. Agile Sellers remain constantly attentive, if they aren’t achieving the expected outcomes, they adjust their plans. They recognize that, sometimes, a plan needs to be abandoned and a Plan B — a completely different approach. They recognize they need to change. They are fast, nimble and adjust their approach, never giving up until they have achieve the outcome they want.
Agile Sellers think and act differently than everyone else.
Jill Konrath has just released an awesome book, Agile Selling. I had the privilege of reading an early draft of this book. It’s a must read for anyone aspiring to be a top performer. The book is a pragmatic guide to what makes Agile Sellers different, and how to become more “agile” yourself. There are so many things I can say about the book, but I don’t want to talk about that.
What I want to focus on is Jill’s personal demonstration of Agility—she not only talks the talk, she walks the talk.
Sometime ago, in her usual fashion, Jill sent me a note outlining an awesome launch plan. She asked me to help promote the book (which I was/am glad to do), but wanted it to be part of a carefully orchestrated plan, to maximize the impact of the launch.
Two weeks ago, something came up, completely out of Jill’s control. It completely derailed the plan. Most of the things she had hoped to execute, were no longer possible.
For many, like many sales people, that would have stopped them. But as any Agile performer knows, there’s always a recovery strategy, there’s always a Plan B. Today, I got a great note from Jill, outlining the Plan B.
What better demonstration of Agile Selling could one get? What better demonstration than to see Jill execute some of the things she talks about in her book? That alone should be enough justification for anyone.
But Jill goes even further, she put’s her money behind her conviction that you will get value from the book. If you don’t get value, she’ll refund your money. (Honestly, I’ve read the book 3 times-I know Jill won’t have to pay out anything!)
Next week Agile Selling is released. Do yourself a favor, buy it, apply it!
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