As sales professionals, we all know what we want—-We want to win the deal, We want to beat the competitor, We want to make our quotas. We want the commission checks, We want the bonus. Ask any sales person, they’ll be very clear about what they want.
Often what we want is merely wishful thinking, instead of getting what we want, we get what we get. We try hard to win the deal, we can’t quite beat the competitor, we missed our quota this year, but we’ll do better next year, the excuses can go on.
Great sales professionals get what they want—the reason is purposefulness. They build a plan, they execute the plan, they try to eliminate any roadblocks to getting what they want. If it’s a sales call–they don’t leave anything to chance. They develop a call plan and execute it. They have clear objectives and are focused–they don’t make wandering or random calls, they don’t waste their time or the customer’s time. In each call they try to move as far through the customer buying process as they can, compressing what takes others 3-4 calls into 1 call.
Great sales people help keep their customers focused-sometimes the customers slip what they want to do, the urgent need to make a decision slips a couple of weeks, then another month, then a few more weeks, then…… Great sales people seek to eliminate this—not by pushing for the order, but by getting the customer to focus on what they are missing—lost revenues, lost savings, competitive exposures, greater risk, lost opportunity. Great sales people seek to help their customers accelerate getting the value of the new solution, bringing the buyin decision in sooner.
Great sales professional pay attention to their funnels and pipelines. They make sure they have enough opportunities to achieve their quotas and goals. They don’t complain about the lack of leads–they do something about it, they pick up the phone, they prospect, they know they are responsible for the health of their pipelines, no one else.
Great sales professionals know that planning without sharp execution is wishful thinking. They know their plans won’t be perfect, they adjust their strategies to get what they want.
Many sales people try to make their numbers, giving it a valiant try, hoping to get “A’s” for effort. Great sales professionals achieve their quotas–and more. They know the one thing they can’t change is the number—but they can change everything else they do to achieve the number–work harder, work smarter, be better, outsell, outcompete—anything is up for grabs and can be adjusted, except the number.
The difference between getting what you want and getting what you get is purposefulness.
Are you getting what you want? Or are you settling?
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