Inventor James Dyson has said, “The key to success is failure… Success is made of 99 percent failure.” There is a spectrum to risk. It pays to sharpen our awareness of which risks are smart, and which ones may cause great harm in the long run. These ideas will help you and your sales force succeed by taking smart risks.
Building a better sales pipeline is a lot like that famous lyric from Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler: “Know when to walk away, know when to run.”
Through my years as a sales leader, I’ve learned that, despite our natural instinct as sellers to fight to win every sale, sometimes it’s best to walk away when the prospect goes cold.
In the February issue of Top Sales Magazine, I reflect on a recent situation where a prospect went cold, explore five reasons why it can happen even to the best of us, and share some strategies you can employ to tackle the challenges when they arise.
Being in strategic selling, often I see sales conversations and the buying process get wrapped up in solution details way too early. I’ve done it too — my mind running a million miles an hour, jumping into creating solutions before I know enough about the true problem or why it’s a priority today.
When we jump into solutioning too early (the “how”), we risk losing prospect or client buy-in. We miss the opportunity to understand the “why” behind the interest. Why it matters to this person and the business. We might miss the opportunity to more creatively solve the challenge.
So what distinguishes a standout seller? I share that on the blog and in a short video.
The first half of 2018 was filled with some big progress, and in this post I’d like to share a few second half highlights with you. As I created this list, I couldn’t help but be filled with gratitude. Every one of these highlights is rooted in relationships. I’m reminded of the African proverb we see quoted so often: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” My name might be on the blog post, but there is no way I could’ve accomplished these goals without you, my team, or the partnerships in my life.
Thank you for being a part of my journey this year. Happy holidays to you and your family. I look forward to helping your organization create more sales success in 2019.
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