I worked for a company a while back that had us hand in a weekly “Hot List” of accounts that we expected to close that month.
While I was selling quite a few of the accounts on my list, I noticed some of the same accounts made appearances week after week!
Of course my Sales Manager took that opportunity to break my balls but he had every right to do so.
I realized something that became sort of a “Dr Phil” moment for me . . .
Deep down, I didn’t want to acknowledge that these accounts weren’t going to close and . . .
Deep down I didn’t want to look at a pathetic Hot List that was now mostly empty.
So I did something really radical . . .
I nuked most of the accounts on that list and . . .
Handed in a Hot List, the next week, with like 3 accounts on it (down from like 20+)
My Sales Manager once again broke balls and couldn’t believe that I had the audacity to hand in a Hot List with only 3 accounts.
I told him that I would end up outselling most of the people in our office, because I was no longer in denial and . . .
Looking at a pathetic Hot List of 3 would let me see how dire things truly were.
That, in turn would light the proverbial fire under my glutes and get the party started.
Within a few months of this, I was ranked 12th worldwide and was promoted . . .
To a position that ranked above the ball breaking Sales Manager and . . .
He instituted a policy that in order for a prospect to be considered “Hot” it needed to have a 90%+ probability of closing . . . That Millennium!
Today you are cordially invited to give your “Hot List” a Spring Reality Cleaning!
