Dumbest opening to any blog ever coming at cha in 3,2,1 . . .
Most sales reps, who’ve been working a territory longer than a few years are somewhat busy.
I know, it’s statements like that that make me a sales thought leader. Look at me now dad!
They are busy with their current accounts.
Busy responding, following up, putting out fires, taking care of all the internal “stuff” to make sure things stay on track.
Believe it or not, this isn’t a great position to be in because . . .
While they are busy responding to their customer’s needs they are forgetting about new opportunities, with companies they are currently not doing business with.
They are becoming vulnerable.
How?
Because even though they are sitting on some sweet accounts, things change with those businesses.
Companies move
Companies go out of business
Budgets get cut
Contacts leave, new ones arrive with their own preferred vendors and . . .
Sometimes we just lose the business!
Meanwhile there’s absolutely no pipeline to speak of and worse yet . . .
Their “hunting muscles” are non existent because they haven’t been used in like; forever!
The next thing I’m going to say is going to piss a lot of people off but what the heck . . .
Sometimes our existing accounts become our excuse not to hunt!
After all, we’re busy taking care of them. Right?
The existing accounts hide the fact that we’re scared to get back out there and get rejected.
I see 3 critical drivers of sales success . . .
New Account Acquisition
Providing Awesome Service/Customer Retention
Account Development
If you are in a role where you are responsible for all three then . . .
You need to know that you are limiting yourself when you only focus on one.
They all can (and should) live quite nicely together.
They need to have a place on your calendar and not just in response to someone who reaches out to you.
Just for the heck of it . . .
Today could be the day that you regain control by creating new opportunities in addition to . . .
Simply responding to existing ones.
Please do me (and more importantly, yourself) a favor . . .
Reread this post and catch yourself.
Catch yourself either getting defensive or pissed off at what I’ve written and then . . .
Ask yourself . . . “Why?”
There’s an old saying that many people grasp in an incomplete type of way.
When the student is ready, the teacher appears
We often look at this like some kind of Mr Miyagi/Danielson type of moment when that’s only partially true.
The true teacher doesn’t come to us in the form of a physical being . . .
In comes to us in the form of a lesson.
Perhaps a lesson that we have heard thousands of times but . . .
Today is the day something clicks and we finally “get it”
In that moment . . .
Our “teacher” has appeared!
Peace!
I work with individuals and organizations who want to sell more!
Click here for more information about my one on one coaching services.
Click here to learn more about my training services and keynote speeches or just email me and let’s set aside some time to talk!
Perhaps it’s time!
