STEVEN ROCK’S ON…veteran rocker Steven Tyler of Aerosmith often comes up with catchy phrases. Recently he offered one of his humorous paradoxical insights as part of his role as a judge on American Idol. He was heard to say, “I’m too young to be this old”. On one hand, he certainly looks like he “has a lot of miles on him”. At the same time, he always exudes high energy and an amazing zest for life. Like him or not, Mr. Tyler is always very entertaining. His comment about “being too young to be this old” got me thinking. There are lots of situations in Sales that are equally paradoxical. Here’s a couple of examples I hear quite often:
1. I am working too hard to be this broke!
2. My product/service is too good for my customers to keep saying no!
Here is your ACTION STEP… are there certain situations in yours Sales Business that are paradoxical… that do not seem to make sense (or even seem unfair)? Probably… sometimes working harder is not the right answer. Often times there are other keys to making things happen the way you want them to. Here’s some suggestions:
1.Your Work Habits… the statement, “I’m working hard” can be very subjective . Sitting at your desk for three hours preparing for a Sales call may not be as productive as knocking on 20 doors. Driving around for three hours to stop at three potential buyers may not be as productive as making 20 phone calls and isolating one hot prospect. Always be thinking about the best way to get to the best prospects.
2. Are you calling on the right prospects? Are the people you are approaching in a position to afford your product/service? Can they afford your desired price range?
3. When making your Sales calls… are you talking to the decision-maker or an underling? The best sales presentation in the world is wasted if the recipient is not the ultimate buyer.
4. Critical Point: make sure you are presenting the benefits of what you offer to your prospects. They don’t want to know what you have… they want to know why it will help them. This is the essence of Selling.
Give some thought to what Steven Tyler said… is what you are trying to accomplish out of sync with the situation/customers you are pursuing? Every once in a while it is very helpful to step back and “take a look at your business and your efforts from 20,000 feet”. All businesses need to do this, big or small. That way you can ensure that your efforts and your activities are on straight line to your goals. Don’t try and “sell a Ferrari to someone who doesn’t have a driver’s license”. Make sure there is no paradox between your efforts and the customers you are pursuing. NO Excuses.