THE POTATO CHIP FACTOR… PepsiCo Company a multinational organization with their head office in Purchase, New York. One of their most successful divisions is the Lays Potato Chip Company. Lays Potato Chips had a very successful advertising campaign a few years ago based around the humorous challenge that offered… "Bet you can't eat just one". Highly successful, they sell more potato chips than any other company. The "bet you can't eat just one" statement is painfully true. It's hard to eat just one potato chip… even when you know the obvious truth…potato chips are not healthy.
There is a "potato chip" epidemic that has been going on in the Business of Sales for years. The potato chip in Sales is… INTERRUPTIONS. One interruption leads to another interruption which leads to another interruption, etc. Let's be very clear on the next point… Interruptions are not healthy! Once you get distracted it is very difficult to get back on track plus… you lose the momentum you had created prior to the interruption. It seems like there is no such thing as "one interruption"… just like the potato chip, "bet you can't deal with just one".
Here is your ACTION STEP… one of the attendees at a Seminar I did recently proudly announced that "I am really good at multitasking". I replied… "No, you're just telling me that you're not very good at handling interruptions". Said another way, trying to do more than one thing at the same time is simply not productive. The key is for you to be strong enough to say NO when an interruption arrives in the midst of you doing your most important tasks. Here's how:
NO MORE "POTATO CHIPS"
1. Accept the reality that one interruption leads to another
2. Identify your top three tasks for the day
3. Make them the top of your list regardless of what comes up
4. Be strong on this one… commit that you will eliminate the possibility of any interruptions while you are performing these three tasks (example: prospecting, lead follow-up, customer interface)
We are in an "instant gratification" society. Everybody wants what they want right now. All you have to do is watch a teenager doing their homework and you'll know what I mean (books open, computer on, music playing, texting, etc.)… things have changed! At the same time, when you are doing something important is it advisable to not let yourself be interrupted. How would you feel if you knew your heart surgeon was answering his cell phone while doing triple bypass surgery on you?!!! You wouldn't answer your cell phone if you were making an important customer presentation, would you? The same should hold true when you are Prospecting… when you're doing your Lead Generation, no interruptions allowed! No more potato chips, OK? NO Excuses.