Winning or not failing?

Emotively, sales is quite a roller coaster.  We win some, we lose some and something there's a no-result.  It can be played out in an instant, over days, weeks, months or years. 

Similarly, we usually either report to someone who monitors our results or we see them in our top or bottom line.

The question to ask ourselves is are we trying so hard for the results of succeeding or to avoid failing?

Sales is, unfortunately, often an activity taken because we are 'told' to, or 'have' to to hit targets or 'meet our numbers'.  These people are selling because they are fearful of failure - they don't want to miss their targets or be the bottom of a leader board.  It isn't done with passion - it is done through necessity, fear....gritted teeth. 

This behaviour also means they often to just enough to avoid failure.  They aren't actually selling for the rewards of selling.

This is quite emotionally draining - they are undertaking something they often don't like to avoid the negative repercussions of not achieving something.  They have the wrong motivation.

Now, what if you could trust so implicitly in your sales process that your targets are not an issue.  You'll hit them, on average, all the time.  If this fear of failure or losing was taken away?  This isn't saying you will win every sale - but you will always achieve the goals your organisation sets of you?  Would you do anything differently?

This comes through realising sales is important, working out how to do it in your role and planning - sales isn't luck, it is a discipline.  Good sales people aren't continually lucky - they know why and how they need to sell. 

This is where you want to be - celebrating every month/week/whatever your successes - not wiping the sweat off your brow that your stayed ahead of the wolves on your heels for another month.

What Do You Want...

Have you ever asked yourself if your client/intermediary knows why you're there?

We often form an agenda for a meeting, whether formally written or just thought through. Fewer of us will table it for the client, fewer still will put their true intent on the agenda.

Ask yourself does my client/prospect/intermediary know my 'real' agenda?

Also, ask yourself a more difficult question, what is my clients agenda?

If the answers to these aren't aligned - where is the meeting going to go?....this is why stating your agenda is important.

If you want a clients business, a referral etc - ask your client. Selling isn't about deception and obscure techniques. We often dance around the simple question 'I would love to work with your business, what do I need to do to achieve this?' (or similar) rather than just ask it outright....