Duct Tape Marketing

In your selling system, what is it that you need to recognize that you have been afraid to confront?  How many times have you been on a sales call and knew that something was wrong, but lacked the sales courage to do anything about it?
• The decision maker isn't there
• The prospect isn't being truthful
• They have a problem they really don't want to fix
• They aren't going to undo a current relationship
• They don't have the money or resources to invest to fix a  problem

“You have to understand that people stand in the shadow of the leader.” This comment came from the top executive of a very large corporate client of ours.  And I had to ask, “George, what do you mean, shadow of the leader?  He replied, “It’s pretty simple, Tony.  People will do what they see the leader do, not what the leader says.”

The profound concept of “Shadow of the Leader” helps us understand where to "fix" problems. The good and the bad of leadership at every level is reflected in the followership of your sales team based on the commitment, work, communication, leadership and management conducted by the sales leaders in the organization.

I recently had the great honor and privilege of visiting our United States Military Academy at West Point, NY.  I was overwhelmed by the courage and passion of those that occupy this post.  They are truly remarkable people and I was struck by how much the disciplines they practice relate to selling. Yes, it might be a stretch to tie what happens at West Point to sales and selling, but not much of a stretch. This group of young people consistently demonstrates at an extraordinary level all of those competencies necessary to succeed in selling:  courage, desire, commitment, persistence and ethics.  They are sales people in fatigues. They spend their day selling others on the connection between athletics and winning on the battlefield.  One of the metrics for success:  bringing everyone back alive.  That is life or death.

Sometimes we need to remind a salesperson that “You are not a Quote Jockey. You don’t make commissions on quotes. So, stop quoting and start finding sales prospects that fit the profile of your ideal client. Start qualifying these prospects for “severe mental anguish”- the motivation to buy your product or service. Start qualifying them for their motivation to leave their current vendor relationship. Start qualifying them for their sense of urgency and ability to invest the resources required to buy.

I'm sure that some of you are saying, "We have sales growth." I'm sure that you do. However, is it consistent? Is it predictable? Is it at the level that you projected when you did your budget last year? Is it enough to overcome an unexpected loss of revenue from accounts, drop in rates, etc.? One of the problems about total revenue that I'm hearing this year is that "we're on target with new sales, but revenues are down because…? Well then, the reality is that new sales may be on target with what was budgeted, but they are not on target given your new adjusted budget deficits.

Recently, I had an eye-opening discussion with one of our clients.  We reviewed 2008 and set goals for 2009.  My client provided me with several critical "Keep Doing, Start Doing and Stop Doing" items that he felt would help Anthony Cole Training Group be more effective. I left this meeting conflicted. But, upon reflection....