The song says “Breaking up is hard to do!” And, it certainly can be.
Let’s Break UP!
But, here is how breaking up will free you up!
A very dear friend of mine. A tippy-top producer who has earned a penthouse overlooking one of the most famous (and expensive) avenues in America, shared this recent story with me.
Her pipeline has been a teensy bit stagnant of late. So, she took a BOLD ACTION. She carefully crafted a gracious break-up script and shared it with her prospects who were just not getting back to her.
Generously, she has agreed to let me share her message and her results. Here is the message she left for her prospects with whom she had met, but received no activity: Wanna see the script?
I was in a meeting the other day with the EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT of a Fortune 500 company.
THE GUY!
And his entire team. In attendance, the CMO, the COO, the CTO, the C-Suite is there (no CEO, but come on!)
We have brought in some fire power, too, from my company.
We have the right solution.
So, I write an email to “follow up” and I get the answer:
“resource planning is going to be a major issue in moving forward. I have talked to “Joe Schmo” who you met at our meeting and he will let me know when we can engage”
The ultimate brush-off, right?
But, here’s the deal. I brought in a good solution with all my fire power. I was invested. I wanted something in return! So, I took my best shot.
I can’t help myself. Jim Keenan wrote the most brilliant article on Forbes.com about finding the perfect sales person.
I think you will love it!
Bottom line: “Who cares about what people have done? The only thing we should be focusing on is: Can they do what we need them to do? What we need to get done?”
OK. This may be a “bit” dramatic. Still, you’ve been there, right?
The first thing I want you to do is…breathe…
Now, let’s take a look.
Salespeople have been trained to create physical and emotional reactions from their buyers. We know them as “finding the pain points”, “creating urgency”, “challenging assumptions”, etc.
Do you have ANY idea how tough it is to be a salesperson?
(If you are NOT a salesperson, you may be thinking, “Well, then DON’T be a salesperson if it’s so tough!)
Really? It’s also tough to be an engineer, a mom, a business owner, a neurosurgeon, an astronaut. Should we not do those, too? Of course we should!
This is to all you sales pros, who go out and make it happen for their companies, day-after-day, sometimes really getting KICKED in the TEETH, you deserve a bit better than an ordinary post, don’t you?
Super Salesperson
Let’s shift the focus a bit, shall we?
Sales can be quite magical! (ting)
After all, who HASN’T bought a great pair of shoes from Zappos?
OR, who DIDN’T try the chocolate mousse after all because the waiter was being so fantastic with them all evening?
OMG! I was in a TERRIBLE sales presentation the other day. TERRIBLE.
The presenter was Hooked On Pronouns.
“We, you, they, it, he, she, their” … it went on and on. (Example: So, I said this to him about it, and he said he was interested in their results.) WHAT?
PRONOUNS ARE MEAN
When you use pronouns, you make your audience feel like idiots!
Remember when you really hit your stride as a salesperson?
Maybe you only have one memory of it. Maybe you have had many.
What was it that made that time so magical?
Perhaps you would say that you were lit up by the product you were selling. Or the challenge. Or you had a great team around you. Or that people really wanted to hear about what you were selling.
If you are committed to being successful – you may have found books and conferences on success intriguing, but they don’t get you there…Dan upsets that applecart!
BEWARE – Dan’s message can be confronting. It is the TRUTH about what it takes to be a top performer. Not a guide on how to shortcut your way to the top.
It is a dark and stormy evening.
“If you want to make sure you have your prospect’s 100% attention, let THEM talk!”