Are You Throwing the Stick or Chasing Your Tail?
© Depositphotos.com/ Chalabala
A day in the life of most salespeople is typically driven by a rousing game of fetch. We throw out a proposition or an idea, and we expect our prospects to react in a way that leads to them recognizing value and pursuing a partnership. The pitfall with this approach to sales is that it is easy to lose sight of who is throwing the stick and who is chasing their tail.
If you’ve ever owned a dog, you know what it is like to try to chase them down in an open field. No matter how fast you run, they always seem to escape your grasp.
I heard a story recently about a little boy that found himself in this exact situation. His puppy had seen a chance for freedom and made his move, out the front door and down the street. After a long chase, the defeated boy decided to run home and beg his parents for help. As he stumbled into the house, completely out of breath, he made a startling discovery: his dog had chased him all the way home and was now safely panting on the kitchen floor.
The point of this story? Salespeople tend to chase customers and prospects daily. We leave voicemails and send emails until eventually, one of two things happens: we get the sale or we don’t.
Now take a step back and imagine your customers instead are chasing you. They send you emails and leave you voicemails in the hope that you will see value in a partnership and help them to buy your products. Wow, doesn’t that sound nice? Is it even possible?
I think it is, and here’s how to start:
- Pick up the phone and have something of value to say. Quit “checking in” and give them actual updates. Call about the status of their order instead of them calling you first, wondering what time it will arrive.
- When you find yourself sending out the same email every month and leaving the same voicemail, just stop. The definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result.” Mix it up and catch them off guard! Send a hand-written letter and include an autographed picture of yourself. [Seriously… I’ve done it and the relationship that resulted is priceless.]
- Quit talking about how great you are and show them. Make such an impression with the gatekeeper that they can’t help but refer you up the line. Treat them so differently than your competition does, and they’ll discover the benefit of working with you on their own.
So what’s it going to be? Are you going to roll over, or are you going to change the way you’re selling?
How do you get your customers and prospects to chase you? Share your ideas below or email Anthony directly!
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