Time Management/Planning

I had an experience last week that shines a bright light on inexperience. We all have to start someplace as sales people. Most often we start with minimal training, minimal product knowledge, a desk, and a telephone. It’s the ‘baptism by fire’ approach. We flounder until we gain enough experience to be reasonably successful. The quotas and expectations are high and the success rate is low. This is a pretty brutal but common path to sales proficiency. We get beat up, our confidence suffers, and not many of us make it. The first months or years are tough. If it is difficult on us personally, it is no less difficult for our prospects and customers. They get beat up as well while we flounder. Carnage is obvious on both sides of the relationship.

There is a long list of components to the art of Sales. Preparation, product knowledge, technology, working with objections, overcoming customer reluctance and fear are just a few aspects of the sales process. In the end and most importantly, it is about seeing the people. We cannot solve people’s financial problems until we enter into a relationship with them. We cannot develop the mutual trust and respect that defines a long-lasting association with a customer without that crucial first step. It all begins with picking up the telephone.

My training and coaching philosophy is based on a few foundational principles of which planning is fundamental. The road to more appointments, referrals, and sales is paved by effective and diligent planning. The confidence that we grow and maintain, that is so well received by our customers and prospects, comes in large part from being prepared.

My wife and I traveled to Glacier National Park recently. The plan was to stay in East Glacier for a couple of days. When we were 20 miles or so from our campsite we noticed huge clouds of smoke rising in the distance. As we got closer we also noticed a long line of cars heading away from the smoke. We were the only ones going toward it. In a panic, my wife asked me to turn around.