“If you want to reach a goal, you must ’see the reaching’ in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal.” –Zig Ziglar
A tough economy will set the expert sales professionals at the top of their game, at the tip of the highest peak and apart from their peers on the beginner slope. By consistently preparing, prospecting, practicing, and perfecting – you will ultimately win!
Living in New Hampshire, I learned in my early twenties that I needed to quickly make the most of the snow packed mountains by learning to ski.
My goal was in sight: To prepare it was all about lessons, ski gear and proper clothing – the tools of the trade. My friends and I always awoke early for the drive to the mountain and aggressively approached every run down the mountain like it was going to be the last of the day. We paused for laughs and had plenty of fun while testing our skill on the various black diamond trails – only experts need apply! I was the beginner in the group and was always told to “strap them on and point them down.” It worked for me. The preparation was minimal because I was young and could ski without a plan. I was fearless. The thought of failure never crossed my mind. And, taking advantage of the opportunity to ski “with the guys”, I considered myself fortunate to have skilled peers as my mentors.
The weekly practice sessions with the experts proved valuable. I overcame significant hurdles along the way, adapting my performance to the hazards in the trail…small children, trees, turns, twists, moguls, adverse conditions and freezing toes and fingers. Much like objections and obstacles striving to thwart my attempt at achieving goals, nothing stopped my focus on success…I visualized a great performance every time I pointed those tips down the mountain.
The ultimate success was my ability to learn a new winter sport and enjoy the journey with friends. I’m consistently reminded as the 2010 Winter Olympics are in full swing, of the sales goals set forth by my organization. Learning to sell is very much like learning to ski, so the downhill competition is a constant visualization for me and a reminder to stay on top of my game – prepare, practice, align yourself, point the tips down the mountain, stay nimble and accelerate to your goal! Change comes quickly in this economic environment – experts are poised for the turns! Here are some tips to tackle the sales trail like an expert
Prepare
Visualize your sales success
Plan a route
What trail will you use to accelerate to your growth? Plan and strategize your run by knowing your objectives, understanding your prospects and their business pains.
Practice and invest time and resources where appropriate
Align with your goal:
- Enlist the services of experts to train and mentor
- Partner when necessary to meet customer expectations
- Check your equipment – is your website optimized for high performance? Is it generating sales inquiries?
Sales cycles can be longer than anticipated
Learn to overcome objections by preparing for unexpected obstacles.
Remain Nimble
Have no fear!
Consider customer choices:
- Position financing options
- Educate when selling complex solutions
- Position the business value and sell at the C-Level
- Realign resources to meet customer expectations
- Anticipate business pain and/or impending events based on trends in the prospect’s industry and/or policy and regulations
- Operate as a trusted advisor
- Devise a win-win value proposition for both you and your customer and review it together
Stay Competitive…Create Momentum and a Sense of Urgency
Constantly fill your sales pipeline with qualified leads for both sales and marketing
Create a SLA with the marketing department agreeing on lead definitions. If your sales department is responsible for marketing efforts, define ways to generate inquires. Outsource if you don’t have resources available in house.
Accelerate opportunities through the sales cycle increasing time to revenue
Go for the Gold
Prepare, practice, align, create momentum, remain nimble and navigate the sales cycle with a sense of urgency poised for success.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Black Diamonds can be intimidating, but utilizing the “tips” you have
outlined, will result in a successful “run” through the Sales Process.
I love the analogy here, and would just like to reiterate the point that taking the time to “ski with your peers,” the time to ask questions and educate yourself based on the success and merits of your fellow peers and mentors, strengthens your own goals as a professional, and on a personal level as well. Go for it.