WHY AVOIDING RISKS IS A BAD IDEA.

Last week I was calling back the clients that had worked with me so far this year, I am sure you all do that. What? You don’t. Maybe you should carve out some time to do so as there is no easier sale that you can make than a sale to an existing customer as they know and trust you already.

I was concerned about one particular client as his fear of rejection had kept on the sidelines. It was starting to become a major issue with his manager. Yes, he was about to be terminated and the manager had decided to hire me for him and the rest of his team as a last resort.

WHAT IS DRIVE?

Drive is a choice that begins with two beliefs;

  1. An expectation that you are suppose to and will win.
  2. A belief that everything happens for a reason.   

These are the words of Jeb Blount in his book Sales EQ and in my estimation, something that has not been discussed as much as it should.

Some of us have an incredible drive and are always in overdrive passing everyone on the road and laughing all the way. While others are still in second gear doing everything we can to get to third, but are having challenges in getting it into the right gear.

Both of the people above have had the same training, similar education, work in the same firm, therefore, why the difference in, drive?

GOAL SETTING IN 2019

‘The greatest danger for most of us is not hat our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.’ ~ Michelangelo.

Here we are in the first full week of 2019, ready, willing and able to go get those goals that we set for us, or in some cases, goals that someone gave to us, however are those goals our real goals?

If we take a closer look at the quote by Michelangelo, are we kidding ourselves by making an unrealistic goal? Not in the fact that it may be too high, but rather is it one that does not stretch us?

THE POWER HAS SHIFTED

THE SHIFTThere have been so many changes in the sales world in the past 10-15 years. Technology has certainly played a major part in it. However, the biggest and most recent change is the interaction between seller and buyer.

In his book, ‘To Sell Is Human:’ Daniel H. Pink talks about how the shift in information and the easy access to it has taken the simple transaction of caveat emptor to caveat venditor. In other words, we have gone from buyer beware to seller beware. It is the foolish and unknowledgeable seller that now must beware in how he not only conducts business but how he treats his customers and prospects.

WHEN THEY LOWER PRICES, RAISE YOURS!

“OMG!! That’s the eighth time we have had to do that this week!”

“Do what?” said I with confusion in my voice. “Match the price on a leaf blower that my competitor has on sale.” I will never understand why some make pricing the ultimate king in business. All pricing does is enable you to win the race to the bottom. A race no one should be anxious to win.

Businesses have to come to their collective senses. Those who have followed my blog for a while know that it is NEVER about the pricing. It is the value consumers seek. Do you win ALL of the business when pricing rears its ugly head? No, but you can win the majority of them by using creativity and by adding value to your product.

WERE THEY EVER YOUR CLIENT?

WERE THEY YOUR CLIENTSDuring the early 2000s, I dealt with forestry companies. Primarily with their engineering department as well as the forester’s themselves. These companies were very motivated by pricing and loyalty was as good as your pricing. They changed suppliers at a drop of a hat. However, later I did find out they did have loyalty.

They use a particular commodity that would retail anywhere from $0.81 – $0.95. There were a 100 units in a case. The average order for this commodity would be anywhere from 5-20 cases at a time.