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What Salespeople Can Learn from a Focus on the Chase instead of the Hammer
| Guest post by: Patricia Weber |
Article Overview: What is possible if salespeople began to think of the sales process like the noted automobile restorer Wayne Carini? Just how is the sales process in the top performer’s way like the chase for the finest classic cars?
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What Salespeople Can Learn from a Focus on the Chase instead of the Hammer
Regardless of how you find yourself in the career of sales, there is the certainty or uncertainty, that there will be a sale, many sales. In car auctions the final sale is noted by the hammer price; sometimes the hammer price is high and sometimes, there isn’t a sale! What I love about Wayne Carini, noted car restorer, is how he expresses his love of the “chase”, not necessarily the successful car sale, to find the rarest and most beautiful of cars. As I reflect over some of my most prized sales, my most favorite clients, it seems that the “chase” is the best part of selling.
Obsession: If you are in sales you know to “get” or “make” the sale can be a dominate thought. I think back to my largest and best sales, $100,000 or more, as well as those long term clients who stayed with me for 5 or even more years, depending on the product or service offered. I was never really obsessed with “the sale” in these instances. Instead my thinking and feeling was how much what I had could help that company or that client. With these situations of finding and selling, my obsession of the most profitable and successful sale was the focus on the customer’s situation.
The process: In a memorable sales meeting with a company I was selling computer software, my wanted the rest of the sales staff to listen up. What a surprise that she was holding up about a dozen stapled pages detailing the process of getting one of my most recent accounts. She went on to say that “this is what it takes.” I was almost embarrassed that she went on to say, “even if it did take almost two years.” The process of selling starts on the outside with the marketing and ends on the inside with mutual satisfaction of buyer and seller. This is the chase which is sometimes short and sometimes long.
Doing anything: There was one client I longingly wanted and never did get. That was one chase that I actually had more fun and learning than many other successes. Even when they told me they went with my competitor, I felt, well, somehow satisfied. And I actually got another client after that just within days. A kind of reward for doing just about anything to gain the favor of their business.
When a car is up for auction, the seller hopes that the hammer price, the indicator that the bidding is ended, meets their goal. It doesn’t always happen that way. But the chase of getting that rare car to auction is where the heart of the seller is to begin with. The price met hammer is a prize. As top salespeople, keep your heart in the process and then your sales, your hammer prices, will be higher, bigger and more often.
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About the Author: Patricia Weber RSS for Patricia's articles - Visit Patricia's website Click here to visit Patricia's website   Introvert Myth Are Only Introverts Shy Top Salespeople Secret 4 During a Down Economy Invest in Yourself Turning Sales Slumps into Sales Jumps Coaching Tip Top 4 Ways Pressure Salespeople Gain Their Reputation Sales Training Salespeople Who Lose Sales Can Bounce Back |
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