SO from the last time, we are trying to use the disaggregating strategy in the realm of sales. I have seen and heard numerous people struggle with making sales calls when their livelihood depends on it. It is a shame really, but one that I understand well from experience. We all have fears, but if you are going to go from a place of average performance to extraordinary performance, then you are going to have to perform at extraordinary level. IF you want to get an average result, then just do what everybody else does. But to set yourself apart, you will need to do things at an elevated level.
I have never talked to anyone who said that they wanted to make a little bit of money. Plenty of people don’t earn a lot, but rarely if ever will this be the desire. If you are going to spend time at work, you might as well make the best of it right? Then why isn’t everyone making the best use of their time while there? FEAR! BS you say? It is either that or stupidity.
If you are not afraid of doing all of the things to make you super successful, then why are you NOT doing them? What is keeping you from spending as much time as possible in the most effective endeavors?
If you are wrestling with that statement, then I bet you’re stuck on some activity and Fear is hindering you. In the last entry I mentioned dissecting this to make it easy. Remember how sometimes taking medicine can be a chore? Need water, pills, don’t feel well, etc. The thought of making sales calls can create the same paralysis in people. If you are stuck with the task of Making Calls, then you really need to strip down the ominous task of making calls into the micro-tasks that have teamed up against you.
Before you can make calls, you need to have a pretty solid answer for each of the following questions:
- Who are you going to call?
- What will you say to them?
- How much activity will make me successful?
- How will I evaluate my performance?
- What value do I bring to my prospects?
- What skills do I need to improve to make me better?
- What can I do to make this process better?
- What am I trying to achieve?
This can seem like a lot of stuff to line up before you start actually calling. Do not use that as an excuse to go into research mode to make the perfect plan. The absolute best way to figure out the answer to most of these questions is to start calling people. My life as a professional salesperson changed when I was able to answer all of these questions. I did not have a list to start with, it came more by trial and error. But going from average to excellent was a process that involved very detailed answers to all of the above questions.
This is a 40,000 foot view of how to dissect and disaggregate the micro-tasks above. When fear grabs you, it is usually only attaching itself to one or maybe two areas on the list. When you dissect them and break them down, you can generally eliminate ¾ of the list pretty easily. On my next entry, I will take the above list and demonstrate the tasks and tools that go along with them. Well on your way to overcome fear and Jump Afraid.