An important component of the Binkelian Sales Process is preparation. A long time ago, I learned from master salesman and author Tom Hopkins that “selling is the highest-paid hard work and the lowest-paid easy work” you can find. All people in sales have the choice as to which level of success and reward they opt to achieve. The Binkelian Sales Process is about taking the high paying road. Those who choose to set their goals high understand that, like in any profession, preparation is essential for success. All professionals know they must prepare if they are to win.
A Sporting Analogy
An NFL quarterback spends hundreds of hours practicing before he takes the first snap of the regular season. During the game, he participates in an average of 60 plays. Each play lasts about six seconds for a grand total of six minutes of playing time! Hundreds of hours preparing for six tiny minutes? Why is so much effort put into preparing for only six minutes of performance? Because preparation is the foundation for winning.
The highest paid sales professionals also spend hundreds of hours preparing for their success. They know that preparing to sell will help them win, regardless of the economic climate. What would happen to your sales efforts if you were to invest hundreds of hours mastering the sales process? Chances are that your success rate would dramatically improve!
Preparing to succeed in sales begins with mental preparation. First and foremost, those who achieve at the highest levels have an unfailing belief in themselves. They are an optimistic lot who not only think they can, but know they can, and will do whatever it takes to accomplish that which they have set their sights on.
To succeed in sales, you must first sell yourself on you and your product/service. If there is even the slightest shadow of doubt regarding your ability to sell your prospects on you or your company’s ability to serve them, you will struggle with the selling process.
Preparation also includes caring. People are emotional creatures. You’ve most likely heard the phrase, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” If your prospects believe the only thing you care about is picking their wallets clean, it will be difficult for you to succeed in sales over the long haul.
Establish Your Sales Plan
Preparation also includes planning. This means you will need to establish realistic goals and develop a plan to achieve them. Do you have a written sales plan?
Your sales plan should consist of three parts:
- Sales goals. How much you want or need to sell;
- Activities. That which you will need to do in order to achieve the specified goals;
- Action. Applying the pigheaded discipline and determination to actually do what is necessary for you to achieve your goals.
Assemble Effective Sales Tools
Another important aspect to preparation is assembling effective sales tools. What “tools” are you utilizing to assist you with your sales effort? Do you have a presentation folder that you leave behind after meeting with your prospects? Do you have a portfolio of projects that serve as your proof of performance? Is your website informative and up-to-date? Do you utilize jobsite sales tools, such as an audit kit, amp clamp or pressure gauge, to demonstrate your proficiency while gathering important site data?
Target Your Prospects
Preparation also involves prospecting for future clients. Selling requires getting face-to-face with potential buyers. Without prospects, there is no opportunity to sell—no matter how prepared you are! The goal of prospecting is to get appointments with qualified prospects. Often, it is the company’s marketing efforts that generate leads for their sales staff. In the event that you do not have a marketing department, your sales team will be responsible for generating new leads. What is your sales team doing to create fresh opportunities to sell?
Finally, preparing to win at the sales game includes studying and applying the sales process. The business blogs I will share in later posts provide insight on the key components of the sales process that have helped me, and many others, enjoy success in sales.
For information regarding Ewing’s business development workshops, please visit www.ewingeducationservices.com.
