6 April 2005 The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men � �Remember that a spider spends hours weaving a web which you can destroy with a walking-stick with the flick of a wrist.� This quote from Gerald Durrell�s first novel, Rosy is My Relative, certainly highlights the perils of being a lawyer or sales professional. Isn�t it true that a well-constructed argument or sales pitch can be taken to pieces by something small? In the case of sales people it is one simple word: �No�. Statistically speaking I know that every �No� means you�re closer to your �Yes�. I�m so tired of that old record. All I know is that when you hear �No� too often, you become like a punch-drunk boxer � reeling from one fight to another with no specific game plan. And let�s not even mention the damage it does to your self-image. Professionals Outstanding sales people pick their fights. Those they can win. They�re what we call strategic sales professionals. They know the value of P5 � Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. Every action they take has an outcome and they plan for almost any eventuality. They ensure that they have the decision maker, they have seven different opening techniques and five different closing techniques in their arsenal, they have rehearsed their answers to any objections that may arise, they give their prospect lots of options, they have a fall-back position and they know when to cut their losses and move on. Amateurs Average sales people, on the other hand, get into a fight with anyone. They don�t know the terrain, they treat every sale as it comes and they certainly don�t have much of a plan (except to see 3-5 prospects a day � that�ll keep the sales manager off their back, wont it?) and every day in the field is a surprise to them. Most of all they�re surprised when they make a sale. Average sales people are typically tactical and do everything by the seat of their pants. If you�d like to know if you�re a professional or amateur, answer the following two questions: When telephoning for appointments, is your qualified prospect list ready for use at 08h30? Or at 08h30 (if you�re not still trying to find your first cup of coffee) are you still looking for suspects out of the telephone directory? When a prospect raises an objection, do you have a standard answer that has been well-rehearsed and committed to memory? Or do you tackle each objection as you see fit and hope for the best? If you're an amateur, you know what you have to do, don't you?
If you really want to succeed in your sales career (or anything for that matter), take the following quote from the Jeffrey Archer novel, Honour Among Thieves to heart: �The successful conclusion of any enterprise is always in its preparation�.
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