Failed It Nailed It

Mistakes are our best teachers, but they can cost money.?

And it gets worse when the organizations we work for need to pay for our failures.

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Like that time, I planned a grand medical conference. I splurged over $100K securing gourmet food, high-tech A/V equipment, conference rooms, top-notch entertainment, room blocks, and the best vendors money could buy. After all this, you'd think we'd be overrun with participants, right? Well, in a plot twist worthy of a sitcom, we ended up with just one, solitary, singular registration! Talk about an epic oops moment!

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In the early stages of my career, I organized annual medical conferences for a healthcare institution in Colorado.

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These events, typically held during winter, included skiing as an additional attraction. They were quite popular among healthcare providers, attracting hundreds of attendees each year.

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In the past, these conferences offered much more than just educational content. Participants had the opportunity to engage in activities like skiing, parties, and dinners. It was common for attendees to bring their families along, making the event a blend of professional growth and personal enjoyment.

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The budgets for these events were massive.

One year, a light bulb went off in my head - let's introduce a summer edition of our beloved conference! Of course, our attendees were used to the bells and whistles, so we couldn't just offer a conference, we had to deliver a full-fledged, unforgettable experience!

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Our hospitality partners proposed a summer jazz festival right at the ski resort. I thought, "Aha, a lively, music-filled event under the summer sun? That'll give our guests goosebumps of delight!" So, I jumped onboard, anticipating a truly awe-inspiring event!

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We meticulously planned and executed every aspect of the conference in alignment with the music festival. This included creating marketing campaigns, sending out thousands of invitations, making significant investments in advertising, and taking care of countless small details.

After weeks of promotion, the result was - one person.

Only one person registered!?

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Because, as it turned out, HCPs are not big Colorado summer jazz fans (OK, maybe that one person registered was!)

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Apparently, during the summer, HCPs and their families prefer golf, beaches, and theme parks.

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The following summer, I was given an opportunity to organize the same event again, for which I am grateful to this day. We don’t always get the chance to correct our mistakes.

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So, we organized a new conference at a golf resort and offered golf lesson, ?as the top accompanying activity.?

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Registrations for our event flew off the shelves, kickstarting a successful summer conference tradition. This innovation led to an annual gross revenue of over $2.3 million from new conference programs, enriching both our attendees and the organization.

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It was only after my misstep that I realized the importance of understanding my audience before devising any grand plans. I hadn't bothered to investigate the preferences, needs, and interests of the doctors attending our conference. Instead, I merely made assumptions, which proved to be a costly mistake.

This experience not only led to a financial loss but also hit my confidence hard. However, the silver lining was the invaluable lesson I learned and carried with me throughout my sales career.

Over the years, I've imparted this wisdom to my team members across various companies and taught it to my coaching clients. I've even spread its message across social media:

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Before making any sales moves, crafting strategies, or reaching out to prospects, make sure to step into your client's shoes! – immerse yourself in your client’s world!

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Without crystal clarity on your customer’s motivation, challenges, and desires, your grand sales strategy might fall flat and create losses.

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So, make sure you know your buyer thoroughly.

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It takes time, effort, and research, but it’s so well worth it.

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But hey, we all stumble. I'm not the only one! Dive into Salesforce’s article "Top Sellers Share Lessons They Learned the Hard Way" to chuckle at my jazz misadventure and gain wisdom from 12 other Salesblazers. Sometimes we fail before we nail it, and these stories are proof!

Curious? Check it out now!

https://sforce.co/SalesLessons

#FailItNailIt #SalesforceStories #Growth

#SalesStrategy #SalesBlazer #Salesforce #CustomersFirst

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