What’s Holding Your Sales Back?
Shawn Casemore
Keynote Speaker, Sales Kickoff Speaker, Sales Training, Sales Coaching. ?? Enabling B2B Sales Leaders and Sales Teams to Achieve Unstoppable Sales?. ??Author of The Unstoppable Sales Machine.??
Up until a few years ago, I made the sled push a consistent part of my weekly workouts. I’ve backed off on frequency in recent years, but rest assured, that big red sled still makes it into my routines periodically.
The sled push is considered functional training, in that it uses a wide variety of muscle groups and involves varying levels of intensity.
In short, it’s exhausting, and it can be one of the most daunting exercises to undertake … or at least that’s been my experience.
The sled acts as an obstacle that you must move to make it across the finish line. The more weight that is added to the sled, the harder it is to push — eventually reaching the point of mimicking an immovable object.
Sales can sometimes seem similar by nature.
It often feels like you’re pushing against near-immovable objects to connect with, meet with, speak to and sell to buyers.
If you were to ask even the most successful sales professional about the most common seemingly immovable objects they deal with, the list would likely include:
? Gatekeepers
? Competition
? Price objections
? Physical distance
? Visitor policies
There are others, and the degree to which these apply can be highly dependent on what you are selling.
However, there is one method over all others that can overcome these objects, and it draws a direct parallel to the very same means of tacking the push sled:
Mindset.
When I work with sales teams and sales leaders, we often discuss the importance of continuing our efforts despite our ability to (at least initially) measure their impact.
Reaching out to make a connection with a buyer might seem fruitless with no response. But it doesn’t mean you stop.
Instead, you try new methods and start to vary our approach.
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You might mail a handwritten letter, then place a phone call to ensure it was received.?
If a gatekeeper is an issue, you might send that same letter in a FedEx envelope marked “Personal and Confidential” to make it past the gatekeeper.
If this doesn’t work, you may even “stop by while in the area” to introduce yourself.
In sales, the options to overcome what often appear to be immovable objects begin and ends with our mindset.
You can either think, “well, that didn’t work, so what else can I try?” Or you can give up after a few attempts and dismiss the buyer as a reasonable prospect.
If you give up, however, that buyer will haunt you — just like that big red push sled sitting in the middle of the floor that has not yet made it to the finish line.
So, ask yourself, if your sales aren’t where you want them to be, what is your mindset?
Are you prepared to push through and innovate despite seemingly immovable objects? Or are you going to give up because the object seems too big to move?
Personally, I prefer the former, even if it can seem daunting.
P.S. If you enjoy these weekly sales tips and you’d like even more sent directly to your inbox, you can join my exclusive Thursday Thrive Community. Learn more here.
Best,
Shawn
P.S. If you’d like more information on setting clear expectations and measurables for your sales team,?check out my latest blog here .
Shawn Casemore is an expert in sales, driven by a passion to help business owners, executives and sales leaders accelerate their sales results.
As the author of The Unstoppable Sales Machine (June 2022), and The Unstoppable Organization (2017), Shawn is a recognized authority in accelerating sales growth. His insights can frequently be found online in publications such as Fast Company, Chief Executive, Rain Today and INC magazine.?
To contact Shawn,?click?here .
? Shawn Casemore 2022. All Rights Reserved.