Being Courageous… Five Seconds at a Time

Becoming a great salesperson takes courage—the courage to do things that make you uncomfortable. Fortunately, you only have to exhibit that courage five seconds at a time.

Truly uncomfortable events happen infrequently but usually at critical times. And, when those critical times occur, they typically last no longer than five seconds. The problem is that, for many sales professionals, five seconds feels like an eternity, and they can’t last. Instead, they wimp out and take the path of least resistance. They fail to understand that the discomfort is temporary and, in relation to what they have to gain, worth tolerating.

For many salespeople, the more time they invest in an opportunity, the more they perceive to be at stake. And, at the very moment that they need to exhibit five seconds of courage by planting their feet and not giving in to a prospect’s wishes that aren’t in their best interest, they cave in for fear of losing the sale.

I’ll share with you what might have been my most challenging moment—one that stretched my five seconds of courage almost beyond the breaking point. It was during a closing call with a prospective client. To my surprise, I was introduced to a new last-minute decision maker. He wanted to be brought up to speed about the previous two meetings—and he only had 15 minutes. We provided him with a ten-minute summary of the previous meetings, at which point he asked for my presentation materials.

Thinking about all the time and effort I had already invested in developing the opportunity, and not wanting to alienate a potential client, I started to slide the materials across the table. Thankfully, my five seconds of courage kicked in before the folder reached his side of the table and I asked, "What are you hoping to find in this information?" The new decision maker stared at me for what seemed like several minutes, which I’m sure was only a few seconds, and then he said, "I don’t know."

Empowered by the apparent success (or at least survival) of the first five seconds of courage, I summoned another five seconds of courage and pulled the folder back and said, "Then, you won’t find it." Again, there was silence. As the decision makers stared at me, than at each other, I went to the well for a third time—five more seconds of courage to remain silent. Finally, the new decision maker said, "You’re right." Because he truly had to leave in a few minutes, we agreed to reschedule the presentation for another day when both decision makers could devote the appropriate amount of time and make a decision.  I’m happy to report, they are still a client today.

The situation was challenging for three reasons. First, it would have been much easier to simply smile and hand over my presentation materials, then go back to the office and wait by the phone for a call. I was really uncomfortable asking this person, with whom I had but a ten-minute relationship, what he was hoping to find in my materials. Second, I had to summon up another measure of courage almost immediately, despite visions of doom, when I pulled the presentation materials back. Third, it took quite a bit of courage to remain silent as the two decision makers digested what had just taken place. Even though I was the one who was blindsided by a last-minute decision maker entering the process, the pressure about what to do next was on them.

It’s doubtful that I would have obtained the business if I had handed over the presentation materials. Maybe I would have gotten lucky and closed the deal eventually, although I doubt it. But, by summoning the courage—five seconds at a time—to do what needed to be done, I was able to make my own "luck."

Five seconds of courage can mean the difference between success and regret. When facing an uncomfortable situation, and you have the option to either take the easy way out or summon five seconds of courage to do what needs to be done, don’t make the wrong choice.

Who Do You Blame Now?

You invested a lot of time and energy developing the presentation. When you delivered it, you dotted all the "i"s, crossed all the "t"s, covered all the bases, and satisfactorily answered all of the prospect’s questions. Instead of a buying decision, however, all you received was the prospect’s promise to give your presentation "careful consideration" and get back to you within a week or so.
CAREFUL CONSIDERATION!!! A WEEK OR SO!!!
You could blame the prospect for being indecisive or dragging his feet. You could guess that a competitor made an eleventh-hour concession that undercut your offering. You might even suspect that the prospect used you to gather current information to use as leverage with his existing supplier. And, you might be correct. Any one of those situations may have occurred. But, isn’t that what buyers are supposed to do…negotiate or hold out for what they believe to be the best deal?

Rather than assigning blame, take responsibility.

Before you even begin to work on a presentation determine exactly what the prospect needs to see or hear to be comfortable to give you the business. Get the prospect to paint a picture of the "best" deal. Then get a commitment about exactly what will happen when you come back with a presentation that precisely matches the picture. If the prospect is unwilling to commit to a buying decision, then it’s most likely not in your best interest to pursue the opportunity.

Success...It's All in Your Head   

Your mindset has more to do with your success than almost any other single element.  There are plenty of salespeople who possess extensive product knowledge, have numerous influential business contacts, are well-spoken, and have appealing personalities, yet their sale performances are average… sometimes, only marginally acceptable. 

Then, there are salespeople who have just enough product knowledge to get by, have few business contacts, don’t always articulate their thoughts in the most artful manner, and don’t have particularly sparkling personalities, yet their sales performances rank in the top ten percent.

How can that be?

Success in sales, or almost any endeavor, is not simply a product of one’s talent, education, personality, or contacts (although, those elements can surely help), but rather the result of one’s attitude—the natural tendency to have a positive outlook and maintain positive expectations.

But, it’s more than just being able to see the glass as half-full rather than half-empty.  It’s the ability to see possibilities…coupled with the resolve to take the required actions to turn those possibilities into realities. Some people will view a challenge, and after analyzing the positive and negative aspects of it, choose to focus on the positive.  They see possibilities and envision success.  The more they focus on the positive aspects, the stronger their belief grows about their ability to successfully meet the challenge.  And, the stronger their belief grows, the more resolute is their judgment to take the actions necessary to achieve their goals.  They press on, regardless…and they succeed. Others, will view the same challenge and focus on the negative aspects—all the reasons (real and imagined) that the challenge can’t be met successfully.  They only see limitations, and envision only failure.  The more they focus on the negative aspects, the stronger their beliefs grow about the improbability of successfully meeting the challenge and the futility of investing any effort in its pursuit.  They give up, or at best, make a half-hearted effort…and they don’t succeed. Your success is nothing more (or less) than what you envision it to be…and your determination to act in a manner consistent with that picture.  If success has eluded you thus far, perhaps it’s time to change your picture, and then press on.

All RFPs are Not Created Equal    Many salespeople believe that they should respond to all proposal requests that come across their desks where the scope of the work falls within the capabilities of their companies.  It’s easy to see the allure.  Working on an opportunity that “fell out of the sky” is far more desirable than “beating the bushes” to turn up an opportunity. Desirable, yes.  But, is it smart? Responding to a request for a proposal (RFP) carries with it associated costs.  What are they? There's the time invested identifying and specifying the relationship between the prospect’s request and the solution your company could offer. There's the time invested researching the competition you face and the solutions they could offer. There's the time invested developing an advantageous positioning of your solution relative to your competition. There's the time invested writing the proposal and developing the appropriate supporting materials. There are the production costs of any required presentation materials. And finally, there is the opportunity cost of working on a proposal instead of pursuing other opportunities. It’s important to recognize that not all RFPs are created equal.  That is, there are various reasons buyers send out RFPs…not all of which are for the intention of doing business.

One reason companies might send RFPs is simply to obtain some no-cost consulting.  For example, they may be considering establishing a new process or system using in-house resources…and sending RFPs is a way to gather relevant, valuable, and FREE information about processes, costs, implementation timetables, and so forth to guide them in their development efforts.  Another reason companies might send RFPs is to gain leverage with a group of competing potential suppliers.  The buyers end up with several “bargaining chips” with which to negotiate—playing the bidders against each other.  It’s also an effective way to pressure an existing supplier…especially when negotiating contract renewals or requesting additional services at prices favorable to the company. There are, however, other less manipulative reasons for proposal requests.  You may have discussed a business opportunity with a new or existing client, and the client’s request for a proposal is to obtain information in order to be comfortable moving forward.  Or, if the buyer has made the decision to move forward, the purpose of the request is to secure confirmation of the arrangements discussed. What should be clear is that blindly responding to an RFP is an iffy proposition…even if the scope of the work is well within the capabilities of your company.  Why? Because a proposal is a presentation…delivered on paper rather than in person.  Whether delivered in person or on paper, it doesn’t make good business sense to invest time, energy, and company resources developing a presentation without first thoroughly defining and qualifying the opportunity it addresses. While you may not always be able to do as thorough a job of qualifying an opportunity generated by an RFP as an opportunity that’s developed through ongoing person-to-person interaction with the prospect, it’s imperative that you have a dialogue with the buyer or an appropriate representative in order to qualify the opportunity, and at the very least, determine the underlying reasons for the request.  Then, and only then, can you determine if the request is worthy of your time and efforts.

You Only Have 30 Seconds

When initially speaking with prospective customers, you typically have 30 seconds or less to not only get their attention, but establish a reason for them to engage in a conversation.  During your “30-second commercial” you must let prospects know what you do and more importantly, why it’s relevant to them.  So, what do you say?  Have you perfected your commercial highlighting key features and associated benefits of your product or service?  When you give your pitch to prospects, do you obtain a favorable reaction?  Probably not. At best, you may hear, “That’s interesting”— even though they really aren’t interested. You may get a request for information as a way to end the encounter.  Why does that happen? Prospects have seen and heard it all before— radio, e-mail, and direct mail marketing and advertising. Your commercial is just more of the same. Regardless of how unique, timely, and important you believe your message is, it’s just more noise to the prospect.  Unfortunately, your finely crafted commercial hurts you in two ways.  First and foremost, it diminishes your credibility. You’re not someone who stands out from the pack; you’re part of the pack, scrounging for your morsel.  Second, you waste valuable time—yours and the prospect’s.  So, how do you change the prospect’s response from, “Send me some literature” to “We need to talk”?  Stop telling prospects about your company and your product or service.  Stop telling them what you can do for them. Don’t make your pitch about you.  Make it about them. If a prospect is going to invest any time talking with you, he wants to very quickly know “What’s in it for me?” (WIIFM?) 

Use your 30 seconds to focus on the prospect’s world. Relate your product or service from the perspective of the problems and issues the prospect is dealing with or the goals the prospect is attempting to achieve. This approach establishes credibility by quickly getting to the WIIFM question—distinguishing you from the rest of the pack. When prospects believe that you understand their problems, concerns, challenges, and goals, they listen— making it easier to convert your 30-second commercial into a meaningful conversation.  To truly understand your prospects’ worlds, you must do your homework. You must be thoroughly familiar with their problems, concerns, fears, challenges, and goals as they relate to your product or service. You must know what the prospect would lose by not having your product or service. Then, you can create a description of your product or service around those elements, making sure you answer the WIIFM question.

Consider the following “commercial” for a company specializing in marketing and graphic design services for hi-tech companies:

We specialize in marketing and graphic design services for hi-tech firms who have the need, but not the resources, for a full-time, in-house department.  And, they need a company who already speaks their technical language so they don’t waste valuable time—time they would be billed for—educating company personnel in order for them to produce appropriate and accurate copy.  Because our design people have extensive backgrounds and experience in a number of hi-tech fields, we already speak our clients’ language and we’re able to help them develop and implement projects more quickly and more economically.

The first sentence describes the type of work done, the companies served, and the reason a company might want the service. The next sentence addresses a particular challenge the prospect might be facing. The last sentence describes the value the design firm can provide.  It is short, sweet, and to the point. It very quickly answers the question, “Who is this person and why should I listen to him?”  If your commercial doesn’t answer that question your prospect will quickly tune out.  Can you describe in 100 words or less what you do and how it is relevant to your prospects—from their perspective? (The above example is 97 words.)  Your opening statement will either draw prospects into a conversation or turn them away. So, carefully consider what you are saying.  Are you quickly answering their WIIFM question? Are you putting your product or service in the prospect’s world and telling the story from his perspective?  Whether you call it an elevator pitch, a commercial, or a positioning statement, a carefully considered and constructed opening with a prospect—one that focuses on the prospect’s world and the prospect’s issues—can make the difference between a prospect remaining a prospect or becoming a customer.

You Possess the Magic

There is a magic in being in the sales profession. And, that magic is the opportunity to “pay the price” for success—just once. And when you do, no one can take that from you. The average individual makes approximately seven career changes during his/her working life. Diagrammed, it would resemble not a straight line, but would look more like a slowly rising roller-coaster course. Each change requiring a hesitation step, a backward move, before the individual begins heading upward again. Difficult enough professionally, and even more difficult if you consider the stress being placed on the individual and his family as they adjust and readjust to the accompanying financial and family pressures. These same people tend to overlook the fact that life has a beginning and an end. They allow their work to consume as much as 75% of their time, depriving themselves of life’s abundant gifts. How many of these struggling individuals find themselves sitting by the roadside of life watching the winners go by and thinking, “There, but if I had stretched just a bit, go I”? The secret is to discover early in life how unnecessary it is to start over, again, and again. Instead, be smart enough to search out and grab hold of a vehicle which will propel you towards your goal.



“I hated every minute of training,
but I said, ‘Don't quit. Suffer now
and live the rest of your life as a
champion.’” ––Muhammad Ali

To live your life as a champion salesperson, you have to go through the same training process as other top professionals whether they are athletes or astronauts, fire fighters or fighter pilots. Training conditions you to act and react in certain ways. This conditioning becomes a way of life based on rules, principles, and systems developed to ensure your success.

One of the most important Sandler conditioning principles is maintain a healthy self-esteem. You can’t be a champion—work effectively and enjoy long-term success—if you don’t feel good about yourself. Ironically, you fill your day with activities that have the potential to chip away at your self-esteem.

You make prospecting calls on people who either don’t want to talk to you, or if they do, don’t have the time when you call. You make presentations to people who should buy, but won’t…can buy, but don’t. You hear “no” more often than you hear “yes.” It’s one rejection after another. What can you do? You must be conditioned to not take personally, the interactions you have with prospects and customers. If they reject your product, service, or company, it’s not a rejection of YOU. And, in the rare instance when you don’t click with a prospect and they do reject you…so what? Maybe they don’t get along with anyone. Maybe they were having a bad day before you showed up on the scene and rejecting you is the only way for them to feel good about themselves. By rejecting you…ruining your day, their day is now better by comparison. Your training must condition you to become mentally and emotionally tough. You must be able to accept a NO, even from those who should have said YES, and then move on. If There's a lesson to be learned from the failure, learn it, apply it, and subsequently benefit from it. It's part of training. If you don't quit, you will live your life as a champion.



You took the first step in fulfilling your life’s goals when you chose the selling profession as your vehicle. You have the opportunity to realize a long-term payoff, if you are smart enough to make a short-term investment of time and energy. This can be the year you lock up your future. Carrying through on what you have prepared yourself to do—one day at a time—will reap the rewards waiting to be harvested. This is the time to make a new resolve to do whatever it takes to gain for yourself and your family…financial freedom, personal growth, and professional success. The vehicle is in your hands. You provide the magic!

The Power of Choice: It’s All in the Attitude

Attitude.  Most of the time, we associate it with an outlook of possibility or an outlook of limitation.  The dictionary defines it as a state of mind regarding a person or matter.  We all carry attitudes about our employer, our products or services, our marketplace, our prospects, and of course, ourselves.  If you jump out of bed every day, dive into your work with a zing, and find nothing more exciting than reviewing your financial statements for 2010 and projections for 2011, skip to the next article.  You don't need to read this.  If, on the other hand, you occasionally start your day with some "I don't want to be here" chatter in the shower, dread making prospecting calls, or plummet into a dark mood when things don't go "right", these few words might help you make this new year a bit brighter.  Attitude dominates all functions of success.  In other words, your performance is consistent with the way you view yourself conceptually.  At any given moment, your state of mind can be one of possibility, or one of limitation.  Do you see yourself as a leader, or a follower?  Are you at the top of your game, or at the bottom of the heap?  You can see and accept the reasons and obstacles that block your progress.  Here's the kicker: Its your choice, and the choice you make is potent.  The outlook you take is generally the result of previous experience, or a perception based on someone else's experience.  The reality is that your previous experience, or the history of others, may not be relevant in the moment.

You Are Always Right

We humans are a habitual bunch, typically more aware of information that is consistent with the outlook we choose - even when that choice is subconscious.  Henry Ford once said, "Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're right."  If you believe your marketplace is saturated, you'll likely believe that your quota or goal is unattainable.  Once you've accepted that judgment, it will color all of your actions.  If your attitude is one of resignation, for example, you will be more likely to forego setting goals, making plans, and taking action steps, and less likely to commit and follow through on the techniques that lead to success.

Your actions are influenced by the judgments you make, and the judgments you make are influenced by your attitude, which governs, ultimately, your behavior and the techniques you employ or forget.

Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.  Einstein was a pretty smart man - with an overwhelming outlook of possibility.

Pay attention to the conversation going on in your head when you wake in the morning.

Is Attitude a Problem for You?
 

Pay attention to the conversation going on in your head when you wake in the morning. Notice how the lightness, darkness, or neutrality of your thoughts color the way you approach your clients and your daily tasks – if you let it.  David Mahoney, former Chairman of the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, once said

“There comes a moment when you have to stop revving the engine and slam it into gear.”

Changing our attitude takes the same kind of practice as learning to drive with a manual transmission– there will be some sputtering and jerking, but eventually the shift becomes smooth and natural.

Final Thought

Choosing a new attitude is a commitment you make with yourself. The guidelines are simple.

Ask yourself:

• where are you experiencing

difficulty?

• Is it painful enough to change?

• And what are you willing to do

to make it different?

Changing one thing for the better is worth more than proving 1,000 things wrong. Make it your goal today to change just one thing about your approach to your life and your business, and remember the words of Thomas Edison: “Hell, there are no rules here – we’re trying to accomplish something!”