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Looking For Deals In All The Wrong Places #469
Are you looking for love in all the wrong places? Looking for deals in too many faces? As markets come and go, it’s easy to get an achy breaky heart. But sometimes, through no fault of our own, what used to work, stops working. If there’s one thing the Tao Te Ching has repeatedly told us is that nothing lasts and the world is in constant change. So , if we continue to do, what we’ve always done, and expect to get different results, that’s insanity according Einstein. Which is why it would be wise for us to take the sweet Urban Cowboy lyrics of Johnny Lee to heart and mix things up. Sure you may get a bluebird every now and then but maybe it would make more sense to sniff out opportunities in new markets like a bird dog flushes out pheasants. Looking for deals, that’s the topic for today.
Today’s Chapter: Blue Birds Versus Bird Dogs
Sales is a mix of the hard and the easy.
Sometimes deals fall in your lap
A pleasant gift on a hard day’s work.
They are called Blue Birds.
More common the Master Seller
is a Bird Dog,
Confidently sniffing out opportunities
working to flush out new business.
Tail wagging in the field.
Patience is the test of resolve,
trust and circumstance.
The Master Seller is ever changing and evolving,
just as the markets ebb and flow.
Deals are neither easy or hard.
They just are.
Today’s Story
Pat asked Chris to review the sales forecast given they were half way through the fiscal quarter. Chris started by saying,
“Although I’ve gotten a bluebird or two I think we’ve exhausted this territory. Either they are already our customer or they have no plans to switch. If keep I working it, it’s not going to work out!”
Pat laughed ,”Yeah I’ve also been wondering if ‘ve come to the end but I’ve also been thinking about pivoting.”
“Where to?” responded Chris.
Pat went on, “Maybe we could reconfigure our offer for manufacturing. I know this is a switch, but talking to the product developers, we might be able to do it. But we first need to know if it makes sense. This is where I need you Chris”.
“How can I help?”
“Can you reach out to our existing customers and see if they have any friends we could talk to in manufacturing?”
“Sure, but if I meet these people what should I say?”
Pat smiled “Just ask them for their advice. People can be super nice and super helpful if you’re not trying to talk them into something. Just ask if we reconfigured our product for manufacturing would that add value to their organization. If enough of them say yes, let’s pull the trigger and get that new offering started”.
“I like this plan”, said Chris. And that’s how the new project got started.
Take Action Joke
I’m reminded of the joke where a policeman sees a drunk man searching for something under a streetlight and asks what the drunk has lost. He says he lost his keys and they both look under the streetlight together. After a few minutes the policeman asks if he is sure he lost them here, and the drunk replies, no, that he lost them in the park. The policeman asks why he is searching here, and the drunk replies, “this is where the light is.” Sometimes when selling, it’s easy to fall into the habit and look for buyers where it’s easiest to sell. But ask yourself, are you certain qualified prospects are actually here? If it’s been awhile, it might make sense to look in the park, next morning!
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How to Connect with Pat Helmers at Sales Babble
Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers. Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help, showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com
I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling mindset. Stop fearing sales and embrace it.
This is a production of Habanero Media https://habaneromedia.net
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