Prospecting Drives Man to Quit His Job

No this is not a headline from the National Enquirer... it's a true story!

The other day I did an incentive at the end of one of our weekly sales meetings. Two of our sales people were offered one hundred dollars for the most leads generated by the end of the day. At 5pm one of our most respected team members returned to the office with 20 business cards and notes on the back of each card with key details on the prospect and their business. The number to beat - 20.

The other guy... didn't show up. At 6pm I tried to track him down... he didn't answer his phone. Later that night he sent an email... quitting his job. No joke.

The thought of prospecting scared this kid so bad he quit his job. He was a hard worker, in fact, I would say he was our hardest working sales person. Unfortunately he'd rather lug boxes than find new business and make more money. Sad.

In his book "Advanced Selling Strategies," Brian Tracy writes "You can be excellent at every part of the professional sales process, but unless you can find someone to talk to, your skills won't help you." That's powerful stuff. You see if you suck at prospecting you have to depend on someone else to find qualified contacts for you to persuade. The problem with that approach is what if they don't find enough to keep you busy?

Answer - you go hungry. What could be worse? You now begin to blame someone else for your own lack of effort. The old saying about giving a man a fish and teaching a man how to fish is true with prospecting.

Check this out... "Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish and you will not have to listen to his incessant whining about how hungry he is.”

Now insert the concept of prospecting...

“Give a man a lead and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to prospect and you will not have to listen to his incessant whining about how broke he is.”

Sales managers, teach your people how to prospect and do anything to help them see how important it is. Sales people, remember the words of Brian Tracy...

"You can be excellent at every part of the professional sales process, but unless you can find someone to talk to, your skills won't help you."

TK

Application - The Difference that gets Results

One of the knocks against all training seminars is that they just don't make a lot of difference.

It amazes me that occasionally someone at one of our training events will feel that they won't get anything out of our training BEFORE it is even over! The amount may be less than one half of one percent, but it still blows my mind anyone would pass judgment before they even have an opportunity to use the information in their career.

It is impossible to evaluate ANY information before you actually APPLY IT.

That's the difference that get Results - Application. Everything we teach in our seminars are backed up with opportunities for application. That's the challenge with other seminars... They don't provide an opportunity for you to apply the information taught.

Some seminars, particularly sales seminars, are just too basic. They focus on a simplistic process and information that any adult already in business understands. Our events are more sophisticated, but still require application to make a difference. Application is EVERYTHING.

If the American Dental Association has irrefutable evidence that flossing your teeth will reduce gum disease by 50% why would people still not floss? Is it because their dentist doesn't tell them to floss? No way, ask me! It's because they don't apply proven information.

One of the icons of personal development was W. Clement Stone. At the age of 6, Stone was selling newspapers on the streets of Chicago to help his widowed mother pay rent. He had his own newsstand at 13, and later founded what would become a multi-billion dollar insurance empire with just $100 of his own savings.

One of Stone's keys to success was application. His formula was simple... "When you wake up in the morning, start with the phrase, 'Do it now, do it now, do it now." Repeating the phrase three times often.

In selling, more than any other endeavor, positive and relevant training information is required to survive! It can be that rough, it can be that tough. Once you move past that point and move towards success application is no less important. To survive you must apply. Success is the application of proven principles.

TK