When Kathy hired Everett, a former user of her company's products, she thought she had finally found someone who could easily penetrate her market. Everett came from the industry and had been a devoted user of Kathy's products in his role as a product repair specialist. When Everett told Kathy he wanted to make the jump from user to salesperson for her product line, she thought it a great idea and immediately offered him a position.
I wish this week's topic was more positive, more energized, more something good that happened… But I'm going to disappoint you all if that's what you're looking for.
One thing was certain: Derek was going to get an earful when he mustered the courage to tell his biggest customer that the truckload of material he was expecting was going to arrive three weeks late.
You know what we do here at Growth Dynamics! We help people develop and create the best possible personal and professional experiences that they can have, to make their lives as rewarding as possible, to give you the power, the belief, and the support to challenge yourself and really take control of your future.
My topic today is something that I think anybody in business development, and frankly, anyone that's into communication, in a way they think they just got to get better at it, and they're tired of having conversations that might not be the real conversations they should have.
I was thinking about 2022, and where we are in 2023, and I really started to reflect on what happened, how it happened, why it happened, and this is the part I really want to talk about today, who was with me when it happened.
Ruben was excited about the call he just finished with the Facilities Manager at a school in his territory. The situation was a perfect fit for his company's new line of industrial faucets. Plus, the Facilities Manager told him the hardware needed to be installed ASAP or the school would face a fine from the local building inspector.
Symptoms:
Most of Mike's potential accounts seem to be unable to make a decision on their own regarding his service. They claim they have responsibility, listen to his presentation, but then let him know there are "others" who have final decision-making authority. He is frustrated by this situation and usually just makes his presentation, anyway, hoping for the best. As a result, his closing ratio is poor and his sales cycle is exceedingly long.
John's territory involves working with many prospects that ask for samples, demonstrations, proposals, references and all the usual items that buyers want from a vendor. Trying to appear accommodating and professional, John finds himself spending hours of time preparing, writing, setting up or sending all this information that he believes will help "convince" his prospect. Everyone appears very impressed with what John shows them, except it seems like they don't act on all that "interest" often enough. Although his results are okay, he cannot understand why all this activity is not leading to more orders.
