When I sold copiers 20 years ago, a woman on our team did too much preparation. Sounds funny, doesn’t it? How can one possibly prepare too much? She had three clients that were extremely loyal and she was always overly prepared for them. However, commissions from three clients wouldn’t feed her cat, so she wasn’t successful. Even though selling copiers takes some preparation, it doesn’t require the vast amount that she put into it.
This is a common issue. We want to drive sales activity and add to our sales funnel, but we also need time to prepare and add quality to our work. Where is that fine line in your business? Where is that fine line for you?
When considering the ideal mix of activity and preparation, each business is different and each sales person is different. Are you selling alarm systems that require 100 calls per day with minimal preparation; or 6-figure projects that require 20 hours of research per call?
For most of my clients, it’s in the middle somewhere, but where? You need to understand that balance that works best for your business and be as prepared as you should be – not too much and never too little.
