Do Your Homework Dumb Ass!

Second graders hate homework almost as much as doing chores. Most of the time because they just can't see the point, even though homework is very important. Adults don't like it much either. But in sales, homework is vital. Are you a dumb ass who doesn't do it?

The homework reminder was delivered by one of my favorite things in the world--a cold call! This one was from a company selling e-mail campaigns. Well, guess what the company I work for does? Create content marketing, including email campaigns!

When I asked the guy if he had done his homework, he said, "Well, I know you are McMurry Publishing and you are publishers." True!  If we were talking say 2002 or so. Now, we are a comprehensive contentent marketing company encompassing print, interactive, video, SEO you name it. He had no idea. And while it may be harsh to call him a dumb ass, he was for sure lazy.

The other thing he asked was if I remembered the email he had sent.  Really? How many emails do you get every day? Of those how many do you remember? What about the ones from self-serving salespeople who only care about themselves? That's right, ZERO.

"No champ, I don't remember your email."

Homework doesn't have to take long. In just 10 seconds he could have gone to our website and learned volumes just by glancing at the home page. But he didn't. In a few minutes, he could have thought of something smart and interesting to say rather than remind me of an email that looked like hundreds of sales pitches. But he didn't. And he didn't get the sale. Fact is, he should have never made the call.

So many salespeople tell me that with the pressure of calling quotas they can't take the time to do their homework. Why managers come up with arbitrary sales goals, and dials is a whole nother story you can read here. Having "no time" is a lame excuse. People make time for what they want to do.

If you want to sell, you must find time to do your homework. If that means, making notes about the next day's calls after hours, then do it. If that means making a few less calls for the sake of quality, do it. Better yet, do both.

 

Comments

[Streetsmartleader]

Dave, Your stuff is refreshing and real. Spot on!

John Halter
StreetSmartLeader.com

[You Sell Like a Second Grader]

Thanks so much John, I appreciate you reading.