You Sell Like A Second Grader

Cracking the Bat

I don't know much about baseball. But I do know that it is an incredibly intricate, complicated and tough sport. Watching my 9-year old son, Wyatt try to get his first hit in live pitch baseball really drove it home. And getting a hit is a lot like getting a sale. 

Baseball legend Ted Williams said it best: "Hitting a baseball -- I've said it a thousand times -- is the single most difficult thing to do in sport."  The reasons are numerous-speed and angle of the pitch, mechanics of the swing, the thoughts rolling around in your head and the fact that its impossible for a person to see the ball once it gets close to the plate. 

Poor Wyatt, he is learning this first hand. "I just can't get a hit," he says. At first he figured it was a lost cause. But with a little encouragement he started practicing. "Getting at his bat." He started to learn that hitting a ball with a bat is one of those things that isn't as simple as it seems. After a week or two of encouragement, he finally started asking me when we were going to practice -- a great sign.

Sales is a lot like hitting a ball. Seems pretty simple. But, oh the variables of a deal. Selling is the toughest thing to do in business, otherwise people would be lined up to do it. Add to that the fact that when you get close to ink, its hard to tell what is really going on behind the scenes and you can see why most people don't have the stomach for sales. You just have to make your best educated guess-like where to position the bat to hit a ball you can't see all the way to the plate.

The variables can be endless can't they? In having the pleasure of leading a sales team for a while, I have seen lots of rookies step up to the plate. I have also seen lots of slumps. The new kids who make it take a workman like approach.  They actively seek information and aren't afraid to get up to the plate and swing away until they get it right. Those are the people a sales leader wants to coach. Put in the effort, and little things will happen, until you finally get a single, a double, a home run.

The salespeople who don't make it were those who make excuses and used their lack of early success as a reason to be afraid of the ball. Truth is no matter how hard they were coached it wasn't going to help unless they were bought in. It wasn't going to help unless they tried harder than the coach and the other members of the team.

If you are new to the game of sales do everything you can to learn and keep swinging. And if you are in a slump sit down with your coach to analyze bad habits you may have fallen into or adjust your swing just like they do in the big leagues.

Last week, Wyatt finally got two singles and actually scored a run. He keeps swinging and I know the home run will come. 

Stay calm, stay calm, on second thought panic!

The panic button sits on my desk. And its a fantastic reminder that in sales staying calm is the way to go, even if you want to panic! This is especially true when you are waiting for a contract. 

 

Hoops and Yo Yo (the characters on the button) sum up the emotional roller coaster salespeople go through. "Shit! What is going to happen! I'm freaking out!" We let our emotions get to us just like second graders. It's time to stop the madness people! 

There are lots of sales discussions on LinkedIn. One sales person asked, "How do I pick myself up after a big sales disappointment?" There was lots of advice but the simple answer is: don't get excited in the first place. Be realistic. Don't let hope cloud your vision. Be a pro.  

Easier said than done. Especially when you consider that panic or irrational fear or behavior is hard-wired in our psyche. What's also true about panic is that its contagious. And that can bring the whole team down. You start freaking out and chances are others are going to freak out too. The good news? You can train yourself to control your emotions.

Guess what? You have lots of practice. Remember fire drills or disaster drills in second grade? Yep, they were training you to control your emotions, especially when your mind is getting all primal and deciding to "fight or flight" when in many cases neither is the best option.

Every now and then you lined up, calm and in an orderly manner with your buddy and walked out to your pre-rehearsed spot. This taught you to stay calm, stay calm and not panic! Becuase when you panic, bad things happen! 

This couldn't be more true in sales. What happens when you start freaking out about sales numbers, or letting your imagination get the best of you in a contract negotiation? You may do something stupid. Like bug the heck out of a prospect instead of trusting them to do what they said and building the bond that gets a sale.

Or freaking out could make you worry so much that you don't do other vital aspects of your job, like prospect and create smart proposals and communications. Or worse yet, cause you to say or email something you may regret! And you know what makes it worse? Stupid bosses who only ask "when is x contract coming in" rather than helping you in a useful way -- like reiterating their faith in you and your skill.

So how do you control your emotions and stay calm under all circumstances? You will find out in my next post.  But for now, print these words and post them in your office: "Its never as good or as bad as it seems."

 

If you love somebody set them free

Working on a deal? Just who do you trust? Please say your prospect. Because if you don't, you may lose the deal. And you know what they say:if you love somebody set them free. 

The American author Richard Bach, coined the term first. And Sting really went gonzo when he wrote "If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free" - check it out live below!  But hey, this is about sales, isn't it?  YES! As you listen to this song, you should be thinking about people you love -- your prospects! 

 

Sometimes we hate them, but we really love them when they buy, don't we?  I just want to give them a big hug when they pick us, and you know what, I do!  But before they buy, you should set them free.

We are talking decision time, baby. You know, that period when you have presented a great solution and your prospect is trying to get an internal yes or convince themselves to really go for it? You know, that time when your oh so useful boss is offering nuggets of wisdom like "did you get that deal yet?"  

Aside the urge to tell your boss to "shut the f up," which they should if all they can offer is additional bullshit pressure, you should be telling yourself to "shut the f up" too!  Leave your damn prospect alone during this time of quiet reflection when they are deciding if they should really bestow cash upon you.  And most prospects know you are getting personal cash from your decision.

At this critical time in the sales process resist the example from your crappy boss. Your prospects critical decision making period is the time where they may be looking for the one little reason to say no. You being a pain in their ass can certainly be that reason. 

It all comes down to trust and love, Champ.  You must show your prospect you trust them by taking them at their word when they say they will do something. "Checking in" which I wrote about in a previous post, simply won't do.  In fact, its a lot like nagging. When someone nags you, what is your knee jerk reaction?  Irritation and an illogical urge to do the opposite!

You can kill a relationship by getting too close. You must give people room to breath. Sure it's okay to inquire about a deal when a prospect suggests you should, but do it before then and you are sending a clear message: I don't trust you or believe a word you say. 

If you love a prospect, set them free.  Then watch the Benjamins roll in. And its always okay to sandbag the boss a little.