Persistence and the art of connecting the dots pave the path to your success in selling. They are cornerstones of the sales odyssey; the sales journey. Here are two compelling stories that demonstrate this—one of unwavering persistence and another of methodical dot-connecting. The stories illuminate the essence of thriving in the competitive realm of sales.
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The sales cycle is a guideline, not a deadline. Being a cycle, technically, it has no end. However, if it did have an end, closing the sale would be it. Ultimately, closing the sale is what counts. Movement along the cycle is selling; that movement is much akin to a dance. The 2002 hit song,
Do you suppose this is a quality customer engagement? “My name is Mtu Mwingine from Kampuni Nyingine Manufacturers. We are the only ones who make low-cost, robust quality refurbished TVs. We at KNM deal in used TVs sourced from all over East Africa, we refurbish them and you wouldn’t tell them from a brand new
Referrals are an effective way of prospecting. They save you time that you would have otherwise spent in search of new prospects. They shorten your sales cycle because you already have a foot in the door. You were most probably referred to the barber or hairdresser you go to; maybe you stopped patronizing a particular
I was once asked to do a rather unusual thing. The request affirmed that technical competency does not mean sales competency. Here’s what happened. A client had a product (a ground-breaking software). He also had a compelling testimonial of it from a wowed customer, and the gravitas to marshal key decision makers (most C-suite) from
Respect yourself, respect the customer and honour your profession—quit passing the buck. “Your account was to be credited yesterday but “they” haven’t done it.” “They” had said that “they” would email you the ticket but it appears they did not. “They” were supposed to have sent you the cheque book last week, you mean “they”
Embrace resistance from prospects as a norm in selling. It is the rare prospect who opens his arms wide to be sold to. Even when wearing the prospect’s hat, a salesperson acts in that precise fashion-he resists. Examples of sales resistance include the customer avoiding you, or declining your request for appointment. It can also be
What if your product was mired in a scandal like Airbnb is right now? What would you do? Would you roll with the punches or throw in the towel? Would you rise to the challenge or, like an errant seller, sink to resignation, blaming the product and employer? “Na niliwaambia tu.” (I told them but
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In the wake of the 2023 KCSE results, a haunting question lingers: For those who haven’t made the cut, what defines you now that the “grim reaper” of exam results has cast its verdict? Putting the grimness into perspective, to date, more than half of those that sit KCSE score a D+ and below. This
“Bye-bye 2023. Welcome 2024.” 2023 is gone. It’s never coming back. So, quit driving looking at the rear-view mirror of ‘should have’ and ‘could have.’ Look, instead, at the windscreen of “Can do” and “Will do”. Otherwise, forget the mishaps you had in 2023. In 2024 you’ll be rushing headlong into a crash. As you