January 12, 2021

Here We Go Again...Again!

January 12, 2021

As we enter into this time of hope where the “vaccines” of the world will set us free from COVID, I am hearing the same old refrain kick in again. It sounds something like this… “just as soon as we can all get our vaccines we can get back to calling on customers face to face”. Sound familiar? Not so unusual. I understand the desire for “better”. And where we came from was great. Or was it?

Remember our past. Let’s not repeat it. Let’s improve on it. In the world known sadly as “selling”, the data we know tells us it was not working well. That data shows that there is a 35% turnover rate of salespeople per year in the “average” B2B selling organization. Within 2 years 50% of the sales team leaves, within 3 years 100% of the sales and leadership team leaves.

The BEST companies have a 19% voluntary turnover rate. One in ten companies has a turnover rate greater than 50%. How can this be acceptable? It’s NOT!

In quota/commission-based compensation systems 40+% of the salespeople do not meet quota. How, on earth, can a 40% failure rate be OK? It's not, the system is totally broken and wrong.

An age-old saying out of the Demming world is that “every system is perfectly designed to deliver the results that it does today”. If you want to change the outcomes, you need to change the system. And going backward into our old comfort zones is not going to work well.

And this does not matter whether you are face to face or over the phone or over a Zoom call. Self-centered communication with another person does nothing at all to help them shift their thinking. The people that we call on do NOT care how much we know, or what we know until they clearly believe that you care about THEM and what THEIR challenges are. Stop “prospecting”, start serving.

Our choice is to go forward, in a way that brings value to the people that we serve. The form of communication is immaterial. Each one requires first demonstrating that you care about the person that you are communicating with and that your first desire is to FULLY understand their challenges. That happens equally well over Zoom, a phone, and even an individualized well-crafted email.

The only thing that we want to go BACK to, is what worked before, during, and will work after COVID. Serving our clients, relentlessly. Messaging and actions that demonstrate you CARE, you UNDERSTAND, and that you are here to SERVE them endlessly. AND that you are clear about their PURPOSE in life and work. Learn to truly connect, not just transmit meaningless product features and benefits.

We are all going through a common battle with COVID. We share the same human nature and needs. A great bond is possible right now if you choose to embrace that empathetic proposition and focus on serving others without reserve.

CUSP

CARE greatly
UNDERSTAND deeply
SERVE endlessly, with
PURPOSE

It really is that simple. No “sales process” is needed. It is, after all, a “human process”.

OK, LET’S ROLL!

Mitch

Here We Go Again...Again!

As we enter into this time of hope where the “vaccines” of the world will set us free from COVID, I am hearing the same old refrain kick in again. It sounds something like this… “just as soon as we can all get our vaccines we can get back to calling on customers face to face”. Sound familiar? Not so unusual. I understand the desire for “better”. And where we came from was great. Or was it?

Remember our past. Let’s not repeat it. Let’s improve on it. In the world known sadly as “selling”, the data we know tells us it was not working well. That data shows that there is a 35% turnover rate of salespeople per year in the “average” B2B selling organization. Within 2 years 50% of the sales team leaves, within 3 years 100% of the sales and leadership team leaves.

The BEST companies have a 19% voluntary turnover rate. One in ten companies has a turnover rate greater than 50%. How can this be acceptable? It’s NOT!

In quota/commission-based compensation systems 40+% of the salespeople do not meet quota. How, on earth, can a 40% failure rate be OK? It's not, the system is totally broken and wrong.

An age-old saying out of the Demming world is that “every system is perfectly designed to deliver the results that it does today”. If you want to change the outcomes, you need to change the system. And going backward into our old comfort zones is not going to work well.

And this does not matter whether you are face to face or over the phone or over a Zoom call. Self-centered communication with another person does nothing at all to help them shift their thinking. The people that we call on do NOT care how much we know, or what we know until they clearly believe that you care about THEM and what THEIR challenges are. Stop “prospecting”, start serving.

Our choice is to go forward, in a way that brings value to the people that we serve. The form of communication is immaterial. Each one requires first demonstrating that you care about the person that you are communicating with and that your first desire is to FULLY understand their challenges. That happens equally well over Zoom, a phone, and even an individualized well-crafted email.

The only thing that we want to go BACK to, is what worked before, during, and will work after COVID. Serving our clients, relentlessly. Messaging and actions that demonstrate you CARE, you UNDERSTAND, and that you are here to SERVE them endlessly. AND that you are clear about their PURPOSE in life and work. Learn to truly connect, not just transmit meaningless product features and benefits.

We are all going through a common battle with COVID. We share the same human nature and needs. A great bond is possible right now if you choose to embrace that empathetic proposition and focus on serving others without reserve.

CUSP

CARE greatly
UNDERSTAND deeply
SERVE endlessly, with
PURPOSE

It really is that simple. No “sales process” is needed. It is, after all, a “human process”.

OK, LET’S ROLL!

Mitch

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