Selling. Everybody is selling something to someone. We’re all in sales. So, how do you make a sale? It doesn’t matter what you’re selling. The first thing you have to do is sell yourself. So it begs a few questions. How do you do this?
First of all, know your stuff. When you go into a room of prospects, make sure you know more about their needs than they do. Become an instant expert (this could take a few days, but it is required). Study their category, their competition, and trend lines. Know what has been going on, what is going on, and what will be going on. I really never understood the difference between arrogance and confidence…I think the difference is preparedness. If you know what you are talking about…that’s confidence. If you are trying to sneak by…that’s arrogance.
There is really no way to check this out, but I swear it’s true. In my career, I have pitched upwards of 200 accounts, some as major as Toyota, Winston Cigarettes and a few airlines. Within a few percent, my success rate has been around 75%. Those who know me will tell you it is so. I go through a drill that you might find helpful. Before, yes before a big pitch, I will sit with my team and we will compose a list of 20 reasons why we didn’t win the business. We didn’t present as a team. We were late in beginning. We didn’t check and double-check our facts. We ran over our time limit…and so on. Once you complete that list, diffuse it before the pitch. It is that simple.
As Dizzy Dean said, “If you can do it, it ain’t braggin.”
-Richie
