Sales Constraints
When I ask what currently constrains sales, sales people generally say it’s time, leads, the competition, lack of S.E.’s, the fact that the new version isn’t ready, the prices are too high, the economy is too weak, etc.


An Agitated Mongoose in Your Lap
I was supervising live outbound calls at a medium-sized software company. The top sales rep did what I asked him to do and, after a couple dials, he got a potential buyer on the phone. The buyer began to describe a problem the rep’s software could solve. When the buyer started to open up, the sales rep reacted as if an agitated mongoose had just landed in his lap. He immediately ended the call by offering to send literature.


Unusual?
No. I observe live calls and listen to call tapes frequently. The sales person who “bails out” is more typical than a sales person who can sustain a dialogue that will lead to a sale.

Consider this Constraint: Sales Skill
How did this salesperson get to be the top rep? He was a hard worker. He made a lot of calls, got put off, sent literature, followed up (pestered), and hoped. He also took inbound calls, inflicted a standard pitch on everyone, and then required them to endure a standard demo. After this, some would still buy.

He was digging a hole with a bowling ball and he was very comfortable and committed to it.

I try to limit the size of blog posts. For the complete tip click:

Constraint Analysis