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You probably already knew that, but a reminder is always helpful which is what Jill Konrath’s recent article on Rain Today did for me.
Bugets haven’t grown to keep up with the demands being placed on them and businesses and organizations are a long way from overstaffing. This creates pressures that have grown the power of the status quo, exponentially.
One great job feature of sales is that while you can learn a little about a great many different organizations, you don’t need to become so deeply involved that – ublike your prospects – you’ll spend endless days swamped with details and problems to be taken care of. working in sales is a little like working in advertising on that respect nd both remind me of guerilla fighting . You swoop in. You dash out and you never get stuck in the mud-filled trenches. But, there’s a price for that somewhat unrealistic view of business. You lose respect for the stuck in the mud power of the status quo. You forget about your biggest competitor.
How many times have I listened to sales reps complaining about prospects who choose to skip an opportunity for improvement becuase they don’t think their current solution is broken badly enough to warrant fixing?
Sales reps love calling at the VP level verses the Manager level because the VP – seeing a potential for improvement is far more likely to initiate the process. It’s easier for them to say, “Yes. Let’s check into this.” because they’ll delegate the added work and hassle to the manager who already blew you off. I’ve seen in the last few years that even with the VP endorsement, it’s progressively harder to engage with the manager who needs to make things happen and harder to overcome the status quo.
When you are reaching out to make a new contact, take into account that most managers need to have a lot to gain to willingly make a change. Do you have enough to offer?