It has been a roller coaster ride for me in the school of entrepreneurship. Once you become an entrepreneur, nobody tells you what to do and what not to do. You are the boss. And the buck stops at your table.
Well, choosing to have a mentor is definitely a good option. Even if you don’t have mentors, you should have some friends as your sounding board.
When I dissect my years of Sales experience, I can confidently say what helped me win deals and what didn’t.
What helped me win deals?
- My expertise.
- Becoming well known for my expertise.
- Meeting the decision maker face to face.
- Having tons of credibility.
- Being friendly yet professional.
- Slogging to gain the “trusted adviser” position.
- Selling myself in the first place and not the product or service.
- Providing value.
- Not selling on price.
- Valuing the relationship more than the deal.
What didn’t help me?
- The opposites of the above list – Quoting low price, not providing enough value, focusing on the deal & not on building the relationship etc.
- When I didn’t have any energy.
- Not understanding customer requirements.
- Not validating the prospects.
- Rushing the sales process and getting to the proposal stage too fast.
And tons of learning in the process. Still learning.
What were your learning? Have you ever thought about your peak performance and what went in to get that result. There lies the secret.
Step no. 1: Dissect your past peak performance.
Step no. 2: Repeat it.
Step no. 3: Fine tune it.
Step no. 4: Go to step no. 1.
Happy Learning!
Happy Selling!!
