| In sales seminars I often ask the
| |
| | mentally prepare for a tennis match and
|
| question: How often do your customers and
| |
| | avoid the intimidating tactics of their
|
| prospects tell you that your prices are
| |
| | opponents.Perhaps there is a book on the
|
| too high?Typical answers: all the time;
| |
| | "inner game" of selling, but if there is,
|
| daily; just about every time I quote.It's
| |
| | I've never read it. I do know from
|
| easy to lose confidence in the
| |
| | experience, however, that a salesperson's
|
| competitiveness of the prices you're
| |
| | willingness to prepare to make a sales
|
| authorized to quote when customers and
| |
| | call is as important, if not more
|
| prospects continuously and consistently
| |
| | important, than the willingness to make
|
| tell you that your prices are not
| |
| | the call itself.Bobby Knight, the
|
| competitive as compared to the prices
| |
| | controversial, but highly successful
|
| your competitors are quoting in the
| |
| | coach at Indiana, and now Texas Tech,
|
| marketplace.When you lose confidence, you
| |
| | once said, "The will to prepare to win is
|
| become vulnerable. Your gross margin is
| |
| | more important than the will to win." He
|
| at risk of deteriorating. Pricing
| |
| | was talking about practice.Did you ever
|
| insecurity leads to a general lack of
| |
| | play high school football, basketball,
|
| courage.In my younger days, my wife and I
| |
| | baseball, tennis, soccer, etc.? Most of
|
| were both avid tennis players. Except for
| |
| | us did.Did you practice before the big
|
| the time we were engaged in
| |
| | game? Of course you did. If you played a
|
| church-related activities, we spent the
| |
| | team sport, did you ever watch game
|
| majority of our weekends on the tennis
| |
| | films? Of course you did.You were an
|
| court. So I knew a lot about the game of
| |
| | amateur, you weren't paid to play, yet
|
| tennis.Soon I had enough confidence in my
| |
| | you practiced like crazy. Your coach made
|
| game to begin playing some tournament
| |
| | sure that you practiced hard enough to
|
| tennis. Although I have several trophies
| |
| | get prepared for going up against an
|
| to prove my ability to occasionally win
| |
| | opponent.Now you're a professional! The
|
| tennis matches, I would, of course,
| |
| | amount of your income is influenced
|
| sometimes would lose. And on some on
| |
| | largely by your ability to make a sale at
|
| those occasions I would actually begin
| |
| | full price without having to resort to
|
| the losing process during the warm-up,
| |
| | discounting. But how much do you
|
| you know when you and your opponent spend
| |
| | practice? How much time do you spend
|
| a few minutes before the match hitting
| |
| | preparing to defend your prices? Even
|
| forehands, backhands, overhead smashes,
| |
| | though you know that the probability is
|
| serves, etc.How could you possibly lose
| |
| | quite high that your customers and
|
| during the warm-up, you might ask? After
| |
| | prospects will question the
|
| all, you don't even keep score while
| |
| | competitiveness of your prices, I'll bet
|
| you're warming up. Well, I'll tell you.
| |
| | you rarely, if ever, go through the
|
| And if you've ever played against a
| |
| | preparation that is necessary to raise
|
| really good tennis player, you can
| |
| | the odds that you will get the order at
|
| hopefully relate to my explanation. I
| |
| | full price.Most salespeople merely "wing
|
| became intimidated by the speed of my
| |
| | it." Sure, they work long hours (play
|
| opponent's serve. My opponent would serve
| |
| | hard), but they don't practice. They do
|
| the ball with such incredible velocity
| |
| | little to prepare.If you want to see your
|
| that I made up my mind before the match
| |
| | gross margins improve along with your
|
| ever began that he was going to wipe me
| |
| | sales, make the decision to allocate some
|
| off the court.Has something similar ever
| |
| | time for preparation for the sales call.
|
| happened to you? Perhaps it wasn't before
| |
| | Ask your supervisor or a fellow
|
| a tennis match, maybe it was during a
| |
| | salesperson to play the role of the
|
| golf tournament. Your opponent birdied
| |
| | customer to give you an opportunity to
|
| the first hole and you had to scramble
| |
| | practice. If you can't perform well in
|
| like crazy just to make a double bogie.
| |
| | practice, odds are you won't perform well
|
| Your confidence was shattered. You made
| |
| | when the sales call is for real.Even if
|
| up your mind after the first hole that
| |
| | all you do is to pull your vehicle over
|
| your opponent was a far superior player.
| |
| | to the side of the road before arriving
|
| You quickly forgot about the birdies
| |
| | at the sales call, spend a few minutes
|
| you've made over the years. All you were
| |
| | anticipating the kinds of objections
|
| able to concentrate on was HIS birdie and
| |
| | you're likely to encounter. Then prepare
|
| YOUR double bogie.It's funny how our
| |
| | the kinds of responses you will use to
|
| minds play these kinds of tricks on us.
| |
| | overcome them.Your willingness to prepare
|
| But any competitor knows that most
| |
| | a defense will largely determine how much
|
| sports-related games are as much mental
| |
| | resolve your demeanor will reflect when
|
| as they are physical. If our "minds are
| |
| | you quote your prices. If you sound at
|
| not right," neither is our game.The same
| |
| | all pathetic when you quote your prices,
|
| psychology holds true in selling.
| |
| | your customers and prospects will
|
| Salespeople that allow customers and
| |
| | instinctively pick up on your insecurity
|
| prospects to "get to them;" that is, get
| |
| | in a heartbeat.Athletes spend more time
|
| "inside their head" with a whole host of
| |
| | practicing than they spend playing. How
|
| negatives often lose their pricing
| |
| | about you? Are you a practicing sales
|
| conviction before they ever get out of
| |
| | professional or a salesperson who merely
|
| the starting blocks.I read a book once --
| |
| | plays hard?Bill Lee is author of Gross
|
| I don't remember the author's name --
| |
| | Margin: 26 Factors Affecting Your Bottom
|
| called the Inner Game of Tennis. The
| |
| | Line ($29.95) and 30 Ways Managers Shoot
|
| author attempted to teach the reader to
| |
| | Themselves in the Foot $21.95). $6 S&H.
|
