When you are out there looking for business, when you are sending out the right signals and asking the right questions on daily basis, there will always be buyers who need you. You will find them. The challenge isn’t finding prospects to work with; the challenge for strong salespeople is a pleasant one: who will I choose to work with? There is a predictable cycle that all salespeople go through:
1. You start by having no prospects at all.
2. You then lead generate and load up your “conveyor belt”.
3. Your list of prospects starts to grow.
4. You now have to decide who deserves to stay on your “conveyor belt”.
There are some basic criteria that your buyer must meet to qualify to work with you:
1. Ability to buy – Are they a position financially to make the purchase?
2. Motivation – Do they really want to go ahead?
3. Realistic expectations – Does what they are looking for really exist in the marketplace?
4. Timing – Do they have a sense of urgency or are they “just looking”?
5. Your “gut feel” – Be strong on this point. Are they pleasant to work with? Is there mutual respect?
Everyone you work with should pass the above criteria. Now comes the tricky part. Should you start off this way or lower your standards until you get busy? The best salespeople have high standards right from the start. Let’s face it; you don’t go to the doctor after you get healthy. Only work with buyers who meet your standards. If they don’t, then do yourself a big favour. Cut them loose and spend time looking for someone who does meet those standards. Don’t try and make a square peg fit into a round hole. No excuses.
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The problem with multi-tasking: Progress has created a problem. The Internet has changed the business world. For that matter, the Internet has changed the whole world, not just business. Everything is faster, everything is more accessible, and everything is right at our fingertips. The world has gotten smaller, as author Thomas Freidman explained in his bestseller The World Is Flat.
The new generations of salespeople (plus we “older” ones who have converted) are operating our businesses completely differently. For the most part, the “operating differently” approach is better. There is one hidden problem, however. The Internet sabotages sustained attention. Because everything is so readily accessible, many salespeople operate 100 per cent in react mode. When that happens, sustained attention to a particular task or focus point can erode quickly. To always be in a state of reaction prevents planned growth and often prevents daily progress.
Here is your action step. Here are the problems that being too attached to the Internet (and your cell phone) can create:
1. Sustained attention disappears. Single tasks do not get completed in a timely fashion.
2. The desire for instant gratification can get in the way of meaningful activities.
3. Multitasking becomes a point of pride. Make no mistake; the mind is not equipped to do more than one task at a time. The experts all agree on this point. The result is built-in inefficiency.
But wait….let’s not get in the way of progress! Is there a solution? Of course. Here are two very clear answers:
1. Have a solid routine to follow that allows uninterrupted “time blocking” for the most important tasks of your day. Especially in the morning.
2. Get very good at saying no to interruptions and short-term items that creep into your mind and your day. This is a “learned skill”. It takes practice. Anyone can do it. The most efficient salespeople are masters at saying no.
This sales tip is not about “dissing” the Internet. It is about understanding the inherent pitfalls of “sabotaging sustained attention”. The idea of doing one thing at a time is pretty basic. It has not changed with technology. The ability to focus and concentrate on the most important items in your business and your life are critical. Every time you find your mind wandering to another task, make the decision to finish what you are doing before you start the next item.
One of the best ways to do this is to eliminate the temptation. When you are doing something really important, turn off your cell phone and your email. What you don’t know won’t hurt you (or anyone else for that matter) for the next one or two hours. Everything will carry on quite well without you for a short period. No excuses.Bruce Keith, the “Sales Coach”, began his sales career at IBM and 15 years later used his marketing and sales expertise to develop a highly successful real estate business. He is a master of teaching “what to say and how to say it”. His high energy and entertaining training style has allowed him to create a popular coaching and seminar business for numerous sales organizations during the last 12 years. www.brucekeithresults.com.
Bruce Keith is a leading Real Estate Coach/Author/Speaker. Like Bruce Keith Results on Facebook or connect with Bruce on Linkedin. Email Bruce Keith.
