(By Loyd Ford) Excellent salespeople always understand that the tilt of the world is away from them. They have to listen more, have empathy, consistently educate, and become better and better at “seizing the day” when opportunities present themselves.
Of course, I just described why great salespeople are worth their weight in gold (and hard to find).
But what role do curiosity and initiative play in an excellent sales process? I mean there are always a lot of reasons you “can’t” do something. Initiative is a great equalizer to mute the impact of “can’t.”
For a great seller, it’s a way to take more control of the outcome.
I’ve worked with some really smart broadcasters and picked up great language from them. One of the phrases I’ve picked up is “If you sell it, they will find a way to clear it.”
Here’s a secret: there’s actually no way that the radio sales organizations in your market are seeing all the people who could buy radio, digital, and events in your market. You don’t have enough salespeople.
So, if you are a seller, I encourage you to think about what others are maybe not thinking about: taking the initiative to smartly identify what is missing in your market, to go develop those relationships, and close them. Why? Because “If you sell it, they will find a way to clear it.”
Curiosity is also a powerful tool to drive your passion into understanding what a potential client really needs (not only what they say they need).
Selling is in no way about talking more than others. It’s often about listening more. It’s being curious, uncovering opportunities, and having the discipline to develop a strategy to maximize your time and efforts to grow your revenue.
And the real sales winners do color outside the lines sometimes because sometimes that’s what it takes to win big.
You just think you can underestimate curiosity and initiative, but those two ingredients applied to your sales process over and over can make you the sales leader where you work.
Loyd Ford is president and chief strategic officer at Rainmaker Pathway Consulting Works (RPC). They help local radio with ratings and revenue. Reach him anytime at 864.448.4169 or [email protected]. Read Loyd’s Radio Ink archives here.
