On Wednesday, March 8th, as part of our Flint & Steel series, CLM hosted award-winning Revenue Performance Coach Rob Jeppsen as he presented “Calling your Shot: Secrets of the World’s Greatest Sales Teams.”
Owning or running any business is learning to create predictability in the midst of uncertainty and perhaps the most challenging place to create predictability is in the sales and revenue generation function. Because of this unpredictability, salespeople have to adapt their tactics in order to survive and thrive. The traditional approach of pushing people even when they say they’re not interested no longer works. In his presentation, Rob spoke about the three immutable laws of sales and why, now more than ever, they need to be applied.
Law #1: No Happy Accidents
If you build an effective process you won’t have to rely on happy accidents for your success. Happy accidents may work for famous painters, but you have to be more strategic when it comes to generating revenue. Rob emphasized repeatedly that having an effective plan in place with actionable tactics and realistic goals is what will set your sales team apart.
Many managers see success as a result of hard work and ‘grinding.’ A team that puts in long hours and pushes itself to its limit, however, isn’t going to succeed based simply on those metrics. Rather, that team is more likely to experience burnout and failure. Losers have goals. Winners have systems. A team that focuses only on goals without examining how they’re going to achieve those goals and simply focuses on working harder is going to fail.
Without a system in place, there will be no long-term success. This system should include specific tactics that are designed to achieve your goals. And once those goals start being met, you can’t just sit back and enjoy the rewards, you need to identify how those goals were achieved. Again, you need a system that will help you measure success (and occasional failures). This will help you to identify areas where you need to improve and make adjustments to your strategy accordingly.
Law #2: The Law of Experiences
Let’s be honest. Most sales pitches are forgotten almost instantly. For many of us who sit through sales pitches, we spend the majority of our time looking forward to it being over and not necessarily listening to what’s being said. To combat pitch fatigue, create an experience instead of just a lecture. According to Rob, experiences are what make you legendary. Creating experiences for your clients helps set you apart from the competition.
But what is an experience? An experience is anything that transforms the customer or prospect from a spectator into a participant. It’s not about what you say, it’s all about what you actually do. Experiences make you trusted, memorable, valuable, and remarkable. Experiences also help make you a trusted person for your clients. When you assist someone in resolving an issue that is significant to them and that produces a meaningful outcome, it reinforces their belief in your reliability, establishing you as someone they can trust. This experience sets you apart from others and helps build a lasting relationship.
Of course, just throwing any experience at them isn’t the solution. Experiences have to be carefully crafted for maximum impact. In order to create an experience, you need to understand your customers’ needs and preferences. This requires you to do your research and get to know your customers on a personal level. You also need to be creative and innovative in your approach. Think outside the box and come up with new and exciting ways to engage your customers. This could involve hosting events, providing personalized solutions, or even offering exclusive deals or promotions.
Law #3: The Law of Belief
Belief is a powerful tool that can help you achieve your goals. You have to always be chasing something that you believe in, driving yourself forward in the pursuit of that goal. If you’re not moving forward, you’re stagnant, and if you’re stagnant, there’s no growth. If you don’t have a goal that’s real, that’s achievable, and that drives you forward, then you’ll never grow as a person. Ultimately, The Law of Belief says that whatever you believe, with feeling, becomes reality. The more intensely that you believe something to be true, the more likely it is that it will be true for you.
It’s important to note that belief alone isn’t enough. You also need to have the skills, knowledge, and resources to back up your beliefs. This requires constant learning and growth.
By applying Rob’s principles, businesses can create a more predictable and successful sales process. Developing a system with specific, measurable tactics, rather than just focusing on goals, can help teams avoid burnout and achieve long-term success. Creating experiences for customers that are carefully crafted and personalized can help businesses stand out and build lasting relationships. And by having a strong belief in their goals and constantly working to improve their skills and knowledge, businesses can achieve their desired outcomes with greater ease and confidence.
To learn more about Rob Jeppsen and his series on creating predictability in uncertain times, visit him online here.
For more incredible opportunities to hear valuable lectures and presentations like this one, check out our Flint & Steel series page for future dates and programming announcements and catch up on previous speakers you may have missed.
