The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

You waste time! A lot of time. And so do I.

It's an epidemic in the world today. One of the biggest challenges that organizations and salespeople face is the lack of productivity while feeling like they work all of the time.

Today, I'm going to share with you 3 TOP SECRET strategies to help you secure more new business appointments. These proprietary strategies will help you get more meetings than you could ever imagine.

Don't do it. I know you want to do it, but you can't.

Seriously!  STOP IT!

"Do what" you innocently ask?

Pitching your product or service in your first meeting with a new client.

"But…but…but," I can already hear your excuses. 

"We are SALES people!  We are supposed to SELL!" 

Technically, yes, you are "supposed" to sell, but not yet! 

Be patient.  Follow the process.  Trust the process.  We have to slow down the sales process so that we can speed up the sale!

Thank you! Thank you!  Really, Thanks. Please hold your applause until the end of the sales meeting. 

What? 

You mean that you haven’t been interrupted during your sales meeting by thunderous applause from your salespeople?  Really?

BBQ and business acumen.

Traditionally, those two items don't go together, but for this story, one is the key to the other.

I started in sales in 1993, straight out of college. I didn't have a lot of work or life experiences that I could draw from as I worked with business owners helping them to improve their businesses' performance.

I did my best reading the Wall Street Journal, the business section of the local paper, and reading the latest business books to help grow my knowledge of business.

You're not an Avenger.

I know that is disappointing. Trust me, I'm disappointed, too. Who doesn't want to be a superhero? We all want to be the man or woman who swoops in to save the day, but that only gets to happen in a Marvel or DC movie.

In the real world, we don't have these types of superheroes.

But as much as I would like this blog to be about my favorite Marvel characters, that would not be the best use of your time or mine.

Everybody wants to sell faster! No matter your industry or product, every organization is in a hurry to close more business. And on the surface, that sounds like a good idea — but it's not.

Too often, we're in such a hurry to close the sale that we rush and make mistakes in the sales process that actually slows down the act of closing.

In our haste, we tend to overlook certain obstacles in our path in an effort to sell quickly. These obstacles often come up as a surprise to the client, which can derail the conversation and cause us to back-track and overcome the objection, which takes more time than if we had discussed it from the beginning.

"4 out of 5 Sales Managers admit appointments, whether in-person or virtual, are more challenging to secure than five years ago."

This nugget of information came from The Center for Sales Strategy 2020 Media Report.  

My initial response to this new data was...DUH!

I'd like to speak with the one manager who thinks getting a first time appointment is "easier" than 5-years ago. They must know something that I don't know!

I don't care who you're or what you're selling, but getting a first-time meeting is tough! Now, I realize there are a ton of legitimate reasons why that is true, but NO ONE CARES! Excuses won't help you get to your sales goals, get you a promotion, or pay your rent.  

What you need is a solution to help you get that all-important first-time business appointment. What you need is a Valid Business Reason.

First, it was a phone call.

Then an email.

Finally, a text message.

Was my wife trying to get a hold of me? No, it was my doctor's office.  

It was that time of the year — time for my annual check-up. Ugh! Does anyone get excited to have a physical done by your doctor? It's uncomfortable, a bit invasive, and he's going to tell me all of the things that I've done wrong in the last year that I already know, but I don't want to admit to myself.