IT LOOKED GOOD ON PAPER

Once again I spent the night watching the Olympics. For the past week I have been glued to my television every night until midnight watching some of the most spectacular athletes in the world compete.

I have also been listening to some of the “so called” expert commentators tell me about what will happen, is happening, and just happened. Last evening during the Ladies Gymnastics Finals, the two leaders were within tenths of a point from each other going into the final event. The commentator said, “no matter how I look at the numbers, the USA should win by a minimum of 1/1000 of a point”.

Now I believe that future actions can sometimes be determined by past performance, however, 1/1000 of a point? The expert commentator was using the gymnasts past scores and performance scores to predict the outcome of last night’s competition. ON PAPER the young lady from the USA should have won.

 In sales, how many times have you walked into a “PERFECT PROSPECT” performed a “PERFECT PRESENTATION” delivered a “PERFECT CLOSE” and walked out with “PERFECTLY NOTHING”! I know I have not once, but a hundred times.

The question is what made us think they were a “PERFECT PROSPECT” to start with? In most cases it started ON PAPER.

We do our homework and look the prospect up on the internet. We check each point on our checklist;

The right type of business for our product or service                       CHECK

The right size for our product or service                                             CHECK

The right credit history                                                                           CHECK

The right number of employees                                                            CHECK

Name of the right person to talk with                                                  CHECK

Confirmed appointment date, time and location                               CHECK

Yada, Yada, Yada                                                                                       CHECK, CHECK, CHECK

EVERYTHING looks PERFECT doesn’t it? Then why no sale?

Just like sports, selling isn’t something that can be done strictly on paper. The attitude of the athlete like the attitude of the sales rep needs to be right for a PERFECT PERFORMANCE or PRESENTATION to be delivered. The attitude of the prospect needs to be PERFECT for a sale to be made.

All the preparation and hard work that got us to the opportunity to go for the gold has to be executed with PERFECTION.

There are so many “human variables” that neither sporting events nor sales can be predicted on paper. There is only one sure way to know the outcome, PLAY THE GAME, DO THE PRESENTATION!

Last evening the prediction of the commentator came to be, Gabby Douglas won the GOLD MEDAL in the Women’s All Around and stood on the medal stand for the United States.

While Gabby was winning her gold, thousands of sales reps around the world were also competing for their gold. Some only won on paper, others stood on the medal stand and collected their reward.

Lorin