IF ALASKA CAN DO IT ANYONE CAN

It was one of mans most challenging construction projects, the Alaska Pipeline. It is 800 miles long, 48 inches in diameter, cost $8,000,000,000 (BILLION) in 1977, was the largest privately funded construction project at that time, took a little over 2 years to build, has moved over 15,000,000,000 (BILLION) barrels of oil since it opened in June 1977.

Pretty impressive isn’t it? Well I have something even more impressive. THE SALES PIPELINE! The sales pipeline doesn’t have nearly the impressive stats of the Alaskan Pipeline, but its value is far greater. Everyday millions of sales opportunities are put into the pipeline. Everyday millions of sales are closed from the sales moving through the pipeline. Everyday millions of sales reps are earning millions of dollars in commissions from these sales. Everyday hundreds of thousands of sales drop out of the pipeline. The most impressive stat of all is that every business in the world is in the sales pipeline at one time or another.

What does your sales pipeline look like? Is there a constant flow of good leads and prospects being added to it? Do you keep an eye on the level of business in your pipeline and manage your business by it? Is your pipeline full from end to end or do you stuff it one week and let it run dry before you start stuffing it again?

A well organized sales rep, and I dare say most successful sales reps, will monitor their pipelines closely and make sure that they are working on both ends every day. They are always looking for prospects they can add to the pipeline and working what’s in the pipeline to make sure no opportunity slips by. They use their sales tools to help them stay organized, stay focused and stay on top of their business.

I have seen reps that have charts on their walls diagramming their sales cycle so they know exactly where a prospect in the pipeline is within the cycle. These reps all know one thing, a good plan is THE most valuable tool a rep can have and working that plan will always lead to success.

The great part about your sales pipeline is you don’t need any tools, you don’t need any permits, you don’t need any funding, and you don’t need to be out in the cold to build it. Just start tracking and keeping records about every sales call you make. Update these records so you always have good information. Work your pipeline and never allow it to run dry by making the cold calls, following up on the leads and asking for referrals.

If you do the math, today crude oil is selling for around $100.00 a barrel. At $100 a barrel and 15 Billion Barrels having gone through the Alaskan Pipeline that means $1,500,000,000,000.00 (one Trillion five hundred Billion Dollars) worth of oil has been through the pipeline since it opened. That much or more goes through sales pipelines every week!

Lorin