On my tri
p to New York late last month, I had the opportunity to visit a restaurant that I’ve been waiting to go to for ages… Marc Forgione.
I’d seen him on the television show “Next Iron Chef” where chefs battle each other to see who will survive to the end. It takes skill, drive and determination to make it through this crucible and he showed all those attributes in spades. Plus he’s cute!
Now, is there a point where that drive can become unhealthy? In sales, all too often I see exactly that: a sales person who can’t walk away when they are not the right fit for the client. It is in no one’s best interest to force a solution onto a problem that the prospect isn’t trying to solve.
Once we realize that we all have to be prepared to walk away when there isn’t a fit, those clients that we do continue to work with can become long-term profitable customers – even customers for life!
This is not simply being nice or honest. When we expend energy with clients who are poor fits, we are wasting our scarcest resource: time. Time that could be spent working leads that truly have the opportunity for a long term relationship.
And whenever I see reps spending too much time on prospects who are poor fits, it is often sign of something else going wrong in the sales process. To find out what, take this quiz!
And the dinner at Marc Forgione? I’m happy to report that I’ll be his customer for life!
Dedicated to increasing your sales,
Colleen Francis