(This is persuasion article No6 from the YourSalesSuccess eZine.)
Sometimes all the ability in the world, the right attitude and a good product is not enough.
Sometimes you just have to tough it out.
Be determined.
Go after what you want.
Sure, to do this you need the right motivation but more than that you need to steel yourself and go after your objective.
If you want it badly enough you’ll find a way, especially if you believe you can do it.
As Hannibal is oft quoted,
"We will either find a way or make one."
Let me give you an example.
Years ago I had to obtain some information from a customer prior to the visit of an overseas supplier.
The local guy was more than a little reluctant to schedule a meeting with me.
The lament was, Customer : " Look I'm very, very busy and I just can't spare the time now " The guy was polite and genuinely very busy.
However, we REALLY needed his response to some questions, and it needed to be in person.
So, finally, I tried the following :
Me : "Barry, I understand that you're really busy". "By the way do you travel very far to get home from work ?"
Customer: " About 40 minutes" ( puzzled tone )
Me :" I presume you have a company car"
Customer : " Yes" ( even more puzzled )
Me : " Are you involved in a car pool with anyone ?"
Customer : " No ?"
Me : " I've got an idea.
When you come out of your office this afternoon I'll be waiting in the foyer, I can sit in the passenger seat of your car while you drive home and we can talk for 40 minutes, when you get home I'll just call a cab to take me back to my car in your company car park ?"
Customer : " Oh look, if it's that important I'll see you at 10 am tomorrow !"
There may have been a little desperation in my manoeuvre but there was certainly a lot of determination to get the information my colleague needed.
By the way, I’d like to say I was clever enough to think of that ploy on the fly but I wasn’t.
The idea of the meeting in the customer’s car came from a sales book I had read years before.
From memory, the book was “How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling” by Frank Bettger.
I guess this also demonstrates the value of reading.
If you need help improving your self belief and strengthening your determination please feel free to click this link for some sales coaching
Here's to YourSalesSuccess.