Rule 31 really hits home with me and actually reminds me a lot of life lessons taught in family fun movies such as “Dumb & Dumber” – when Lloyd is told by the woman he so called loves he has “ one and a million chances” of them potentially dating Lloyd say the famous line we have all come to know “so you’re’ telling me there’s a chance?” we know as an audience that there is truly zero percent chance of Lloyd and this girl ending up together but he is holding on. In sales the same is true with people having one in a million chance of closing a deal or booking a client but they just keep pushing. Sandler’s rule teaches us otherwise. We have to be able to know when to say “ok” and move on to our next mission so we are not distracted with a fictional idea. Ignoring reality in sales situations can be tough, especially when you’re so passionate about your idea or product but this can cause more harm than good. You must consider these three questions before pushing any harder. Is this a good fit? Is this person willing to work with me? Could my efforts be more productive elsewhere? If most of these come out to “No” that’s when moving on should be warranted. If you are unable to move on you will waste precious time and resources and ultimately cost yourself other clients that are good fits for your business.
Discipline and trusting in your product is what should help you move on. If you understand you offer a great product or service, it does not mean it is meant for everyone and you just have to do a great job at finding your target audience. In the end one client will not determine a companies overall story. So learn to close the sale or close the file.
BoweryJE22
I love the reference to this movie, I never would’ve thought to relate it to a sales conversation but it really works! Even if we don’t think there is a chance, we have to at least try. Like people always say, you don’t know unless you try.
The concept of being completely willing to walk away from a sale is, I think, counter-intuitive to the role of a traditional salesperson. This course has been extremely insightful as far as defining the new type of a successful salesperson. At the heart of it, it’s about believing in the value of your product and treating it as something to be prized, to be wanted. It totally changes the landscape of the salesperson/prospective client relationship. Understanding this will hopefully become the hallmark of successful salespeople in the 21st century.
This is so important, pushing for a yes ignores not only might be a good fit for the prospect but also might put you in a position where you are unable to deliver what the prospect is looking for.