Being best performer isn’t a challenge, staying there is

Being number one is easy; staying there is what most salespeople struggle with. Photo/FILE 

By JOHN KAGECHE

Being the top salesman feels much like winning the World Cup. It’s a double-edged sword. One edge cuts the air with jubilation as the world celebrates with you, while the other edge cuts deep with the realisation that you are now the defending champion.

 

Do you know how many countries have won the World Cup three consecutive times? None! Three times was what was required to retain the cup.

That in the Cup’s 84-year history, no country has defended its win twice in a row is testimony of which side of the sword cuts deeper – both in the World Cup and in selling.

Being number one is easy; staying there is what most salespeople struggle with.

Looking at the salespeople who rise from the doldrums of dismal productivity to the peak of blossoming success, it is interesting to note that what they did to get to the top is precisely what the doctor ordered for the losing defending champions: go back to the basics.

And the basics in selling are simple as illustrated by the sales cycle: prospect, interview, demonstrate, validate, negotiate, close, referrals.

As simplistic as this may sound, the salesperson who has defended the “Cup” year in, year out, and becomes inconsistent ever so briefly, will lose his “Cup” to the contender who consistently did what the basics required of him.

And therein lays the difference; consistency – or the lack of it. Consistency in prospecting, consistency in presentations, consistency in handling objections, consistency is closing and consistency in asking for referrals.

Salespeople who lose their top position admit to this. It could be the winning got to their head and so they slackened; or they directed their attention to other interests; or they got tired of competing even against themselves.

Whatever the reason, one thing is consistent – they took their eyes off the ball. And when the ball is not in your control, the opposing team doesn’t hand it back to you; they take it away from you; they rush to occupy your half of the field and before you know it, the stadium chants a thunderous “GOAAALLL!” And in the snap of a finger, the defending champion bites the dust.

Is selling about winning and losing? Of course, yes! And the one defending should be out to improve his last performance.

Even when one says they are not competing against anyone, the fact that they are in the game automatically makes them contenders.

You are only as good as your last sale, which means you cannot afford to bask in yesterday’s glory. Have you ever noticed that when you meet your targets you are complemented just once? But when you do not meet them, you are not reminded once or twice but repeatedly.

There is no set path for the champion – he cuts one for himself. The other contenders have several paths to choose from, including that of the defending champion.

They can afford to make mistakes the champion wouldn’t dare to. The contenders are motivated to get to the top while the defending champion is motivated to stay at the top.