Jill Konrath’s perspectives on selling with impact are always worth noting. In an on-line interview, a few years ago, she was asked: ‘what’s the one thing Reps need to do more of to be successful.’ Her answer: ‘think’. She had my attention, then, and has had it ever since.
Her latest book, Agile Selling, is a manifesto on how Reps can move from ‘good’ to ‘great’ by being more ‘agile’ in their execution practices. At its core, the book calls for accelerated learning in the craft of selling. Done through perfect practice with feedback that yields new habits worth honing. Habits that differentiate sellers as exceptionally valuable in the eyes of their buyers. It’s a call for Reps to improve their game. It’s also a call for business leaders to start driving agility in sales with the same intensity as they’ve done for the other aspects of their business.
Her practical tips on how to get up to speed on Agile Selling are useful. They echo the wisdom of a swing coach in golf. Don’t try to learn everything at once; chunk ‘the craft’ down into digestable chunks. Learn each, with appropriate sequencing; you’ll lay the foundation for perfecting, with further practice, some of the subsequent, more subtle, parts of the performance equation. It’s akin to focusing on your golf grip and stance before trying to drive the ball 300 yards.
Are you looking for ways to out-earn your competitors? Out-learn them. At warp speed. Buy the book for Jill’s helpful tips on how to do so. It’s available on May 29.
