What The Salesperson Saw (or Didn’t) – A Question about Sales Calls

Most people do the same things every day and perhaps you notice some of them. For instance, I see the same joggers on the same roads at the same time every morning. I notice when I don’t see them. I see the same trucks, construction crews, police details and I notice when I don’t see them. I see the same billboards and notice when they change. I know where the potholes are and know to avoid them. I know where the traffic will back-up and seek alternate routes. I also take note when this doesn’t happen. Without thinking about these things at all, I know exactly what to expect, recognize when those expectations are not met, and do something different when required.

If your salespeople have been:

• selling for at least several years;
• following a formal, structured, optimized sales process;
• committed to honing their craft (studying, reading, training, practicing, improving);
• receiving effective consistent coaching from you or a sales manager…

…then they should recognize the sales call equivalents of joggers, police details, construction sites, traffic back-ups, and billboards. They should also recognize when the expected doesn’t happen and have alternate routes to follow. Unfortunately, most salespeople don’t pay enough attention to what is actually transpiring during their calls, don’t notice when things vary to the point that their prospect does not sound ideal, and don’t have effective strategies and tactics to employ as their alternate routes.

It’s one thing to have eyes, but our salespeople need to use them too. Typically, their mouth is moving so fast and so often, and the sound of their own voice is so compelling (to them), that their eyes are neutralized. This is similar to what happens on a long drive when you suddenly realize you drove 10 miles past your exit and had no idea how you got that far without noticing.

What do your salespeople miss on their sales calls?