Monday was our second day without power, heat, running water and that most vital of all utilities, access to salesforce.com to check on my sales activities... Huddled around the fireplace with the consistent hiss of Coleman lanterns casting a yellow glow over the room, we toughed it out with only limited whining…mostly on my part. Every couple of years, since we live in Vermont and New Hampshire, we revisit what it’s like to endure these multi-day experiences without power, instant communication, and the basics of heat and plumbing. And the bottom line is that it’s a bit inconvenient for sure, but nothing like what my great-grandfather, Horace, growing up in Poultney, Vermont, must have experienced his entire life.
So, maybe a takeaway from the aftermath of this most recent storm and my thinking about Horace that might be applicable now in our ever-tightening total of 39 remaining sales days in 2011.
Simplicity Counts-Focus on the Close.
Just like the simple things of power, heat and water, as we work through a very complex marketplace in a tough economy with multiples of competitive solutions and products, we need to very directly focus on One Simple Thing-pushing our prospects every day to cross over the line to commitment. Sounds simple, and it is, as long as we’re willing to admit that we can’t do everything on our priority list over the next 39 days, and that it’s ok to let some things fall through the cracks. Too often, especially in complex, tough competitive situations, it’s too easy to get distracted away from the most important component of the selling process, which is the actual close.
Simplicity Counts-PowerPoint Presentations
At a time when the use of iPads for business (about 25% of all iPads is going through the roof, the untold secret is that PowerPoints, especially with animation, tables, graphs or spreadsheets, don't work with iPads. As a salesguy constantly on the run who loves PowerPoints, the just released free app from SlideShark is a perfect solution for me. Great reviews, simple to use,, and will be a key part of my Q4 closing tool kit. Check it out HERE.
Hope that you all came through the storm unscathed!
Good Selling!