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Persistence and success
By Larry Galler
June 01, 2008
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We live in a society that is based on the desire for instant success.
Business books and magazines are filled with stories of entrepreneurs who strike it rich seemingly overnight.
Rarely do we read about businesses that endure long dreary slogs towards success where a business is built on one satisfied customer at a time.
It’s fun reading about those fantasy-fast-growth businesses, but I hate to tell you that it’s rarely realistic.
Building a successful business requires a long-range focus, determination, and persistence.
Getting persistent
Not long ago I had a conversation with a struggling business owner who wanted and needed to increase revenues at a faster rate.
He had tried becoming a salesperson and went out to make some cold calls on potential commercial accounts but had a terrible time and became frustrated, then discouraged.
“I called on a few prospects and got turned down each time. I guess I’m not cut out to be a salesperson.”
I had a hard time stifling my urge to grab that person, shake him and shout, “No one can become a salesperson if they just try a few times.”
I did manage to stifle my uncivilized approach and calm down, then explained that it is persistence, practice, and attitude that will help him make sales rather than instant success.
Look, those prospects didn’t wake up in the morning with the thought that they would hire a carpet cleaner today. They are going about their business, doing whatever they do and you intrude on them looking for business.
Realize that there is truth in the oft told sales maxim that 80 percent of sales will close after the sixth sales call, another states that it takes six or more visual impressions before a newspaper reader will recall seeing a printed advertisement.
Getting sales for your business is no different, so you must plan on being persistent!
A three-step process
Unless you get lucky and call on a prospect at exactly the right moment, you have to think of cold calling as a three-step process and you need to achieve sales successes on each step:
•Step 1 – Introduction
Get them to become aware of your existence, the services you perform (having an attractive brochure to leave them along with your business card will help), and keeping the door open for a future call. Do not expect to make a sale at this point because there is little probability that it will happen. Instead, think of this contact as the beginning of a relationship, a relationship that will eventually result in an ongoing series of sales. Think of giving your introduction to a decision-maker as sales success number 1.
•Step 2 – Familiarization
Make the prospect familiar with you, what you can do for them, and your commitment to satisfy them. This step may require a number of contacts before moving forward to an actual sale. Each of these contacts should build your relationship towards an eventual sale. At the end of each of these contacts you should let the prospect know that you will be contacting them again in the future. When they know you and give you an indication that you might get their business in the future, think of that as sales success number 2.
•Step 3 – The First Sale
After going through the introduction and familiarization steps, a percentage of your prospects will eventually give you the opportunity to prove your skills and give you that first sale. It is up to you to actually do your job to the utmost of your skills and follow-up properly to insure future sales so you can eventually transform them into becoming regular customers, then frequent customers, then lifetime customers.
Wishful thinking
It would be nice if sales success happened by a strike of lightening, a snap of the fingers, or just wishing for it.
Sudden success does indeed happen, but it is a very rare occurrence like the fabled actress who was “discovered” while sitting at a Hollywood lunch counter.
Sales success happens more like the story of the actor who, after years of getting minor parts, got a leading role on a TV show and became a well-known celebrity. He was quoted as saying that he “spent twenty years preparing to become an instant success.”
Most of the time actors, inventors, athletes, salespeople, and businesspeople who want to achieve success work at it over and over before they finally reach their goals and become successful.
Persistence works for rivers carving canyons through solid rock and carpet cleaners who want to increase their commercial cleaning business.
Thomas Edison changed the world by creating the workable electric light bulb after thousands of failures and then had to create the electrical generating and transmission infrastructure that made it possible to electrify our planet before achieving real success.
Edison understood that inventing is neither a fast process nor an easy one. His persistence truly changed the world.
But it’s difficult to persist when you face cold-call defeat after defeat and then have to put on that smile once again and go out to face a property manager. Gumption, persistence, and continual effort will win business over mercurial “try it a few times and expect success or quit” attitude. Please persist and light up the world and your business… like Edison.
Larry Galler specializes in coaching owners of small businesses to grow their businesses through effective marketing, customer retention programs, and systemizing their business practices. Explore how he can help you during a free coaching session by calling (800) 326-7087 or email larry@larrygaller.com. Sign up for his informative free newsletter at www.larrygaller.com.
