When I was a new salesperson (yes, long long ago in a land far far away) I had trouble letting go of accounts.
Why? Because someday, someone might change their mind… their business might change and they’d buy from me… WHAT if I give it up and someone else gets their business…
Then I realized two things:
#1 – I couldn’t afford to waste my time/energy/effort.
Qualifying accounts and then earning business takes time – energy – and effort.
It’s typically easy to determine if the prospect doesn’t buy what you sell. It’s MUCH more difficult to determine they don’t need what you do… when they do buy what you’re selling.
My suggestion is to create a very clear check list of things that make people change what they do today, to work with you.
THEN develop questions to uncover when a prospect meets at least one of your change criteria.
Any time they DON’T have at least one change criteria – disqualify QUICKLY.
#2 – I needed to reward myself for getting rid of accounts.
I love positive reinforcement, rewarding myself for behavior that is difficult and important to my success.
Which is when I realized that DQ could stand for DISQUALIFY or Dairy Queen… hey why not both?
When I determined the BEST option was giving up an account I also (still) reward myself with ice cream.
Need assistance knowing when it’s time to let go and get ice cream?
1. check out my Sales Spring Cleaning newsletter
2. talk it over with your manager.
3. schedule time to talk with your sales coach.
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