subject: Don't be too quick to trust your gut; it can lead you astray [print this page] Don't be too quick to trust your gut; it can lead you astray
We humans are all supposed to learn from our mistakes, yet we often continue making the same ones time after time. One reason: We rely on instincts instead of the evidence to tell us what's right.
We will defend what we "know" to be true even when the facts say otherwise, says coach and trainer Paul McCord. People do the things they've been taught are the right things to do, and when the outcome isn't what it's supposed to be, they blame themselves or chalk up the results to bad luck or bad timing.
Worse, we decide the answer to these failures is more of the same. If we just do these things more often and with more conviction, the outcome will definitely be better, right?
Cold calling not working? Make more cold calls. Not closing enough sales? Push harder. Not meeting enough prospects at networking events? Go to more events. The e-mail blast you sent not producing results? Send out more.
But why should we respond to things that don't work by doing more of them? If a restaurant wasn't selling enough fish would the answer be to cook more fish? If a drug isn't working, should the doctor just prescribe a larger dose? Of course not.
The problem: Gut feelings
Too many salespeople work off gut feelings. "I feel that my cold calling isn't producing the desired results." "My closing skills are really good; I just don't get to make enough presentations." "I'm getting a lot of referrals; they're just not very good."
Gut feelings are a good place to start. But if you don't test those assumptions, you can go badly wrong. Take time to examine your sales business to see what really produces results and what doesn't. Answer these six questions:
Where are you spending your time? Are these the activities that will really move your sales forward?
Why do your buyers do business with you? Have you asked them?
Where are your sales not prospects but sales really coming from?
What prospecting methods are producing sales and not just bodies?
Which parts of your sales process produce results and which do not?
Exactly how many qualified prospects have you talked to, how many bought, what did they buy, and why (or why not)?
The result: A roadmap you can use like any other business owner. Collecting and monitoring this information, like a balance sheet or income statement, will alert you to problems as well as opportunities.
Sell with open eyes
Gathering and analyzing this data will be time consuming and tedious. The results may be uncomfortable. But it will tell you exactly what you've been doing and exactly what changes you need to make to change the future. If you are serious about improving your sales business, you must run it like a business and know what you do, why you do it, and how you can do it better. To see your business clearly, you need to rely on facts not just your gut feeling.
