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When it comes to prospecting and selling, it’s easy to get inside our own heads. Sometimes, we find self-doubt, sometimes distractions, and sometimes fear. Whatever we find there, it's time to take out the head trash and replace it with some logical thoughts.
To that end, let’s apply some deductive reasoning to our prospecting and selling efforts.
Elementary, my dear, Watson
Let’s start with the premise that you'll only achieve exceptional results by first embracing a process.
Our second premise is that most producers fight against following a process, believing they believe they are better off winging it.
Our third and final premise is that because the prevailing prospecting and sales efforts in our industry focus on getting quotes, promising better service, and showing off a capabilities presentation, most producers and agencies aren’t aware of their incompetence or, more accurately, their lack of competitive advantage.
This brings us to our conclusion: Most agencies and producers will continue to operate from an unknowing disadvantage and achieve marginal sales results at best.
You can change the narrative
I was on a coaching call with an agency owner who is also the agency’s primary producer. Our conversation was focused on prospecting and selling activities.
He was frustrated with the recent poor results from his prospecting efforts. This surprised me because, over the past few months, we had worked on building a prospecting and sales sequence (process) to create opportunities for the sales process he follows so diligently. As we discussed the prospecting process we had worked on, he admitted to having wandered away; he had grown bored.
I reminded him about the need to follow a process to reach a place where our efforts and results become much more automatic. A process takes the thinking out of what to do next, can be adjusted as needed, and is a necessary path that keeps opportunities moving forward.
Going From “I suck” to “I’m the GOAT”
As we work to move from not being very good at something to excelling, we move through four stages.
Unconsciously incompetent
In our industry, there is an almost blind faith belief that a spreadsheet, promises of better service, and a capabilities presentation are adequate prospecting and sales tools. When you add in the fact that most producers don’t track their conversion and close ratios, most don't even realize how much this approach sucks. “Incompetent” may be a bit harsh here—lack of awareness may feel more appropriate—but you definitely have no competitive advantage at this level.
Consciously incompetent
Many producers reach this level after losing an opportunity to a better salesperson. It’s obvious they’re better because the losing producer has at least as many (if not more) resources as the victorious producer. Other times, you reach this recognition after being exposed to sales training or hearing a presentation that makes it clear there is a better way to prospect and sell than you are currently following.
Consciously competent
Those who decide they are tired of competing without an advantage realize that having a prospecting and sales process to follow is the foundation of building such an advantage. A process allows for repetition and the skill to be engrained; it creates muscle memory. The key is to fight against boredom and embrace the repetition and rigidity, early components of mastering a process.
Unconsciously competent
This likely describes every over-the-top successful salesperson you know. They may make it seem effortless, but you can’t get here without a previous commitment to following a process. The beautifully ironic reality is that now you can leave any rigidity of the process behind. You own the ideas and results that the process delivered and can now personalize the conversations and get there your own unique way.
When practiced repeatedly, processes become the muscle memory that drives frequent moments of sales brilliance. And don’t we all want more of those moments?
If your answer to this last question was “yes,” keep reading.
Goose can help
We have built an online platform called "Goose: Your Ultimate Wingman" to help you implement these types of growth ideas. In it, you will find the training program you need for predictable growth and all the resources, conversations, analysis tools, and, yes, processes necessary to establish habits that will drive growth throughout your career.
To learn how Goose may help drive your growth, check out our website at Q4intel.com/goose. Or feel free to connect with or contact me directly on LinkedIn.
Content originally published on Q4intelligence
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