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Guest
Guest
We’ve all heard it before.
"Sales is a numbers game!"
But this popular sales phrase has become a misleading rant these days. First, I can’t think of anyone who'd want to be treated like a number. One in a long list of potential customers. That mindset brings with it a disregard for the consumer.
Secondly. That’s not how the expression came about. That phrase never meant “on to the next one.” No, a "numbers game" meant the following:
You have to knock on 100 doors to present to one client. So to get to that one client, you had to work hard and continue with forward progress to create the opportunity for the results. It didn’t mean that you had to speak to 100 clients to get one sale and if you stumbled over several sales opportunities and failed, you just kept on stumbling! Think about that for a second, you just continue to fail and people tell you to keep going, you’re bound to get a sale. As if it’s chance or luck. That's not very encouraging, is it?
Even today, in the “cold calling sucks” era where prospects go on the internet and show interest, you still have to know what to say and how to say it.
We’ve all seen this proven time and again. If you don’t have enough skill in engaging the client who showed interest, it doesn’t matter how much money you throw into filling your pipeline, does it?
Finally, here’s another way that the numbers game catch phrase is misused.
For a boss or colleague to empathetically say “shake it off, keep on calling and try to get the next one.” Realistically they should be instructing and correcting you so that you will get the next one.
Consider this: How often have you heard successful salespeople being told the following? “Don’t worry, it’s a number game!”
The most successful salespeople don’t need that misguided enthusiam because they work the numbers, the numbers don’t work them.
"Sales is a numbers game!"
But this popular sales phrase has become a misleading rant these days. First, I can’t think of anyone who'd want to be treated like a number. One in a long list of potential customers. That mindset brings with it a disregard for the consumer.
Secondly. That’s not how the expression came about. That phrase never meant “on to the next one.” No, a "numbers game" meant the following:
You have to knock on 100 doors to present to one client. So to get to that one client, you had to work hard and continue with forward progress to create the opportunity for the results. It didn’t mean that you had to speak to 100 clients to get one sale and if you stumbled over several sales opportunities and failed, you just kept on stumbling! Think about that for a second, you just continue to fail and people tell you to keep going, you’re bound to get a sale. As if it’s chance or luck. That's not very encouraging, is it?
Even today, in the “cold calling sucks” era where prospects go on the internet and show interest, you still have to know what to say and how to say it.
We’ve all seen this proven time and again. If you don’t have enough skill in engaging the client who showed interest, it doesn’t matter how much money you throw into filling your pipeline, does it?
Finally, here’s another way that the numbers game catch phrase is misused.
For a boss or colleague to empathetically say “shake it off, keep on calling and try to get the next one.” Realistically they should be instructing and correcting you so that you will get the next one.
Consider this: How often have you heard successful salespeople being told the following? “Don’t worry, it’s a number game!”
The most successful salespeople don’t need that misguided enthusiam because they work the numbers, the numbers don’t work them.
