Everyday is a visual and auditory storm capable of sucking us in if we’re not careful.
It used to be that TV commercials screamed at us during our favorite programming. Now it’s the internet doing the shouting.
As a kid living outside of Philly, I vividly remember watching commercials for Crazy Eddie. His was a consumer electronics store stacked with stereo equipment from floor to ceiling and his commercials were legendary.
The former radio DJ turned into a fast-talking, hand-waving maniac for 30 seconds yelling at you thru the TV to COME ON DOWN TO CRAZY EDDIE’S because the prices are INSANE! All in all, he must have made over 7000 of these super entertaining in your face commercials.
If you look at Facebook, Instagram or Twitter today, you can draw inspiration from thought-provoking quotes, educate yourself on a given subject and admire stunning visual compositions. There’s useful and engaging content but they’re also a ton of get rich, get famous quick noise to sift through.
Within some of this content lies positive messaging: Work more, harder or smarter, believe in yourself, anything is possible, you’re amazing, don’t quit or some version there of.
The cheer-leading, pom-pom, can-do attitude is awesome but what’s frequently overlooked is persistence.
Why Persistence and Showing Up Are Half the Battle
The only way to succeed in B2B sales is through sheer persistence. Whether you’re inside sales cold-calling your way to the top, you’re leveraging relationships through networking or sleeping your way to the middle, success and stability require diligence and patience.
The images of good-looking guys and gals leaning on fancy cars with inspirational quotes to transform you into the best version of yourself omit the part about the grit and grind.
With 80% of sales requiring five follow ups after initial contact but 44% of salespeople giving up after one, https://www.propellercrm.com/blog/sales-statistics, it’s no wonder companies are always looking for capable salespeople to fill high turnover seats.
Regardless of what anyone tells you, sales is awesome but it’s hard. To be successful, you not only have to knock on a ton of doors but more importantly, you need to knock on the same ones over and over until you’re heard.
A lot of salespeople can blow through a quarter’s worth of leads in a month then have the nerve to ask for more.
Leaving one or two voicemails and an email just doesn’t cut it anymore. High-level execs are preoccupied and your solution amazing as it may be, is still a low priority.
Sales too often gives up on accounts for no apparent reason. In the past, I’ve been handed accounts that another rep marked Unresponsive or Dead. Looking through the notes, I noticed the rep left a couple of voicemails, sent one email and called it quits. No explanations!
That lack of effort and giving up without a fight says you’re not B2B Sales material. If you give up that easily or take every rejection personally – it ain’t for you.
A common question is how much is too much or when do you give up on an account? I don’t have the perfect answer but can say with conviction that if you’re questioning how much is too much, you haven’t done enough.
Repetition is a Recipe for Success
Winning deals is always exciting and one of the purest joys I’ve experienced many times in my sales career is the client email or call stating: “Thank you for your persistence”.
Imagine that? Feeling as if you’ve been stalkerish or that you left too many messages then suddenly being vindicated knowing your efforts didn’t go unnoticed. In fact, that extra effort is the reason your prospect is now a client. It’s a compliment that never gets old.
Amnesia can actually be a salesperson secret weapon. The ability to forget you’ve been calling into the same account for months or to get hung up on and pick the phone back up right away are essential survival skills in B2B Sales.
In https://saleslane.com/2018/05/unlocking-mysteries-of-conference-call/, I mention closing a Fortune 10 client after a 7 month sales cycle. There have been plenty of cases where I’ve spent months calling into accounts with zero response. Right now, I can think of half a dozen Fortune 500 clients that I’m still trying to penetrate after months without traction.
I have yet to hear “No” from these prospects. I’ll keep mixing up my messaging, reaching out to other stakeholders across relevant business units or network my way in. What I won’t do is mark the accounts Dead or Closed Lost because I know persistence pays off.
Our CRM’s, the phone and social media networks are tremendous platforms for us to sell, be seen and be heard. There are influencers to emulate, leaders to follow, clients and dreams to chase. On our journey, let’s remember that it’s our persistence which separates us from the herd. After all, most people just give up too easily, too soon.
There’s no need to scream and shout it out like Crazy Eddie. Keep showing up and continue to add value; you’ll be rewarded on your merits, professionalism and perseverance in due time.
What recent win have you experienced because of persistence?