How to Approach B2B Sales

Scenario: "I have to close many sales today! Yay!" The common mindset to sales:

1. Contact prospect.
2. Close prospect.

The better approach:

1. Set up sales seeds today.
2. Anticipate sales tomorrow.

(Adjust range, accordingly.)

B2B Sales Takes Patience

Sure, you might look at your quota -- and think:

• "Hey, I have to close 5 clients this week."

Common wisdom would tell you:

1. Contact as many customers as possible.
2. Try to close at least 5 within that campaign.

So, you start solely focusing on "closing." Then, when you convert zero customers during a day, you'll tell yourself you'll adopt a more aggressive approach the following day. That leads to a vicious cycle of your sales flat-lining.

Plant Seeds Instead

Then, focus on closing. That is, instead of seeing sales as something you have to close outright, see it as a two-step approach:

1. Plant seeds.
2. Close sales.

You plant more seeds, you'll close more sales. Read that sonofabetch again:

• You plant more seeds, you'll close more sales.
• You plant more seeds, you'll close more sales.
• You plant more seeds, you'll close more sales.
• You plant more seeds, you'll close more sales.
• You plant more seeds, you'll close more sales.

Planting Seeds?

Planting seeds means you're getting the customer to commit to something; that is, you're selling a commitment instead of your actual product. Examples include:

• Selling an appointment.
• Sending your online brochure.
• Setting up a demo.
• Sending questionnaires.
• Yadda, yadda, yadda

Use whatever moves the prospect along your sales pipeline, then measure how well you're selling that "middle" thingamajigga.

How to Grow Ridiculous Gardens

Growing your sales numbers is akin to growing gardens. Say you want to grow an lush garden full of fruit and vegetables from scratch -- in the fastest time possible. What do you do?

• You plant every frickin fruit and vegetable you want in your garden -- right now.
• You sow your seeds.
• You start watering your babies.

Then eventually, what happens?

• Kaaa-mutha-@^^%-booooom!

You start seeing the fruits of your labor, with oranges here, apples there, strawberries over there, and big effin watermelons in front of you. You sing a happy song. Planting sales seeds gets you similarly super-duper-awesome results.

The sexy approach:

1. Plant as many seeds as possible -- ASAP.
2. Delight in eventual increased sales.

Start seeding.

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