Ever since the first sale was consummated years ago, sales people and those that manage them, have been looking for new and innovative ideas to improve their company's market share and increase sales. In an effort to find new "glitzy" sales techniques and approaches, many business's forget since selling began there are basics of sales planning, call preparation, calls, presentations, follow-up, and follow through that must be mastered and used on a daily bases.
The fundamentals of sales can be compared to the famous Vince Lombardi power sweep that ruled pro football for a decade. Coach Lombardi explained it this way, "You think there is anything special about this sweep? Well, there isn't. It's as basic a play as there can be in football. We simply do it over and over and over." The play was so successful the Green Bay Packers under the leadership of Vince Lombardi in nine seasons (1958-68) won six conference titles and five championships including victories in the first two Super Bowls in 1967 and 1968.
Since the first football game was played November 6, 1869 between Rutgers and Princeton the teams that block and tackle the best win.
The fundamentals of the game have not changed and "The Power Sweep" of Lombardi relied on the basic task of blocking, nothing new, or flashy, just using a long-term basic principle to achieve maximum results.In sales executing the basic principles will win over clever strategies or fancy programs. Setting goals, planning the day, the week, the quarter, the year, working on the sales presentations by learning the product or service, making sales calls, and following up once the sale has been closed does not seem exciting but the results from doing these things over and over again will have the same success as "The Power Sweep."
For example, one of the first fundamental principles of sales is planning. Someone once said, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Planning is vital to successful sales as it gives the needed direction to accomplish your goals, just as a road map gives direction to help you end up at the desired destination. Planning where you want to go and who you want to see that day is beneficial with time management to utilize time and monetary resources effectively.
If you are not familiar with the fundamentals of sales or would like more information, please write to: gthornton3@cox.net and I will be happy to answer questions to help increase your knowledge and sales.
Blocking and Tackling