Sales Tip of the Week from Mike Leeds – Pro Sales Coaching
What Salespeople Can Learn From Following Instructions
Assembly instructions are usually more trouble for some of us then they’re worth. It takes too long to follow the directions, they're too elementary, and most of us think it's pretty obvious what we need to do. That's why most of the time I don't bother looking at assembly instructions. Usually, I find looking at the picture, and using my creative talents will work just fine with assembling the project. So what if there are a few spare parts? I've always believed this to be a bonus from the manufacturer in case you misplace a part, or that they are just trying to mess with us by letting us think we forgot something.
Sometimes, you'll even find instructions about the location that you should assemble your product – like we're idiots. Okay, I'm guilty of this one… Back in the '80's, I assembled my daughter's crib while watching a Phoenix Suns Basketball game in the family room. It became apparent that I had a problem when I tried to fit the crib through the doorway of the nursery. So, I had the opportunity to take most of it apart and assemble it again. It wasn’t until later that I saw a suggestion in the directions (when I filled out the warranty card) that you should assemble the crib in the room where it will reside (a great tip).
Normally, my policy has been that instructions are merely suggestions, but not something that we need to follow. My practice has been to open the box, toss out the instructions, and begin building a creative masterpiece. Most of the time, this practice has worked out just fine for me. The only exception to this practice has been when it involves health and safety issues (like assembling a gas BBQ, swing set, and now we can add crib to the list).
Recently I had the opportunity to assemble an Elliptical Cross-Training piece of exercise equipment. Since this fell within my "health and safety" guidelines, as well as some encouragement from my wife, I actually followed the assembly instructions. While this seemed to take a little longer than my usual method, I found these instructions to be very well laid out. The process went smoothly, there were no injuries, everything fit, and there were no "extra" parts or surprises. The instructions began with organizing the parts, informing me of the required tools, and then a step-by-step set of assembly instructions. What a brilliant concept!
This process may actually work in many sales situations. Plan your work – then work your plan. Follow a process to make sure you don’t miss anything, and that you are providing the best alternative and service for your customer. Curve balls will be thrown at you from time-to-time (so you need to be able to think on your feet and respond accordingly). However, most of the time, "this process thing" will work well for you. An effective sales plan will save you time, improve the level of services you provide to your customers, improve your sales results, and reduce the number of "surprises" you may encounter.
Have a great sales week!
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