You have to trim if you want to grow… By Steve
Waterhouse
It cooled down a little this evening (under 90!) so
Gina and I spent a few minutes trimming the bushes and
palm trees in the front of the house. It’s amazing how
cutting back a few branches can make the rest of the
plant grow healthier. The plan refocuses its attention
on the remaining parts and within days you see the
difference.
Bushes aren’t all that needs trimming!
Whether I am teaching consultative selling or major
account management or negotiating, the same question
comes up. You ask, “Steve, if I do all that new work at
my key accounts, when will I have time to call on the
other ones?”
The truth is… you won’t.
Sure, you can use the strategies I teach in Time and
Territory Management to cover more accounts in less time
or to keep in touch with most of your B and C accounts,
but that is seldom enough. At some point, something has
to give. It you want to grow your territory, you’ll have
to trim and focus.
More from the same ones.
Many of you have heard me challenge you when I ask if
you think you could double your sales without ever
adding one more client. Invariably, you say ‘Of course!’
Well, if that is true then why not do it?
Here’s an idea.
Are there a few accounts in your territory that will
never amount to anything no matter what you do? You
know, the ones that are small and not growing or are a
poor fit for your offerings. Some of these accounts tie
up a disproportionately large amount of your time. It’s
time to turn them over to the customer service
department. Let them make the calls and handle the
problems. They can do it all on the phone and can
probably do a better job.
Let go – climb higher!
It is absolutely a fact that you can never climb a
ladder any higher than the lowest rung you are willing
to let go of. Try it! If you want to get to the top, you
have to leave something behind. Be smart about it and
you will find you can grow your territory faster and
better than you ever thought possible.
Steve Waterhouse is Principal and Founder of Waterhouse
Group (www.waterhousegroup.com), a sales consulting and
training company that helps companies dramatically
increase their sales. He can be reached at
1-800-57-LEARN or
info@waterhousegroup.com.
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