Always vs. Occasionally or Sometimes in Sales

I don’t know about where you are, but here in Northern New York it has been raining – every single day. Ok perhaps it only FEELS like it is every day, but that got me thinking.

What are the things that happen in sales, that feel like an ALWAYS but are actually only OCCASIONALLY or SOMETIMES?

• No one ever calls me back.
• I always get voicemail.
• My goal/quota is unreachable.
• I never win bids.

Here is the question we have to answer – Is that REALLY true… always?

All of the sudden “No one ever calls me back” becomes: Most of the time my customers call me back when they need something, but on my first cold call almost no one calls me back.

“I always get voicemail” changes into: 8 or 9 out of every 10 dials I make kick me into a voicemail system.

“My goal/quote is unreachable” transforms to: When I don’t have a full pipeline I don’t know how I’m going to reach goal.

“I never win bids” is really: If I’m not in on the writing of the specifications, my chances of winning a bid are very low.

See the difference? The turn of a phrase makes a difference in how we view our world. Don’t cheat yourself with ALWAYS or NEVER! Be honest with yourself, hey it’s sunny right now – sure it might rain later but that doesn’t mean it is always raining.