Top 10 Rules to Winning Part 1 of 2

In recent weeks I have been thinking about what it takes to win. These thoughts usually run through my mind this time of year being that it’s the end of my fiscal year and I’m trying to close my year strong. I try to live by these rules year round and they have helped me win more than I lose. Whether it’s winning a business deal, in sports or life in general, there are a few rules that applicable for every situation. These 10 rules, if followed, can help anyone reach their goals, quotas and milestones in life.
1.Sweat the small stuff.
There is a saying that, in life you should not sweat the small stuff, but that cannot be further from the truth in business. The small stuff can mean the difference between winning and losing. In business, try to always remember to focus on the small details. This is especially hard for someone like me is not a details person. Little details such as, remembering the name of someone who is not necessarily the decision maker but can have an influence on the decision make. Small details are deal makers or deal breakers. Details such as an enthusiastic and sincere greeting, strong hand shake, remembering pictures in a prospects office, picking up on likes and dislikes of your customer and most importantly, knowing when to end a call and not over stay your welcome. A bunch of small details can lead to a bunch of big wins.
2. K.I.S.S
This is an oldie but goodie. Always Keep It Simple Stupid (sorry, I didn’t make up the saying I’m just following it). There is so much truth in these four little letters. If you want to quickly lose a deal just make it as complicated as possible. Customers do not care about how smart you think you are, they want to know how you can help them solve a problem. Keep the deal simple, stick to what is important to your customer not what’s important to you. You do not have to recite word for word everything marketing has taught you in training. (This is coming from someone with a marketing degree)
3. The work comes before the win.
The worst thing a salesperson can do is walk into a deal thinking they have won it before they put the work into winning it. Whether it is an existing customer or a new customer, every opportunity should be treated as if it is competitive even if it isn’t. Never let your guard down. Remember the three P’s, prepare, practice and perfect.
Prepare for every situation, Practice for every situation and Perfect your skills and knowledge. There are no short cuts to winning. Do the work and you will win the deal.
4. Confidence is key.
You have to have confidence in what you are doing. When you have confidence in your skills and product, customer’s pickup on it and believe you know what you are talking about even in those time you don’t have a clue what you are talking about. However, when you lack confidence it comes across as a lack of knowledge and that you don’t know what you are doing or talking about. There is a difference between a lack of confidence and a lack of knowledge. Even when you know everything there is to know about your product and you have perfected your skills the lack of confidence can be a deal killer. I remember when I finished my new hire training at my current company; the “rite of passage” was that I had to present a 99 slide PowerPoint presentation that we normally do for customers, to the management team of my company; VP of Sales, Marketing Manager and a Regional Manager. I had never presented this presentation to a group, only rehearsed it to myself a few day before presenting to management. When I finished, the management team could not believe that I had never presented the presentation before and that that was my first time ever. My success was not due to my complete knowledge of the material but because of the confidence I had in my presentation skills.
5. Losing is a great motivator.
Everyone loses a deal once in a while. Even the best sales people can and do lose deals. But instead of wallowing in your defeat, lick your wounds, pick yourself up and move on. When you lose a deal it should motivate you even more to win the next one. In every defeat there are keys to winning the next deal. Self-analyzes is very important after a loss. After I lose a deal I always ask myself a series of questions; why did I lose, was it price, lack of products, did my product not met the customer’s needs, what details did I miss etc… I always go back to the customer and ask them what were the deciding factors, sometimes they will be honest and tell you sometimes they won’t but you have to ask.
Remember, a lose is not the end of a deal but the beginning of your next.

Stay tuned of part 2...