Good morning!
Let me start off by saying that the overwhelming majority of work that comes out of your plant is outstanding. The work is done accurately and quickly and the clients are satisfied.
But…every once in a while, the Production Gremlins take over.
Without reading another word, you legacy salespeople know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you? You know that, on occasion, everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Sometimes it’s the little things and other times it’s big things but that doesn’t much matter when you are in sales. In addition to the frustration you feel for existing customers, you carry the sales-stopping attitude, “Why should I bother selling anything new? Production is just going to screw it up anyway.”
And it doesn’t even have to be errors. It could be volume, sheer volume. In other words, the plant is at capacity or perhaps just one press, such as that digital device that’s supposed to be so quick.
It’s defeating on a number of levels.
During these rare occasions, here are three things all salespeople should do:
- Sell anyway— the selling cycle, for the most part, is 3 to 6 months. By the time a new customer places that first order, the clouds should have cleared away.
- Get organized— use this time to clean up your desk in your office, making lists as you go. There is something oddly motivational about this action.
- Communicate— make certain that the orders you are entering are completely correct. You don’t want to be a part of the problem. Also, make certain clients are aware their jobs might be delayed. Better to have this conversation ahead of time.
You feel powerless during these rare occasions and to a large extent, you are. However, if you sit on your hands and use the situation as an excuse not to sell, you lose all momentum. Once everything is resolved, you will find yourself with several months of low sales figures.
Gremlins come and go. It’s a part of sales. For this, too, you must have a strategy.
