Between Wants and Wont’s

There are a lot of “wont’s” between you and what you want.

Some salespeople want to win more clients, but they won’t do all of the prospecting it takes to open the opportunities they need. They won’t spend their time qualifying, and they won’t target the dream clients for whom they can do head-turning, breath-taking, jaw-dropping, earth-shattering work.

Some salespeople want a chance to compete for their dream client’s business, but they won’t nurture the relationship through the periods when their dream client is using a competitor. They won’t make themselves known as a value creator, and they won’t pay in advance for what they want later.

Some salespeople want to be able to win the dream client opportunities that they do create, but they won’t spend the time learning about how and where they can create value. They won’t develop the relationships that that they need at the lower levels where much of the learning and the real power exists. And they won’t work to meet with the buying committee members and to understand their needs.

Some salespeople want to be seen as a valuable resource for their dream clients, but they won’t exert the time, effort, and energy to develop the business acumen that is required to be that resource. They won’t turn off the television or YouTube, they won’t close the laptop lid, they won’t take time away from email, and they sure as Hell won’t read a book.

Some salespeople want the sales process to help them move their dream client from target to close, but they won’t follow that sales process. They won’t ask for the commitments that they need at each stage of the sales process—the commitments that would increase the likelihood of their winning their dream client.

Some salespeople (and some companies) want to sell something more than price. They want to sell the value that they create and they want their pricing to be based on that value. They want to be something other than a commodity. But they won’t invest the time and energy developing a consensus around the value that they create with their dream client, they won’t develop the analysis that demonstrates their lower cost for the far greater results that they produce, and they won’t learn to sell the difference that they make.

It isn’t easy to bridge the gap between wants and wont’s. It takes a burning desire and a stronger will to overcome your wont’s.

Questions

What are the actions that, if taken, would help you produce the results that you really want?

What do you avoid doing? What do you tell yourself about the things that you avoid doing? How do you rationalize your failure to take the actions you need to take?

How do you get yourself to take action and overcome your “wont’s” when what you want is important to you? What do you tell yourself?