It’s easy to be a starter, but are you a sticker, too?It’s difficult to be positive, productive and persistent (but not pushy) in the face of rejection. Nonetheless, this is the challenge the most successful salespeople confront and master every day.
MARGARET THATCHER, British Prime Minister
How do they do it? What makes them different?
In the book, The Success Principles, Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer cite findings from Howard True, a marketing specialist at Notre Dame University.
True’s research provides some valuable insights. Salespeople quit trying to sell after:
- First sales call - 44%
- Second sales call - 24%
- Third sales call - 14%
- Fourth sales call - 12%
In other words, 94% of all salespeople simply stop trying after the fourth sales call. Think about that for a moment.
Now consider this fact. True's data also indicate 60% of all sales occur sometime after the fourth call.
The most persistent salespeople are in effect competing with only 6% of all other salespeople. The others have declared defeat and dropped out of the running.
Now consider this fact. True's data also indicate 60% of all sales occur sometime after the fourth call.
The most persistent salespeople are in effect competing with only 6% of all other salespeople. The others have declared defeat and dropped out of the running.
Successful salespeople are self-starters. They're focused and determined in the face of rejection or silence. They're stickers, who persevere beyond the fourth sales call.
They're invested in longterm sustainable success and prefer discipline and diligence to one-time quick wins. Consciously or unconsciously, they're both working the process and allowing the process to work for them.
Are we all losing sales, because we're walking away from the process too early?
Perhaps it's time to discover the 6% sales solution.
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Related
Sales Champ or Destructive Hero?
Sales | How Do You Jumpstart Sales? (series)
Price Pressure | Internal Forces
Business Lesson 1 from Mr. Blandings
*The 6% Solution is a revised, updated version of an earlier post.