The Southwest

I returned yesterday from the Southwest, where I did a half day program for a group of industrial sales people. I try to learn something from every trip and pass it on to you. This time it is based on the old saying "When you don't succeed try and try again".

I am not sure that is true, and I point to the people that I dealt with yesterday. They have discovered, over the years, that certain techniques that they have been using do not work.

The continued to work at the same "speed" forever, until someone said why are we doing it this way it doesn't work.

Their sales shot up dramatically, simply because they tried something new.

What some of them did was to conduct seminars or lunches, for the top clients in their market place. They uncovered opportunities that they had never thought about before. These were not "bitch" sessions where the clients took off on the sales people. These were social gatherings where the buyers could talk about the needs that they saw coming down the pike.

These meetings were so successful, that they are doing the same for the second and third tier levels, and getting results.

Before they did this, everything was the same old drop- by and shake hands. See what was up; and try to sell something that they were pitching that day.

This is something that you could try too. You merely have to invite some people to spend time with you, and you will get NEW sales.

Try it, and let me know.

Good selling,

Steve