The Benefits of Preparing

Sunday's are my day to prepare for the week ahead.

I have a routine which involves non-work activities such as visiting a favorite coffee shop and engaging in conversation with friends for a couple hours. By the afternoon, I will look over my week ahead and do some preparation and planning.

Each night I have my routine of selecting my clothing for the next day.

Routines and preparation, these are the steps to eventual retirement. They should also be the daily steps in our working life.

Jim Meisenhiemer shared his thoughts on this subject in a recent sales email:

Super Selling Results Requires Extraordinary Preparation

Unless you were in a coma, you know this past weekend was all about the Super Bowl. Sure I watched the game - but I somehow managed to fall asleep during the last three minutes of the game.

I had to read about the upset victory in the Monday morning newspaper.

Because it was the Super Bowl weekend, Parade Magazine had a feature article about Bart Starr, who is the only quarterback ever to win five NFL championship games.

The article had many positive things to say about Bart Starr. But it turns out Bart Starr said some remarkable things about his head coach - Vince Lombardi. Here are just a few of the things he said about the great coach.

When Vince Lombardi became the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, they had only won one game the previous year.

At their first team meeting the coach thanked the players for allowing him to be their coach.

Apparently what he said next got everyone's attention. "Gentlemen, we are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because nothing is perfect. But we are going to relentlessly chase it, because in the process we will catch excellence."

Bart Starr recalls Lombardi standing within a foot of the first row of his team. He then said, "I am not remotely interested in just being good."

Bart Starr was indeed a star!

Vince Lombardi was by all measure an extraordinary and results oriented head football coach.

Enough about football. Let's talk about selling.

If you're an entrepreneur or a professional sales representative I urge you not to be remotely interested in just being good.

I encourage you to relentlessly chase perfection in order to catch excellence in your sales territory.

The way to achieve super selling results is to show up on your sales prospect's doorstep well prepared.

Prepare how you will ask for the appointment.

Prepare how you will build rapport and establish credibility.

Prepare how you will qualify your sales prospect.

Prepare the questions you will ask during the sales interview.

Prepare how you will segue from your questions to your sales presentation.

Prepare how you will respond to the objections you get.

Prepare how you will add value to your sales proposals.

Prepare how you will secure the commitment.

Prepare how you will follow-up.

Prepare how you will ask for referrals.

Prepare how you will ask for testimonial quotes.

In sales being prepared isn't an option - it's a requirement!

Success in selling is a journey and the road to achieving success is paved with your preparation!

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