December 2007
Print Article  |  Back By Randall Taussig - Taumark Systems

 

If you're looking to increase your sales, I would encourage you to think about bananas. Not in terms of how sales can make you bananas, but rather the riddle concerning our yellow skinned friend.

"How do you eat a ton of bananas?"

Stop and think about it for a moment. A ton of bananas? At a quarter of a pound each that's a pile of potassium nearly 8,000 strong. It's easy to get caught up visualizing the enormity of the project to the point where it seems impossible.

However, the answer to this riddle is simple. "One bite at a time." Instead of focusing on how difficult our task is, how big the pile is, or how long it will take us to complete, we shift our focus to a small and manageable task that if done consistently will whittle the pile away. When we break down a large goal into achievable activities, we magnify our chance for success.

The same methodology can be applied to our sales process. How do you land a multi-million dollar deal? One touch at a time.

Bite-Sized Activities
It's easy to look at the big goal of "increase sales" and like the banana pile, you could feel overwhelmed. To make the process more digestible, we stop focusing on how hard it will be to get to the decision maker, how big the contract is, or how long it will take us to land the deal. Instead, we spend our energy on bite-sized activities we can do today. Every time we pick up the phone, send a sales letter, e-mail an article, or mail a hand-written note, we take one bite closer to our goal.

Setting Mini Goals
By attaching a specific goal to these bite-sized activities we supercharge the process. These mini goals fall into a wide range of ambitions. Our reason for communication may be to get through the gatekeeper, build rapport, set up a meeting, or research their buying criteria. No matter the motive, the clearer our reasons for action, the bigger bites we take.

Tailoring Your Campaigns
Once we've set up the system, now we can personalize our campaigns. The more we understand the needs, wants, desires, motives, fears, and ambitions of our prospects, the more likely it is that we can craft a campaign that specifically speaks to them. When our campaigns are focused on our needs, our prospects will tune out. But when we address the concerns of our audience, they'll listen.

Prep It & Forget It
When we've established our bite-sized activities, mini goals and campaign personalization, the same strategy can be applied to several different piles (or prospects). Using sales templates, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, and other automatic administration techniques will improve our efficiency, which ultimately leads to more bites - faster.

So no matter the size, shape or color of your banana pile, remember to take it just one bite at a time.

If you’re looking for more ways to increase the impact of your sales activities, visit www.taumark.com or call Taumark Systems today at 703-476-0096.

---

Randall Taussig is the founder and President of Taumark Systems, a consulting firm that helps organizations communicates their unique value to their customers. Mr. Taussig has translated his 25-years of experience in sales, marketing, and business development in both his own business and in private industry into helping clients improve their businesses and grow their revenues. For more information, please contact Mr. Taussig at (703)476-0096 or rtaussig@taumark.com or visit our website at www.taumark.com.

©2007 Taumark Systems | All Rights Reserved.
No parts can be reproduced without permission