6/1/2009
Sales Tip – When You Find a Winning Formula, Drive It into the Ground
- Image via Wikipedia
Mountaintop experiences are the theme of this month’s “What I Learned From …” project from Robert Hruzek. He says, “Ever been at the top of a mountain (or at least a very tall building), with what seems like the whole world at your feet? It’s an awesome feeling, ain’t it?”
The mountaintop experience I’d like to share takes me back to my early days in b2b sales – before the internet, when sales people hustled up business the old fashioned way, by driving around industrial parks and visiting customers face to face. It was physically and mentally hard work. For every door that opened, ten got slammed in your face.
We were coming down to the wire on a sales contest that I really, really wanted to win. First prize was a TV and I didn’t have one. I was at the office one afternoon writing up an order (on paper) – a big order. It was for a very specialized type of paper for a specific industry, for an account our company had had in the south suburbs of Chicago for many years. I was thinking, boy, if I could come up with a couple more orders like this, the TV would be mine. Too bad there weren’t any other companies in Chicago that did the same thing.
The Mountaintop Moment
Did you ever see 2001: A Space Odyssey? Remember the scene when the Early Man picks up the thigh bone, mulls it over, and ZAP!, understands that he is holding a weapon? He throws the bone jubilantly into the air. The world is his!
[Note to reader: Author suggests playing this video as you read the following few paragraphs.]
Strange thoughts crept into my head as I stared at the order. Suddenly it occurred to me that there were other companies that did this sort of work … it was just that they were in other parts of the country. And … instead of calling on them face to face, I could use the telephone and solicit their business.
In a flash the dust of sales convention disappeared and I could see everything clearly. Using the phone, I could work fast and lock down these deals in time to win the TV. So I started tracking down other companies and lo and behold … it worked. I won the TV, orders continued to come in, and I continued to find new prospects within the niche all over the country.
From that point it was all downhill from the mountaintop, and I mean that in a good way. I figured, selling on the phone makes sense. If it works in one niche, it’ll work in another. Soon I was spending most of my time on the phone, going into the field mainly for highly qualified, closing calls. The other sales reps thought it was weird, but the business kept rolling in. Before long they let me hire a few sales reps to do the same thing. Six years later we had 30 reps doing it and a $10 million sales division.
Nothing succeeds like success – if you’re in sales, never forget it.
PS – I kept that little Zenith TV in the family room for about 15 years, enduring the mockery of my friends and the dismay of my family. My official explanation was that a new TV would be a waste of money, but just between you and me, I think the real reason was that the old Zenith reminded me of my mountaintop experience.
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16 Responses to Sales Tip – When You Find a Winning Formula, Drive It into the Ground
Brad,
Thanks for sharing your story.
Isn’t it funny how sometimes we only discover better ways of doing things when we set ourselves a challenge?
Andrews last blog post..Will good intentions wither in tough times?
Brad,
What a great experience and a great lesson. A different perspective can make all the difference.
Lillie Ammanns last blog post..My Special Days Dream or Destiny Promotion
Hi Andrew, What do they say – necessity is the mother of invention? My experience does reflect that truth.
Hi Lillie, Hope you are doing well.
Hope both of you find time to join in Robert’s project this month. I’d love to hear your stories.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Sales Tip – When You Find a Winning Formula, Drive It into the Ground
Brad, what a great story and the video was perfectly timed! This is such an amazing lesson that inspires. Often the answer is right in front of us, we just need to open our minds to see it. Thanks for sharing this Brad and congrats on the TV!
Karen Swims last blog post..Hitting Our Stride In June
Hi Karen, I’m going to try setting posts to music again. You should do that – your posts are perfect for music!
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Sales Tip – When You Find a Winning Formula, Drive It into the Ground
What an inspiring story you’ve just shared. It has immensely enriched the post – makes it sit up and stand to attention. Lovely indeed.
Just goes to show you what can be done when you think “outside the cell”. All this time I believed it was illegal to sell the paper used to print US currency to anyone but the Mint. You were smart enough to look at the various existing and aspiring counterfitters out there as an underserved market! Not to sure about the phone records created but what the heck…
On a more serious note, didn’t know until today that you were the “father of telemarketing”. Might be worth considering the addition of that title to your business card!
A truly inspiring story! And it proves that our own need to make things work faster, while covering an always bigger area, is what drives innovation in many fields. Your Zenith kind of reminds me of a dress I bought with money I earned at a Latin contest. It was a lovely dress, the most expensive one I had at the time. I still have it. Miraculously, it still fits and it still looks pretty good
Alina Popescus last blog post..5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Learn Social Media Skills from Stars
Alina, Very good work on staying fittable in that dress. Not many dresses or people can outlast my Zenith!
Brad Shorrs last blog post..New SEO, Web Content Training for Non-Geeks
Thanks for sharing this Brad. It’s so hard to realize how quickly we’ve moved away from face to face all the way to now when there’s sales folks out there doing everything via email.
And the lesson you state in your headline is very important… Truth is if you hadn’t run with your idea your competitors would have. So take it where it leads.
Fred H Schlegels last blog post..Parking Meters
Fred, Good point – Taking the initiative is a good idea even if you’re not sure of the outcome – a preemptive strike on the competition.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..New SEO, Web Content Training for Non-Geeks
Wow, Brad – you really ARE somebody!
Don’cha just love it when things come together like that? It’s like bein’ on top of the game. Or riding that perfect wave. Or maybe like hitting the ball right on that sweet spot that sends it soaring off into the distance.
And it’s good to know you’ve taken that lesson and applied it to new stuff, too. (Congrats on the new SEO course, by the way! I just know you and Stephen are gonna be winners at it!)
Hi Robert, Thank you for the encouragement on our training course!
Bill and Robert – I wouldn’t say I invented telemarketing (hey, I’m no Al Gore), but in our industry at that time, it really was peculiar.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..New SEO, Web Content Training for Non-Geeks
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I think it is funny, now that phone and email marketing have become so common, face-to-face has become a competitive advantage for some types of sales.
Luke Gedeons last blog post..There’s Gold in Them Thar Hills
Hi Luke, it is funny. Things go full circle. When the time comes that travel is more comfortable and affordable, I’ll bet you see lots more emphasis on good, old fashioned face to face meetings. Let’s hope the time comes sooner rather than later.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Are You a Social Media Doer or Dabbler?