Jill Konrath writes wonderfully about sales, and I find much of what she has to say applies across the spectrum of business—and personal—activities.
Take, for example, a recent post/video where she tells her audience how to handle crazy busy people. Because we’re all in sales in one form or another, we need to take note of her undeniable wisdom in this area.
First of all, busy people try hard, perhaps unconsciously, to limit access. You have a hard time getting on their calendars. You get voice mail—yeah, it’s still being used—or they don’t text you back. Then, doggone it, they forget to schedule meetings or do what they said they’d do. It’s not that they’re trying to be obstructionists, they’re just frazzled. They roll their eyes—literally or figuratively—when things get too complex. And you lose them.
There are other obstacles, too. As Ms. Konrath points out, the insanely busy tend toward the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach.” So they can be difficult to energize, what with everything else they have on their plates. And they may “think that you and your competitors are near clones of each other.” That’s a tough one.
What to do? Ms. Konrath suggests you use the four rules of SNAP selling when dealing with prospects or those you would persuade. Keep it Simple. Be iNvaluable. Always Align with business objectives. And raise Priorities (which means keeping what’s important in the forefront.) These are great suggestions. They are spare and elegant. And I’m curious, particularly, to know how you keep priorities raised without being pesty.
Photo Credit: bowie15 (123rf.com)
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