Focus on the Denominator - Bob Sherman - MediaBizBloggers

Enough is never enough for the great seller!

If he/she opened up eight new accounts last month, why wasn't it twelve? If twelve, why not fourteen. If the closing ratio was 50% during the month of eight new accounts, he/she wonders why only 16 presentations were made. "Holy Myrtle, I made only 16 presentations in an entire month? Am I spending time on what I like to do, or on what I have to do? What's the flaw in my prospecting? Am I using the telephone too much, or too little? How did I get the first visits on the accounts that closed; on the telephone or via walk-in cold calls?"

Now the other few salesmen who also sold eight new accounts found themselves hoisting a few on the last Friday of the month. The only question on their minds was how soon the eagle would fly. The great seller might have joined in the party, but to help them celebrate their victory, not his.

Think of it this way. The great seller says to himself that for every account he sells in his marketing area there are dozens who would benefit from his product or service that haven't yet been seen.

You see, her sales are the numerator (yes, political rectitude), but she worries about the denominator, all those folks who could have been helped, but were never gotten to.

One day I'll get the book done. And when it sells one million copies, I'll go to the party but my smile will be forced because all I'll be thinking is "why didn't all those other people buy it?"

Nah, at one million I'll forget about the denominator. But not until then.

Great Selling!

Bob Sherman has 40 years experience managing relationships between media companies and advertisers in old and new media from radio, cable and TV to the Internet, and from sales executive to chief executive and from the biggest media corporations to his own entrepreneurial companies. He is currently in partnership with Pilot Group, LLC. Bob can be reached at rsherman@pilotgroup.biz.

Read all Bob's MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Great Sellers Go To Heaven.

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