He was weepy-eyed and sincere when he said it: ‘But Randy, I really hoped the deal was going to come in. I NEEDED it.’
Sounds all too familiar. Embracing reality and creating a plan with realistic results. Sounds simple, right? Wrong.
Tragically, ‘Hope’ is an all too common strategy we see reps using when seeking new deals.
Many sales reps avoid the truth of their situation, and heavily rely on Hope. But Hope will never deliver consistent results
At Span the Chasm, we teach the concept of Running to the TRUTH™ as a way to combat this.
Take a moment to watch a Monday Morning Pearl video with more on this topic…
Our principle of Running to the Truth™ is a simple way of embracing and actively uncovering the reality of your prospects, even if you don’t like it, learning when it’s time to face the fact that the deal is out alignment and time is being wasted to save it.
This leads to reps being trapped in ‘Maybe-land’ where no meaningful deals get done. It is time to admit to yourself and your leadership that this deal isn’t going to happen unless something changes and changes QUICKLY!
Even if we don’t like the results, we Run to the Truth™ because the truth doesn’t change. The truth doesn’t care how we feel about it.
The mark of a good sales person is one who Runs to the Truth™ as quickly as possible and focuses on opportunities where it’s truly possible to win. It is better to focus on 4 deals that are in alignment with your product and goals, than to spend time on 10 deals, if 6 of them seem out of alignment and are diluting your resources.
The ultimate goal is to stand on the truth, which is the safest place to be. Once we have run to the truth, we can make a plan based on reality and navigate to a realistic end state.
While this concept may be a simple one, we see it as a common issue with underperforming sales teams. It’s a critical factor we teach to help sales reps improve and focus on what matters.
Have you spent too much time hoping for a deal to close? Let us help get your team in alignment with your prospects and goals.
Contact us to set up a Complimentary Strategy call.