COMMITMENT
MAKING A COMMITMENT HAS 3 LEVELS
I SHOULD do something,
I WANT to do something, and
I NEED to do something.
Most commitments are made when we get to the NEED level, whether that be increased learning, selling or hiring.
The Small Business Results Case Study:
People open a business because they have an idea, an interest, a passion or a skill and they get certified or licensed. They then fail to realize that to succeed they must also know how to master the selling of their product or service. Before they start a business, most people have no way of knowing how much effort is needed to fill the pipeline and cultivate the relationships necessary to close sales. Time after time I meet with small business owners who say they have no revenue and that business is really bad. When I ask them about their sales calls they answer “Oh, I hate that part!” I ask, “Well, do you have clients that you worked with in the past? Can you call them?” Their answer is usually, “I really don’t want to. It seems so salesy. I know I need to do this, and I want to, but I hate it!”
The Small Business Results Outcome:
Selling requires discipline and consistency. I ask the business owner to create a list of 30 concrete names with contact information and to commit to making at least one or two calls a day and to tracking the results of those calls. This list consisted of past clients, friends, family, as well as new leads. By committing to make at least one or two calls a day the business owner went from zero sales calls to making 20 to 40 calls a month. The result was a 7% increase in sales!