In Selling, Are You a "Waiter?" (It's Not What You Think)

Immediacy is a prized trait in business. For better or worse, businesses run on what happens today, not on what might happen tomorrow or next year. Therefore, we all live in the environment of sales targets, sales goals, sales budgets, bonuses, incentives, sales plans, and projections.

Business investors, owners, executives and managers want to know what you're selling today, and they want to have confidence that you're going to duplicate what you're selling today again tomorrow, too, and the next day and the next month and the next year (but with a 10 - 20 percent increase, of course).

Despite the length of sales cycle (the door-to-door salesperson has an extremely short one while the stock broker courting high net worth individuals might have a long sales cycle), immediacy rules the day.

"Waiters" don't do well in the sales profession. In selling, a "waiter" is someone who waits for good things to happen. It might be out of hope for the future, or it might be out of laziness or a personality trait that lacks immediacy to take action or be accountable for one's own sales performance.

If you tend toward being a "waiter", ask yourself five questions every day (post them on your cell phone, by your office phone, on your mirror, or in your car) to help keep you focused and falling into the trap of becoming a waiter:

1. Is what I'm doing right now going to help me generate revenue today?

2. If not, what must I do today to bring in sales now?

3. What business do I need to close today even though I tend to believe that the prospect really will "think about it."

4. What actionable behaviors am I going to do today that will help position me for success today?

5. What can I do today to spend less time thinking (hoping?) about the future rather than taking action today?

6. What action will I do today to take responsibility for my own success?

If you like this post (or don't) please click on "comments" below and share your comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, in the financial, real estate, and insurance markets, and other consumer-selling industries.

Contact Skip | Join Mailing List

Follow on Twitter | Connect on Facebook | Connect on LinkedIn