Editor's Note: Cycling To The End

Enjoy a preview of May's Creative Selling Editor's Note

Tasks that seem impossible are only going to be hard if you don’t prepare for their challenges. Research and preparation are key to being successful in sales, without them clients and prospects would be let down.
Huge tasks can be accomplished with careful planning. For the past few months, I’ve been training for a 100-mile bike ride in June. I’ve been going to indoor cycling classes where I can focus on my technique and push myself to discover my limits on the safety of a stationary bike.
As the weather is getting warmer and I have fewer than 100 days to the ride, I have to leave the gym and focus on enduring the elements of outdoor riding. I bought new road tires that should help me cover more distance with less effort, which will be helpful between hills. I’ve also had to go riding in the rain to get used to what it feels like to ride a slippery road.
Putting in all of this time, effort and money is a lot of work, but I know that I will not be able to finish the ride if I do not do it. The same idea applies to sales – if you don’t learn about your clients’ needs before you make a proposal, you won’t get the sale, and you’ll have wasted everyone’s time.
I want to finish all 100 miles in six hours. I’m only racing against the clock, but if I quit, I’ll be letting myself down. As a salesperson, what is your objective? What is to be gained from your efforts? What do you want the end result to be?
Know what your goals are and plan out a way to reach them, because anything can be accomplished with a plan.

To preparation,

Kaye Maloney
Editorial Intern