Follow
Having patience is giving the client their space, while at the same time being proactive to help them solve their issues. It’s not being aggressive, but assertive.
It’s nearing the end of the fiscal year and you’re $50K away from making your annual sales budget, and yikes there’s only three weeks to go.
Do you feel that sense of urgency? You bet! It’s the position most of us have experienced many times.
What do you do? Call your best clients looking for a silver bullet? Talk to some prospects that are considering your solution but haven’t pulled the trigger yet?
Sales is one of those careers that requires hustle, stamina, persistence, resilience and I believe more than anything else, patience!
Why do so many salespeople find themselves coming down to the wire to make their quota? The productivity they exhibit the last three weeks of the year is amazing. Why can’t that be consistent throughout the year?
Because of this pattern, we generally see that in an average quarter of the year, two-thirds of the sales will come in the third month. You’ll also see the budget increase from the first quarter of the year to the fourth quarter.
If you’re in sales, you must balance having a sense of urgency for twelve months, and at the same time, you need to be patient.
Clients enjoy working with salespeople that are patient yet persistent and have a sense of urgency.
Having patience is giving the client their space, while at the same time being proactive to help them solve their issues. It’s not being aggressive, but assertive.
It’s prioritizing the needs of the client and reminding them of the benefits they will receive when they decide to move forward with you. It’s making a case for the benefits they will receive from your solution.
Now let’s look at patience when it comes to personality styles.
Blue and Green personalities by nature are more patient and passive.
They’re great at asking questions and letting the client move at their own pace.
Golds and Oranges personalities are more aggressive by nature, therefore are less patient than Blues and Greens.
The right balance is for all four styles to move to assertive, being proactive while being patient keeping the client’s needs and timeline always top of mind.
Being patient and assertive means working your prospects and clients on a consistent basis, communicating with them on a frequent basis for the right reasons – meaning, meeting their needs – showing value and reiterating the benefits of your solutions.
It’s not just about selling your products and services, but helping your clients solve their business issues and helping grow their business.
Patience means that you’re in it for the long term. Building strong client relationships takes patience. It’s a balance between achieving your annual goals by helping your clients achieve theirs.
Selling is an art and a science. Patience is more of an art and your sales process is more of a science. Work them both to achieve your success.