Many times you'll see me use the phrase "the harder you work the luckier you get". Many years ago Jack Carroll (Partner with Century Office Products) use to tell me this every time I brought in a decent size order. The first time I met Jack was way back in 1986 and that was the year I started my dealership Atlantic Office Systems in New Jersey. After selling the business to my partners in 1998 (best thing I ever did) I took a sales position with Century Office Products in New Jersey. I believe it was 2010 when Jack and his partners sold the business to Stratix Systems.
What I could never figure out is why all the sales people did not stay on board. I was the only one that stayed and I guess you could say that I came with the deal (lol). Anyway that phrase has stuck with me all of these years. It was not until today that Coach told me what the "luck" part actually stands for, it's Labor Under Correct Knowledge. Guess I've been ahead of my time all these years!
It's after 10PM here in Jersey and the memory of what happened today is fading fast. I prepped for a 10AM meeting that never happened, after three phone calls and one email I moved on to bigger and better things. One of my plans was to secure an existing order for $8.5K and get a meeting with a net new for the $11K opportunity.
I was able to meet with the net new account, we went over the specifics of the offer and this was after the proposal was sent. I was told the DM was a numbers person, thus I was asked to simplify the quote for the three proposed copiers I was offering. I wasn't going to sell three but I made sure that I was quoting three different copiers that would meet their needs with the hope that there wouldn't be any shopping. I do hate to bring up the shopping bit in a conversation because if they we'rent shopping they might be after I made mention of it.
I thought it was best to rely on what I do best and leave it at that. I finished up the revised numbers and email with one caveat that the two extra items I put in had a expiration. I guess that's quid pro quo right? You give me this and I'll give you that as long as we get it done by x date. Seems this might roll till the last day of the month.
I tried three times in the day to reach my existing client that was stated he would upgrade as long as they could save money. I had sent the closing email the other day and today was do or die. Nothing on those three calls, just about 4PM I dialed again and got my guy. He was swamped with work and stated he didn't have time to review yet and stated maybe Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Oh frak Wednesday that's not going to work for me I thought. With that I stated my month ends on Tuesday and can you at least review it then or we could do everything via email. He came back with that's no fun, I'll look at this over the weekend and you plan to come in on Tuesday okay? Did anyone think I was going to say NO.
That's a verbal in my book, and I'll be there with docs that need to be signed. K, as long as this one goes I need another $10K to hit my goal.
The horse race is on!
-=Good Selling=-
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