WIN! It's NOT Your Only Goal

5 Tips to Focus on a WIN.

Do you sometimes get caught up in trying to do everything possible to win a sale at all costs?  Many salespeople do and it can be a big source of frustration and even a wedge between you and your prospect.

What’s more important is focusing on a WIN - What’s Important Now.

I listened to an interview with the great former football coach, Lou Holtz. What an amazing discussion. He said many things that I found interesting and when it was over it was clear to me why he had such sustained success throughout his lengthy career.

He has always been driven by goals and tracked his progress by measuring his achievements, big or small. I have no doubt the man would have been an amazing salesperson if he had chosen that path instead of coaching. He is deliberate, profound, and has a gift for connecting with people.  

One of the gems he dropped was his concept of the word WIN. During a speech to the US Ryder Cup golf team, he talked about the word WIN. He spoke not in the context of winning but in focusing your efforts on What’s Important Now.

In the game of golf, what you’ve done isn’t always as important as what you are about to do next. If you smashed a 300 yards drive down the middle of the fairway; What’s Important Now? You are only one third of the way to your goal for just that hole.  

If you do something great, it’s easy to get swept in the enthusiasm and lose focus on What’s Important Now. Likewise, if something goes wrong, we can get swept up in the problem and lose sight of what we must do next.  

If you employ a selling system, you are likely to have a progression of steps which takes your prospect from interested to sold. Focusing on WIN (What’s Important Now) will help you take your prospect through each of these steps. To accomplish this, you must create a mutual agreement between you and your prospects along the way.

Here are 5 easy things to focus on at the start of each interaction with your clients to ensure you are both focused on a WIN (What’s Important Now).

1. Confirm each interaction has a clear and mutually agreed upon agenda or objective.
2. Agree on how much time will be required for this engagement.
3. Define your role in this interaction and what your prospect should expect from you.
4. Ensure your prospect is aware of what’s expected of them and how they will need to participate.
5. Come to an understanding on what will be decided when the interaction is complete to either move the opportunity forward or to close the file.

If you follow these steps every time, you and your prospect will have a clear understanding of a WIN and keep the process moving forward.