Team Alpha 375

Wasting Time

By: Dan Jourdan

I have a big sale that I am working on right now. It is one of those possible commissions that just the thought of the thing going through can send you on vacation in your head for hours. You start planning how you're going to tell your friends how you made it happen. It is almost like winning the lottery.

Early in my career, someone in my office had a $200,000 commission check. He told me he had a good year that day. I have always dreamed of saying that to someone else.

The challenge is that I have been working on this one for close to two years now and the magic is over. I just can't seem to put all the pieces in place and I am about to throw in the towel.

I told this to my mentor Earl (who was old when I met him fifteen years ago). It is amazing to think that he still has some sales wisdom left for when I need some. He listened to the story and I told him that I was sick of wasting my time on this deal.

Now I have to tell you that Earl asks a lot of questions and has an annoying way of letting you come up with the answer instead of sparring with people.

He asked:

1. How much actual time are you wasting on this? (Not much)

2. If you were not wasting your time on this, what would you be wasting your time on? (Watching TV)

3. If your solution is so valuable, then why have you not wasted the time of others in the industry to help them? (Because I am an idiot, and I don't believe in my product)

And then the killer question...

4. How much time are you wasting thinking about how you are going to spend the commission? (That one really puts things in perspective doesn't it?)

Earl, in his own casual way, once again let me realize that the problem with this sale not happening is not the fault of the deal, but the fault of the salesman... me!

He reminded me that building relationships and contacts is what we do. People buy from people because they want to and when there is a want or a need. Creatively providing value first is a must. Earl reminded me that the process for sales stays the same for every size of business and that no matter what you do, 30% of the people that you meet are price shoppers and you should give them to your competition.

Most of all, he told me again that all of this work could be looked at as a waste of time and if that is the case - you should get out of the business.

"What you are doing," he said, "is building your fortune one sale at a time. And that is not a waste of time."

Those four questions are now hanging on my wall to see all the time. I look at them when I'm not thinking and acting on ways that will help me get to the day when I can finally tell you about the commission that was so big that I had a good year that day!