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How is Catching a Dirty Rat Similar to Sales?
Before you start discounting this post because you think I’m going to call your sales subjects a dirty rat, hear me out! Since my creative mind gets inspired by the craziest things, I recently equated the quest of capturing several dirty rats in our planter to some very important sales principles. That’s what this is about.
Those darn rats! They have been teasing me every evening I sit on my patio as they scurry quickly up our back planter wall behind the star jasmine. I have tried hitting them with my trusty pellet gun (don’t tell our neighbors please-Greg got it for me for Christmas, convinced it would help me!) I have scared several squirrels off our bird feeder, but alas, no rats! So I resorted to traps—the kind that snap HARD on your fingers if you don’t set them just right. (Click here for online GoogleDocs Measure Your Momentum survey!)
Outsmarting a Rat
Night after night I set the trap with a little piece of bread and peanut butter to lure them. Night after night they would steal the bait, snap the trap and drag it to a different location. Finding the sprung trap, I would verbalize other ideas to catch the dirty rats. (I was sure there were at least several!) Greg so sweetly asked, Are you really trying to outsmart a rat? Of course this made me feel very intelligent, but I knew the answer was YES! (he did mean well-I promise!)
When planning my strategy, I realized how catching a dirty rat related to sales. O.K., so here is where you have to hear me out! After a certain number of unsuccessful nights of trapping (two weeks to be exact!) I changed the bait slightly. I used a flat cracker with peanut butter, then sprinkled sunflower seeds on top.
Success from a Revised Plan
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That night, I experienced success! I caught a big dirty rat. Yes, it was fairly gross, but that rat is now in landfill heaven.The next night, apparently another rat had learned from his pals fate and shoved the trap forward to spring it, then ate the food.
Again, I went to my newly started Outsmart a Rat Journal (not currently available) and decided to barricade the trap with part of a large twig and large lemons. (I did not find this anywhere in online rat trap instructions!) With that plan in place, another dirty rat is now experiencing our local landfill!
Evaluation and Further Revision
It worked again the next night, but alas, it’s time for me to be creative again. A very large rat was able to move the trap successfully and sprung it without getting caught. So I’m changing my strategy slightly. I will now put barricades on all four sides. (we have lots of large lemons!) Success again!
I’m sure my dirty rat adventure will continue because our home is just down from the foothills, where they are probably multiplying as we speak. Listed below are some principles you can apply directly to sales in your business, and you’ll never have to touch a dirty rat trap!
Outsmart a Rat Sales Principles
- Be persistent with a plan- Notice the word plan. Mere persistency will feel good, but you have greater chance of success with a plan.
- Analyze your bait- Do you really know the pain points of your clients to help them?
- Change your bait- You may need to change your language for certain clients and organizations for optimal comprehension and application.
- Be persistent with a revised plan- It’s not time to quit yet! You may need to revise your plan several times if needed.
- Follow Up with Evaluation and further action- If you don’t have a place to document your successes and achievements, start one now. Also, start working on your future plan. It’s never too early!
Take Time For Your Evaluation and Revision
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Evaluate, then propel your personal mission and your life plan. Hero Mountain™ is especially relevant for professional women at halftime (40’s-50’s) and great for H.R. personnel. (check to see if your organization will grant you CEUs for attending-Guidelines taken from SHRM Competency of Knowledge upon request!) It’s a concentrated time for a small group to work on a customized plan and the successful execution of that plan with solid goals! Don’t miss out on this opportunity!
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