Let’s talk about how to effectively lead a team in full support of Sales Success Trait #4: Persistence.

[Make sure you read my article for salespeople about it first – https://go.sellingeffectiveness.com/LI.11.18.PM]

Persistence: Not the Only Tool in the Box

Here is the key – the Hammer of Persistence cannot be the primary, only tool being used.

It is in fourth place for a reason.

You might have succeeded as a salesperson which led to your promotion to management because of your Persistence. You value and prioritize Persistence.

Most likely that’s because you took the other traits for granted – you assumed that Openness and Curiosity were what everyone did naturally.

You probably feel that the thing separating successful salespeople (like your) and others who didn’t make it is just Persistence.

That is possible – it is possible that those that didn’t stay in sales lacked the Persistence piece.

Building Persistence in Your Team

So how do we cultivate this in your team?

First, we have to have the Creative trait – that mental muscle they build for coming up with different solutions and tactics to overcome the various obstacles that pop up.

Before you can be Persistent, as I mentioned in the previous blog article, we must be Creative.

With Creativity as part of the foundation, we can add in the Persistence trait.

One way I have found to build Persistence within salespeople is with what I call Negative Outcome Forecasting.

Lessons from Foreclosure Sales

Early into my professional career, I started working with people who were in foreclosure. They had received a notice from the county (stapled to their door, like you see in the movies, and in the mail) that told them they had 90 days to get caught up or the house was going to auction.

If you haven’t paid your mortgage in six months, another 90 days won’t matter much – because the total amount of money needed just keeps building with the fees and interest.

So many people were in denial. They wanted to keep their home but had no way of paying for it. Some people had got a mortgage with a payment that they could never afford, and it finally caught up to them.

I would do all I could to help them, persuade them, try and get them to take action. But many times, they were so stuck with their heads in the sand that the house would go to auction. When it did, I would go to the courthouse steps and watch it go to the highest bidder or back to the bank. This wasn’t to gloat about the fact that they should have listened to me. It was to see what failure from a sales perspective looked like. Not that I could do it all for them – they had to take steps, but I still took it personally that if I had been better at persuasion they would not be homeless (again, not burden to truly bear).

Applying Negative Outcome Forecasting to Sales

I learned to use those experiences in any sales role that I have been in. I ask myself “what is the worst-case outcome and path that this person/business would end up on if I don’t persuade them to buy from me?”

Negative Outcome Forecasting is a great and powerful tool for salespeople, especially those that resist using Persistence. The ones that lean more towards being Order Takers. The ones that feel like Persistence and Urgency are gross (they don’t like it when it’s done to them).

Sit down with your team and have a discussion of what the worst-case life outcome would be like for your non-customers. The ones that have a need/want that you could help them with. If you go down the full path, it will typically lead to financial ruin, divorce, health issues, maybe even homelessness.

“But we just sell CRM systems, it’s not life or death.”

“But We Just Sell CRM Systems…”

Correct…but it could be.

What if they don’t buy your CRM?

That means they are using their current one that isn’t working. Or they don’t have one at all.

Which means they can’t get a hold of all their data and activities, will struggle with keeping up with prospects and customers.

Which will lead to lost revenue despite increased costs of salespeople and/or marketing.

Less revenue than projected will lead to layoffs.

Once you start cutting salespeople, then you have a serious problem, hoping to just sustain revenue off current customers.

When that starts to dry up, then what?

Go out of business.

Number one reason for divorce is financial issues.

Top reason for health issues, heart attacks, and suicides is financial issues, stress, and financial ruin.

Again – you’re not just selling a CRM.

Conclusion

Now – one big note…don’t use this mindset strategy to start Fear Monger selling. That is terrible and gross.

But use this visualization to empower your team to be Persistent – for the right reasons. For the reasons that matter most to your prospects, not to your salespeople.

Make it about the other person, and it’s easier to be Persistent.