Dig the well before you’re thirsty
  • sales
  • Blog post

Dig the well before you’re thirsty

You will lose your biggest and best client. It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow. It may not be next week. But it will happen, says sales coach S. Anthony Iannarino. It will happen whether or not you are at fault, and without any consideration for how badly you or your company needs the business.

You have little control over when you will lose some of your best clients, but you must behave as if that day is coming – and start preparing now.

Start digging now
Prospecting and selling is harder when you are desperate. You already know the symptoms: That’s when you:

  • Call on prospects that don’t fit your company’s target criteria.
  • Call on prospects without any real needs.
  • Sell on price because you can’t afford to lose.

Sales prospecting requires daily devotion that borders on the religious. It must be done in the best of times, and there is no way to cram for success. It’s easy to let your prospecting efforts suffer when you have plenty of business. Don’t let it happen.

Questions to ask yourself now
Answer these questions:

  • On your daily calendar, is there a time blocked off for sales prospecting?
  • Can you afford to lose your largest client?
  • Can you afford to lose the biggest two deals in your pipeline and still meet your goals and quota?
  • What can you do today to begin lining up the next big sale you’re going to need?
  • Are you taking control of your own fate, or just hoping that everything will work out okay in the long run?

2 Comments

  • Tomborg says:

    Michael,
    Your article reminds us of what we should be doing but many times do not do. I once heard that when we are so busy with our present business we don’t have enough time “not to be prospecting for new business”.
    Thanks for the motivation to do more prospecting!

  • Tomborg says:

    Michael,
    Your article reminds us of what we should be doing but many times do not do. I once heard that when we are so busy with our present business we don’t have enough time “not to be prospecting for new business”.
    Thanks for the motivation to do more prospecting!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Share:

Get a demo of all our training features

Connect with an expert for a one-on-one demonstration of how Rapid Learning can help develop your team.