Gary Keller is the author of the popular book, “The One Thing.” He shares great advice throughout the book, including his key focusing question.
“What’s the ONE thing you can do such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
I was reminded of this phrase listening to an interview conducted with Joel Osteen. He is the lead minister of one of the largest churches in the United States. His televised sermons appear in more than 10 million households. When asked how he manages all of this, he echoed Keller’s one-thing concept.
He shared that his one thing - the most important thing - is the delivery of his sermon on Sunday. Pastor Osteen puts a lot of time and effort into his one thing. Thursdays and Fridays are invested in researching, writing and practicing. Once the sermon is crafted, he spends three hours on Saturday reviewing it page by page. He then delivers it on Saturday night and twice on Sunday. The televised one is his third delivery, which, by that point, is the result of hours and hours of practice, of focusing on the one thing. His approach seems to be working!
Sales managers, what if your one thing was preparing, running and delivering GREAT sales meetings? Not good sales meetings, average sales meetings but GREAT sales meetings. What would become easier for your sales team?
For example, what would happen if you really put the time into designing sales meetings for the development of your sales teams selling skills? This would include thoughtful role plays, not wing it role plays. This sales meeting might include contests around topics such as the best value propositions or best approach to dealing with objections. With proactive planning, you could invite satisfied clients to share why they continue to do business with your company.
By designing great sales meetings, will it become easier for your sales team to open more business? Close more business? Sell larger deals? Will it become unnecessary to discount or write practice proposals?
What if you really put in the time into designing sales meetings around the topic of adversity. You’d research and prepare videos and stories of people that have overcome the odds. You’d ask members of your sales team to share their stories of perseverance. Would it make it easier for your sales team to bounce back from the predictable setbacks they will encounter in sales?
Get serious about your one thing: planning and executing GREAT sales meetings.
Good Selling!
