We all learn lesson throughout our working lives. Some are good lessons, some are a little painful. Some of those lessons we remember, some we forget. Hopefully, we learn to apply the good lessons as frequently as possible and not repeat those painful ones too often.
One of those lessons I learned a long time ago, was to play the long game when it comes to sales. So, what do I mean when I say, “the long game”? The long game means understanding that actions today may pay off at some future point with unknown timing. The long game is understanding that people are different. Whereas some people need to buy immediately, others prefer to do preliminary research before buying. On the other hand, some customers have existing relationships or inventory that precludes them making any immediate changes but are now entertaining other suppliers.
Never know which ones
A lot of people think of sales as a one hit wonder, whereby if someone doesn’t buy immediately, they are dismissed, and you simply move on to the next prospect. To be fair, some industries have created this environment. What is far worse, is that many individual salespeople operate this way regardless of their industry and think this is perfectly acceptable. Their attitude is, if you’re not buying, you’re simply wasting their time
Fortunately, professional sales people don’t work that way. They know the value of playing the long game.