Playing The Law of Averages

You had me at 'hello'.
- DOROTHY BOYD (Renee Zellweger) in Jerry Maguire (1996)  

I've always been pretty decent at sales, in fact as a kid - my dad marveled on how I seemed to end up with new toys, bikes, etc... all which were happily handed to me from people I knew. A good con? No... I just found that by asking - I could receive. No magic formula... no pizzazz... just a good attitude and the guts to ask and the willingness to discuss it when vetoed. However, there have been jobs that no matter what I did - I could not change the law of averages. And within these averages are 2 main laws that I have found in all my years of selling that are inescapable when it comes to closing the deal. They are beginner's luck and 1/100 rule.

Beginner's Luck:

My first telemarketing job was pretty rote. I was to sell time-shares to people who had answered an ad about winning a vacation. I found that bait and switch is one of the best ways to get yelled at all day - but I needed the work and so I took a crack at it. The system was pretty brutal - as I sat shoulder to shoulder with 20 or so other telemarketers and the phone system was queued that once I hung up - it would ring through to another person. There were no breaks, just one call after another, hundreds at a time.

As I feverously read through this unbelievably long 2 page script, play by play I would just deliver it to the customer. Over and over I got about half way through when I was hung up on or cussed at, interrupted or told things that surprised even me. The funny thing is, even though to me this was the worst case scenario in selling - I did manage to sell a few within the first hour and I was celebrated by my managers and co-workers. But, in the next 3 hours that followed I sold nothing - not a single one.

As day two drug on and I got a few maybes, and my anxiety climbed when the phone would ring again... and then again.... only to be met with negativity and no prospects... soon I grew tired and didn't hang up the phone right away - using that few precious seconds to take a break. Ultimately I walked away.

What happened? Why was it so good in the beginning then so hard later? I have found beginner's luck to be the culprit. And to this day I see the same pattern in all the reps I train and/or hire. It's always a few good projects at the beginning.. but then they really have to work to keep them coming and the pipeline full.

1/100 Rule:
In one of my sales endeavors I spent a bit of time selling insect and rodent extermination services door to door. It wasn't the most glamorous of jobs and while there may have been a time for it - I personally found door-to-door a misuse of time and energy. However it was at this job I learned a huge lesson in the law of averages.

It should have been an easy sell... I walked up to the house, passing through a swarm of bees that had made a throbbing nest above the door. Though docile, I still was uneasy in the flurry around my head as the intensely of loud and constant buzzing blocked out all other noise. At my glancing at the ground I can see piles of dead bees, so knew the owner was fighting a losing battle - and I know from experience, there are some things you need professional help with.

I knocked on the door and at once it opened as the owner saw my company badge and immediately knew why I was there. Enhanced by the bee situation, he already went on the defensive saying he is working on it and may need help - but he'll call when he's good and ready. Happily I quoted our services, building up to the price reveal. In those moments we both seem to be seeing eye-to-eye, and for a time - we were in sync, agreeing on all that I was presenting. But in that final moment (at the reveal of the price, even proving it was less costly, less work intensive and safer if we solved his problem), he closed up - got cold and became almost adamant he could do it by himself and to just leave it alone. His once jovial attitude, now sour as he said finally, "I'll call if I need it" and shut the door.

At first I was dumbfounded and stopped at the end of his driveway thinking.... "we were in agreement,".... then I was hurt a bit.... "it's obvious he couldn't do it himself," I murmured... but then I realized something that has been true no matter what I was selling, no matter what pitch I had or how good I thought I was... even if the stars align - if it's a no, then it's a no. And just like when I was younger, I have to just be persistent and always ask... then, to be willing to discuss it when I was vetoed. I know in my head that that typically 1 of 100 say yes no matter what. But I also need to remember, you may get all the yeses at once, but then you have some no's to catch up on

In all of this, I have discovered that I can manage my motivation in the law of averages a bit by following 5 simple steps. Whether it's a placebo, wishful thinking or just another set of constants that I've bumped into - I have found that these five steps keep me motivated, organized and prepared. I have also found that these 5 steps keep the law of averages manageable.

For cold-calling, these steps are designed to help keep my place when under a barrage of questions, help me navigate a conversation that may have rabbit-trailed or ended shortly and most importantly, they help me get to the closing finish line.

For business cold-calls, they are:

1. Get the persons attention - this can be done a number of ways but I have found that being pleasant and cordial to be the best.
2. Let them know who you are - it's good to put your name and company in the greeting or introduction so they can relate and view you as a human not some telemarketing robot.
3. Give them the reason for the call - either implied or not, get to the point because time is precious and the more time you take up the more you put them behind in what they are doing.
4. Make sure you give them a questioning statement to interact with and some qualifying content to substantiate it.
5. Most importantly, set the appointment. Make it your goal to get to this step. So often we do such a great job in our presentation we forget, neglect or are too scared to ask.. to close, to set that appointment.

I once hired what I thought was the best sales rep in the world. She could aggregate interest in a crowd of stuffy business people from men and women alike on command; she had amazing presentation skills and wonderful delivery; she was a magnet of interest - fun, intelligent and believable. She could work a crowd and had the attention she wanted in any event, seminar or meeting. But even with all this skill at her command she could never close. It was the most amazing and puzzling thing to watch as people would follow her lead, but she would never capitalize on what she gained. I was amazed at the irony of her ability to get to the finish line, but was always too afraid to claim the prize.

You have to ask to receive... and no matter how many training meetings and coaching she had, this one thing she could not do which unfortunately this led to her failure in sales.

Since there's no escaping the law of averages, the key is to enjoy what you're doing and to do it consistently and to the best of your ability. Also, don't gauge your success/failure in the now, but rather over a period of time. Give yourself a few months and weigh out your yeses and no's with how many calls a day in that amount of time and you will see your trend emerge. At the end of the day, it's your persistence that will prove your success.