Here’s what I’ve learned from working with new and semi-seasoned salespeople: Most struggle over where to spend their time and effort each day. Many are unsure about whether to go after the big deals, the mid-size opportunities or the small prospects.
This quandary reminded me of the story about a teacher, his time-management class and a jar of rocks. The teacher presented this jar filled with large rocks and asked the class if it was full. When they answered “yes,” he shook a bunch of gravel into the jar between the rocks. “Now, it’s full,” his students said. The teacher just smiled and poured in a fistful of sand. “Surely now it’s full,” the students told him. The teacher then added a glass of water to the jar. His point was this: You have to make room for the big rocks (life’s large, important things) first in order to make everything fit.
I agree, but I also want to point out that the jar has a place for everything—big and small. And it takes all these things to actually fill it up.
So let’s apply this analogy—and my take on it—to sales success: You’ll encounter “boulder-size” deals, average “rock-size” opportunities and “pebble-like” prospects, and I think it takes boulders, rocks and pebbles to be successful year after year.
First, consider the boulders. I encourage you to spend 10 to 20 percent of your time with big, “boulder-like” opportunities. If you don’t ever go climbing for them, you’ll never end up with any. Of course, boulders aren’t as common as rocks, and that’s why you spend some time—but not the majority of your time—with them.
Your average, everyday rocks are much more plentiful. Think of them as your “mid-sized” opportunities. Spend 60 to 70 percent of your time here. It’s this set of opportunities that determines your day-in and day-out success. Knowing that it takes all size opportunities to achieve your success, think of this wider approach as being rock-solid.
And finally, spend your remaining time and effort with “pebble-like” prospects. If you are a seasoned, proven salesperson, I suggest ignoring these altogether. But for others, if you haul enough pebbles, you’ll be in good enough shape (with enough hands-on practice) to handle any boulders that you eventually encounter. And you will encounter them.
The bottom line: It takes all kinds (and all sizes) of opportunities to achieve success and reach your goals. Embrace and focus on every opportunity that comes your way—big, not so big and small. There’s always room for pebbles and rocks to fit in between the boulders.
Embrace this model, and you’ll do what you do better.
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