Americans do love their fad diets. Some that are currently trending include the Five-Bite Diet; the Paleo Diet; the Raw Food Diet; the Baby Food Diet; something called the Werewolf Diet (seriously); the 80-year-old Grapefruit Diet; and the grandfather of them all, the Cabbage Soup Diet.
They all come and they go, and sometimes they come around again for a little while. (They’re called fads for a reason.)
They have something else in common, too. They usually only offer a quick fix. You might indeed lose some weight, but there’s a good chance it’s only temporary. The diet du jour generally is not something that you can sustain, nor will it offer lasting results. For that, you’ll need a change in attitude and approach. And ultimately, it’s about changing your habits.
The same is true in sales—particularly with high-value customers and specifically with those customers who currently belong to the competition.
I’ve noticed that a lot of salespeople approach a lucrative, competitively held account sort of like they would approach a fad diet—they set their sights on a target; they jump right in with intense focus; and they expect quick, impressive results.
And like with a fad diet, they might have some early success. They might even set up a meeting with the contact at this firm they are trying to secure. Perhaps that contact even seems receptive to what the salesperson has to say.
But then that’s as far as it goes.
In diet terms, they gave it a try and they had some initial success, but it wasn’t sustainable and they were unable to achieve their ultimate goal. So they give up and go back to their old ways—doing what they’ve always done and calling on their safe, familiar, current clients.
Here’s the other thing: Like with a fad diet, the timeframe for a successful outcome was unreasonable and unrealistic. It would be like expecting to lose 10 pounds in two hours.
If you’re going to go after the competition’s big accounts, you’ve got to be thinking long-term and be willing to really work at it. It means stepping away from what you usually do and making big changes to the way you operate. You should expect to work two, three or even four or five years in order to achieve the ultimate results of winning your competition’s big business.
This means staying in touch (keeping the potential client aware of your value-add), and it means building an authentic relationship based on a solid foundation of trust.
If you keep your focus and continue to call, something will change eventually. Your opportunity to sell to this customer will come when something happens at the account. Perhaps someone else will become the decision-maker there. Maybe the company will be acquired or sold and its needs change. Perhaps the competition’s situation will change, making you the better choice.
You’ll only know if you continue to call—if you continue to work consistently toward your goal.
Sustained focus and steady progress work for those who achieve and maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle; fad diets do not. This same long-term, dependable and realistic approach will make you stand out from your competition and ultimately do what you do better.
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