There is a tendency in our fast-paced, tech-heavy world to rely on some new app, a better presence on social media or some other technology to help us get to where we want to go. I see this all the time in my work with independent tire dealers.
However, there are some old-fashioned, time-tested methods that will never let you down when you are searching for the competitive edge that creates results. It’s almost too simple.
In my in-person seminars and speeches, I encourage attendees of all ages to craft themselves into the right combination of “new school” and “old school.”
Those terms tend to mean either being up on using cutting-edge technology, which is great, or mastering the personal presence skills of being a strong, engaging individual, which is great, too. You really and ultimately need a combination of both.
But before that, you need to master starting and finishing if you want to be successful at selling.
Starting strong
Being a “self-starter” is one of the timeless competitive advantages that you can deploy. It means winning the procrastination war. It’s the habit of acting now, with passion — and most of the time, ahead of others. (One sure way to win is to get going when others are idle or in “pause mode.”)
The greatest quality of the starter is that they always define the first action to begin a process. That action could be the smallest thing: a single phone call or first meeting, an outgoing email or tackling a project inside your dealership that never seems to get going and no one seems to want.
Starters have goals with purpose, they address any fears in life or business with action and deal with the toughest issues at the first of the day on high energy — not at the end on low energy, when they will avoid them. They get adequate sleep, knowing that the morning should be addressed with a maximum energy level and strong focus. They are not afraid to take on a lot. They’re excited about their work because they see the end goal in mind and the rewards that come from it. They want to get going!
Always looking for a technology edge, one client of mine had for years faced the problem of creating an inventory of wholesale tires with literally a sheet of paper and an employee walking around counting them — an endless loss of time and productivity.
So they got started by purchasing a warehouse supply system involving software and scanners to count the barcodes placed on each tire in his warehouse. One employee using a wireless scanner could now pick 20 orders in the time it used to take to count one tire. Great idea — and the key was getting started!
How many times though have we all started something, only to let it languish and not get finished? But starting out and getting going on something is only half the answer.
Finishing strong
Being a “finisher” is the greatest compliment anyone in sales can receive. It’s called being a “closer.”
The key dynamics that finishers possess are that they follow up, they stay with a business opportunity and they finish with a deal, a final project or a completed idea. In sales terms, the interesting thing about a closer/finisher is that they’re not pushy, but rather they create a proposition of value and appeal for a potential buyer that draws them to purchase of their own will. In effect, they “pull” the buyer toward the sale and always stay after the opportunity until it is finished. This is the runner who not only starts fasts, but finishes and wins the race.
Effective finishers are the last leg across the line, the go-to person for the tough job and the person who puts the final touch on a project. They see the end in mind with every task, sale, goal or project. They ask the question of any circumstance, “How can I bring this to a close and to finality?”
They also realize it is far more common to start and not finish things, as opposed to finishing what you start. Every person has undone things at home and at work. Focus on getting them resolved and finished, step-by-step!
Often, the hardest and most precise effort in any project is the last 5%. It takes the most discipline and concentration to create the most rewarding finished projects.
As a leader, you can also cultivate other finishers within your organization. Take some action, put someone in charge who will lead the execution of these initiatives, check the progress of implementation each week, review what’s working or not working and how it is or isn’t and make a strong effort to build this process into your company’s permanent culture.
Another client of mine, a chief financial officer of a tire dealership, once needed information from his 30 stores reconciled more quickly. He started with buying software that would help each location more quickly generate invoices and reconciliations — a great start. But the finishing touch came when his team set up an interface by customer number, where all store information could be transferred instantly in real-time to him. This was not just starting strong. It also was an example of finishing strong!
With these ideas in mind, let’s beat procrastination and ask, “Do I or do we start fast and finish strong?” If your answer is yes, you’re already winning!
