Sell Apples To Apple Buyers
Be A Master Messenger
Have a Killer Follow Up System
Focus On What You Can Control
Walk The 8 Feet
Don't Go Cowboy
Ask
Turn Your Brain Off
Never Say "Great Meeting"
Throw Your Hat Over The Wall
Have Fun
1
Sell Apples To Apple Buyers
This means selling to people who want what you sell. In the simplest way of putting it, don't sell apples to people who want oranges. Sell apples to people who want to buy apples.
2
Be A Master Messenger
This means knowing how to bring your firm’s story to life. You never want to spend an hour with someone and have them leave without having a clue what you do. Bring your story to life with passion and your prospects will feel it too.
3
Have a Killer Follow Up System
Good sales people can get a lot of meetings. They can even tell a great story. However, the follow-up that comes after those meetings is really the mark of a great salesperson. Having a killer follow up system means having an organized plan for following up with your prospects, and never leaving anything to chance.
4
Focus On What You Can Control
There are a lot of things going on that we as sales people can’t control: the state of the market, the weather, the outcome of your favorite team’s most recent game. These can get in the way of your day to day, but the goal is to focus on what you can control: setting meetings, diligently following up, and becoming a master messenger.
5
Walk The 8 Feet
This originated back in 2006, in our original office, where everyone was relatively close together — roughly eight feet apart. Walking the 8 feet means tapping into the collective knowledge of the team. Never be afraid to get up and ask questions.
6
Don't Go Cowboy
At Dakota, we work as a team. In a sales parlance, this means always touching base on what everyone is working on. Don’t keep opportunities to yourself — share them with the team. By not sharing what you’re doing, you’ll never know who might have key experience needed to help you through this opportunity. Put everything on the table, and share information. Don’t go off on your own.
7
Ask
If you’re in a sales role, your primary mission is to ask for something from your prospects. Getting in the habit of asking for a meeting, call, or follow up, the better you will get at it. After all, if you don’t ask, the answer will always be no.
8
Turn Your Brain Off
We’re all guilty of overthinking. There’s always a reason not to do something. The goal is to stop getting analysis paralysis, turn your brain off, and just do it.
9
Never Say "Great Meeting"
At Dakota, we never say “great meeting.” No meeting was truly great unless you left with a $10 million allocation. Instead, we like to focus on what worked, what didn’t, and what the prospect’s interests are so that you can move forward.
10
Throw Your Hat Over The Wall
Sometimes the most important thing is just to get started. This means forcing yourself into action by throwing your hat over the wall. To get the metaphorical hat, you have to climb the wall and get it. Overcome the obstacles in front of you and just do it.
