How do I control my sales process so every meeting is not a gamble?

A few weeks ago we polled you with a single question:

As a non-salesperson, you still have to sell your services. What, if anything, makes you anxious about selling?”

If you haven’t answered the poll, you can do it now by using the pop-up appearing below. We’ll be providing our take on how non-salespeople can address some of these common anxieties about selling so you can start moving down the path towards becoming what we call a “sales hero” – this is a non-salesperson who has the knowledge, confidence and skills they need to get the sales job done well.

[polldaddy survey=”D762262D499860B0″ type=”slider” title=”Take Our 1 Question Survey!” body=”Please tell us what concerns you most about selling here…” button=”Get Started »”]

Today’s sales anxiety is here:

Not controlling the sales process – e.g. when it’s not a system, but a gamble.

Here’s how we approach this common sales anxiety

Does this sound like your sales approach?

gamble
ˈɡamb(ə)l/
verb
  1. play games of chance for money; bet.
  2. take risky action in the hope of a desired result.

Sounds silly, doesn’t it? Yet, many of us approach their sales prospects in this way. Here are some signs and symptoms that might help you tell whether you have a predilection for sales gambling:

  • Writing your promotional material in a way that leaves doubt as to what you are offering, or how your prospects will benefit from it or from choosing you to give it to them
  • Waiting for the phone to ring, instead of taking action to stimulate lead generation
  • Not knowing your product or service forwards and backwards
  • Not following a process to handle a first enquiry over the phone
  • Not following a process to handle an initial appointment in person
  • Leaving your presentation preparations to the very last minute
  • Not having a commitment objective
  • Being hopelessly unprepared, or unwilling, to handle objections when (not if) they arise.

So how do you stop gambling with your sales?

process
ˈprəʊsɛs/
noun

  1. a series of actions or steps taken to meet a particular end.
 


verb

  1. a series of mechanical or chemical operations on (something) in order to change or preserve it.

There is little that makes people more anxious than being shoved into a situation they are unprepared to deal with. Why do that to them? Why do that to yourself?

Every task that has a series of steps that ends in a predictable result must have a process.

If you’re going to do anything more than once, if you’re going to ever want anyone else to do it as well as you do, if you don’t want to spend your life repeating yourself, you must, must, must have a process for what you do.

Determine the desired timeframe. Define who is going to do it. Write down the background. Break it into steps. Be clear on what a completed step looks like. Include references to every resource that might be needed to complete the task. Then post this standard operating procedure (SOP) in a place where it can be shared, referenced, and updated in only one place.

Here at LiveseySolar, we’ve proceduralised nearly every aspect of our business. When we task someone with something, that task refers them to the SOP that explains how to do it. If one doesn’t exist, they’re expected to document their steps, and create an SOP, before completing the task. The sales arena isn’t, and shouldn’t be, any different from all the other more “important” procedures that guide the work you do.

Life is complicated and unpredictable enough. Why work so hard to bring a product to market, improve it and perfect it, only to squander your chances of selling it because you are gambling on the sales end?

So let’s begin. This doesn’t have to be an epic amount of work. To start, take 15 minutes today and sketch out the rough outlines of what you have right now, so you know where you stand. And then commit to fleshing out your rough framework over the next 5 days in 15 minute increments. Your bottom line will thank you.

Get your Practice Marketing Score

Take our FREE “Practice Marketing” quiz. Get your score and benchmark yourself to practices around the world.

Find articles on:

What our clients say…

“In a matter of weeks, we already saw results with LiveseySolar. Far before we were even finished with our project.”

Erik Chotiner, MD, FACS, Ophthalmologist

“The whole group has been very, very professional. We’re quite early in the stages, but we can see the benefits.”

Dr Nick Mantell , MBChB FRANZCO

“They’re very professional. They know what they’re doing, but they also put us at ease. This helped us to cut through what’s needed to get what we want.”

Mr Praveen Patel, MA (Cantab), MB BChir (Cantab), FRCOphth, MD (Res)

“It’s wonderful to work with an agency that engages on our level and understands our market.”

Dr Anton Van Heerden, MBChB; FRANZCO, Ophthalmologist

Get your Practice Marketing Score

Take our FREE “Practice Marketing” quiz. Get your score and benchmark yourself to practices around the world.

Meet our Co-Founders

We’re passionate about helping leaders of high-quality, growth-minded practice owners double their practice revenue

Rod Solar

Founder & Scalable Business Advisor

For over 20 years, I’ve helped ophthalmology entrepreneurs scale their private practices. I specialise in doubling revenue within three years by offering a proven framework, hands-on experience, and a team of experts who implement what works. We take the guesswork out of growth and scale, so you can focus on delivering exceptional patient care while maximising the value of your business.

Read more

LiveseySolar completely transformed the way we were approaching this… We’ve gone from having just the dream of having a practice to having a practice up and running with people making inquiries and booking for procedures… It’s extremely pleasing. We feel lucky we connected with LiveseySolar.

— Dr Matthew Russell, MBChB, FRANZCO, specialist ophthalmic surgeon and founder of VSON and OKKO

Laura Livesey

Founder & CEO

I’m the co-founder & CEO of LiveseySolar. I’ve developed powerful eye surgery marketing systems that increase patient volumes and profits for doctors, clinics, and hospitals, since 1997.

Read more

Rod and Laura know as much about marketing surgery to patients as I know about performing it. They are an expert in the field of laser eye surgery marketing. They know this industry inside out. I believe that they could help many companies in a variety of areas including marketing materials, sales training and marketing support for doctors.

— Prof. Dan Reinstein, MD MA FRSC DABO, founder of the London Vision Clinic, UK