We have probably all heard at some point that salespeople are not detail oriented. By nature, we are inclined to look at the big picture. We are the relationship-oriented types; the ones who pride themselves on being the "hunter" and allowing others to wade into the gory morass of complexity and minutia.
Heck, I most certainly have been guilty of that in my 28-year sales career. I often used to wear my aversion to details like a badge of honor. "Eh, that's really something the account manager will help you with" was often a phrase you would hear me utter.
But something funny happened over the course of time.
As I matured in my sales journey, I came to see the connection between my results and my attention to those nasty details. It seemed that they more I paid attention to them throughout the sales process, the more likely I was to win.
But why was that? What sick and twisted game was the universe trying to play on me?
You see, I began to realize that the more I knew about my plan and how my territory - or my opportunity space as I like to call it aligned, the more I could tune out what didn't matter and focus on what did.
That didn't mean I needed to become a master of everything. I am not saying that to win, you must know every detail. But things like knowing your broker's book of business, or how many middle market prospects are in your territory and which ones are high value targets (and why) and things like that DO matter.
I see so many salespeople nowadays who float along in a purely reactionary mode, waiting on the next opportunity to come to them. They don't know how to break down their goals and align it to their pipeline. They don't know how to do the math and see how it all ties together.
And that is ok. We have all been there. We have all shown up to the sales call and not been able to rattle off the details around our top 5 prospects.
But I would argue that being able to know the prospect on a more intimate basis - where you truly have a sense of who the organization is, what the buyer(s) type is, and all of the other variables that go in to moving towards a win look like - I would argue that therein lies the real secret to success.
Being in tune with details (for example having a daily "to do list" which prioritizes revenue connected tasks or a two-week cadence for prospect follow up) is what will set you apart. None of this attention to detail should ever come at the expense of still having one eye on the big picture; or being that sales personality that helps your open doors and forge relationships.
But it will mean you are becoming a student of your craft and one who understands the direct connection to effort, attention and results.
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