Hi Friends, Here is your end-of-the-week insight into what I see going on in the business world,...
Hi Friends,
Here is your end-of-the-week insight into what I see going on in the business world, what I’m thinking about, and what I’m learning about. Forward anything that you feel inspired to share
What I’m Hearing From Sales Leaders/Professionals
This week I was working with a CEO who was discussing a very complex deal with me. During our conversation, she casually said, “They asked for another meeting and want to bring the X, Y, and Z departments. They continuously are asking for more meetings, so after this request, I looked at my POC and asked them, ‘Okay. Since we are going to invite all these people, what should the meeting be called so they know what its purpose is?’” BOOM!
She continued the story, telling me that the POC thought about it and then finally said, “Final review of ABC Co.”
I was blown away by the elegance of the CEO’s question. She implied so much with it and got out of it exactly what she wanted—true alignment.
Too often we get so excited that our prospects want to meet with us again that we don’t stop to think, “Are we getting what we want out of this meeting?” We think meeting activity is progress, but many times it is not. Often, additional meetings run counter to our ultimate goals of sales acceleration and efficiency.
Don’t get caught in the trap. If your prospect asks for additional meetings, ask them what their expected outcomes are and what would be next steps after a successful meeting. Doing this bit of “bold” question-asking can be a real deal de-risker!
What Made Me Laugh
To the windows to the walls. This dog does it all!
This Week’s 40/20
For every 40 hours of work, I believe you should spend 20 (additional) hours mastering your craft. This is how I spent some of my 20 hours this week.
This past week I have been trying to jump start my creativity. One of the ways that I have been doing that is by doing burpee pyramids. I start at 5 burpees, then run 200 yards, then do 6 burpees and run two hundred yards … I do this until I reach 12 burpees. Then I go from 4 to 1 and finish with one final set of 10. The physical exertion clears my mind and gives me clarity around the big problems. Tasks that I was stuck on this past week suddenly became clear and easy. What are some things you do to get the muck out of your mind?
Potpourri for 800
Potpourri (shoutout to Jeopardy!) is a category that covers a variety of topics.
I recently watched the documentary 26.2 to Life. It is fantastic. It focuses on inmates at the San Quentin Prison that are training and eventually running a marathon. I was engrossed in the stories of everyone from the inmates to the coaches. It is sad, funny, heartwarming, moving, tragic, amazing.
This really is one of the best sports documentaries I have seen in a long time. If you check it out or have already seen it, I would love to hear your thoughts.
Quote for My Son
Every day, I leave my son a note with a quote. This was my favorite from this past week:
“What looks like skill is often consistent discipline” – versions of this have been attributed to many people
You can get weekly helpful information for sales professionals by following my company’s Maestro Mastery blog here.
Let me know what you think about this week’s edition of Fuentes Fridays. Which section was your favorite? How can I make this better? Shoot me a message on LinkedIn @willfuentes.
Until next week!
Thanks,
