(Distinctions are subtleties of language that, when gotten, cause a shift in a belief, behavior, value or attitude.)

 

[While this Distinction has particular application to sales and sales people, it has application for all types of relationships.]

Imagine that you are selling a product or service and there are very few prospects for your offering. Because of this scarcity of potential buyers you market, send out sales literature in a variety of forms, initiate cold calls, track down suspects, and try to win over prospects into becoming customers. Whew. Tiring. This is what chasing is about.

Now imagine that, for several reasons, every morning there is a line at your door of people eager to buy what you’re selling. (Picture a hot new restaurant or a sports team in the playoffs.) You realize that because of this abundant demand you can’t take on all of the business, you’ve got to say no to some of them. So you use a filter to sort out the best ones. Your filtering criteria — profitability, ease, whether you like them, their ability to refer, etc. — assists you in having the best potential buyers float to the top. Those you let buy from you. This is what choosing is all about.

Few people in sales are clear that being in the choosing business is possible for them. They just assume that they have to chase. They think they have to sell to people instead of having people buy from them. When you’re the purchaser which do you prefer, to be sold at or assisted to buy from? Buy from, of course.

Why not study your market to find out what they are really passionate to buy, what will help them solve their problems or give them the opportunity of a lifetime? Find out what they want.

 

Coaching Point: How much energy are you spending being a better chaser? Could you use some of it setting yourself up to be a chooser?

 

Copyright 2011 Steve Straus. All rights reserved.