For anyone in sales, the absolute worst feeling is finishing second in a deal. When that happens, it’s soul-crushing.
There’s no prize for second place. No nice parting gift. Nothing to show for your time and effort. And chances are, you did just as much work as the competitor who won the deal. But what I’ve found over the years is that the difference between winning and losing in sales is often a razor-thin margin. I’ve come to believe that success results from all the little things that add up and make the ultimate difference in the outcome.
Details matter.
They matter a lot.
I’ve written about my experiences in the Navy and how they profoundly shaped my business career after I left the service. (You can read a couple of previous posts here and here.) But one of the most important lessons I took away from the Navy was maintaining an almost maniacal focus on the details. I learned that the only way to succeed was through a continuous, rigorous training regimen.
Of course, the stakes are much higher in the military than a lost sales opportunity.
One personal experience I had where details really mattered was maintaining a 16-inch gun battery on the battleship USS New Jersey. I was in command of 25 sailors assigned to the No. 2 gun turret. We trained so much that we not only knew our jobs, but we all knew everyone else’s tasks as well. Each person needed to know everything. It was the only way to safely and correctly use a fearsome weapon. When it came time to conduct fire exercises, an additional 50 people were needed to perform specific tasks in support roles. They required ongoing training, too.
If everyone wasn’t paying attention to every detail, the consequences literally could be life or death. Aboard our sister ship, the USS Iowa, an explosion in the No. 2 gun turret claimed 47 lives. One conclusion emerged from the many subsequent investigations: A lack of training contributed to the tragedy.
I spent the last two years of my Navy career working in the Fleet Training Group. We were the training auditors who ensured the entire Pacific Fleet maintained high safety and operational standards – preventing other mishaps. Then, after I left the service and began my sales career, I learned that the business world has its own process for training.
It’s called sales enablement.
By now, it will be no surprise to read that I believe enablement is critical to success in selling. You need to know:
- Everything about your product’s capabilities
- Customer stories that demonstrate the impact of your solution
- How to concisely explain your ability to transform businesses and change trajectories
Pulling together that kind of narrative doesn’t happen by accident. You don’t just wing it. It requires a single-minded dedication to understanding all the little things that go into telling the larger story.
That’s why it’s always been a personal quest to improve enablement efforts. It can’t be seen as just for new hires or something that takes away from time better spent on sales activities. It’s not optional. Enablement needs to be the beating heart of a sales organization because that preparation is what leads to success. Over the years, I’ve seen other organizations thrive in the marketplace despite having lesser products, thanks to a commitment to training and enablement. Simply put, they do the hard work.
At my company, we’re devoted to a data-driven approach that takes advantage of emerging technology tools. One of our sales leaders likes to say that the analytics they provide are like “the window into your soul.” When you look deep into that data and identify trends, you begin to really understand what’s happening in the deal process. That way you can adjust, improve, and make better decisions.
As you focus on those small elements, the big things begin to fall into place.
When you’re thoroughly prepared, it brings a sense of confidence that you’ve done everything possible to set the stage for success. Talking to prospects feels so much more natural. The conversations become honest when you’re a guide sharing the benefit of your knowledge. You paint a picture that enables people to envision success for themselves.
In sales, you want to leave it all on the field. You never want a “what if” feeling of regret that you lost a deal because you somehow didn’t put in the work and left something undone.
That won’t happen when you pay attention to the details.