Scott Schmitz, my business partner, gave me a nostalgic reminder about Pacman today. Remember the yellow circle with the “mouth”? He’d race around, gobbling everything in sight, all while avoiding being eaten if he slowed down. In business, it’s no different—the fast often eat the slow.
In sales, speed can be your best ally. I recall my early days selling seafood, where a slight delay cost me a deal. A customer wanted to buy a container of king salmon, and the market was weak. I needed a price reduction to close the deal. My boss took three days to decide, but by then, the customer had bought elsewhere.
Sales often feels like a “hurry up and wait” game. Your customer wants something ASAP, and you’re scrambling to deliver. You can more easily control the speed of sales on your side than you can on the customer’s side. Customer delays happen—personnel changes, PTO, deadlines, and changing priorities can slow things down. As sellers, we must ensure any delays aren’t from our side. We should strive to meet or exceed customer expectations and keep the deal moving forward, proving we’re the kind of partner they want to do business with.
Creating Urgency in Your Team:
Explain the Why: Help your team understand what’s at stake for the company and themselves. If they grasp the importance, they become part of the solution.
Recognition and Rewards: For those who don’t get the urgency, offer recognition, small celebrations, or gifts to encourage better performance. It’s the carrot approach. The stick? Work through your company system to align them with a customer-first culture.
Provide Customer Feedback: Use customer testimonials to highlight when the team goes above and beyond.
Deep Team Engagement: Engage your entire team in the sales process. Recognize that while sales might be the tip of the spear, it takes the whole team to make a sale happen.
How do you ensure your team moves swiftly to meet customer needs?
#Sales #BusinessStrategy #CustomerFirst #Teamwork #PacmanLessons
