📄 Farm, don't hunt (sales for nice people)

I've never liked concepts like 'closing', or 'chasing', in sales. And I especially don't like the hunting analogy.

I mean, did prey ever get better from being hunted?

Sure, the analogy works, when applied to the selling process:

Patience, precision, understanding the prey, timing: there's a lot that carries over.

But as a mindset for looking at what selling really is, 'hunting' is a crappy analogy.

I mean, that what gets hunted usually isn't all that jazzed up about the overall experience, right?

Instead, try farming, where you nurture, curate, foster and develop.

Relationships, introductions, reputation, opportunities, deals, helpfulness:

These are all things that exist in your business, and that you can nurture.

Whether you hunt for sales, or you develop those things in a caring and thoughtful way, is up to you.

But when you see your deals and opportunities and buyers in the light of farming, you solve the 'good-egg problem.'

This way, you don't have to 'hunt for clients' or 'close sales' or 'chase buyers'.

You just need to 'farm' what's already there.

You simply create, develop, and nurture relationships.

Fertilise your prospects' minds with useful knowledge and helpful questions.

Water their soil by making introductions to the right people.

Shine sunlight on them when you meet.

Prune away disqualified opportunities.

And, harvest your opportunities, every time someone says:

"I'm ready, it's time, let's do this".

Cheers,

Martin

P.s. This way of handling your deals and working your pipeline is at the heart of my Sales For Nice People methodology - and, I've started working on a new mini-training, that teaches you how to get buyers to enroll themselves. Stay tuned as I start rolling out chapters over the next couple of weeks...