Marketing Summit Keynoter: Hope Isn’t a Sales Strategy

Posted October 28, 2021 at 5:57 pm



He dodged bullets in Iraq and at the same time kept journalists from Reuters and other top outlets apprised of the U.S. Marine Corps’ actions by learning a system that allowed him to concentrate on key tasks. Now Shawn Rhodes will apply those skills to help sales professionals at TRSA’s 4th Annual Marketing & Sales Summit achieve their goals.

Like a military campaign, planning is critical for sales professionals, Rhodes said. But a simplistic goal such as “Let’s sell more in Q4” is kind of like telling a Marine to go out and “win hearts and minds.” What TRSA’s Marketing Summit speaker will offer attendees on Nov. 16 in Plano, TX, is an overview of how to implement a multistep, flexible sales approach. This strategy incorporates best practices and emphasizes continuous improvement.

“I’ll share this with the audience at TRSA’s event, a process that you can use to go through your plan and say, ‘What are we learning from it from this week that we could use to be better, more effective, more efficient as we move forward?’” Rhodes said. “And because we have a plan mapped out, and maybe we haven’t gotten to all nine steps yet, maybe we’re only on step three. If we notice something in step three that’s going to affect step eight, we have the ability at this point to change step eight. Nothing is set in stone. We have to be willing to pivot.”

Another point Rhodes will emphasize is the need to review sales results, regardless of whether they meet or fall short of expectations. “The challenge a lot of salespeople have at the individual and team level is if they meet their number, then it’s great,” Rhodes said. “But very few will take the time, even after a success, and sit down and say, ‘Wow, we closed a lot faster than we expected. What were the things that came together? What was the formula that we built intentionally or unintentionally that allowed that to happen in that way?’ And how do we replicate that in the future, so that it’s not just the salesperson hoping that they remember all the things they did to close that big deal five years ago.”

Rhodes’ push for detailed planning, mid-course adjustments and post-campaign reviews are critical to helping salespeople move “beyond hope,” he said. What that means is successful salespeople – particularly in today’s pandemic environment – can’t rely on luck or persistence to meet their goals. Rhodes’ talk will center on how they can assemble “bulletproof” sales plans. “They’re hoping that the supply chain issue irons itself out,” he said. “They’re hoping for 1,000 different things. The salespeople that are finding success, though, are not relying on hope. They’re relying on things more to do with certainty, more to do with having mapped out what works for them and relying on it consistently every day.”

You’ll learn more about Rhodes’ approach to selling during the keynote address at the Nov. 16 Marketing & Sales Summit in Plano, TX. If you can’t attend in person, click here to register for virtual edition of the program. Click here to sign up for the in-person event at the Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Hotel, in Plano, TX.

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