Sales - Always Focus On The Big Picture

In an era of meeting targets the pressure to achieve results is often immense. Unfortunately pressure can often lead to a temptation to cut corners, misrepresent, or even take advantage of unsuspecting prospects / clients.   

Whilst succumbing to the above may bring about some immediate relief in terms of much needed sales and revenue, the reality is it won’t help you or the company you work for in the long run.

Here are three reasons why you should always focus on the big picture.

1.   1.  The Integrity Of The Company You Work For

Should you misrepresent or cut corners it will ultimately affect the brand / image of the company that you work for; thereby getting you into a lot of trouble and possibly costing you your title, position, or even your job.

2.  2.   Bear in mind the reality that one day you may be running your own business (over 95% of delegates in every class I coach want to own their own business one day). Therefore your personal integrity is important. The people you meet between the ages of twenty five and forty are the ones that will enable you to achieve your vision / goals.       

3.  3.   By focusing on the big picture you will naturally put the interests of clients/ customers first. This inevitably leads to customers /clients trusting you more and more.

Many years ago an asset management company contacted us because they wanted to subscribe to one of our products – The SBA Terminal. The SBA Terminal was like a Bloomberg Terminal for Africa and the Middle East. There were different packages you could subscribe to – West Africa, West and East Africa, Southern Africa, All Africa, Middle East, and Middle East and Africa etc.

Although this company was definitely going places, and would eventually become one of the major players in its’ sector, it was at that time still fairly small. However the Managing Director, who later became a very good friend wanted to subscribe to the All Africa package. But bearing in mind their coverage was still only Nigeria we suggested they subscribe to the West Africa package, in order to reduce their costs; the difference in fees between the All Africa Package and the West Africa package was a fairly significant one. 

The Managing Director of this asset management company was shocked that we were so honest – even to the detriment of our revenue.  He took our advice with great joy.

Over the next five years, as that asset management company grew in business and size, we became their first port of call whenever they needed data. In-fact we became their first port of call whenever they needed anything at all. Even if it had nothing to do with our line of business they would call us either to get our advice or for us to subcontract whatever it was to a company that we trust. In other words whilst we may have lost out initially, the money we made over the next five years was twenty / thirty times what we would have made had we ‘taken our money and ran’ so to speak.

Always focus on the big picture. Put the client / customer first and they are yours for life.    

Photocredit : www.swintoncounseling.com