See the People

In a summer job during college, selling books door-to- door, we were told to “see the people.” That meant simply staying on schedule, knocking on doors (60 per day!) and making the sales pitch. The lesson was tough but profound: meeting with customers/prospects is better than not.

When times are tough, it’s time to visit customers. Many firms are mandating that salespeople and executives get out and sit down with customers and talk about the elephant in the room. They may not buy, but you’re gonna know why. Discussing and discovering their current problems help you position yourself as a potential solution. Schedule the meeting to simply “compare notes” or “reset objectives.” You can actually have this conversation in a scheduled phone call, but face-to-face is always going to be better, if possible. It’s not door-to-door, but it’s one call after another.