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Writer's pictureDenny Ward

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I'll spend the first four sharpening the axe." -Lincoln


If a 24 year career in sales and sales leadership has taught me anything it’s that most sales professionals like to do things on the fly. We don’t always take the time to plan and prepare in an intentional and meaningful way.


Maybe we didn’t do enough pre-call planning before a new prospect meeting. It could be that we aren’t taking the time to review our goals to make sure they align with our strategy, or maybe we rushed through creating a presentation or proposal.


Consider the business outcomes of being prepared, and the ripple effect if we’re not


Being prepared:


  • Reduces nerves and anxiety

  • Builds confidence and destroys fear

  • Enhances our strategic thinking

  • Makes us stand out from our competition

  • Increases our flexibility

  • Develops our resilience

  • Increases our odds of winning

  • Enhances self discipline

  • Allows us to visualize our success!


The ripple effect of not being prepared:


  • Lack of focus

  • Potential perceived lack of competence by a prospect

  • Failure to anticipate questions and objections from prospects

  • Missing goals or coming up just short

  • Self-esteem might wain

  • Nerves and anxiety may kick in

  • Lack of vision and clarity

  • Inability to visualize your success


Take some time each week for planning and preparation. Block the time on your calendar. Try to make it the same time each week. I like to plan & prep early in the morning on Mondays, when I’m fresh. I use this time to review my goal notebook, plan for upcoming appointments, strategize, fill in any white space on my calendar I might have missed, and take some quiet time to visualize my success for the week.


Consider this: The cost of scheduling time to plan and prepare properly, is less than the cost of poor preparation. Take some “you” time, pour some coffee and prepare to WIN!


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