Don’t Let Your Sales Alter Egos Speak for You. Follow this Advice!

I’ve spent a lot of time asking salespeople why they do what they do.

Most sales professionals know what they should be doing and can justify how they spend their time and make their choices very convincingly if you ask them.

This is a skill that is extremely valuable in a seller of your product or service, but ironically, it can also have a negative effect if it becomes a habit outside of the sales arena.

Take a step back by asking yourself: Am I making exceptions to my own sales rules?

Am I really making time management and sales strategy choices based on an accurate assessment of my pipeline and what’s going on with my customers and prospects?

If we take a closer look, a lot of sellers don’t even realize they are disregarding their own guidelines and letting bad sales habits and assumptions (AKA their alter egos) take over.

Your sales alter ego can push you like a sailboat blown by the wind, affecting  your professional judgement as you are blown off-course.

In this article, I’ve outlined 3 of the most common “alter egos” in sales and shared advice on how to tame them for the good of your overall business.

Alter Ego #1: 50-50 Frank

As 50-50 Frank, you’re an optimistic person. When you move a sale to the proposal stage, you always forecast it at a 50% chance of closing and you take the stance that everything is either going to happen or not happen.

While it’s important to stay positive about your sales opportunities, making decisions based on this error of thinking will get you into prospecting trouble.

If you start counting on one sale closing for every two sales you get then you’re not actively prospecting to replace the sale right away.

Psychologically, the idea of 50-50 makes us feel great! We are comforted by the thought that if one sale doesn’t go in our favor, the other will, but this thought can also make us lazy or complacent.

Don’t give into the temptation of your alter ego; avoid creating an overly optimistic pipeline by measuring past experience instead of basing your forecast purely on confidence.

What are the real odds of your sales closing? And when? How many sales can you expect to close soon?

Consider how many sales you’ve worked on that are similar to the one at hand and give yourself a reality check.

Assess the opportunity based on patterns you’ve noticed from past sales won. Then, try to choose a number that is either marginally more or less positive - 55% or 45% - rather than describing your chances as simply a coin toss. If you genuinely think it’s a 50% chance, then you may need to rethink how you are qualifying and adding opportunities to your pipeline.

Alter Ego #2: Sample Size Sally

I tried it, but it didn’t work.

If you’ve ever found yourself telling your manager, coach, or trainer that you know their idea won’t work because you’ve already tried it, then it may be your alter ego, Sample Size, Sally talking and not your actual scientific analysis.

When we look at “what works” we need to consider statistical significance, which is the idea of having enough representative data before we can derive a statistically important decision about a pattern.

If a baseball player gets a hit his first at bat this season, for instance, at that moment he is batting a perfect 1000, but unfortunately,over time and many at-bats, they will likely settle into their real batting average, probably in the 200 to 300 range.

When does the ball player reach that point? Similarly, when does the salesperson know definitively that an idea won’t work?  

In either case, you need a larger sample size.

If you want to test a new sales technique to see whether Approach A or Approach B resonates best with your target audience, then you would want to know the statistical significance in order to understand if the findings should affect your overall sales approach.

Sample Size Sally might try Approach A and Approach B a few times but will this really tell us whether either approach has any significance?

Probably not. Rather, you need to test both approaches over a longer span of time.

Also, if you increase the sample size, you’re less likely to get erratic or random results. In other words,  instead of only reaching out to 20 people, increase that number to 120 to avoid biases and get a diverse number of trials. . Additionally, the more commonalities in the audience you’re targeting, the better your chances will be for more reliable results.

The statistical significance of trying new sales strategies and optimizing your sales activities is oftentimes greater than most salespeople have the patience for, but remember, testing new approaches takes time, so don’t rush to judgement like Sample Size Sally.

Alter Ego #3: Jinxing Joe

Whether you’re a superstitious person or not, you’ve probably had an experience when you were hoping something good would happen but then were disappointed when something bad or “unlucky” actually happened instead.

In sales, this can be a common occurrence.

Let’s say you’ve had three great meetings with a new opportunity and you’re feeling optimistic about the positive buying signals you’ve received. You go back to the office and tell your manager “we’re definitely going to get this deal!”

Now, let’s fast-forward to a few weeks later. The opportunity you were so confident about won’t return your calls or emails and you haven’t heard a word since your last meeting 4 weeks ago. What happened? Could you have jinxed it?!

If you’ve been in sales long enough, then this shouldn’t come as a complete surprise.  You know there can be many external factors out of your control when dealing with the sales cycle, But if you were counting on this sale to make your goal for the month, then you’re likely running in circles and becoming desperate .

Fortunately, there is one thing you can do to prevent a sales catastrophe when this type of “jinx” happens.

Fill your pipeline with qualified leads!

Consistent prospecting and pipeline management will help you stay one step ahead of your alter ego, Jinxing Joe. Thanks to a solid pipeline that isn’t dependent on one or two sales to reach your goals, you’ll increase your chances of getting “lucky” and avoid being left high and dry at the end of the month.

Key Takeaway

Carefully tracking your sales patterns and activities over time will help you optimize your results. So, the next time you’re tempted to let any of these alter egos do the talking for you, remember to: be realistic about the opportunities you’re putting in your pipeline, take the time to test new sales strategies, and finally, avoid being “unlucky” by consistently prospecting and filling your pipeline.