NO is Short for Next Opportunity: How Top Sales Professionals Think - Softcover

Now, concentrate! But what exactly does an outstanding sales professional concentrate on? On revenue? On the commission? On her suave, affable
approach? On the customer? On the product? Well, none of these is off the mark, but none is completely correct either.

When selling, a top sales professional concentrates on . . . selling. C'mon, Limbeck. Isn't that obvious? True. I realize that that sounds trite. But think
about it. What I mean by that is that you as a salesperson need to focus on the core aspect of your profession. No salesperson is paid for visiting
customers, sales pitches, traveling, objection handling, a good entrance, appropriate attire, sound elocution, or dealing with customer complaints. These
are all preconditions, collateral obligations, but they do not address the actual issue. They are the mountain climber's equipment but not the climb
itself, and they are worth nothing if the peak isn't reached.

If selling is the focal point of your thoughts, it means you have already fulfilled many preconditions. You have, for example, thought about what
kind of information you require for the task. You have practiced your smooth and friendly entrance, you know the typical objections of a customer and can
counter each one, you know your product inside out, and so forth. To be clear, all these sales techniques are necessary. A good skier would never enter a
race with old, cheap, worn-out equipment. The best NASCAR racers use the best available engines. The best-run football team offers the best training
facilities, stadium, and coaching staff. The fact that you are fully equipped is simply a matter of professionalism. But the cutting-edge skis aren't going
to take themselves down the awaiting black slope, a powerful engine doesn't climb the winner's podium alone, and the coaching staff does not score
touchdowns. Though you handled the client's objections perfectly, your company still hasn't earned a dime.

In the end, what matters is the result. If we're talking sports, that means medals, trophies, decisive touchdowns, prestigious titles. That is why Joe
Montana is a superstar and Donovan McNabb is not. That is why Richard Petty is a NASCAR legend, while Dirk Nowitzki is hardly talked about, even though he
is one of the world's best basketball players. Nowitzki just happens to be on the losing team in most decisive games. In the end it is not your performance
that counts; it is the results you reap from that performance. And if selling is really about selling and not putting on a good show for the client, then
there can only be one goal in your mind from the very beginning.