Persistence Is What You Need
When you absolutely must get through to someone.
What happened to those never give up salespeople who just keep going?
If you are trying to connect with someone, be they a new or existing friend or foe, what do you do when you are not being very successful?
You know you must get through to this person. It is no longer a question of whether you need to, now it is statement.
I must get through to her.
What do you do when nothing seems to be working to make that happen? You try and you try, but still no success.
My eldest daughter taught me a great deal about this when she was just a little girl. Perhaps that is what has made me so persistent and successful.
When she was young, if we went grocery shopping, she would see another person walking near us and in her cute little voice say, “Hi.”
Now not everyone is so quick to respond when you say something to them. But if that happened, she would say it again. If still unsuccessful, she would phrase it a little differently or add a few words. “Hi, there.” Again, “Hello Ms.” Then again, “Hi Mr.” Then again, “Hi, how are you doing?” She was relentless. She would not stop until the other person acknowledged her or just walked away. And 98% of the time, she was successful. Wow!
What if you were successful even close to that much in trying to connect with people? Would it make a difference?
What if you did something very similar when you were making calls? Not being rude, just unwilling to give up.
I can tell you a few stories of people who were that persistent with me. In almost all the cases, I did buy. They finally helped me see.
What happened to that motivation and relentless drive?
Instead of that, what it seems we get today from most people is as follows:
I could not get hold of anyone.
I tried at least 3 times.
They don’t want to talk with me.
I will try again later.
The bottom line is that people just give up way too quickly.
What if you keep trying until they answer or walk away?
You have a message they need to hear.
You have a product/service they really could use, and it could be very helpful to them.
But they will never know about it if you are not persistent with the attitude to keep trying.
Don’t think for a minute that this must be only about sales and salespeople. It needs to be a part of your arsenal of tools that help you to be successful.
If you are a young executive on your way up, you need to have conversations with today’s leaders. How do you get on their calendars? You Ask. And you ask until they acknowledge and give you the time.
Two things must take place. One for you, one for them.
1/ You must show them your persistence by continuing until they meet with you.
2/ You must remember that once you get on their radar, they are now watching you.
Another example. You are trying to get a promotion, but you are not making the cuts. So you identify all the key decision makers and you have conversations with as many as you can. Ask for their time and let them get to know you. Spend time asking them questions. Let them share their knowledge with you.
Some people may call you rude or pushy. I call you successful. If you want it, go for it and make it happen. Stop talking about what you are going to do and start doing it.
Here are three simple keys to help you.
1/ You keep going until you are successful.
No excuses.
No giving up.
Just do it.
2/ Be ready when they let you in.
Make sure you have a good message to deliver to them. Busy people will keep saying no. But when they say Yes – do not wait, do not hesitate, and most of all, do not waste their time.
3/ Remember you are that good.
Never give up on you.
No matter how hard it gets, keep going.
Go for the gold.
You deserve it.
Now get out there and do it.
Make the list of people you need to connect with and begin.
Don’t stop until you do it.
