The other day, Matt Dixon and I were having a discussion, trying to solve all the problems of sales. As is often, the case in these discussions, we started reflecting on a lot of broad and, possibly, esoteric issues.
Over the past several months, we’ve been exploring the impact of cognitive bias on the sales organization, and how to both harness its power and overcome its negative impacts. This week, we’re looking at a cognitive bias that makes you, and your sales teams, cocky… even if you think it doesn’t.
I was in the right-hand lane of very slow moving traffic because of a lane closure ahead, marked by orange cones. I was along side the cones in the lane where traffic was merging left. All of a sudden, a police siren and flashing lights were upon me but I had nowhere to go.
When you crunch the numbers, the most common outcome of even apparently well-qualified complex sales opportunities is a loss - not to an alternative solution, but to the status quo.
"That wasn't what I expected!"
You might say that after reading an awesome book, waiting for months and years in anticipation of the movie version, only to be extremely disappointed when the much hyped film failed to live up to what you remembered feeling when turning the pages.
ProSales Institute issued their 2017 Sales Agenda report last month, which surveyed almost 400 sales leaders on their top challenges for the coming year. I read it with interest as I always do, and the results line up with where I see the industry’s challenges to lie, as well.
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