It’s all well and good to have sales and marketing capability… And to know all the techniques, shortcuts, hacks and heuristics in the world. but unless you’re actually out there doing it on a daily basis, making the calls and doing the work, you’re just not going to get the results. The more time you spend doing, the stronger your B2B marketing and sales are going to be. And the greater results you’re going to see. And so, when it comes to winning business, or implementing a successful tactical marketing plan, the best thing you can force yourself to have is discipline.
Want the Too Long; Don’t Read Version? Watch this video…
Think of it like going to the gym
Take me, for example – I’ve been going to the gym consistently for the past six months. And holding myself to this commitment! It’s taken real discipline but I’ve started to see results. When I came back from two weeks off recently, it hurt. Getting myself back to the level I was at – and the level I want to be – involved more time, reduced weights and recommitting myself to going four times a week. No excuses.
This is exactly what sales is like. You only get better by doing. Sure, you’ll have more information if you’re reading countless sales and marketing books or completing courses, but to actually get better at B2B sales and marketing you need to be out there in in the world in a live environment deploying marketing, deploying advertising, deploying sales calls – even when it hurts. Discipline is the art of doing what you know you should be doing, even when you don’t want to do it.
Using discipline to optimise your IT sales leads
To get the most from your IT sales leads, discipline involves doing what you say you’re going to do. For instance, if you’ve set up a process for something like a sales call – like my ten-step plan for winning over a prospective client – you need discipline to follow through on this process. Discipline to put in the prep work. And discipline to stick to the script or use the tools that you’ve put in place for yourself.
This applies especially when you get a wishy-washy answer from a client. It’s easy to move on when a client bats away a curly or challenging question. Usually a budget-related question in my experience. But you need the discipline to make sure you use the right tactics to get the answers. Then you can do your job more effectively. Likewise with your tech marketing strategies – if you’ve made a plan to post regularly on social media, then post regularly on social media. If you have a weekly meeting in place, make sure you attend the meeting every week.
B2B marketing can be a drawn-out process. Take it from someone who has been operating my own B2B sales and marketing agency for many years – the more you do, the better you’ll be. And with discipline as your secret weapon, you’ll be a formidable sales and marketing force that sees results.
