Sales Are Like Beef Bourguignon?

lemaster • December 15, 2017

I love to cook. Really, I do. Especially when I'm not in a mad dash to get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. So, that's why I love this time of year. Pulling our favorite recipes from past holidays or new ones from my boys' favorite shows on Food Network.

I heard someone say recently that Sales is a lot like Cooking. Huh? I've been in professional sales most of my adult life and truly love it, but I've never thought of it much like cooking. I guess it could be. So many ingredients that have to be prepared just right, sliced, diced and simmered or broiled for just the right amount of time and at the right temperature. Yeah, maybe they are on to something.

After many years of pulling out my tried-and-true Julia Child cookbook, it's safe to say that I can make Beef Bourguignon with some success by now. I've learned with many tries at it, what cut of meat works best, that shallots are better than garlic in it, which stock is best and that the Le Creuset pan is truly the best. Oh, and to not forget to give it time to rest for a while after it finishes cooking! It's a complex recipe, but once broken down, is totally doable.

So, back to the Sales part and how cooking relates to Sales because I was getting hungry! Whether you are trying to sell a client's products or services, in order to make that sale or expand sales:

You need all the right ingredients that make a great sale.
This includes your research, data analysis, knowledge about the client/competition/market, your product or business's features/attributes/benefits and how they relate to the target market. You also need a plan, determination, the ability to hear "no" many times and follow-through.

You need the right pan.
Are you sharing what is important to the customer and how it will benefit them? Or just sharing everything and hope something sticks? Have you determined how you can reach the target market? How are you "serving it up" to them? What tools will you use to implement these sales plans?

It has to be timed just right.
Are you meeting in-person or by phone? Or trying to just make a quick email follow-up? An efficient email is not usually the most effective way to generate sales. What type of follow-up will you have and at what frequency?

Get cooking! Just follow the recipe that you set out for yourself and get ready to serve up successful SALES!

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