Prospecting - The Law of the Hierarchy of Habits
We are all suject to the law of the Hierarchy of Habits.
Just like gravity, you are under the control of the Law of the
Hierarchy of Habits whether you like it or not. But unlike
gravity, many of us don't realize how important this law is to
our performance in virtually every skill performed.
The Law of the Hierarchy of Habits says that, "Under pressure,
you will do what you are most prepared to do."
Now this makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Look at
someone who has never tried to play tennis. When they get out on
the tennis court they look like a real klutz. The same thing
with bowling or golf or really any other skill.
Now most of you will probably say that this is common knowledge
and it is easily overcome. First, you have to be taught the
right way to hold the racket, or club or release the ball. Then
you have to practice so you can do it better and better. That
makes sense and is how most of us gain at least some proficiency
in these sports. Also, how many teams do you know that perform
well without practicing together? So the key factor here seems
to be learning a skill and then practicing it.
Today we also refer to this as muscle memory. It is also the
reason pilots train in handling emergencies over and over. So if
one should occur, they are prepared to handle it correctly. Most
of us have trained our muscles to drive a car so we handle
nearly every situation "automatically."
This is where the law comes in. Most many situations you face
put you under pressure to some degree. As a result, your
performance will reflect the degree with which you are prepared
to perform to a standard. If you have practiced and "trained"
your muscles to act the way you want, then your performance will
reflect that development. If however, you have not prepared
yourself, then your performance will reflect that lack of
preparation and you will be disappointed.
My golf game is terrible. Every time I play, I say that I will
never play golf again. And I have seen Jack Nicholas and Arnold
Palmer and the other greats play lots of golf. I know how to
play scratch golf, so why don't I play scratch golf?
The reason is simple; I don't prepare myself to play like they
do. When the Law of the Hierarchy of Habits hits Arnold Palmer
he plays as he has prepared himself to play, the same thing
holds true when Bill Truax plays. I don't deserve to score as
well as Arnold Palmer.
Now when you decide to make cold calls, how can you expect to
perform? The way that you have prepared, of course. The same
thing holds true with your sales presentations and objection
handling techniques, every aspect of your sales conduct. One of
the things that has always surprised me is that a sales
professional will practice his or her golf game, bowling,
tennis, or soft ball, but will not practice their prospecting or
presentations skills. Yet their prospecting and presentation
skills are critical to their success and happiness. And also
gives them the opportunities to play those games!
When I go in the field to spend time prospecting with a sales
person, I do all of the prospecting calls myself. The sales
person is there to watch and answer technical questions because
I don't know their products. Before we go out on the calls, I
have to learn the wording for the prospecting call, I call it a
BLITZ CALL