The word, why, is such an important, underused, word in business. It really doesn’t matter what the subject is. You can ask – Why do we do it that way? Or – Why don’t we do it that way?
Other examples to consider: Why did we get that new account? Or – Why didn’t we get that new account? Or – Why are some of our salespeople being successful? Or – Why are some of our salespeople not being successful?
There are many questions you can ask in your business that can start off with the word, why. Today, let’s focus the question, why, in relationship to sales.
You probably know the theory about the sales funnel. Find targeted prospects. Put the prospects in the sales funnel. Identify and meet each prospect’s individual needs with your products and services. And as the prospects work through the sales funnel, out of the bottom of the funnel comes new business.
But the question we should be asking about those prospects that we put in the sales funnel is: Why are they a good prospect? Are they truly a prospect that will potentially result in an immediate or future sale? Or is it just a name on a piece of paper thrown into the sales funnel to keep you, the CEO, president or business owner, happy? If we don’t know why they are a good prospect, the likelihood is that we have wasted a lot of time and they may not convert to business.
So add the word, why, to your management style and business vocabulary. Just like a bright-eyed two years old that is discovering the world and endlessly asking – Why? – so too should you be incorporating – Why? – into your daily business agenda. Those three little letters, w-h-y, will make your business stronger, more productive and more profitable.