Since I was a child, I’ve suffered from Hay Fever with a slight respite when I lived in central London for two years in the mid-’80s. No grass there.
We live in Cheltenham, a bowl in the middle of the Cotswolds, surrounded by verdant countryside. Pollen is rife here, and hay fever.
The answer is to take anti hay fever tablets, but I’ve been doing this for years. However, during heavy pollen days in June and July, the pollen gets the better of me and strikes me down until…
In February, I discovered taking the pills way before pollen rears its ugly head. So I did. A miracle, no more symptoms, clear year after year.
The reason logically is that you’re filling up your system with the medicine that prevents hay fever. I’m getting my body used to the onslaught of the pollen so it can combat it in its own way. I’m preparing well.
What’s the message for us salespeople and sales managers? Do you do an adequate amount of preparation before meeting your customer or salesperson for coaching? Do you:
- Research them online – without getting creepy – it’s incredible how a five-minute search can reveal lots of helpful information. LinkedIn is the ideal place for this.
- Know your product and processes entirely and utterly, so you’re customer-focused during the meeting. I’ve met salespeople and coaches who are “winging it” a tad and are too product and process-focused and forget about the customer.
- Are you up to date with your industry and sector? Know the latest fads and expositions.
- Have everything stored on a CRM system – in the cloud – so you don’t have to rely on memory. You do complete the CRM after each client meeting, don’t you?
A few ideas to help you prepare thoroughly, never to be underestimated.
Taking hay fever tablets earlier helps enormously, and it’s the same concept as the COVID 19 Vaccine. That’s apparently saved over 100,000 lives, according to the Gov website.
