The Sales Archaeologist

In the late 60's a new law required cigarette manufacturers to label packages of cigarettes as harmful to your health.  Some people had already quit smoking when they first heard about the potential danger years earlier, others started to quit when the warning appeared on the label.  And then there were those who did nothing and sued the tobacco companies years later when they ended up with cancer.

In the year 79AD, when the volcano Vesuvius started to puff smoke, some folks packed up and left Pompeii. Others waited until there were some tremors. Both of these groups survived but for the thousands that waited for the volcanic ash to start falling - well it was too late and they all ended up dead.

These lessons teach us something quite interesting - people take action at different points and for different triggers.   What might be compelling to one person will not necessarily get through to another.   It also teaches us that those requiring huge or exorbitant amounts of evidence or multiple compelling reasons before taking action often run the risk of getting hurt or taking action too late.

In sales we emphasize the importance of uncovering compelling reasons for the individual client and allowing those reasons to motivate the person to action - no pushy close - the person simply takes action because it is the right thing to do! If you are a sales person or if you manage sales people you can appreciate how important those reasons are and how difficult they can sometimes be to uncover. Unfortunately there are people that will not act even with compelling reasons - why? Fear, Insecurity, Self Doubt, Incapable of Trust, Overly Cynical, Pride and many more. No doubt some of the same reasons why people waited to leave Pompeii!

So always be prepared to move on - even if you have established compelling reason.