I was in sales from the moment I was employed.  Selling a rock band to a high school… selling portraits to housewives… selling lawn care to home owners… selling clothes to men… selling teeth to dentists…

I have always enjoyed sales and I’ve been given lots of advice to help improve my sales efforts.  One such piece of advice came from an elderly man named Bill.  I was managing a team of telemarketers and some of them thought it was more fun to do things other than make phone calls.  They always had a reason (excuse) for not calling and for doing something else that “needed” to be done.

Bill was a consultant we had hired to help in the development of the business.  He came in one day and said… “folks, you need to realize that nothing, absolutely nothing happens in this room till the sale is made.”

I heard that message, and from that day forward I have repeated that message to every sales person I’ve hired or been involved with.

It seems that some folks just feel better doing things to prepare for the sale, or perfect the product, or make their environment for pleasing.

Well, what I’ve learned to be true is that none of that matters… till the sale is made, because, “nothing happens till the sale is made.”