Fools Rush In: Assess Your Sales Opportunities Before Rushing In
American businesses waste millions of dollars annually chasing after “mirage” sales opportunities that they have no chance of winning. Valuable resources are often tied up for months responding to bids that will never be won or trying unsuccessfully to open a major account. How can you ensure that this won’t happen in your organization? How can you reap a better return on your sales effort investment?
The secret of winning strategists is that they determine their odds of triumph prior to ever seeking a challenge! Losing strategists pursue an opportunity before planning a strategy for success or before considering the possibility that the opportunity may not even be worthwhile to pursue.
In The Art of War, Sun Tzu said, “The excellent general weighs the situation before he moves. He is prudent, but not hesitant. He realizes that there are “some roads not to be followed, some armies not to be attacked, some cities not to be besieged, some positions not to be contested… When a decision is made to attack, this should be done with the gravest of considerations, as the costs will be great.”
Therefore, prior to attacking any sales “opportunity,” serious consideration should be made regarding the cost of going after the business and the odds of actually winning.