Mr Miller, a highly successful salesman was once on the brink of total collapse and defeat. He not only went from loving his work to feeling tortured by it, but he also wanted to give up. However, this all changed one drastic day when he unexpectedly started writing down his thoughts on some scrap paper. How can writing down your thoughts on scrap paper solve your business problems you may ask? A fair question! Well, in short, he applied the worry formula discussed in the article "How To Decrease Your Management Worries By 50% and Increase Your Employees Output by 50%". Here is the story of how he analysed and solved his worry problem, following the set process from the article just mentioned.
Step 1: Write down what the exact problem is, not your worries or concerns. As the saying goes, "a problem well-stated is a problem half solved".
The problem Mr Miller was facing was that he was not getting a high enough reward for the considerable amount of time and effort he was putting into his work. He was great at closing sales deals, but he kept wasting a lot of time chasing clients who said they would consider his products. This time-wasting and lack of reward is enough to make anyone miserable, let alone Mr Miller who had to makes sales if he wanted to eat.
Step 2: Analyse the root cause of the problem.
Using the 5 W's and the H (Who, What, Where, Why, When and How), objectively find the conditions that lay at the root cause of the problem.
Collect and analyse all the facts that can be obtained in regards to the problem at hand. Every piece of information should be written down before it is to be discussed or debated.
Mr Miller began studying the facts and analysed data for the past 24 months. In no time at all, he discovered something astonishing. 75% of his sales were closed on the first meeting with his clients, 20% were closed during the second, and only 5% were closed on the third, fourth or fifth ... etc meeting. In short, he realised that over half his day was spent chasing clients of which made up only 5% of his total sales. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what he should do next.
Step 3: Write down all the possible solutions to the problem at hand.
- Solution 1: Carry on this way to ensure he gets as much business as possible.
- Solution 2: Cut out all business over the second meeting and leave half the business day acquiring new clients and marketing.
Step 4: Scrutinise every proposed solution, writing down the pros and cons of each.
- Solution 1: Pros: He ensures he has done everything he can to maximise the sales to his current selection of potential clients.
Cons: He wastes time that can be spent on acquiring new clients and marketing.
- Solution 2: Pros: He can increase the number of clients he contacts and by the law of probabilities, this should increase sales.
Cons: He may miss out on sales that could have resulted from his third, fourth, fifth ... etc attempts with a client.
Step 5: Recommend a solution.
Mr Miller decided to cut out all business after the second meeting with his potential clients and kindly asked the client to contact him instead. The result? He not only doubled his profits, but he did so by having increased free time and a new and improved attitude towards his work. More money and more free time? A classic example of a win-win situation I say.
Well done Mr Miller, you have learnt first hand the power of sitting down and analysing your worry problems. Perhaps there are salesmen and saleswomen who are facing the same problem? I wonder what the simple act of sitting down and analysing their worry through fact-finding and coming to a decision can do for them, and maybe even for you? Cheers!
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