Being patient, persistent & poised (and never a pest)
This micro-lesson is about being patient, persistent and poised in the sales cycle. And let me begin with an folklore story about Airbus.
In 1969, Airbus was established with the ambitious goal of breaking into the competitive aerospace market. By 1974, the company launched its first aircraft, the A300, which was notable for being the world's first twin-engined wide-body airliner. However, entering the U.S. market proved a formidable challenge for Airbus, as established manufacturers like Boeing dominated the industry.
George Warde, head of Airbus' U.S. sales department, played a pivotal role. His persistence and strategic approach were crucial in navigating the complexities of airline sales. For years, Warde worked tirelessly to build relationships and demonstrate the capabilities of Airbus aircraft to American airlines.
The breakthrough came in April 1978 when Eastern Airlines, led by President Frank Borman, ordered 34 A300 aircraft after a successful trial involving four planes provided by Airbus.
This landmark deal marked Airbus' first major sale in the U.S. market and was a significant milestone for the company. At today's list prices, the deal with Eastern Airlines was valued at approximately $6.8 billion, highlighting the high stakes involved in aerospace sales.
The story perfectly illustrates that long sales cycles require substantial time investments and immense patience, persistence and poise.
With complex sales, waiting a year or eighteen months between first contact and closing a deal isn't uncommon. Here are some industry averages:
Manufacturing: 130 days
Technology: 121 days
Financial Services: 98 days
Software: 90 days
Aerospace: 4 to 10 years!
Lesson: sales success isn't about quick wins but consistent, thoughtful engagement. Concretely, it’s about patience, persistence and poise.
Patient
Being patient means building trusted relationships and allowing customers the space and time to make decisions. Customers appreciate professionals who understand their decision-making process. Pushing too hard can transform you from a potential partner into an annoyance.
Think about it when you’re buying shoes. You don’t want the person helping you get the shoes you wish to try up in your face repeatedly asking if you will buy them. If we’re not patient with customers and push them to decide, they will think we’re an annoyance or even a manic. And we rarely buy things from maniacs.
Persistent
Persistence is about continuing your efforts even when progress seems slow. Standing out requires a delicate balance of patience, poise, and consistent communication. You need to be patient and let the customer take the time they need to decide. Persistence can be appreciated, but it’s how you’re persistence that is critical.
Poised
Being poised means maintaining a composed, confident demeanour. The stoics considered it a virtue, and no wonder. We feel people who are poised. They aren’t rushed. Your customers and potential customers will immediately recognise this sense of poise, and they’ll love and appreciate you for it. Like a superpower, poise communicates trustworthiness and professionalism. Your calm approach can be the difference between closing a deal and losing a potential client.
The art and science of being patient, persistent and poised requires discerning the frequency at which you should keep in touch with your new potential customers and how to engage them throughout the sales cycle, which brings me to share something exciting with you.
I am working on a subscription version of this platform, which will launch in 2025. This will be for those interested in getting a deeper level of teaching on mastering sales. For example, for this micro-lesson, I will teach you the frequency at which you should keep in touch with your prospect.
This subscription model will include scholarships, where, for every paid subscriber, we give a subscription to someone unable to afford access to a platform like this. So, by signing up, you’ll support someone who is determined to build the brightest future and needs a little support on that path.