What does precision cold calling have to do with SWAT police officers?
Years ago, I was a scout leader taking our troop on a visit to a SWAT police team headquarters. Their high-risk duties and equipment were exciting: body armor, armored vehicles, eavesdropping devices, and long-range guns with high-caliber bullets.
At the end of the tour, our guide, who was a senior officer, said that a successful engagement is when they don’t fire any weapons, and the conflict ends in a peaceful surrender.
Not what I expected to hear!
The officer also said that, prior to becoming a SWAT officer, he had been a police constable on patrol duty. He loved the change to SWAT duty because he could focus on doing one thing well: handling conflicts requiring intense training, planning, and deployment. Once the situation was resolved, he and his team left. The patrol officers dealt with the routine work of arresting and reporting.
I began my career in sales, prospecting, presenting, and closing the entire sales process. I discovered my greatest skill was cold calling and prospecting, something many of my peers weren’t as good at or excited to do.
The message here: Find your niche! I honed my sales expertise by becoming a Sherlock Holmes of prospecting, always looking for the needle in a haystack.