Want to Lose Sales? Try the 'Gravy Diet'

Everybody in business, including me, loves a good dollop of "gravy." In this context, gravy is business that literally falls into your lap:

• The prospect who calls to say, "I'm ready to buy"
• The client who contacts you to make another purchase
• The order form that arrives with a check in the mail

What's wrong with a little gravy? Nothing, as long as it is consumed in moderation. A little gravy, in fact, is a healthy part of a salesperson's diet. Leads that arrive as "done deals" are good for your attitude, and you are entitled to them. As New York Yankees great Lefty Gomez famously said, "I would be rather lucky than good."

Unfortunately, some salespeople like gravy too much; they even learn to exist on the stuff. They stop prospecting for business, and they wait for the phone to ring. They live on whatever happens to come in the door. They are devoted followers of the Gravy Diet. And sooner or later, the Gravy Diet always leaves them starving.

That's because salespeople who live off of incoming leads have relinquished ownership of their future and their income. Their success or failure is driven by factors beyond their scope of control, namely luck, good fortune, and a fair wind. Whether or not they make their sales numbers (and mortgage payment) each month comes down to whether or not the telephone rings. And that, my friends, is no way to live your life, salesperson or otherwise.