In the best possible market conditions, you will still need to sell

I met the head of hospitality & premium product sales for the Golden State Warriors at a conference two weeks ago.  Given the current team’s success and popularity (defending NBA world champions and setting new records this season), you’d think he has a pretty “cush” job.  And he admits that it’s easier to sell right now than it was 4-5 years ago when the team was a perennial loser.

But make no mistake, despite the unprecedented popularity and demand for Warriors games (and especially for premium services like luxury boxes, courtside seats, premium food options, etc.), he still has to sell, sell directly and sell hard.

He’s competing with a lot of other entertainment options around town, all offering similar exclusivity, entertainment value, pampering, etc.  And he’s always on the clock – once the game is over, that day’s inventory is gone forever.  If he doesn’t fill a suite, doesn’t maximize the catering order potential, doesn’t get enough commitment for high-margin premium offerings, he’s leaving money on the table.

Selling the Golden State Warriors is easier today than it was five years ago, granted.  But it’s still not a slam dunk (pun intended).

I often hear salespeople complain about market conditions, complain about the lack of awareness for their product or brand, and long for the days when “things turn around”, when push becomes pull, when outbound is replaced by inbound, when sales gives way to order-taking.

Selling conditions can always be better, and always be worse.  But they will never be perfect.

You will never sit back and watch the purchase orders come in.  You will always need to sell – against time, against competition, against inertia, against complacency.

If you’re in sales for the Golden State Warriors, selling conditions could not be more perfect than they are right now.  And yet, sales is still a grind.

So how different is that, really, from your current selling environment?  What obstacles exist for you that, though real, are just as surmountable?  Just as malleable?

Sales objections are a constant.  It’s up to you how you approach and (maybe) overcome them.