Is making a sale a random event, like throwing a dart at a dartboard?

I work in a sales environment. Four of us do outbound phone sales as inside Account Managers with three outside Territory Managers who are out on the road over 20 weeks a year.  The other day I was logging a call into CRM software and one of the outside sales guys came in to our inside sales area and began chatting with my colleague on how sometimes his job of finding quality clients is like the random chance of throwing a dart at the dart board. My colleague told him since I throw darts competitively, that he should talk to me about his dart analogy.

Periodically, I hear the analogy that getting something is luck, as random as throwing darts at a dartboard.  I know they are completely incorrect!  Seneca, a first-century Roman philosopher, allegedly said, "Luck is where the crossroads of opportunity and preparation meet."  
 

A person that is great in dart-throwing just doesn’t throw a dart at the dartboard - and just hope to get a Bull’s-eye.  A great dart-thrower knows exactly where the dart is going to be after a couple of seconds after it is thrown from about 7 feet. Being a great dart-thrower also takes many hours of preparation and practice, as well as, physical and mental discipline.

A great dart-thrower has to know the playing field. This playing field is not only knowing the competition but also the type of dartboard, either bristle board or electronic, and what game that is being played on the board, like 501 or Cricket. With any type of dart board or dart game, a great dart-thrower needs to adjust the objectives, tactics and tools that are available. There are much different objectives and tactics to assure a win in 501 than there is to win a game of Cricket. For example, a great dart-thrower would use a different, heavier dart on a bristle board dartboard than electronic dart board. As I said, a great dart-thrower would change the objective, tactics and tools based on the game environment.


Being a great sales person also takes hours of preparation and practice to address the answers to any questions and objections the client may have and be able to create value to their product or services that would outshine any objection. As in dart throwing, top salespeople need both a physical and disciplined mental approach to assure the sales presentation relates value and is flawless and the message is not misunderstood by the audience.

A great sales person, like a great dart-thrower, also has to know the playing field. A great salesperson must know what the competition is bringing to the game. Both the competition’s weaknesses and strengths have to be known. A great sales person must be able to have insight about the competition’s product or service to relate a higher value of their product or service to the customer - than the competition has.  Know thy competition.

To a sales person there is an assortment of audiences. There are people in the sales audience who are drivers, analytical, amiable or expressive.   The great sales person should know the audience and adjust the objectives, tactics and tools to communicate ideas effectively to each type of personality in the audience.

Sales and darts are quite similar in the process of getting the win. At the same time, both great dart throwers and great sales people do not believe in random chance or luck. Success is when both opportunity and preparation meet. Now, go get those bull’s-eyes!

By: John A. Stefani