What’s the secret to creating urgency?
There is no secret.
Jobs-to-be-Done theory tells us that when the habit of the present and anxiety is greater than the problem and the pull of something new, people don’t switch. If the situation intensifies, they might come back.
Focus on planting lots of seeds. Water them. Provide sunlight.
You can’t make flowers grow faster because it’s the end of the quarter.
How do you water seeds and provide sunlight?
- Produce follow-up emails that make your prospects smarter about a topic they’re interested in.
- Send the emails once a month.
- Repeat this for at least five months.
Here’s how I water seeds in follow-up emails.
Email 1: “John, we analyzed 937 cold calls that booked meetings. And have a slideshow on what each of those calls has in common. Is this something you’d like to see?”
Email 2: “John, I enjoyed your two cents on building a winning sales culture. It was interesting to hear your thoughts on making time for coaching and why it matters. You rock.”
Email 3: “John, I thought you’d enjoy this HBR article on building a productive sales culture. In particular, the bit about “firing” customers that, despite all attempts, remain unprofitable accounts.”
I’m watering seeds right now.
Some of you will review the featured section of my profile or check out my website and buy one of my products.
Some of you need more water and sunlight because you’re not ready to buy.
Others will be able to make progress without me.
Be patient.
You don’t create motivation; you align with it.
Water seeds.