April 21

10 comments

Looking For Greener Grass? Don’t Make This Mistake!

By Michael Q. Pink

April 21, 2014


A common mistake people make is asking for territory or more ground to expand their business when they aren’t doing a great job with what territory they already have. You don’t need 40 acres if you’re not being effective with the 2 acres you already have. Diligence brings its own reward. Success breeds success.It only LOOKS like greener grass on the other side.

Danish Cows
Looking For Greener Grass?

I see it all the time in sales organizations.

Guys who aren’t doing too well complain about their territory. It’s either too small or too spread out or too something that’s not good. Upon deeper investigation, you usually discover that there is plenty of overlooked opportunity there. Maybe all the low hanging fruit has been picked or fallen to the ground for a competitor to snatch up, but there is terrific potential still there in many cases.

Back in the ‘70’s when I was enjoying competing head to head with Xerox, I noticed that they had a high turnover in sales reps in my territory. While I wanted to believe I was demoralizing the competition (and I think I was), the fact is that Xerox would regularly shake up the territories by moving sales reps around from one territory to another. That way the guy working a given territory always saw things from a fresh perspective and would typically see the potential.

Flawed Philosophy

Now, I believe their philosophy was flawed because business at its core is first of relational. Then it’s transactional. Business relationships would just begin to form and gel between the Xerox rep and a prospect when suddenly he disappeared from sight and there was a new guy on the scene. Don’t think I didn’t seize the opportunities that presented.

To their credit Xerox was a top-flight sales organization that recognized the nearly universal tendency for people to believe they could find greener grass on the other side, so they would allow their reps to continuously migrate to what looked like greener grass. However, I was given one territory and told to work it continuously. Because I was hemmed in, in one defined territory, I was constantly looking for the fallow ground I could plant seed in and cultivate to fruition.

The net result for me and the company I served was massive unprecedented growth and the dethroning of Xerox as the number one copier supplier in the country! I simply worked my field diligently and it produced greener grass for me and my family. I have an audio coaching program (Selling Among Wolves) that I WILL GIVE YOU if you help me make this blog well known. I normally sell it for $147. Learn how here…

Michael Q. Pink

About the author

Michael is America's leading authority on applying Biblical Wisdom and Natural Law to sales and business and has authored 19 books including The Bible Incorporated, Selling Among Wolves and God's Best Kept Secrets. Using that knowledge, he has helped thousands of professionals and entrepreneurs experience radical transformation in their lives and careers, including helping a start-up with 3 struggling sales reps turn the corner and become the 16th fastest growing company on the INC 500 list. 

  • I can identify with what you are saying. I used to work as a sales consultant for a corporation a few years ago, I remember there were sales people that were always complaining about their territories; however while I was making my routine follow up calls and new prospecting dials I would see those that complained talking, browsing the net, on personal calls or taking a break.

    • Hello Judy, you know I was thinking about this 20/80 rule this morning and I believe it could be apply to other things in my life also. Thanks again.!

      I must say that “Selling Among Wolves” has been a blessing to my sales/business carrier, God has a perfect timing. I’m sure the “Seven Wealth Secrets of the Rainforest” will be as good. God Bless.!

  • That’s why you are exceptional Jose! So glad to have you participating with our blogs. I’m sure your input will be helpful to others as well. Looking forward to hearing more from you and hoping you like it well enough to share on social media. Bless you brother!

  • This is really a good post, especially for me today. It caused me to realize that I need to be diligent with what God has given me to do right now. Thanks for this insight. I also want to thank you for making your materials available in such a creative way. It is my intention to “pay” for these exactly as you outlined. What you have done is truly a blessing from God and I know that my business will prosper because of what I will learn. God bless you both and I look forward to sharing this with as many as I can.

  • Hello, Mike and Judy…

    I agree with both Jose and Melinda. Your way of offering your products is really creative and I also might start collecting from your portfolio!…for I know that those could become collector’s items in due time..:-) !

    Too, the principles on 80/20 as well as the diligence in ones territory is a truth that I always observe and of which we could really leverage on…and we could combine these 2 in business practice: identifying the vital few over the trivial many and diligently growing business revenue from the same territory. “A bird in a hand is worth 2 in a bush.”

    As you taught, Mike, a rainforest area out of the same field.

    May our God generously pour back on you more than the generosity that you are putting forward to us.

    Glad to learn from your blogs with the other bloggers,

    BenjieC.

    • Hi Benjie;

      Thank you for the encouragement my friend… Your comments and insights are always welcome here. Please feel free to email individual posts to your friends and associates and invite them into the dialog. I anticipate coming to your part of the world and would love to have a nucleus of folks familiar with our work.

      Blessings!

      • It is not farfetched, Mike…you’d become a part of my “Oikos”. I would like the idea of your coming to my part of the world to happen one day.

        Till next…more blessings,

        BenjieC.

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