We don’t know, what we don’t know and this is why good sales people are invaluable.

We buy things to be more productive, gain a competitive edge, play golf better, sell more stuff, serve customers better, or save money. We buy stuff to make our world better. The problem is we don’t always know what could make our world better. That is why sales people are so important. They help us know what we don’t know.

Selling to us is hard because we dig in. We operate from the idea that we already know it all. We are resistant to sales calls. We avoid sales people when they walk up to us. We tell them we are all set, before we let them talk. We build a giant wall, difficult for sales people to climb. We feel good about it. We feel like we are winning. But are we?

What is it worth to find a faster, cheaper way to make your widget. What’s it worth to make your sales team more productive? What’s it worth to get rid of that nasty slice? What’s it worth to gain on your competitor? There is always a better way, a better product, an innovative solution. Finding it is the difference between success and failure.

The bigger the wall you build, the harder to improve; to find faster, better, cheaper. Sales people know what you don’t know.

Lower the wall, make sales people spend more time focusing on your problems and less time getting to you. You will be the winner in the end.