//STE 1 & 2
 
1. Looking for the next sale is the sign of serious trouble. The days following the attack served to underscore how dependent most companies - both large and small- are on "the next sale for their survival." This is a symptom of the widespread disease known as the sales driven business. It is characterized by marshalling the sales force to get out there and get the orders, a successful system as long as there is an ever upward demand.

The vulnerability of businesses when it comes to sales is frighteningly clear. Where are our sales going to come from? Was that the question that haunted most companies. While just-in-time deliveries make sense in manufacturing, expecting the next sale to come through the door at just the right moment doesn't.

Unfortunately, too many companies insist on trying to short circuit the selling process. All they want is the order. When there is a severe disconnect such as the attack or an economic downturn, sales hit the wall. Even worse, for many companies, it appears they do not bounce back quickly.

The fallout that followed the attack is instructive: Before you can own the customer's wallet, you must own the customer's head. You must have mindshare before you can have market share. If this is true, then why do so many companies insist on trying to do it backwards? Why do they think salesmanship - even expert salesmanship - is the solution? Why do they want to make a sale before they actually have a customer?

2. Focus on what you're selling, not what you sell. Believe it or not but what you're selling is not the same as what you sell. Honda Motors is a good example of a company that understands this seemingly contradictory concept. Honda has long recognized customer trust is the key to selling cars. Honda vehicles are very good, but they are not great. They are, however, what millions of consumers want: a vehicle that's incredibly trustworthy.

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