What Does Body Surfing Have to Do with Selling???

I can’t surf to save my life. I can catch waves like crazy, but I suck at the “pop-up.”

The surf pop-up is the explosive transition from paddling on your stomach to a stable, balanced standing position on the board. It relies on momentum and creating space rather than pure upper-body strength. Good surfers make it look fairly effortless. I’m NOT a good surfer because even though I’m excellent at “catching the wave” when I pop up my balance is bad and I fall off the board. So I have surfboards, but I don’t use them.

On the other hand, I’m a really good body surfer! There’s no pop-up as all I need to do is catch the right wave at the right moment, and PRESTO! I’m surfing, without the surf board. My body is the board.

I LOVE body surfing!! It’s like flying through the ocean toward the shore. An amazing feeling!!

Here are a couple of observations that make me a good body surfer and apply beautifully to selling.

1) I don’t take every wave.
I watch surfers, other body-surfers, boogie boarders and anyone else trying to ride waves. Often I find they’re “chasing waves”…going after every wave that comes along trying to get a good ride. But not every wave is a good wave. A good wave has a certain shape, and a certain size, and the best waves are when the wave is breaking at the same time you can feel the last wave rushing back out to sea…almost pulling your legs back towards to ocean as your wave rushes toward to shore. When that happens it’s an effortless jump into the wave, and the wave does all the work.
I see a lot of others paddling furiously to try to catch the wave. When you wait for YOUR wave, there’s almost no effort needed.

Some salespeople chase every deal. Big mistake. You and your solution aren’t right for every prospect, and not every prospect is right for you. When you find the right prospects, and have a sales process you use that makes both you and your prospect feel comfortable, the sale can often seem effortless…just two (or more) people having a conversation which ends up with them choosing to do business with you.

Developing a written ICP (Ideal Client Profile) can help you define what a good prospect is for you, so that you know to market to them, so that you recognize them when they show up, and so that you don’t waste your time chasing bad deals (waves). It takes too much time and energy chasing bad deals when you could be investing that time with real prospects who fit your ICP.

2) I have patience.
Sometimes not taking every wave means I spend a bunch of time staring out at the ocean…watching the waves develop as they head toward the shore. Sometimes I can be standing in one spot for 5 or 10 minutes before my wave comes in. During that time there will be lots of other waves…just not my wave. In real life I sometimes struggle with patience…as I like to get things done and get them done quickly. But in the ocean I have the patience of a saint! I know that (on most days) if I bide my time and stay observant that my wave will come.

Too often I see salespeople chasing prospects. And often they’re chasing prospects who are never going to do business with them, but the prospect just won’t let them know in no uncertain terms. The prospect stops returning calls and emails, misses meetings, won’t set more appointments. They’re telling you NO, at least for now, but some sellers keep chasing and chasing the same prospects over and over. Why? Because they aren’t speaking with enough prospects which makes them impatient with the few “prospects” they think they have. Consistent and effective prospecting allows you to wait patiently, while following up with current prospects, because you know you don’t need that particular prospect’s deal. It allows you to relax in your follow-up, because you know you’ve got a full pipeline and that more prospects (waves) are coming.

3) I’m prepared
When I get in the water I’ve already invested 5-10 minutes staring at the waves. Where are they breaking? How big are they? How powerful? Does there seem to be an undertow or rip tide? By the time I walk into the ocean I’ve studied the “prospect” and know where I’ll be standing, what my wave looks like, and am ready for action.

Not being ready when you walk into the ocean is like walking into a boardroom to meet with prospects without doing any research. When you start a sales call you only get one chance to make a first impression, to establish rapport, to begin your discovery, to present, etc. It doesn’t make sense to wing it when selling…as there’s money on the line each time you meet with prospects. Not being ready to respect the ocean can be dangerous…even deadly. Not respecting the sales process by being prepared isn’t deadly, but it can be extremely bad for your wallet.