ny—another territory—who was cruising along at

110 percent of sales quota with four major accounts.

No worries, right? But then the bottom fell out when

two of his accounts went through acquisitions and

spending got really tight. He dropped from number

six to number ninety-seven in the company sales

rankings; it took him two years to recover. Why did

this happen? Because he became so enamored of his

results and numbers at his four key accounts that he

completely neglected the rest of his garden. Then,

when the big yielders failed to produce, he was in

trouble. All because he forgot—or never had—clear

personal vision.”

Marsha nodded. “Got it.”

“Good. So let’s try that vision again. This time, real-

ly see it, smell it, taste it.” After a moment he asked,

“What are you doing? What does sales success look

like?”

This time Marsha was ready. “Well, let’s see—I’m

sitting with a good customer, having lunch at one of

my favorite restaurants. We’re talking really easily;

she’s asking my opinion of a new product. It’s not my

area of expertise, but she values my point of view any-

33

Planning a Sales Garden