Do the Hustle!

How to outsell your competition without the lowest prices, the best technology, or biggest marketing budget

In the 1975, Van McCoy released a hit song and dance called “Do the Hustle”. The lyrics are very simple and so is today’s message. The lyrics were literally, “Do the hustle”. The irony is that it’s also the secret to outselling your competition.

Your competition might have better prices, technology, or marketing. They may have more sales reps, stronger brand recognition, or more free giveaways.

However, you have one thing you can always control….Your level of hustle. It’s your decision how hard you want to work with and for your customers. And one thing I know is that good customers will always appreciate it. Not just with their words but with their purchasing decisions.

My confidence often came down to knowing that I will out work my competitor.

Five easy ways to Do the Hustle when selling

Answer your phone, email, texts. If you can’t answer immediately, then respond as soon as humanly possible. A customer once told me I was a great sales rep because I answered my phone. Until that point, I didn’t realize that was a problem for customers.
Run towards problems and complaints. We are in a difficult business that has boom-bust cycles, employee issues, truck-rail-barge delivery systems and uncertain quality at times. You are going to have execution problems. Don’t disappear when they happen. Even if you don’t have an answer or a solution.
Do a pre-call plan. Meaning, quit winging it. Do your homework before calling on a prospect and prepare better questions. Have a reason for calling on current customers. Quit, “Just stopping by to see if you need anything” or “Checking in”.
Continuously improve. Never rest on your successes or making the sale. Everything you do for your customers can be copied by your competition. Keep searching for ways that you can increase your effectiveness with your customer. That involves keeping an eye on your competition, even when they do something that doesn’t seem to make sense. I’m sure Wal-Mart didn’t take Amazon serious in the beginning. Another way to continuously improve is asking your best customers how you can help them help their customers.
Bring more resources to the sale: Your competition might have more resources but how many of them actually use those resources? How many use them at the customer or end user level? If you are a big company and have those resources, then connect them to the customer. Make connections in your marketing, operations, or engineering team to determine how you can bring those resources to better use for your customers. Sometimes, it’s as simple as having them meet. If you don’t work for a large company, then your strength is in your flexibility. Smaller typically means more nimble.

Right now, you might be thinking, “That sounds good on paper Greg, but I don’t have enough time to hustle.” Afterall, you are already working longer and harder than you can or should. And I agree that you are working hard and maybe even hustling hard. That’s where customer segmentation at the salesperson level comes in.

You only hustle hard for those customers that reward you for it. You won’t know in the beginning who will and who won’t. However, it won’t take long to see how your customer rewards your efforts with their purchasing habits. If they value what you do, then hustle for them. If not, then don’t. That’s where you save on your time. There are customers that your efforts are just not that important in their business or to them. Save your time and your frustration by providing those customers with the standard customer service level. They are customers, so they should be treated properly. However, for that top group of my customers that reward my efforts, I reward them by “Doing the Hustle”.

Lastly, if you want a laugh, ask your parents to demonstrate how they did the Hustle in 1975. Warning, it may be a bit embarrassing!