Selling Secrets From the Giraffes
Posted on Wed, Oct 19, 2011
Guest Blog by Jill Konrath
We didn't watch the sleeping rhinos for too long before we decided to move on. Little did we know what awaited us just around the bend.
Nothing can prepare you for being right in the midst of herd of giraffes. As these tall, gangly, beautiful animals nibbled the leaves off the top of the trees, we snapped photo after photo.
But the giraffes weren't alone. Over the course of our 3-day safari, we saw them with wildebeest, kudo, impala, tsessebe, zebra, springbok and more.
They stay together because, when you're hunted daily by the big cats, jackals and hyenas, there's security in numbers. Plus, each of the herd animals bring a special talent to the group. For example:
- Being tall, giraffes are usually first to spot any hunters who approach. All the other animals keep their eyes on them.
- With their widespread eyes, the wildebeest has a broad field of vision and can sense danger from the side.
- Kudus leap straight up in the air when they see a predator. This shocks the hunter, but gives them - and the herd - a chance to escape.
And here's something that you may not know. Predators don't have eyes like ours. They can't make out color. Instead, the predators only see outlines. When prowling for food, they're looking for the shape of the impala and the shape of the giraffe. When they spot it, they attack.
That's why giraffes have spots. They break up the shape. It's the same reason other herd animals have stripes and lines and blobs. When the predators can't see a shape, they can't attack. And, it's even harder when the animals are moving en masse.
So what can we learn about sales from the giraffes?
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Jill Konrath, author of SNAP Selling and Selling to Big Companies, helps sellers get more prospects in their pipeline, speed up sales cycles and land bigger contracts. She's a frequent speaker at sales conferences. For more fresh sales strategies that work with crazy-busy prospects, visit www.jillkonrath.com.