http://www.salesissimple.com/
The Stretch [stretch] verb def - an unbroken period of time in which you are going to accomplish something.
Remember your favorite "Come from behind, when all the chips are down, able to gain victory anyway" movie? I.e. Rocky, Remember The Titans, Gladiator or The Miracle type movies. If you recall, there's a time when failure appears evident and the agony of defeat is quickly approaching, that time period is considered - The Stretch.
The current reality is most of us as Salespeople, Managers or Entrepreneurs are in The Stretch. There are 3 things I want to encourage us to consider for survival...
1) Our Sales Activity and Attitude Will Determine Our Stay
Ever wonder why most 80% of salespeople fail? It's quite simple...they don't see enough people. During our current environment, now is NOT the time to be fearful and panic about things beyond our control. We must focus on even higher sales activity levels and connect with more people via Prospecting, Marketing, SEO, etc... As a Sales Consultant, we currently work with sales staffs that are now operating at triple the normal activity levels to achieve desired sales results.
During hard times - it's easy to adopt a selfish attitude and focus on the "What's in it for me" mentality. However, I want to let in on a little secret - Giver's gain. The more you give, the more you are rewarded in return - It's a fabulous concept! Unfortunately, most salespeople don't know how this operates, it's a bit much to explain in this writing. However, if you want more information on how the concept works, I encourage you to test it for yourself - please see below.
2) Words are Powerful
Whether you believe in the power words have or not is irrelevant. The truth is words have tremendous power! For the sales professional, this is particularly important because of who we speak to most of the time - Ourselves! And during these challenging times it's easy fall into the trap of speaking negatively about your personal situation, sales team or business. I encourage you to become sensitive to negative talk and address it as quickly as possible because, like a thief in the night it can rob you of success and position you for an extended period of time in The Stretch.
3) Doubt the Doubt and Disbelief
The element of doubt and disbelief can paralyze sales momentum. It is vital for us to protect ourselves from these twin evils during our time in The Stretch. As these sneaky predators begin to creep in, it's important to address them immediately. How? Doubt both the doubt and disbelief. Doubt and disbelief are weapons of distraction designed to steer you off your course of action. Staying focused on the goals at hand and expressing doubt in any "weapons" formed against you are essential for success.
In Napoleon Hill's book, Think and Grow Rich, he tells the story of R.U. Darby who later became one of the most successful insurance salesmen of his time. He did so after learning a very valuable lesson. Long story short, he participated in the "Gold Rush" and owned land that produced some gold initially. However, after continued mining the land produced nothing and he later sold it. The buyer, re-examined Mr. Darby's calculations, determined R.U. Darby was off by 3 feet, mined accordingly and eventually made millions. Mr. Darby was 3 feet from a fortune because he gave up during The Stretch. This valuable lesson subsequently helped him become a successful salesman. We can all learn from R.U. Darby's experience...
What are you 3 feet away from?
Giver's Gain Challenge - To experience the true essence of how this concept works, you must give more of what it is you wish to receive. Want more referrals? Give more referrals. Want more business? Help another gain more business. It's just that simple and easy! Experts say it takes 21 days for any activity to become habit. I encourage you to test the Giver's Gain Challenge for the next 21 days and see for yourself how powerful the concept is!
Let us help you! Want better sales results? Purchase 2 copies of my book, Sales is Simple - From Luck to Leverage, (Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com or www.SalesisSimple.com) keep one for yourself and give the other away. Want even better results? Give more away!
If after 30 days you are not satisfied, send the book back along with your receipt and we will refund your money - satisfaction guaranteed!
Showing posts with label sales and marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sales and marketing. Show all posts
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
5 Simple Tips to Sell Our Way Out of This Crisis...
www.SalesisSimple.com
Pres-sure [press-er] verb def. - the exertion of force by object in contact with it.
OK Sales Reps, Sales Managers, Directors and Entrepreneurs...a show of hands - how many of us are feeling the pressure right now? Agreed!
As a Sales Management Consultant, I see the pressure in the eyes of Sales Reps everyday. Some of you may be questioning your skills. Others might wonder if you still got "it". A small portion of you may fear you've been SOL (Selling On Luck) the whole time. Fear is rampant, however the best cure for fear is Action. If you feel victimized by the current environment, take action and be encouraged!
Here are 5 simple, yet powerful tips to help us sell our way out of this crisis...
1) Realize Sales is About Behavior NOT Personality
I know...all this time you've been led to believe that you have to be a certain type of personality to succeed in sales - not true. It's the BIGGEST myth in the sales profession today. I won't bore you with the significant amount of research that's been done on the subject. However, the bottom line is Sales is about behavior, which means anyone can become a High Performance sales professional.
2) Define Relevant Sales Activity
Is your sales activity relevant? Does your daily activity produce desired results? If not, determine which activities (i.e. dials, presentations, networking, etc.) produce results. Develop a sales process that strings together the relevant sales activity. For example if you are in a Direct Sales environment Attempts, Contacts and perhaps Appointments are all relevant sales activities that lead to Conversions. Start tracking them and determine accordingly how one influences the other.
3) Increase Your Contacts
In most cases a Contact is defined as a person. Not this one, we define and Contact as an opportunity to initiate the sales process. If you increase your contacts there is a high probability you will increase your results - it's that simple. People are still buying, the question is - are they buying from you?
4) Manage Activity - Not Results
I know it seems counter intuitive. All of your career, your success has been gauged on the amount of business brought in. Let me be clear...your success will continue be evaluated on the amount of business you bring in. However, without the underlying data on sales activity, results can be inconsistent. As we work with different sales organizations, we notice in every instance of inconsistent results there is also inconsistent sales activity. A direct correlation exists between activity and results. Want the key to High Performance sustainable results? Focus on what YOU can control - sales activity. Increase your activity i.e. increase your contacts (opportunities to initiate your sales process) and boost your number of appointments. Develop a science of selling that works for you. The book, Sales is Simple from Luck to Leverage (Available on Amazon) discusses how to build an effective sales process and create your own success formula. What is your current sequence of sales activity? What's the necessary level of activity to achieve the desired sales results?
5) Discover Your Sales Approach and Leverage It
There are 5 types of sales approaches - Telephone, Networking, Canvassing, Giving Presentations and Referrals. I often see companies placing square pegs into round holes i.e. hiring salespeople who prefer a referral based approach to pound the phones and vice verse. Then there are the entrepreneurs who prefer telephone sales, feeling pressured to attend networking events because a friend acquires business that way. Many sales training systems focus on improving the "weaker" areas of sales development only to realize thousands of dollars later, the organization will experience a temporary lift and a subsequent return to the Status Quo. Why? Human behavior continues to teach us that people enjoy doing what comes natural to them. Use the sales approach that works for YOU.
Experts say it take 21 days for something become habit. For the next 21 days I encourage you to use the information in this blog to relieve the pressure the economic crisis has brought on and continue to achieve your desired results.
Always remember - Sales is Simple!
Pres-sure [press-er] verb def. - the exertion of force by object in contact with it.
OK Sales Reps, Sales Managers, Directors and Entrepreneurs...a show of hands - how many of us are feeling the pressure right now? Agreed!
As a Sales Management Consultant, I see the pressure in the eyes of Sales Reps everyday. Some of you may be questioning your skills. Others might wonder if you still got "it". A small portion of you may fear you've been SOL (Selling On Luck) the whole time. Fear is rampant, however the best cure for fear is Action. If you feel victimized by the current environment, take action and be encouraged!
Here are 5 simple, yet powerful tips to help us sell our way out of this crisis...
1) Realize Sales is About Behavior NOT Personality
I know...all this time you've been led to believe that you have to be a certain type of personality to succeed in sales - not true. It's the BIGGEST myth in the sales profession today. I won't bore you with the significant amount of research that's been done on the subject. However, the bottom line is Sales is about behavior, which means anyone can become a High Performance sales professional.
2) Define Relevant Sales Activity
Is your sales activity relevant? Does your daily activity produce desired results? If not, determine which activities (i.e. dials, presentations, networking, etc.) produce results. Develop a sales process that strings together the relevant sales activity. For example if you are in a Direct Sales environment Attempts, Contacts and perhaps Appointments are all relevant sales activities that lead to Conversions. Start tracking them and determine accordingly how one influences the other.
3) Increase Your Contacts
In most cases a Contact is defined as a person. Not this one, we define and Contact as an opportunity to initiate the sales process. If you increase your contacts there is a high probability you will increase your results - it's that simple. People are still buying, the question is - are they buying from you?
4) Manage Activity - Not Results
I know it seems counter intuitive. All of your career, your success has been gauged on the amount of business brought in. Let me be clear...your success will continue be evaluated on the amount of business you bring in. However, without the underlying data on sales activity, results can be inconsistent. As we work with different sales organizations, we notice in every instance of inconsistent results there is also inconsistent sales activity. A direct correlation exists between activity and results. Want the key to High Performance sustainable results? Focus on what YOU can control - sales activity. Increase your activity i.e. increase your contacts (opportunities to initiate your sales process) and boost your number of appointments. Develop a science of selling that works for you. The book, Sales is Simple from Luck to Leverage (Available on Amazon) discusses how to build an effective sales process and create your own success formula. What is your current sequence of sales activity? What's the necessary level of activity to achieve the desired sales results?
5) Discover Your Sales Approach and Leverage It
There are 5 types of sales approaches - Telephone, Networking, Canvassing, Giving Presentations and Referrals. I often see companies placing square pegs into round holes i.e. hiring salespeople who prefer a referral based approach to pound the phones and vice verse. Then there are the entrepreneurs who prefer telephone sales, feeling pressured to attend networking events because a friend acquires business that way. Many sales training systems focus on improving the "weaker" areas of sales development only to realize thousands of dollars later, the organization will experience a temporary lift and a subsequent return to the Status Quo. Why? Human behavior continues to teach us that people enjoy doing what comes natural to them. Use the sales approach that works for YOU.
Experts say it take 21 days for something become habit. For the next 21 days I encourage you to use the information in this blog to relieve the pressure the economic crisis has brought on and continue to achieve your desired results.
Always remember - Sales is Simple!
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