Happy New Year! Isn’t that what we’re supposed to say at this time? Some of you are saying, “Gee, Troy, we said it a week ago.” Yes, I know….but this is the first Navigator News of 2015, so it seems appropriate. How happy will your 2015 be? That might depend on your approach.
This is the time of the year that people make New Year’s resolutions. Statistic – only 8% of people who make New Year’s resolutions actually keep them. So let’s forget New Year’s resolutions, and instead focus on the five behaviors that will drive your sales success in 2015.
Behavior Number One: Every sales call is a meaningful sales call. This behavior is number one for a reason; in fact, it’s Number One with a bullet. The time you get to spend eyeball to eyeball (or voice to voice for those of you who are inside salespeople) is your most valuable time. How do you plan to spend that? If your answer is “talkin’ about fishin’,” welcome to 1975. Today’s customer demands more from you. If you commit to nothing else, commit to this: each and every sales call you make this year has a purpose. It moves a sales process forward, it brings benefit to your customer, etc.
Behavior Number Two: Prospecting is your habit. In sales, the truly big bucks go to those salespeople who can consistently and repeatedly bring in new business, while retaining current business. You can’t bring in new business without prospecting. Want to be successful at prospecting? Make it a consistent habit. Define your prospecting needs, and the hours that it takes to fulfill your targets. Then break it up into two-hour segments (I find that calling effectiveness goes down after two hours), and make appointments with yourself to get it done. Want to know more about this one? Attend my Teleseminar, 21st Century Prospecting, at the end of this month.
Behavior Number Three: Work the Hard Forty. I’ve used the term “Hard Forty” for years now to refer to the work habits that salespeople should adopt. The vast majority of sales jobs can be done successfully in forty good hours per week. You might “work” fifty or sixty hours per week, but how many of those hours are really devoted to 100% working at your job? Too many salespeople use valuable prime time (the hours that your customers are available to meet with you) on personal fluff – picking up dry cleaning, shopping, or other non-selling activities. Don’t be that guy or gal. Work hard, then play hard.
Behavior Number Four: Remember that Comfortable Customers Buy! Yes, I know, it’s my tag line, but it’s true. Comfortable Customers Buy! Great salespeople know that customer discomfort is the biggest obstacle to successful selling. Is there tension in the sales call? That tension can keep you from making a sale, getting a referral, forming a relationship, or winning a recommendation. Remove the tension by focusing on the customer, the customer’s needs, and respecting the customer’s buying process and your stage within it.
Behavior Number Five: Use Technology, But Don’t Let It Use You. The world of selling has changed significantly in the last decade, and most of that change has been driven by techology. Too many salespeople are finding themselves wrapped completely up in technology, spending hours each day Tweeting, posting on Facebook, and making endless posts on LinkedIn, hoping that the world will beat a path to their door. It seldom happens. Technology should be another tool for your sales efforts, not the effort itself. Want to be successful with technology? Focus on one platform. For most salespeople, LinkedIn is the best. Build your network on LinkedIn, use it to get introductions, and use it as part of your teleprospecting efforts.
Bonus Behavior Number Six: Always Be Aware of Your Sales Process. I’m calling this a “bonus behavior,” but it’s as important as any of the others. You should always be aware of your sales process, and which stage your customer is in as you meet with them (and of course, having an eye toward moving the customer forward on each call – remember Behavior Number One). Noting the sales stage should be part of your pre-call prep for each sales call.
The question of the moment is this: How successful will your 2015 be? Will it be better than 2014? If you focus on these behaviors, it will be better.
