Let’s look into the sales crystal ball and see what it will take to make it in 2012.

Well, gang, it’s another new year. Technically we’re 19 days into it, of course, but who’s counting? I’m writing this because I’ve seen a lot of ‘how to succeed in 2012’ articles and to be honest with you, I’m finding that a lot of them are off base. As years go, I think 2012 will be closer to a return to normalcy in economic terms; it will still be slower than the period leading up to 2008, but there seems to be some energy in the marketplace.

That said, the energy I’m concerned with isn’t in the marketplace; it’s in YOU. The energy that you bring to the table – and more importantly, how you direct it – will either make you a lot of money this year or bring you to failure. Follow some of the rabbit-holes that some sales authors are pointing you toward, and you’ll be wondering what happened come December. Hence, here are Troy’s 5 Keys to Being Successful in Sales:

One: Keep Prospecting!

You were probably ready for this one, weren’t you? The biggest rabbit-hole in sales right now is the social media rabbit-hole, where some consultants are trying to tell you that all the riches of the world will come to you if you’ll just Tweet a little more. Nonsense. The social media platform hasn’t been invented yet that will replace conventional prospecting techniques, done well. This is particularly true if you are attempting highly targeted new business generation. Not growing your business simply isn’t an option. I’ve seen numerous people and companies try “maintenance” strategies, and they all fail because people die, people change jobs, people change their minds, and as a result, customers leave. To not prospect is to resign yourself to a shrinking base. Don’t be that guy or gal.

Two: Continuously Sell to Your Customer Base.

When I say “continuously sell,” I don’t mean stop in, ask how things are going, hear “fine,” and then run like heck. I mean that with your top customers – and those that have the potential for growth – you should have a well thought out development selling plan for each of them. What new products/services can they use? Why would they take them? By keeping your customers in some sort of a selling process, you have employed the best retention strategy of all – talking to your customers in a meaningful way. If you’re vulnerable, you’ll hear it when you try to sell them more stuff, but you might not if you do the old “P.R. call.”

Three: Have a Quality Social Media Presence. 

But wait, didn’t I just contradict myself? Nope – in this day and age, Social Media is important, but not as a primary prospect generation strategy. Nowadays, people are researchers (because so much information is at our fingertips), and many of them will want to research you before they buy. Help them do so with a quality presence that allows you to be Google-able. Here’s a helpful hint: You’re better off to do one thing well than many things badly, and if you’re only going to do one thing, make it LinkedIn. LinkedIn gives you much more search engine visibility than any other platform, and the way it’s structured, it’s hard to make yourself look bad – something that is frighteningly easy on Twitter and Facebook.

Four: Make Every Call Meaningful.

This is a close relative of #2 above, but it’s different enough that it is a separate Key. You should strive to make every call meaningful and beneficial for both you and your customer (hint: sitting and talking football for 30 minutes is neither). That means that you should have an agenda every time you see a customer that gives you greater customer knowledge, imparts new knowledge to the customer, or creates a business-building opportunity (new sale or referral) for either you or the customer. Yes, it’s more work, but your customers will appreciate it.

Five: Do it All With Enthusiasm and Passion!

Selling is about motivating and persuading your customers into certain actions, and one of the easiest ways to get your customers motivated is for YOU to be motivated – and that means communication with enthusiasm and passion. Forget all the reasons why you CAN’T succeed and focus on the excitement of generating success itself. You’ll find that your customers are right along with you.

Execute the above 5 keys to being successful in sales, and you will have a great 2012. Don’t, and it’s very likely that you won’t. And with that, let’s make 2012 our best year yet!