At this time of year, there really are two types of salespeople – the ones who can give thanks for a great year, and the ones who ring their bell and beg for dimes. Which are you?
Ah, yes, the holiday season is upon us. That means that this is the time to spend with friends and family, giving thanks, gifts, and appreciation for all that they give us. It’s also the season for something that is charming at its start, but – if we’re all honest – can get kind of annoying by Christmas – the Salvation Army bell ringers at every supermarket and shopping center. It seems to me that there is a parallel in the sales world.
I’ve always found that in selling, there are essentially two types of salespeople within the last month and a half of the year. Those who have had a successful year are in a very celebratory mood, because they already have a pretty good idea where their year-end numbers will be. They’re not worried about the “holiday objection;” instead, they are thinking about, and lining up, January business to get a good start on the year. The other kind has had a bad year, and spends their time running from customer to customer, ringing their bell and begging for dimes so that the less fortunate (themselves) can have a Christmas. Which are you? More importantly, would you like to be one of the celebrators next year?
If you do, it needs to start NOW. Over the years, I’ve written several articles on dealing with the “holiday objection,” (“talk to me after the holidays”). The reason that salespeople have trouble with this objection is that they don’t contribute value to the discussion. Too many salespeople spend their lives doing what I call the “doughnut call,” where they bring a box of donuts and ask for an order. If you’re one of them, it doesn’t have to be that way. If you’re NOT one of them, you’re still probably wanting to move ahead next year, so let’s talk about that. Here are some ways to redo your game for 2011:
Every call has a purpose. The biggest sales-killer is the purposeless sales call; i.e. a call that begins with no agenda and ends with no result. Stop ‘just dropping by’ to get the weekly order (or beg for an order); instead dedicate yourself to moving the relationship forward on every call. Ask new questions, present new products, get introductions to new contacts, etc. If the relationship is no better at the end of the call than the beginning, you’re wasting your time and your customer’s.
No excuses. Salespeople are great at making excuses and coming up with reasons why they don’t control their own destiny. Quit it. Your company blows? Find another company. Products are outdated? Find new applications or again, find another company. No new business? Get comfortable with prospecting resources like ReferenceUSA and Jigsaw, and build your business. It’s on YOU, champ, and there are more resources available to you than ever before.
Know your numbers and live them. Sales is a process, and like all processes, it has predictable results. While equal quantities of activity may produce differing results in the short term, over the long haul, you can predict your results with a given level of activity. Given that, there’s really no excuse (see above) for poor results – other than an unwillingness to live by the numbers. Know your numbers – how many calls produce an appointment? How many appointments produce a viable proposal? How many viable proposals produce a sale? Then EXECUTE them to achieve what you need. Or – just for giggles – why not go BEYOND the basic formula and overachieve?
Better your game. The basic formula of sales achievement is: (Quantity of activity x Quality of activity = Results). We just talked about the quantitative issue; when was the last time you worked to up the qualitative side of the equation? If you learn a new technique, every call you make is more powerful. The truly great salespeople work consistently to become better week in and week out, year in and year out. Do you want to be one of those people?
There’s no magic to this, of course. It just takes hard work and dedication. Even in this time of 10% unemployment, few salespeople who live these principles are out of work. Start working NOW to make 2011 your best year ever, and this time next year, you can be giving thanks.
