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Greetings!
As the Summer is unfolding, the cicadas seem to be multiplying.
They will be gone soon enough. They are a reminder, to me, that
everything has a season. This is true in nature and it is also true
in business. Most businesses have seasons of highs and lows. Sales
people know this only too well. What are you doing to boost your
business during the high season? More importantly, what are you
doing to boost sales during your off season?
| Building Your Relationships |
During my sales career, my industry's high season was the
pretty steady. Selling equipment in the foodservice industry,
business had very few really slow times, as people are always
going to eat. Our slow period seemed to be January through mid
March.
During those months, I spent a great deal of my time,
cultivating my customers and making relationship calls. When
we are very busy, we don't always have enough time to just see
our customers and spend time building our relationships, when
we are NOT looking for an order. Use your slow time to plan,
organize and strengthen your relationships. It will pay off in
BIG ways.
Slow season is also the perfect time for re-assessing and
goal setting. If you don't have goals and a plan layed out
which you can follow to reach those goals, you are flying
blind. I made my goals based on the income I wanted. I would
write down the figure I wanted to earn for the year and work
my goals backwards. In other words, I knew how much I needed
to sell to earn the commissions I wanted to earn.
I suggest breaking that down by month, by week and by day.
That way, you know exactly how much you need to sell in order
to meet your goals. If it is broken down by week and by day,
it does not seem so overwhelming. Sometimes, looking at the
amount of sales one needs to make for the entire year, can
seem daunting. Plan you work, then work your plan. It's the
best way to achieve the goals you set for yourself. It is also
good to evaluate and make these plans during your slow season.
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| The Psychology of Selling |
If you want to be successful, you have to think you are
already successful and tell that to yourself daily. The
biggest difference between the good and the GREAT sales people
lies in their beliefs about themselves. Our self esteem plays
a large role in our success in the selling profession.
Tell yourself daily that YOU ARE THE BEST SALES REP IN YOUR
COMPANY. VISUALIZE THE SUCCESS YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE. DWELL ON
YOUR SUCCESSES, NOT YOUR FAILURES. I will be offering a 2 hour
talk on the subject of the psychology of selling, as it
relates to the sales person's make up-- not the buyers. If you
have an interest in learning the top 10 keys to sales success
from a perspective that is NOT the actual process, let me know
and I will be happy to contact you when the talk is scheduled.
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| Food For Thought |
"You may feel like dwelling on your limits or your
fears. Don't do it...A perfect prescription for a squandered,
unfulfilled life is to accommodate self- defeating feelings
while undercutting your finest, most productive ones."
--Marsha Sinetar
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| Tools for Your Trade |
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If you want to be in the top 20% in your company, you need
all the tools necessary to succeed. Studies show that the most
successful sales people have an arsenal of tools. They
include: books, tapes, memberships in associations, positive
friends and associates, ongoing education about the profession
of selling as well as self-development.
This is especially true if you want to be in the top 20% of
the top 20%-- meaning the top 4% in your organization. I
guarantee that if you become one of the top 4% in your sales
career, you will make more money than you ever imagined and
you will NEVER have to worry about job security.
Some of the easiest things you can do:
- Turn off your car radio and listen to tapes
- Read 20 minutes a day
- Visualize Your Success
If you want to continue to grow in your success, you must
continue to grow in your life! I recommend starting a
collection of books and tapes you can read and then go back to
time and time again for reference, motivation or inspiration.
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