“What’s wrong with me? I have always been great at sales, but now I am so far below goal I am fearful for my job!” Even the best sales professionals get in a slump. The problem is that if we allow ourselves the luxury of self-pity, we sink deeper into depression and inactivity. It is easy to blame things on our company, our sales manager, the market, or even our customers. In reality, we are the only ones responsible for our success. If you are in a sales slump or approaching burnout, here are some points to ponder and ideas to get back on track.
- Take a day to evaluate what you have done successfully in the past and how you did it. Are there specific actions that have created your past successes, such as creative ideas, consistency of your call efforts or personal relationship development? Once you have identified what made you successful, apply it to your current business environment and see how it fits. Some things we did in the past may not work in today’s business environment. This will mean altering our strength to fit today’s market.
- Go back to basics! It is easy to get away from the key elements of successful selling. Make sure you are using good questioning techniques in your sales calls, you are handling objections in a consultative way, and you are using strong closing techniques. Be sure you are listening to your clients. As a long time sales professional, it is easy to start talking “at” clients and not listening “to” them.
- Consistency of effort is a key to all success in life, not just sales. Evaluate your call patterns and frequency of calls. Are you in front of the right clients on a regular basis? There is no replacement for consistent, quality effort in sales or any aspect of life.
- Are you still taking the time to become friends with your customers? As we become more mature in our sales career, it is easy to attempt to rely on our knowledge and our past successes. When this happens, we stop doing the little things that give every successful sales person the edge! Make sure you are still sending thank-you and birthday cards, send your clients articles of interest, take them to lunch and dinner, and focus on what is personally important to them.
- Evaluate how the market and your competition have changed. A different sales environment can mean altering what has worked for you in the past. Be willing to change with the times! One of the best ways to do this is by acquiring knowledge. As you learn, you grow!
- Get a mentor! Choose the most successful sales person in your organization and find out what he or she is doing successfully. If it fits your market, do what the successful person is doing. There is a reason they are doing well and you can benefit from that person’s successful tactics.
The most important point to remember is this: you control your own destiny through the thought patterns you practice every day. If you sow a thought, you reap a dream. Sow a dream, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap your destiny!