One of my favorite sales quotes is by William Clement Stone who said, “Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman, not the attitude of the prospect.”
If we are to become successful in a sales career, or any career for that matter, we need to prepare ourselves for this success. We need to act upon our preparations. And we need to take responsibility for our actions.
There are plenty of routes to success and in my earlier blogs Cold Calling ‘Is it Dead?‘ and Smart Targeting, I have outlined some of them. But in order to truly attract success, we first need to cultivate certain habits.
Know the client, know the pitch
As we’ve seen time and time again, the key to any sales success lies in preparedness. Research about the client, company, and competitors can get you ahead of the game. Your research should also include cultivating contacts within the company who can open doors for you. And once the doors are opened, you need to be ready with a strong introductory line and a stronger sales pitch. The seasoned salesperson forms a habit of conducting research and practicing his sales pitch before every phone call or meeting he makes. But novice salespeople may need to work on honing these till perfection.
You can learn how to prepare yourself for initial sales contact in my post Smart Targeting.
Time management
Plan, Prioritize, and Proceed, is my mantra when it comes to starting my work day. And it’s a mantra that has served me well. Being proactive requires a plan in place. For a salesperson, this is even more important as cold calling often clashes with presentations, appointments, training sessions, and customer service, all which generally occur within a 9-5 business day. Time management becomes a challenge, yet without effective management of your limited hours, work can pile up and you can miss out on potential sales opportunities.
One of the best ways is to prioritize your tasks, ensuring your calls do not slip down on the list. The best time to make calls is the morning, when you are energized, your prospects are more willing to listen, and you have the rest of the day to take required action (book an appointment, deliver a presentation, and mail out brochures). Another trick that works is not to put the phone down. It sounds strange, but the fact is cold calling can be an intimidating process; speaking to potential strangers who may or may not respond as you want. By limiting breaks, you eliminate distractions and sharpen your focus to make more sales.
A written plan of the day’s events will help you get through each task quickly and efficiently. It also lets you review your goals and objectives and make changes where necessary. Whether you prefer to write your notes down in a book or type them up on the computer, having ready access to them is important.
If you find yourself still swamped with work, consider outsourcing a part of it to firms like LongerDays.com. Virtual Assistants can handle the paperwork that needs to be completed for each sale, and provide good customer service support to help you answer the phones. By delegating certain jobs, you free up your time to focus on what really matters, and your customers will be pleased to learn you have the additional support required. You can also try breaking down larger projects into smaller more manageable chunks.
Time is precious so protect it. Learn to say no when you cannot handle something, and weigh the pros and cons of being at a client’s beck and call. Often, a simple ‘can we reschedule?’ can help you free up your time and gives you a chance to breathe.
And it is important to breathe! Short breaks away from your desk can allow you to recharge your batteries. This works particularly well when you feel unproductive or frustrated. Try incorporating exercise into your day, even a 10 minute walk around the block at lunch time can leave you feeling refreshed. Add a good night’s sleep to your schedule and you’ll be ready to face the next day’s workload, no matter how heavy it may be.
And finally, accept that some things are out of your control. If a client says no, despite your planning and preparation, do not take it personally. Instead, challenge yourself to see how you can improve yourself, through books, courses, seminars, and mentors.
