How do some sales professionals manage to stay productive and close sales no matter what the economy is doing? In the past 20 years through our work with clients, we have watched the industry use technology to track every move salespeople make, including calls, appointments, proposals, and sales. However, this information is not always the best predictor of how many sales that person will close. If there is no new information, why doesn’t every salesperson figure out how to stay productive in hard times?
If we look closely into the details, we will see a reason that is simple to understand but difficult to execute. Salespeople often have a hard time distinguishing busy work or “junk” from productive work. We all have 24 hours in a day, but how you value and use time is what will make you a great salesperson. “Junk” can fill up our schedules, but great salespeople are really good at getting out of it. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?
So let’s take a deeper look into how the great ones do this.
First, they measure everything.
Measuring the results of your efforts is a skill that many have not yet mastered. The personality of most salespeople is to see the glass half full. Although this is a great attribute, it can cause you to be unrealistic about what will really close a sale.
Second, they plan their days with activities that tie to sales.
They determine what specific activity is needed to sell, and they stay focused on that activity. An industry study showed that on average salespeople spend less than 10% of their day in front of prospects. If you organized your tasks to focus on activities tied to sales, you could easily double the amount of time you spend in front of prospects. Doing that would lead to more sales.
Third, they make it personal.
Almost every company has some sort of process that the salespeople do to sell products and services. Unfortunately, not many salespeople take the time to learn it and make it their own. The great ones do because the fear of failing is just a part of winning in their overall picture of success. They also know that what works for others may not work for them, and they aren’t afraid to try something different.
If you hang around the water cooler and listen to salespeople talk, they always talk about the big account they are about to close. If you want something more productive to do, write down all the activities on your calendar in a week and see how they tie to sales. You will be amazed at how much time you waste on “junk.”
Take the time to analyze what works for you and get rid of what doesn’t. Stop wasting time on sales activity and focus on productive activity that keeps you in front of potential clients. It takes work in the beginning and an ongoing focus after you figure it out, but you will see a difference in your results. GETTING OUT OF JUNK is what will make you a great salesperson, no matter what the economic season.
Guest Blogger
Raymond Cardinale, Summit Learning Systems
