| Believe and achieve! | | | | the mediocre wannabee or the 9-5 order taker. |
| One of the problems with all of this talk about | | | | Salespeople like these could well be in for a rough |
| recession is that once people believe there is | | | | time. |
| going to be a recession they start to feel | | | | When did you last read a sales training book on |
| negative about their business prospects and only | | | | selling? How many sales training audios have you |
| tend to see what they believe rather than | | | | listened to over the last month? How many sales |
| believing what they see. Once you believe that | | | | training seminars have you atteneded in the last 6 |
| there is going to be a recession you tend to only | | | | months? For 80% of salespeople reading this, the |
| notice articles, comments and statistics that | | | | answer is zero. |
| support your beliefs. | | | | 4. Improve your service and focus on |
| What's more, your negative beliefs quickly affect | | | | relationships |
| your outlook and the way that you feel about | | | | As I write this many companies will be working |
| your business prospects. | | | | out how to cut corners. They will try to save |
| If you thought 2008 was going to be a great | | | | money by tinkering with their business offerings. |
| year for business, your best year yet; how would | | | | They will try and eek extra profits out of their |
| you feel? | | | | clients by cutting the bells and whistles from their |
| On the other hand, if you thought this year we're | | | | offerings. This is not a good idea. A Swiss cow |
| going to have a major downturn and you and | | | | with no bells is just a cow and no-one would send |
| your business would be badly affected; how | | | | postcards of them home! |
| would you feel? | | | | If business is tight you want to be wowing your |
| Mighty different huh? And remember, nothing's | | | | clients with the best service that they have ever |
| changed here other than your belief. Having a | | | | had, from you or from any of your competitors. |
| positive and supportive belief structure is essential | | | | You need to be going the extra mile. If a |
| if you want to succeed in any market but it is | | | | recession bites many companies will try and |
| vitally essential if you want to keep on selling in a | | | | discount to survive. They probably won't |
| tough one. | | | | (survive), but you don't want your clients going to |
| Having a winning belief system does not mean | | | | them as they try to keep their heads above |
| that you need to be deluded however! In the | | | | water! You need to "lock in" your existing clients |
| middle of the darkest recession you don't want to | | | | now so that they won't even think about going |
| have your eyes shut! But you have to understand | | | | anywhere else. |
| that in a downturn clients want to partner with | | | | Spend time with your clients. Build stronger |
| the best companies. Suppliers that they can rely | | | | relationships with your clients. Make sure you truly |
| on. Suppliers that support them. Suppliers who are | | | | understand them, their concerns and their |
| going to be around tomorrow. And if your | | | | businesses. Find ways to help them and add value |
| competitors struggle, that means more sales and | | | | over and above what they could have ever |
| more business for you. | | | | expected. |
| 2. Get proactive | | | | 5. Leverage your efforts |
| You need to be more proactive. Much more | | | | In a soft market many salespeople only chase |
| proactive. You need to do more marketing and | | | | the easy stuff. They don't chase the tough stuff. |
| more selling. You need to attend more events | | | | They're doing ok, they don't have to. They're |
| and do more networking. You need to do more | | | | making sales right? |
| promotion and more canvassing. You need to | | | | Wrong. |
| increase your sales activities, maybe dramatically. | | | | Most salespeople have all sorts of opportunities |
| In a recession many companies cut their sales | | | | which they squander every day and every month |
| activites. They figure, "If we're not going to sell | | | | because there are seemingly easier things that |
| anything, what's the point?" Many individual | | | | they can be doing. This is particularly true in an |
| salespeople do this too. | | | | industry or a company where leads have been |
| Cut your activity, cut your sales. You're a living, | | | | relatively easy to come by, where sales targets |
| breathing, self-fulfilling prophecy! You believe there | | | | are relatively soft (I could tell you which industries |
| is not much business out there, so you feel | | | | but I'm not going to) or where salespeople are |
| negative. That in turn affects your activity and | | | | overpaid so don't crave the business (again, I'll |
| your activity destroys your sales results. | | | | keep this to myself!). |
| Even if there is not as much business out there, | | | | In a tough market you must leverage all of your |
| then you need to be more active, more focused | | | | efforts. This is basic sales 101 and should be stuff |
| and more targeted. If your competitors are | | | | that you do every day anyway... Here are just a |
| easing off a little, now is the time to up the anti | | | | few ideas. |
| and grab your share of the market. Even if there | | | | Always ask for referrals. Referrals are great |
| is a blip, you will be strongly placed when activity | | | | business but most salespeople do not ask for |
| picks up. | | | | them because clients often say no. Learn how to |
| One of my friends went down to our local estate | | | | ask for a referral properly and then build asking |
| agent this week to put his house on the market. | | | | for a referral into your sales process and ask for |
| He was told that maybe he should wait as he | | | | one every time. |
| might not get the price he wants right now. They | | | | Upsell and cross-sell. Whether though laziness, lack |
| told him the market was quiet and that might not | | | | of knowledge or lack of ability many salespeople |
| be able to sell the house at all. Better to wait for | | | | sit on accounts where there is so much more |
| the market to pick up. I walked past their offices | | | | business than they are currently leveraging. |
| later on that day. They were all sitting, chatting | | | | Extending your business with existing clients will |
| and drinking coffee. They were probably moaning | | | | not only make you more money, it will also |
| about what a bad year it's going to be. If I's have | | | | strengthen your relationships with and value to |
| been in that office, I'd have taken my mates | | | | them and their businesses. |
| house on and I'd have been on the phone | | | | Contact dormant accounts. Most companies have |
| drumming up some viewings. 50 calls, 100, calls, | | | | hundreds if not thousands of "dormant" accounts. |
| 500 calls... Whatever it takes. I'd have found | | | | There may be multiple reasons for this from |
| someone. | | | | changing business practises to fall-outs with the |
| Talk about killing your own market! If you see | | | | client. Dormant clients may well be redeemable |
| less business then you need to do more sales and | | | | and may have been "lost" purely because |
| marketing, not less. That's common sense. | | | | someone forgot to ring them or a salesperson |
| 3. Sharpen your sales skills | | | | moved on. Get in touch with them! |
| If a workman needs a spade and a farmer needs | | | | Follow up on all leads. I recently contacted 5 health |
| a horse; a boxer needs a defence and a chef | | | | insurance companies over the web. Only one |
| needs a recipe; what do salespeople need? The | | | | replied. You should not be burning leads like this in |
| answer's obvious - it's sales skills. | | | | any market. Follow up on all leads professionally |
| Most salespeople do not spend enough time | | | | using a proven sales system like the ones I teach |
| working on improving their sales skills and | | | | in my sales training seminars and programmes |
| techniques. Sales training and development is not | | | | and you will close more business. New business is |
| something that many salespeople spend their time | | | | the lifeblood of any business in any market. |
| on out of choice. Perhaps they can get away with | | | | So there we are, 5 tips to help you to sell in a |
| this in a booming marrket when sales are easy. | | | | recssion. This year may well prove to be an |
| Perhaps not. But things will always change if the | | | | interesting year for some businesses and |
| market tightens. Sales success will go to the | | | | individuals. Some of this will be down to the |
| salesperson who really understands why people | | | | market itself. Much of it will be down to you and |
| buy and can help people make the right business | | | | how you react and respond to what might be a |
| decisions. Salespeople of this calibre stand to | | | | challenging year. |
| benefit from possible changes ahead because | | | | Here's my prediction for the year... |
| there will be more business for them as their | | | | There will be winners and there will be losers. |
| competition falls by the wayside. | | | | Which are you going to be? |
| Sales will not go to the journeyman salesperson, | | | | |