Sales Process

Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame) says "Losers have goals; Winners have systems".

They say that less than 8% ever achieve that goal they were '100% committed to' when they set it.

The reason, I suspect, is because they forget to develop a systematic approach to achieving their goal. Thus, they bash their shins on the first hurdle and fall to the side of the track.

"I want to run faster!".

OK, I accept that this might be a bit of a stretch.

As years go 2020 will be one that most of us would willing scratch from the annals of time.

There are few that will want to undertake the usual 'forensic examination' of the sales mistakes we made in 2020.

Even fewer will agree that the lessons learned in 2019 were applicable to the 2020 playbook. Business unusual times indeed!

That said, is it really too late to discuss some lessons that just might have an impact on your sales performance in the final days of 2020?

Truthfully, it does not matter what month or year it is, some sales lessons stand the test of time.

These are lessons we need to revisit on a regular basis.

Have you ever missed a signal that there was really never a "deal"? A silent, unspoken or politely dressed up "No."

Traditional sales training taught us, of course, "never to take 'No' for an answer."

When we hear "No', we immediately begin to flick through our mental tome of "overcoming stalls and objections". We ready ourselves to deliver the knock-out blow of a 'tired and testing' response that is 'guaranteed' to flip that 'No' into a 'Yes'.

Of course, the prospect has developed their own tome of "salesperson loses" responses designed to counter-act the effects of the traditional salespersons 'closing' technique.

The debate then rages on, both parties 'objection' wrestling furiously, until the other is exhausted.

It ain't what you do...
“If selling was easy, everyone would be doing it.”

That phrase resonates because.

1) Those who do it, and do it well, reap the rewards! They have tapped into the incredible earnings potential available for those that choose to excel at ‘Selling’ as a career.

2) Those who don’t do it, don’t like it, and will do anything to avoid it. Sales don’t come easy at all, even to the best of us.

The ‘novice’ and ‘experienced’ seller agree wholeheartedly on one thing. Of all the ‘challenges’ they face in selling, prospecting is the biggest.

Most salespeople think of success in terms of accomplishments - like winning a big account, achieving a sales goal, earning a big commission ‘cheque’, getting their hands on a sales awards, or even getting promoted.

Salespeople are taught to believe that these are all signs of success.

They are signs, but not particularly lasting indicators of success.

To understand success – the process that actually delivers positive results – we can think of success as a triangle, with a trinity of core elements.

“If selling was easy, everyone would be doing it.”

That phrase makes sense, right? It resonates for 2 clear reasons.

1) The rewards are high! There is an incredible potential income to be had from commission driven selling incentives for those that choose ‘Selling’ as a career.

2) Selling really isn’t easy at all! There are many obstacles/hurdles/pitfalls/roadblocks to overcome.

Both the ‘novice’ and ‘experienced’ seller agree wholeheartedly on one thing. Of all the ‘challenges’ they face in selling, prospecting is the biggest.

Landing clients is the 'petrol in the engine' of business.

It is the 'bread and butter' issue that makes the difference between a successful Firm and a struggling one.

Here's 5 more practical things you can do to build your Firm's business. These timeless principles can be applied again and again, day after day, year after year, decade after decade.

They are proven to generate new revenue, new client accounts, new opportunities, when done right.

So, you've spent years building the skills you need for your business to be successful.

Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, Years, Decades of study, discipline, experience, continuous education, technical training.

Over time, you start to bring people in around you, to build out your team.

Each member of your growing team has, are, and will invest hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades of study, discipline, experience, continuous education, technical training.

Over time, 10's of years, becomes 100's of years of skill and experience.

What is missing, I often find, are the skills to generate business. Sales, if you will.

Ironically, the single, most, important skill every business owner needs, and every team member should have.

“Nothing happens in an organisation until someone sells something.”

It’s true, right?

So, why do so many organisations struggle to get their Sales Strategy right?

Generating New Business opportunities one of the essential growth ingredients in any successful business.