Sales can be a frustrating profession.
From the challenges of prospecting, especially those trying to get prospects to even listen, to the non-logical objections, we face frustrating situations on a daily basis. It is clearly not a profession for the weak willed or self doubting.Every great sales person I know has had hard days, hard weeks, and hard months. Every sales colleague who confides in me, tells me of some days spent staring at a lead list of names that all look stale and unlikely to close, and of days where it seems to hard to convince anyone of anything.
In those moments, it is easy to look for answers in doing something new. Gimmicks begin to look good. Quick closing tricks, or high pressure tactics seem appealing in ending one of those nefarious sales “slumps” that even the best sales professionals occasionally experience.Like any other profession, the true relief from the frustration of sales is not found in looking forward for something new, it is usually found in looking back and re-embracing the fundamentals of our profession. The more frustrated we become, the more we tend to move away from the very fundamental things that made us successful.
In moments of frustration, you must deliberately and forcefully apply yourself to go back to the fundamentals and execute on the simplest things with utmost precision.Sales is a hard profession, but not a complicated one. To go back to the fundamentals, try focusing on the following:
- Reload your confidence – Call you 10 best customers and talk to them about why they do business with you. Confirm the value you bring to them (this is also a good time to ask for referrals or intros). Get a testimonial if possible.
- Revamp your elevator pitch – Does it speak to what you do FOR your customers? Does it hit on the main common denominator that gets a prospect’s attention? Is it compelling?
- Refresh your activity plan – Activity breeds results. Chances are you’ve deviated from the levels of activity that made you successful. Look back on your conversions and map out an activity plan for the next few months. Hold yourself accountable to do, and log your activity. Eliminate the trap of kidding yourself into thinking you are busy. So many calls, so many appointments, each day, every day.
- Work on one thing – Find your weak spot, usually identifiable as the least favorite part of your activity ladder, and work on it. Don’t try to fix everything at once. That’s overwhelming and not sustainable. Focus like a laser on one thing and get better at it.
The fundamentals of sales are Attitude, Activity and Technique., in that order. Focus on those and watch the sales slump disappear in the rear view mirror.