Three basic sales activities to remember for 2016
Ken Cook
The page is turning on another calendar year, and for many it's turning on your fiscal year as well. How'd you do? Sales results where you wanted them to be?
This is always a time of review, assessment and planning. Too frequently in this process we look to the losses to figure out how we can do better. The assumption is the losses represent our mistakes, and those are the things we need to correct in order to improve.
Let me offer a different perspective. Look to your wins for the lessons on what to do in 2016 to be successful. Then, do more of the things that contributed to the successes you enjoyed this past year.
Regarding the losses, don't ignore any mistakes that might have contributed to the loss. However, don't focus on the mistakes. Rather, catalog them and ensure the team is aware of what happened. If the mistake is systemic in nature, implement corrective actions or processes to ensure the mistake is not repeated.
From a proactive point of view, there are three basic sales activities that, if focused on and implemented, will establish a sound foundation for sales success.
1. Pay attention to your relationships; don't take them for granted.
The team works hard to build relationships with customers. Through relationships success occurs. These are the successes of the past year that you want to build upon.
The relationship is not a sale. It is not a deal. The relationship is the connection and trust established with another person. Connections and trust require attention to stay solid.
Take some time to look at all of your relationships and figure out the things each person can do to strengthen each relationship. This is business development through the lens of relationships. Staying connected on a regular basis is sales activity #1.
2. Do more of the important activities that drove past success.
If your responsibility is selling, then making contacts, connections and calls are the important activities. Look at the calendar for the past month and determine what percentage of your time was actually spent doing important selling activities. If the percentage is less than 70-80 percent, then you should reconsider what you are doing. The best and most successful salespeople are out where their clients and prospects are; they are not in the office.
Preparedness alleviates mistakes, accounts for contingencies and reflects professionalism. If the client has anxiety (and which client doesn't), your preparedness is like a security blanket.
3. Be prepared.
Preparedness does not mean understanding your products inside and out (though that is essential). Preparedness means understanding the client's situation intimately. Know the goals of the client. Know the pain the client is experiencing. Translate all of that knowledge into dollars. What does this situation mean to the client in terms of their P&L?
Preparedness means clearly defining how your solutions alleviate that situation. The client's questions are answered, sometimes before they are even asked. The concerns are addressed before they become problems. The results can be expected rather than hoped for.
These three foundational selling activities should be best practices that elevate the performance of the entire team. If they are not part of the organization's DNA today, start them tomorrow. Doing so will make next year's results that much stronger.
Ken Cook is the co-founder of How to Who, an organization focused on helping people effectively build relationships and building business through those relationships. Learn more at www.howtowho.com.
WBJ Web Partners
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