Struggling to find the motivation, energy and passion to get out there and makes sales? In this instant gratification world, riding the wave of today’s sales cycle can be more than a little challenging.
If your sales strategy needs a little boost, try these sure fire tips to get yourself motivated, recharged and back out there selling.
1. Go For the Low Hanging Fruit – Do you know the top two reasons people don’t do more business with you? They don’t know what else you offer and you never asked. Selling to your existing clients is one of the easiest ways to recharge your sales strategy. Think about the products and service you offer, the variety and the range, and think about how many of those products and services your best clients actually have. The answer is probably not too many. Simply doing a “touch base” call on your existing clients will at minimum ensure you retain them as clients, at maximum gain an stronger client with increased depth of relationship.
2. Double Your Sales Team – In shifting economic times you need to double your sales force! No I didn’t mean hire more people, I mean get the people who love you to work for you. Think about your best customers, you best referrals sources, and those clients that have truly benefited from the products and services you offer. Now put together a top ten list, and don’t just ask these people for referrals ask them to be your advocates. Take them to lunch, for a round of golf, and let them know the new and exciting things you are doing and that you are looking to take on new clients and grow your business. Give them something to talk about, something to brag about and they’ll work harder for you then you do for yourself!
3. Get Skinny – That’s right shed the excess weight. You don’t have time to be out running around going to every networking event, sitting on every board, and calling on every client. Time is money and you need to make it count. Develop your prospect list, define your target client, and make sure your networking, your volunteer work and your business calls are shooting for that target. If you want to shorten the sales cycle then you need to get skinny and you need to focus.
4. Think Outside The Box – In fact make sure you don’t even know where the box is. In this day-and-age you have to be innovative with your marketing and you need to stand out above the crowd. Traditional sales calls are great, and they are most likely what will close the deal, but ask yourself what are you doing to sell yourself long before you ask for the business? What are you doing to position yourself as a resource or an expert in your field? What are you doing to ensure that you are the go to person in your community for the products and services you offer? Think outside the box. Write articles for the local paper, local blogs, or industry newsletters. Take a leadership position on a non-profit board or community charity and lend your expertise free of charge. Offer to give information only speeches regarding your area of expertise to non-profit charities and organizations. In other words look for and find new and innovative ways for people to “test” you out and “try” you on for size. Once they see what you can do, the knowledge you have, they will be busting down your door to do business with you.
5. Go Viral – Are you plugging into the power of connection? To keep up today you need to be networking in person and online. Your clients are active, they are growing businesses and changing their lives. If you really want to know what is going on, if you truly want to build a strong relationship than you need to connect in person and online. Programs like facebook, twitter and linked in keep you up-to-date of what is happening with your clients and their companies. Change these days is happening at a rapid pace, by connecting online and making daily/weekly quick checks for updates and to weigh in on conversations. You not only have the opportunity to deepen relationships in a matter of seconds, you have the opportunity to hear about the very changes happening in your clients lives that may require your help or support. Double your networking efforts, double your ability to plug into the power of connection, go viral!
Yes, sales isn’t easy in this new economy, but it is exciting. It calls us to a higher level, demands more of our performance, and builds the type of relationships with our clients that are rock solid and last a lifetime.
As always, right on target and exactly what we all needed to “hear.” Thanks!