GROWTH THAT WORKS…everyone grows, every day. Everything we do creates growth. The resulting in growth can be good or bad. The key is to make sure that your growth is beneficial. One of the things that grows on ongoing basis is the amount of potential business we generate. In other words… the new leads or opportunities that can lead to further success. When we prospect consistently, when we ask for more business, things happen. Even if it is just "over lunch" with another individual, there are always new openings and possibilities for us to pursue. The key is to make sure that we handle the growth wisely.
Here is your ACTION STEP…the more people we talk to, the more leads we generate. So far so good. Here is where you can really shine! Have a plan to manage all this great activity you have created. As the # of opportunities expand, the next three steps are critical to "growth that works":
1. Raise the bar… be tougher on who you accept as a lead
2. Move faster through the leads you accept, if they are not ready…move on
3. Put all your energy into "Now Business"… follow them up first thing every day
Bonus Tip: do not get bogged down with leads that are going nowhere or should be placed in a "longer-term follow-up" file. Why? Some Salespeople go through a cycle of "I have so many leads, I'd better stop prospecting until I can get these ones under control". Then they stop prospecting. Not good! The Superstars follow the above three steps on an ongoing basis. The result is a much smoother path of higher quality leads resulting in more business, more revenue. Most important of all…because you are focusing on the customers who REALLY need you… you have a much smoother cash flow. Nice. That's the way you wanted it to be when you started out, right? NO Excuses.