B MUST EQUAL C…recently I was contacted by a Salesperson who was quite dissatisfied with her Sales Results. She asked me to look at her business and offer some suggestions. I went through a series of questions with this individual and realized that the first problem was that "B does not equal C". "What does that mean?", she asked. I proceeded to explain that, "B is your daily activity and C is your goals… your Sales targets". My basic premise in Sales is very simple…
The secret to success in all selling is to make the connection between your activities and your goals
Bottom line: her daily activity was insufficient to get her to her goals. This Salesperson was creating an equation every day that was destined for failure! She was not doing enough on a daily basis to create the results she was looking for. Let's look at your results… are you satisfied with where you are so far this year? Are the results you have created up to this point going to get you to your target by the end of the year? In order to have a successful year in Sales there are two basic premises that must be met on ongoing basis:
1. There must be enough activity completed on a daily basis
2. There must be enough of the RIGHT activity completed on a daily basis
Here is your ACTION STEP… look at the above two "basic premises". Most people who are not succeeding become rather defensive at this point. They start off by saying… "I'm working!… I'm working really hard. I put it tremendous amount of hours and I'm just not getting the results! I don't understand it." When people come to me to help them turn their business around, more often than not the solution lies in the answers to the following questions:
1. Am I starting early enough every day? ("I am not a morning person" is not the answer!)
2. Critical Point: Am I talking to enough new prospects every day? (If you are not talking to a lot of people, you will not do a lot of business)
3. Am I following up on my leads early enough? (Is the gap between contacts too long?)
4. How strong are my objection handling skills? (If you are not improving them, you're just going to get more of the same results)
5. Am I afraid to close for business? Am I really asking for the order?(Increase your "rejection frequency" and you will create more sales.)
Getting better Sales results requires having the courage to look in the mirror, recognize the deficiencies, and make the necessary changes. Do your activities match your goals? Are you doing enough of the RIGHT activities? Look at the equation you create every day… does A equal B for your business? Start with the above five questions and move on from there. NO Excuses.