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6 Tips for Breaking out of a Sales Slump

2012-02-06T04:07:00.000-08:00

By Colleen Francis

Sales people who have a poor start to the beginning of a year, often find themselves struggling for the rest of the year to catch up. The good news is, whatever you’re experiencing, we’ve all been there at least once. The bad news is, most of us don’t know exactly how
to snap out of a slump, and start
making sales.

Remember: there could be an almost unlimited number of reasons why you’re in a slump. It could be the economy, for example. But even in a poor economy, there are top performing sales people, and those who just scrape by. Admitting that your success is up to you is the first step in getting out of a slump, and getting your career back on track.

To help you snap out of a slump and get your year back on track, try these six tips, adapted from the strategies of the top 10%:

1. Stay away from life suckers

You know who they are. The one who lies in wait at the water cooler, just so they can whine, moan and complain to whatever poor, parched soul happens to wander by. The one lurking in the lunchroom way past 1pm to tell you about how nothing is ever right, and they’re always getting the short end of the stick.

When you’ve slept only 4 hours, they were up all night. If you have a stomachache, they’ve got near-fatal food poisoning. When you have a headache, you better believe they’ve got a migraine. Life suckers can’t help you; they have problems of their own.

2. Get to work earlier

Yes, I know, you’re already screaming at me: “Colleen, I need balance!” Not while you’re in a slump, you don’t. Right now, you’re behind, and you need to do something about it. Only the mediocre use balance as their battle cry during a slump. So suck it up for this short period, and save the balance until you’re back
on top.

3. Change your environment

This could be as simple as de-cluttering your office. It’s impossible to feel fresh and excited about what you do if you can’t see your desk. A chaotic work environment will make you depressed to be there, and if you’re depressed to be at work, you won’t snap out of your slump.

Changing your environment could also mean - gasp, yes, it’s true! - taking the day off from selling! If you need motivation, go sit in a coffee shop or some place with a nice view and read books and articles on positive attitude and self-development. If you need to be re-created, take a hike (literally), and then come back to the office re-energised and ready to take on the world.

Personally, I find that getting away for around 4 days (say, Thursday-Sunday, as I’m doing as I write this to you right now) can dramatically help me to create, re-organise and re-energise. It’s also one of the best ways I know of to avoid another slump in the future.

4. Follow a leader

Trail the best sales person you know on their calls for a day. See what they’re doing differently than you, and how you can incorporate those ideas in your business. Note that this doesn’t have to be someone from the office. You can learn a lot from watching sales people in other industries, too.

5. Take your boss to work

Take your boss with you on calls for a week. This will force you to be more prepared and on your best behaviour. You’ll also probably receive more feedback than you probably want.
Instead of rejecting this feedback, use it to be better.

6. Prove that money can buy a little happiness

Buy something you can’t afford. This is radical, I know, and not many of you will like this idea or think it’s responsible of me to suggest it. But it works better for me than any other “counter slump manoeuvre” I know of, so I felt it wouldn’t be right not to at least share the possibility with you.

Of course, I don’t mean racking up all your credit cards to the limit buying gold toilets, and then spending the next twenty years paying them off at 21% interest. What I mean - and what I personally do - is book a first-class trip for 6 months from now. Then, I have to make more sales to earn the money to go. Or book a training class 9 months from now, and again you’ll be motivated to sell more in order to pay for it. I don’t know about you, but for me, the “coming into work early” and all the other hard tasks on this list get a whole lot easier to embrace when I know that I have a trip to Hawaii coming up in a
few months, which I really don’t want to cancel.

Having a sales slump is not the end of the world, so long as it’s short, temporary and you know what to do about it.

Know what motivates you. Be disciplined - it’s the one thing that separates the best from the mediocre - and stay focused on those activities that you know will pull you out of the
slump. And remember to keep it all
in perspective.

You are responsible for your slump, and only you can change it. But you can change it, and once you accept the fact that you can reverse your fortune, you’ll already be on the road to recovery. SG

Colleen is driven by a passion for sales - and results. A successful sales professional for over 20 years, she understands the challenges of selling in today’s market and how traditional sales techniques from decades ago often fall short.She has studied the habits of the top 10% of sales performers from organisations of all sizes and shapes - from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Through her company, Engage Selling Solutions, Colleen has condensed this winning formula into an internationally acclaimed sales training system, helping sales professionals everywhere to make an immediate and lasting impact to their results.

TOP SALES RECRUITMENT TIPS

2012-01-24T00:53:00.000-08:00

By Venetia Butler

“What are the most effective ways to hire top sales people?” remains the number one question we are asked at SALESGURU Careers, followed closely by “once we have secured top salespeople, how are we able to retain them?”. These are not easy questions to answer and questions without a magic answer, but certainly worth understanding in as much detail as possible.

Specialising in the recruitment and representation of top sales people has enabled us to outline and understand the comprehensive detail involved in successful recruitment, and in so doing we have compiled an list of the crucial often missed steps in the recruitment process, that can be very rewarding and profitable when implemented successfully.

Each month we will be discussing one of the steps identified in the process, in the hope that this will assist your company in securing TOP SALES PROFESSIONALS. This month we kick off with perhaps the most obvious and overlooked step in the recruitment process:

WHY IS THERE A VACANCY?

Is seems so simplistic to start with this, but I firmly believe that an understanding of why the vacancy is available will offer much insight into your strategy, planning and the recruitment process.

There can be many possible reasons for a staff resignation, highlighted below are the top reasons why there are sales resignation and new vacancies:

1. NEW POSITION DUE TO COMPANY GROWTH - RESIGNATION DUE TO LACK OF COMPANY GROWTH

Company growth is always an easy position to advertise as it falls in line with what most employee’s seek and want to hear about potential companies. What is often missed is that as much as this is a great reason to advertise and talk about growth for employees it also speaks about the organisations successful sales record, this is a huge factor for sales people. This is also an indication that the company has a product or service offering that is desirable in the market place, that they have an efficient sales team who are selling the product or service and ultimately can be one of the main reasons why sales people choose to stay and work at that company.

No company growth is a major factor for candidates resigning, more so with the Y generation who expect to advance and grow far quicker than most and sometimes with an un-realistic expectation of career progression. Realistic targets, timelines and expectations need to be discussed in the first interview in order to confirm the organisations expectation of the candidate you are hiring, the candidates expectations also need to be discussed in detail in order to understand there expected personal growth requirements.

2. TOP SALES PERSON – HEADHUNTED OR POACHED FROM OPPOSTION

It can be very rewarding and flattering to be headhunted or poached from a competitor and it often comes with a big increase. Whilst the statistics still show that this remains common practice, we have seen a decline in headhunting in the Sales Industry as often these candidates have un-realistic salary expectation, furthermore it creates insecurity (if not managed properly) in a sales team as you never know how long will it be before competitors poach them or use salary as an incentive for them to move again.

3. STAFF RESIGNATION DUE TO SALARY:

Salary, the remaining motivating factor for sales people, (more on this contested topic next month) also offers valuable insight in that it’s an opportunity to analyse whether or not your remuneration package is indeed market related and in line with what competitors are offering. Organisations should be paying realistic salaries in terms of what is market related for the skills and acumen required and when there is a commission structure included, the structure needs to be agreed between both parties and should be provided as motivational factor for the employee to close more sales.

Salary surveys conducted by various organisations are a great way of keeping up to date with industry salary standards.

4. BETTER PROSPECTS:

Believe it or not this outdated description is one we still see most. As generalised as this term has become it encompasses many aspects of an un-happy working environment including; job security, company culture, internal staff conflicts and management issues. All of which contribute to the motivation for sales staff to stay at a company. These factors need to be analysed and understood clearly in the exit interview (an invaluable tool) for companies.

When receiving applications from three or four candidates from the same company, we often find that there was no exit interview, and they were never allowed to voice their concerns and expectations or felt that they had no value and were just another number.

Each of the possible reasons mentioned carry strong merit for analysis and need to be investigated. Companies that are positioned as an employer of choice reduce many of the unnecessary resignations and recruitment costs involved and as such reap the benefits of strong staff retention.

Push it up with SALESGURU!

2011-06-07T03:31:00.000-07:00

Issued by: SALESGURU

More than 1 500 sales professionals attended our recent roadshows in Cape Town and Johannesburg between 1-3 June. We enjoyed meeting all of you who came to see our speakers and interact with SALESGURU people over those three days and we're excited to have shared this great experience with you once again.

If you were one of the attendees, congratulations for taking the time and making the investment in a session that will give you some new perspectives on sales. We can all benefit from having our skills refreshed.

Rob "Waldo" Waldman's motivational talk emphasised that Winners never fly solo! In today's highly competitive business world, sales people that foster trust and work in high performance teams will dodge the missiles of adversity and increase their sales results.

Here are a few Wingtips that can turn you into an ACE and help you avoid getting shot down on your next mission:

A: Attitude + Action. Attitude does not determine altitude. Attitude plus Action does. Being positive and enthusiastic is a critical component of success, but your customer ultimately rewards your actions, not your positive attitude! An attitude that breeds confidence is a by-product of disciplined preparation and mission rehearsal. When dealing with a price objection, last minute competitor, or late product shipment, it's the commitment, focus and sense of urgency you have to fix the problem, provide value, and deliver results that counts.

C: Customer: Success in business is not about you, your company, or your product. It's about your customer. Prior to each meeting, gather the latest, up to date intelligence (from multiple sources) and commit yourself to meeting the needs of your customer. Be original. Come prepared with questions. Learn about the person you're meeting. If you're not focused 100% on your customer - your target - you shouldn't strap on your jet to fly. (By the way, it can't hurt to learn about your competition too ...but only after learning about your customer.

E Environment: Every mission is unique. What works with one client or industry, may not work with another. The environment in which you and your customer operate will ultimately determine your tactics. Was there a recent merger or perhaps some lay-offs at the company you're meeting? How's their stock price? What's the nature of the industry you're operating in? Who are you meeting? Who is the decision maker? What resources (wingmen) do you have that can help you prepare for your meeting? Never sell by the seat of your pants!

Take it from somebody who's been shot at in real combat, the winning ACE's in business and lifeprepare for the worst, but then expect the best. They acknowledge adversity and develop the confidence to overcome it by hard work and focus. But being an ACE is not easy. You can either "push it up" on your throttle and defeat the missile, or pull it back and risk getting shot down. It's your choice.

I hope you'll push it up!

If you missed out on this round of events, the next one is coming up in September so keep an eye out for the dates and venues in the next issue of SALESGURU. We will also be announcing it on our website -www.salesguru.co.za.

For more information on Rob visit www.yourwingman.com.