So Hollywood tells us that the world is going to end in 2012. Yikes! That means we only have a couple years to meet our sales and career goals! Better hurry...
> Ask for help. If you need to find prospects as part of your selling job, start beating the bushes like you've never beat them before. Get out there. Time is of the essence!
> Learn how to close sales quicker than you used to. Whenever possible, accelerate the speed of the sales cycle for your prospects. Hurry up now...
> Do more of what you do well. If you sell well on weekends, work every weekend. If you sell well immediately after you get a haircut, get more haircuts. If you sell well after you work out, start working out every day. You get the idea.
> Don't waste your time. Some salespeople waste 80% or more of their time on unimportant non-selling activities. Stop doing that. Please.
> Clean up your act. If you're on the fringe of being a sales professional, clean yourself up and join the profession of selling instead of the dark underbelly of sales. Use unsavory business practices? Stop. Need a shave? Ditto. Sleeping with your prospects? Not anymore. After all, there's only two years left to sell. Sleep on your own time.
> Be remarkable. Perhaps for the first time in your life, become a remarkable salesperson. Do what it takes to cross the threshold of remarkability.
What can you recommend to your fellow sales peeps to maximize their sales by 2012? Let our readers know! Post a comment!
If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, and the financial, real estate, and insurance markets.
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Be more social. Stop fiddling around with sales reports and looking for "just the right lead." Trade in those time wasters for good conversations.
I had a mentor tell me once: "Your sales numbers (closed deals) are in direct proportion to the number of good conversations you have."
It works. Have more good conversations--everyday.
Posted by: Billrice | 09 January 2010 at 03:45 PM
All our lives we have been told that if we didn't make quota, our world would come to an end. Now you are telling us it will come to end even if we do make quota, Skip?
I am confused. I thought making quota kept the universe in balance?
Posted by: Iannarino | 09 January 2010 at 06:47 PM
Do one thing and one thing only. What is the next thing that has to happent to move he sale forward? Do that. DOn't do two things or three things, do that one thing. Next thing you know, you'll have a sale. Then do the next thng.....
Posted by: Tibor Shanto | 10 January 2010 at 05:03 PM
Ditto to what Bill said: learn the art of conversation and put it to good use. After all, it's what makes us human!
Posted by: Jerry Kennedy | 11 January 2010 at 12:28 AM
2 more years until the world ends? I vaguely recall 2 other dates a bit further down the road mentioned in (interpreted from)the deep sea scrolls.
I'd network to find out how to get more value out of the remaining time.
Posted by: Cindy King | 11 January 2010 at 10:00 AM