If you are in a bit of a post-Christmas sales slump, here are some tips to get your oomph back!
1. Acknowledge the feeling you are experiencing.
So not ‘I am so lazy’. Rather ‘I am feeling lazy at the moment’ There is a difference.
2. Write down when you feel like this.
Is it after you’ve just consumed your 10th cheese sandwich, binge watched yet another TV drama, or played on your phone for two solid hours? Try and spot the patterns then you can avoid your energy suckers.
3. Is there so much to do that you can’t see the wood for the trees?
A useful tool is a SWOT Analysis. SWOT stands for:
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
(Drop me a message if you would like more info on how to do a SWOT – it’s a brilliantly simple tool)
Work out what your sales priorities are and focus on them.
4. Once you’ve got a bit of clarity, just start.
Don’t overthink it. Just start.
You might decide (in Eat that Frog fashion) to tackle the biggest, nastiest task first.
You might decide to ease in gently with something straightforward
You might simply do the first thing on your list.
It doesn’t matter.
5. Delegate.
Is there anything that you can give to someone else to do? Here’s a thought, maybe they would do it better than you!!! Now wouldn’t that be nice!
So don’t get all overwhelmed.
One foot in front of the other. A journey of a million steps …. and so on …
I’m not here to teach you to suck eggs!
But having a ton of stuff to do and not feeling like it is far worse than having a ton of stuff to do and be actually making progress!
Drop me a line if you are struggling. There is always something we can do.
Happy selling!
I post daily on LinkedIn – so for lots more hints and tips, connect with me here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeteferetadpole/
I am sure you will agree with me that sales lies are abundant
For example:
💥 “YOU NEED THIS SECRET THING!”
💥 “THIS IS THE LAST GIZMO YOU’LL EVER NEED!”
💥 “HOW THIS SIMPLE TRICK EARNED ME A GAZILLION POUNDS IN 24 HOURS!”
We see it all the time don’t we?
Exaggeration, hyperbole, dare I say it, lies.
To be good at sales (that could read ‘business’ too)
What you need is:
1. An understanding of why you are doing what you are doing
2. A process
3. Exposure to proven tools and techniques which you adopt and use
4. Chuck in some diary management and a readiness to consistently put in the hours and guess what?
Success will come.
🥴 It might not be in 5 minutes
😵 It might not be easy
🤩 It might be the best thing you’ve ever done.
So do you want your team to learn to sell properly?
Are you fed up with chucking good money after bad on the next ‘new thing’?
Let’s chat. No fluff, just results.
Email me if you would like to find out how you and your team can learn to sell without the hype jefere@tadpoletraining.com
Or book a slot in my diary so we can chew things over https://calendly.com/jefere/half-an-hour-with-janet
I managed to – here’s how to muck up the perfect sale …
I was approached by a fabulous company who had been checking me out on LinkedIn. We spoke, we met, we tweaked the spec. I loved them, they loved me (it was such a good fit).
All the stages – discovery, uncovering specific needs, tailoring a solution, pricing, proposal, follow up …. done.
You can never be 100% confident, but I put in a ton of effort and I would say I was about 95% – and only one other provider in the running.
Then I got the phone call ….
Janet, we loved you BUT ….. (ever had that heart-sinking moment?)
It turns out my competitor had offered them something I hadn’t.
Couldn’t believe it. I said nice things. I felt awful.
Went away and thought about it.
😭😭😭
Gut reaction “I haven’t got that extra ‘thing’ – blast that competitor who did, it’s not fair, how come they have it? It’s not even that important. Grrrrrr”
🤔🤔🤔
Then sensible reaction
1. It wasn’t because I didn’t have that thing (a way of delivering elearning by the way)
2. It was because I had failed to uncover that they had a need (or rather a desire) to support their long term strategic vision for how the company would develop. That way of delivering elearning totally suppported their vision.
3. It was totally within my power to have provided it also
4. I had simply failed to uncover this need/desire myself
So actually, the fault was within me.
This is why it’s always good to reflect when you lose a deal.
It can stop you complaining about the customer, the competitors, the economy, the weather, what side you got out of bed.
All of that is irrelevent – as sales people it is up to us to do the best job we can. Ultimately I failed to support that client as well as I should. I’m sure they will be happy with their new provider. I hope so. But what if they would have been happier with me? Then I have done them a disservice by failing to sell properly.
Wow.
So you know what? I wish them well and I will do the most sensible thing I can – and that is to not make the same mistake again.
Does this resonate with you?
It happens to us all, but at least I knew what had happened.
Here are my contact details if you want to chew over your sales issues:
07748994334
If I was to describe which aspect of sales I’m best at, I’d probably say ‘closing’.
But you hear lots of rubbish spouted about closing, such as ‘use this technique, or that trick’. It’s as though closing is treated like a separate discipline instead of as part of a holistic whole
‘Experts’ tell you that you can close anyone by using their secrets. Well, if you do the rest of the selling properly, you’ll find that closing becomes super easy and you don’t have to try and fool anyone!
Think of it a bit like getting married. If you haven’t done the preparation, then it’s going to be hard to get anyone to marry you! It’s the same with selling – you are going to find it near impossible to sell something if you haven’t done some other things first.
For example to get married you have to do a lot! (the sales equivalent is in brackets):
👉🏽 There is the initial outreach (prospecting)
📚 Research – are they single, are they looking (researching the customer)
📱 Getting a phone number (finding out the contact details)
📅 Closing for a first date (getting an appointment)
👔 Creating a good first impression by dressing to impress, or going somewhere nice (be smart, be punctual)
🥂 Having that first date (meeting)
❓Asking lots of questions (the same)
👀 Establishing what are they looking for (uncovering needs & wants)
🤩 Seeing if you want the same thing (talk about possible solutions)
📅 Getting subsquent dates (closing for the next stage)
👩🏾🤝🧑🏽 Build the romantic relationship (build the business relationship)
💍 Propose marriage (close for the deal)
If you have done all the steps properly, then you have a much higher chance of getting engaged (winning the deal)
In sales, it really is about relationships and doing the right thing at the right time.
And remember don’t promise things you can’t deliver, otherwise you could be heading for a divorce (your customer leaves you!)
Let’s talk and see if we can avoid that happening to you!
07748 994 334
Whilst delivering sales training in London, Essex and the wider UK, I am often asked abour why customers buy. Do you know that you can sell more if you understand this imporant area?
If you think you will sell more because of your excellent service or your friendly demeanour, then you could be right, but it goes a lot deeper.
This diagram is adapted from the excellent book “Ebook Secrets Exposed”by Jim Edwards and David Garfinkel.
Look at the diagram – what is at the top?
That’s right, PAIN closely followed by PLEASURE
Under this are all the other main reasons people buy.
Now, it is unlikely that all of the list will apply to your business, but if you sit down and think about it, then you will probably start to see patterns.
So for example, in many businesses, the top 4 will be the primary motivators for people to work with you.
If you are in the health and wellness sectors, then it will probably be the last 6.
(in my business it is PAIN – clients aren’t selling enough)
So why not have a little bit of fun (with a serious goal) and work out why your customers buy from you. It could be transformational!
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