How is That New Year's Resolution Going?

I have been reading a few things about fear of failure and relapses on resolutions and how most New Years resolutions don't ever last three weeks... sounds like a lot of doom and gloom out there!

This past Monday was allegedly "Blue Monday", the saddest day of the year. Likely because of bad /cold winter weather, holiday bills being due and yes the realization that we have once again failed to make a New Years resolution last in to February.

The key to getting that resolution to stick is to not be defeated by a lapse or two. Regardless of what the resolution is there is usually some element of breaking or forming a habit. Habits do not magically appear or disappear at the stroke of midnight the beginning of a new year, it takes time and it takes practice.

Changing behaviour and habits is a process, one that requires diligence, patience and persistence. Whether it is business behaviour (adding one extra sales call in every day) or personal (going to the gym every weekday morning) it is natural to have set backs as we adjust to the new behaviour and work towards establishing a new habit. Skipping the gym on Tuesday because you are tired does not mean you can't go on Wednesday, and again on Thursday etc,

Think of the first three months as the practice needed to perfect the new habit, but don't use that as an excuse. It is not failure if you miss a few days of your targeted sales calls, unless you give up and stop trying again. Use the practice time of  the first 90 days of 2015 so that you can hit your stride in Q2!

Prospecting - It Needs to be a Habit

Recently I overheard a salesperson say “I’d rather clean the office bathrooms than prospect” and it got me thinking about why prospecting has such a bad rap. More importantly why average salespeople procrastinate and find excuses not to prospect.

A sales funnel is a precious thing that too many salespeople take for granted. It is the beginning of the sales process and without a beginning there can be no successful ending. Knowing that why is it that salespeople resist prospecting to start the sales process? Better yet what can salespeople do to make prospecting less painful?

The best way to answer these questions is to examine the habits of serially successful salespeople to understand what they do and how they do it. There is always more than enough in their pipeline every month for them to achieve and over achieve their quota. They understand the importance of adding to their sales funnel and “book” time in their calendar everyday to do quality prospecting.

Prospecting is hard work. Prospecting effectively takes dedication. Prospecting is a requirement for sales success and needs to be a habit.

It is the concept of a structured day that most average salespeople ignore. They intend to prospect for 1 or 2 hours every morning but allow any and all interruptions to distract them from this commitment. Maybe a current client called with a billing issue, or an existing prospect emailed a question about the proposal sent two weeks ago. Whatever the excuse that is all it is, an excuse to not prospect.

Do you put off prospecting for any other activity? Would you rather clean a bathroom than pick up the phone a make a cold call? What do you do to make prospecting more bearable or fun? Feel free to add your comments!

Sales and Golf - Success Starts With Preparation

This is a follow up to my post last year titled Why Sales People Love Golf that I posted on my blog You Don't Have to Read This.

 

I believe there are many similarities between the craft of selling and the game of golf, more than can be detailed in this one post. The best place to start the comparison is with preparation.

 

Before I step up to the first tee I like to stop by the course driving range and hit a few balls. It allows me to limber up a bit, to loosen the “golf” muscles so to speak. It also helps get me in the right frame of mind, to focus on the golf and not the 10,000 other things I have going on at any moment in time.

 

After hitting 20 or so shots with various clubs I like to visit the practice green to get a sense of the speed of the greens and complete my preparation process. Before each practice shot, I go through my pre-shot routine, just as I will during the round ahead.

 

I do all this to hopefully eliminate a 50-yard slice off the first tee.

 

So what does this have to do with sales?

 

How many times have you made cold calls and stumbled through the first few only to hit your stride after five or so? What if you could have had your A game on the first call? Preparation will help with this.

 

Rehearse what you will say a few times before you make those first few calls, role play with a colleague or your manager. Everyone can have a different pre-call routine and a different way to warm up before the first call.

Have a pre-call routine that you follow before every call. This will help you start with purpose and focus, and keep you on track if you encounter any challenges.

Do you have a pre-call routine? What do you do before your first cold call to focus and get in the game? I’d love to hear how you plan for your success!