By Troy Harrison
I hear salespeople say, “Troy, business is down,” a lot. After my years of experience in sales, I usually translate that to, “Troy, sales aren’t coming to me as easily as they used to.” As a manager and coach, I think, “You aren’t selling enough.” Don’t get me wrong; our profession is definitely affected by economic conditions that we don’t get to set or create. Sometimes those conditions harm us and sometimes they help us.
But that doesn’t mean that we can’t change our own economic conditions. Despite what I hear sometimes, it’s rare that “nobody is buying anything.” “Nobody is buying anything” means that “not enough people are buying things from me.” Look – the aspect of selling that I love the most is that we are the tip of the economic spear, and we have the opportunity to be our own economy. When “business is down,” it’s time to innovate, get aggressive, and keep our own economy strong. Here are a few ways:
- Ramp up your prospecting. I’ve always said that the real job description of a salesperson is to be a “self-contained business generation machine.” In selling, the big bucks go to the salespeople who are continually building and growing their businesses, and who do not allow themselves to get complacent. Yes, it’s true that prospecting is a slow play now. The prospecting call you make now might not initiate a Buyer’s Journey for six months or so – or it might start one right now. And even if it is six months out, if you don’t prospect now, the journey won’t start then. Or worse, it will start and it won’t include YOU.
- Use every sales call to develop your customers. The number one cause of sales stagnation is the agenda-free sales call. Don’t make your calls on existing customers just to make them and get a pat on the head. Have a reason and an objective. Get away from the rote “how are things going” calls with your existing customers, and instead start using EVERY CALL to build your business. Sell them more stuff, deepen relationships, and get some referrals.
- Work on your LinkedIn. If you’re not on LinkedIn (and yes, I talk to salespeople and even managers who aren’t), there’s a good chance you’re losing business to someone who is. Create a network, post relevant insights, and give people the opportunity to hold up their hands.
- Get some testimonials. When customers tell you what a great job you’re doing, what do you do?