Too many times I hear sales reps getting frustrated with slow sales or being stuck at a certain level without being able to increase it. I ask what they are doing differently to help them get over their hump. Most answers go something like, “nothing, I'm doing the same thing I always do, why?”
Albert Einstein once said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Why would anyone expect to do better or different by doing the same thing? If your drowning or stuck at a sales plateau, change it up!
A football coach wouldn't' keep calling the same play if it wasn't working. If play after play a running back was trying to run it up the middle with little or no gain, the coach would call another play. Maybe a run outside, a pass play, or option. Anything but running it up the middle.
Sales isn't much different. There are many things that can be changed in sales. If you work on large corporations, start calling on smaller businesses or vice versa. Change your script up, even something witty just added in, can change the whole mood. “I know the last thing you wanted to do was listen to a sales pitch over the phone, but I'm confident if I can speak to you for just 2 minutes you will see the value it what I am offering.” If you are going door to door, change your outfit. If you pitch a certain benefit or competitive advantage, find another one you can use. If you make 100 calls a day, make 120. If you have 3 appointments, make 4. If you knock on 50 doors, knock on 60.
The point is, something has to change or the end result won't. Don't blame other things on your poor performance until you try some different approaches.
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Date Published :
Dec 18 2008