As you know it can be very discouraging if you miss your sales quota! You may begin to doubt yourself and your abilities as a salesperson. This is where our negative self-talk can get the best of us and we may start to internalize thoughts like, “I’m not good enough” or “I just don’t have what it takes.” The powerful thing here is that you have a choice and that choice is your attitude. If you decide to feel sorry for yourself and doubt your sales abilities then you will be pushed down a very dark staircase that leads no where---that’s self-destructive.
Or, the other option that you have is to take this time to reflect and analyze what you can do better the next time around so that you make and exceed your numbers. Here are five practical suggestions that you can use the next time you do not make your sales quota:
1. LEARN FROM TEMPORARY SITUATIONS.
When you miss your numbers it’s a temporary situation in the big scheme of things. I suggest that you use this time as an opportunity to figure out what is working and what is not working. Thomas Edison once said, “Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless." If you apply these words of Edison and compare them to the attributes of a successful marketer (and in your case a telephone marketer) you will see many similarities and they can be summarized in seven words: “Testing, testing and more testing equates to success.” If you perceive this situation as a learning opportunity rather than as an obstacle to your success your results will be that much greater!
2. STOP NEGATIVE SELF-TALK AND REFLECT ON YOUR PAST SUCCESS.
A great way to avoid negative self-talk is by reflecting on your past success. You may want to internalize thoughts like, “I’ve made my numbers before, I’ve been successful in the past and I can do it again!” Once you have made these associations from your past it’s now time to take action! Remember this Chinese Proverb: “Talk does not cook rice!”
3. TRANSFORM YOURSELF INTO A BALL OF POSITIVE ENERGY.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist, poet, and philosopher once said, "The person who sends out positive thoughts activates the world around him positively and draws back to himself positive results." Per Emerson, a positive attitude attracts positive energy and in turn creates opportunities for success. The question is how do you motivate yourself to be positive?
Based on my experience, you need to do things that make you happy. For example, you can go to Starbucks, go shopping, exercise or listen to motivational tapes. One interesting idea to “Transform yourself into a ball of positive energy” is to change the aesthetics of your office or cubicle. You could try adding a few plants, toys around your desk or advertise your favorite motivational quotes on signs around your office. Sometimes new environments can change your behavior and in turn inspire you to take action!
4. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING PERSISTENT.
According to the National Sales Executive Association, 2% of sales are made on the1st contact, 3% of sales are made on the 2nd contact, 5% of sales are made on the 3rd contact, 10% of sales are made on the 4th contact and 80% of sales are made on the 5th-12th contact. Based on these numbers, if you are only contacting your sales prospect just a few times then you may want to re-think your prospecting strategy.
These statistics indicate that you need to be persistent to make the sale. However, another reason that you must be persistent is to gain the respect of your sales prospect. What do I mean here? The prospects that you are contacting should be very successful executives and these people did not get to where they are by being reactive, but rather by being proactive. They will draw from their past work experience and quickly associate with your tenacity.
As a result of your efforts, they will respect you for your persistence. In fact, your persistence may act as a catalyst that helps to reduce resistance and move you even closer to a sale! Finally, the next time you have contacted your prospect multiple times with no response please remember this line, “Pleasant persistence wears down resistance." Do you know what time it is now? It’s time to go back and call some of the prospects that you have given up on!
5. DIVERSIFY YOUR CALL LISTS.
It’s important to make sure that you have several different types of calls lists in your prospecting database. For example, you may have one list from a local chamber, another from a mailing that you did to potential prospects or a list of exhibitors at a tradeshow. You should have dozens or more of these lists and you need them as a way to diversify your day. As a final suggestion, when you complete a sale write down where you got the lead. This way you can quickly determine which lists are most effective and which ones are not!
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Behind The Scenes With Mr. Cold Call
Daniel Arenzon, known as Mr. Cold Call, has developed a series of non-traditional cold calling and sales prospecting strategies to effectively reach key business decision makers such as C-Level and Senior-Level Executives. His techniques have been tested and proven as a result of making over 80,000 cold calls working for companies such as CBS MarketWatch, Futures Magazine and Dartnell Publishing. MR. COLD CALL has been quoted and featured in a variety of sales publications including an audio program produced by Selling Power Magazine called, "Accelerate Your Sales." Arenzon has personally spoken at companies such as Brown & Bigelow, Smith Barney, UBS, First Southern Bank, Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell Realtors, New York Life Insurance, American Express, Pre-Paid Legal Services, New England Financial, A.G. Edwards, Morgan Stanley and Docutek Imaging Solutions. For more information on Mr. Cold Call and to sign up for his free weekly cold calling tips please visit http://www.mrcoldcall.com
