When I ask a sales manager how business is going, I usually hear a little pride in their voice as they say, “We’re totally slammed!” In the business world, people seem to think it’s cool to be buried up to their necks in work!
Hearing people brag about being slammed always makes me think of one of my favorite Tim Ferriss quotes:
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You’re a salesperson. Can you admit it? I’ve met plenty of “recruiters,” “financial advisors,” “insurance agents,” and “loan officers” who tell me, “I really don’t see myself as a salesperson.”
This mentality even affects our job titles! There are hundreds of job titles that could be replaced with the word “salesperson” and be just as accurate—if not more accurate.
Let me start with a big, fat, bold statement: Being a salesperson is an honorable profession! So why are so many people in sales reluctant to admit that they’re in sales? And why don’t more businesses that rely entirely on sales embrace a sales culture?
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If you’re nervous about closing sales because you don’t want to be “pushy” or don’t want to feel like a “closer,” I get it. We work hard to build relationships with our prospects, and we don’t want to turn them off.
Too many salespeople avoid the “close” step of the sales cycle —just because closing makes them feel like… well, a salesperson.
If you’re not asking for the business, you’re doing yourself—and your prospect—a disservice.
The truth is, your close (or lack of one) could be costing you thousands. If you don’t know how to ask prospects for their business, they’ll find a competitor who does!
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Do you ever wish there were more hours in the day? You’re not alone, but you’re wishing for the wrong thing! We don’t need to work more hours, we need to use our time more effectively. That’s why one of my favorite time management strategies is daily, dedicated Focus Time.
Focus Time is a block of time you devote to maximum productivity. During this time, you commit to an ultra-focused frame of mind, concentrating on getting tasks accomplished.
What you’re really doing during your focus time is giving your best effort to completing a single task as thoroughly as possible—with no distractions.
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We face tough choices in business. You might have to make a decision you don’t really want to make—for example, whether to keep a salesperson or manager on your team—and keep kicking that decision down the road instead of facing it.
I understand! As relationship-based salespeople, we like people and value our relationships with them. It’s hard to know if our emotions are clouding our judgement, or even know what our gut is telling us. It’s even worse if we’re constantly battling decision fatigue. So what can we do?
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In relationship selling, we want to keep our clients happy. We don’t want to lose long-term relationships to a competitor who’s undercutting our prices. So, to keep our clients, we always need to win on pricing, right? Wrong!
Statistics show that 81% of customers are willing to pay more for a better experience. That means less than a fifth of customers think “the lowest price” is more important than anything else.
If your sales cycle is focused on price, you’re probably setting yourself up to lose. Don’t be lazy and fall into this trap! Instead, you need to:
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Are you a salesperson with a flexible schedule? If so… do you mind running an errand for me?
In so many households, it’s the person in sales who gets to pick up deliveries, drop off dry cleaning, meet with the plumber, and run to Costco at lunch. They have a “flexible” schedule, and all these tasks fall to them—just because they don’t punch a time clock at work!
Sound familiar? You are probably wasting five to ten hours a week on tasks that do nothing to move your business forward. If your flexible schedule is working against you, try these three things:
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