You only get seven seconds to make a positive first impression on someone. And for a sales professional, first impressions are make-or-break; it’s vital that you know what you should be doing when you’re standing in front of a prospect.
Mastering your body language is the first step towards making a great first impression, as it focuses on quite literally putting your best foot forward.
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We’ve all heard that “time is money,” right? Well, it’s true. And most of you probably know that determining the value of your time can be the first step in becoming a more effective professional.
You may have even tried using your hourly rate to make better time management decisions. But if you are a salesperson, you’re selling yourself short when you calculate the value of your time using the traditional “hourly rate” formula. There’s a much better way.
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So many people talk about the importance of achieving a “work-life balance”. And I get it—you want to achieve balance. You want to make enough money while not working too much.
But instead of trying to find a perfect balance between work and life, focus on spending time on the things most important to you, both in your career and your personal experiences.
I use the acronym L.I.F.E. to help me remember the four pillars vital to creating a true foundation for a well-rounded, balanced life.
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Like most salespeople, I suffer from a total squirrel mentality. I’m always going; always trying to do a million things at once. If not properly managed, this can obviously lead to an extraordinary amount of stress—and stress is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to success.
Meditation has long been recommended to reduce stress levels and increase focus. That didn’t prevent me from thinking it was entirely too hokey and a total waste of my time, though. I tried it for two whole days in a row before making up every excuse in the world about why it wasn’t going to work for me.
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No matter what field you’re in, there’s an established flow on how to best land a sale. You can tweak it to fit your particular industry of course, but there are seven essential steps to success, known as the Sales Cycle.
Like the circle of life, you should look at your sales cycle as a never-ending loop; new leads converting to contacts that turn into closed deals who refer more new leads. But over time, even really good salespeople tend to focus more time and energy on the tasks they excel at while paying less attention to other, equally important aspects of selling.
To be a master salesperson, you must master the entire process! Let’s take a look at the seven steps of the Sales Cycle and see if you can spot one you may be neglecting in your business.
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There are plenty of everyday tasks you do for your business that are important. But does every single thing you do actually generate income? Of course not. Learning to distinguish between what actually makes you money – your Income Producing Activities – and what doesn’t is key to maximizing your earning potential.
Income Producing Activities (IPAs) can fall into one of three levels.
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One of my favorite quotes comes from Earl Nightingale, a radio broadcaster from the 1930s: “You become what you think about.” When you consider the importance of that concept, success often comes down to reprogramming your brain through positive self-talk.
And yes, you can joke about looking in the mirror and saying things like, “I’m good enough. I’m smart enough. And doggone it, people like me.” But those things are powerful. In the movie What About Bob, Bill Murray’s character repeats the mantra, “I feel good. I feel great. I feel wonderful.” And those are his “baby steps” – the positive affirmations he uses to convince himself that he can do anything.
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