Colleen’s Blog

I know - you may dislike doing math. You can handle the numbers in your business but the thought of doing any additional arithmetic scares you. It’s okay! The math I’m going to discuss in today’s blog post isn’t advanced calculus or trigonometry. It’s basic, it can be done very quickly with a calculator, and it’s going to help ensure that your sales quota does not sabotage you. Feel better? Well, let’s get to it!

Is this the start to 2015 you wanted? We’re quickly approaching the last week of January. By now, you can probably gauge your start to 2015. Have you accomplished your goals for January? Are you hitting weekly sales targets at a better pace than in 2014? If you aren’t off to the start that you hoped, there’s good news. There’s still time to regroup and have a fantastic first quarter! Unfortunately, too many people enter a new year without a plan. There’s absolutely a new sense of hope and desire to have a better year, but most people are not willing to change any of their habits. They believe that simply letting their calendar refresh will somehow change their results. Then, after about a month into a new year, they look around and see nothing has changed and give up on their goals completely. Don’t let this happen to you.

Be honest...how prepared are you for every sales call, presentation and meeting? Do you have a “general idea” of the topics you would like to cover, or do you have a detailed strategy, on paper, that outlines exactly what needs to be discussed?Have you run through everything that could go right and wrong and developed primary and secondary materials? Some people call it guarding against "Murphy's Law" but I call it preparing for profitability. Being prepared for every sales call means there is a smaller likelihood that you will be caught off guard. You want to do everything in your power to avoid looking unprepared or flustered in front of a client. The best way to make this happen is...by being prepared! Crazy, isn’t it?! Here are six questions to ask yourself prior to a sales meeting:

Are common mistakes negatively impacting your numbers? Many salespeople like to get into the "nitty-gritty" of why they are not succeeding. They search high and low for advanced sales techniques and try to find answers as to why they’re unable to hit their sales targets. Does this sound familiar? You may just need to simplify things. The answers you’re seeking could be right under your nose! There are five mistakes that many salespeople make but don’t even address when trying to improve their sales. Studying and implementing these simple but crucial strategies will help you maintain a competitive advantage.

This is one season that can cause a lot of confusion for many salespeople. No - not confusion with their sales, but with the idea of giving gifts to their clients. “What should I buy my clients?” “Can I give them gifts?” “Should I even acknowledge them during the Christmas season?” Do any of these questions sound familiar? You've probably asked them at some point...either out loud or to yourself!

Wow - we’re now in the final week of November. It’s hard to believe that we'll be entering the final month of the year very shortly. Time flies, doesn’t it?! I’m sure you’re already thinking ahead to 2015. But, before you pull out the planning boards and strategy documents, don’t forget to first analyze your successes and drawbacks in 2014. Ask yourself key questions, answer them, and use those answers as building blocks for planning 2015. <-- Click To Tweet I want you to succeed and I want 2015 to be your best year ever. Here are several questions you may want to ask yourself to make that happen:

If you're taking time out of your day to read this blog, one thing is for sure, you are not meant for mediocrity. You are investing time into learning and increasing your knowledge, which is more than many salespeople can say for themselves. But, if you want to be a top performing salesperson, you may be interested in the following statistic: In North America, 10% of people will be top sales producers. We're defining "top salespeople" as those who are able to hit at least 110% of their quota every year. You should also know that there are top sellers who hitting as much as 200% and even 300% of their quota each year. That being said, about 20% of sales people are either too new to sales to measure, or they are so bad that they're on the way out.

In sales, our focus is often set on making the next sale. But, our current client base should never be neglected for the sake of closing another deal  Always nurture and build relationships within your current customer base. You want to keep them happy because not only does it feel good to deliver quality to your clients, but they will also be more likely to refer you to others, which helps drive more sales for your business. As I see it, all customers want the same 13 things from you. Accomplish them all and you will develop a loyal profitable customer who will refer you to everyone they know:

It’s a simple fact...there are some customers that you must fire if you want to remain profitable. To be fair - some of these customers are sold products and services that are not beneficial for them. It can be easy to get carried away with the thrill of making a sale, but to avoid these situations, it’s important to only sell your services to customers who can truly benefit from using them. Other problem customers could have been the right type of clients at the beginning of the relationship, but due to personality changes and/or changes in corporate policies, are no longer as profitable as they used to be. Stop working with these two client types: