Trying to motivate a member of your sales team to break out of a sales slump?
No matter their skill level, ambition, and work ethic, even the best salespeople go through a period where they create less than desirable results. And, if they stay in this pattern for too long, they tend to lose confidence in their own abilities and throw themselves even deeper into a negative spiral.
So, what’s the real secret behind helping your reps get back on track when they’re struggling?
The Real Secret to Breaking Out of a Sales Slump
A few years ago, I ran one of my most challenging 10Ks ever. It’s not that I was out of shape or didn’t prepare for the marathon, but the weather conditions made it a tough run for everyone involved. Not only was it excruciatingly hot that day, but there was a huge downpour just moments before the race began. There were numerous instances where I just wanted to give up and call it quits. Conveniently, my house was on the route as well, giving me even greater incentive to “sneak” into my own home, kick up my feet, and call it a day.
But, I didn’t.
Even though I was feeling low and tired, I was able to successfully finish the race that day. Here’s what I did: I told myself that I only needed to make it to an upcoming sign or lamppost and reassessed my goal each time I passed it to another upcoming landmark. This broke me out of the mindset of needing to “complete a 10K marathon” and shifted my focus to completing small achievements that brought me closer to my goal…little by little.
If your struggling rep has missed their targets a few months in a row, they could be looking at their target like I was looking at the marathon when I wanted to give up. Get them to shift their focus off of their target and on to easy daily tasks that will help them achieve their target. Have them focus on making the sales calls, following up with prospects, attending networking events, and other sales-generating activities.
This realignment in perspective could be all your team needs to break out of a hole.
Try it, and let me know how it works!
