Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The New Years Resolution EVERYONE needs to Make!

Learn how to be great at Sales. That is the one New Years Resolution everyone needs to make no matter who or where you are. No matter what your current position is, you are selling something to someone all the time. Even if you are a stay at home full time mom (one of the hardest jobs in the world ever), you are selling your husband, your kids, your kids teachers. You need to know how to sell effectively. Period.

Here is one tip that will require no new skills or secrets. Anyone can do it. Don't give up too soon and Don't quit. Here are some statistics that my TAB colleague Joe Zente shared w/me. They paint an amazing picture:

48% of Salespeople NEVER follow up with a prospect
25% of Salespeople make a Second contact, then quit.
12% of Salespeople make only Three contacts, then quit.
Only 10% of Salespeople Make More than Three Contacts.
At this point, you may be saying “So what?” Well, here’s what:
2% of Sales are made on the First Contact
3% of Sales are made on the Second Contact
5% of Sales are made on the Third Contact
10% of Sales are made on the Fourth Contact
80% of Sales are made after the Fifth Contact.
These stats indicate that the different between making one call and four calls per prospect can increase your sales by 400%, but only 10% of salespeople do it. The results of persistence past the fifth call can be even more dramatic.

So why doesn't every sales person commit to being more persistent? There are many reasons but the top two are fear of rejection and need for approval. This is why before you ever hire a salesperson, you should always do a thorough online sales assessment that test for qualities that you can't interview for like self confidence.

Commit this year to be more persistent and better at Sales. Of course, I'm always happy to help. . . . .