1. Plan ahead.
Sales strategy is good. But, what do you do if your strategy doesn’t work? For every sales strategy you plan as the A plan, you should have a B plan, too. That way if your A plan doesn’t work, you have a plan right then that you can do. It’s a better way to attempt to salvage the meeting when you’re prepared. It’s often too difficult to think on your feet about a Plan B when you’re faced with a customer who tells you no.
2. Everyone is always watching you.
Do you think you can do something and no one will ever find out? Think again. Just ask a few choice politicians and criminals on this one. They all thought they would get away with something wrong and no one would find out about it. Were they ever wrong. It’s the same in sales.
I remember the talk of a manufacturing plant. The receptionist told me the story of the salesman who was obviously late for his appointment. The receptionist knew because she heard the screeching of his wheels as his car raced into the parking lot.
With windows across the front of the building, the salesman turned track star was running into the building while he was trying to put his suit jacket on and holding his suitcase. The receptionist told me that he was the plants’ afternoon entertainment. He was the joke at the plant for a week later.
Who knew that so many people would be seeing him? Certainly not him. You never know when people are watching you. Always assume they are. That applies to restaurants and behind the wheel of your car.
Even if they aren’t watching you right now, you might want to consider that in today’s world people will certainly see you on Facebook or the internet.
3. Good things come back to you in unexpected ways.
There’s a good corollary about everyone watching you. You may not know when they see good things.
I had a customer who unbeknownst to me wrote a glowing letter about my work to my manager. I learned about it 5 months later at my review. I never had any idea that this customer was so delighted. It wasn’t until my manager produced the letter at my review did I learn how happy this customer was.
Selling doesn’t have to be so complicated. Often if you remember just a few simple rules you can be more successful. Perhaps these three rules will lead to your sales success.