Have you heard about Marie Kondo? She’s the international expert on organization and leading a simple life. She emphasizes organization to simplify and find more joy in life. Simple rules of sales will give you more joy in business and in life.
1. Plan ahead.
You can avoid a lot of wasted time if you plan ahead. Think about the materials you need to take on business trips. Travel with duplicates so you don’t repack. Write a checklist so you don’t have to rethink what to do or take.
Think about process. Next time you don’t want to spend time figuring it all out again. What tasks do you do intermittently that are somewhat complex? Write a checklist. That way you have the instructions and you don’t have to rethink what to do.
How much more joy will you have for your next sales trip when you don’t have to stress and waste a lot of time preparing for it?
2. Have a back up plan.
Sales strategy is good. You should have a sales strategy planned for each sales call. But, what if your plan doesn’t work? For every sales strategy you plan as the A plan, have a B plan, too. That way if your A plan doesn’t work you have something you can do right then and attempt to salvage the meeting.
I often work with salespeople on their sales strategy. When we create the sales plan it’s often with the thinking that everything will go as planned. That unfortunately isn’t always the case in selling. Instead of the ending point, it’s only the starting point for sales strategy.
When you have a back up plan you give yourself another chance at a successful meeting. That should bring you more joy.
3. Get organized.
Kondo is right on being organized. There is nothing more satisfying–other than making the sale–than being able to work in an environment that is uncluttered and neat.
I have a suggestion for those of you who swear you can find just the right paper in the right stack. You just might be right. But, how much time are you wasting looking for it and how much frustration are you putting yourself through?
Spend some time each day to get a system of organization. Each of your territories might be slightly different, but you have to organize key customer information. CRM helps. Think of the paper that crosses your desk. Develop the system that works for your sales territory. Work to either trash the paper immediately, file it or work to complete the task and then file it.
Kondo often asks her clients as they declutter and organize their possessions, “Do these socks spark joy?” Instead of socks, it’s working with your customers that should spark joy. Your job is to create your sales processes that do.