You’ve worked hard all year. Are you thinking about sales this holiday season? It’s really too late to think about making this year’s sales goals unless you are in the midst of negotiating a deal that is likely to close. Instead of working on selling, why don’t you take a little time for a sales holiday? During your sales holiday you will think about your selling. Here’s what you can consider.
Stop what you’re doing.
Whether Einstein said it or not, it makes no sense to continue doing the same thing and expecting different results. Look at your sales process. What isn’t working? You have my permission to stop it. Recognizing that there are areas to improve starts with understanding that something is not working.
You should have processes for prospecting, lead generation, sales call strategy, proposal writing and other aspects of selling. Take the time and examine each of those areas to determine if any are the weak link in your sales process. Remember, some processes are working and can be improved. Both the aspects or your selling that don’t work and the areas for improvement should get your attention.
Take the time now to consider what to stop and what to modify. When the new year rolls around you want to start with better processes that are more likely to help you reach your sales goals.
Get better organized.
There’s one thing that you will never get more of. It’s time. Everyone has 24 hours each day to use as productively as possible. Some people think that being more productive means working more hours in the day. I’m not going to tell you to sleep less. Sleep, like food is a nutrient, and unless you’re well rested your sales will suffer. Instead of sleeping less, why not focus on being more productive when you work?
Think back to the rework you did this year. What customer project resulted in your having to redo a proposal or project? That work would be a candidate for modification. Did you find that working with another department caused frustration and rework? You need to improve the communication, revise expectations, or develop new processes. Next year the time you save from rework is the time you can use to sell more.
Change focus.
A good strategy when you think about time management is to consider what Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,
a 19th Century German poet, dramatist and scientist, once said. He said, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least.” Do you prioritize what’s important to you and focus on that? Your prioritizing should start with being sure that your most important accounts get the majority of your time and effort. I recommend that your sales territory should be composed of A, B and C accounts. Each type of account is categorized because of specific criteria that are identified for each category. You can’t believe a C account is an A account because you have already identified what is required to be considered an A account.
Your focus should be on what is important –which are your A accounts–when the new year comes around.
I hope you use your sales holiday to relax and recharge for next year. After all, isn’t that what holidays are for?
Happy holidays to you and your family!