Great salespeople know they have to maximize the time spent on selling activities. The salesperson’s primary job is to close sales. Any activity that interferes with selling needs to be either minimized or eliminated. Great salespeople are laser focused on prospecting, qualifying, closing and following up.
Always Focus On Selling Activities
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Discipline Is The Key
First set goals for selling activities time and other stuff time. My goal was to devote 60% of my week to activities which resulted in sales. I measured the time I spent in meetings with prospects, other contacts with prospects (email, phone, text, etc.) and travel time to prospects offices. At the end of each week I evaluated my selling time. When it was less than 60% I refocused my selling activities for the next week. Great salespeople are passionate about focusing on selling activities.
You Are Only Half Of The Process
Yep, as important as the salesperson is, the buyer is equally important. One way to keep sales activities high is to understand the buying process. This is the 21st century. There is not much a buyer interested in your product or service to solve their problem can’t find without your help. So buyers know more about you and your offering now than they did even 20 years ago. Your challenge, great salesperson, is to know when to enter the buying process. Enter at the right moment, and you maximize your selling time.
What Are The Selling Activities?
Fundamental selling activities never change. We prospect, qualify, close and follow up. And do it over and over again. Great salespeople dedicate time each week to prospect for new business. They understand their market and the needs of the businesses in that market. Prospecting to great salespeople is looking for companies just like their best customers. Once a salesperson finds a good prospect with a little interest, they begin qualifying. What level of interest does the decision maker have in solving the problem? Are their sufficient funds committed to the project? If the salesperson gets a positive vibe from the buyer, they move on to the close. If not they just move on to the next prospect. Great salespeople keep their selling activities high when they don’t spend time with poor prospects.
Yeah, There Is Other Important Stuff Too
Keeping selling activities high is important. But there are other activities which support that goal. Sales meetings with your colleagues is a place to share tips and tricks to improve the closing ratio. Time spent learning the features and benefits of new products and services is valuable. Keeping the CRM current minimizes the time spent on researching customers and prospects. And there is that “administrivia” stuff as my mentor Jim Wilson called it. Reports to management so they can understand what’s happening in your territory, expense reports to keep the money flowing and company meetings to maintain relationships across departments to get assistance when you need it all help you close sales.
What Can You Do Right Now To Focus On Selling Activities?
- Set goals and measure selling activities
- Learn the buying systems used by your prospects
- Recognize when it’s better to move on rather than keep on with a buyer.
To learn more sales secrets see Chapter Seven, Understanding Buyer Behavior, in Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling. For even more sales encouragement, join our FREE Sales Club! “See” you next week.
Good selling!
Don Crawford