Sales Chump

2009 is right around the corner and the question is - where are you going?

What will you accomplish? Who will you help? How will you grow? Okay, those are a couple of questions!
And they are all worth considering.

As salespeople we can get complacent and in a rut. My grandmother used to say “you have your needle stuck in a groove.” Now, you have to remember LPs to understand the statement. For those of you who don’t - she simply meant that you are stuck in a rut.

Sometimes awareness is all it takes to get out of the rut. For me, it’s awareness and then decision making. If you find yourself doing the same things, consider changing it up. The world is different now than it was a year ago. And so are you. So are your clients, your prospects, and dare I say, your value.

What are you doing to set your path for the coming year? Share your answers so we can all learn from each other.

Now is the time of year when salespeople revisit their client base and make decisions about how they will prepare for the coming year.

What do you do to be ready?

Here are some thoughts -

1. Visit your current customers and find out what is going on with them
2. Create a profile of your ideal client
3. Develop a sales plan for approaching other companies/individuals who match that profile
4. Start working the plan
5. Evaluate at set intervals to make sure you are on the right track

How does that sound? There are two issues here. One is making sure you have a good relationship with your current clients. After all, you want to keep them. So don’t neglect them. The second issue is defining your target market. Knowing what your ideal client looks like can help you define that market. Usually your ideal client looks like one or more of your current clients. Another reason why visiting with them is helpful.

Give it a shot. I’ll be curious to see how it goes.