Keeping It Up In a Down Market - Sales, that is

Salespeople are taking a beating in today’s economic environment. Entire market segments have evaporated. Customers and companies have no money to buy and are holding back orders. Sales lead generation opportunities are fewer and farther between. In 2008, many salespeople earned only half the commission they received in 2007.

But not all sales professionals are in a slump. Some are thriving. Some are busy generating leads, growing their client base, and making good money despite the uncertainty around them. And you can, too. Douglas Smith, a nationally recognized speaker and sales trainer, offers these four tips to boost your lead generation efforts.

Don’t wait for the climate to change.
The best salespeople take action and move forward. They recognize that the economy may be in this mess for years, and that waiting and watching is a poor strategy for success. The movers and shakers are setting up appointments, making sales calls and presentations, contacting their current and past customers, and marketing like never before. Their proactive approach is creating opportunities, leads, and sales. In boom times or bad, you can never wait for customers to find you. It’s your job to reach out and find them.

Work harder.
Top salespeople understand this age-old axiom: You can’t make more money with less effort. That’s why they are working harder and putting in more hours than ever before. Think about this: Arriving just 30 minutes earlier and staying 30 minutes later each day equates to an additional 20 hours every month. When you are working 20 hours more than the average salesperson, you can make at least 20 percent more contacts — and even 20 percent more sales.

Talk to the right people.
Some companies may want or need your product or service, but if they can’t make a decision or are constrained by shrinking budgets, it doesn’t matter. Successful salespeople are selective about where and with whom they spend their time. They are out looking for “real” buyers — customers and prospects who have both money and the ability to buy. Every minute you spend with an unqualified prospect is time not spent with a qualified one.

Make more contacts.
Customers are more cautious today, and they take more time making spending decisions. That means to land more sales, you have to make more contacts. When capture and conversion rates go down, to maintain a steady volume of business, your sales contacts have to go up.


Many thanks to Ken Beaulieu and Douglas Smith for the content for this post. If you have any comments, please feel free to add them below.

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Best to you,

Jim Herrera


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