The start of a new year is always exciting, but it can also be incredibly stressful in the world of sales. It’s a time when you have to think about how you are going to hit your goals for the year, and it’s often a time when you think about making adjustments to your approach in order to improve over last year. Many sales professionals think they must make major changes in their process in order to accelerate their sales, but in reality, small and incremental change can have a big impact. Here are some simple actions you can take this year to help you exceed your goals.
Work Around Yourself
If you know you need to prospect more, but you’re shoving your prospecting calls in on Wednesdays at 3:00 when you have no gas left in your tank, you’re shooting yourself in the foot. Schedule a sit-down with yourself and determine a better way to plan your week. Schedule revenue-generating activities on days and times that make the most sense for you. Block out that time as non-negotiable on your calendar so you have the best chance of sticking to your schedule.
Stop Automating Your Emails
Yes, email automation is an important and time-saving strategy. Yes, if you use Salesforce or other CRM software, you can’t always control the automated marketing emails that go out to your clients and prospects. However, canned marketing emails should be the only automated emails you send. Any sales communication that comes from your account should be unique, crafted by you and personalized to the client or prospect. The more personal you make your communications, the better your chances of developing real relationships.
Get An Accountability Buddy
While you are obviously accountable to your boss, a peer accountability buddy can make a lot of difference in your work. A coworker who blocks out time to cold call with you, who you can go over presentations with you before a meeting, and who you can debrief with after a presentation can help you stay sharp. If you know you have to check in with your buddy to go over prospect calls, for example, you’ll be more likely to push to get a few more in before your time is up. This type of pressure is motivating because it drives you to take action and push yourself a little bit harder, without the stress of having your sales manager hanging over your shoulder.
Deconstruct Successes And Failures
Some people like to deconstruct their failures to learn what went wrong and to develop a plan to ensure that the same failure doesn’t occur again. This is a valuable exercise, to be sure, but it is equally valuable to deconstruct success. Working backward through a successful deal to figure out where you were hitting the right notes helps you to hit those notes again and again. Reinforcing good habits are just as important as nipping bad habits in the bud.
Are you looking for actionable strategies to lead your sales team to success this year? The expert sales recruiters at CSS are here to help. Whether you need to attract and retain top sales talent, or you are looking for advice on how to manage them for success, contact CSS ProSearch today.