It’s difficult to be a salesperson. If you have ever done it for a living, you know what I’m talking about. Sometimes it feels like you are shouting down a tunnel with no reply. When you do get a reply, it most likely will be “not interested”. When those pile up, you wonder why you chose this profession.
If I’m completely transparent, there are days when I just don’t feel like selling. I don’t want to do the work of reaching out to prospects and customers, and when that happens, I must look for motivation. I must have the discipline to follow my processes.
What are your processes for selling? When I ask that question to a group of salespeople individually, I’ll get many different answers. Perhaps I should be more specific. What is your process for filling your pipeline with opportunities? That doesn’t limit the answers to new prospects or to existing customers.
We believe in an educated process.
What is the total market and what is available to you?
Where do you have the best opportunity to win business?
What are the buying triggers that spur the prospect/customer into action?
What actions do you take proactively to influence the prospect/customer and solve their problem?
This is not an all-inclusive, customized list, but a good place to start. When I’m in a minor funk, I go back to my process. I search for opportunities based on the industry that is most likely to need our services. I look for the needs of the prospect/customer that we can be their best solution. I reach out to them to set up a conversation to better understand the need and share what we can do to resolve the challenge. I have specific goals I wish to reach. Motivation comes from trusting the processes in place. It also comes from having partners that rely on you, and a family that needs you to produce.
Do you have disciple around a specific process that motivates you when you are lagging? I’d like to hear from you as to what your process is.