San Diego Sales Training Tips - Sales Leadership – Three Initiatives that Matter Most

San Diego Sales Training Tips - Sales Leadership – Three Initiatives that Matter Most

At the beginning of the year I make a point of being ready with an exceptionally strong strategic plan that is heavily based on the first quarter.

In other words, we focus on kicking the ball out of the park with force for January, February and March to send us off with a running start. This includes adding more creativity, more products, growing the team and growing the company. That surge of energy from day one builds momentum and we’re off!

This rock star start is exactly what I’m giving you in this newsletter. Here are the three initiatives that matter most. Grab these concepts and run – you’ll have a dynamic year!

Over my sales career I’ve held every position from the ground level up to Wall Street. It’s a good thing you learn from your mistakes. As I progressed I made new mistakes and didn’t have time to repeat what doesn’t work! During that time I ran the most profitable companies, had a reputation for company turnarounds and now I’m regularly headhunted to do many corporate turnarounds – which I LOVE! If there’s an opportunity to make money I’ll find it! There’s no need to take the long route to find out what doesn’t work like I did. Here are three initiatives that will rock your year and get you results that matter most!

One – Know Why They Buy - When we get asked to do sales training, we’re typically asked to put together a customized sales planning process, how to overcome objections, some telemarketing programs – you get the picture. It surprises me when I realize the majority of the companies that we work with don’t know why their customers buy
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Signs of not knowing why your customers buy are if you’re frequently dealing with price objections, you’re in competitive buying situations or if prospects are happy with who they’re with and won’t return your calls. If this is your experience, then your sales will become much easier when you establish why your customers buy.

People who buy don’t like to be sold to, but they love to buy. People buy based on emotion. You’ve heard me say this before and here it is again, people buy based on what they imagine the result or outcome will be after they obtain their new purchase. They buy outcomes and results so make sure your message to them is 90% based on what’s in it for them and the lifetime of bliss that is coming their way.

Two – Kick Your Own Butt - Yes, really! Why wait? Don’t make it harder than it has to be. Your job is not doing a hundred different marketing campaigns two or three times a year. Your job is to find out where your current customers came from and then consistently do those two or three activities a hundred times a year. Kick your own butt and do it consistently.

It takes consistent action to get results. This year’s hot new sports car manufacturer doesn’t simply run one ad and then stop and wait for results. They run their ad campaign again and again and again, using platforms that are proven to deliver results.

Three – Get the Hell Out of the Way - I’m laughing as I write this because I realize you may not be feeling very motivated right now. But really, it’s about results so let’s keep moving forward. Honestly the biggest problem most companies face is resistance. We block ourselves from moving forward because “We’ve always done it this way” or “We tried that before and it doesn’t work” or “I’ve never been a fan of that strategy.” You may be standing in the way if you resist introducing proven successful strategies because you feel it won’t be supported.

Do you see what is happening here? Ego is standing in the way of success. The bottom line is in business is that you need to deal with facts. Focus on the results and get emotion out of the way. Simply be open, be willing to try and you’ll stop blocking opportunities that may exist. Don’t get me wrong, not every opportunity is a good one. That’s why you need to look at the facts and move past your emotion. Give yourself 24 hours to think about a new strategy before you pass judgment and go directly to no.

As you implement these three initiatives, don’t forget to grow your people. Give them new skills, polish old skills, help them help themselves and the company – and as promised, you’ll hit rock star status as your revenue skyrockets!