DON’T LET THE ECONOMY BE YOUR EXCUSE
It’s easy to use the economy as an excuse for lacklustre sales or a lack of motivation.
But, if you do your customers will hear it in your voice and you’ll sell less. Use the
down economy as motivation to work harder and smarter, not as an excuse to back
off. If you back off, business will go down. If you work harder and smarter, business
will improve. As the saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
IMPROVE YOUR SELLING SKILLS
Constant and consistent learning is the best way to grow your sales. Read books,
listen to tapes and CDs and watch DVDs. Absorb everything you can get your hands
on to improve your selling skills.
STAY POSITIVE
Your attitude is the most important tool in your sales arsenal; keep it sharp. Now is
not the time to read the front page of every newspaper. What you should be doing
instead is putting as many good ideas as possible into your brain. Pick up anything
that is inspirational, motivational, positive and upbeat. In addition to putting good
ideas into your brain, surround yourself with positive people.
PREPARE FOR THE PRICE OBJECTION
People are focused on price more than ever these days. Customers will do everything
they can to commoditize products and go with the lowest price. Therefore, it’s
really important to build value. How is your store better than the lower-priced
competition? You need to accentuate your primary benefits, making them as
powerful as possible.
BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
Relationships are one of the main reasons people do business with a particular
company. In most cases, they’re more important than anything else you do. Build
solid relationships and stay in touch with your customers and potential customers.
GO BACK TO BASICS
Focus on personal touches: handwritten thank you notes, face time with clients and
customer appreciation events. Your objective should be to “touch” your customers
more often on a more personal level.
BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR SUCCESS
Remember that your success is up to you. Provided you have solid goals and strong
enough reasons to reach them, you’ll arrive where you decide to arrive regardless
of the economy or anything else. Reminding yourself that you are 100 per cent
responsible for your success keeps your success under your control and within reach.
The sky is the limit, so stay positive, work hard, work smart and dream big.
John Chapin is a sales trainer and the co-author of Sales Encyclopedia, a comprehensive how-to guide
on selling. The 20-year sales veteran is also the co-founder of Complete Selling Incorporated, a company
which helps salespeople increase their results. www.completeselling.com
