Let’s look Inside the Sales Conversation for the week of June 20, 2022
Working in a bubble as many of us do, we sometimes ask, “What are others thinking? Am I unique in my sales challenges?” If these issues are your issues, why not join the conversation? Here’s a few recent discussions found in The Sales Vault and our free Sales Community on Slack.
1. “I am really struggling getting to the next level”
Most of us have goals. Whether we have vocalized them or not, we have some kind of sales number we are trying to hit. There’s a lot of focus that goes into reaching those goals but very few of us consider what happens after that. It’s not uncommon to lose all motivation once you hit your numbers and things are going well. Motivation is gone, complacency takes over, and you find yourself in cruise control. That’s great if you are at or near the age of retirement, but it sure can be a boring existence if you’re not.
I want to remind those who have been selling for a few years to constantly and continually tinker with your success. This is a different statement then the oft-heard mantra, “never stop learning.” If you look back a few years, I think you’ll agree you are a different sales rep back then. You had a different message in your calling on a different market. The same can be said if you look ahead a few years. As such, you have to continually challenge your sales fundamentals of success: What’s your target market? Why do people buy from you? Is your new business process still working? Are you applying it persistently enough?
2. “If someone asked me to describe the value I bring, I’d be stuck”
This one really hit home.
40 years ago this week, I started my sales career. The only reason why I am still around to begin a fifth decade in this industry is because I constantly challenge the status quo and evolve. Case in point, my Sales Vault. My challenge has been to describe its value.
Last week, my brilliant daughter, Madeline, recommended a podcast on the subject of “Positioning.” The woman being interviewed was April Dunford who wrote the book, Obviously Awesome. In her words, “Positioning defines how your product is a leader at something a well-defined set of customers cares a lot about.” After listening to the podcast, I bought and devoured her book. She goes through a 10 step process which helps you to position your product, service, or company. I was able to achieve such clarity regarding The Sales Vault and I highly recommend, and bare minimum, you listen to this podcast. No matter if you are a sales rep or the selling owner, there is value to be had.
As for The Sales Vault’s “of-course-I-need that” positioning statement, thinking my way through the 10 steps has given me the precise words to use and we are now building around its obviously awesome value.
Access the podcast here.
3.“I work great when it’s busy, but struggle when it’s quiet”
The next two weeks can be a real challenge for you. Towards the end of this week, people will start disappearing as they scoot off for the holiday weekend. Then, at the beginning of next week, you might find folks still gone as they dragged their feet getting home. If you need the rest, follow the crowd, shut down, and come back refreshed.
If you are still going to be around, consider the various activities you could undertake in order to make the most of this time:
- Could you create a success story?
- Could you write a white paper?
- How about making a video?
I’ve already suggested a podcast and a book, but there are lots of other ways to “sharpen the saw.” Use this downtime wisely and avoid the struggle by planning activities the same way you would a busy sales day.
Me? I’ll be around all week if you’d like to discuss your sales challenges.
