Pondering a career in sales is a lot like looking at a roller coaster from afar. Neither looks all that terrifying. In both cases, going up is the easy part. It’s the plummeting that causes the stomach to flip-flop.
One bad month is all it takes to throw some salespeople into a tizzy. Finishing up short— well short, in fact— can result in a Six Flags-level screaming session. But relax. I’m here to tell you why you shouldn’t worry…and when you should!
30 days is not a truly accurate amount of time to measure sales, and yet we all count on this unit of measure to determine our success or failure. As hard as it is, you need to look past the calendar in order to find a more accurate reading. What if a customer who was going to place an order in March gave to you in February instead? And a second client who’d promised you a job in March dragged her feet and did not issue a PO until April? March would probably end up being a “bad” month. Naturally, you would fret and freak out until April’s numbers came in and suddenly things are all better.
The only time that you should really worry about a bad month is when you have not been performing the kinds of sales activities that result in sales volume. If you are consistently making sales calls— especially new business calls— you got nothing to worry about. That’s the key, to focus on sales activity.
The answer to the question, “Are you doing your job?” Is wrongly based on monthly sales volume. Instead, learn to find your answer in the number and amount of sales calls being made.
Roller coasters and careers in sales are not for everyone. In either case, you need to endure a little terror.
