Good morning!
Many years ago, the mayor of New York City was a guy by the name of Ed Koch. Mayor Koch is remembered for one quirky act: Whenever he was speaking in public, he would start by loudly asking, “How am I doing?” and, invariably, the crowd would roar back its approval—more as a reflection of his zaniness than an actual answer to the question!
You have probably asked yourself this exact same question when it comes to your sales, and especially when things aren’t going so well, you added the question, “What am I doing wrong?” As a way to help you with this issue, here are a few points you can ponder in private, thus ensuring the most honest assessment.
On a scale of 1 to 10, answer the following questions:
- “I know the best companies to call on” (1=100% No and 10=100% Yes)
- “I research companies ahead of time and learn about their
business needs, trends, and direction” (1=100% No and 10=100% Yes) - “I’m not ‘selling,’ I’m solving” (1=100% No and 10=100% Yes)
- “I have a step-by-step sales process for new business” (1=100% No and 10=100% Yes)
- “I follow that process diligently” (1=100% No and 10=100% Yes)
- “I set specific sales activity goals” (1=100% No and 10=100% Yes)
- “I have someone holding me accountable” (1=100% No and 10=100% Yes)
The answers to these seven questions will give you an idea of what needs improving. Now, if any of them are hard for you to answer, you should see that as a sign. For example, on the subject of researching a company to learn about business needs, if that doesn’t make sense to you, stick a pin in it and spend some time learning why it’s important.
Sales success happens when you know the ingredients and put them together in the right recipe. There is always room for improvement. Hopefully, you will give yourself an honest assessment and start from there.
