When I’m in the field, the most frequently asked question I get is “What can originators do to increase sales today?” The advice I give is from
Rich Conlow’s Superstar Sales which I think is right on target in terms of what really turns around sales performance.
1. Talk to more prospects each day. Sounds pretty basic. The primary problem I see with underperforming originators is that they do not talk to enough prospects. Top performers have a consistent approach to reaching out to new prospects. As a rule, the best salespeople in any business have more customer contacts than the less successful. As mentioned in last week’s blog, prospecting is a core skill of top sales professionals. In many industries top producers operate by the three-a-day plan: They meet face-to-face with three customers or prospects a day. Implementing this single strategy will change your sales results quickly.
2. Set and track your goals. The best performers in any business are serious about having written goals and tracking their activities to achieve them. Goal-setting is a must if the originator wants to operate as a sales professional. Personal goal-setting is more than simply meeting the company’s goals. To be honest, company goals are minimums. A sales professional always has greater goals than the minimum. Why are goals so important? Goals operate as personal motivators for the originator to act and to conduct the activity with a sense of urgency.
3. Keep learning. In any field — from sports to origination — the top performers are individuals who are dedicated to learning whether the company provides training or not. It is a fact of life that if you want to be the best in your occupation, you must be committed to learning new skills because the market is always changing. What makes sales such an exceptional occupation is that change is constant and a salesperson’s willingness to learn and adopt new behaviors is mandatory for success.
4. Follow up. One of the key differences between top performers and poor performers is that less successful originators give up too easily. It is practically a sales law that 80% of all sales come after five or more attempts have been made by the sales person. Be relentless in your follow up and this will change your sales performance quickly.
5. Believe in yourself. This is a reminder to focus on your personal strengths. In our research on the best practices of top originators, we’ve found that top sales professionals structure their business model to their strengths. Top producers recognize that they cannot be all things to all people. They tailor their selling to what they are good at doing and what they like to do. Underperformers are afraid to find out what it is that they are good at doing or they believe their value proposition is better than it really is.
How many of your originators follow these five tips?