Quick and dirty tips

EP-1

Here’s a question: do you know why selling is so important to the world economy? Well, before

you answer that question, I want you to first consider the image that comes to mind when you

think about salespeople.

If you work in the sales profession you probably see a businessperson in a great suit, carrying

a blackberry, sitting in a boardroom getting a deal done.

If you are new to sales or in some other line of work you may see a cheesy, pushy guy in a

brown polyester suit talking a million miles a minute, glad-handing a client, with his foot stuck

in the door.

This, of course, is the image that the media and entertainment industry have portrayed of

salespeople. For the vast majority of people, just saying the word “sales” sends chills up their

spine and makes the hair stand up on the back of their neck. And if I had a dollar for every time

someone has said to me, “I don’t know how you do it, I could never be in sales,

say that Bill Gates and I would be good friends. A New Era for SalesThe good news though,

despite the fact that some people still see sales as a necessary evil, is as a profession, sales

has reached a new era. In the United States more than 40 Universities and Colleges offer

sales degree programs. And major employers are stepping up to sponsor college sales

programs, and flock to the National Collegiate Sales Competition each spring in search of the

best sales talent.

Academia, who for decades looked down its nose at selling, is embracing

the profession as never before. Why the Change of Heart?

There are three key reasons for this change in attitude: First, private university studies indicate

that around 70% of college graduates will engage in a selling role at least once in their career.

Second, over the past ten years business schools noticed that their alumni who were in the

sales were out earning their engineers, MBAs, accountants, and marketers, while at the same

time advancing further and faster in their careers than other graduates. And finally, the most

recent workforce reports indicate that, worldwide, sales is the most in- demand career

category.

These days the sales profession is a great place to be. Top tier salespeople out earn other

professionals in almost every discipline in business and society. The reality is that, in the 21st

Century, Sales Professionals are the Elite Athletes of the Business World?.The World Runs

on Sales.

So, back to my question: Why is selling so important to the world economy? In his book ABC

Selling, author Dale Brakhage asks his readers to look around them to see if they can find

anything that has never been sold. Every product and service and every component to every

product and service has at some point is its lifecycle been sold

–

some times over and over

again.

Now consider boardrooms, business meetings, politics, and even your own family.

Everywhere around the world every day we are selling others on our ideas so that we can get

what we want. And those ideas, when bought by others, help shape our lives and our

businesses.

And if you lead a company, manage a business, or work in business, your knowledge of sales

have a direct and important impact on the growth and profitability of your organization. I once

overheard a college professor at a major university say that “there are only two k

inds of people

in business: those who sell and those who support people who sell.” And either way, if you

want to succeed in business, you must get comfortable with the fact that sales is the life blood

of the world economy.

And

this

is

exactly

why

we

cre

ated

the

Sales

Guy’s

Quick

and

Dirty

Tips

Podcast.

We

designed

this

podcast

to

provide

tips

on

sales

and

selling

in

a

fun,

easy

to

understand,

actionable

format

to

help

sales

professionals

gain

the

winning

edge

over

their

competitors,

help business leaders accelerate the growth of their enterprises through professional selling,

and to provide general lessons for everyone to help people from all walks of life get what they

want through practical sales techniques that really work.

EP-2

Sales slumps. You know I’ve been there, done that, and have the t

-shirt to prove it. Everybody,

no matter how good you are, sooner or later has a slump.

Sales Managers spend massive amounts of energy trying to help sales people out of slumps.

Compan

ies spend millions of dollars hiring people to fill the places of those who didn’t make it

out of slumps. And Sales Professionals spend unproductive time in misery, and hundreds and

sometimes thousands of dollars on sales gurus, to help them emerge from slumps.

No, Sales Managers, Corporations, and Sales Professionals all share one thing in common:

they are all looking for the magic pill. But unfortunately, in sales, there are no magic pills!

So there you are, head in hands, staring at the sales rankin

gs, wondering, “why me?” You

were hitting your numbers and now you’re not. So, what changed?

The Anatomy of a Slump

Well, the anatomy of slump looks something like this.

Well, first you experience a small failure, and negative thoughts creep in, and

there is an erosion of your belief system.

And your crumbling belief system hurts your confidence.

And lack of confidence takes a toll on activity.

Lack of activity empties the sales funnel.

And an empty sales funnel equates to no sales.

And no sales generate more negative thoughts.

And then you do what almost everyone else does. You get desperate and you

start looking for quick fixes.

And the quick fixes don’t work, and your belief system takes another hit,

because there are no magic pills.

You see, the only way to get out of a slump is to go back to the basics. The basics took you to

the top in the first place. And the basics, executed daily, will get you back on top.

A Few Tips

Now here are three Quick and Dirty Tips for Ending Slumps

First, get back to the Basics. A wise coach once said that the game of football is about blocking

and tackling. Likewise, sales is about prospecting, presenting, and closing. Everything else is

superfluous. Prospect for new business every day through cold calls, referrals and networking,

direct mail, or whatever it takes. Set daily goals. Fill your funnel up with qualified prospects.

Uncover needs, present solutions, close business.

Next, invest In Yourself. When you are in a slump it is more important than ever to focus

attention on your mind, body, and spirit. Schedule 15 minutes every day for professional

reading. Take 30 minutes to exercise. And listen to motivational programs in your car. Lift your

spirit with prayer, contemplation, and positive self- talk.

And, finally, relax. You are a winner. You’ve won before and you will win again. Breathe easy,

walk confidently, and believe and trust in yourself. Reflect on the lessons that you’ve learned,

but do not wallow in regret. Focus on what you can do rather than what have not done. And

soon, success will follow.