Rise and Shine Drifted into a sales slump? It's time to wake up and sell your way back to the top.
By Barry Farber
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
There isn't a salesperson alive who hasn't experienced asales slump. It could be because of an economic downturn or becausethe competition has a new product. It could be due to personalchallenges or lack of motivation. It can even happen when thingsare going well, and you feel you can "coast" for a while.The problem is, you can't coast uphill.
Barring catastrophic events, you don't dive into a slump. Itcreeps up on you until you start to realize that things haven'tbeen going well. Don't wait to start your ascent; the longeryou wait, the more difficult the climb will be.
Here are four steps to follow if you find yourself in aslump:
1. Call on your satisfiedcustomers. These are the people you know best;presumably, they're the ones with whom you have the bestpersonal relationships. Look for additional ways to satisfy theirneeds or new needs you can meet. Ask about their customers andpotential customers, and find ways to help them reach theirtargets. Learn about their new problems and challenges, and comeback to them with fresh solutions.
2. Concentrate on bread-and-butteraccounts. Different accounts have different salescycles. Some may take a week, a month or two years. Sometimes, youget so caught up with landing the big one that you forget aboutlittle accounts with shorter sales cycles that can bring in moneynow. There are times when you have to sacrifice immediate incomefor something that will pay off over time. In business, you have tolook ahead and think long-term. But you also have to take care ofday-to-day responsibilities. It's important to keep thosefactors balanced; don't get so focused on one that you losesight of the other.
3. Stay on top of business and worldnews, and always keep in mind how events of the day might affectyour customers. When was the last time you broadenedyour reading habits? Look for sources that will give you new ideason how to fine-tune your activities and target your customers moreefficiently. Read materials that will help you speak to yourcustomers in their business language. Learn more about how otherpeople grew their businesses. You never know what you might learnfrom their failures and successes.
4. Be selective about the company youkeep. If everyone around you is in a slump as well,you'll drag each other down. Surround yourself with people whoare excited about what they do. Ride on their momentum until youcan build enough of your own.
Be selective about your customers. It may seem like you want tokeep every customer when you're in a slump, but there are timeswhen you get so desperate that you spend all your time trying tomake a match where one doesn't exist. So if an opportunitydoesn't meet your expectations, move on.
In the end, it's the movement that counts. The best way toget out of a slump is to keep moving forward. Remember: See thepeople, sell the people, serve the people. Make more calls, set upmore meetings. Don't let a temporary slump turn into a slipperyslope. If you keep your activity levels high, you'll be at thetop of your game again before you know it.
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