Have Sales Activities Dropped to Anemic Levels?
Sales Activities: Performance Standards combined with a New Sales Course of Action Drives Sales Production. Without performance standards your organization is at the mercy of a “Wing-It” approach and negative attitudes that come with the economic conditions we currently face. Sales people all do what they do with good intent and because they believe… it is the right thing to do! However is it the most productive thing to do? We as human beings are habitual. And habits form routines. As sales people we all form a subconscious sales approach, exhibiting sales behavior or a sales routine. Parts of this sales behavior are naturally effective and parts are not. Click Here to Call 866-816-0991
The problem here looks obvious, however there is more to consider. In extreme conditions (some may say we are currently in extreme economic conditions) we as human beings do not change. Instead we become extreme in our behavior. Like a hamster we jump on the treadmill and run faster, yet we remain fat and never seem to get out of the cage!
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One major factor to consider is that sales people, who focus and rely on networking, become extreme in their mindset and behavior when conditions become extreme. They simply do more networking opposed to taking a multi-faceted approach which may include prospecting within their existing core client base or cold calling to open new opportunities.This in turn has management going over the same thing with the same sales people without a change in mindset, habit, routine or result! CEO’s
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The answer is NOT to continue to do more of what doesn’t work. The solution is change. Business Owners must realize that as human beings we also resort to extreme behavior when we are subjected to extreme conditions (lagging sales in a negative economy). Our natural reaction to anemic behavior and lagging sales is to DO MORE, rather do different. Your sales people have either reduced their day to day activities, in particular in this negative economy. In some cases behavior has been reduced to anemic levels or none at all.
The Solution : The answer is to first determine the root cause of the behavioral breakdown. As human beings, when continuously subjected to negativity, lies and excuses inevitably the first thing to go is our self-esteem. The emotions that surface when we face pain, fear or rejection signal the human being to go away, or move away which is why sales people eventually begin to do less and less of the things that will eventually develop business; diplomatically challenge objections, challenges viewpoints and mindsets of the prospects, cold calls etc. It isn’t the cold calling, or diplomatically challenging objections that is the problem. It is HOW they are cold calling and dealing with objections that creates such negative reactions from the prospect.
To break the cycle of counter productive mindsets and habits Click Here to Call 866-816-0991. Unfortunately CEO’S, Presidents, Business Owners and managers, human beings as well, resort to extreme behavior when conditions become extreme. Rather than implementing change, they tell their sales people to put in more effort, more time, more cold calls, more meetings, more proposals and bring in more business! In essence what you are doing is asking you people to do more of what doesn’t work accelerating the downward spiral.
This ineffective approach often results in the following:
• Sales people are terminated because the begin begin with a mindset of “I’m going to move a mountain!” following by “I just hope to meet quota!”
• Sales people quit and leave!
• Sales people quit and stay!
Performance Standards and Metrics once implemented and adhered to can incrementally pull your sales people out of their current mindset and lackluster performance and production levels. However simply implementing performance standards without changing the sales approach again has us doing more of what doesn’t work. Most sales organizations suffer from a lack of metrics, performance standards and real accountability. As a result, management's visibility is greatly diminished, along with its ability to make sound decisions and provide leadership. Real leadership that is effective begins with change.