Search for resilience in sales and you’ll get over 18 million hits. It’s clearly a hot topic. As the old saying goes, we can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result, so being resilient requires risk. Trying something new and different increases the chance that we may fail – at least initially. As Ralph Waldo Emerson was quoted, ‘The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.’ We require the right frame of mind and a positive attitude.
Resilience in Sales
The same holds true in sales. If you figuratively “strike out” you will only be successful in the longer term, if you get right back into the batter’s box, looking for a better result but always being mindful of the ever present challenges.
Sales are always cyclical, with periods of significant sales growth, and eventual downturns. Those of us who ride the wave as “order takers” are more likely to struggle when the markets get bumpy. Times have changed, so it’s only the most resilient salesperson that will give themselves the best chance to be successful.
What do you need to be a resilient salesperson? Here are a few ideas:
- Understand the field of prospects you have identified as a single entity you manage daily. Know where the best chance at success resides. TAC’s Pure Selling program can help you develop profitable client strategies.
- Learn what characteristics represent a solid “top payoff” prospect in your business. Focus on those prospects even if they represent a sales challenge.
- Understand the prospect’s need for your product or service, then prioritize your prospects using this criteria.
- Follow up on all commitments you make to a prospect. If you commit to delivering specific product information on a certain date, do so. No excuses.
- Stay engaged with your top prospects. Use all the resources available to you to continue to engage.
- Work to become the salesperson they single out as the one with solutions which benefit them.
- If you lose a sale (strike out), immediately follow up with another top prospect and try to move a fresh opportunity forward.
- When you fail don’t be discouraged. Keep that sales funnel full of excellent prospects.
If you focus on being resilient, you may not win every sale, but you will win more than you lose. Good selling!