Jan 29

Why Your Sales Are Down and How To Fix It

Have you ever received a cold call from a salesperson who didn’t listen? 

Last week I received a call from a newspaper salesman asking if I wanted a free one month subscription to the paper.  I politely informed him I didn’t read the news because it wasn’t energy I wanted in my world.  Ignoring my response, he quickly went to his objection handling list: “this is a great program, we do it to keep paper delivery people busy during the slow season.  You would be helping them out.”  I said “no thank you” expecting to hangup the phone, but he continued, “Don’t you want neighborhood information?”  “Nope I don’t, thank you.”  He went for one more, “…but there are coupons.”  I laughed and said “you’re good at reading your objection handling script and I’m still not interested.”  Somewhat defeated, he said “ok” and finally disconnected. 

The real problem in the situation was he never connected with me.  There is an unspoken idea that sales is a “hustle and win world.”  Sales people are taught to push past the pain, make the calls, follow the scripts, turn in your numbers and track your stats.  It’s no surprise the people on the other end of the “hustle” can’t stand salespeople.  No one wants to be someone else’s pain, a number on a spreadsheet or weekly statistic and that’s what it feels like as soon as we pick up the phone.

This old school approach to acquiring customers is focused on persistence – defined as a firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.   For a salesperson to be persistent in his work ethic is admirable but most often persistence shows up on the sales call in the form of desperation and “commission breath.”  Look at the way objections are handled, ignore the person’s response, stay your path and hope you wear them down.  

What would happen if salespeople focused on consistency instead – performance that doesn’t vary over time?  How does business change when you create a relationship building program that matches your ideal client? How would your business improve if you invest more in the relationships you already have?

According to invesp.com you spend less money because it costs 5x more to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one.  Your probability of selling increases because the likelihood of selling to existing customers is 60%-70% while selling to new prospects is 5-20%.  You increase new sales because existing customers are 50% more likely to try new products and spend 30% more.

Despite ALL of the statistics only 18% of sales efforts focus on the relationships that already exist.  Where’s the disconnect?

Change is scary.  Even when logic and statistics prove a system isn’t working we rely on our emotions, we are influenced by the masses and so-called “gurus” who continue to preach the old way because it’s easier to sell a “magic bullet” process and teach a one-size fits all approach.  Don’t get me wrong, old school still works for a select few (and they tend to be the best promoters of themselves) but it’s not a fit for most salespeople and more importantly the majority of customers.

So what can you do if you want to focus on consistency?  Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Define your ideal client – If you try to appeal to everyone you appeal to no one because you get lost in the crowd.  Get specific about the type of person you want to work with, the type of person you don’t want to work with and how you have to show up to attract your ideal client.  (Use my Ideal Client Worksheet to help you)
• Invest in a database – have a place to store client information including email, address and notes from your calls/connections.  It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive to be effective but it does have to be used consistently to work.  
• Create a “touch plan” – You are either #1 or #2 in someone’s mind or you don’t exist.  You want to stay top of mind by staying in touch.  It takes a plan to stay connected constantly.  Set a goal to reach out to clients at least 33 times per year (this can be any combination of communication – online, snail mail, calls, in-person meetings.)
• Follow-up with value – When you meet people begin the relationship by sharing your value.  Most salespeople make the mistake of meeting someone and then asking for the sale.  You wouldn’t go on one date and ask the person to marry you, would you?  Court your clients with value, make each call to action about building the relationship and sale will happen. 
• Build trust through social media – People want to do business with people they know, like and trust, so stay active online.  Pick one or two social media platform you enjoy and post things that interest you.  The more authentic you are the stronger your relationship will be when it comes time for a sale.  

The bottom line is consistence wins over persistence every time!  Be the salesperson you would want to hear from and watch your business grow.

Laura Treonze, serves as Chief Life Strategist with LMT Consulting, which helps executives and teams create massive success through self-awareness. Her life-changing approach has transformed individuals and families and has redefined the way non-profits and corporations “do” business.