Today is a GREAT day for you to make a plan this week for MORE of the RIGHT activity that leads to more sales opportunities. That means LESS of the activity you might be doing that does nothing to lead you toward revenue. You can increase the right sales activity several ways. Here are some of the best ways:
Keep your Focus:
When you are at work, be present at work. Think about fewer steps to take to grow revenue. Revenue comes from activities that lead to sales - not activity that gets you away from sales opportunities. This doesn't mean that you can't think about your upcoming vacation - most of us spend much more time on this than we do on our business planning. It does mean, though, that you should actually set a time in your calendar for personal planning. If you do this, you will not be interrupting your work day to make calls for doctor appointments or visit destination websites when you can be creating one new sales opportunity today.
Follow up on all Interested Leads:
Sometimes sellers lose track of potential sales opportunities for bad reasons. I know of many reps who use a spreadsheet where they list out their "suspects" - people who are not a prospect and it is not known yet if there is an opportunity. Because they use a spreadsheet, it does not trigger or remind them about when to follow-up. They do it manually. This might seem like a good idea in the beginning, but the more data you collect, and the more "probable" prospective customers the harder it is to manage your spreadsheet. Instead, put all of your suspects into your CRM system. If you feel you need to keep your suspects to yourself until they become legitimate prospects, consider having your own CRM system just for that purpose. It can also house all of your other personal contacts so is a good idea to have. We really love using Nimble here at Score More Sales and encourage you to try one of the modern, social CRM systems for your personal use - it's WAY better than a spreadsheet.
Make a Plan to Hit Your Numbers - then Work the Plan
Do you know how many dials and emails it takes to hit your sales number? You should. If you don't, we have written about it many times in the past and will do so again soon to help those needing to see the step-by-step approach. For now, think about what your overall goals are - for revenue and for sales activity. Start being more conscious (if you are not already) about how many conversations (in general) it has taken with prospective buyers in order to find common ground and a win/win situation that becomes a legitimate, qualified sales opportunity. Newer reps typically bring many fewer sales opportunities to fruition simply because they don't have great insight on who their buyers are and what their buyers pain and aspirations are. Once they do, and they have products and services to help, they get in a groove and find better potential opportunities therefore close more deals. Where are you in knowing how this works?
As always, it is simple things that make sales grow. Don't over-complicate it. Work the basics and grow revenues.
Lori Richardson is recognized on Forbes as one of the "Top 30 Social Sales Influencers" worldwide. Lori speaks, writes, trains, and consults with inside sales teams in mid-sized companies. Subscribe to the award-winning blog and the "Sales Ideas In A Minute" newsletter for sales strategies, tactics, and tips in selling. Increase Opportunities. Expand Your Pipeline. Close More Deals.
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