How to Create Sales Excellence with Resilience and a Strategic Plan
Leslie Hassler, Small Business Scaling Strategist??
Unlocking Freedom | Creating Predictable Profits to Grow and Scale Your Business | 1:1 Consulting | Profitable Growth Incubator | Speaker | GS10KSB Alumni | Author of "First This, Then That" and "Scaling Rich?"
Take a moment, close your eyes, and imagine this story with me. Just kidding. You can not read if you close your eyes. So, imagine this story with me.?
It’s a crisp, hopeful morning where everything feels within reach. You're meandering through the neighborhood with a close friend, the kind who knows every chapter of your life. Suddenly, you're both halted by an enormous boulder blocking your path. It's colossal, with a smooth, daunting presence that dares you to try and move it.
With a twinkle of challenge in their eyes, your friend jests, "Bet you can't move that."
Now, you laugh because, well, it's a boulder. But then, you think, "Why not give it a shot?" So you start pushing, and it doesn't budge even a millimeter. But here's the thing - you don't stop there. You keep coming back to it, day after day. You're pushing, leaning, giving it everything you've got. Each time, that boulder is just as immovable as ever.
Your friend's watching all this, probably thinking you've lost your marbles. But then, amidst your routine effort, the impossible happens on an unremarkable Tuesday. The boulder, which seemed eternally fixed, suddenly yields, rolling aside as if conceding to your persistence.
You stand there breathless and in disbelief, and your friend is utterly astounded. They ask, “How on earth did you do that?" You shrug, trying to catch your breath, and say, “Just had to keep at it, I guess. It wasn't about pushing harder. It was about not giving up."
The Boulder in Our Path: Navigating Sales with Resilience and Strategy
Sales is your boulder, standing in the middle of the path we are walking on the road of entrepreneurial success.? Sales can be tricky, and business owners often find themselves in one of two spots: thinking they've got it all figured out or realizing they need to. Usually, it's the latter.
Understanding sales can be like solving a puzzle because there are many pieces to consider. The issue could be message, audience, offer, the sales process, or a lack of follow-up. For our clients struggling in sales, getting better at following up is a simple way to boost their sales.
Consider these eye-opening statistics:
I’m sure that this isn’t shocking for you.? You and I can look back on past opportunities and see where we’ve fallen prey to the mindset that enables the opportunities to slip between the cracks.
We can also look back and find examples of standing apart from the competition, making sales, and creating opportunities in the business. If we know what to do and it’s not hard, why do we allow ourselves to be mediocre?
Conventional wisdom shares that this has everything to do with our fear of rejection.? And that is part of the problem.??
From Persistence to Process: Cultivating Detachment in Your Sales Strategy
Our journey through the entrepreneurial landscape is fraught with sales challenges, akin to the imposing boulder in our path. The secret to overcoming this obstacle lies not in the force of our efforts but in our unwavering commitment, coupled with a strategic approach.
Embrace the Power of Commitment Without Attachment
The first step in refining your sales strategy is learning the delicate balance of commitment to the process without attachment to immediate outcomes.?
This shift in perspective is like facing our metaphorical boulder—not with the expectation of instant movement but with the belief that each effort is a stride toward our goal.
Being committed entails a dedication to eliciting a decision from prospects, valuing clarity whether the answer is yes, no, or maybe later.?
Detachment from the outcome allows us to transcend the sting of rejection, empowering us to persevere with resilience.
领英推荐
Implement a Strategic Follow-Up Process
Staying in touch with potential clients is vital to forging strong relationships and driving your business forward. Regular follow-ups show you're genuinely interested in their needs, helping to build trust and open up new opportunities.
A well-rounded follow-up strategy might include a variety of contact methods: emails, phone calls, social media interactions, direct mail, and even in-person meetings. These should be used over time to maintain a connection and ensure your business stays on their radar. Every interaction is an opportunity to offer something valuable, emphasize your core message, and guide the prospect toward making a decision, acknowledging that people often say "yes" only after several prompts.
At Your Biz Rules, we've created a 7-Touch Follow-Up Plan to share with our clients. It's a detailed approach designed for consistent, impactful communication. Each step is carefully planned to meet each potential customer's specific needs and interests. While we provide templates and scripts for guidance, the true strength of this plan is its adaptability. It's made to adjust to the varying dynamics of every sales situation, ensuring our strategy is always personalized and effective.
True success in sales comes from making genuine connections. This means finding the perfect balance between following a structured plan and allowing room for spontaneous, instinct-driven actions. Listening to your intuition, especially when a step in the plan doesn't quite fit the situation, can turn an ordinary follow-up into a key breakthrough moment.
A Personal Anecdote: The Power of Persistence
In March of 2021, I was in a promising sales conversation with a potential client. We had a great dialogue, identifying their needs and how our services could meet them. We agreed to reconvene after they had spoken with other firms. Despite several follow-ups, including calls and emails, that seemed to vanish, I did not hear back. Yet, I remained undeterred.
Three months went by with no word. It would have been easy to give up, to write off the opportunity. But I sensed a strong fit and persisted. I attempted a different angle in my next email, aiming to provide value and a spark of inspiration, though my search for the perfect story came up short. Then, an idea struck, leading to an email that broke the silence. "Let's create a story worth sharing," I proposed. The response? Immediate and affirmative, “Yes. Let’s talk.”
Nearly a year later, the client revealed that my persistent follow-up had set me apart from the competition. Amidst their indecision, my consistent effort provided the clarity they needed.
Reaping the Rewards: The Transformative Power of a Strategic Follow-Up
Adopting a good follow-up strategy in sales is more than just making incremental improvements. It redefines how we grow our business and work with our clients. Moving from relentless pursuit to a process-driven mindset brings many benefits:
Integrating these strategic elements into your follow-up process enhances your sales effectiveness and contributes to a more sustainable and fulfilling entrepreneurial journey.?
Seizing the Moment: Your Path to Unstoppable Growth
Like the boulder story, every challenge in sales brings us closer to success. Every "no" we hear is another step toward the "yes" we're working for.
Focusing on follow-up in sales can transform our business growth and customer relationships. Switching from sheer effort to a strategic plan leads to improved sales and stronger bonds with our customers.
Your Biz Rules excels in adapting traditional sales strategies into customized, effective solutions that push your business to new heights. Our approach combines constant support with strategic insights, making us true partners in your journey to growth.
Are you ready to move your own boulder and achieve greatness? Let's talk more about it. Click here to schedule a session. We'll craft a strategy that fits your business perfectly and guides you to your goals.
With the right strategy, support, and mindset, the sky's the limit. Let's turn sales challenges into chances for growth and victory together.