How many Calls does it take?

Have you noticed that no matter how hard you feel you're working sometimes the sales just aren't coming in? Are you putting in the hours, but not reaping the reward? Maybe it's time to rethink your sales strategy. Maybe it's not about time at all.

As a sales person measuring success can be challenging sometimes when we don't feel the number of sales to be matching the time put into our work. We may look at our peers and question how they seem to be calm and collected even when the numbers may be down at the moment. Do they know someting you don't? Perhaps they do.

When measuring success it's important to remember it's all about the process. In each sales postion I have held the process is a little different. Some sales are complex and take a long time to complete while others happen within a single transaction. Do you understand your sales process? If not, it's important you figure it out. Knowing how many steps there are to get to the end result may help you relax at the end of the day.

When planning a sales strategy it's important to start with the end goal in mind. The goal of course for any sales person is to hit a quota or known number. The best approach I have found in reaching these goals without being overwhelmed is to break down the steps it takes to get there. Like any journey no matter how long or immpossible it may seem at the start it must begin with one step. Perhaps one phone call, one new contact made, one networking meeting attended, one email, you get the idea. What seems to to work for you? Understand your stregths and develop your weaknesses. For example if you know it takes 20 phone calls per day to get 1 appointment, and you need 5 appointments to average 3 sales, then you know what you have to do. I might add that if it takes 20 phone calls to get 1 appointment, there may be some room for improvement in your presentation of the material, phone skills or perhaps you may look at developing a stronger offer to a more targeted audience.

Knowing the path to get to the destination is key. Once you know how to read the map it's easy to get there. If you are consistantly not hitting your goals talking to your manager, someone in your organization, within your industry, a professional sales coach or trainer may be very helpful. You may find that you are not the only one who benefits by sharing ideas and observations about what works and doesn't within your given business. There's so many ways to get to the destination, finding the most natural path can make the journey much more enjoyable. If you know you are walking in the right direction and taking the required number of steps to get there each day, it will be an enjoyable journey even before you arrive.

Happy selling!