Sales Growth in a Challenging Market -What a nightmare!

I keep hearing that the market conditions are challenging, BREXIT, China & USA Trade wars, the change to on-line trading, price pressure, the slow down in the economy, exchange rates, etc, etc.

Sure its challenging, but can anyone tell me when it was not?

I have been involved in sales for many years, in markets from Japan & Australia to the USA ASIA & the Middle East, Scandinavia & Europe, oh and the UK (Are we in Europe? What ever the result of BREXIT negotiations, I think we still are!).

So what exactly is the challenge for Sales Growth in a challenging market?

Isn't it really just business as normal? The norm? Reality? Life? I certainly think that you can hunt out excuses, find reasons for not growing, blame others, the market, the competition, the weather, time of year, day, week, transport, the roads, rail, air travel.......

OR

Can you just go about your business doing the right things?

But what are the right things when all of this other STUFF is going on? All these distractions, excuses, reasons for NOT doing things like growing sales.

I genuinely believe its not about working harder, or working smarter although they will both help.

I do believe though that it can be as simple as:

Personal Strategy - Having a clear Personal Strategy for what YOU are doing, based on the things the company you are working for or with is trying to achieve; build, sell, promote, market, develop, etc. Setting within the strategy clear Goals that YOU want to achieve.

Planing - Making a clear Plan for YOURSELF around the strategy is essential, its no good thinking others will do this for you, or that without a plan, no matter how simple, that anything will happen. So if its achieve x% growth, then have a plan of how you will do that. (sitting in your office thinking about it wont make it happen by the way!) What needs to happen for you to achieve that growth? Increase your call rate, contacts seen or connected with, focus, whatever it is that you think will work for you.

Execute - The Plan has to be delivered, Executed, acted upon! Without some sort of action, telephone calls, emails, letters, actual sales visits, discussions, solutions, proposals, nothing and I mean NOTHING will GROW, CHANGE, DEVELOP... Even in good times!

Reflect - Even the best plans need to be reviewed and Reflected upon, developed, modified and changed to reach the goal. Accepting that things will change (its a given) that customers demands, requirements and needs will not always stay constant, you also need to remain agile, flexible and responsive. Reflecting on your plan, what went well? What didn't go so well? Be prepared to CHANGE.

That's it... Not to much is it really?

But and here is the challenge, if and I stress IF, you want to grow, your business, your sales, your market, your product range, your client base. You will need to get up, get your act together and go and make it happen!

Know what YOU are aiming for

Know how YOU will achieve it

Get it done, make sure YOU are executing the plan with clear actions

Review it to make sure YOU are doing the right things!

Sales Growth in a Challenging Market is it the market or YOU?