5 Keys to Sales Success

Good morning!

For the last 18 months or so I have been working with a selling owner on a weekly basis. We’ve never met, but through our Friday morning phone calls, we have connected on both the business and personal level.

Now, I've worked with a lot of people like Jeff. But never in the 30-plus years that I’ve been coaching and training have I ever seen someone become successful faster. His has been an extraordinary journey and I am both proud of and happy for him and his wife.

If you called and asked me what his secret was, I don’t think I can really give you any one answer. Is he a sales superstar? Based on his results, yes. But Jeff had no sales experience prior to buying a franchise. Is he in a lucrative market? No. Not even close. His is not a second-tier city. At best, it’s a third. Does he have no competition? No. There are plenty of people like him with bigger and better equipment, companies who have been there much longer.

See? There is no secret. But still, I can identify five reasons why Jeff is just killing it right now:

1. A focus and commitment to selling (this is a general attitude)
2. Daily sales activity - hit a minimum number
3. Combination of networking, cold calling, finding applications in your every day life and vertical market applications
4. Set weekly priorities
5. Self-serving alert: Report to someone else via weekly meetings

Overall, Jeff is simply sales-focused. Sure, he has a terrific production team, but it all starts with sales. Our days get filled easily and there was always, always something else to do that seems more fun (or perhaps we just give it a higher priority). But there is nothing - no other activity - that has a bigger impact on your success than ongoing, daily, consistent, selling actions.

Seems obvious, doesn’t it? But before you slapped the “Capt. Obvious” label on me, consider this: I’m writing about him, not you. That means he is doing something that you’re not. So, take this obvious advice and recommit yourself to sales.

Maybe next time you will be “Jeff.”