Sales Challenges: When You Know You Can Do Better

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It was late in the day and late in the month. My wife and I were enjoying a cocktail by the pool, debriefing each other on our day, discussing numerous child-related issues (with seven kids between us, there were plenty), and looking ahead. Toward that end, Allison asked me, “What are you looking forward to next month?”

Ordinarily, we’d have a trip or an event or a visit/visitor or a holiday — anything on our calendar I could use to answer her question. This time, however, I was stumped. Imagine that, me with nothing to say. It took a day or two of deep reflection before I came up with my answer: Improvement. And from that moment on, I set out to achieve that goal in several aspects of my life, both personal (various sporting activities and, of course, my horrendously subpar guitar playing), and as it relates to sales. This was my journey:

• Organization — The natural place to get this party started is with an overview of my workday and my workweek. Everyone has fat on the time management bone that even Ozempic can’t miraculously take away. Although I consider myself to be above-average efficient and productive, I can chase squirrels with the best of them. So first, I wrote a paragraph describing where I wanted to be in a month. (I love that exercise.) Next, I detailed a plan to get there. Third, I thought about the various components of my job. I made a mental list to help me determine which sales activities to prioritize should my mind drift away. And finally, I did an honest assessment of my faults pertaining to time management. My improvement action: Set an alarm for midday that tells me to assess what I’ve accomplished, ensure I am doing the right things, and hit the reset button for the remainder of the day.
• Internal Communication — To say I have a staff is to say the Wizard of Oz was something more than a man behind a curtain. Still, I do not get ‘er done alone (Allison is The Sales Vault’s web designer) and despite the common sales belief, “This place would fall down without me,” neither do you. We all believe ourselves to be kind to those around us, good communicators, and a favorite of our fellow workers. However, I promise you that mirror you are looking in distorts reality. Bob Dylan said it best: “I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes. You’d know what a drag it is to see you.” You are not the Mary Poppins you think you are — you can do better. So, take a deep breath and ask the following question of your co-workers: “When it comes to working together, what do I need to do to improve?” My improvement action (in my wife’s words): “Listen to my opinion when you ask for it. And ask for it more often. Then tap in to my skills.” Yes, dear.
• Marketing — I should probably point out the order in which I am listing these bullet points is not accidental. While the (hopeful) net result of this exercise will be an increase in sales, it’s important to get your house in order first. Next, then, is an area where we can all improve. How’s your LinkedIn page? When is the last time it was updated? Are you actively seeking new connections? Are you commenting on the posts of customers and prospects? Are you posting on a regular (read: weekly, at minimum) basis? And how is the quality of those posts? With the exception of that last one, you are fully qualified to be your own judge and jury. But when it comes to the value and physical structure of the content you are pushing out, you need to ask for help. Marketing is increasingly important. Clients tell me they are unable to connect with prospects. I tell clients it is partly due to those prospects reviewing their LinkedIn presence and swiping left. Up your game. My improvement action: I will create additional content in the form of one-thought, quick videos, and post them multiple times per week.
• Existing Customer Management — The obvious improvement steps are to check in more frequently, anticipate repeat orders, and remind clients of your full product line. I recommend you do a better job of understanding your customers better and, in particular, where they are headed. Put some Google search time into their vertical markets. Find out what’s important to them. Learn about potential opportunities. You won’t fully understand the benefit of these actions until you are in a conversation with a client and you hear someone quote an article they read or discuss an industry trend and suddenly realize, “Holy cow. That was me talking!” My improvement action: Be more proactive about encouraging clients to get on my calendar and discuss their sales challenges.
• Business Management — I’ve recently realized one of my favorite things to do is to think and talk about my business while on vacation. There’s something about getting away that frees up the mind to think big, innovate, question assumptions, and perform all of the really fun parts of being an entrepreneur. You, too, must be entrepreneurial. You have to spend time challenging all the aspects of your job, reviewing your sales process, learning about things like AI, and taking “your” business to the next level. Study your craft. Shadow the top sales rep for a day or even a morning to find out what they know that you don’t. And read, read, read. My improvement action: Read, read, read!
• New Business Development — Improvement in the area of finding new clients requires you to examine your message, your method, your market, and your persistence. Find out why people buy from you. Examine your client base and look for similarities. Consider making a change to your sales approach and the step-by-step process you are currently using. And if you decide nothing needs changing, simply make more calls. Sometimes the only improvement necessary is to change the assumption from “My sales attempts are a waste of time” to “People will buy from me, just not today.”

So, back to the earlier question: What am I looking forward to? I am excited about tweaking my message, trying out a new marketing campaign, learning more about how to use AI, coming up with new ways to help my clients increase their sales, and recording a new promotional video. Going through this process and explaining it to you in my column has resulted in not just new ideas, but renewed energy as well. OK, so where do I start? Let me back up a few paragraphs: The natural place to get this party started is with an overview of my workday and my workweek.