What to Do When Your Sales Are …

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In an attempt to check in on you, your boss walks past your desk and tosses out a lazy, “How’s business?” You answer, then provide just enough information for her to walk away satisfied. The last thing you need is commentary on your sales efforts. She’ll stay out of your hair for a while and that suits you just fine. Why? Because no matter what you say, she will tell you there’s still work to do … and you hate the fact that she’s right!

There are three ways to respond to the “How’s business?” question and each comes with follow-up action items. Things going great? Not so much? Somewhere in the middle? A task list accompanies any answer.

“I’m crushing it right now.”

Ideally, it’s raining business and you are on a tear of biblical proportions. You are surfing along on a huge wave of success. That’s great and all, but regardless of how tall that wave is, they all hit the beach at some point. So, despite the fact you are setting records, you can do a lot or you can do
a little:

» At most, keep selling — Have you ever lost five pounds and celebrated with an ice cream sundae? Yeah, me too. Having achieved a level of success, it is natural to slack off, slide through the selling day, and talk yourself out of any activity other than what’s required. We tell ourselves the best use of our time is to care for existing accounts. Naturally, there is simply no opportunity for new business development. But just like staying fit and eating right, we acknowledge the need to seek sales growth but put in little effort in that direction. Think of an athlete who reaches the pinnacle of their sport: There are the one-shot wonders and the repeat champions. The best of the best double down on their efforts and reset their goals. Accolades for that record month will fade soon, leaving you back at square one. Action required: You must commit to moving forward and create a plan for growth.

» At least, spread the love — OK, so you finished reading that last paragraph and you immediately agreed with its premise. You’ve told your boss you are, “Highly motivated to grow.” When pressed for details, you provided a vague and general, but completely convincing, outline for growth. But you and I both know there is not much chance anything will change. There is neither incentive nor motivation. So, focus will remain on reorders and new business will happen only when existing clients initiate new opportunities. It ain’t broke and you have no desire to fix it, so you won’t. The bare minimum activity you must undertake is this: Network from within. Make it your goal to meet every employee at every company you do work for. Introduce yourself to one new person per visit. Search LinkedIn and connect with all who work there. Do all of this with an eye toward the future, for people leave for new jobs and you want them to take you along. Those who stay get promoted and suddenly have purchasing and decision-making power.

“I’m struggling, to be honest.”

Just as frequently as business is booming, business can dry up for short or long stretches, too. The phone is not ringing. Reorders are not coming in. Your appointment calendar is wide open. Sound familiar? The good news is, you can sell your way out of this situation:

» At most, get selling — Two months ago, my column addressed 10 reasons why your sales are down in a column cleverly called, “10 Reasons Your Sales Are Down.” There are a number of ideas laid out you might want to revisit, but the most important is this: Isolate the problem. Are you calling on the wrong kinds of accounts? Are you giving the customer a solid reason to see you or are you just “selling print”? Do you have a step-by-step prospecting process? And are you applying that process with diligence? Today, tomorrow, or 10 years from now, if your sales are not what you want them to be, the problem is somewhere in those four questions. Next, increase your sales activity and answer the question, “Did I do my job today?” based not on the results (i.e. sales) but rather on reaching your daily sales activity goals. Sell your way out of the hole or die trying.

» At least, check in — There is a significant number of salespeople who cringe at the thought of simple sales actions. If you are among them and/or if you suffer from imposter syndrome (because of which you may think, “Why would anyone listen to me?”), the bare minimum activities are to check in with existing clients, reminding them of your entire product line. Another action would be to call on dead accounts (anyone who has not ordered from you in the past nine months). While these activities are not likely to significantly move the sales needle, they are still better than doing nothing at all.

“Meh. So-so.”

In between the reps who are knocking it out of the park and the reps who are getting knocked on their butts sits the majority of us who are neither at the top nor the bottom. Some are on their way from one extreme to the other, while others will bounce around in this middle ground like a self-driving car that is being pushed between the lane lines on a highway. Let’s put our hands back on the wheel:

» At most, commit to a goal — Think ahead six months. Where do you want to be? Are you willing to put in the work it will take to get there? Really? What will serve as your motivation? Sales growth is rarely accidental. It starts with a sales rep creating a vision and then committing to reaching that goal. You need a plan and you need accountability to get there. Sales come when activities turn into opportunities. Think of it as a giant, round boulder sitting in a field. Every sales call and every email serves to push that boulder a tiny bit. Day after day, attempt after attempt results in movement. It’s from that momentum that sales arise. But it all begins with three words: “Today, I will … ”

» At least, be aware — Company support, training, and services will go to those who show the most potential and desire for growth. If you are in this middle ground and fail to do anything about it, you can expect to be increasingly passed over, underserved, or downright ignored. If that is not acceptable to you, raise your hand and ask for help. It’s out there, but you will need to sell someone on the fact that you are a good investment.

Regardless of where you are in your sales career, selling is a lot like owning a house: There is always something to do. It could be taking care of what you’ve got or adding on, but there is never a time when you sit back and think, “I’m done!” So, the next time you are asked, “How’s business?” by your boss, answer the question and follow it with some thoughts on the actions you are going to take. That is how you really get them to walk away satisfied.