Your Sales Go-To

Good morning!

I have a bad habit.

When I play golf, I am prone to shifting my weight forward as I swing. This frequently causes me to push the ball well to the right, heads OB (out of bounds) and I get down on myself.

Come to think of it, I frequently rush my swing as well.

Okay, so I have TWO bad habits.

Any golfer will tell you their game changes day-to-day and often from hole to hole. You are Dr. Jekyll and then Mr. Hyde. But when you are playing poorly shot after shot, you lose your confidence and it stops being fun. Your swing thought becomes all negatives: “Don’t do this” and “Don’t do that.”

Never a good thing.

One of the best lessons I’ve ever learned in playing golf is to return to my go-to. That is, I have a guaranteed shot that brings my confidence back: I line up, shorten the backswing, and power forward.

No matter how poorly I am playing, shortening my backswing — that simple act alone — reduces my chances of screwing up. It might cost me some distance, but I hit the ball right down the middle and my confidence returns.

Do you have a go to in sales?

The sales-version of pushing the ball right and hitting out of bounds could be a long string of lost orders, or zero motivation, or making 50 calls and getting 50 voicemail messages. You are down and feeling badly about yourself.

Wouldn’t it be great to have that one action — a guaranteed winner — to get back on track?

Here’s my thought…

Pick up the phone and call your favorite customer. You can’t be in sales and not have one client you simply love doing business with. Every conversation is upbeat and positive. They may not be your biggest account, but you wouldn’t trade them for anything.

What do you say?

Thank them for their business. Confide you are struggling and needed a friendly voice on the other end of the phone. Ask how they are doing, both business and personal. Thank them for being there for you and respect their time by making your call short.

There. The reset button has been pushed and your next drive is sure to split the fairway.

Fore!

Find your next bright idea and sales motivation inside The Sales Vault. Go to SalesVaultInsider.com or call Bill Farquharson at 781-934-7036.