With The Economy Recovering, Sales Professionals Can Start Climbing Again

With Economy Recovering, Sales Professionals Can Start Climbing Again

By Dave Mattson

When the economy took a nosedive, most sales professionals quickly responded in one of two ways.

There were those who lost confidence and basically hunkered down, hoping to wait out

the recession. They adopted a “base camp” mentality, wanting only to hold onto what

business they had until the weather cleared, and they could start their ascent again.

The second group, more optimistically, chose to forge on and actually grow their

business, whatever it took. They continued their “climb to the summit,” though with

varying degrees of success. Even otherwise outstanding performers sometimes suffered setbacks.

Now that the economy is showing signs of recovery—a recovery that could take years—

both groups find that they have at least one thing in common. They will almost certainly

be operating with fewer resources for some time to come. This is a challenge they need to confront and surmount.

But for sales professionals who can make the proper adjustments, opportunities abound.  It’s time for “base campers” to break camp and join the “climbers” on the trek to the top.  This is an exciting time, but the trek is going to be a tough one. Progress for most of us will be slow. It will be measured in increments, but it will be progress all the same.

Here are three suggestions for adjusting to the new realities of operating with fewer

resources. One way is to devise more effective ways to identify and qualify prospects.

Another is to implement more efficient ways to develop opportunities and bring them to

closure. A third is by strengthening existing customer relationships.

These probably sound like little things but, as the old song says, “little things mean a lot.”  And that’s never been more true than now. That’s also why it is important to manage

your expectations and set small but reachable goals.

Let’s say, for example, you could find just one thing that would improve your

performance a mere 2 percent this month—like making one extra prospecting call per

day, asking every client for a referral, or reconnecting with one former customer who has drifted away.

These are not huge additions to your workday. They’re very doable. And, applied

consistently over time, they earn compound interest.

You do the math: A 2 percent increase in performance and productivity each month

yields an increase of some 27 percent in 12 months. That’s 60 percent in two years and, in three years, 100 percent.

Of course, adopting any such program takes desire, discipline and determination. This is especially true in the face of adversity, and we’ve all gotten a taste of adversity over the last year. But adversity is what separates those who enjoy the thrill of reaching the

summit from those who pack up their tents and head back down the mountain—or stay in their base camps.

The path—where there is one—will be steep and rocky, but the view from top will be

awe-inspiring.

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The author of the best seller The Sandler Rules, David Mattson is the CEO of Sandler

Training, the leading provider of sales and management training, with 200 licensed

trainers throughout the world. Sandler Training has been named Entrepreneur

Magazine’s #1 franchise for training programs nine times, including in 2007, 2008 and

2009.

© 2009 Sandler Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.