By Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter”
This time of year we are deluged with trends, predictions and numerous opinions from a number of sources about what is going to happen in the coming year. It seems as if everyone has the “secret sauce” that will make the New Year perfect.
Excuse me but let’s cut the predictions and deal with what is not going to change in the New Year.
First up is the fact there isn’t going to be a change regarding the need to do the following: network, build referrals, provide superior service and, of course, provide clients with what they’re looking for.
As important as these items are, there’s another one that is even more important. It is the commitment to yourself to make those actions happen. It’s easy to start the year motivated to achieve your goals, but then something comes along and the hustle you had in the first couple of weeks in the New Year begins to fade away.
I refer to this as “dieting selling,” which is where people approach selling the same way they approach a diet. They have the best of intentions but little follow-through.
To be committed to yourself, start by not making excuses regardless of what happens. Committed people believe in themselves and thus believe they can find ways around obstacles or problems that we all know are inevitable. Why should anyone be surprised when problems arise? It’s a fact that has always been prevalent in our industry. Problems happen. How we deal with those problems is what separates average people from great people.
How do you respond to problems?
It’s not pessimistic to anticipate that they will happen. It’s simply wise discernment to be prepared for them when they occur. To do this means we have to build into our schedule, forecasts, and business model the expectation that things will not always turn out the way we may want them to.
First thing we can then do is to make sure our selling strategy is designed to get us to a number that exceeds our annual plan or goal. If we build a selling strategy for the year that just gets us to the number we want to achieve, we’ll most likely fall short. Why? Well, stuff happens. Great agents always build a plan that will allow them to exceed their number. This way, should something fall out, they will still make their number.
The concept of planning to over achieve a number is nothing new. Great coaches and teams always develop their game plan with this in mind. Major corporations routinely do this when developing annual plans.
I remember my days with a major corporation where we would assign goals to each division that, when achieved, would allow the total company to report numbers in excess of the corporate objective. We knew there would be at least one or two divisions that would fall short, and by over building, we could still count on making our number.
What is your strategy for next year?
Do you have a plan in place to help you over achieve?
If not, take the time right now to figure out what you need to do. The earlier in the year you do this, the greater the chances are that you’ll achieve your annual number. You see, some things never do change.
Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase their sales profitability. For more information, to receive a free weekly email sales tip, or to read his Sales Motivation Blog, visit www.TheSalesHunter.com. You can also follow him on Twitter http://www.Twitter.com/TheSalesHunter, on Facebook www.facebook.com/TheSalesHunter and on Linkedin http://www.linkedin.com/in/MarkHunter
Reprinting of this article is welcomed as long as the following is included:
Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” www.TheSalesHunter.com, © 2011
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