Let’s talk about RECOVERY. For the Red Sox fans out there, let’s imagine a time when you watched the Red Sox game and they were down. WAY down. So far down that you didn’t think there was a way they could recover so you decided to throw in the towel and go to bed. Then, the next day at work, you went in like any other day only to find out that you missed one heck of a comeback and the Red Sox won the game. How did they recover when their pitching efforts seemed to go south? They had a skill set, control and planning and got back into the game before the loss was too great.
That same ability to perform a RECOVERY is just as important in sales.
It would be naive to think we were capable of hitting our production goals every time. What goes up eventually does comes down. A true sales person knows how to stop the spiral, they know how to get back in the game and they know that consistency in their sales approach creates a winning season of production.
What steps should you take when your pitches aren’t landing in the strike zone and you feel a loss of sales momentum?
* Pull your calendar for the last three months and analyze the number of appointments you set. Most often you will see a decline in the number of appointments (which are opportunities to sell). This happens little by little until you find yourself reacting to the change in your momentum rather than being proactive.
* Go back to the basics of setting and reaching high daily activity numbers. Regardless of being busy or slow; make sure you are contacting a high number of prospects every single day. The more contact you make, the more appointments you will set.
* Connect the dots keeping in mind the Kevin Bacon Six Degrees of Separation theory: all individuals can be linked to one another based on the concept of the small world phenomenon. Almost everyone in your path knows someone who will buy or sell real estate in your lifetime. Don’t put yourself on the bench by leaving an interaction without asking; “Can you think of anyone who might have an interest in buying or selling real estate? Carry your prospect target list with you everywhere and show it to your customers. Ask everyone if they are familiar with anyone on the list. This can create a warm call rather than a cold call.
* Go to your favorite local book store and buy a sales book. Grow your skill and quiet your mind by learning from the successes of other successful people.
* Pitching is physically demanding, especially if the pitcher is throwing with maximum effort. Sales can be an equally draining experience. When you feel like your sales are off, go do something you are good at doing. It could be sports, music, art, etc. Once you lose your confidence, it takes longer to recover. This exercise will help you regain and balance your confidence and get you back into the game
Develop your RECOVERY plan and make it a part of your sales strategy. The better you pitch the better you sell.
