Turn a Sales Slump into a Success
There you are, minding your own business when all of a sudden nothing is going right and you just can’t seem to make a sale…. and the longer it goes on, the worse it seems to get. Have you lost your edge? Will you ever make a sale again?
Yes, you will!
On today’s show discover:
- … how top athletes approach slumps to get back in the winner’s circle;
- … how their approach can work for you in sales;
- … and 5 ways to shake it off and turn your next Slump into a Success
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5 Ways Top Athletes Handle a Sales Slump
One – Don’t Panic
Just like dogs can smell fear, customers can smell desperation. If you’re in panic mode your customer can tell something is wrong. Once that happens…good luck closing them. Panicking can quickly snowball out of control, you panic, you lose sales and that causes you to panic some more! So stay calm, and don’t dwell on it.
1“One thing about a shooting slump is that it`s better not to think about it, just try to be as natural as possible and let it go by as smoothly as possible.” – Michael Jodan
Two – Stay Positive
You’re not in a slump, you just aren’t closing but you know you have the skills to do it, you’ve done it before and you’ll do it again. Maintain a positive outlook, think back to some of your best BIG sales, listen to recordings of successful customer interactions you’ve had and relive those successes. Stay positive and see it through.
2 “Slump? I ain’t in no slump, I just ain’t hittin’” – Yogi Berra
Three – Visualize Success
See yourself closing the next sale, writing up the next order, or high fiving your manager because you just made a big sale. It sounds a bit like magic but it does work to shift your attitude and your behaviors; often, just enough to get you back on track.
3 “I never hit a shot, not even in practice,without having a very sharp, in-focus picture of it in my head.” – Jack Nicklaus
Four – Go Back to the Basics
Even the best in the world practice the basics, especially when they’re in a slump. If it works for them it’ll work for you. Go back to your basics and practice. Practice framing your questions in an open ended way, incorporating the agree step in your rebuttals, inserting tie-downs in your presentations and closing assumptively. It’s time well spent and may be just what you need to turn that slump around.
4 “I don’t like the way the ball is rolling into the cup.” – Tiger Woods on why he continues to practice putting even when he’s consistent.
Five – Get Some Help from a Coach
Have someone you respect listen to your calls, or watch your customer interactions. It could be your manager, someone from the training team, a colleague, or even a hired gun. Whoever you choose, ask them to be honest with you, and when they are, do something with the advice they give you.
All the best athletes including Tiger, Yogi, Michael and Jack all rely on coaches to be a second set of eyes. Coaches can provide objective feedback and pick up things you might miss yourself. Even small adjustments can be just what you need to get back on your game and shake off a sales slump.
Today’s One Two Punch
Take Action to Shake off a Slump
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Images
“Michael Jodan” by simplistic.designs is licensed under (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
“Yogi Berra” by Magnus Manske is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
“Jack Nicklaus at The Masters” by pocketwiley is licensed under CC BY 2.0
References
- http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-12-23/sports/9204260729_1_coach-phil-jackson-bulls-training-facility-scottie-pippen
- http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/09/the-50-greatest-yogi-berra-quotes
- http://www.golfkinetix.com/Coaching-Blog/4/Jacks-Golfing-Secret.aspx
- https://www.engageselling.com/articles/060220article_snap