It's about time

Punctuality is on of the hallmarks of a professional sales person. When you tell a customer you will be there at 9 am, you should be there at 8:55 am. This sends a number of signals to your customers. If you do not arrive when you said you would--can they trust your other statements? Punctuality is an easy way to demonstrate that you mean what you say. Nothing is more valuable to a prospect than their time. This is what entrepreneurs bring to their enterprises. Most business people hate to waste time. If you make them wait or ,even worse, forget to show up, you've will have a very hard time getting back into thier good graces. The key to punctuality is keeping in touch with reality. Take a realistic look at your schedule before making an appointment. Allow enough time for each call and for travel time. If you schedule too tightly, you will find yourself trying to catch up all day long. You need to maintain a balance between trying to do too much and doing too little. Use gaps in your schedule to cold call or phone customers. If unavoidable circumstances put you behind schedule, call you customer to notify them or to reschedule. Do this early enough that they can make alternate plans.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Sales Resolution #2

Here is my second suggested resolution for advertising sales people: Track your numbers. Sales people should keep careful records of their activities. As a sales person, I tracked my calls, my presentations, my closes, my sales and my sales revenue. This information kept me honest. The number of calls told me if I was slacking off. The number of presentations told me if I was using a good call opening and engaging the customer, the closes told me if I was keeping the customer interested with my presentation. The number of sales was a measure of everything I was doing. I used the revenue number to determine my earnings but also to calculate my average sales. the average sales revenue was a good way to know if I was "leaving money on the table." I always kept better records than my boss required. This data prevented me telling myself I was working hard when I began to cut corners. It is also a great way to tie your activities to your sales results. I always knew how many calls I needed to make to generate the income I needed to make. If you do this on an ongoing basis as you go through your day it requires very little time and produces great results.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling.

Thanks Jim Busch

Top Ten List

Each night David Letterman does a humorous "Top Ten List". I recommend that you maintain a top ten list of your own. Your top ten should be the top ten accounts that you would like to sell. The accounts on your list should present you with the best opportunity to drive your revenue and build your territory. Every territory offers many account to sell and it is easy to lose focus. With only 10 accounts on the list you can give them the "full court press" and fully plan them. You can research the account, prepare spec art and spend the time necessary to land the business. Once you sell an account you can move them off the list and replace them with another prospect. Once you decide a prospect can not be sold they should be replaced. A top ten list permits you to focus your best efforts on your best prospects.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Mix it up a bit

Routines are very helpful, they let us get a lot done without a lot of thought but sometimes its a good thing to break your routine. If you take a different route while running calls, you may see a new business. By changing your schedule you may be able to speak with a prospect that you've never been able to see. Work an occasional evening or start early one morning and you may reach a hard to reach decision maker. Break your routine and you may make a sale.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Fish when the fish are biting

Most advertising salespeople work more or less banker's hours. We conduct most of our business during "business hours." This works great for most of our retail and service accounts, but many other prospects keep a different schedule. Many business owners need to hold a full-time job to support themselves while pouring all their profits back into the business during the start-up phase. They can only be found at the business in the evening or on the weekends. Many bar and restaurant owners work during the busy evening hours. A lot of contractors work from "can't to can't", can't see to can't see, during the spring and summer season. I've closed a lot of deals at 5 or 6am over coffee and donuts.

By mixing up your hours to meet with customers when it is convenient for them, you can close more business. Prospects appreciate it when you are willing to work with their schedule and will often be more cooperative. Most of your competition won't make this effort so you have the playing field all to yourself. (Like they say, there is never much traffic when you go the extra mile.)

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

"Scratch their back"

As sales people we are always looking for leads. In addition for looking for leads for ourselves, we should also keep our eyes open for leads for our customers. If a client tells us that he is planning to remodel their store, hook them up with your electrician, contractor, plumber etc. customers. This provides a benefit for both the store owner and the contractors. These clients will remember you when they need to advertise. Like they say "You scratch their back, they'll scratch yours."

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch