How to Get Yourself Out of a Sales Slump
Author: Dave Stein
Added: 07/30/2004
Topic: Motivation - Attitude
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright Dave Stein. Reprinted With Permission.
Not every salesperson has experienced a slump, but most have. If you have,
you're not alone. You are possibly finding that you can't advance your deals,
your pipeline has turned into a sieve, coaches in your accounts won't return
your phone calls, your boss is all over you, your confidence is waning, your
colleagues look at you with a bit of pity (or satisfaction), and your entire
outlook on your job, your selling capabilities, even your self-worth may be in
question...
First let me say that I've seen many top performers, at one time or another,
fall into a sales slump. I've been in a few myself over the years. Some last
longer than others, but be assured that none last forever--unless you literally
give up.
It's up to you to accept responsibility for getting yourself out of the slump.
You certainly should ask for and expect support and encouragement from
management and your colleagues, but no one can get you out of your slump. You
have to do it yourself. It takes time, effort and organization.
If you or someone who works for you is experiencing a slump, I'd like to suggest
a few things to thing about and some actions to take to turn things around:
Assess: The first thing to do is to admit to yourself that you are, in fact, in
a slump. This isn't easy. I find that many sales pros in this situation avoid
thinking in those terms.
Once you've said to yourself, "I'm in a slump," evaluate your situation.
Objectivity is critical in doing that effectively. When I work one-on-one with a
good salesperson who is in a slump, I ascertain whether the root cause is a
direct result of actions the salesperson took (or didn't take), or the cause is
systemic. For example, if the person hasn't prospected in a year, brought in no
business during the last two quarters and is sitting with no qualified leads to
pursue, at 50% of quota, that's one problem.
On the other hand, if they've done all the "right things," but their company
announced they were filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and no one
wants to meet with, not to mention buy from that sales rep right now, that's
another situation entirely. (An argument could be made that the sales person
should have seen this coming and moved on to a new job...)
By the way, I'm not a believer in luck having much to do with successful
selling. Some good timing here, a bad break there, sure, but I've seen winners
"create" their own luck too many times to be spiritual about it.
I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have. Thomas Jefferson
Go for Little Wins: Once you've assessed the situation, you need to go for some
little wins--achievable mini-goals--that will get you moving in the right
direction. The message here is: take control. We know the "big win" is
recovering and over delivering on quota. But that may be too daunting a
challenge when you're in the midst of that slump. Little wins contribute to
finding your footing again in areas where you might have lost your confidence,
or perhaps need to beef up on some skills. Here are some examples:
If your pipeline is weak, decide that you are going to prospect your customer
base. Visit enough customers until you have three solid new business leads.
Also, take time to revise your cold calling script. Use it to generate five
meetings with potential decision makers in your target market or territory.
If you've been complacent, really get up to speed on that new product line.
Perhaps your slump was the result of your reluctance to adapt to a new direction
your company took. I've seen this happen too many times. Company introduces new
product….salesrep continues to sell old one since it is within their comfort
zone…leads and business dry up, leading to a slump.
If you can't earn the credibility you feel you need to sell to executives, get
the last three issues of the major trade magazines that cover the industry into
which you sell. Read them cover to cover next weekend. Visit a customer or two
and talk about the issues on which you are now up to speed. Then obtain security
as well as industry analyst reports on the industry into which you are selling.
Read those. Again, talk to some customers about what you learned. Once you've
spoken to customers, try it with prospects. This is an incredibly powerful
approach to building not only your credibility, but your confidence as well.
If you've been outsold by a competitor, get a much deeper understanding of them.
Talk to other members of your sales team, your marketing department, or some
customers to get that insight you are looking for. Take the time to formulate a
competitive sales strategy for any deals in which you are competing against
them.
If you can't seem to move deals along and get them closed, reevaluate and retool
your qualification process and your value proposition. You may either be
pursuing unqualified business or may not have a compelling enough business case
to get the prospect to buy, or both.
Whichever little wins you decide to accomplish, create a plan: write your goals
down, along with your strategies for achieving them, including completion dates.
Additional Tips:
This is really rule number one when you are in a sales slump: Get out of the
office. Visit customers. Go to a trade show or industry conference. Network with
sales reps from other, non-competing companies. Get into situations where you
will get pumped.
Ask management for their support. Don't wait until your boss comes to you.
Present an honest self-assessment and request some coaching. An effective,
experienced sales manager will not only have ideas to help you build positive
momentum, but will give you the leeway you need to get yourself back on track.
Ask a trusted colleague for help. Mirror a skill or capability they have.
Buy a new sales book, or reread one that made a positive impact on you in the
past. If it works for you, listen to your old Sales 101 or motivational audio
tapes or CDs. Pick up a new skill and use it right away. What skill do you need
the most immediate help with? Negotiation, presentations, writing? Take a
course, live or on-line.
Don't focus on the negatives. If you've had some disappointments, or made some
mistakes, accept them, learn something from them, and move on.
Accomplish something challenging that is not directly related to work. The
confidence you will get from that will provide you the boost you need to muster
the energy and focus to get back on track.
"Brilliant people talk about ideas,
average people talk about things,
whining people talk about each other."