The Challenges That Sales People Create For Themselves

It’s a typical Friday afternoon, the sales staff at a local telemarketing firm just got done with a grueling 50 hour work week… except for Marcos. You see, Marcos didn’t hasn’t hit his quota this month and is at risk of not getting his bonus. So as the team assembles at Sharky’s, a popular Orange County hot spot, countless negative tirades about work begin.

So who exactly is to blame for the teams angst? May it be Billy, the hard nosed Sales Manager who loves to micro manage? Or maybe it’s Elizabeth, the new Area General Manager who is trying to make a name for herself…at any cost necessary? Or maybe, just maybe it’s Najm, the corporate Sales Trainer who rather spend his time on Facebook then go out and train his colleagues…in any case, the sales staff can choose a number of reasons to complain and find excuses for them not achieving their very own sales Valhalla.

The Breakdown

At what point do us as Sales professionals stop blaming externalities and look inward at the reason for non-performance? Team, it’s time to take a look in the mirror and determine why our INDIVIDUAL numbers look the way they do. Let’s look at some basics:

• How many hours did you spend chatting at the water cooler this week?
• How many times did you put off prospecting and chose to do another activity?
• Did you even prospect?
• And if you did prospect, did you do it with intent?

Notice I stuck to two main actions: goofing off and prospecting… how many hours of each did you do? Now, I write this to simply put things into perspective. If you have low sales numbers, you have to ask yourself… and also answer the hard questions. Regardless of how much you hate prospecting, this is literally the fuel for your success!

The Challenges

You may be asking yourself, soooo where’s the challenges? I am here to tell you that the challenge lies in two things that are lodged deep inside your core:

• Mindset
• Intent

When going to the office, or your kitchen table aka the post COVID cubicle, what is your goal for that day? Is it to make a bunch of dials ? Hit your 100 and call it a day? Or are you truly and genuinely looking to make some sales?

Lack of intent and a clouded mindset come from lack of motivation or burn out. So how do you get these two crucial items back on track? It’s simple…

The solution

Well here is the reality, this is how you will increase your sales… but it must come from your heart, and with authenticity. Simply put, YOU HAVE TO GENUINELY CARE ABOUT YOUR CUSTOMERS! Thats it! Evoke your passion to help, ask the right questions to make sure what you are offering makes sense to your customer. Don’t try and close the deal just to close it, make sure your product will solve problems for your customers. When you care, and I mean genuinely care, your customer will notice and you will establish a rapport like you have never experienced.

So next time you have the urge to drown in your sales sorrows, look at your activities and remember to ensure that your mindset and intent are in line with your desire to genuinely help your customers solve their problems.

Happy selling my friends,

Ramiro Lepe