sell intentionally

(2 minute read: Focus- Get organized, Get Started)

Find a way to have purpose for each day by planning ahead. Yes, you will have challenges and setbacks but that’s normal and it’s okay. Planning will allow for those setbacks and keep you moving forward once you have overcome the setback. Be intentional in that planning effort to make the challenges and disruptions shorter and the recovery from them, fast.

Sounds easy but it requires discipline and attention to the process. If my history and success has taught me anything, it is that the process and systems we use to achieve success are as deserving of praise as the actual results achieved. Too often I meet salespeople or business owners who are exasperated with the results, or lack of them, in the sales organization. What is equally as common in those situations is to have an undefined system to repeat success or define the process(es) of achieving it in the first place.

Enter, intentionality for sales. For a salesperson to win new business, there are only a few ways they can achieve that win: someone else hands them the prospect (marketing generated), a referral (personal network and relationship building), or prospecting & outreach (networking). When an organization wants to sell more and none of these avenues for winning new business are being leveraged, it’s not surprising that sales are either stagnant, or worse, declining. A company who is growing exponentially they are approaching all aspects of their business with these 3 avenues for winning new business in mind. Attracting talent via marketing/ referrals/ and prospecting. Selecting new vendors based on marketing/ referrals/ and prospecting. Selling via marketing/referrals…I think you get the idea.

Bringing this full circle, what should a person do 1st if none of these new business development solutions are currently in place? Largely, for salespeople in businesses with limited headcount in each department (Think <10 people in any department), I suggest starting with prospecting and personal marketing.