One is a very tiny number. However, it can have a tremendous
impact on your revenues. Here are some ideas to consider:
Make one more cold call every day. One extra call a day
equals 260 calls in a year. How many meetings could you set up with this number
of calls and how many of those meetings could you turn into sales? Consider
your current conversion ratio and think of the impact on your business.
Suggest one additional item to every customer. This is
particularly important if you sell lower-priced items or work in a retail
environment. Too many salespeople are focused only on getting the initial sale.
However, almost everyone has additional items, products or services that could
benefit their customers.
Invest one day a month developing your skills. Many of the
most successful people in business invest in themselves. They attend workshops,
conferences, and participate in webinars and tele-seminars on a regular basis.
Considering that the majority of people don’t invest in developing their
skills, you can quickly out-pace your coworkers and competition.
Read one book every month. Expanding your knowledge will
help you become more successful. Read books related to your industry or that
will provide insight to helping you improve your skills in a specific area.
Ask one more question during each sales call. Before you
starting “pitching” your product or service, ask your prospect one more
question. This question might give you the additional insight you need to more
effectively position your product or service.
Pause for one moment longer than usual before responding to
a prospect’s question or request. Known as the pregnant pause, this often
prompts the other person to blurt out something they had not intended to say.
The secret behind this strategy is that most people are uncomfortable with
silence and will begin talking to fill the “dead” air space.
Get to the office one hour early. Remember the expression
“The early bird gets the worm.” That one extra hour first thing in the morning
can be the most productive time of the day. You have a better chance to reach
decision-makers, there are fewer distractions and you can often achieve more in
that 60 minutes than in several hours.
Address objections one more time before giving up. Too many
salespeople give up too soon when faced with objections. I’m not suggesting
that you beat your customer into submission in order to close the sale.
However, I do recommend that you tackle each objection one more time before you
give up.
Send one more e-mail to the prospect who’s been sitting on
the fence. Sometimes, people need that little push and encouragement to move
forward. But, in many cases, their time is occupied by other projects and
priorities which means that they’re not focused on your solution. Gentle
reminders are often appreciated, providing you don’t follow up so frequently
that you appear to be stalking them. Even though they may not be ready to make
that particular buying decision, you’ll help keep your name in their mind.
Ask for an endorsement or testimonial one more time.
Endorsements and testimonials are greatly under utilized by most people in
business today. Quite often we ask a client for a testimonial but because they
have other priorities, they forget. Call them or send an e-mail and politely
request the testimonial again.
Suggest one more idea to help customers improve their
business. Schedule a breakfast meeting or lunch with your customers, but
instead of trying to sell them something, focus on learning more about their
particular challenges. Offer solutions that don’t include your products or
services. Your customers will begin to see you more as a partner than a
supplier.
Send one more thank-you card or note. Very few salespeople
make the effort to thank their customers. You can stand out from the crowd by
sending handwritten notes to thank customers for their most recent order,
meeting with you or sending an on-time payment. You can also send a note when
you see their company mentioned favorably in the media.
Although it’s a tiny number, one can make a very powerful
impact both on your top-line sales and bottom-line profits. One extra sale
every day, week or month, depending on your business, can make a significant
impact on your sales by the end of the year.
Kelley Robertson, President of the Robertson Training Group,
works with businesses to increase their sales and motivate their employees.www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com
