Make more phone calls: Selling is a numbers game.



A great attitude certainly opens up opportunities,

but you also have to call as many people as

possible. It's simple math--the more people you

call, the higher the number of positive responses

you'll get. A higher activity level increases

your ability to connect with customers.

Qualified your sales calls: You won't close sales

by calling on people who are not qualified to

make the deal. If a prospect has no authority to

make a decision, you have to ask tough questions

like, "Is there anybody besides yourself who is

involved in this decision that I should speak

with?" Don't be afraid to call from the top down;

the big guns just might take your call and direct

you to the person who handles your type of

product or service.

Forgetting to listen: Salespeople make this

mistake many times--they're so busy thinking

about what they're going to say next, they forget

to listen to what the prospect is telling them.

In my November column, I talked about asking

smart questions. It's not only asking questions

that counts--it's also getting prospects to

expand on their answers and learning from what

they say. Don't get so excited about what you're

selling that you talk too much and stop listening.

Manage your time well: Not closing enough deals

is a time-management issue. It's important to

keep your goals in sight, to be able to see the

big picture, and to know where you are in every

customer's sales cycle. It helps to have a visual

reminder in front of you, perhaps a goal board or

a diagram showing you what you need to do every

day and how much time should be allotted to each

activity. This will help you know when you should

be closing. It's better to ask for the order

early than not to ask at all.

Overcoming rejections and setbacks: Everyone

experiences rejections and setbacks. Deals that

have been in the works for months or even years

fall through. A sale that seems like a sure thing

turns out to be dead in the water. If you take

this rejection personally, it will diminish your

enthusiasm and hinder you from moving on to the

next sale. The most successful salespeople are

able to shake off their disappointment and keep

right on going. The reason most salespeople let

rejection get to them goes back to mistake No. 1:

They don't have enough activity to fall back on

or other prospects to call. It's not failing or

falling that's the problem--it's the inability to

get back up again. The secret to dealing with

setbacks is finding the positive after a negative

encounter. Let that "No" motivate you to figure

out a different approach so you'll get a "Yes."