Every seller has struggled making quota at one time in their career. The reasons it happens are endless, ranging from losing a large client, unrealistic quota, market shift, competitors to bad pipeline management. The stress to hit the goal can become overwhelming. Here are some steps to help you turn it around.
“You are hired. You walk in on Monday and sit down at your desk. Walk me through how you will be successful in this job, starting with the first day.” This is a simple go-to question I use when hiring salespeople; but it is surprisingly difficult to answer.
As reps, we frequently make the mistake of providing a smorgasbord of options believing the more choices we offer, the better chance we have of meeting the buyer's needs and closing the deal. What happens to the buyer?
How do you know when to close? Creating a checklist is a simple way to help sellers recognize when they should be closing. A Ready to Close list is a set of high-level actions that should happen for an opportunity to close.
Asking for money is the most challenging part of sales. Weak closing skills prevent decent sellers becoming good/great sellers. Closing is intimidating enough to keep some people altogether away from sales. If you research how to close, the number of ways to close is a staggering, proving there's no shortage on how to ask for the deal. In my training, I preach continual closing to get buy-in as the meeting progresses to diminish the level of uncertainty and angst leading to the close.
To ensure you hit the finish line in 12 months, you need to make sure your top sellers are off to a great start. One of my favorite bosses, Kirk MacDonald, told me you always ride your big horses. Riding your big horses harder goes further than trying to get the others to catch up. Here is how you ensure your top sellers are prepared for the new year.
