In my thirty years of selling, my sales have never had a downturn during a recession. Have I ever experienced a sales slowdown ever? Of course! I'd be lying if I told you anything else. But I've never had this happen during a recession. As a matter of fact I STARTED my business during a downturn in the early 1990s. Remember the Savings and Loan crisis in America? I didn't really connect the dots between that economic event and starting a business. It just never occurred to me that the timing would be wrong. So my first 18 months, I simply built momentum to achieve an income that tied with one of my best years of sales in the corporate world.
Now it's 2008 and there's recession talk again.
THER MOS PA
If you are in sales, it doesn't have to negatively affect you. It's really up to you. You can choose to be a thermostat of sales results, not a thermometer. A thermometer measures temperature - like you finding your sales going up in a good economy or down in a downturn. A thermostat controls the temperature in your home - like you deciding to take some actions to regulate your own sales results.
If your thermostat wasn't working in your home or office, you wouldn't be uncomfortable with its ups and downs would you? Wouldn't you do something to either repair it or replace it?
There are seven things I've found that top producers do during a recession that don't have them falling victim to all the chatter. Look these as the seven things you need to do to regulate your thermostat.
First, Step away from the talk. Any negative talk about this is going to pull you right into the vortex of a downward spiral. Take actions that get you away from the gloom and doom.
Second, Flex more muscles. Now is the best time to look at all the ways you get prospects - and start revving up the way that works best for you. This could involve speaking in public, referrals, networking, etc. What is your #1 sales generator method?
Three, Be renewed. Look at your relationships, resize, repeat, or repackage your sales approach. What avenues can you renew?
Four, Invest in yourself. NOW is not the time to have your head in the sand, or turn the other cheek when considering new ideas and professional development.
Five, Treat yourself. There is so much truth in that clichéd expression, "Fail to plan, plan to fail." Strategy - such as resizing, repeating, repackaging, and the corresponding tactics along with them, are important now. Stop from your constant state of 'doing' and make time for some strategic planning.
Six, Take a more global perspective. Weather is different all over the world. When examining the size of your sales world, is there a larger or different territory that you could be exploring to expand into?
Seven, Follow up like your life depends on it - because it may!
Each of these seven thinking and action steps will have its own article over the next few weeks that will go into some detail on what, why and how you want to make it happen. You can be a thermostat during this down economy talk. Just make sure you're keeping the temperature above freezing!
Top Salespeople Secrets to Success During a Down Economy - Crank Up The Thermostat
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THER MOS PA
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