When the going gets tough, great salespeople get tougher.

  When the going gets tough, do you get going or do you just go away and wish this talk of a struggling economy would stop? Tough economic times quickly separate average salespeople  from excellent salespeople. Everyone can sell in good times, however, it’s the truly excellent salesperson that figures out a way to make quota during the tough times. Here are some best practices from excellent salespeople who sell in spite of the economy. a. Top salespeople watch their self-talk. You know---that chatter in your brain that says, “no one is buying, people are only buying on price, no one is making any decisions. The excellent salesperson knows he/she is in charge of their brain and chooses not to rent space to such worthless dialogue. Their chatter restates the facts and says, “someone is buying and I am great at finding prospects with money. Or, I can outwork and outsmart my competitors--- who are at home watching Dr. Phil." b. Top salespeople evaluate every sales activity and its’ ROI. The excellent sales professional knows that tough economic times requires kicking up the sales activity plan to get more prospects in the pipeline to offset longer buying cycles. They make sure every networking activity is worth their time. Yes, it’s fun to go to lunch with a friend, however, it’s more productive to set up a lunch with a potential referral partner, a good client or prospect. c. Top salespeople manage their time well.   Top producers know that every wasted minute and hour takes away from their prosperity. These salespeople make daily to do lists, figure out the three highest value activities for the day and then execute. They don’t say nonsense like, ‘the  plan is all in my head,’ because top producers know plans in the head stay in the head!   Top producers know that writing down goals, with a deadline, increases completion of the goal by over 80%. d. Top salespeople get over themselves.   Instead of worrying about their sales woes, the excellent salesperson is constantly asking him/herself how to they can help their customers. They set up meetings with customers during tough economic times to find out what other resources might be of value to their customers, outside of their service offerings. Then they follow through and make it happen! The result is trusted advisor status which leads to client retention, referrals and raving fans. Good Selling! Colleen Stanley Chief Selling Officer