Wednesday, May 16, 2007

The Rut

After 11 years in sales I can say that I have encountered my fair share of ruts. Many times we don't realize we are in a rut until long after we've been in one. I can guarantee I am not the only one! Sales people are prone to ruts. In fact, if you claim you've never been in one you're probably doing a really good job fooling yourself. Ruts range from a small impact on your numbers (when caught quickly) to near catastrophic impact if left to run their course. The faster we realize we are in a rut the more likely we will be to survive unscathed.



There are only subtle signs of a rut at first. Your sales calls become robotic, you say the same thing you always said that got you sales in the past but with no passion behind it. Day to day execution of your customer interactions lack fervor and poise. You lose the joy in your experiences as a sales person. Sales start to dip down.


The longer you stay in that stagnant pattern the more your everyday performance drops. If you are lucky enough to realize what is happening at this point you can make a change. If you do not see the early signs then you start to see a significant drop in performance. The most common comment by sales people at this point is... "I'm doing the same what I always did" "This always worked before" When you hear yourself saying this, the first thing you need to do is examine just how much heart you are putting into every customer interaction. More often than not we realize that we have let ourselves become complacent about our customer relationships and salesmanship.


The best way to get out of a slump is to force yourself out of your comfort zone. Shock your system with something new. Either a new approach or travel along with (or listen along) with a sales person you know that is really enjoying their sales experience (They will need the same from you at some point I'm sure.). Look for new ways to renew your passion for sales and for the product or service you represent. Try competing with a fellow sales person or challenge yourself to hit new goals. There is always something new that will renew your spirits.


Better than getting out of a slump is avoiding them all together. Much easier said then done I know. Avoiding a slump is much the same as keeping a marriage fresh. Try new things (stay with me now), keep challenging yourself everyday, focus on personal goals that will only be achieved by reaching new sales heights and be keenly aware of each sales call so as to not let complacency creep in.




Good Selling,




Eric


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