Sales Performance – E. M. Gray (Covey, 1992) when studying a common denominator of successful people found that ‘the successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don’t like to do’. And in a modern sales context, one must identify what duties and functions should in fact be done regularly, but in reality are not?
• Updating your company blog for online thought leadership profiling
• Cold Calling and Prospecting
• Documentation Filing
• Sector Knowledge & Research
• Sales Networking
• CPD – Training and Education
• Account Planning
• Educating Customers
These functions may not be urgent and thus are perceived to have low value, however from a long term analyses, these are the ‘things failures don’t like to do’. These functions and even populating the company CRM should be incorporated into any Sales Performance Metric. Yes, the basic metrics are highly important, but organisations and sales manager need to look way beyond 12 months.
It is important to reflect on your own behaviours, communication style, psychometrics and to reflect on your ‘daily energy levels’. When are your energy levels high? When are they lower? When your energy levels are high, this is where you should spend some of your day addressing some of the important strategic metrics identified above. Remember, how can I add value? How informed do I have to be, can I brush up on sector knowledge, how many prospect calls do I have to make, how many networking events should I attend, how do I educate my customers, add value and make their job easier?
Add some of these functions into your day when your energy levels are high and you will become that consultative seller a buyer can’t do without. In time and with determination you will see the long term benefits of Metrics Planning, Reflection and Analyses.
Remember, if you need help with any aspect of your Sales process, consultancy, lead generation (digital and traditional), metrics, motivation, etc. Reach out, send me a mail (diarmuid@digitalsales.ie) or give the team a call.
Diarmuid Haughian – Business Development Director – Digital Sales
Dip. International Selling, Cert. Digital Marketing, MSc. BITS, MA Career Guidance
