Sooner or later, it happens to every sales professional: The dreaded sales slump. Any salesperson who has had success can be successful again by following these nine time-proven techniques.
1. Accept Responsibility
Salespeople are good at finger-pointing. The reason for “the last lost sale” gets projected to every sale as an excuse for lagging performance. Salespeople love to blame company marketing. They blame the quality of leads, their financing program, the economy, their customers. They blame everything and look everywhere but in the mirror for an explanation of their slump.
Yet, as a salesperson, it is in the mirror where you must look. Until you accept personal responsibility for your sales performance, the slump will continue. By avoiding responsibility, you are avoiding the need to identify and repair any problems.
2. Rule Out Poor Technique
When an athlete is in a slump, the first thing a coach does is review technique. The coach examines the mechanics of the bat swing, the golf swing, the tennis serve, etc. Sometimes, all it takes to come out of the slump is an adjustment to a bad habit the athlete has slipped into.
You can take the same approach by videoing your sales presentation. This can be done solo or in a role-play situation. Go over it and look for the unforced errors. Are the trial closes off? Are objections properly handled? Do you ask for the order? It is surprising how many salespeople fail to ask for the order. Poor technique is the easiest thing to fix.
3. Solicit a Ride Along
When technique has been ruled out, it’s time to get another set of eyes on your performance. Ask another salesperson to ride along on a sales presentation to identify problems and areas were improvements can be made.
In addition, ask to ride along with a salesperson who is in the zone. Observe what the successful salesperson is doing that could be incorporated into your game.
4. Focus on the Process
Alabama football coach Nick Saban talks continually about the importance of the process. Saban says, “It’s the journey that’s important. You can’t worry about end results. It’s about what you control, every minute of every day. You always have to have a winning attitude and discipline in practices, weight training, conditioning, in the classroom, in everything. It’s a process.”
No salesperson can control the outcome of a sales presentation, but every salesperson can control activity. Set activity-based goals that are part of the process. Measure what can be controlled and ensure the activity is there. Do not lie to yourself or take shortcuts. Follow the process, and the results will come.
5. Break Ruts By Breaking Routines
A sales slump is a rut. To break out of a rut, it helps to break out of the routine. Drive a different way to the shop. Change something about your appearance. Change what and where you eat. Do something different.
Changing a routine can also work in your sales presentation but do so with care. For example, if you are pricing out the least-expensive option because you are certain people do not have the money for today’s HVAC systems, try quoting top-of-the-line across the board with all of the bells and whistles.
6. Eliminate Fear
When approaching a sale during a slump, it is natural to be afraid. Fear must be driven from your mind. If you do not make the sale, you are no worse off than before, so there is nothing to lose. There is no reason not to go for it.
7. Avoid the News
The news is rarely good. “Man does well” is never a news headline. The news media is all about disaster, division, and disruption. It is the last thing you need to feed your mind during a slump. Sales legend Zig Ziglar noted, “You are what you are and where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You can change what you are and where you are by changing what goes into your mind.”
Instead of the news, read or listen to books on selling. Read books on the industry like, “HVAC Spells Wealth” by Ron Smith and “The E-Myth HVAC Contractor” by Ken Goodrich and Michael Gerber. Look for videos by positive, motivational speakers.
8. Positive Self-Talk
Along with feeding yourself with positive, optimistic information, work on your self-talk. Drive out any negative self-talk. If you blow a sale, do not say to yourself, “Why do I always do that?” Instead, say to yourself, “That’s not like me.”
Positive self-talk programs your subconscious, which will help drive you toward the outcomes you are feeding it. More powerful than self-talk is visualization. This is how we file memories. We think in terms of images and scenes. Visualize yourself making the sale. Visualize yourself winning the sales award. Visualize yourself buying the new car or home with your commissions. Visualization works. The clearer and more powerful the visualization, the more effective it will be.
9. Put in the Work
Of course, all of the positive self-talk and visualization in the world will not help if you fail to put in the work. This is more than just following the process. It means getting up earlier, working later, and network for leads. If the company is not feeding you enough leads, take responsibility for generating your own and put in the work to make it happen.
Remember, all slumps are temporary. That is why they are called slumps. Follow the nine steps outlined here, and you will break through your slump and emerge as a more effective salesperson on the other side.
