Written for The Burnside News
It's time to take stock of where you are. 2011 was an exciting year for Nova Scotia. Where other parts of the world are struggling, the news has been optimistic here. Some businesses are thriving; others are hoping to thrive in the coming months and years with the rising tide of the shipbuilding contract. What are you going to do in 2012?
Hoping will not help you to meet your goals in 2012. Only targeted goals with the accompanying behaviors will ensure you meet your objectives. If you choose to set these goals, here are five things you can do to bolster your success:
- Think big. There are many business opportunities and people need what you (and your competitors) have to sell. The question is, "Who is going to get to them first?" Will it be you... or your competitor? Don't limit your planning to what you believe the market can support. Develop big goals and a big plan. The ‘pie' may be larger, but so is the competition. Even if you aim high and miss the mark, you're still better off than if you aim low and hit it.
- Plan your attack. Who will you pursue? What are the characteristics of your ideal prospects? Do they look like your existing clients? Or do changing market conditions and demands require you to paint a new picture? Anticipate changing needs and ‘test the waters' with your clients now. It's better to be a little early than to be too late.
- Develop a compelling message. When you implement your big plan, you'll be interacting with people who may not be familiar with your company. To get their interest, you'll need a compelling ‘marketing' message that focuses on the challenges of your prospect, not on your products or services.
- Increase your visibility. Prospects can't do business with you if they don't know who you are or where to find you. You need to ‘get in front of them' in person or by phone, then follow up on a regular basis with mail or email. You must buy their ‘top of mind' awareness with your presence.
- Refine your skills. Getting a bigger slice of the pie requires that you identify, qualify and develop opportunities in the shortest time possible. Be more discerning about where you invest your time. Use specific criteria to judge the value of an opportunity and invest your time in high-value prospects. A formalized selling approach in a step-by-step process helps you become more selective. The objective is to weed out, ASAP, those opportunities that can't ‘take you to the bank'.
You can't control the business landscape in 2012, but you can control the manner by which you navigate it.
©2012 Sandler Training Inc. (www.atlantic.sandler.com) is an international sales and management training/consulting firm. For a free copy of Why Salespeople Fail And What To Do About It, call the Sandler Training at 902-468-0787 or e-mail salescareers@sandler.com
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