Details (yuck!) are the bane of a sales professional's existence.
None of us wants to crunch puny little numbers throughout the day. Save that for the accountants who eat that stuff up.
Let us be free to sell, sell, and sell some more. The only puny numbers we're interested in are numbers like 'ones' and 'zeros', as in the number one followed by lots and lots of zeros. Give us a nice round number like $1,000,000 … that'll put a smile on the faces of just about every professional who sells!
Ah, but here's the rub … those puny, little numbers hold captive the secrets to getting to the big round numbers, sooner rather than later.
Now, read closely and let your mind think about possibilities as the power of puny, little numbers is revealed.
A well-known, rarely implemented truth in the world of sales professionals is this…
What You Can Measure, You Can Manage...
What You Can Manage You Can Improve...
Dramatically!
Let's start with little numbers like 10 and 1. As you review your call ratios for the year, you may find that you smile, you dial, and you make about 10 cold calls a day—around 50 cold, prospecting calls per week.
And you see that at the end of your time on the phone, you average about 1 appointment for every 10 cold calls.
You close roughly 1 out of every 2 people you meet with. When all is said and done at the end of the year, these puny little numbers of appointments result in sales that yield a pretty good income for you, around $70,000.
Now, let's say you want to double your income. Yep, as the new year rolls around, you decide you want to double your income, making it $140,000.
The secret to reaching your goal is hidden in the numbers. Sure, your call ratios and salary may be much higher (or lower) than the numbers used in this example. No worries, simply plug your numbers into these equations to determine your desired outcome.
Being in control of our goals is one of many wonderful things we like about the profession of sales, isn't it? We know the only thing standing between our dreams and us is our level of skill. We're glad to gobble up any tips, tools, and techniques that'll improve our seemingly magical talents that are the envy of others ... especially those who think they don't have the skills to give away ice water in the Sahara!
OK, as we look at just the numbers, you can reach your goal of $140,000 of take home pay by doubling one of a couple of puny numbers.
> You can learn how to double the number of appointments you get from your dials, so you get 2 appointments out of every 10 dials.
> You can learn how to double the number of sales you close, and make sure you get business from 2 out of every 2 people you meet with.
Hmm. Makes you pause and think doesn't it?
Here's a bonus tip for you …
As we closely scrutinize where these numbers come from, we might even find that if you changed the level of your approach call, you could do even better! Imagine what would happen to your sales if you added a few executive-level sales calls to the mix and spent your time talkin' to The Top Dogs with unlimited ability to sign off on big deals!
Makes the goal of doubling your salary next year seem possible, doesn't it?
In brief, you can double your income by learning how to:
1. Double the appointments you get from your dials
2. Double the sales you close during appointments
3. Double the size of your sales as you elevate the level of your point of entry … and talk to "The Top Dogs" first
So, next time you're tempted to skim over the puny numbers in favor of the big round ones, slow yourself down, and take a close look at those little guys.
Determine where you want to focus your efforts to double your income. Do you want to double your call/appointment ratios; double your closing ratios; or elevate your prospecting calls to the top decision makers?
If you take the time to think, really think about these numbers, you'll be amazed to find that doubling your take home pay in 2006 is much, much closer than you think!
Forward this article to friends—they'll thank you for it!
For your FREE mini-course "Jealously Guarded Secrets to Cold Calling Company Presidents" visit http://www.ColdCallingExecutives.com! Or call Your Sales Coach for Extreme Profitability, author/speaker Leslie Buterin (like butterin' bread) at (816) 554-3674 9-3 CST (that's Kansas City/Chicago Time).
No comments:
Post a Comment