As we head into the holidays, you’re probably reviewing your year and wondering what you can do to have an even better 2012. Here are three areas you can focus on that will pay you huge dividends in the year ahead
1) Focus on building an attitude that expects success. Your number one priority for the New Year should be to do everything you can do to develop, protect, and nurture a contagiously enthusiastic attitude. The ultimate key to success in this and every year is your ability maintain a positive attitude. Think about all the negative people you’re going to run into today, this week and this month. Are you going to infect them with your positive, can do attitude, or are you going to get more and more negative with each phone call? IT IS UP TO YOU!!
Starting this week, get into the habit of feeding your mind and attitude daily with affirmations, by listening to motivational CD’s, by reading two pages a day in a positive book, and by goal setting. If you haven’t read books like, “The Success Principles” by Jack Canfield, or “Beyond Positive Thinking” by Dr. Robert Anthony, then go to Amazon and order them today.
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2) Sharpen Your Sales Skills. Let’s face it – there is no room for error in today’s selling environment. Sloppy sales presentations, poorly qualified leads, and just plain lazy or bad habits are going to make you miserable in your job in 2012. You must, and I mean must, learn, practice and use effective sales techniques that will allow you to identify buyers and then deliver effective presentations to close more business.
The Top 20% will do well because they already use effective skills and spend time getting better, but the bottom 80% are going to struggle. I would say that up to one quarter of all sales reps will lose their jobs in 2012 because they won’t improve enough to make it in today’s competitive marketplace.
What are YOU doing now to improve your skills each day? Obviously there are many good books and training CD’s on the market, but if you are really committed to improving, then start by learning and using better scripts. You can get over 220 scripts by investing in my best-selling book, “The Ultimate Book of Phone Scripts.” See it here.
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3) Start Listening To Your Prospects. Now more than ever, it’s crucially important that you learn how to connect with your prospects and show them you really care about what they’re going through and what their needs are. 80% of your competition is going to pitch and pitch and pitch, and this is going to turn off the people they are trying to sell. The Top 20% are going to take the time to understand the choices their prospects and clients have and they’re going to find ways to help them. And it all begins with listening.
People are going to buy from people they like, know and trust, and the best way to build this rapport is by asking questions and actually listening to their answers. I’ve written many articles on listening skills, and you can see many of them here. Whatever you do, though, you must begin showing your prospects you care, and best way to do that is by learning how to listen.
So there you have it. Three simple things you can do that will guarantee you success in 2012. Just remember, 80% of your competition won’t do these things but if you will you will out sell and out-perform them in sales. In fact, you will become a Top 20% producer, and I’ll bet that will make your 2012 successful, won’t it?
So commit to yourself today and start implementing these three techniques. Believe me, this time next year, you’ll be glad you did!
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Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales, works with business owners and inside sales reps nationwide teaching them the skills, strategies and techniques of top 20% performance.
He offers a FREE audio program designed to help you double your income selling over the phone, as well as an internationally acclaimed FREE ezine. If you’re looking to catapult your sales, or create a sales team that actually makes their monthly revenues, then learn how by visiting: http://www.MrInsideSales.com