This issue is devoted to the many folks out there who are battling with the effects of the current recession and retrenchment - whether they are directly affected or perhaps know a friend or family member who has just lost his or her sales position, everybody knows somebody who is taking strain.

It takes a great deal of courage to "keep on keeping on" in the face of adversity. As salesfolks we need to draw on our innermost strength in order to get out there every day and SELL rather than shuffling papers back at the office. Now is NOT the time to tidy up your filing system or your customer database. Now is the time for sales action.

We need to immerse ourselves in motivational books, tapes, CD's - whatever it takes to stay focused on selling. We need to stay away from the negative energy vampires who can drain us, that is if you're not the type of person who gathers even more personal sales strength from encouraging and motivating others around them.

Be a beacon of light in your sales team and your company - now is the time that the rest of the organisation is looking towards the sales team to bring in new business and hold onto existing customers - it's not the time to sit back and coast because "there's no sales out there" or panic and go mad on sending out unqualified proposals which are a complete waste of time. It's a time to get scientific about what to do as a team, to knuckle down, to get creative and support each other.  It's time for top management to really get behind the sales team and give them all the support they need.  If pricing strategies and production needs to adapt to a changing marketplace, it must be done. Whatever it takes.

ALL of us can and will get through the tough times. Just don't give up.

Regards
Suzanne Burgess

It's been advertised. It's all the media wants to talk about.  It's had an impact on the company you run or work for. Your customers and clients have been affected. Your home and investments have lost value. The recession is here, in full force, and there isn't a single sign that it's going to improve soon.  So what must you do to not only survive this down-turn, but thrive in it as well? Here are my top 10:

10. Choose your news - read only what you want to know about.

9.   Don't fret over your assets - they'll be back in time.

8.   Don't empathise.  Empathise with prospects' problems, not their excuses.

7.   Sell value.  If ever there was a time for you to learn how to really sell value it's now.  If your product or service saves them money or adds money to their top line then you should be immune to a spending freeze or a hold.

6.   Add value.  Prevent losing accounts, clients and customers by adding value to the way you service them.  Bring them something of value when you call or visit, something that will help them to be more effective, more productive, or more happy.

5.   Stuff your pipeline.  If you are having trouble getting prospects to pull the trigger, don't ignore them, but refocus your energy on filling your pipeline.

4.   Out work everyone else.  Salespeople are getting discouraged, frustrated and giving up.  That gives you a tremendous advantage over your competitors.

3.   Compelling Reasons.  When going back to prospects to determine if you can get them closed, don't push; pull - remind them of their compelling reasons to take action.

2.  Accountability. If you don't have a boss that can/will hold you accountable, ask someone else to hold you accountable for hitting specific metrics that drive sales.

1. Hold vs. Lost.  You haven't lost business to your competitors, your pipeline is simply on hold until after the New Year.  There's a big difference between lost and delayed. Sure, we'd all rather have everything close but delayed is better than the other alternative!

Dave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of the Objective Management Group, Inc., the leading developer of sales assessment tools, headquartered in Westboro, Massachusetts. He is also the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a leading sales force development firm.  He possesses more than 30 years of experience in all facets of sales training, sales management and consulting.

Some tips may seem obvious but we've seen every single "rule" broken when it comes to CV's!  Rather aim for your CV to stand out for its professionalism and your sales achievements, and NOT zooty creativity when it comes to submitting a professional sales-related CV.

Whilst there is no research proving that someone who has beautifully presented CV can actually sell, it does tell us about your attention to detail, self-image, writing skills, and ability to prepare well. More ..

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee in most cases, its just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.

What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... and then began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee."

~author unknown

 

 

When things go wrong as they sometimes will
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill.
When funds are low and the debts are high.
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit.
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns.
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.

Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems so far:
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

~Author unknown

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