Boost your sales performance: work smart

Personally I would always choose a modestly talented individual (a Gary Player, if you will), who has focus and discipline, over a hugely talented individual who lacks application.

So, whatever your level of talent, your level of success will always be linked to your level of effort. BUT, and it is a big but, there are plenty of hardworking salespeople who underperform, because they work on all the wrong things.

Here are a few suggestions on working smart:

Follow the money:

First, pick a sales job that offers a reasonable prospect of earning serious money. Selling cardboard boxes to avocado pear farmers may not do it. Selling 10 000 call centre headsets to a bank may do it. Selling a R200 Million ERP software installation to SARS will definitely do it. So the first step along the road to sales and financial success, is picking the right job.

1. Focus your energy and effort:

   Time and energy are scarce resources. Use them carefully and focus your attention on accounts that are worth the effort; accounts where you have a chance of winning; accounts where you have existing relationships; accounts that need what you can deliver; accounts that pay well, and accounts that treat suppliers with respect.

   Avoid the “Baboon in a mielie field syndrome”, rushing around and half-selling hundreds of prospects. Be ruthless and disciplined. Walk away from bad deals and customers from hell.

   Marshall your resources:

   Now that your sales efforts are highly focused, marshall all of the resources at your disposal, and customer knowledge is the most valuable resource of all. Customers are much more interested in what you know about their business, than what you know about your products.

   Use this knowledge to craft offerings that enhance the customers business by reducing risk, eliminating costs, improving quality and productivity or capitalising on opportunities.

   In short, become a customer advocate, a trusted advisor, a true sales professional. There are not many out there. After every customer engagement leave the customer thinking - “Gee that guy/gal really knows their stuff. I derived real value from that meeting.”

It takes discipline and hard work, but YOU CAN DO IT!!!