Forget The Economy | Promotional Consultant

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Forget The Economy
By: Nathan Jamail
Issue: May 2009

Making 2009 your best year in sales is easier than you may think. Many companies are having a good start and are choosing not to participate in the recession. They are not using blind optimism; rather they are choosing to take control of their company’s economy.

It is the economy between your ears that will affect you and your company’s success more than the national economy. As soon as you realize that what you think and how you act determines your success more than what’s in the news, then you can start experiencing the same level of confidence and success as organizations or individuals who are thriving in the recession.

In business, like in life, people will get what they are willing to accept. Don’t accept less—commit to getting more, and you and your team will.

Following are three areas on which to concentrate to take control of your own economy. These include:

Fight The Power Of New
It’s going to take strong sales leadership and coaching to help companies increase sales in 2009. Leaders who are willing to do what they know and fight the “power of new” will win by increasing sales. The power of new can be defined as a new program that fades away after about 60 days—when the newness wears off and it starts to look like a lot of work. Then the team goes back to doing what they did before.

Fighting the power of new takes a strong leader and a commitment to keeping the team excited and motivated. Don’t let your sales program go into the black hole of great programs that fade away.

Go Back To The Basics
The key to success in sales is similar to victory in sports. Trick plays and last minute Hail Mary passes don’t win games; rather it is the execution and focus on the basics— blocking, running and tackling. In sales leadership, the basics are coaching, practicing and accountability.

• Practice Program: Turn your weekly sales meetings into practice sessions. Commit to 45 minutes of practicing a selling skill, not just delivering product information. Fight the temptation to assume your sales teams don’t need to practice because they have been selling for years. The difference between an amateur and professional is not tenure but a commitment to practice and getting better. The top reps should practice the most. Implement a daily roleplay program, just like a golfer who goes to the driving range before every tournament, or professional teams that practice before each game.

• Coaching Program: Conduct weekly one-on-one meetings with reps. Hold each person accountable for achieving a pre-determined activity level to ensure their success. We hold the professional sports superstars to higher standards and expect more from them at games and at practice. In sales we should do the same. Don’t leave your superstars alone because everyone thinks they know what they’re doing. You should be willing to invest in helping your top salesperson reach the next level—if not, someone else will. The greatest thing a sales leader can do for his or her team is hold each person accountable for getting to the next level; and accept nothing less.

• Building the Bench: Start building the bench by conducting weekly or bi-weekly interviews with your sales staff to ensure that you have the best players on your team. Focus your teams’ efforts on prospecting for new customers and growing your existing customer base. Ask yourself: “Knowing what I know today, would I re-hire this person for my team?” If your answer is “no,” then do something about it. Help the employee become the person you would hire, or hire someone you know can help your team. In this recession it’s going to take great leaders to make the tough decisions to build a winning sales team.

Focus
Focus can be your greatest advantage. Many company leaders and employees are distracted by the constant bad news about the economy. Use the distraction to your advantage. While some organizations worry about how to hold out until this economic downturn is over, winning companies will focus on how to take advantage of the current economy and will implement their own economic stimulus package.

Employees are looking for answers and guidance on how they are going to succeed during these tough times. A leader must show their sales team how to create their own success. Develop and implement a plan that shows your team what they are going to do to increase their sales.

Many successful leaders will tell you that you can have more success in a down economy than an up economy. This is determined by the focus of the leaders. Determine your plan for success and explain to your team why and how it will be done.

The economy can be the greatest excuse for failure or the greatest motivator to succeed. The choice is yours.

Nathan Jamail, president of the Jamail Development Group and author of The Sales Leaders Playbook, is a motivational speaker, entrepreneur and corporate coach. As a former executive director for Sprint, and business owner of several small businesses, Jamail travels the country helping individuals and organizations achieve maximum success. His clients include Radio Shack, Nationwide Insurance, Metro PCS and Century 21. To contact him, visit www.nathanjamail.com or call 972-377-0030.