The DOG DAY’s of Summer is in full swing, and while many people will spend their days relaxing by the pool, millions of salespeople will be on the phone, the computer, or in a business meeting somewhere. If you happen to be one of those salespeople, don’t get discouraged. Summer can be a great time to get things done and move your sales career forward, so that when the leaves begin to change you’ll be a step ahead of everybody else.
As usual, from the Home Office in Death Valley, California,
Here are the Top Ten Things
All Salespeople Should do this Summer
10. Make one more call
I don’t mean to sound like an old sales manager, but longer daylight hours mean it still feels a bit early even when late. Make one extra call even when you think you’re done for the day and these calls will start to add up. And, your prospect won’t think you’re calling too late because it’ll still be light out.
9. Write down your goals
As we have talked about many times before, A goal without a plan is just a dream, so spend some time writing down what you want to accomplish and, more importantly, how you intend to accomplish it. Break down bigger goals into smaller, more attainable ones, and work backwards from there.
8. Take some sales training courses
You might already be a great salesperson, but even the most skeptical among us can always take something valuable away from sales training. Even if it helps you close one more deal a year, it’s probably still worth it.
7. Listen more
The best salespeople are excellent listeners, and even though the rest of us know that, very few of us are able to develop superior listening skills. If you want to close more deals, take the summertime to focus on becoming the best listener you’ve ever met.
6. Network
This is another area where many salespeople fall short. Networking events might seem insufferable, but a resourceful salesperson can walk away from any event with some valuable contacts and knows how to build on the relationship.
5. Clean up dead opportunities
Knowing what isn’t the right opportunity is just as important as knowing what is, so take some time this summer to clean up all of the junk in your CRM and in your mind. Stop wasting time with deals that won’t close and put your energies into ones that will.
4. Use some new technology
There are tons of new technologies being developed for salespeople. Even if you don’t tend to like trying new tech, give something new a shot this summer. In many cases, you’ll wonder how you ever went without it.
3. Take some time off
Working long hours can be a requirement in some sales jobs, but you need to give yourself some time off regularly as well. Taking a vacation allows you to recharge your batteries and come back to work well-rested and motivated.
2. Friday is for closing
Yes. I love Fridays, especially Friday afternoons. I love them for selling and especially in the summer. You get to close more deals on Fridays because people want to get this off their plate before the weekend.
Sure, a lot of people are out Friday afternoons, and yet a lot of people are just a little more laid back. In fact, I get more conversations with owners during this time window!
It’s also the time to be closing. You don’t want to allow a deal that is kind of hanging by a thread to sit there. “I’ll get to it next week.” could be that deal’s death sentence. You don’t know what’s going to happen from a vacation standpoint and everything else, so why not get it done on Friday?
And the #1 Top Ten Things
All Salespeople Should do this Summer is….
1. Close deals on the beach
Well, it IS summer, so why not take a few days and work remotely? You have a phone and a laptop, right? use them! MMA’s (Money Making Activities)
We all know that the “DOG DAYS” of summer can be brutal, especially in the south. I’ve always hated the Dog Days of Summer excuse – it always felt like a cheap way for an underperforming sales reps to make an excuse for a slow month. There’s money to be made even in the heat.
Let me know how you deal with the late summer heat. Leave a message in the comments.
Have a great weekend,
David
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