Do you remember that movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray?
The guy relives the same day over and over.
I wonder if we might be a tad guilty of doing the same thing in sales?
Here are 12 ways for you to change things up this week and bust a cap in this week’s ass! (said with my finger gun pointed sideways)
1. Take a look at the activities you have planned and make sure the
bulk of your time is about to be spent on “The 3 Big Rocks” (New
Account Acquisition, Account Retention, Account Development) and
not an over abundance of administrative “stuff”. If you are about to
begin a week with a lack of “money activities” you need to adjust
something before game time on Monday. A bad week doesn‟t happen
at 4:55 this Friday dude!
2. Make sure your New Account Acquisition activities represent a well
balanced “Sales Mix”. This should be inclusive of ALL the weapons in
your sales arsenal such as phone, email, snail mail, creative,
referrals, conventional networking, social networking etc. This is
extremely important for several reasons: a) Everyone has their
preferred communication venue and you limit your results by only
clinging to 1 or 2 options b) It changes it up for you and keeps you
fresh c) It keeps you from becoming predictable to your prospects!
3. Ask yourself this question: “In what ways can I be more creative this
week?” Is there a tastefully funny card you could send? Is there
something you could send along or hand deliver that could help
solidify a point or show your prospect you think differently? How
about that email or voicemail you have used since the beginning of
time? Is there room for a little creativity there? Businesses
desperately need creative answers to some very serious challenges
they are facing. While we all are great at telling people we’re creative,
in what ways will you demonstrate your creativity?
4. Carve out time to think this week with one catch . . . don’t do it during
game time! You need time, daily to think about the business. You
need time to think about how you will get better, how you can be
more creative, more strategic. How about some time thinking about
how you’re going to outwork your competition? Watch what happens
when you start training your mind to think with focus. Watch what
happens to your creativity!
5. Think of one idea you will present to a client, your entire client list,
prospects etc. It can be one idea that you will present across the board or just one targeted idea. When you do it, be sure to tell them
you were thinking of them and wanted to give them an idea they can
use. By the way, how often do you think people unconditionally give
an idea?
6. Tom Hopkins has mentioned a concept he uses where
every month or so, he passes along some kind of resource to his
network. Just like the packaging in #5 he tells his clients “here’s a
resource that I thought you’d find value in” Clients and prospects
don’t have us on the brain. We need to continually do things like this
to stay on the radar screen. What could you pass along , this week to
let your clients know “I’m still here looking out for ya dude”?
7. Plan your drive time! As sales professionals we spend lots of time in
the car and in the air. What will you use that time for this week? How
about using it for some thinking time? How about using it for some
time to get smarter by listening to podcasts and cds?
8. Think about who you will ask for a referral this week. Sometimes we
get so caught up, we forget about the low hanging fruit!
9. Be on the hunt for testimonial letter opportunities! The next time
someone tells you that you rock or that you came through . . . ask
them if they wouldn’t mind sending you a quick email with that
thought included. Tell them that it will help you get more cool clients
like them!
10. Think about the businesses you avoid. Some you avoid
because you think they are too big for you. Some you avoid because
you feel your company is too big for them. Some are avoided
because the receptionist is nasty or someone told you NO . . . well
things change. People come and go and you need to plan on
reaching out, this week!
11. Make sure you have at least one good laugh each day. Bonus
points if you help others get to their “laugh a day” quota”
12. Think about 5 people in your virtual network (Linkedin, Twitter,
Facebook etc) that you will transition to real time this week. I define
“real time” as a phone call, coffee, lunch, share a funnel cake (people
Don’t share enough funnel cake these days) etc. If you can’t identify
5, then start with 2, start with 1 . . . but start!
So there you have it . . . 12 ways for you to change things up which means you’re now perfectly equipped to receive a Triple Dog Dare from your Uncle Paul . . . to challenge your old routine and add some new stuff!
