Sales Success

It is true that Lead Generation is and should always be your #1 priority.  To succeed in any sales driven business you must have client leads.  It's that simple.

Some salespeople try to deal with a down economy by spending a lot of time prospecting to find new leads for new customers.  Prospecting is always critical.  But what about the customer base you already have?  Are you doing enough to cultivate leads from the people you have done business with in the past?  the people you already know?

Six Strategies to Increase Sales Success

• Identify a product or service you have that your customers may not know about
• Add Value - the most important contribution you can give to existing customers is your knowledge and expertise
• Offer new ideas - Give customers ideas on how to improve their business and their lives.
• Offer new solutions - Give customers the answers to something they find important
• Make your customers feel they have a special relationship with you.  Stay in touch.
• Communicate all of the above with your customers on a regular basis.  Perhaps a monthly newsletter or mailing

Salespeople who are willing to put in the hours preparing and learning about their customers, their needs and wants are the ones who record the highest conversion rates and sales volume.  Allow your goals and your natural curiosity and desire to be successful fuel you.  Don't be one dimensional; go past the knowledge of your standard challenges in today's market and dig a little deeper.  Connect with your customers more directly, on a more personal level.

Another key to being truly successful is to have a committment to learning.  Top salespeople are always reading and researching and they are also doers.  They act on what they learn, they don't just stuff good information away in a filing cabinet.  They are always looking for a place to use it and apply it.

There is also a lot of opportunity by getting plugged into your customer's network.  The average person knows hundreds of people in different ways.  Most of your customers are active in industry trade associations, networking, community and social involvement.  How can you get to know some of the people they know?  More importantly how can you be sure that when the need arises your customer is giving your name to their networks?

As you develop your plan to communicate and network more with your existing customers consider the fact that customers are bombarded with information all day long.  So be sure to deliver information that has a positive impact on their lives, do things to earn their trust and show them the value in knowing you and doing business with you.