Sales Development - make the money you want!

Part 2 of 3

The second step is to know the numbers…

People will say often that sales is a #s game. But so few people know what they are. They say what the numbers are and what to do with them. I have been fortunate enough to build my professional career around the creation and development of those #s.

I started off with the “natural raw talent” and was lucky enough to see that would only take me so far. So I studied Sales. Then I studied it more. Then I practiced what I studied…to only study more. I have read books, gone to seminars, worked with many consultants and top sales trainers. Luckily, in the process I have trained over 3000 in the so I have been able to really develop and test a sales model that I know works in any environment.

The way it works:

Pick 4-5 measurable events that will move you through from the first time you engage a customer to when you solidify a deal. Ask yourself:

• What are the main pieces I need to accomplish to create a buying customer?
• What thresholds or obstacles do I overcome that let’s me know I am closer to sale (or just lost a sale)?
• What are my common barriers to completing a sale?

By answering these types of questions, you will being to develop you sales formula. In a past life where I sold computer hardware and software, I developed simple numbers that was used a basis for a 500 salesperson environment that drove $400 Million a year in revenue. The basic numbers were simple…it was also the sales numbers that was the basis for the entire organization.

50 Cold Calls = 10 Contacts = 5 Quotes = 1 Sale

It might sound simple, the truth is that with a little practice and persistence, it is! Give it a try with your current sales environment.