How does the sales leader have to steer the salesforce in global slowdowns like we experience in 2022

HOW  TO  BOOST  SALES  PERFORMANCE    IN  CHALLENGING  TIMES   Most people achieved their greatest success one step beyond what looked like their greatest failure. Se we advise our saleforce that “..the sale begins after the customer says NO...” yet how much grit and determination  does the sales leader  have to steer the salesforce in times when sales have plateaued due to market conditions or business cycles or global slowdowns like we experience in 2022   Notice What Is Working & What is Not… Study yourself, your product or service and your company to know what is working now. Reinforce the actions and tools, which are generating results. Learn from your successes as well as your failures. Create a profile of the company’s Market Create a profile of the ideal market for what you offer. Define who they are, where they can be reached, what they care about, what they fear, what they read, whom they admire and more. Know them well. Check  & Redesign Your company’s Sales Reputation Determine today how you want to be thought of tomorrow. Specify the reputation you want within each group of which you are a part, and then work a plan to earn it piece by piece. Know Your company’s Competitive Advantage Study your company and your company’s products and services in relation to what your company’s competitors offer. Know where and how you stand out, and where you don't. Be prepared to discuss these comparisons at any moment. Use Pareto Principle to target Your company’s Best Prospects Best customers have patterns. We call it the Pareto Principle Most will fit the same pattern, so prospect among those who fit the pattern. Calling on people with similar needs, circumstances, and interests makes you more likely to create another best customer. Backyard Gold mining- Ask For Referrals from Satisfied Customers Tell people what your company’s ideal customer or prospect looks like. Ask them who they know who fits this description. Then ask them to take a specific action to help you meet the prospect; a telephone introduction, a testimonial letter, arrange a luncheon or coffee shop meeting, etc. More business exists around you than you know. Look among your friends, neighbors, existing customers, past customers, colleagues, competitors and coworkers for the opportunities that others overlook. Start a Backend Sales Campaign with Loyal Customers Know how to cultivate dedicated customers. A movie ticket doesn't just buy you a seat in the theater; it buys you the experience of enjoying the movie. What experience does your company’s product or service bring to people? Give them a way to sample that experience through your company’s presentation. Become competition-proof by delivering more than people expect. Overfill your company’s client's needs and be their business friend, even when they are not buying from you. Be the kind of person people rave about. Grow Your company’s Brand Identity Get yourself and your company known within your market area. Write articles, letters to editors, offer expert input for reporters and publishers, conduct surveys, provide free services to key people, donate your time to worthy causes, put your photo on your business card, share valuable ideas via email. Create a broad awareness of yourself as an authority on what you do. Build A Long term fund Of Good Business Relationships It is not only who you know that determines the value of your relationships; it is whether they know you as a valuable business resource. Define who you need to know today and five years from today. Start now to cultivate the relationships and the reputation, which will expand your possibilities. Design a Direct Marketing Approach That Uses Your company’s Sales Strengths Use the combination of online communication, in person calls, telephone contacts, trade show attendance, and public speaking, which allows you to shine. Build a mix of activities to diminish your company’s sales weaknesses and amplify your company’s strengths. municate with. Become a partner in problem solving, not a sales persuader.  Train Continuously & Recharge your Sales Story & Techniques Use a checklist to prepare your attitude, appearance, customer information, company and product information and the selling environment, so you can be at your best on every call. The way you are perceived by your company’s customer determines how much resistance you will encounter as you sell. Learn to project a positive feeling among those you come in contact with. Write down specifically how your company’s product or service makes life better for those who buy it. Read this description every day briefly, to keep in mind the reason behind the purchase. It's not about buying; it's about benefiting from buying. Create an awareness of the psychological needs of your company’s prospect as well as knowing what their technical needs are. Sometimes the way someone wants to feel has more influence on their decision to buy than what they actually need. Sustain motivation in the Sales team With lower sales incentive the sales rep (even the best) doesn't find much meaning in what they do, they don't bring much value to what they do. Half your job is keeping yourself and others in the right frame of mind. Cultivate your ability to keep the focus on the things that matter most. Become a person who can put everything in perspective for others. As tension rises, trust falls. Be aware of the ebb and flow of tension as the sale unfolds. Learn to reduce it when it gets in the way and to momentarily increase it to add urgency to the decision process. With best wishes Dr Wilfred Monteiro