Selling Requires that You Just Do It!

In the world of sales there are those who think about it and talk about it and then there are those who just do it.  Admittedly, there are many principles and skills, that when applied correctly, will produce excellent results.  Many salespeople commit themselves to the study and philosophy as well as the psychology of selling.  However, study as they may, it is the doing of sales that produces success.  In sales, nothing happens until the salesperson does something.  They may know what to do, how to do and when to do, but until they actually do something, nothing is the ultimate result.

When my children were young, they had their chores to do around the house and the yard.  They received an allowance for doing their chores.  They didn’t, however, always comply willingly and happily to their assigned tasks.  As parents we were continually reminding them of what need to be done and that it should have been done days ago.  The standard answer we would hear was, “I know, I know, you don’t need to tell me.”  I would remind them that the solution to getting their chores done was not in knowing what needed to be done, but rather in doing what they knew! 

Selling is a lot like doing chores.  We may know what needs to be done, but a sales is never made until we take control of our knowledge and “JUST DO IT.”  How long will you know what needs to be done before you just do it?  Doing it is not nearly as entertaining as talking about it and thinking about it.  What is “It”?  “It” is those things that should be done but never seem to get done.  “It” is every one of the dreaded sales activities that never seem to be done or at least done on time.  Think of all the sales that you would close if you would just do “It”.  Here is a list of some of the more critical “Its” that salespeople should pay more attention to doing and not just thinking and talking about them.

1. Plan your day every day.  Make a list of what needs to be done and “just do it.”
2. Follow your plan.  Having determined what needs to be done, commit to doing it.
3. Prospect every day.  Finding new opportunities for the sale of your products and services is the life-blood of success.  Don’t rationalize, just do it.
4. Follow-up every day.  You may not like to do it, but do it anyway.  Poor follow-up is the number one reason for poor sales results.  Just do it.
5. Search for and resolve the prospect’s concerns.  Some sales are closed due to extreme need and concerns are over shadowed by urgency.  More sales are lost because you don’t resolve concerns than are closed due to urgency.  Resolve concerns.  Just do it.
6. Track the progress of each prospect.  Use an effective “prospect data system”.  Don’t believe you can remember every detail relating to every prospect.  You can’t!  Just do it.
7. Set daily performance and activity goals.  Don’t settle for just doing your best.  You’ll never know what your best is unless you set goals.  Just do it.
8. Write out a game plan for closing every opportunity you find.  Don’t wing it believing you are so good you don’t need to plan and prepare.  No one is that good.  Just do it.
9. Learn something new each day to improve your sales performance and then apply it.  Never settle for wishing you were better.  Do something about it today.
10.  Every day assess your strengths and weaknesses.  Identify those things you do well and do them regularly.  Openly and honestly admit your weaknesses and seek to turn them into strengths through practice and application.  Don’t just think about it, do it.