Shaping Up
We are down to the last business quarter with little time left in the 2006 effort. Before we know it, the time for new goals, resolutions and slogans will be upon us. Now it is time to size up your work. How are you doing? Where is your production compared to projections? Are you on task?
Let’s say you are above projections. Great job! Next year, re-size your goals so you will be forced to stretch your skills and expand your expertise.
If your numbers are low, something is not working. If the next thought in your mind is, “They need to change their advertising,” or “The sales managers ought to _____,” I encourage you instead to consider your own sphere of influence. You have only to look in the mirror to meet the person who has both the power and the responsibility to take initiative. Focus on what you can do.
Do you need appointments? Put it on the agenda of your next sales meeting. Work the telephones and demonstrate how to prospect. Do you need help in closing the sale?
Study books on closing and practice the skills you read about. (Check out SPIN Selling, by Neil Rackham.)
Evaluate how well you can overcome customer concerns (objections). While you do not want to be offensive, neither do you want to leave any stone unturned. Find the line and stay the course in order to achieve high penetrations for service agreements and to earn high ratings for customer satisfaction with the buying experience.
Are you making lemonade out of the lemons life tosses at you, or are you making excuses? Think outside the box. Life is full of possibilities that pass the test for ethical business practice. Work with your lenders to find a way to make the deal happen. Collaborating on the “how” is far better than waiting for a turndown call.
The fall signals “last chance” to look at the numbers. If you want a banner year, you must know where you are and what you need to do to get where you want to go. So revise the plan, turn up the skill set, and keep your eye on the goal, whatever it may be.
Thank you for demonstrating your commitment to excellence by reading World of Special Finance Magazine this year. May you have an outstanding finish for the year 2006 and all the success you can dream of in the future.
World of Special Finance – Canada, November/December 2006