Your actions will determine sales victories during 2005

 

How will it go for you in 2005? Here are some predictions from my crystal ball, as well as from a bunch of people you think are hot prospects, a few irritated customers, a couple of tightwad buyers and a sales manager in a pear tree:

• Your phone calls won't get returned.
• The prospect who says "Call me Tuesday at 10 a.m. for the answer" won't be there when you call.
• The prospect for your most important sales meeting will call to reschedule - several months from now.
• People will tell you "no."
• You will think of switching jobs more than once.
• You will blame other people for not making a sale (though it was your fault).
• You will quit early on days you make a sale instead of pushing for another one.
• An unexpected bill will come up that could have been paid had you made one more sale (see above).
• At a crucial time in the presentation, your prospect will ask you a question you don't know the answer to.
• At some point, you will think everyone is stupid except you (and you will be wrong).
• You will send your customer to a competitor without knowing it (poor service) and wonder why you never got repeat business.
• You will make several statements you will wish you never said.
• You will be treated rudely by someone else in sales.
• Someone in your company will lose a client for you through lack of action because he felt it wasn't his job.
• Someone in your company will argue with an angry customer, win the argument and lose the customer.
• Your competitors will come out with a better quality product than the one you are selling.
• You will have a big sale fall through at the end of the month.
• Someone will cancel an order and ask for a refund.
• Someone will call in a big, unsolicited order. You will go around bragging how you made the sale.
• One of your co-workers will make a sale and a commission from your work - and take all the credit for it.
• You will lose a sale because you failed to listen.
• You will lose a customer because you failed to listen.
• You will wish your prices were lower.
• You will complain about your prices to your boss.
• You will finally realize that price is not the issue. It's value.
• You will start all over again in the selling process with renewed enthusiasm.
• You will get some free advertising by word-of-mouth from a happy customer (but only if you work hard).
• You will make 20% of your sales during off hours.
• You will be talked about after you leave a sale for "doing all the right things."
• You will celebrate with your customer after a big sale, because the customer was as happy to buy as you were to sell.
• You will just be yourself and make a sale.
• You will have a healthy, happy, prosperous New Year.