If you have been in sales for any period of time you have probably experienced some type of slump. It happens. The problem, sometimes, with a slump is that it affects your mood. And of course, in sales, if your mood is affected, it affects your sales. It can be a vicious cycle.
The other challenge is, a slump sometimes makes us focus on the wrong things. We become solely focused on end results. Results are really important of course. But if we want long term success, they are the wrong thing to (solely) focus on in the short term. We can’t MAKE someone buy. We can guide them. We can help them. We should.
Instead, when in a slump focus on the things you can control. Get inside what Stephen Covey would call your “circle of influence.” Go back to basics and focus on activities that you do if you had no customers. Prospect, cold call, network, meet, etc. You know the activities. Focus completely on those activities.
This will do several things:
1) Get you focused on things you CAN control. There is power in taking action.
2) Create success that will last past this week. These activities create long term success…not just this week.
3) Keep you from “rushing” someone. When we are in a slump sometimes we are so excited to get someone to buy that we “rush” them. The sale becomes about us…not them. People can feel that.
So if you find yourself in a slump, focus on activities. The results will take care of themselves.
