A recent conversation with a client struck a chord with me. We were conducting a follow-up conference call to a workshop I delivered a few months earlier and several of the participants admitted that they had not applied any of the concepts from the program. I can't say I was surprised but I was disappointed, especially for the owner of the company who paid good money to help improve his team's selling skills.
Change is difficult for most people. Although we have good intentions at the time, integrating new techniques into our sales process or approach is difficult.
Let's be honest here...most of the time when you try something new it doesn't work properly or it feels uncomfortable. Anyone who has tried learning a new sport, language or hobby knows how awkward it feels at first.
Modifying your sales approach is no different.
It takes a concerted effort. It takes discipline. And, above all, it takes persistence.
The daily pressure of getting things done, of dealing with customer issues, and of finding new customers or increasing your sales, directs your attention away from the goal of improving your approach.
That's why most sales training doesn't work.
Too many companies rely on event training rather than embarking on a program that will help their reps integrate new principles into their approach. Getting a team of sales people to change their approach requires on-going coaching and help from others such as their manager or leader. Yet, the vast majority of sales managers are run off their feet just trying to keep up with their day-to-day tasks, let alone invest valuable time coaching their sales people.
But it doesn't have to be like that!
You CAN improve. You can get better. You can achieve better results.
Stop waiting for your boss to provide coaching and hold you accountable to improve your efforts. Make a commitment to yourself to incorporate one small change into your sales routine or one concept into your approach.
Focus on doing ONE thing differently.
Determine what could have a positive impact on your results IF you consistently incorporated it into your daily routine.
Write down EXACTLY what you need to do. Post that someplace where you will see it...all the time!
Don't beat yourself up when it doesn't work at first. Instead, keep trying to perfect that concept and adapt it your natural style.
Modify, evaluate, and adjust. Repeat.
Here is a personal example of how this concept has worked for me.
One of my goals this year has been to learn how to play the guitar. I have never taken a music lesson and I have never read sheet music. This means that I have to learn how to read the notes on a page, while at the same time, play them. This has been REALLY tough for me.
I thought I would be smart and took a short cut by writing the notes above the staff so I didn't have to try and do everything all at once. This got me started but I quickly realized that if I continued doing this I would never really learn how to read sheet music and that would ultimately cause problems down the road as the music became more complicated.
So, I went back several lessons and started practicing without the cheat notes. It's taken me longer than I expected and it's been VERY challenging and frustrating. However, I am making progress. And, for the first time, actually believe that I can learn how to play the guitar.
If you are serious about improving your sales results, you need to make a concerted effort to improve your approach. It takes effort, energy and lots of practise. But in the long run, it's definitely worth it!