Some of my favorite traits of the Jedi Knight in all of the Star Wars movies is their ability to get their gatekeeper to say the exact thing they need to get through.

Great sales reps do the same things by setting up their line of sales questions. Many times this can be set up at the very beginning of the introductory phase of discussion. “Would it be alright that at the very end of our discussion, if there is no fit, you will tell me “no, there is no fit”. If there is a fit, you agree that we work on timelines and determine the actual decision making process.”

At the end if there is “no fit”, you just eliminated follow ups and chasing.

At the end if there “is a fit”, you have agreed to discuss their actual decision making process and timelines. The focus of conversation is shortening the sales cycle.

Benjamin Franklin once quoted, “if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” This statement holds true for some sales people.

Sales reps move 100 miles per hour. Sure, maybe they use a CRM program or have sticky notes around the computer or simply have it all in their heads. Everyone has a process.

However, a simple method to assist both a sales rep and their sales manager would be a list of 5-7 sales action related activities that is 100 words or less. Write it down. Store it in a central location for others to view. Be held accountable to it. Review at the end of the week. Do it again.

Due each Monday by 8 am and to be executed throughout the week.

• Action item 1: Target 20 specific people and make contact with them on LinkedIn to grab coffee. Set 2 appointments. Spend minimum of 1 hour on this.
• Action item 2: Follow up calls on all existing prospects that have my proposal. Move to the next steps and set up follow up appointments. Spend minimum of 1 hour on this.
• Action item 3: Create, refine, and produce the best quality proposal. Go the extra mile to be the best. It will reflect. Spend a minimum of 3 hours on this.
• Action item 4: Update the CRM and/or Sales Cycle pipeline. Let’s stay ahead. Spend a minimum of 1 hour on this.
• Action item 5: Find a minimum of 2 networking opportunities. A Breakfast, a luncheon, a seminar, but go somewhere to mingle and get my name out. Spend a minimum of 3 hours on this.

Does it sound like a lot? Do you already do much of this but don’t necessarily write it down. The point here is to write the specific sales action related activities. At the end of the week, check off the items you completed. If you checked them all off, do it two weeks in a row. You are making progress in consistency. If you don’t check all of them off, figure out what your road blocks are. Good chance, you may only need a mirror to see the road block…that is another topic.

I spoke to a business owner who is having a great year in 2019. I asked how he would like to make 2020 an even better year. He said he wished the sales rep he brought on during 2019 could close business like he does. So, I asked him the following question.

Do you review each of your sales rep’s appointments and coach him up to be able to learn from you and increase the close percentage? He said “no”. Spending one hour a week role playing the sales environment scenarios and tracking activity into a CRM (there are free ones available) would help determine if the sales rep is the right fit. This activity increases accountability.

The reality is many business owners are able to sell and close naturally because their name is on the business and its their blood, sweat, and tears that comes out in the presentation. It’s very difficult to pass on this knowledge or feeling to a sales rep.

This owner has to look in the mirror and determine if he is the messenger (sales manager). If he is not the messenger and knows it, seeking outsourced sales training and accountability might be the best option for him in 2020.

Recently as I have interviewed small business owners, the one’s highly efficient in what they do tend to work at the business. The one’s who struggle with efficiency tend to work in the business.

The “work at” business owner has taken the approach to take a step back and figure out ways to improve business processes, hire the right employees to execute, and guide their business to the next level.

The “work in” business owner is also the sale rep or accountant working late hours to catch up. They wear multiple hats and are so deep into working in the business they don’t realize they may be the clog that prevents growth. Not only do they hold themselves and the business back but they are holding back their employees and customers. Often times their unbeknownst and most popular saying is “I don’t have time.”

What are the steps to have some more time? Perhaps, the first thing to do is figure out what roles you are performing. Then determine how many hours you are spending in that role. To do that job role 100% efficient, how many hours do you have to dedicate? Do this for each one of the hats you wear. Now figure out the value of the role. If you find that you are spending 20 hours a week on an administrative role that you can pay $12 per hour while spending fewer hours on revenue generating opportunities that can bring in $100 per hour, you should consider hiring an administrative person to give you 20 hours back.