The Sales Turnaround
The rules for overcoming a slump may appear to be different for each industry and occupation. I will disagree with that statement and offer ideas for lifting one out of a slump or what I like to call a funk. A slump is just a downturn in whatever you are doing; it’s actually quite natural. It’s the psychological effects of a slump we will address. By taking a closer look at ourselves we can gain an awareness that helps us rise above our current situation.
Awareness
My friend Steve Siebold says everything really comes down to awareness. We can only be what we are aware to be. A billionaire was asked what more he would like to have; his answer was an instant perspective for any situation. He’s a pretty smart guy, perspective is huge. Studies have shown that the best leaders are the ones that tend to have a greater perspective. If everyone is a leader of themselves then greater perspective is an important piece to your life.
So back to you and your current situation, let us get an awareness that no straight lines in the universe have been found. You cannot move in a continuous straight line no matter how hard you try. Science has found no straight lines, let us become aware of this principle. Your occupation is a combination of days each of differing degrees; we have good days, bad days, great days, average days, etc. The idea being that we can only move the average up or down, the peaks are going to occur no matter what we do. So if we are in a downturn, understand that this is only temporary, we can be get back on an upturn sooner than we are thinking today. We have all heard the term business cycle. You have a cycle for whatever you are doing.
I’d like to explore this idea that there are no straight lines. There is so much depth to this idea if we open up to it. Buckminster Fuller went on to say ” Human beings were given a left foot and a right foot to make a mistake first to the left, then to the right, left again, and repeat. Between the over-controlled steering impulses humans inadvertently attain the between-the-two desired direction of advance. This is not only the ways human works— it is the way the universe works. This is why physics has found no straight lines; it has found a physical universe consisting only of waves”.
Fuller goes on to say that it is only through mistakes or mis-takes that we grow and learn. Whether you like it or not you live in a trial an error world. Consider selling, it is the oldest and highest paying professions in the world. Does anyone’s proven system really work all the time and everytime? We have universal truths we cling to like listen, be present, ask for the order, etc. Have these methods not come by trial and error ultimately?
A lot has been made about the 10,000 hour rule. Basically, if you are performing a task and have 10,000 hours into it you are an expert. That thinking is flawed in the world of sales. We live in a dynamic world, things are constantly changing. If you are playing chess, the piano, or even performing heart surgery this rule may apply. Think about all the personality types we come across, I disagree that one size fits all. The lesson is that life is dynamic and we have ebbs and flows.
Take the stock market, historically it averages a 10% return over the long run. You can be in a losing position at any given time. It is our responsibility to understand this; this keeps the amplitude of our emotional highs and lows less. We know we are going to have good and bad days; the idea is to raise the average, limit the amplitude between the ups and the downs.
Creating the Up Tempo
You can scour the internet and find many ideas on how to beat a sales slump. What I have found is most are treating the symptom not the cause. In Albert E.N. Gray’s famous speech “The Common Denominator of Success” he tells us that success is by nature unnatural. And that the common denominator is successful people do the things that failures don’t like to do. Failures go for pleasing methods while successful people go for pleasing results. And he goes on to say that even the best sales people have downturns. He says “When a person gets into a slump, it simply means that they have reached a point at which, for the time being, the things they don’t like to do have become more important than their reasons for doing it”. Are you currently pursuing pleasing methods or pleasing results?
Let’s examine that, when you are in a slump, what really is going on? Only you can answer that question. I have seen many good salespeople derail their year because of a personal matter. They take it easy for 3 months and deal with whatever personal issues have hold of them. I am not saying that things greater than work do not take precedence in your life. I am saying that what you are doing today plays a great role in what will be on your sale sheet many months from now. Go back and read how I phrased that sentence “whatever personal issues have hold on them”. You ultimately have control over what you do. I think that is what attracts many to sales. It offers a certain level of freedom. Sales can be the highest paid position for the hard working or it can be a low paying low stress job. The choice is yours.
Whenever we are in a funk, something inside is not quite right. You may say, it is my industry that is in the funk, I fell victim to it. I’d be willing to bet if you took a closer look you would still find many people who are doing well despite any downturns. One key is not be a reactor to what is going on in your life. You have control, use it. Practice responding to situations rather than reacting. You have the mental faculties to respond to any situation. I know someone who was in a long lawsuit with their neighbor. The whole thing was quite silly and serious allegations were made and it was a real case despite its absurdity. However, my friend allowed the situation to take hold of her and it dictated the terms and her sales suffered for a substantial period of time.
She had the power to control her thinking in that situation and she let that situation control her. When someone plays victim, who has control, the victim or the other person being blamed? The other person has the control, so right now stop blaming whatever situation that may have control over you. Let it go, it is not serving you. I like being in control, I stopped being a victim a long time ago and it has served me very well. Can I still get down a bit, sure, I am human. However, it doesn’t seem to last very long.
Moving Forward
I have become aware that number one, slumps are part of life and they can be discomforting when they occur. However, if you use them as an opportunity to see whatever obstacle is in your way and move around it, they can be very powerful. A slump is a time to start asking what is going on here that I am not seeing. It may not be perfectly obvious, if you stay with it, you will find it. This is the source of our growth. This is one way to turn around and get back on track. Our obstacles provide our greatest opportunities.
Keeping a Clear Head
A clear head in the game is like magic. When we are in a slump, our head is not right. What tools can we access to work on getting a clear mind. The obvious but no so popular tool is exercise. Take a look and prove me wrong, have you been exercising? A ton of research is out there, it keeps saying the same thing; exercise does a lot of good for your body and mind. Research is showing that a simple walk provides some of the best head clearing methods available to us. Get out there and take a walk. Do it every day for a week, a month, or longer and see how you are doing.
Meditation anyone? Yes, I am recommending meditation; a calm mind makes for a clear mind. Whether you like it or not we are spiritual creatures in a world with rapid technological disruption. Meditation is one answer for dealing with busy lives. Meditation is the process of sitting quietly and allowing your mind to calm down. Start out in the morning with a few minutes and make time to keep increasing it a bit each day and do the same at night if possible. The internet has plenty of information on mediation. Speaking from personal experience, I notice a big difference in my day when I meditate in the morning. I have gotten to the point if I haven’t meditated I can imagine what it would feel like if I did that morning and it instantly calms me down.
Get emotional involved with new ideas. One of the best way to turnaround something is to find new ideas, no matter how far-fetched. I remember one of my dry sales cycles, I took an opportunity to pursue a few things out of my normal market. It didn’t matter if they were high or low probabilities, I was experiencing something new, completely out of my typical space. It wasn’t long after that until the dry cycle broke and the busy season came upon me. I credit that change in scenery as important to breaking the pattern.
You can access different ideas a number of ways. Your local library is filled with books offering new ideas. Grab a great book on audio and play it in your car on your way to wherever you are going. Maybe find something on sales training, positive thinking, new trends; get something that will invigorate you with new ideas. As emotional creatures we are influenced easily by our environment. The car becomes a great place because we drive mostly unconsciously. Did you ever start driving and just end up on the way to work even though it was Saturday? Well your mind is completely open while driving, fill it with new and exciting ideas. Make successful thinking part of your influence. Increase your self-talk, what are you saying internally to yourself? How you talk to yourself will play a huge role in your results.
I have found cleaning to be one of the best mental release mechanisms available. The old saying goes, “cleanliness is next to godliness”. The Japanese art of Feng Shui is all about your space. They say cleaning releases old energy. How do you feel when your car is clean on the inside and outside? I feel great in a clean car or a clean space. If you use your car for work, doesn’t make sense to be in a clean environment. Your outside world is just a reflection of your inside world. It can work in reverse, shift your space around. Clean your space, declutter, and redecorate. Ask this question, what is your space speaking to you? Does it speak to a healthy clear environment or is it cluttered and dirty. What environment is optimal to a clear head? In Feng Shui they say a Zen space is a space that is 50% clean and open. So if you have a book shelf, 50% of the space will be open. Try it, how does it make you feel.
Take a break, embrace a vacation. Vacation time is a requirement for a successful life. You need down time to rest and relax. Go to a new place, get a look at a new scene; meet up with a friend in a different location. Studies have shown that vacations provide both mental and physical benefits. It takes a minimum of 5 days to for the body to completely relax during a vacation. Be sure to book enough time to truly relax.
These ideas may seem to have nothing to do with sales. Yes, that is correct. It is an internal game, work on your internal space. Whatever happens on the inside will ultimately reflect back into your world. A sales downturn is just an indicator that something needs adjusting.
Recap
A great way to turnaround a sales cycle is to stop focusing on sales. Put the focus on your mind, give the sales push a rest. You cannot force it; force negates. You need to let go, increase your awareness and understand you are part of a natural cycle of ups and downs. Pick one or many of the following ideas to clear and relax your mind. Exercise, meditation, new ideas, vacations, and take inventory of your space. While you may not hear these from the average person, we know you are capable of above average results. You have the ability to do the most amazing things in your life. It takes mental fortitude to make it through the low spots at times. You need to recharge and reinvigorate your mind. While sales is a process, it is not a linear process. Step back, get a clear head and get back to your life. Your attitude will account for much of your success in life. The above ideas are time tested ways to adjust your attitude. Ultimately your attitude will dictate your results. Take the above into consideration and go back to your work embracing the fundamentals of what you do and your success is almost guaranteed.
All the best!
