SALES Secrets v1.0

Before we jump into SALES Secrets v1.0 let me tell you about a secret location that is worth your time to visit!

My wife and I had the opportunity to visit what’s affectionately called “the north shore,” north of Duluth, Minnesota, over the weekend.

For anyone keeping score, Duluth is a harbor city in northern Minnesota that sits on Lake Superior. North of Duluth by two hours (and less than 50 miles from the Canadian border) is a quaint community named Grand Marais. It’s breathtakingly beautiful when the fall colors arrive each year, but just as picturesque and pristine any time of the year.

Grand Marais, for anyone that doesn’t live in Minnesota, is a GEM. Certainly one of many SECRETS that Minnesota has to offer. If you haven’t visited, I would highly recommend a weekend stay.

_{Do you follow Twitter? If not, I’ll post my “Sales Tweets of The Week” below, for more thought-provoking ideas, trends, or stories. Check them out below!}

“The best SECRETS are the one’s already traveled.”

I’ve been posting various Twitter polls over the last couple of weeks to gauge opinions and expertise on various SALES topics. Why is this important?

Sometimes, there’s nothing better than receiving some validity to your efforts or coming across new actions that force you to rethink your own.

^{SALES Secret #1: (click the tweet below to view the final poll results)}

The above poll question isn’t really about how you present a proposal. What it’s really about is what type of engagement you subscribe to.

1. Engaged SALES professionals always find ways to connect and interact with their prospects. Included in that approach is when you’re finally able to deliver a proposal for your product/service.

2. By simply sending a proposal via email, you’re losing a huge opportunity at explaining your solution to your prospect. If you position your solutions around differentiation, you’re missing the opportunity to differentiate your approach/scope/product/service. You most likely talked about items in your proposal during previous meetings, but now, at the finish line, you want to default to assume your prospect will grab and absorb all of your key takeaways? Risky.

3. How will your prospect view an emailed proposal? Will they question your dedication to solving their problems? Does a prospect devalue your previous engagement if you get to the finish line and then aren’t present to walk them through your solution(s)?

Understandably, there are industries, products, and services where emailing a proposal wouldn’t be considered substandard. That said, if you’re looking for ways to increase your SALES and revenue, think about how you engage your prospects at the proposal delivery stage of your sales process.

^{SALES Secret #2: (click the tweet below to view the final poll results)}

A broad poll question, but an important one. Above all else, building a relationship takes the cake in most selling situations, according to the poll respondents.

There was a comment on the tweet/poll about how the type of SALES that you’re in matters in relation to how they’d answer the poll … and I agree!

"Relationships definitely work but when it’s a cold approach it’s all about positioning."

- Dallas Fontaine (@FontaineDallas)

Nothing in SALES or revenue generation is a sure thing. The best business builders understand those nuances in relation to the type/industry that they’re selling in and maximize a strategy shift when necessary.

^{SALES Secret #3: (click the tweet below to view the final poll results)}

Above is the age-old question: How much, and when, do the best SALES and revenue generators work?

For the majority of my career, I’ve outperformed my peers, or now, other companies’ growth goals, simply by being the most efficient with my time.

1. What do you define as “prime time selling hours?” In my current industry, it would be Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. For maximum growth and quota achievement, a SALES rep shouldn’t be sitting at the office, or home, finalizing a proposal or accomplishing admin tasks on a Wednesday morning. Do those tasks at the end of your day, or better yet, over an evening or weekend break from family time.

2. When you dedicate outside time to completing a follow-up task, you will have ample time to mentally review and dissect your next actions. Leaving a meeting at 11a on Tuesday and heading right to the office to spend two hours on a proposal? Not the best use of your ‘prime-time selling hours.’

3. One of the most attractive outputs of working in SALES or revenue-generating positions is scheduling flexibility. You might not work 40 hours from 9a - 5p Monday - Friday. But including your weekends or evening time, I’m sure you do. You’re accomplishing your goals and using your time efficiently to maximize time in front of your prospects and/or customers.

The moral of the story? The best SALES professionals seek to learn and grow their business-building craft from the backs of others before them. There is a lot of validation to the idea that ‘the best SECRETS are the one’s already traveled.’ It’s worked for others; why not grab a theory and adapt it for your own?!

As you look to grow your SALES territory or your company’s topline revenues, it’s imperative that engagement, relationships, and time management are at the top of the lists of understanding.

SALES and revenue generation isn’t a “learn it once” type of deal. Do you want to be the best? Be curious, and be a lifelong learner. Student today, leader and teacher, tomorrow.

Sales Tweets of The Week!

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