1) Define your Target Market

3 questions that set you up for success (or failure)

1) Who do I call on?
2) What do I call on?
3) Why should I call them?

Here's why:

1) Your average revenue per account is directly proportional to what companies you decide to call on.

2) The level of responsibility you call on directly affects your sales cycle and first appointment to proposal ratio.

3) And the reason you call on them directly influences your closing ratio.

Get the picture?

What this tells you is that you do have absolute control over your performance metrics.

However, you need to be able to clear on the "who", the 'what", and the "why" to understand the most effective prospects to call on.

Your answers should relay:

Vertically by industry
Horizontally by title
and
Benefit-based by application.

2) Develop a 'Targeted Selection Process'

Sales people without targeted prospects are like trees without leaves. Eventually, you wither and die!

Your target list is one of the most vital ingredients to begin your sales process. Getting targeted, prospecting data should be an ongoing project. It must be done prior to and independent from the act of communicating to set a first sales appointment.

Regardless of whose responsibility it is to accumulate this target list - (the sales person or the company) - it MUST be done ahead of time. Think of it as the preferred destination on your road map, and a necessary item to check off before you start your trip.

3) Understand & Identify your 'Magic Number'

Your 'Magic Number' is the number of new appointments you need each week to assure your revenue goal is met each month. It's a derivative of your sales cycle, average revenue per sale, 1st appointment to proposal ratio, closing ratio, and revenue goal.

It too is a dynamic number which is based on your individual competency ratios and performance numbers. So, it's personal to you, and directly linked to your success.

Let me say that again.

You magic number is personal to you - and DIRECTLY affects your success.

By meeting or exceeding this activity number, you can routinely eliminate fluctuating sales results and virtually assure achieving your income goals.

4) Interpret your 'Hourly Rate'

The lure of flexibility, the temptation of low supervision and the idea of freedom from a regimented time-clock makes professional selling a very attractive career choice for the dreamers, visionaries and idealists among us.

To borrow a quote from Phil Helmuth, two-time World Champion of Poker