I’m often amazed how few people have a proper sales plan in place!  I mean a specific document, written down, with a focused plan of how the individual, team or business is going to win business for the forthcoming year.
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Another essential attribute for successful salespeople is Flexibility.  Top salespeople know that anyone that wants to be successful must display this attribute – and quickly if they’re just starting out!
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Reason Number 3 – You Don’t Differentiate Yourself Well Enough.
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Reason Number 2 – You Mention Price Too Early!
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Why is it that over the last few months clients have been negotiating with you over prices more than ever before, and you’re having to reduce your prices even further to win the business - even from long-standing existing customers?!
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How are your cold calling skills?  Your questioning skills?  Your objection handling skills?  Your closing skills?
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Everyone around you keeps talking about a ’slowdown’ or ‘recession’.  But how do you counteract it in your business?  In this series of articles, leading sales expert Andy Preston explains exactly what you can do….right now…. to overcome this problem and make a positive impact on your business……
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A lot of people are talking about the economy being in a “slowdown” or “recession”.  As a small business owner how does that make you feel?  Excited?  Motivated?  Or maybe more like concerned?  Or terminally depressed?!!

Let’s face it – the more you hear people talk about it, the more you start to believe it!  Therefore the more depressed you feel!  Many small business owners are blaming their lack of sales or lack of new customers on the economy – make sure you don’t fall into the same trap!  There is plenty of business out there – if you’re looking for it that is….

Tip No 1 – Look For The Opportunities

Don’t fall into the trap of always seeing the negative of everything!  Successful business owners always look for the positive and the opportunity in everything that they do, or that happens to them!

I talk to a lot of business owners, and at the minute many of them are walking around with the attitude of “oh, the market’s tough at the moment”, “clients are only focused on price” or “there’s no business around at the moment”.

What kind of impact is that attitude that having on their new business prospects right now?  That’s right, not a very positive one!  Because of their attitude, their activity suffers – because they believe “there’s no point doing any business development…… because no-one is buying”, therefore is it any surprise that their sales figures (and therefore their profits) are suffering?

It’s the lack new business activity that is impacting their results, added to their defeatist mindset, resulting in any activity the do undertake is little more than an attempt to “go through the motions”, rather than actually achieve any kind of tangible result.

However, if that’s what your competition are thinking and everyone else is giving up, what are the successful people doing right now?  That’s right, doubling their efforts!  They’re making more business development efforts then ever, seeing more people than ever and if you and their other competitors aren’t doing business development activity, they’re busy taking all your customers away from you, right now!

The question is, what are you willing to do about it?  Focus on business development and watch the sales roll in?  Or act like you can’t do anything about it and sit there with your fingers crossed, “hoping” things get better?