Call me crazy, but even in the midst of a pandemic when the economy is in the pieces, I continue to find an abundance of opportunities. Top performing salespeople reading this are saying “spot on” and the low-performers have packed it all in and are saying, “call me when this is over.” Finally, the average salesperson is thinking if they just have enough toilet paper and update their resume, they’ll be prepared regardless of what happens.
Video – How to Become a Top Performing Salesperson:
Each day I wake up knowing I will have opportunities; however, I know that I will only see them if I have the right mindset and are willing to work harder than ever. If we choose to think its futile to sell, then guess what, futility is what we’ll see. Let me give you three key words you need to have in your mind at all times: pivot, focus, and discipline. By mastering these three qualities, doors will open. Right now, finding the right doors is more important than ever.
1. Pivot: I have always been a big advocate of knowing your ICP (ideal customer profile). Well, now is not the time to abandon your existing ICPs, instead, you need to look at just adding another one. Your ICP is built around the outcomes you create, and the outcomes are built upon what you sell. There are 3 ways you can do this. I’ll share all 3, so you can determine which one is best to follow:
- First example – Temporary Pivot: This is the micro-brewery who has seen their demand for beer fall. Their ICP of both a consumer and bar/restaurant is still there but has most likely become a much smaller market. Since they knew they produce alcohol, they quickly pivot to make a sanitizing solution. This new market may only be temporary and may never be as lucrative as craft beer; however, it provides opportunities. Long-term, they will most likely exit the sanitizer market but for now it is providing sales opportunities.
- Second example – Same ICP Different Delivery Method: I’ll use an example from my personal business where the bulk of my work is keynote speaking at large conferences and company meetings. With these unavailable, I’ve had to pivot to on-line events, on-line programs, etc. The pivot is allowing me to develop more sources of revenue that long-term will have my business in an even better position. In my case, this shift doesn’t require me to develop a new ICP, rather my focus is in changing how I serve the same ICP. I will exit the pandemic with an ICP that I can now reach via multiple delivery methods.
- Third example – Develop a New ICP: A client I work with sells marketing services to restaurants and they’ve developed a great reputation by delivering fantastic results. Many of their existing clients have had to close or scale back their business. Building on their success with restaurants, they have decided to now work with insurance companies and other B2C service businesses by helping them. Is this new ICP taking time to develop? Yes, but they will benefit long-term from having a more stable business by developing a second ICP.
2. Focus: Nobody will ever be successful until they put forth the effort to master their market; this starts with digging deep into understanding how to achieve a level of success with their new ICP. This means we need to understand our business, the outcomes we can achieve, and who our customers are. In using the 3 examples above, there’s no way any single one of them will work if there isn’t extreme focus. Use the third example, and their pivot to insurance companies, etc. To think they could just call an insurance company and magically land their business on the first call is crazy. They’re only seeing success, because they’ve done a deep dive into the insurance business to determine what an insurance agent needs and how they can help them in a way that is better than what they currently have.
3. Discipline: You can have the best plans and the best solutions, except none of it will come to pass without the discipline of execution. This can be summed up by not allowing obstacles to stand in the way and not allowing time to control you. Obstacles arise all the time, yet they are opportunities to learn. The biggest obstacle we all face is our own mind telling us that something cannot be done. This is a key reason why I wrote my new book, A Mind for Sales. I believe strongly this book’s message is one that will help you execute the 3 words: pivot, focus, and discipline. Your mind is the control panel to the 3 words.
It’s your goal this week to become more disciplined, more focused, and look at where you might need to pivot. Top performing salespeople are not born, they’re created each day, and it begins with you making the decision to be just that- a top performing salesperson.
Go grab a copy of my new book on Amazon! So many people are telling me that this is the book every salesperson needs right now to be successful in such a time as this. I would love for you to post a review to help share the book’s message with others. Reviews are the best way to spread the word.
Copyright 2020, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
