It’s the last day of the month, and for many salespeople, that means it’s a mad scramble to get another order to make a number.
For others it’s a day to coast, because of a bad attitude that says the month is shot, so screw it and try again next month.
Regardless of where you’re finishing for the month, there is one thing every salesperson must do, and that is take a few minutes and assess what happened and how to maximize the month to come.
Below are some questions you can ask yourself to help you assess the month just ended:
What were the successes from this past month and how can I build on them for next month?
What did I learn during the past month and how can I use it to improve my sales performance next month?
What activity can I stop doing or spend less time doing that will free up more time to be actively selling?
How many more accounts do I need to develop in the next 1 month/3 months?
What is the right mix of accounts by industry/channel that I need to focus on to achieve my sales objectives?
What the sequence of things I need to do in the coming month to take full advantage of my time and the resources I have available?
How much more business is out there if I were able to increase my sales effectiveness and time management by 25%?
What steps can I take to improve my effectiveness and time management?
Use a notebook or file on your computer to save your monthly assessment. Two weeks into the new month, take a look at what you wrote and use it as a quick mid-month performance check.
Going forward save each month’s assessment, as they will make interesting reading a year or more down the road.
As you continue to progress in your sales career, you will look at past months and be shocked at how much improvement you’ve made. I encourage salespeople to do this because it then acts as a motivational tool that will drive you even more.
Copyright 2015, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Selling: Win the Sale Without Compromising on Price.
