10 Reasons Why Sales Are Down

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Your email inbox is empty. You have no voicemails. Your phone is quiet. Looking at the sales leaderboard, your name is last on the list. To say business is off is an understatement. Having gone through all the usual “It’s not my fault” excuses to explain your situation — no one is buying right now, I can’t get anyone to pick up the phone, our prices are too high, they already have a vendor — you are finally ready to rejoin reality and examine the real reasons for your sales slump. To help, here are 10 questions to ask:

No. 1

Are you saying something of value? In my experience working with salespeople throughout the graphic arts, one of the top two reasons for low sales comes down to the sales pitch. Salespeople complain about a lack of response to their prospecting efforts, but if the voicemail is, “I can save you money,” its similarity with every other message a buyer or decision maker gets from vendors is not enough motivation for them to respond. Knowledge is power. By structuring the purpose of your sales call to a specific client need, your voicemails still won’t be returned, but you will have made an important — and hopefully lasting — impression.

No. 2

Are you trying hard enough? The second top reason for sales failure is a lack of effort. Sales reps are falling short in the areas of call repetition to the same account and an overall lack of persistence. A “natural-born sales rep” will lose to a hardworking sales incompetent 100% of the time, provided the latter does three things well: Make the calls, make the calls, make the calls. Diligence is omnipotent, said Calvin Coolidge, a man who made it to the top of his profession through hard work.

No. 3

Is this just temporary? Everything in sales is finite. There will be high highs and low lows. It’s quite possible a sales slump can turn around with just one phone call. While it is difficult to endure the doldrums, a sales rep can ride it out and focus on controlling what they can control: sales activities.

My brother once told me, “When the business is there, work your tail off. When it’s quiet, go play golf.” It was a piece of advice I did not understand for the longest time. I mean, why wouldn’t you double down on your selling efforts during a slump? I’ve come to he meant it’s OK to take a break and recharge when things are slow. The crazy-busy stretches of sales and sanity will return and you need to be ready for them.

No. 4

Are you properly motivated? One of the worst things that can happen to a salesperson is to achieve their sales goals. Suddenly, the rep is listless and immobile as if someone finally pulled the batteries out of the Energizer Bunny. Everyone focuses on getting there but no one thinks about being there and what comes after that. Motivation changes. Typically, a salesperson is driven by money. They have a sales dollar or a compensation figure in mind. That is an effective — if temporary — motivator. It is important to check in regularly with what is driving you and look at other options: Am I challenged? Am I trying something new? (And my personal favorite) Am I having fun?

No. 5

Are you calling on the best target market? You can be working hard enough. You can be saying the right things. You can be leaving stellar voicemail messages. But if you are aiming your sales guns at the wrong targets, what difference does it make? Learn your company’s best customer and know your own. In time, you will build a gut feeling for separating the good witches from the bad.

No. 6

Is your LinkedIn profile working against you? Last month I wrote an entire column on the subject of using LinkedIn marketing as a sales tool. But just as doing it right can help you, an inadequate or incomplete LinkedIn profile can kill off sales opportunities. All it takes is for someone to search for your name, see a lame attempt at a profile (no profile picture, few connections, no posts or comments or testimonials), and conclude you are not a serious option.

No. 7

Do you have the right attitude? The customer can hear every emotion you’re having. What kind of sales rep do you think Eeyore would make? Laugh, but when you are in a bad place, scared, or anxious, your sales calls are riddled with those emotions and the client hears it.

In his quick-read microbook, “Useful Belief,” author Chris Helder suggests we make a statement describing the best possible outcome for the situation. In our world, that would mean saying to yourself, “This is going to be my best day of selling ever! I am going to have amazing conversations with clients and help them with their business.” Selling from that foundation sends the right message to the customer.

No. 8

Are you being authentic? This might seem like an odd inclusion to the list, but if you are trying to be something you are not, it can backfire. Throw out the vision in your head of what a sales rep should be, should say, and should do. Simply be authentic and you will find your people. Consider a large sales team consisting of 10 people. From a personality standpoint you have men and women, talkers and listeners, hyperactive and hyper quiet. Each will serve their own market. Clients will gravitate toward one rep and shun the others. You be you.

No. 9

Are you managing your time properly? Time management creeps into every aspect of our lives. Burnout is a result of mismanaging tasks. Chasing squirrels saps sales energy. The goal should be to do less, better. Not everything is worth your time. Question every task on your list. If it is not connected with your larger sales goals, hit the delete button.

No. 10

Are you doing all the right things in the right order but you just haven’t given it enough time to be effective? The selling cycle in print and signage is three to six months. It’s entirely possible you are simply not being patient enough. Spend all day, every day making calls, leaving voicemails, sending emails, and dropping off samples and you might make the assumption you are failing. No one is calling you back and this proves, in your eyes, your ineffectiveness. However, six months later your phone rings and the caller says, “A few months ago you were trying to reach me but I didn’t need anything at that time. I never forgot your diligence and now I have a need. Can we get together?” Run the play. Trust the process.

I often get calls from people whose sales are down. Our conversation covers the fundamentals, attitude, management, and accountability. There is no one reason for a slump and therefore no one remedy. If you’ve made it to the end of this article and you are still looking for your answer, without knowing anything about you or your situation, I will advise you to reread No. 10 and follow the advice in those last six words.