Good morning and Happy New Year!
I hope you are feeling something different today. The talk has been almost universal: Let’s get 2020 behind us! Better times lay ahead in the new year. In truth, not much has changed other than that last digit. What has changed, is how we choose to look at things. But if that’s the only difference, that’s okay. Choose to be optimistic. Choose to be positive. There is no downside.
Let me start out by thanking you for allowing me to inconvenience you. As I’ve been promising, content will be delivered differently moving forward and you had to jump through a couple of hoops to get to this tip. Thank you. Allison and I have put in hundreds and hundreds of man-hours preparing The Sales Vault. Whether you are a free member or an Insider, good things cometh. As a thank you, please enjoy the free video, “10 Sales Tips in Ten Minutes.”
One thing that hasn’t changed is by desire to provide you with valuable and instantly-applicable sales assistance, starting with these sales tips.
Starting this Friday, January 8, and continuing every Friday at noon Eastern time I will hold a live event we are calling Chill with Bill. Vault Insiders will enjoy receiving some sales education, ideas for helping you to manage your time better, focus on sales challenges, and the occasional interview. On that subject, this first Chill with Bill will feature an interview with Stephanie Irwin, a sales rep who had a record 2020. She’ll tell us how she did it and give us some insight into success in 2021. Again, you will need to be an Insider. Afterward, I will post the video as well as to release the recording as a podcast. Follow the instructions on the website to become an Insider enjoyed not only this material but also the other benefits.
I would talk more about this subject as well, but I wanted to say something about New Years Resolutions. Both in our personal life and as sales reps, we take stock in ourselves and promise to improve. I’m sure there are statistics somewhere, but can we all just agree that the majority of us don’t make it past the middle of the month before realizing we haven’t really made that much progress keeping the promises we made to ourselves. I was going to make this a Printing Impressions column, but I came up with the thought too late and submitted something else instead.
Let me suggest a different idea …
My experience, both personally and as a sales coach, is that Resolutions fail because they are too open-ended. To say, “I vow to make 10 sales calls a day in 2021” is bound for failure just like saying, “I’m going to go to the gym three times a week this year” has little chance of happening. Is it because we are not committed? No. We absolutely mean what we say, in the moment anyway. We might hit the mark for a day or two, but making excuses and justifying a day off ends our streak and though we might try again, that effort, too, falls short.
Here’s my suggestion: Focus your Resolution timeframe on just seven days. That’s all. Just one week. Make a commitment with that end date in mind, and you have a far greater chance to succeed. In fact, that goal is likely to be higher than a “regular” Resolution. For example, Allison and I committed to a 30-minute walk and a 10-minute core workout using Apple Fitness+ despite the fact it was work every day to make it happen! We did it. As I write these words and record the video, we are now looking at the next seven days in setting up new goals.
2021 will be, in my opinion, the most difficult sales year ever (certainly in my four decades of work). You will need a disciplined focus on the fundamentals, extra ordinary time management skills, support, someone holding you accountable, and an attitude that starts with, “This year is different!”
DON’T GO IT ALONE! A free membership to The Sales Vault awaits you at BillFarquharson.com. You can contact Bill at 781-934-7036 or through the website.
Bill Farquharson is a respected industry expert and highly sought after speaker known for his energetic and entertaining presentations. Bill engages his audiences with wit and wisdom earned as a 40-year print sales veteran while teaching new ideas for solving classic sales challenges. Email him at bill@salesvault.pro or call (781) 934-7036. Bill’s two books, The 25 Best Print Sales Tips Ever and Who’s Making Money at Digital/Inkjet Printing…and How? as well as information on his new subscription-based website, The Sales Vault, are available at salesvault.pro.