Always Be Boostin’ Sales

In my line of work being consistent and persistent pays off every single time. We always need one more appointment, one more connection, one more prospect, one more sale and one more client. We know how to get in past the gatekeepers and make friends with the powers that be – some think it’s luck, I say it’s determination. How to be effective without being annoying? It’s a niche and like most sales people in order to be good at it you need to be consistent and persistent.

Take a look at these sales statistics:

48% of sales people never follow up with a prospect

25% of sales people make a second contact and stop

12% of sales people only make three contacts and stop

Only 10% of sales people make more than three contacts

2% of sales are made on the first contact

3% of sales are made on the second contact

5% of sales are made on the third contact

10% of sales are made on the fourth contact

80% of sales are made on the fifth to twelfth contact

So what does this tell you? You may be letting sales slip through your fingers and 10% of sales people are picking those up. Try the tips below to start boosting sales NOW!

1. Make a point to be consistent and persistent and see how well that pays off. Keep an organized database or document of prospects, how many times you’ve reached out to them and who you need to continue to contact.
2. Are you asking for referrals? 91% of clients say they’ll give a referral but only 11% of sales people ask for a referral. Start asking for referrals now!
3. Consider hiring help. Did you know that the average sales person makes 8 dials per hour and prospects for 6.25 hours to set 1 appointment? Wow! That is extremely low by appointment setting standards. We typically make an average of 20 calls per hour and have a goal of prospecting for only 1-2 hours to set 1 appointment.
4. Incorporate email marketing. Personalized emails and emails with the recipient’s first name in the subject line get much higher open rates. If you already have an assistant and she’s not incorporating email marketing have her start now. This along with calling will achieve greater appointment setting results.
5. Be personable. It may surprise you to know that when you sell – it’s more about tone and less about what you are saying.

No matter what your profession is – there’s always room for improvement.

Making Big Dreams Manageable

2016 is over – you’ve had a few weeks to acclimate to 2017 and it’s time to start making things happen. In the financial industry my business never really picks up until the 3^rd week of January for the year and I supposed it’s all the National Sales Meetings, getting things in order for the New Year and the recovery from the awesome holiday season.

But I imagine you are back to work and so am I so let’s get to it!

How are we going to make 2017 great? We are going to take a look at our business and decide what we want to focus on. Some experts say you should make attainable goals and others say you should dream so big that it scares you – I say do both!

Make your daily and weekly goals attainable and when all of those add up by the end of the year you’ll have achieved your ultimate goal for the year. The human brain is easily overwhelmed and some people have a hard time sustaining movement towards large goals when they don’t break them down into smaller more achievable goals along the way.

For example – Let’s say I want to bring on 100 new clients this year. I look at 100 and think – wow that’s a lot! But when you break it down – that’s 8.3 per month or about 2 per week. Two per week? Wow, that seems super doable.

Once you have your goals broken down – start figuring out how you are going to achieve those goals. For example to get 2 more clients per week I should send out 30 prospecting emails per day and make 30 prospecting phone calls per day. Once you see a clear plan you will get more excited about how your plan can actually work.

Put your new plan in your schedule and plan time to gear up for your plan – for example I need to find my prospects – where am I going to find them? Make a plan for that and implement it as well.

If I focus on my plan then at the end of the year I can reach my goal and how great would that be! Stay motivated by writing your goals down on paper and putting them somewhere you can see them. Also write down what you are working towards if that helps. Perhaps you have higher sales goals this year because you are hoping to buy your dream house, dream car or a luxury vacation. Maybe you want to pay for your child’s college education or beef up your retirement accounts. Whatever it is post pictures of what you are working towards. This will keep you motivated!

Music, exercise and mediation are also good motivators. Incorporate these into your life and see just how far they’ll take you. Keep a journal to chart your progress – make it a fun experiment. You may as well have fun along the way! Plus, depending on your personality and career, your experiment may be something you can share with your own clients. 

Now that you have 2017 all figured out – it’s time to move those mountains. Enjoy the adventure – you never know what surprises will come your way.

 Danae Branson is the Founder of Elite Scheduling Services. Elite has provided high quality scheduling services to external wholesalers and other financial professionals since 2009.