Cutting out the Cop-Out

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Cutting out the Cop-Out

These sales excuses may stop you from winning more clients.

By Jeremy J. Ulmer

• Excuse No. 1: I don't have enough time. Solution: Create time by prioritizing. Successful sales professionals and business owners have hectic days, too. They ensure their success by making prospecting part of their daily or weekly schedule. Creating time—instead of blaming it—is key here.

Plan your calendar in advance, and prioritize prospecting. By scheduling prospecting or selling time and reorganizing less important activities, you can make time for winning clients.

Schedule your most important tasks earlier in the day to make sure you do them. Set up a recurring calendar event for prospecting and follow it. Eliminate distractions and time-wasting to save yourself time and energy.

• Excuse  No. 2: I can't stay committed. Solution: Find reasons for your goals. Commitment is the difference between good intentions and profitable actions. Motivation is the springboard for commitment. Reaffirm the importance of your goals by examining the effects of reaching or not reaching them. Questions to ask about your goals include:

- What will this cost me if I don't make a change right now?

- What has this cost me so far in sales results, income and overall success?

- If I do start prospecting effectively and regularly, how will I view my sales abilities?

- How will this impact my sales career, my business and my life?

- What will I gain as a result of this new commitment?

• Excuse No. 3: I don't feel confident that I will succeed. Solution: Break down your sales and business goals into measurable steps. Accomplishing sales and business goals can seem daunting, especially when you look at your goals for an entire year. This leads to a temptation to give up and plummeting self-confidence.

Breaking down your goals into smaller and manageable steps gives you a sense of control and achievement. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by finding 12 new clients in 12 weeks, you can gain confidence by winning a new client each week.

• Excuse No. 4: I don't know if I am delivering the right message or value. Solution: Seek support and don't try to do everything on your own. It is easy to be confused with the wide range of techniques recommended by sales experts. When you do seek support, look for someone with a record of top sales results. Evaluate their methods and then develop your own style. Examine your strengths and then apply them towards selling techniques.

Another option is to seek out a sales coach who helps his or her clients develop authentic, personalized selling approaches. Again, look for someone with a strong record in the field.

The bottom line: Seek someone who has achieved the extraordinary results you desire, learn the winning methods, and integrate them into your own personal strengths to develop your own genuine selling style. By committing to turning these mistakes and excuses into powerful success strategies, you will begin to create extraordinary sales and business results. Don't wait; make a commitment to yourself today.

Jeremy J. Ulmer is one a coaching experts. His company specializes in working with executive sales leadership, organizations and individual sales performers to transform their sales results. They deliver customized sales coaching programs and sales seminars. Sign up for free sales tips and free sales coaching webinars at www.salescoachinghabits.com.