50 Habits of Top Performing Sales People Habit #4 – Which One’s More Important

October 27, 2014 Selling Comments Off on 50 Habits of Top Performing Sales People Habit #4 – Which One’s More Important

Continuing with the twelve Organizational Skills let’s look at Habit #4 – Which One’s More Important: 

Prioritize leads and active projects.

How do you know which lead or quote or project is the most important?  It surprises us how many salespeople do not know the answer to this question.  We find it’s because they have no methodology to classify quotes, leads, projects or inquiries.  Without this methodology it is impossible to answer the question.  So what is the methodology?

There are many approaches.  All of the customer management system available today have a methodology for classifying sales opportunities.  The important question to ask is “How should you classify opportunities so you spend your time on the ones that are most likely to yield an order”?  After all, that’s what you are in the business of doing – closing sales.  In a perfect world a salesperson would spend all their time closing sales.  So they need a methodology to determine where they spend their time.

Use a classification system that prioritizes opportunities.  We like A, B, C and D but any classification system that provides the ability to prioritize will work.  Now define the classification system such as, “A” is a lead, “B” is a budgetary quotation, “C” is a quotation that has been submitted for approval and “D” is a quotation that has been submitted approval and approval has been received and purchase is imminent. Now apply these definitions to the portfolio of leads and quotations.  This process provides a structure for the sales person to determine where they should spend their time.  In a perfect world sales people would spend all their time on D’s because their close rate will increase.

“A Habit” is not work but just a thing that is done every day and a methodology to prioritize opportunities can easily become a Habit.  Develop the methodology, classify opportunities, plan time to work the right opportunities at the right time and close the sale.

TIME MANAGEMENT.  For Top Performers every task is planned and focused on the goals that earn the results.  Top performers have a methodology to classify their opportunities to focus their efforts and maximize the utilization of their time with and on their customers.  Top Performers plan and then engage.  They act on their plans, they work hard and they get results.
Coaching these skills is a critical part of what we do.  We are here to help you develop and implement your Strategic Plan and coach and develop the skills to implement the plan successfully.

We are having great success coaching and implementing these methods and skills and our clients love it!