Are your sales slumping?
You're not alone. Sooner or later we all stumble into a rut. The longer you stay in the rut, the worse things seem to become. Sound familiar?
How Most Reps Respond to a Slump
Here's the thing: When sales dip and stay dipped many reps start to point fingers to explain their less than stellar performance. They blame the crumby list, they blame the market or the economy, they blame the product they are selling not to mention the price. Slumping reps will blame their competition, their manager and the alignment of Jupiter with Mars.
The trouble is, the moment you begin to 'blame' results on external factors is the moment you become a victim. Victims feel sorry for themselves because things are seemingly out of their control. Victims are 'helpless.' Victims are 'victimized' by circumstances. Or so they think. And so the slump continues.
MOTQ - The Moment of Truth Question
How do you slay the slump? You ask yourself this question:
"So...what am I going to do about it?"
Heavy emphasis on the "I". That's it. That's all there is.
You see, at the end of the day it's YOUR responsibility to deal with the slump. It's not the manager's job. The economy won't change for you. Your competitors aren't going to cut you a break. The product isn't going to miraculously change. And good luck on the price.
The only thing that can change is YOU.
This is a liberating question. If you let it, it will galvanize you into action because what it means is this: there's absolutely no one who will bail you out... but for you.
When you realize that, you realize you have a choice. You have a choice to do nothing, stay victimized and fail miserably. Or you have a choice to get up off your butt and DO SOMETHING. Once you come to grips with this reality, the easier it is to slay the slump because your mind is now in "fix" mode, not "whine" mode.
Action Plan
If you are in a slump or if you sense you're sliding into a slump, follow these 4 Steps:
1. Give yourself 10 minutes to feel sorry for yourself. Cry 'whoa is me.' Lament. Gnash your teeth.
2. Then, take a deep breath and say, "So what am I going to do about it?"
3. Then take 5 minutes to jot down your options. Put everything done from the sublime to the ridiculous. Leave nothing out. For instance, you might write: " do nothing," "quit the job", "hope things improve", "get coaching", "check the internet", "buy a book", "ask a colleague", "come in earlier," "stay late," and all the other options you have.
4. Analyze each option. Some are ridiculous. Toss them out. Some have merit. Those that do, begin implementation right away.
The act of 'doing something' doesn't mean overnight success but it the first big step to recovery.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Domanski
You're not alone. Sooner or later we all stumble into a rut. The longer you stay in the rut, the worse things seem to become. Sound familiar?
How Most Reps Respond to a Slump
Here's the thing: When sales dip and stay dipped many reps start to point fingers to explain their less than stellar performance. They blame the crumby list, they blame the market or the economy, they blame the product they are selling not to mention the price. Slumping reps will blame their competition, their manager and the alignment of Jupiter with Mars.
The trouble is, the moment you begin to 'blame' results on external factors is the moment you become a victim. Victims feel sorry for themselves because things are seemingly out of their control. Victims are 'helpless.' Victims are 'victimized' by circumstances. Or so they think. And so the slump continues.
MOTQ - The Moment of Truth Question
How do you slay the slump? You ask yourself this question:
"So...what am I going to do about it?"
Heavy emphasis on the "I". That's it. That's all there is.
You see, at the end of the day it's YOUR responsibility to deal with the slump. It's not the manager's job. The economy won't change for you. Your competitors aren't going to cut you a break. The product isn't going to miraculously change. And good luck on the price.
The only thing that can change is YOU.
This is a liberating question. If you let it, it will galvanize you into action because what it means is this: there's absolutely no one who will bail you out... but for you.
When you realize that, you realize you have a choice. You have a choice to do nothing, stay victimized and fail miserably. Or you have a choice to get up off your butt and DO SOMETHING. Once you come to grips with this reality, the easier it is to slay the slump because your mind is now in "fix" mode, not "whine" mode.
Action Plan
If you are in a slump or if you sense you're sliding into a slump, follow these 4 Steps:
1. Give yourself 10 minutes to feel sorry for yourself. Cry 'whoa is me.' Lament. Gnash your teeth.
2. Then, take a deep breath and say, "So what am I going to do about it?"
3. Then take 5 minutes to jot down your options. Put everything done from the sublime to the ridiculous. Leave nothing out. For instance, you might write: " do nothing," "quit the job", "hope things improve", "get coaching", "check the internet", "buy a book", "ask a colleague", "come in earlier," "stay late," and all the other options you have.
4. Analyze each option. Some are ridiculous. Toss them out. Some have merit. Those that do, begin implementation right away.
The act of 'doing something' doesn't mean overnight success but it the first big step to recovery.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Domanski
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