Sales SlumpWhether you are young or old, if you know anything about baseball you surely know #8, the legendary Yogi Berra. He played 19 years in the majors, most of those behind the plate with the Yankees. He was chosen as an American League All Star 15 times, smacked 2150 hits, resulting in 1430 RBI’s, all contributing toward a well-deserved spot in the baseball Hall of Fame. He tells a story about two boys from similar backgrounds but with decidedly different outlooks. One was always happy and positive, while the other was negative and grumpy.

In order to try to understand them better, they were separated at school one day: the grumpy kid put in a room with the latest and greatest of toys and video games, and the happy kid in a room full of nothing but manure. A few minutes later, the grumpy kid just sat in the corner ignoring his surroundings while the other kid laughed loudly with a sparkle in his eye as he gleefully said, “Mister, with all this manure I know there’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!”                         

That’s a perfect description of the two types of salespeople out there in the world today: one group that seems to remain unhappy no matter how terrific things are going and the other who always sees the glass as half full, believing they will win regardless how tough the surroundings become.

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Going back to baseball I want to use an illustration containing two phrases that certainly every salesperson is familiar with: In a batting slump and on a hitting streak.

I’d like to provide some sales significance to each letter in both words, SLUMP and STREAK, in order to help you strive to achieve one while avoiding the other. Let’s deal with the SLUMP first:

Stinkin Thinkin(This was Zig Ziglar’s favorite phrase) When you are in a sales slump, you tend to be pretty pessimistic. If you want to convert prospects to buyers, you can’t afford to share that perspective with others and must train yourself to snap out of it quickly.

LacklusterIn a sales slump, your goals aren’t clearly defined; so you show up for work later, prospect less, take no’s more personal, make excuses quicker, go home earlier, and return fewer phone calls! The longer the slump, the worse it gets, which is why winners know that 90% of succeeding is just showing up and working through them.

Uncertainty – As a pitch is thrown to a batter in a slump, he hesitates; hoping to avoid another strike out. This indecision puts him a little bit behind every pitch, which typically extends the slump’s duration.

Like the batter, you must be prepared for everything, and avoid paralysis by analysis. Even making a wrong decision is okay because it helps you eventually define a right one. But avoiding a decision shows weakness, which is suicidal when you are in big-time sales! Don’t be ruled by uncertainty. Yogi made a brilliant observation when he said, “When you come to a fork in the road…take it.”

Muddled – When you are in a sales slump, admin chores like organizing, running errands, or e-mail campaigns tend to become priorities. You should never forget that if you’re not talking to prospects, you aren’t doing your job.

In order to help you stay focused, here’s a suggestion. Write the following sentence on several Post-It’s and then place them where you can’t avoid seeing them during the day (mirror in bathroom, coffee pot, near radio in vehicle, etc.):

IS WHAT I AM DOING RIGHT NOW LEADING ME TO MY NEXT SALE? It’s a great way to focus your thoughts and activity on the “main thing” to help pull you from a slump?

Pathetic – Misery loves company, so a sales slump is like a pity party that you frankly can’t afford to attend.

In sales, you’re either an order taker or rain maker, reactive or proactive; and you’re the one that makes the choice. You chose selling as your profession, so you’re not allowed to be a victim. Live with it!  If that statement is too tough for you to handle, just remember you don’t have an anchor tied to your butt, so go do something else for a living. Now let me put my happy face back on, and let’s finish this post by talking about the STREAK.

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Significance – When you are on a roll, you’re full of enthusiasm, energy, and positivity. You also understand that the results that you get directly relate to what you say and do. You are like a magnet to others who want to be around you because you always seem to know what to say to create positivity.

Tough-minded – You’re like a pit bull, grabbing opportunities and relentlessly pursuing them, refusing to accept NO’s. You have clearly defined written objectives for every sales call and drive to complete them.

Rational – At this juncture, you have a clear understanding of momentum realizing that when Big Mo puts his jersey on and takes the playing field you’d better keep pushing for all it’s worth. You keep a clear head knowing Big Mo will eventually return to the bench and things will cool off again.

Avoid Sales SlumpExtraordinaryA salesperson on a streak runs around with their hair on fire at mach2 and tends to think more creatively, acting differently than their counterparts. That dash of eccentricity is picked up by everyone, giving you an extra edge.

AliveWhen you’re riding a streak, your confidence is high, and you know that activity is the key to greatness in your career.

Know-how – ‘Streakers’ are students of the game, sponges; soaking up information wherever they can find it, listening attentively with their focus on personal growth. They realize that knowledge isn’t power until it is used, so they always put feet under what they know.

Everyone in sales experiences both joy and frustration. Just as in baseball, it’s only a matter of time before a slump will rear its ugly head. By using the coaching points just covered, you will be better able to cope and pull yourself out quicker when a slump begins to develop. Conversely, you will be able to stretch your streaks so they are stronger and last longer.

 

©2015 Robinson Training Solutions, LLC