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Susan Marot

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Lincolnshire-bred business woman Susan Marot runs Marot Associates Ltd, which helps businesses sell more by improving their sales process. Susan works with them to design, improve or even deliver the sales the company needs. A sales person for almost 30 years, Susan is often engaged to speak at events on selling and has regular articles published by the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management in "Winning Edge".


What can a sales person do to ensure they are well motivated to go out and sell?

Selling is a tough, often lonely job. Not in the same league as nurses and firemen of course, but when it comes to getting out of bed to persuade someone to part with their or their company’s hard earned cash, I reckon it is probably well up the league table.

Therefore a sales person needs to be motivated to go out and sell. Do it well and the sky is their limit in terms of performance. However, do it badly and a change of career is probably on the cards. Being well motivated is key to becoming successful at selling.

Get positive and ensure they stay positive

This is usually easier said than done, but it is possible. Creating a positive environment will reduce negative thoughts. First identify and avoid negative people, then start to hang out with and learn from positive successful people. You will soon find that you have the mental strength to be more focussed and more stamina to maintain that positive mindset.

Set stretching goals

Everyone has heard an amazing story of someone achieving the seemingly impossible, so why not consider the thought that what might seem impossible, could actually be possible? What is your goal? Write it down, pin it up on the wall, imagine what life will be like when you have it.

Set SMART objectives

No matter what task a sales person needs to do in order to get to their goal, they could do an awful lot worse than setting “SMART” objectives for each one. Ensuring every objective, no matter how small, is Specific, Measureable, Achieveable, Realistice and Timely will help monitor if it is the right objective to achieve your goal. If the objective does not appear to meet SMART criteria, then be flexible and adjust the plan accordingly.

Reward yourself when you hit even the smallest goal

Incentivising oneself to achieve amazing sales success is a great way of motivating. No matter how small or large the goal, there should always be a reward, but don’t rely on others to do this for you. Whether it is a sports car or just a walk for 20 minutes to clear the head, always have a reward for achieving the sales activity you need to do.

Analyse poor performance

If a deal is lost or a target narrowly missed, don’t start a session of self-flagellation. Spend a small amount of time reviewing why that happened. If a sales person can work out why it all went wrong then they will find it so much easier to prevent it going wrong again. Ask a customer why they went elsewhere, talk to a colleague and find out what they did to be higher up the sales league table. The answers back may actually be surprising, but definitely of immense value.

Just do it!

“You may delay, but time will not,” said Benjamin Franklin. Don’t avoid difficult tasks, just get them over with quickly. First thing in the morning is probably one of the best times to do this ensuring a more positive mood for the rest of the day.

Record success

Keep a record of success. Big payslips, well done emails from colleagues, thank you’s and recommendations from clients. Whatever a sales person receives as recognition of their hard work should be recorded. When a boost of confidence is required, reviewing your success will keep you focused and motivated.

“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” – Confucius

Lincolnshire-bred business woman Susan Marot runs Marot Associates Ltd, which helps businesses sell more by improving their sales process. Susan works with them to design, improve or even deliver the sales the company needs. A sales person for almost 30 years, Susan is often engaged to speak at events on selling and has regular articles published by the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management in "Winning Edge".

Selling your products or services is hard work, so why make it difficult by missing out the little things? Getting it right first time means you will achieve that sale quicker, leaving you to crack on and sell more – and probably make more profit.

Let me give you three examples of what I mean by the little things:

I regularly accompany sales people as part of their training and personal development. On one occasion, I went with a sales person to their first meeting with a big prospect. The meeting went well. The sales person didn’t ask all the right questions, but the prospect made it easy for them by volunteering all the information they needed such as who they should meet to discuss bidding for a regular contract.

Great stuff you might think, so what was the little thing the sales person got wrong?

Well as we crossed the car park to leave, I asked the sales person what the name of the decision maker was whom the prospect had suggested they should contact. All I got back was a blank look and “Sorry, I can’t remember”.

The little thing the sales person had overlooked was to write down the name of the decision maker. They had not opened their presenter once with the pen uncapped and the note pad was as empty as it had been the day it arrived from the stationers.

Making notes is probably the best way to make sure you don’t miss the little things. Simply ask if it is all right to get your notepad out, and if it is use it.

Perhaps the only time it might not be a good idea to take notes during a business meeting is when the conversation is either personal or highly confidential.

Another little thing that sales people often fail to do is check documentation for spelling or grammatical errors before sending to a client.

Relying on your computer’s automatic spell check could easily make you appear very unprofessional. For important documents, engaging the services of a professional copywriter could make the difference between the client placing the order, or going elsewhere.

My third little thing that sales people should never overlook is being honest with a client.

For me honesty within the sales process is simply about doing what you say you are going to do. It really isn’t that hard to overlook being honest. If you can’t actually deliver what the client is asking for then don’t lie, just say what you can do.

If you, the sales person, overlook being honest, I can guarantee the client will not overlook the fact you didn’t keep your promise.

There are many little things that sales people overlook, but for me these three are probably the most common. Make notes, check your work before presenting it to a client, and be honest about what you can or can’t do.

The devil is always in the detail when selling, so get the little things right and increase your chances of success.

Lincolnshire-bred business woman Susan Marot runs Marot Associates Ltd, which helps businesses sell more by improving their sales process. Susan works with them to design, improve or even deliver the sales the company needs. A sales person for almost 30 years, Susan is often engaged to speak at events on selling and has regular articles published by the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management in "Winning Edge".

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