We’ve all been there before. Nobody is answering the phone and it seems like your prospects are falling off the face of the earth. You can’t seem to get into a groove and frustration is becoming all too familiar of an emotion. It's official: You’re in a slump.
But it's okay -- we all go through times when things aren’t going our way.
In an age when technology provides us with instant feedback, data, and reporting on our performance, a slump can be a scary thing. However, it's not the slump itself that really matters, but what we do to address it.
So, after a tough period sales-wise, it's important to remember to stay upbeat, be proactive, and put things into perspective as you move forward.
Control What You Can Control
Knowing the difference between the things that you can control and those you can't (and reacting appropriately) is crucial in combating a bad month.
You can’t control whether or not the person you’re calling is going to answer the phone, even if you've followed the best prospecting practices. However, you can control how many calls you make in a day, so stay focused and maximize effectiveness during the day.
Another thing you can’t control is the budget or timeline constraints of your prospects' companies, but you can control the amount of value you show for your product or service and the urgency you create throughout the sales process.
Be Proactive, Not Reactive
When things aren’t going your way, the worst thing you can do is just sit back and wait for the winds to change. Sometimes, when it feels like everything is going against you, the best medicine is to just put your head down and work your way through it.
For instance, you could decide to make 25 extra calls in a month, check in on old prospects or actively ask around for referrals. What you can't do, though, is wait for someone to come along and throw you a rope. Put yourself in a position to climb out of the hole on your own.
Put Things Into Perspective
Some days, you eat the bear. Some days, the bear eats you. However you want to look at it, things aren’t going to be great on the sales front all of the time.
Sales is a mental game, and the most important skill we have out our disposal is a positive, motivated attitude -- just as sales motivational speaker Gavin Ingham has stated. If things aren’t going your way, get up, take a lap, clear your head, and then step back up to the plate. You’ll realize that the one bad call you had doesn’t have the power to ruin your month, your week or even your afternoon.
Bad months are going to come and go -- it's just the nature of the sales beast. Knowing this fact of life, be sure you address the issue at hand, take action, and stay positive. Better days are certainly on the way.
How do you stay positive during a rough sales month? Let us know in the comments below.
Ryan McDonald is a Business Development Representative at HubSpot. You can follow him on Twitter here: @oldchainsy.
Image credit: Marta Zappia
