A Day In The Life

Looking to make this month the greatest ever? Who isn't? Ask successful salespeople for the secret of selling, and they'll say it's a positive attitude, creative preparation and consistent performance.

To succeed month to month, you must execute day to day. Here are 31 creative and fundamental sales concepts. Incorporate them into your business on a one-a-day basis, and sales are sure to follow. You can't add more days to the calendar, but you can make every day more productive.

Day 1

Establish your pipeline goals. How many calls, leads, appointments, mail-outs and follow-ups does it take to exceed your sales dreams? Make a top 10 list of people you want to sell to. By doing this on the first of every month, you will have a clear vision of the task ahead.

Day 2

Figure out your daily dose. After you establish your goals, determine what you must do every day to make them a reality.

Day 3

Examine your tools. Take a hard look at the sales tools in your kit. Are they the best in the business? State of the art? If not, make a plan and a deadline to update them.

Day 4

Evaluate your image. Look in the mirror. Like who you see? Get someone impartial to give you an image once-over. Act on their recommendations as fast as you can.

Day 5

List the main reasons your customers buy from you. Don't be a fool and make the list without asking 10 customers. Use the list to readjust your presentation and approach.

Day 6

Network someplace where your customers and prospects go. Ask your best customer if you may attend his or her monthly association meeting.

Day 7

Have breakfast with a customer. Discussing business over meals is an excellent time-management tool.

Day 8

Lunch with a prospect. You can get to real issues over lunch because it's a relaxed, neutral court.

Day 9

Have dinner with a small group. Combine a meal with a miniseminar. Bring interested people together to make a group sale.

Day 10

Get peer evaluation. Ask your colleagues to rate your performance once a month. Get honest feedback--and use it.

Day 11

Join Toastmasters. You only have to do this once, but the impact will last a lifetime. It's about an hour and a half each week of improving your speaking skills and receiving peer evaluation. Just do it.

Day 12

Buy a book about sales. Read one book a month, and before long you'll be a world-class expert.

Day 13

Audiotape your presentation. Play it back in the car. If you say Oh, man, that's terrible, imagine what your customers and prospects are saying.

Day 14

Play golf with a customer and someone he or she can do business with. Bringing your customer potential business is the most powerful business-building (and -keeping) tool there is. Combining it with golf makes it memorable.

Day 15

Brainstorm objections with your sales staff. There are less than 10 real objections to purchasing your product or service. Get together with your staff and figure out the best responses.

Day 16

Take an employee on a sales call. Show them how it's done. If you're chicken, you're not prepared well enough.

Day 17

Make it a point to provide your best customer with one hot sales lead. Want to keep your best customers forever? Just keep bringing them business.

Day 18

Product Knowledge Day. Take the time to read the fliers and product updates you've been shoving in drawers all month.

Day 19

Read Your Trade Magazine Day. One of the best sources for the latest sales ideas. A bible to the most successful.

Day 20

Create five new questions. Asking questions is the heart of selling. To keep the blood pumping, you must continually have new questions. Formulate power questions--ones that make your prospect evaluate new information.

Day 21

Detail your car. If your customer gets into a perfect car, she thinks perfect salesperson, perfect product, perfect company. If she gets into a crummy car . . .

Day 22

Contact one person on your chicken list. These are the people you're afraid to call. If you don't have your chicken list on paper, create one now.

Day 23

Brainstorm creative follow-ups. Ninety-seven percent of all sales take more than one call to complete. Gather a group, and generate 10 new ways to call a prospect back that combine creativity with purpose (and get the sale).

Day 24

Thank Your Customer Day. Pick 25 customers and send them cards, candy and a note: How sweet it is to have you for a customer--Thanks.

Day 25

Take a customer to a ballgame. Add some fun to one of your business relationships. Get to know someone personally.

Day 26

Mentor Day. Ask the salesperson you respect the most if you can go along on some sales calls and watch him or her at work.

Day 27

Work on your biggest goal for four hours. It will never get done if you don't work on it.

Day 28

Do community volunteer work. You'll meet the best people and feel great.

Day 29

Make a speech at a local civic group. Get visible, get credible. Lousy at or afraid of public speaking? Revisit Day 11 for a sure cure.

Day 30

Make your biggest sale. End your month with a big sale to create the momentum for next month.

Day 31

Celebrate your success. Reward yourself for a job well done. Go buy some new clothes or spend a day at the beach. Relax and get set for next month's success. You're the greatest. Way to go!

I'm too busy to incorporate all this into my schedule, you say. Oh, I guess you're making all the money in the world, as well. Just in case you're not, consider this: All the successful salespeople in the universe incorporate these strategies and tactics into their everyday success. If they can find the time, perhaps you can, too. It's a great investment. Remember, time is money.

--Jeffrey Gitomer