48 Weeks
We are entering February, so that means you and your team only have 48 weeks left to hit your number. I hear a lot of salespeople say: “January is for planning, and nobody is really doing much of anything yet. I’ll get my prep work done, then hit it hard in February.”
If that includes you or your team, it is music to your competition’s ears. Why? You are 4 weeks behind them! And that can have a big impact.
More than the “Sales Cycle”
Some sale people look at their sales cycle and say they have plenty of time. However, if your sales cycle is 60 days, your competition would be 28 days ahead of you with a prospective customer.
If you are working on the same lead, you would either be told, “Sorry, we are too far down the path in our process.” Or, if they do invite you into the process, you would be at a severe disadvantage because your competition is dictating the Sales Experience with a 28-day lead on you. That means you are at risk of skipping steps and missing key information to build your value in the eyes of the prospect. In essence, you have lost before you have begun.
All of this assumes you have leads who are ready to start the process. If you do, what process do you need to go through to qualify that lead? Then, what needs to happen between qualification and initial discovery? Do you need to schedule internal resources to help? Do you have to deal with multiple stakeholder calendar challenges on the prospect side of things? You need to consider the lead time for a Lead that is necessary before they ever get into your Sales Experience.
Get on It!
What is my goal here? To help you create consistency. You know you have created consistency when the front, middle and end of your sales pipelines are full of opportunities. The problem is, if you have been slowing down at all in January, you are going to have a hole in your pipeline somewhere down the line. You may as well start asking your boss for forgiveness now.
For those who have hit it hard to start the year – good on you! Keep it up and don’t assume your competition can’t catch you because the minute you start thinking that way, you will slow down and start hearing footsteps.
Let’s go, let’s have fun, let’s make 2017 YOUR year! If you need any help keeping you or your team on track, that is what we do at the Corlea Group – give you the process, energy and ideas to succeed. If that sounds interesting to you, then let’s talk and see if there might be a good fit. Just send an email to info@corleagroup.com or give us a call at (858) 863-9913.
There are 48 weeks left – make every week count!
