No, you're not crazy - There are voices inside your head that keeps you from being successful in sales. These can be voices from your past colleagues, teachers, your family members, and basically everyone around you. These are those who have eventually become your own voice, collectively known as negative self-talk.
"You're asking too many questions"
"You're annoying them"
"You're doing it wrong"
... So on and so forth. Although these voices have been appropriate at some point in your life, they are no longer even relevant now. And you don't have to listen anymore. You have to tell them to shut it.
Here's something you might want to try - make a list of all those people on your sales calls / meetings who are not helping you sell. Include your folks, teachers, partner, friends and colleagues - anyone whose voice you hear saying that doesn't support you with your objectives.
Put that list in an envelope, and store it inside a drawer or chest, where you'll have a hard time finding it again. Or better yet, set it on fire and watch it burn down into ashes.
Don't take any negative voices on your sales calls that are not there to help you succeed.
What Needs To Happen
Reaching high levels of success in selling is usually not the result of a major breakthrough - a new strategy or technique. Most often, it is the combination of "small" improvements made over time; an extra step; a small change; a different approach.
To discover these small improvements that you can make, answer the following questions -
If you could do one thing to widen your reach to your customers, what would that be?
If you could do something to expand the number of products and services your customers get from you, what would you do?
If there's one thing you could do to improve the relationship you have with your clients, what would you do?
If you could do one thing that would make better use of your time and energy, what would you do?
If you could do one thing to improve your ability to respond to the needs of your customers. what would you do?
If you could do one thing to leverage your business relationships in order to identify new selling opportunities, what would you do?
Don't Waste Another Minute
Setting goals is a waste of time. Developing action plans is a waste of time.
Formulating implementation strategies is a waste of time.
Writing affirmations to support goal achievement is a waste of time.
It's all just a huge waste of time... if you don't ACT!
Setting goals, developing, plans, installing productivity apps on your phone or tablet device, and scheduling activities are nothing more than intellectual exercises if you don't take the first step, then another, and another until you reach your objectives.
Some people plan and plan and plan, but fail to act. Others fail to plan, but take action and succeed in spite of their somewhat chaotic behavior.
Why?
Because even though their actions may not be the most efficient, they are doing something. And, action even without planning, trumps even the most meticulous planning that not followed through with action. So don't waste your time on planning unless you are committed to taking action.
Perfection, Paralysis, and Procrastination
You studied the market, and calculated the potential demand for your product or service. You also studied the unique aspects and benefits of your products and service to your prospective customers. You studied your competitors and planned exactly how to position your product in order to expose their weaknesses. You fine tuned your approach. You're very prepared.
If you're prepared, then why aren't you doing anything?
Maybe you're trying too hard. It's admirable that you want your approach to be perfect when you put your plan in motion. But, it just simply doesn't work that way. Perfection comes from doing, not planning. Besides, ho said that you had to be perfect? For not, you just have to be good enough. Perfection will come later.
Striving for perfection leads to paralysis which in turn, leads to procrastination. The more you try to refine your approach, or sales presentation, for instance, the more things you'll find to add, change or remove. The more you tinker with it, the less likely that you are ever going to finish. After all, it can always be better. Your quest for perfection will prevent you from moving forward, from progress.
Strive for progress, not perfection.
At some point,the preparation must stop... and you must DO SOMETHING. Make the calls, deliver your presentation. Whatever it is, do it. Then, you can evaluate the results and fine tune if necessary.
Focus on making progress every day. Commit to an activity in writing and record your result, strive to make it just a bit better the next time. If each attempt, each action i better than the previous - even if it's far from perfect - you're making progress. And, if there's such a thing as perfection, constant progress will get you as close as humanly possible to it.
To your success,
Dr. Sales