How can you measure your sales results?

by thet
5 replies
You need to stay objective to measure you results.

According to the books I am reading 1/3 of prospects would have done business with you anyhow, 1/3 would never do business with you, 1/3 might.. and here are you sales skills needed the most.

At what point in your career can you be sure you are doing a good job in selling?
It's not as obvious as being in accounting. Where mistakes are super obvious. In sales you deal with many variables.
#measure #results #sales
  • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
    Those are figures that can vary wildly. In my former business (in home vacuum sales) the figure was more like 15% would buy no matter what, 20% wouldn't buy, no matter what, and 65% depended on the salesperson.

    And in some sales, the talent of the salesperson has relatively little to do with the results.


    You can always measure yourself against the top person, selling what you sell.

    But the easiest way, is to measure income. If the guy next to you earns $500 last week, and you earned $800...you're a better salesman.

    In my case, I always obsessed about the percentage that I closed. In one month, I gave 26 presentations, and sold 26 vacuum cleaners (my best month). A 100% closing rate.

    I met a woman at a company meeting that sold 60 vacuums in one month. I asked her how she did it. She said "I gave 120 presentations that month".

    So...who was the best salesperson?

    I'll let you in on a secret that the best salespeople follow. I assume 100% responsibility for whether they buy or not. If they didn't buy, I did something wrong.

    Now, this isn't really true. It's impossible to sell everyone. But by making it your responsibility, you can critique what you do and improve. You can always get better.

    If you assume that it's the prospects fault, that they didn't buy because "They didn't get it", you trap yourself in a situation where you never improve what you say, never improve your numbers......
    Signature
    One Call Closing book https://www.amazon.com/One-Call-Clos...=1527788418&sr

    What if they're not stars? What if they are holes poked in the top of a container so we can breath?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9633416].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author thet
    Thank you. I tried your "Hi, we are a company specialised in X. Is that something you are interested in discussing further?".

    It actually worked. Had a good 12 minute call to realise he isn't a prospect for us. I was shocked when I look at the time that went by
    Signature

    Recognize reality even when you don't like it - especially when you don't like it.
    — Charlie Munger

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9633456].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by thet View Post

      Thank you. I tried your "Hi, we are a company specialised in X. Is that something you are interested in discussing further?".

      It actually worked. Had a good 12 minute call to realise he isn't a prospect for us. I was shocked when I look at the time that went by
      I'm glad it worked for you. You need to ask qualifying questions (to qualify them out or in) earlier in the discussion.
      Signature
      One Call Closing book https://www.amazon.com/One-Call-Clos...=1527788418&sr

      What if they're not stars? What if they are holes poked in the top of a container so we can breath?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9633556].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author thet
        Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

        I'm glad it worked for you. You need to ask qualifying questions (to qualify them out or in) earlier in the discussion.
        We are a reseller specialised in X. The reason I am calling you is because we would like to meet to show you what might be currently happening in your { problem most companies have where we fix that problem }. Is that something you would be interested in?
        Signature

        Recognize reality even when you don't like it - especially when you don't like it.
        — Charlie Munger

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9633651].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
          Originally Posted by thet View Post

          We are a reseller specialised in X. The reason I am calling you is because we would like to meet to show you what might be currently happening in your { problem most companies have where we fix that problem }. Is that something you would be interested in?
          No. That's a weak benefit. And it's not specific enough. Your previous greeting was better.

          You ask the qualifying questions (except for the one in your greeting) in the first few minutes, after they tell you that they would like to hear more.
          Signature
          One Call Closing book https://www.amazon.com/One-Call-Clos...=1527788418&sr

          What if they're not stars? What if they are holes poked in the top of a container so we can breath?
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9633689].message }}

Trending Topics