Back to Basics – Sales Organisation

Decide the standards for your work.

You cannot feel good about your business when you are constantly making silly mistakes that cost time, money and reputation. It really is true that ‘a stitch in time saves nine’. Do the small things that make the big things easier. Take control. You’ll feel lighter with less worry on your shoulders and feel proud of what you are doing. Mess is oppressive. Clean it up. It doesn’t matter about the value of your car or van but keep it clean and tidy. It is mortifying when your customer sees the state of your car. It’s a reflection of you and your business.

What you do reflects on your company.

Customers do not like sloppy salespeople. They make the mental leap that if you are not competent, then the company isn’t either. If you want to sell value then you must look as if you’re worth it.

Reduce stress.

Surely, you have enough to think about without worrying about whether you have the right equipment with you. Reduce the mental chatter by getting organised and checking at the end of the appointment that everything is back where it’s supposed to be for the next one.

Organisation smooths the process.

Your aim is for your appointment to be a smooth process. If you’re faffing around to find prices or you’ve forgotten something, it makes you look inefficient and interrupts the flow. Efficiency is part of professionalism.

Establish routines for taking information.

There is no excuse for missing an appointment because you wrote the enquiry on a scrap of paper and can’t find it. Nor for making mistakes on quotes because you don’t understand your own measurements.

Efficiency impresses your customers.

Efficiency is obvious. When your customer notices that you are tidy and that all of your equipment is organised, where you expect it to be and you put things back in the place you got them from, they take mental note and it further confirms your competency.

Are you punctual?

If you are persistently late, then it’s time to overhaul your organisation. Arriving flustered will be costing you sales. Punctuality is the first opportunity for your customer to form an opinion. Why start with a negative! With the exception of genuine traffic jams, or the odd emergency, there really is no reason for regular lateness. You know who you are. You get more done if you can stroll through life rather than rushing through life like you’re dodging bullets.

Take stock. Honestly, take stock and accept responsibility. Take time out and decide your routines and processes for efficiency.

Finish on the Day.

Start doing everything that you can immediately or at least on the day. This is a life changer.

Do everything you need to, while you’re with the customer and everything is fresh in your mind. Have a template in your emails and send it while you’re with them or as soon as you’re back in the car. Don’t let them pile up so that you end up not doing them and then you have to lie to the customer and say it must be in their junk box.

At the end of the day, attack any outstanding paperwork for the day before you settle for the evening.

Your customers will be impressed and you will save time because it’s quicker when it’s fresh in your mind instead of hunting down information and trying to make sense of your notes.

The best part is getting up in the mornings without the weight of your to-do list dragging you down. Give it a try.