Increase Sales Blog

To increase sales does mean salespersons need to innovate – to think differently given today’s market is both local and global.  A insightful post by Scott Anthony on What’s Stopping Innovation discussed the obstacles or roadblocks to  innovation. In many cases these are the same obstacles to achieving the goal to increase sales. Go figure!

Credit: Teaching Every Student

The first major rock in the road or obstacle is  looking for opportunities to create value. Far too often sales professionals are so busy working in the day to day tasks of marketing and selling they fail to work on marketing and selling. To work on something requires setting time to think, to observe and to reflect. Opportunities abound, but in many cases they look like work and are quickly abandoned. Sales Training Coaching Tip:  If you are thinking or let’s be honest whining “I do not have time!” then answer this one question: Do you waste 12 minutes in your 8 hour work time?  So time is not the issue is it?

Obstacle number two is all about having an open mind to seeing things differently. One of my most favorite quotes is by Marcel Proust who wrote: “The true voyage of discovery is not seeking new landscapes, but seeing with new eyes.” Innovation within the sales process requires more of a mind set change than anything else. Reread the last two statements in the previous paragraph.

The third and final obstacle is all about action. A lot of sales people have great ideas, but they stay as ideas. No action is taken and no progress is made. Possibly the fear of taking action, what if I fail, takes hold. Remember, children learn to walk from falling down. Failure is an integral part of success.

With the competition in all industries growing larger and more aggressive, salespersons need to innovate, add value, think differently and take action to stay ahead of the flow and continue to be the Red Jacket in a Sea of Gray Suits.