12 Phrases To Use In 2012.

12 Reasons Why You Should Have a Sales Plan.

Tweet of the Month.

Go Pats!

1. You keep saying next month you’ll write down goals; it’s already the end of January.
2. Your sales plan is written on the back of a Panera receipt; and it is misplaced.
3. The sales team is waiting for the order; should arrive any day now.

Sound familiar? Keep going, there’s more…

4. There’s no accountability for poor results.
5. You haven’t heard from one of your sales reps in four weeks.
6. There are just a few prospects in your pipeline and dozens of key prospects are lost opportunities after just one phone call.

7. Negotiating always ends in lowering your price.
8. Some of your best customers haven’t ordered in weeks.
9. Sales meetings turn into gripe sessions.
10. Sales potential is not maximized.

11. You might know what your January results are. You may even know what you will sell in February; but you don’t even have a guess what you will sell in March.

12. You lack direction. A plan is a map. Without a map you will end up someplace else.

You know you need a sales plan. Without a plan you may be successful; but chances are you’re missing a lot of easy opportunities that can make the difference between an OK year and an awesome year.

You’ve heard it before: if you didn’t like last year’s results and you continue to do the same thing, you will get the same results again and again. Sales planning is an easy way to make 2012 your best year ever.

Set your objectives, hustle and give your professional best.

What’s your reason for not having a 2012 sales plan?

1.  Thank you! People like to feel appreciated. Thank you for your business. Thank you for the referral; the present; the card; and the kind words. Thank you for staying late; arriving early; skipping lunch; and the good work that you do.
2. I can do that. Exhibit positivity. Everyone likes to be around positive people. I can do that. By golly, I can get that done. Woo-hoo.
3. It makes sense to me, what do you think? The best closing line you can use. If the plan doesn’t make sense to your prospect, client, spouse, friend or boss, this question will reveal why it doesn’t make sense.
4. Let me give you an example. Keeps someone engaged, and helps them follow you and the conversation. Be sure you have a real example to prove your point.
5. I’m following up to determine next steps. You should never, ever say, “I’m checking in.” Prospects don’t want anybody to check in with them. They want sales pros that provide value during every contact; in an email, a voice mail and at those rare face to face meetings. (The only time I want to check in is at the airport or a hotel.)
6. Happy to help. When someone appreciates your effort and expresses their gratitude by saying, “Thank you” a simple, sincere, “you’re welcome” is the perfect response. When they go on, gushing about how they couldn’t have gotten on without you, just nod your head and enjoy the gratitude. “Happy to help.”
7. Have you ever thought about using our company before? Your prospect is probably using somebody else for what your company can provide. Maybe they’re using them “because that’s the way we’ve always done it.” Maybe they never heard of you. Maybe you were on the short list of vendors in the past. After you deliver the question, wait for the answer and follow up appropriately.
8. Did you hear the one about… Tell a joke once in a while. One that makes you laugh out loud. Sometimes business can be stressful and overwhelming. Have a thought, or story or joke available that puts a smile on your face to keep things in perspective.
9. That’s a great idea! This exhibits excellent listening skills. You heard what they said and you liked what they said. Enough said. Let’s move forward with this great idea and enjoy more successes.
10. Consider it done! Three simple words. This confident statement will get your client thinking positive about the future.
11. I thought you would be interested in this article. Your client or prospect will appreciate the fact you were thinking about them. Articles are everywhere including technology trends, leadership trends, HR trends, sales trends, home improvement trends and more. Copy the link and email it to your contact in that category; better yet, print the article and mail it to them. You will be remembered.
12. Thank you! You can never say “Thank You” too often. Besides “Yes, Dear” these are the two words we should use most often. Thank the prospect for seeing you. Thank the prospect for their time. Thank the prospect for considering purchasing your stuff. Thank your employees for their efforts. Thank your network for the referrals; for listening; and, for advice. Thank your customers.

Remaining positive and enthusiastic is challenging. Especially with all the bad news reported on the web, the radio, the TV and in the papers. We are constantly getting bombarded with what we shouldn’t do; don’t do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign? These 12 phrases to repeat every week to ensure 2012 is your best year are not the only phrases to say, but are a good start.

What else should we say?

What do you say when you are positive and enthusiastic?

Businesses will set SMART goals to reach their 2012 sales growth targets. Prospecting goals, Selling goals, Networking goals, and Revenue goals. Goals should be specific and emphasize what you want to happen. They should be measurable and attainable; too far out of reach and most folks give up. Goals must be realistic; the skill set is available to do the work. Finally, the goal must have a time frame: this quarter or this year are typical periods.

Leaders will develop sales plans: annual, quarterly, monthly. Sales planning is not just for big companies. Small businesses, entrepreneurs and professionals all need an annual sales plan to ensure they are moving in the right direction.

Decision makers will focus on high payoff selling activities and exceed goals. The question everyone in your firm should be asking, “Is this activity the best use of my time?”

Sales pros will spend more time selling. Everybody has lots of demands on their time but the pros will take control of their do-list. They will manage their distractions and maximize the selling hours of every day.

Social media will morph into the name business networking. More and more buyers and decision makers are joining Linkedin to network and exchange information. Sales pros need to understand how to utilize Google +, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and Linkedin to add value to their offerings.

Leaders will insist on accountability, requiring everybody to achieve results. Measurement and accountability are critical to reaching your goals because when you monitor what you’re doing then you can re-assess your activities to establish what’s working and what’s not working. More firms will embrace sales force automation tools to ensure the people paid to sell are getting the most out of every selling day.

When it comes down to it, there are just two ways to increase sales: 1) get more customers, and 2) get your current customers to buy more. Getting results is what it’s all about.

Set your objectives, hustle and give your professional best.

Final prediction: Sales Kitchen will have their best year ever.