Increasing Sales Results Through Appropriate Behaviour

You can have a fantastic attitude, but a positive attitude alone is not enough to guarantee long term success. You need goals and an action plan to get where you want to go. The 'B' stands for behaviour in the ABC, 123 Sales Results System.

Behaviour is the manner in which you conduct yourself. It is the way you behave, the way you act, function or react. The 1, 2, 3's are the goals and behaviours from a personal, organisational, and market targeting level. Without goals there is no reason to act, no motivation to take daily actions or go the extra mile.

1. Appropriate behaviour drives opportunities. Opportunities come from setting goals. What do you want out of life or out of your business? Who could determine this for you and who can make it happen? What are the daily behaviours that you must apply to live the life of your dreams?

2. It is those daily behaviours, and when you implement them, that will make a big difference in your level of business or sales success. For example, as salespeople we need to be constantly networking, calling on prospects, presenting ideas to them, helping them make decisions and following up with them. When is the best time to be conducting these behaviours? Naturally, it is when the client is available. So, let's refer to these behaviours as "pay time" behaviours - those behaviours that lead us to the accomplishment of our business goals or sales quotas. What are the pay time behaviours that you need to conduct on a daily basis to meet your goals and when do you conduct them?

Now we all know that business and sales is about more than being in front of customers. In all professions we need time for internal communications, training, paperwork and other forms of administration. These are activities or behaviours that are necessary but do not directly provide us with revenue and direct results. Let's refer to these behaviours as "no-pay time" behaviours.

When we look at our week, each day we must plan and determine time slots for both types of behaviours, pay time and no-pay time. What are the best times of the day for you to be in front of customers and clients or to be contacting them? What are the worst times? It is during these worst times that you should be conducting no pay time behaviours. Once you identify these behaviours and times and stick to them, watch your time management skills and results improve dramatically.

3. What about your market? Does 80 per cent of your business come from 20 per cent of your customers? If so, what does your 20 per cent look like? Can you clearly define them? Now, where should you be spending your time? I have found that in sales it takes more time to sell smaller accounts that produce less revenue than selling large accounts that produce more revenue. If you take the time to define your absolute, beneficial and convenient (A,B,C) criteria you will have a better handle on who you should be targeting, that is if you want a maximum return on your investment in time.

The Bottom Line! Behaviour is the manner in which you conduct yourself. Businesses today cannot succeed without appropriate sale behaviour. Without appropriate sales behaviour there would be no transactions. Without transactions there is no revenue. Without revenue, there is no business, no jobs, no bottom line. Sales, and your behaviour, is the bottom line!