There are three things that all salespeople need to do right now if they haven’t already to help maximize their performance and potential, as well as set themselves up for not only a strong second quarter but the rest of the year:
1. Stop, Start and Continue
Take a moment to reflect on your activities and performance from the first quarter of the year. Have you been spending your time and efforts doing anything that’s not yielding results? Are you missing out on doing anything you should be doing but aren’t? Is there anything you’re already doing that is working really well?
Stop doing anything that has been unproductive for you.
Start doing other activities that could produce better results.
Continue doing anything that’s been working well.
2. Rework your game plan
Review your quarter one numbers and recalculate your game plan for the rest of the year accordingly. This way, you can make sure you are on target to hit your annual goal. Take your annual target goal and subtract out your year-to-date revenue, projected repeat business, percentage of your pipeline you feel you can close, and estimated upselling and cross-selling revenue. The number you get is the revenue you need from new clients by the end of the year. You can then divide that number by how many months you have to hit the target and determine what activities will get you there. Here’s a handy chart that can guide you through these calculations.
Build in some cushion for yourself. Allow yourself some wiggle room so that you’re not right up against the year-end deadline. For example, if you’re performing these calculations on June 1st, there are seven months left until the end of the year. Instead of dividing your target by the actual number of remaining months in the year (seven), divide by one less (six). Your monthly goals will then allow you some breathing room, especially at the end of the year when the holidays approach.
3. Revisit your “A” and “B” Centers of Influence
Your Centers of Influence (COIs), and especially those in the “A” and “B” categories, are a great source of good, qualified referrals. Go back to anyone who over the past few years has already referred business that has closed (your “A” COIs), as well as those that have brought you opportunities but they haven’t closed yet (your “B” COIs). See if they have anyone else they can refer; if they’ve referred you in the past, there’s a good likelihood that they can make a great referral once again. However, make sure you’re always thinking of ways you can reciprocate and make introductions on their behalf as well.