Greg Winston

All seasons are not created equally.  Fall is the serious season, where spring has certain “lightness” to it.  The real essence of business takes shape after Labor Day, takes a breath around Thanksgiving hits full stride straight through Christmas.  As a result, I am writing for the retail stores over the next few weeks.  Retail seems to understand the importance of fall … however; I feel that every business should place importance on “The Autumn of Selling.  I mean really, how many of us have prepared any differently for selling as the fall approaches?  The biggest selling season we have, the best opportunity to make up revenue missed since January – but have we prepared?

And by preparation I don’t mean doing more of what you have always done.  In many cases it means doing the opposite of what you have done.  For example,

·      Many stores have their floor people become more aggressive with everyone who walks in the store –  if you have ignored customers and suddenly you act as if they’re a long lost friend the customer pushes back.  So rather than more here I suggest less and then spend that extra time on the phone, writing notes or creating a reason for your best customers in the store.  Yes rather than focus on 100% of your customer base, focus on the 10% who have money and will spend it.

·    And stop it with the standard openings when you greet a customer.  No more “may I help you” or “How are you doing” and definitely no “is anyone helping you?”  My rule here is let your action mimic life.  Simply put, friends make statements and strangers ask questions.  Rather than leading with questions – make a statement.  What have you noticed about the client that’s note worthy?  Pay attention to something they are wearing, the fragrance they use maybe even something about their last visit.  Make a friendly statement or two and then you can comfortably ask questions.

We have all experienced some uncomfortable circumstances, some uncooperative people and some stress that took the form of an unexplained pain.  Years ago my Sales Manager at Xerox said something to me that stills rings true today.  He said, ”when sales are good all other problems are manageable.  But when sales are off the entire operation shuts down.”  So if you go back to the three “un’s” I mentioned above — uncomfortable, uncooperative, unexplained — you  see how overachieving in sales could reduce the impact of most everything that holds a company back.

Go back to the time when you didn’t know how to ride a bike, tie your shoe, or how to write your name; or when you moved from print to cursive.  All of this was taught to you.  What we have to do right now is extend our education in order to thrive in this new economy.

Let’s pretend we haven’t ridden our bikes for a while … just like we haven’t had to fight for business in a while.  We want to educate ourselves, observe more and get to a point in our sales acumen that we are able to see things that weren’t there three years ago.  We have to look at business differently to get the same effect.  Rather more calls its fewer more targeted calls, rather than the entire account universe it’s 20% of the list.  We must look at how we go after business differently.  Let us know how you are approaching business differently.  Here’s a film clip on making rain in a different way ….

Rain

The only competition you will ever have is the competition between your disciplined and your undisciplined mind. – James Arthur Ray. This quote is at the bottom of my emails. While no ever comments on the quote I gets lots of comments on the economy. Everyday I hear an excuse, the government, or a job, or their appearance, or their parents, and it goes on. Those are just excuses made up to justify why people arent successful. And, guess whos sending you those excuses? Its, their conditioned mind. The one thing that you must change is you. Its the only thing you have control over. For now, you have a decision to make. Are you going to accept the life you have today and the person you are today, and simply accept whatever circumstances life throws at you like everyone else?