Welcome to the Sales Pro Blog month end review of January 2014. This post serves to recap on the general happenings in the previous month along with the posts that went live.
It’s always a good idea to look back to make sure you are on the path you want to be as well as recognize if any course corrections are needed.
To me this is important because I know every salesperson has successes and failures. We have good months and bad months, we exceed quota then miss it, and we always hope next quarter is better than the last no matter how good it was.
To me January was an exceptional month.
The fruits of my labors seemed to be ready for harvest once the new year came. After months and months of consistent prospecting on a few companies I’ve finally gained traction and have multiple meetings and demonstrations on the schedule with them.
The point I want to make is that prospecting is a process and not an event.
It takes time. For anyone who tells you differently, they are probably embellishing their accomplishments. Don’t get me wrong, some processes work better than others. But one thing that they all have in common is that you have to use them often (daily) and never stop.
Sales prospecting is not something you can give up on. You have to try different things, see what works, what doesnt, adjust, and keep adjusting. What worked a year ago may not work today.
This worked very well for me in 2013 and will make my 2014 a great year. I hope you work hard to see similar results. If there is any way I can help please let me know. My goal for this site has always been to help others be better in sales as well as teach from my own personal experiences.
A great place to start is with last months posts. If you missed any of them be sure to check them out below.
January 2014
- Does Your Attitude Stand In Your Way Or Accelerate You Forward?
- My Three Pillars Of Excellence
- What Stories Do Your Blog Pictures Tell?
- 5 Attributes To Better Qualify Prospects
- How To Be Debt Free In Sales
- 3 Essential Research Steps To Ace Your Next Interview
- How Well Do You Qualify Your Prospects?
- Year End Review 2013
What’s New
Besides my normal sales work a lot of my time has been spent preparing for my son’s birth on Feb. 19th. Only a couple of weeks left.
It’s been a rough 9 months not knowing what his health will be like when he’s born but I’m optimistic. Besides my wife being ready to pop and pretty much uncomfortable at all times, her and baby show normal signs of being healthy. Something I can’t be more thankful for.
Yesterday was her first official day off on maternity leave. It’s been pretty interesting having her here the last couple of days. Something I’ll have to get use to for the next few months.
I thought it was hard getting used to working from home, with all the comforts of home ready to distract me. I’ve obviously been able to get over that but have found that having her here all the time is a new challenge. Until the baby comes I’m lucky to have my own office but that room is slowly becoming the “babies room / office”.
What we’ve been working on is scheduling times for her to go through the baby stuff we have (stollers, baby shower gifts, new furniture, etc) in the office with a little warning of when. Since we have a two bedroom apartment, it’s going to get a little crowded here with the little one and family visiting (our mom’s are moving in for a couple of weeks).
I’ve come to realize that I have to readjust to working at home with someone else here. And more so, when there are two adults, and a newborn.
I’ve started considering other options to get out of the apartment as soon as the baby is born and I’m back to work. Starbucks is an obvious possibility, I’ve worked out of a coffee shop a few times just to get a little change in atmosphere. Additionally our apartment community has a business center which consists of a quiet room, table, and wireless internet.
Believe it or not, the more I’ve thought about this the more I see it as a great opportunity.
How often do we get stuck in the day to day grind which leads to monotony. With all the changes coming I’ll have a forced opportunity to change my scenery. Not a bad thing.
~ Johnny Bravo
Image courtesy of artur84 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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