Getting Out of a Sales Funk

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Getting Out of a Sales Funk

Written by Bill Sayers

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American Idol Selling

I don’t know about your home, but my house is an American Idol home. I am not alone as American Idol is now the most valuable TV format in the world with an estimated value in excess of $2.5 billion. As we are in the midst of American Idol mania I was thinking about the lessons learned from seeing talented performers compete week after week. What makes an American Idol champion? What makes a winning American Idol performance? All things being equal how does one contestant rise above the others? Given that it isn’t always about the one who has the best voice – what makes an American Idol? The biggest reality of this reality show is the contestants need to sell themselves week after week to the American public. These 12 contestants (now down to 11) are therefore thrust into being top salespeople. The compensation plan is fierce, the payout is huge and the space in the President’s Club is limited.

Here are the characteristics that make up an American Idol:

The Right Place at the Right Time – a solid performer picking the wrong material is a sure fire way to get ridiculed by the judges and fall out of grace with America. Timing in sales is always important. Getting in front of the right decision maker with the right solution at the right time is more an art form than coincidence. You could be the best salesperson on your team but not returning a client call in time could be the difference between getting the deal and losing the deal. Knowing when your client is most open to your pitch is just as important as the pitch itself.

{sidebar id=1}You Gotta Have Heart – being emotional in what you sell is always important. People respond to those who really care about what they are selling. You have to always believe in what you are selling. If you don’t, then I suggest you sell something that you can get passionate about. Passion sells.

Honesty – a lot of the judges talk time on American Idol is telling contestants to be true to who they are. A country singer should sing country and a rock and roller should always rock and roll. Putting on a bandana and carrying a chain doesn’t make a person a rock and rollers and the customer is never fooled. Don’t try to convince the customer that your service or product does more than it really does. While you might get through the first few rounds, the likelihood is that you’ll soon get tossed.

Listen – nothing pains me more than watching these young performers acting smugly when getting advice from Simon Cowell. Simon, a seasoned recording professional is always trying to get the best out of the contestants. The show is his product and he strives for excellence. Those who listen to him almost always come back the following week to rave reviews. All they have to do is listen. Selling is just as much about listening to your customer as it is talking to them (maybe even more so). Hear the feedback from your customer. Why aren’t they as excited about your offering as you think they should be? How was your pitch?

Never Forget Your Lines – remembering the words to your song is selling 101 basics. Giving a presentation to a room full of people should be a conversation between you and your audience. Stopping the presentation to look up your notes ruins the flow of your presentation. Rehearse your presentation over and over again. Go over potential questions. Be prepared.

Nice Guys Don’t Always Finish Last – while American Idol is supposed to be a talent contest it is just as much a personality contest. An obnoxious, egotistical and arrogant performer no matter how good never makes it to the end. Simon is quick to point out who is nice – never as a matter-of-fact but always as an asset to any performer. People like to work with nice people. A sale is about forging a relationship between two parties. Choosing nice people to work with is the prerogative of the decision maker. When in doubt – be nice.

So, do you think you have what it takes to be an American Idol?

What is your attitude?

We all have periods of time, in our sales lives, where nothing seems to work. The key to managing these periods is to recognize that you are having “one of those weeks.” The minute you begin to blame other things—the weather, your product or service, or whatever you feel is the cause—is when you will go deeper into a funk.

If you feel down or a bit off your game, it’s time to make changes. It may be as simple as getting a good night’s sleep or a decent workout. Or, you may just need to ride out this period. Whatever it is, your attitude will get you to the other side. Great sales people know that at different times throughout every year there will be events that happen over which you have no control. Upset customers, cranky bosses and the full moon are just a few of the things that can happen. (Did you know that during the full moon that fire and police departments and psychiatric wards put on more staff to deal with the increase in weird behaviour? It’s true.)

Knowing that you will experience these events is half the battle in dealing with them. Once you acknowledge this, you’ll be able to say, “Oh, here it comes” and then deal with the issues. If you try to control these events, then you risk getting very frustrated and angry. Your major focus during these weeks of mental gymnastics is to keep focused on the desired outcome and not worry about pushing for a completed deal, a price increase or a new pay plan.

Moving past the “funk”

Too often I hear sales people complain about their slump and moan that there is nothing they can do. Once you announce that there is nothing you can do, you are at the mercy of uncontrollable events. Having spent many months in that predicament early in my sales career, I can tell you that it does not work. In fact, the advice I will give you is: get over it!

All sales people have slow periods and get into a rut. The difference between good sales people and the rest is that they take responsibility and manage events happening around them and keep a positive attitude. That doesn’t mean you become an annoying “chippy cheerful,” it means you do not allow others’ behaviour or events to determine how you feel and behave.

If you are facing a long, rough road, take some time to re-evaluate what you are doing. Talk with someone you trust—a job coach, a therapist, or a mentor. If you don’t have one, find one. Top sales people have coaches and mentors and participate in mastermind groups and/or sales strategy groups.

Another piece of your sales life

Your sales career will be full of successes, ups and downs, job changes, career growth and challenges. These events make up the stories you tell as you get older and wiser. My experience has been that some of my best funks lead me to my next level of success and rewards. Yes, some days I wish they would just go away; yet I know that those days are balanced by the success and rewards I have experienced in the past 25 years of my sales life. The next time you are in a “funk” acknowledge it, take the steps to manage it, don’t allow yourself to be caught up in the behaviours around you and take responsibility for your feelings and behaviour. See what happens.

Beat The Slump | The Sales Store

Bill Sayers
		About the author:
		Bill Sayers speaks, coaches, leads education sessions and provides management consulting services to a variety of companies. For the past five years Bill has run his own sales consulting practice. He has recently completed the writing of his new book – “Funnels and Forecasts – The Great Game of Sales”. He has been a professor at George Brown College teaching Personal Selling Skills to the Sports and Event Marketing Graduate Program, and is on the faculty of Canadian Professional Sales Association and Canadian Management Centre. .