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How to Grow your Business: Sell More and Hire Salespeople

Guest post by: Jeffrey Shavitz

Article Overview: Having had the opportunity to work with thousands of entrepreneurial salespeople during my career, I am now being asked more frequently by our sales partners “how do I grow my business?” It’s a pretty simple question. However, the answer is incredibly complex and unfortunately, there isn’t one correct answer.

How to Grow your Business: Sell More and Hire Salespeople

Having had the opportunity to work with thousands of entrepreneurial salespeople during my career, I am now being asked more frequently by our sales partners "how do I grow my business?" It's a pretty simple question. However, the answer is incredibly complex and unfortunately, there isn't one correct answer. We all have the same time in a day, but it does seem like some of us get more done in 24 hours than others. Assuming you are working diligently 40 hours per week, how do you grow and a very interesting question, "do you want to grow?" I don't suggest this question sarcastically as I have spoken with many of our sales partners who say to me that they are happy doing their 6-12 deals per month, working a casual week and enjoying their quality of life. Conversely, I work with other groups that can taste getting to 100 deals per month and will not rest until their plan for this goal is achieved.

So what should you look for when "hiring" new agents to join your team? Below are some questions and factors to consider:

1. Do you hire agents with or without industry experience? Many of our most successful sales partners came from outside of our industry and have been trained 100% from CCS. We met these individuals from all walks of life, with a blank slate to learn our methods - but the most important attribute they all had in common was their work ethic, desire to learn and fear of nothing. Some have bad habits and have sold the same way for the past decade. Just like every industry, we all must adapt and as Darwin said, "its survival of the fittest."

We must all stay up-to-date with current trends, industry applications and keep pushing forward or we're going to risk losing clients and opportunities to newer, more savvy salespeople.

At Charge Card Systems, we are selective on which agents represent us. Why? We have brand equity and want to have salespeople that portray our company in the right light.

Below are a couple of simple tips that I look for when interviewing prospective agents:

1. Have fun with it. Of course, work is work but it's a mindset and skill to make your "opportunity" (not your job) fun. We have superstars in our organization who are earning real power money and it's because of their work ethic and their "fun" approach to the business.

2. Shift your perspective. As salespeople, we think we always need to be selling. Stop selling and instead think of yourself as "sharing your passion" with a prospective client. By shifting your perspective to sharing information, you are no longer convincing someone to buy from you and the entire process becomes that much easier.

3. Keep track of your successes. I find all Type A personalities do not take a moment to enjoy their successes. When winning a large merchant, take a moment in your day to congratulate yourself. A success journal, whether written or mental will help you stay aware of how much you are doing right.

4. Stay focused on your desired outcome. I like to follow the saying "plan your work and work your plan". When speaking with a prospective agent to join your organization, ask them what their goals are to make sure you are in balance with each other. As an employer, do you truly know the goals of your people - if not, I advise you to set up a meeting and ask them - it's as simple as that.

Growing your Sales Office is exciting and challenging all at the same time. As stated in #4 above, the most important decision is to get a clear direction whether you want to continue as an independent salesperson, join forces with a partner, and/or build a full- fledged sales office. All answers are appropriate - just make sure that you have a focus and plan for whichever direction you go. Good luck.

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Article Tags: Entrepreneurial Sales, How To Grow Your Business, Selling Tips



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