Make Hay While The Sun Shines

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By David James

Make Hay While The Sun Shines

My name is David James. I am a salesperson.

I grew up in the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder and cut my teeth in the craft of selling on the streets of this inland regional West Australian city. My selling patch was in the heart of a major resource province so the experience of working in fluctuating economic conditions was a way of life.

Great one year, not so great the next!

In the not-so-great economic times I would tell myself and my team to “keep the light at the end of the tunnel burning” because everywhere, every time you have bounce backs. Buyers will return when their economic confidence returns. In improving and better economic times my message was simple “let’s make hay while the sun shines.” Let us not complicate matters, let us get our product and service into the marketplace and speak to more clients and prospects than our competition.

Today, West Australia finds itself in an economic confidence cycle. This has been building for some time. When the “ducks” like commodity prices, employment growth, population growth, job security, wages growth, higher disposable income, favourable borrowing conditions and government investment in infrastructure line up you get business and consumer confidence. Businesses and people want to spend, they want to invest, and they want to make life easier on themselves. They want your product and service. Our role, as sales-based organisations and or salespeople is to maximise the opportunities the market has created.

It is great that the sun is shining upon us, but it will rain again so my vision, values, purpose, and goals need to be clear, absolutely clear. One’s immediate reaction to foreseen better sales opportunities is to embark on marketing campaigns, let us throw some money at this to increase our profile, productivity, and profits. Whilst I recognise that this happens it is not the starting point.

The starting point is to look at where your head space is and are your skills at a level to compete successfully.

How well do you sell in a more buoyant market?
Is your energy and motivation conducive to today’s market?
Is your dialogue relevant?
Is your current client and prospect data “fit” and able to generate increased sales?
Do you need new skills to compete?
How well do you change, adapt, and implement innovative ideas, skills, and motivations?
Can your existing systems and processes meet new demands?
Is your data collection, retention, and income generation systems in line with today’s increased productivity opportunities?
Are you and your business free of roadblocks?
Are you dedicated and committed to sales success?
Is your health and wellbeing up for the challenges ahead?
Do you have daily pulse meetings as a means of driving internal inspiration?
It is not a matter of how long the market will keep going but instead how long can you keep going?
What does this make possible for you and or your team?
Embrace “you are yet to have your best month.” That’s right, new targets and goals require resetting because the market has moved your business on from average/good months to champion months.