Page 34 - MidJersey Business - September 2014

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Sales

OFF THE GRID
Five simple steps for higher-activity sales success |
by Lance Cooper

any entrepreneurs
Other high-activity sales reps focus on style or future. They chase more money,
and high-activity the goals set by their sales managers. Sales more recognition, or faster advancement

salespeople get stuck
quotas and resulting incomes typically without anticipating what lies around the
in survival mode. They relect the company’s minimum require- bend of the next accomplishment. Their

don’t organize activities
ments, and not each rep’s present or future list of achievements grows, but their qual-
to establish a better, needs. Reps do their duty, and though this ity of life sufers with more debt, higher

Mmore stable way of living. They end up do- is a commendable character trait in many credit card payments, wasteful expendi-
ing sales activities to provide for survival settings, it obscures the future reality
tures, and no safety net of savings. The

needs, such as mortgage payments, food, of their own sales and income goals and stress and inancial problems soon begin
and minimum debt payments. This earns causes a lack of iscal stewardship. Many to burden these high achievers and their

them a high-tension, on-the-edge inancial sales reps get a high-ive for their faithful families.
existence. Salespeople automatically service only to borrow money to pay for a Here are ive steps that break this cycle

default to activity levels that keep them new roof.
and lead reps and their sales managers to
eating, sleeping, communicating, and Even those with higher aspirations greater productivity and prosperity.

traveling. As a result, they make subsis- may work without aligning income, sales,

tence—not ambitious lifestyle goals—their activity levels, and lifestyle requirements.
organizing focus. Today’s matrix, or on- In some cases, top salespeople pay little 1 ANSWER LIFESTYLE QUESTIONS
Imagine one year into your future; your

the-grid norm, then turns into selling to attention to where their money goes, and life has improved because of the income
survive and not to prosper.
they don’t work on a plan for a better life-
you make and its uses at home. You’re

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