Picture this: It’s the end of the month and your quota was met two weeks ago. Your sales have hit an all time high. For the last week of the month, instead of scrambling like you used to do, you’re out with five of your biggest clients for a round of golf (one each day of the week) and lining up your next months orders. Yeah right. That’s how it always is, isn’t it?

Or is it a bit of a scramble in the last week of the month because you slacked off the first week or two and finally caught fire at the tail end, but you NEED these three people you’re working on to ALL come through to make your numbers for the month. There now that sounds a bit more familiar, doesn’t it?

And your customers couldn’t tell you’re in a scramble to meet the quota by your sales verbiage oh, no you say things like, “Do you think we could wrap this up by , let’s say Tuesday yeah that’s it Tuesday pleeeeeeeease, Tuesday.

There is an old sales adage that says: Your chances for success increase in proportion to the number of sales calls you make. There’s an older sales adage that says: What you can’t achieve with sales knowledge, you make up for with sales numbers.

It’s amazing how these two sales truths can be so simple. Well, if it’s so simple, why don’t you do it? Good fundamental sales skills and solid product knowledge are meaningless unless you meet with, and followup with, the proper number of prospects. NUMBERS RULE: Your numbers will reveal why your sales are booming or slumping.

If it takes ten calls to make two appointments. And it takes four appointments to make a sale. And you need two sales a week. Then you better be making eight appointments a week. And to do that you need to be making forty calls. See how easy that was?

When I was learning the sales process, someone gave me this formula: If you appoint and present to ten prospects two will buy no matter what you do, and two won’t buy no matter what you do. The other six are on the fence and will buy or not buy as a result of what you say or don’t say. And a sale will be made either

way. Either you sell them on yes, or they sell you on no. NUMBERS RULE: Your followup habits and skills are responsible for 80% of your sales.

To keep your sales numbers “pipeline” full, it boils down to your workethic, and your selfdiscipline. How good are they? How consistent are they? Without them you should consider an assembly line job, because you won’t make it in sales. Here are 6.5 numbersrulesofthumb to keep your sales pipeline (and your wallet) full.

1. Make ten new prospect calls per day.

2. Make ten new appointments per week. Preferably by Monday.

3. Make ten followup calls per day.

4. Make one strong facetoface presentation in the morning, and one in the afternoon.

5. Take prospects or customers to breakfast or lunch four times a week. Take your boss to lunch once a week.

6. Attend at least one business networking function per week.

6.5 Have something memorable to give (either new information, good ideas, or creative ad specialties) your prospects so that they talk about you in a positive way AFTER the meeting.

Oh, and keep detailed sales records on some kind of data base. If you don’t record what you do each day, your ability to follow up is nil.

Numbers gut check. Answer these questions below. They will reveal the truth about your potential for sales success:

Hey, come on, You know what to do. So why don’t you do it? Here are some reasons why you don’t hit your numbers (the answers are provided in parenthesis).

You don’t know what your numbers really are (start backwards how many prospects does it take to get an appointment, how many appointments to get a sale)

You are not working consistent numbers (make times to set appointments and do followups)

You’re on your own, and don’t know how to do it (poor sales training, get some soon)

You’re lazy (find new employment)

You have poor work habits (you can change them with thirty days of doing it differently)

Bad boss (this is no reason to fail if you are determined enough to succeed)

No or ineffective information documentation (get a laptop, and do it yourself)

Low, poor or unfair compensation package (change jobs)

Numbers Answer: Go back to the best week you ever had and look at the numbers that made it happen. I guaranty if you work those numbers every week, your sales (and earnings) will soar. All it takes is selfdetermination and hard work. Oh, that.

FREE GitBit … Want to know what numbers it takes to fill your sales pipeline? I’ll send you a free form that will guide you to “numbers” success Just go to www.gitomer.com click FREE STUFF then GitBit register and enter the secret word, “PIPELINE”.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, and Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless. President of Charlottebased Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts training programs on selling and customer service. He can be reached at 704/3331112 or email to salesman@gitomer.com

1999 All Rights Reserved Don’t even think about reproducing this document without written

permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer 704/3331112