Starting with the good news first. You’re having a good or great year and your sales revenue is rocking and rolling. Good news, but why? Is it the economy? Have you had a new major dealership open or expand in your territory? Did a competitor go out of business? Is it your good looks? (Probably not...) Is it your sales skills? Are you more organized this year? Do you enter each shop with a plan and a sales goal? Are you giving better presentations? Feature, advantage, benefit, trial close followed by a good professional final close?
No one wants to kick a gift horse in the mouth, and I’m happy your revenue is good, but figuring out why is really important. If you know, to the best of your ability, why your revenues are where they are, you stand a much better chance of continuing this run of success instead of just letting the winds of good sales blow as they may. What happens when one of your major dealers closes? What happens when that jobber who went out of business is replaced? Will you still be riding the wave of success?
If you honestly answer the hard question, why are my sales good, you can develop a plan to continue on this rewarding path.
Let’s say a major competitor got out of the business and their territory has not been refilled. If that’s the case, focus hard on getting as many of their customers on your credit books as you can. Do what it takes to welcome them as new customers because when brand X refills that territory, and they will, you don’t want those new customers running back to them.
