Goodbye Old Year

Goodbye 2023

This is no Happy New Year blog. Too many of those floating around social media this week. 

This is a Goodbye Old Year blog.

Let’s say Goodbye to all the crap that got in your way in 2023. You know, all the B.S. that kept you from reaching your sales goals. This is gonna be a gut-check. You up for it? An AP Top 25 if you will!

1. Goodbye excuses – Your boss isn’t buying the “people are working from home” card anymore
2. Goodbye over use of email – Pick up the phone & call people
3. Goodbye same ole boring voicemail messages – Be creative & stop giving people a reason to NOT call back
4. Goodbye to coasting – You know you can do more. You know you can do better. So does your boss
5. Goodbye to sending EVERYONE a quote – Quotes go to qualified deals only, so get stingy with them
6. Goodbye to waiting for an email or the phone to ring – Create your own sales opportunities
7. Goodbye standard & boring email Subject Lines – Be compelling & make people want to reply
8. Goodbye to being satisfied – Do you want more? What will you do to get it?
9. Goodbye to talking to low level people (Carl the Clerk) – Fight to get to decision makers
10. Goodbye to immediately lowering the price – Stand firm. Sell value. You are worth it
11. Goodbye to “leading with price” – Start with engineering, advanced engineering, quality, etc.
12. Goodbye to blaming the leads – What would you do if there was no MKT Dept. & there were no leads?
13. Goodbye to feeling sorry for yourself – Hold yourself accountable & point that finger right between your eyes
14. Goodbye to chasing prospects for decisions – Set solid Ground Rules for when you will get a Y or N decision
15. Goodbye to staying in the office/home office – Get out & see people (you are so much better in person)
16. Goodbye to PowerPoint presentations with a picture of headquarters (or the plant) on the cover page
17. Goodbye to talking 80+ % of the time on sales calls – Your job is to listen & gather information 
18. Goodbye to being afraid to ask for referrals/introductions because they might say NO – Who cares?
19. Goodbye to complaining about your boss – Your success is up to you, not your boss
20. Goodbye to showing up at 9AM & leaving at 5PM & not thinking about work until the next morning
21. Goodbye to avoiding the budget conversation because you know your product is more expensive
22. Goodbye to “wishing you had a better territory” – It’s not the territory & you know it
23. Goodbye to feeling like a “stalker” when you follow up on deals that are not qualified – Ask the right Qs
24. Goodbye to talking about the same 2-3 deals all quarter long because you hate prospecting – Get over it

Goodbye 2023 – It was nice knowing you, but I’ve got things to do differently this year