Sales is not a 9 to 5 job! If you think that you can walk in at 9 and be a sales person and when 5 o’clock comes around you can leave and not be a sales person, you are in the wrong business.

Sales is and must be a 24-hour job. Your radar must always be on for new ideas and new prospects. Opportunity is all around you, but you must be on the lookout.  If you are not, it will pass you by. Let everyone you talk to know what you do and how to get in touch with you. You never know where your next client will come from.

One additional note: Your behavior and appearance outside of the 9 to 5 should be as good as they are during business hours.  You never know which client or prospect you may run into at the corner store.  You never know who is playing tennis on the court next to you.  You never know who is sitting two tables away at a restaurant. If your behavior and appearance are not up to par in public places, you may miss an opportunity to impress, or even worse, you may destroy the image that you worked so hard to develop with prospects or clients.

From now on, you are always on!

It amazes me sometimes when salespeople complain about business being slow or down, yet when you take a look at their modus operandi, it is clear why their business may be that way.

Think about your own modus operandi. Do you…

·         Return all calls within 3 or 4 business hours?

·         Reply to all emails within 3 or 4 business hours?

·         Deliver proposals when you said you would?

·         Show up for appointments at least five minutes ahead of your scheduled time?

Of course, these details do not guarantee sales, but it sure makes prospects and clients much more likely to want to do business with you.  In today’s age of speed-of-light communications, clients and prospects expect you to be fast and responsive in real time.

Sales is all about opportunity. Being at the right place at the right time. And then, taking advantage of the opportunity to make something out of it.  But you must be present to win. You have to show up.

Whether you are building your personal and business network within a chamber of commerce, an industry organization, or an affinity group, it is important that you show up constantly. Long-term relationships are built exactly that way: Long-term.

When joining or attending an organization, make sure that you get to be known by the key people of the organization and offer to contribute. Not only money, but most importantly, time and ideas. The leaders in any organization welcome newcomers and can help you quickly get established within the group.