3 Keys To Improving Sales While Behind a Windshield | RC Thomas ...

Share With Your Fellow Seed Sellers:

When I?began?my seed selling career,?I was put in charge of?three states.??It was just me, our dealers and customers.

The problem was, I didn?t have any dealers or customers.

I was the first employee of a brand?new seed company so?I was starting from zero in all?three?states.? That obviously meant that?I didn?t have any sales either.

As a result, I had to spend a lot of time on the road, behind?the windshield of my pickup searching for buyers and sellers for our seed.???After all, my job?description only had one line in it, sell seed.????????????????????????? .?

So I spent a lot of time driving.? I considered a sale of any size, anywhere in the three state areas to be an opportunity and?a step forward, regardless of how inefficient the pursuit may have been.

I logged thousands and thousands of miles.? In fact,?the more miles I?drove, the?greater feeling of satisfaction I had that?I?had been working really hard.

But if I have any?right at all to a disclaimer on this point it is that we had no cell phones, e-mail or even fax machines.? The highest level of communication that was available to a road warrior was the telephone booth and some?small towns didn?t even have one of those.

I didn?t even have a tape player in my pickup to listen to?self-improvement tapes, at least until a few years later.

But it took me only one?selling season to realize that?my system of logging miles?was getting me?nowhere fast.

Even though my year ended with a very nice?first year sales increase, I was worn out and?so was my pickup.??? Today?things are?so much different.? At?least?they better be.

Due to the great advances in?communication technologies available?to?our homes,?offices and?vehicles,?we can now accomplish so much more as we drive across our sales territory?because our customers have access to those same advances.

But those?wonderful changes?don?t release us from our responsibility of?keeping the amount of geography we are responsible for to a manageable level.? Regardless of the tools we have available to us, we must continue to ask ourselves if?we are utilizing those tools to improve how we manage our time or if we are simply using them to entertain ourselves.

There are a number of ways you can make best use of the time management systems now available to you and the best use of your time.

Remember, time and money are synonyms.? They are spelled differently but mean exactly the same thing.

?After all, my job?description only had one line in it, sell seed.

Here are 3 keys to increasing sales while you are behind the wheel.

1. Stay in touch with your customers as often as possible.? How do new buyers grow to become?larger, more committed buyers the fastest?? Communication.? We spend more time?communicating with larger customers, that is how they got to be large in the first place.? Communicate with all of your buyers more often and they will?return the favor by purchasing more of your products. ? There is no better time to catch up on all communications with current buyers than during your drive time.? Be sure to do it safely however, by using a hands free device.
2. Prepare and plan your next sales calls faster and more efficiently.? This does not mean e-mailing or texting while driving.? It does mean planning ahead, way before you even get into your vehicle.? Set your email system to send?emails to prospects and?customers, automatically, while you are not even?near your computer.? Their responses?will come?back to you while your are traveling.? If you decide to set an appointment while traveling, pull off the road?to dial to?set up the communication.
3. Make your drive time a special time for personal growth.? Use your CD player or iPod as your ?Hour of Power? or ?Half Hour of Power?.? Whatever length of?time you choose,?commit yourself to preparing and training while driving and listening to self-help programs.? It will help you?keep the right attitude,?give you ideas on how to better achieve?your goals or simply prepare you?for your next customer contact.

On that note, as part of our mission to continue to?provide sales reps with tools and resources to?help them improve,? we are excited to launch our first, of many new, audio training programs you can listen to?as you drive throughout your sales territory.

Our first audio program is just in time for the planting season and will help you make sure you have a solid plan in place for ?Planting Customers? ? The Most Important Customer Contact of the Year!? Click here to learn more.

In addition, take advantage of all of the modern day technologies and communication tools available to you.? Don?t operate your territory as inefficiently as I did.? At least back then, I had access to a lot more farmers. Today, you have no choice but to manage your time to the max.

Happy Selling,

Rod

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