Digg it UP - Is Professional Development Plan Part of Your 2007 Sales Plan to Increase Sales?

With the year coming to an end, now is the time for sales professionals to reflect back and honestly answer these questions:

• Did I achieve all of my sales goals whether revenue or units?
• Did I miss any sales goals whether revenue or units?
• For those goals not achieved, what was the obstacle or obstacles?
• Did I experience repeating obstacles when attempting to achieve a sale?
• How much time did I plan for professional development such as sales training?
• How much time did I personally invest in professional development?
• If I had invested the time in professional development, would I have been able to turn those lost sales into signed contracts?
• Did I consistently set and achieve all my personal goals?

HINT: For those individuals who answered No to questions number one and eight, this may indicate a gap between your personal beliefs and your sales behaviors.

Professional development should not just be regulated to attending off-site sales training conferences, but should be a plan that provides for the measurable achievement from a variety of learning resources or activities. Consider, committing to writing some of these goals:

• I will attend one conference devoted to a new product or service each quarter.
• I will read one book on selling per month.
• I will find a mentor who can assist me in improving my sales skills. Let's Reinvent the RFP Process to Work Better for All
  If companies used the same process to hire chief marketing officers that they use when selecting advertising agencies, the wheels of commerce would grind to a halt. Imagine a CEO saying “We need a new marketing vice president. Call purchasing.” This is happening in corporate America as the advertising business is seen as a commodity entrusted to the lowest possible bidder.Gone are the days when advertising agencies were selected on chemistry, powerful ideas, and personal insights that tr end, now is the time for sales professionals to reflect back and honestly answer these questions:
  • Did I achieve all of my sales goals whether revenue or units?
  • Did I miss any sales goals whether revenue or units?
  • For those goals not achieved, what was the obstacle or obstacles?
  • Did I experience repeating obstacles when attempting to achieve a sale?
  • How much time did I plan for professional development such as sales training?
  • How much time did I personally invest in professional development?
  • If I had invested the time in professional development, would I have been able to turn those lost sales into signed contracts?
  • Did I consistently set and achieve all my personal goals?

  HINT: For those individuals who answered No to questions number one and eight, this may indicate a gap between your personal beliefs and your sales behaviors.

  Professional development should not just be regulated to attending off-site sales training conferences, but should be a plan that provides for the measurable achievement from a variety of learning resources or activities. Consider, committing to writing some of these goals:

  • I will attend one conference devoted to a new product or service each quarter.
  • I will read one book on selling per month.
  • I will find a mentor who can assist me in improving my sales skills. Is Exhibition Still the Most Effective Mediums for Establishing the Business Relations?
    In an exhibition where buyer, seller and product are brought together under one roof is viewed by business people as an opportunity for generating business. Exhibition provides the chance for them to share their innovations and latest development to their customers.In fact, exhibitions can offer you massive opportunities that a wide range of sales and marketing objectives can be achieved. Exhibition is an occasion to generate and increase sales, launch new products and build brand image. M attempting to achieve a sale?
  • How much time did I plan for professional development such as sales training?
  • How much time did I personally invest in professional development?
  • If I had invested the time in professional development, would I have been able to turn those lost sales into signed contracts?
  • Did I consistently set and achieve all my personal goals?

  HINT: For those individuals who answered No to questions number one and eight, this may indicate a gap between your personal beliefs and your sales behaviors.

  Professional development should not just be regulated to attending off-site sales training conferences, but should be a plan that provides for the measurable achievement from a variety of learning resources or activities. Consider, committing to writing some of these goals:

  • I will attend one conference devoted to a new product or service each quarter.
  • I will read one book on selling per month.
  • I will find a mentor who can assist me in improving my sales skills. Cover Letters: Finding the Best Sample
    When you type in cover letter samples in your favorite search engine, hundreds of search results will always tell you that this is the kind of cover letter a potential employer will read or that this is the kind of cover letter sample that will get you the job you want. People get confused and end up getting frustrated on what kind of cover letter sample they should follow.It is a fact that writing a cover letter isn't always easy. A cover letter is basically the first contact you will eved achieve all my personal goals?

  HINT: For those individuals who answered No to questions number one and eight, this may indicate a gap between your personal beliefs and your sales behaviors.

  Professional development should not just be regulated to attending off-site sales training conferences, but should be a plan that provides for the measurable achievement from a variety of learning resources or activities. Consider, committing to writing some of these goals:

  • I will attend one conference devoted to a new product or service each quarter.
  • I will read one book on selling per month.
  • I will find a mentor who can assist me in improving my sales skills. Supercharge Your Presentation With Super Verbs
    The words we use in Selling can make or break our Success. This is even more important when doing business over the Phone since we are usually very limited with the time that a Prospect or Client will grant us. I urge you to analyze your Presentation and use as many Power Words and Emotion Packed Words as possible. In fact, how about using Super Verbs instead of plain old Standard Verbs?Standard Verbs versus Super VerbsAccent: Emphasize, UnderscoreBreak: Smash, Crush, Dees for the measurable achievement from a variety of learning resources or activities. Consider, committing to writing some of these goals:
    • I will attend one conference devoted to a new product or service each quarter.
    • I will read one book on selling per month.
    • I will find a mentor who can assist me in improving my sales skills.
    • I will join a mastermind group that focuses on selling skills.
    • I will join a local Toastmaster's to improve my speaking skills.
    • I will attend a seminar that focuses on effective networking techniques.
    • I will hire an executive coach that specializes in developing sales professionals.

    When discussing professional development as part of the strategic plan to increase sales, I consistently hear two main obstacles:

    • Price – Professional development costs too much. My company does not reimburse me. I cannot afford it.
    • Time- I do not have time to do what I need to do for my job or my business less alone spending time on more professional development. My free time is for myself and my family.

    Consider, if price is an obstacle, then

    • What is it costing in you real dollars or in future promotions by not investing in professional sales development?
    • How do you know that a professional development plan costs too much?
    • Have you tried to negotiate better fees or payment terms?
    • Whose responsibility is it to better yourself – you or your company?

    Think about, if time is an obstacle, then,

    • What is poor time management costing you in missed business sales opportunities?
    • Do you have a personal action plan for success that includes mental, financial/career, social, physical

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