Last night I was thinking about the worst slump I ever
had. This isn't any salesperson around who hasn't had
a slump, and many times even the best salespeople
have slumps, sometimes even really bad ones.
A slump is when you don't sell anything, for those not
in the sales biz. Normally you make a certain number
of calls in a week, and you sell a certain percentage of
those calls. You get what is called a closing percentage.
This is a term that has some value, but it never really
tells the whole story. Many lazy sales managers use it
as the the be and end all statistic, even though there are
many other factors involved in successful selling.
My closing percentage was normally around 40%. That
means that out of 10 calls, I picked up the check 4 times.
Good salespeople close 25% of their calls. Very good
salespeople close 30% of their calls. Closing at 35% or
more puts you at the top of the feed chain.
Even at a 40% close rate, I wasn't number one. That
belonged to a legendary salesman named Max. He was
a huge guy, 6'8", and he weighed in around 275. He was
like the worlds friendliest bear.
Max closed at 72%. I've never been in any organiztion
that had a guy like Max. He really was the guy who could
sell ice to Eskimos. One time Max went into a bad slump,
and I remember it because I hit one at the same time.
The slump lasted eight days for me, and nine for Max.
The sales manager beat me up every day, because you
can't talk that way to a guy as big as Max. He wanted me
to change everything I did, and the way I did it.
I never listened to anything he said. The reason he was a
sales manager was because he was a 25% closer. I made
double the money he did, and I won lots of incentive prizes
too. I bumped into Max the sixth day of the slump, and he
asked me what Mr. Clean was saying. I told him, and he
looked at me and said, "You aren't changing anything are
you?" I said no, and he nodded, throwing in a few expletives
about Mr. Clean.
Two days later I made a huge sale, one of the biggest I ever
made. For the next 10 days I closed at 58%. Max broke loose
the day after, and closed 13 straight sales.
The lesson is this: If you are a good salesperson and your
system works, don't change it because no one is buying for
a few days. It happens. Just keep on doing the best job you
can, and sooner or later the earth will tilt slightly in your direction.
You'll start picking up those checks, or filling in those credit
card numbers.
From the big saddle,
Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board
P.S. Stay the course! Or get on the course and start playing.
If you don't offer your product to the public in a big way, you'll
always be small potatoes. And who wants to be tater salad?
Contact us: thejamesrwhelanagency.com, or call 206 407 3124.
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