I started this series of blogs with the title, "I Want It All." For those of you old enough to remember, that was the title of a splendid Queen song from 1988.
I grew up with the attitude of wanting it all, and throughout the years, I pretty much always got what I aimed for. Some may call it luck, some may call it fate, but I believe it's the fire of desire burning inside that drives you to fruition. I also believe that everyone has that fire of desire within them, but most don't realize it, and some may never discover it—or only find it when it's too late in life.
For me, an event early in life triggered my desire to be GREAT at something. It just so happened that I chose the copier industry.
The embedded picture on the left of this blog is another nod to one of my favorite sales songs: "Under Pressure," recorded in 1981 by David Bowie and Queen. As the saying goes, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."
Sales, by its very nature, is pure pressure. Over the years, I've learned to cope with it and not let it turn me into a wishy-washy, whining salesperson. Yes, I’m sometimes known as the curmudgeon of the office, but that’s because I get so upset with myself when I fall short of my numbers. You see, I know I’m better than that!
Alright, enough of that.
The last day of the month—December 23rd—was a bit of a bummer. I made my calls, but 95% of the people I needed to speak with were unavailable or too busy to talk (I get it—payroll is critical, especially during a short holiday week).
I managed to close a small A3 monochrome printer order, but at the last minute, a net-new customer for a wide-format printer threw me a curveball. He said he needed me to either give him money for his old X510 or find a buyer for it before he could move forward with my system. Unfortunately, it was too late in the day to make that happen. Looks like this deal will roll into January.
As a result, I fell short of my goal of selling $185,000 for the month. I estimate I came up $20,000–$25,000 short. I didn’t make the club—unless one of our bean counters finds a mistake when the numbers are double and triple-checked (hint, hint: come on, bean counters, help me out!).
However, I have a lot to celebrate:
- I achieved the highest monthly revenue of my career.
- I also had the highest quarterly revenue of my career.
- According to my math, I’ll receive the best commission check in the last 25 years!
I have plenty to hang my hat on this year. I’ll likely finish with the top sales revenue for the year and may have squeaked out the top new business sales award for the second year in a row (though I’m not sure; it might come down to just a few dollars). I wouldn’t mind losing, though, as the rep who might win is awesome and truly deserves it.
Over the next few days, I’m planning to wind down: no shaving, no waking up early, no answering the cell phone, no driving—just recouping for 2015! After all, we all know you’re only as good as your last sale.
-=Good Selling=-
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