I have been speaking full time since 2005. Everywhere I go, I share the principles of Selling with Intention, hoping that those who hear me will be inspired to take action and implement the principles I teach so they can enjoy a fruitful sales career or profitable business.
One of the biggest problems I see over and over again is individuals thinking very small; not asking for more than they “think” they can sell. Well, we are very limited in our thinking as humans. So often our sales goals that we set are tiny and not even worthy of all the effort we are putting in.
I was coaching a client recently and she shared with me that she didn’t feel good about the new package she had created. She couldn’t seem to connect the value with the price. So, I had her create a list of the top 10 benefits that clients would receive when they purchased that package.
I met with her after she completed the exercise and as we were talking I could still feel that she still wasn’t excited about selling her package. Then, I had a hunch (and I am learning to just “go” with those hunches). I said, “What if your package (the exact same package) was $5,000? How would you feel about it then?” I know this will sound crazy, but it was ten times MORE than what she was charging.
Her entire face changed. She looked happier, lighter. And then she admitted that the new price, charging ten times MORE, actually felt better. In an instant, she had expanded what was possible for her. She had expanded her plan and suddenly had prices that were more in alignment with HER value.
Is this true for everyone? No. Sometimes people are overpriced. But more times than not, I find that people in the service industry especially are under priced. When they expand their pricing so it matches with how they are showing up in the world, their sales increase dramatically.
Expanding your plan doesn’t come without effort. It takes work to become great at what you do and to be able to solve your clients’ problems. However, the better you become, the more your sales plan can expand, and the more money you will make.
Expanding your plan also relates to increasing your sales projections and effectively using a tool to track your sales pipeline. Whenever I work with new clients, I have them set a Quantum Goal. First, they write down their original goal for the year. Then they double it. Then they triple it. When they look back at their original goal, it suddenly looks small. What has changed? Nothing, just their perspective on what’s possible. They expanded their mindset.
One of my clients grew a multi-million-dollar business over a very short amount of time. When I asked him how he did it so quickly, he said he had a solid plan. But his plan wasn’t just about bringing in sales; it included how he would spend the money as it came in. He had plans on how to spend it in his business, marketing, sales, personally and also how he would tithe. It was a very clear plan. He then shared with me, “When I am a good steward with my money, God gives me more.” Brilliant.
Are you ready to “Expand Your Plan?” Here are three steps you can take to make that happen:
1. Set a “Quantum Goal”: First, write down your goal for the year. Then, double it. Next, triple it. Now, look back at your original goal. How does it look? Small? What has changed? Nothing, just your perspective on what’s possible. You have successfully expanded your plan.
2. Implement Projections and Create a Spending Plan: Creating your projections by working backwards from your “Quantum Goal” allows you to see your expected sales as well as your expenditures. This is a great way to stay on track and figure out how much you will be paying yourself as well as how much profit you will bring in. Next, create a budget for your business. How will you spend the money (in addition to your business expenses)? Tithing/Giving? Insurance? Savings? Vacations, etc.?
3. Track Your Sales Pipeline: You cannot grow your sales if you do not know what is in your pipeline. Either use a Customer Relationship Management tool to track your sales (remember, garbage in, garbage out) or create a simple Excel spreadsheet to track prospects, 99% closed and closed sales.Sales Coach Now clients use our Work in Progress Report.
I hope that I have inspired you to think bigger and “Expand Your Plan.” Just by going through the exercises above, you will expand what is possible in your business.
I encourage you to do it now. Don’t wait! Napoleon Hill once said, “Do it now! can affect every phase of your life. It can help you do the things you should do but don’t feel like doing. It can keep you from procrastinating when an unpleasant duty faces you. But it can also help you do those things that you want to do. It helps you seize those precious moments that, if lost, may never be retrieved.”‘
Do it now!
