The Week in Review: A newly found focus on Revenue Generating Activities

This week was one of my best weeks in my short tenure as a closer so far. I’m on track to hit my target this month, though it took a lot of work in the weeks prior to get me to this point.

In the conversations I’ve had with coaches and mentors, it became clear to me that I needed to re-direct my focus even more strongly on revenue generating activities. We all have only so many hours, where prospects are available to talk, so it is crucial to make the most of them. 

So, what does that mean in practice?

Respect your own time

In my meetings, I try to really pay attention to the prospect’s ability and willingness to buy. If the prospect wants to buy, but doesn’t have the ability, because of severe budget constraints, then there is not much I can do. If the prospect has the ability to buy, and enough credibility to execute on the project, then I will do my best to close the deal. Too often I would focus on deals that were not progressing, that didn’t have true potential, which ultimately led to a lot of frustration on my side. 

Now, when I look at my pipeline, I ask myself what all the reasons are that this deal will fall through. This might sound cynical, but it helps me identify road blocks that I can address with the prospect. My approach to having meetings has changed: while previously I asked questions to get the prospect to commit to our solution, now I actively address things that could serve as roadblocks.This increases trust because you are actually communicating indifference, as opposed to pushing your solution. It can differentiate you from other sales people who always want to get to a yes all the time. 

Scheduling in hours of pipeline generation

Because I’m in a full sales cycle role, pipeline generation takes up 70-80% of my days. I block hours of my day to make cold-calls, and try to identify accounts that can lead to won deals. My daily agenda: constantly scanning for opportunities to make business. When talking to people, I don’t shy away from disclosing the price of our solution because at the end of the day meetings and calls should lead to closed business.

Out of the strategies listed in this article, this one is the hardest to follow because it requires a lot of mental discipline. Cold-calling is exhausting when done hours at a time, so short breaks are important. But the most important shift I've made here is not shying away from disqualifying opportunities–it is definitely not about the amount of meetings you conduct, but the quality of them. Two meetings with decision makers who have an acute sense of urgency to implement a solution (and are willing to make an investment for it) can lead to more closed business than five with bad use cases. Not all meetings are created equal–so I try to really critically assess, which ones are worth it, and which ones aren't. Ultimately this more beneficial for both sides.

Why is a laser-sharp focus so crucial nowadays? The opportunities to get distracted continue to increase everywhere in our society. Our phones and apps are practically geared towards distracting us from what's more important. There are very few people who really use every minute of their day effectively, most of us are prone to get side-tracked. But, from what I've observed, the people who perform the best are focused and truly committed to their goals. They are so committed that they've gotten good at eliminating the fluff, so that they can spend more time doing the things that will get them closer what they want to achieve.

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