Organize and Reap the Rewards

“Selling is a complicated process that often requires you to stay close to large numbers of customers over long periods of time,” say Edward R. Del Gaizo, PhD; Seleste Lunsford; and Mark Marone, PhD, in their book, Secrets of Top Performing Salespeople (McGraw-Hill, 2004). “To do it well, it’s important to be systematic and organized – and that means keeping good records that go beyond standard contact-management systems.”

The authors suggest creating a file for each of your prospects and clients. Include the following in the file:
 

• Customer or prospect reactions during your meetings or phone calls
•  Agreed-upon next steps
•  Notes on what’s important to each customer or prospect (Tip: You can even write down personal details, such as prospects’ favorite teams or restaurants, how many children they have, or how they like their coffee.)
•  News articles, industry reports, press releases, or any other kind of news documents that pertain to each customer or prospect

Make sure that you study your customers and organize all contact information, important documents, and notes. It can go a long way toward your sales success.