Understanding Sales Strategies

Another week has past and I still have to get use to deadlines. I would say that most of my life as a student, I have been given the leniency that no employer will tolerate. I have the habit of waiting until the last minute to complete my task. There is no room for procrastination in the work force. The deadline for my Hotel Purchasing project is tomorrow, and I now I am in panic mode because I must present my report to my supervisor.

Although I did call all the major hotels on her list this past week, my follow through was not all that great. My goal for this project was to call all the major hotel and complete any forms necessary to add Wingteam to its list of suppliers. My task is 50% complete. I haven't received any forms nor have I called the hotels I left messages for. My sense of urgency has been low. I think it probably has to do with the fear of being asked questions that I will not be able to answer.

If this project is going to be a success, then I must conquer the first sales strategy: think big and audit my time. I must believe that I am an important figure/aspect in this company when making these calls. And, I need to priortize my tasks and stop trying to put the tasks I dread on hold. By implementing this strategy I avoid being in trouble with my supervisor.

It's a good thing that I attended the Sun's Symposium this past Wednesday as part of my educational training. The focus was sales and service. Believe it or not, the sales strategy that every Suns employee emphasized was building relationships. Even though the sales team does a handful of cold calls, the organization remains standing because of its partnerships. If you want to be a part of the organization you must have passion, be persistent, have excellent written and oral skills, and have top-notch customer service. The COO of the Suns organization talked about how shocking it is for him to know there is a deficiency in communication skills among many individuals he converses with. A skill that is on top of every company's list.

To summarize, understanding sales strategies and implementing it in your business operations will drive results. Many people would much rather do business with people they know. A strategy I hope the owner of Wingteam comes to understand. The key in being a successful sales person is being self-confident. The money will come later. Right now, I must prove that I can be persisent and drive results.