Making 2010 the best year in sales is easier than you may think. It’s all about realizing that what you think and how you act have a far bigger impact on your success than the economy does, says Nathan Jamail, president of the Jamail Development Group and author of The Sales Leaders Playbook. In business, just like in life, people will get exactly what they are willing to accept, he adds. Here are three ways to help your company improve its sales lead generation efforts during the recession.

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1. Fight the “power of new.” Fancy marketing programs and sales gimmicks are not going to help companies increase sales. It takes strong sales leadership and coaching. Aggressive marketing campaigns and big promotions may give a company a short-term boost in sales, but they will not sustain that boost unless the company can sustain the decrease in profit. The leaders who are willing to do what they know and fight the “power of new” will truly win by increasing sales. The power of new is at its strongest when leaders implement a new program; but after 60 days, the newness has worn off and it starts to look like a lot of work. That is when the inspiration fades away and the team goes back to doing what it did before. Fighting the power of new takes a strong leader and commitment to keeping the team excited and motivated.

2. Go back to the basics. Succeeding in sales is similar to winning in sports. The trick plays and last-minute Hail Mary passes don’t win games; rather, it is the execution and focus on the basics of blocking, running, and tackling. In sales leadership, two of the basics are:

• Practicing. Turn your weekly sales meetings into practice sessions. Commit to 45 minutes of practice focusing on selling skills, not just product information. Even if your people have been selling for years, fight the temptation to assume that they don’t need to practice. The difference between an amateur and professional is not tenure but the commitment to practice and improve.

• Coaching. Conduct weekly one-on-one meetings with reps and hold each person accountable to the needed activity level to ensure their success. Don’t leave your superstars alone because they know what they’re doing. Remember, if you aren’t willing to invest in making your top salesperson better, someone else will.

3. Focus. While many organizations worry about how to hold out until the economic downturn is over, the winning companies focus on how to take advantage of the current economy and implement their own economic stimulus package. Employees are looking for answers and guidance on how they are going to succeed during these tough times. The leader must show their sales team how to create their own success. Develop and implement a plan that shows your team what they are going to do to increase their sales. 

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