I just inherited another salesman's territory where he had spent his last 30 years selling radio commercials. He introduced me to each of his customers and walked into the sunset of retirement, perhaps a bit relieved.

I was not relieved. I was scared to death.

So I went to the bookstore and bought every book I could find on the subject of sales. I read like a madman, and to my surprise I discovered something amazing about sales. Sales is not magic.

Most people view sales unlike any other profession. There is a mystery about it and an aura that surrounds it. We refer to great sales people as wizards and rainmakers, modern-day magicians. Sales, however, is not magic.

IF IT'S NOT MAGIC, THEN WHAT IS IT?

Magic is removed from the sales process when we understand that effective selling is just identifying the steps of action that BEST reach your ideal customer and taking those steps over and over again.

That is what I discovered about sales, that if I could clearly identify the businesses that were most likely to use my group of radio stations and reached out to them in a consistent, systematic way, I would succeed in sales.

And I did, being the fastest in my company to achieve $250,000 and $1 million in radio revenue.

This is NOT what most small businesses owners experience with sales. The experience of most small business owners is much like a ride at an amusement park, just not as fun. Sales go up and sales go down, with no explicable reason for either.

As their sales rollercoaster twists and turns through their fiscal year, they are left exhausted and despairing never free from those gut wrenching meetings with your sales staff when, after getting bad news from the accountant, you scream, "What can we do to increase sales around here!!!"

THREE SIMPLE STEPS TO GETTING OFF THE SALES ROLLERCOASTER

It's time to get off the sales roller coaster forever. It's time to destroy the myth that sales is magic and replace it with a step-by-step system that even the least sales savvy person can follow. Here's how:

1. Understand each of the five phases of the sales cycle outlined below.

2. Identify the specific steps of action, or best practices, for each of the five phases of the sales cycle that work for your business.

3. Implement your best sales practices consistently and review them rigorously.

FIVE PHASES OF EVERY BUSINESS' SALES CYCLE

PHASE ONE: Contacting

Make a powerful, personal connection with your target customer, the person or business that is the BEST fit for your products and services. Know who they are. Go where they are. Deliver value first. Build rapport. Gain their trust. Great sales are based on great relationships. Start here first. Start here well.

PHASE TWO: Engaging

Conduct a two-way conversation with your target customer. Don't dump on them! Let's be honest. Most sales people are great conversationalists and tend to talk WAY too much. This is not a time for talking; it is a time for listening. Ask relevant questions, dig deeper, and learn. Then tell your story.

PHASE THREE: Demonstrating

In a vivid, personal, emotionally compelling way, show how your small business delivers on its promise without fail. It may be through testimonials, also known as business impact stories, or through a dramatic presentation. Just make it powerful and make it compelling.

PHASE FOUR: Deciding

Everyone needs a little help making that final step of commitment (How else would any of us get married?). Without being manipulative, encourage your target customer to make a decision that is in their best interest. A few simple, honest techniques work wonders here.

PHASE FIVE: Following-through

Do what you said you were going to do every time. Surprise your new customer with extra value they didn't known about (That's called under-promising and over-delivering). Wow them with your service and enjoy a customer for life.

THREE BIG BENEFITS TO GETTING OFF THE SALES ROLLERCOASTER

When you follow the five phases outlined above and implement customized best practices, you will experience three incredible benefits.

First, your revenue flow will become reliable. A hit or miss approach to sales delivers hit or miss results. Sure, you'll still have to work. But a systematic approach to sales brings in revenue on a consistent basis and gets you off the sales rollercoaster.

A second benefit is extricating your business from dependence on a sales superstar. Most sales departments have a person who makes most of the sales while others linger in the shadows. Often than person is hard to work with, and a business owner feels held hostage by him. You don't like the tone he brings to your company, but you can't afford to live without the money he brings in.

The impact of fully implementing a step-by-step sales system is that revenue is not dependent on a dynamic personality (that is, a magician). Anyone can do it. Even superstars slip into a slump and have no idea why. Reviewing the system can trigger things in their mind that they may have forgotten to do consistently. In the end, even the superstar will be grateful to you for it!

Finally, following a step-by-step sales system allows you to forecast revenue 30, 60, and even 90 days out. Apart from the obvious emotional impact of this benefit, there is an important strategic one as well.

With this predictive income tool in place, you can identify what is NOT selling in advance and fix it before the end of the month when money is tight. By that time you can't do anything about it, except conduct a fire sale and undermine your value.

Sales forecasting based on a customized sales cycle, however, allows you to look into the future, predict, at least in part, what is happening in the marketplace, and respond appropriately BEFORE it's too late to do anything meaningful about it.

Three steps, five phases, and three benefits. Now get off that rollercoaster forever!