Make more phone calls: Selling is a numbers game.
A great attitude certainly opens up opportunities,
but you also have to call as many people as
possible. It's simple math--the more people you
call, the higher the number of positive responses
you'll get. A higher activity level increases
your ability to connect with customers.

Qualified your sales calls: You won't close sales
by calling on people who are not qualified to
make the deal. If a prospect has no authority to
make a decision, you have to ask tough questions
like, "Is there anybody besides yourself who is
involved in this decision that I should speak
with?" Don't be afraid to call from the top down;
the big guns just might take your call and direct
you to the person who handles your type of
product or service.
Forgetting to listen: Salespeople make this
mistake many times--they're so busy thinking
about what they're going to say next, they forget
to listen to what the prospect is telling them.
In my November column, I talked about asking
smart questions. It's not only asking questions
that counts--it's also getting prospects to
expand on their answers and learning from what
they say. Don't get so excited about what you're
selling that you talk too much and stop listening.

Manage your time well: Not closing enough deals
is a time-management issue. It's important to
keep your goals in sight, to be able to see the
big picture, and to know where you are in every
customer's sales cycle. It helps to have a visual
reminder in front of you, perhaps a goal board or
a diagram showing you what you need to do every
day and how much time should be allotted to each
activity. This will help you know when you should
be closing. It's better to ask for the order
early than not to ask at all.

Overcoming rejections and setbacks: Everyone
experiences rejections and setbacks. Deals that
have been in the works for months or even years
fall through. A sale that seems like a sure thing
turns out to be dead in the water. If you take
this rejection personally, it will diminish your
enthusiasm and hinder you from moving on to the
next sale. The most successful salespeople are
able to shake off their disappointment and keep
right on going. The reason most salespeople let
rejection get to them goes back to mistake No. 1:
They don't have enough activity to fall back on
or other prospects to call. It's not failing or
falling that's the problem--it's the inability to
get back up again. The secret to dealing with
setbacks is finding the positive after a negative
encounter. Let that "No" motivate you to figure
out a different approach so you'll get a "Yes."