2014 is just around the corner, and while most of the office is already checked-out and ready for the holidays, real sales winners are already planning for next year's sales success.

The new year is the perfect time to reflect on the past year and commit to changes in behavior and habits that you've been putting off for months. 2014 is a clean slate for sales reps to become the top performers they know they can be. Here are six changes every sales person should be making to hit the ground running in January and ensure 2014 is the most successful year yet.

1. Shorten your response time to leads/inquiries

Prospects are increasingly doing more research on the web, and as a result, they are willing to engage with a salesperson only when they’re ready to buy.  Any hesitation on the part of a salesperson in responding to an inquiry can -- and will -- result in lost sales. 

2. Make Marketing responsible for building awareness and Sales responsible for all leads

Too many companies are still using yesterday’s process where the marketing department handles all leads and even vets the quality of leads.  If you want to be in the business of business prevention, then go ahead and keep using that model.  If, on the other hand, you want to grow sales, then it’s essential for the sales department to be in control of all leads.

3. Eliminate your hard copy sales materials (they're already out of date)

No matter how much money you spent developing what you think are really powerful sales materials, you run into a very simple fact of life: they’re already out of date.

Not only are they out of date, but they’re also not what the prospect or customer even wants. Customers don’t want to see generic “one-size-fits-all” stuff.  For that matter, they don’t want to see hard copy stuff at all, because they’ve already seen the same information on your website.

4. Focus your social media efforts and do more with less

Too many sales teams have found themselves trying to be all things to all people via every social media site out there. Don’t kid yourself. Only the strongest voice is going to come through, and there’s no way you can have the strongest voice on every social media site. 

Focus your efforts against the single site where you are most likely to find your prospects and/or customers.  Strive to be the big dog on that site and don’t worry about trying to be a factor everywhere.

5. Increase the use of trial closes throughout the sales call

With customers engaging with salespeople lower down in the sales funnel, it is now harder to determine quickly where the prospect is in their decision making process. With some customers engaging right at the point of making a decision, salespeople today have to be ready to grab the sale.  The only way to truly do this is by using trial closes early and often to ensure no sales opportunity is lost.

6. Follow-up faster after each sale is made

Due to how quickly communication (both good and bad) can spread among customers and non-customers, it is imperative to be in control of not only the sales process, but also what I’ll call the “customer satisfaction” phase.

Immediately after the customer decides to buy  and through their initial use of the product/service, it is critical for Sales to remain engaged with them. Ensure customers are receiving the value they desire, but ever more, create customers who will be an active voice in helping to create more customers.

Success in 2014 is possible. But you have to be willing to do these six things in order to stand apart from your competition.

Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” is author of High-Profit Selling: Win the Sale Without Compromising on Price. He is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase their sales profitability. He was named one of the Top 50 Influencers in Sales by Top Sales World.  To receive a free weekly sales tip and read his Sales Motivation Blog, visit www.TheSalesHunter.com. You can also follow him on Twitter, on Facebook and on Linkedin.

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