Momentum is defined as; ‘the amount of motion occurring in something that is moving or the force that drives something forward to keep it moving.’ Once you gain momentum in sales, the trick is to keep it going. I have seen some gain great momentum in their sales careers only to have it come to a screeching halt.
Momentum is that time when everything you do turns to gold. The feeling one gets from having this amount of success keeps us going. We have the day of our life and it continues the next day until we have a week. We may even have a month of great momentum and thus that great success.
Why did it happen? In most cases, it actually started earlier than that first great day. You started to put the process together. You began with having your goal in sight. Then worked on what was required to get to the goal and after, you simply put the action plan into motion.
The above formula is that of momentum. It shows that momentum, p, is the product of mass, m, and velocity, v. Mass, which is us; once we get moving, which is the velocity, we create momentum. As velocity increases so does our momentum.
We all have to agree that when we have success, we feel really, really good and we want to continue that feeling. The only way to continue it is to have more momentum which in this case since there is only one of us, m, we have to increase velocity. We need to make the extra call. We must perform another CAP; a system taught in The Action Suite, which has created great momentum. In other words, we must continue moving forward. As long as you keep doing the processes that got the momentum started you will continue to reap the rewards.
“Then why does momentum stop?” That is one of the most frequently asked questions that I get asked whenever we do talk about momentum and sustaining it. My answer is always: “Look in the mirror. That’s why.”
We as human beings are all creatures of habits and emotions. It is setting and keeping the right habits as well as keeping emotions in check which will keep momentum running.
Never, ever, question yourself that you are not that good enough to keep the momentum going. If you are not that good, then momentum would have never started. It is the velocity that you created that started the momentum. If you come to a screeching halt, it is because you stopped the velocity. Nothing else.
Don’t ‘bask in the glory’ of your latest deal and just expect the next one to ‘drop on your lap.’ Again, all you are doing here is stopping the velocity. You must never, ever see yourself as really just ‘that good.’ Momentum is a fickle thing as it will only be produced by your actions and no one else’s.
How does one keep it going?
- Set your next appointment before leaving the current appointment.
- Help the client set the agenda for the next meeting.
- Create a reason for coming to see the client. There is no ‘touching base’ in sales.
- Follow-up. Not any follow-up, but the real follow-up. See my previous blog on what that is.
- There are no shortcuts. Never feel that you can skip parts of the process. The reason it is working is that you are working on it.
How to start it, why it stops and how to keep it going. The fortunate part is that it does all depend on you and how much velocity you want to put into the equation. Get moving.