Darren Volkes has extensive experience in branding, client relations, public relations, and crisis management, among other skills. As executive vice president and corporate secretary of Guaranteed Returns, Darren Volkes has overseen the company’s growth from $1 million to $50 million in revenue. Mr. Volkes believes that persistence is a necessary quality in any sales-related industry, and it can be leveraged in a few ways.
Motivation is key to persistence, and reminding oneself of past successes can be extremely motivating. It is all too easy to remember the feeling associated with successful outcomes while forgetting how much effort was required to attain that success. Keep records of what you did and how long it took. This will put successful outcomes into perspective and provide you with guidelines for how to be successful in your next endeavor.
Industry statistics can also remind you of the importance of persistence. For example, the National Sales Executive Association suggests that 80 percent of sales require reaching out to the customer a minimum of five times. This suggests that the need for persistence is not a sign of something you did wrong; rather, it is part of the process. Think back on past sales and identify how persistence has paid off for you. What can you do to touch base with your clients throughout the decision-making process?
Practice makes persistence. The more you make reaching out to clients on a consistent basis a part of your sales process, the easier and more natural it becomes to do so. Practice will also prevent you from taking failure personally. After all, sales is a numbers game. If you are persistent, success is only a matter of time.
