The Theory of Creativity
A daily guide to achieving success in sales

Ask any successful salesperson the secret for having great months and they will all say positive attitude, creative preparation, and consistent performance. To succeed month-to-month, you must execute day-to-day. Here are 31 creative ideas mixed with fundamental sales concepts. Put them into your work life on a one-a-day basis, and sales are sure to follow.

Day 1. Establish how many calls, leads, appointments, mailouts and follow-ups it takes to exceed your sales dreams. Make a top 10 list of people to whom you want to sell. By doing this on the first of the month, you will have clear vision to the task ahead.

Day 2. After you establish the goals, figure out what you must do every day to make them a reality.

Day 3. Take a hard look at the sales tools in your kit. Are they the best in the business? State of the art? If not, make a plan and set a deadline to change them.

Day 4. Look in the mirror. Like who you see? Get someone impartial to give your an image once-over. Act on their recommendations as fast as you can.

Day 5. List your customers' main reasons for buying from you. Don't be a fool and make the list without asking 10 customers. Use the list to re-adjust your presentation and your approach.

Day 6. Go network someplace where your customers and prospects go. Ask your best customer if you can attend their monthly association meeting.

Day 7. Breakfast a customer. Using meals for business is an excellent time management tool (and wallet builder).

Day 8. Lunch a prospect. You can get to real issues in a relaxed, neutral setting.

Day 9. Dinner a small group. Combine a meal with a mini-seminar. Bring interested people together to make a group sale.

Day 10. Get peer evaluation. Ask your co-workers to rate your performance once a month. Get honest feedback. Use it.

Day 11. Join Toastmasters. It's hour and a half each week of speaking skills and peer evaluation, but the impact will last a lifetime.

Day 12. Buy a book about sales. Reading one book a month will make you a world class expert in five years.

Day 13. Audio-tape your presentation. Play it in the car. If you say, "Oh man, that's terrible," imagine what your customers and prospects are saying.

Day 14. Play golf with a customer and someone he or she can do business with. Bringing your customer potential business is the most powerful business building tool there is. Combining it with golf makes it memorable.

Day 15. Brainstorm objections with coworkers.

Day 16. Take your boss (or salesperson) on a sales call. If you're chicken, you've got the wrong boss (salesperson) or you're unprepared. If you do, you'll make a sale.

Day 17. Make it a point to deliver your best customer one hot sales lead. Want to keep your best customer forever? Just keep bringing them business.

Day 18. Take the time to read the flyers and product updates you've been shoving in drawers all month.

Day 19. Read Your Trade Magazine Day. One of the best sources for "the latest" sales ideas.

Day 20. Create five new questions. Asking questions is the heart of selling. To keep the blood pumping, you must continually have new questions. Formulate questions that make your prospect evaluate new information.

Day 21. Detail your car. If your customer gets into a perfect car, she thinks "perfect salesperson, perfect product, perfect company." If she gets into a crummy car...

Day 22. Contact one person on your chicken list (the people you're scared to call). If you don't have your "chicken list" on paper, do it now.

Day 23. Ninety-seven percent of all sales take more than one call to complete. Gather a group and generate 10 new ways to call a prospect back that combines creativity with purpose.

Day 24. Pick 25 customers and send them cards, a bag of candy, and write "How sweet it is to have you for a customer – Thanks."

Day 25. Take a customer to a ball game. Add some fun to one of your relationships. Get to know someone personally.

Day 26. Ask the salesperson you respect the most if you can make sales calls with him or her and watch them work.

Day 27. Work on your biggest goal for four hours. It will never get done if you don't work on it month by month.

Day 28. Do community volunteer work. You meet the best people and you feel great.

Day 29. Make a speech at a local civic group. Get visible, get credible. Afraid of public speaking? Revisit "Day 11."

Day 30. Make your biggest sale. End your month with a big sale to create the momentum for next month.

Day 3 1. Celebrate your success. Go get some new clothes or take a day at the beach. Relax and get set for next month's success.

You say, "I'm too busy to incorporate all this into my schedule." Oh, I guess you're also making all the money in the world as well. just in case you're not, consider this: Every other successful salesperson in the universe incorporates these strategies and tactics into their every day success. If they have the time, perhaps you should buy back some of yours. It's a great investment. Time is money. Your money.

Jeffrey Gitomer is author of The Sales Bible and President of Charlotte-based Business Marketing Services.

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