Sales Quiz

Complete Story

05/07/2025

Sales Quiz

Source: Bill Farquharson, May 5, 2025

BillF

Many years ago, the mayor of New York City was a guy by the name of Ed Koch. Mayor Koch is remembered for one quirky act: Whenever he was speaking in public, he would start by loudly asking, “How am I doing?” and, invariably, the crowd would roar back its approval—more as a reflection of his zaniness than an actual answer to the question!

You have probably asked yourself this exact same question when it comes to your sales, and especially when things aren't going so well, you added the question, “What am I doing wrong?” As a way to help you with this issue, here are a few points you can ponder in private, thus ensuring the most honest assessment:

On a scale of 1 to 10, answer the following questions:

“I know the best companies to call on” (1=100% No and 10=100% Yes)
“I research companies ahead of time and learn about their business needs, trends, and direction” (1=100% No and 10=100% Yes)
“I’m not ‘selling,’ I’m solving” (1=100% No and 10=100% Yes)
“I have a step-by-step sales process for new business” (1=100% No and 10=100% Yes)
“I follow that process diligently” (1=100% No and 10=100% Yes)
“I set specific sales activity goals” (1=100% No and 10=100% Yes)
“I have someone holding me accountable” (1=100% No and 10=100% Yes)

These seven answers will give you an idea of what needs improving. Now, if any of them are hard for you to answer, you should see that as a sign. For example, on the subject of researching a company to learn about business needs, if that doesn’t make sense to you, stick a pin in it and spend some time learning why it’s important.

Sales success happens when you know the ingredients and put them together in the right recipe. There is always room for improvement. Hopefully, you will give yourself an honest assessment and start from there.

***********

I’ll throw in one more: “I have a community of peer salespeople.” (1=100% No and 10=100% Yes). If you answered “No”, join The Sales Vault at SalesVault.pro or call Bill Farquharson at 781-934-7036

Watch Bill present this week's sales tip

The Sales Vault, created by Bill Farquharson, is a subscription-based resource and sales community featuring a calendar packed with live workshops, on-demand sales courses, peer-to-peer discussion groups, and 35+ years of sales training content all searchable by sales challenge. Think of it as a sales conference where the seminars and workshops, full of instantly applicable ideas, are ongoing and more programs are added constantly.

The Sales Vault is available on a monthly subscription basis, normally at a no-brainer monthly price of $45/participant, but… GMA members can take advantage of an exclusive offer: FREE membership for 30 days followed by a discounted monthly subscription price of just $40/participant.

Bill has been a friend of GMA for many years and is, no doubt, known to our members as a top sales trainer and content creator for the graphic arts.