By Natasha Hawker, Employee Expert

I have recently made a change to the way I sell and it’s making a huge difference to the volume and speed of the sales. The great thing - it’s not ‘rocket science’.

In the past, I was guilty of sitting back a little and waiting for the sales to come to me. And they did, but not in any great volume or at the pace I needed. I was avoiding the ‘pushy’ or ‘salesy’ approach, forgetting the fact that everybody in business is selling something.

So, what are the changes that I have made?

1. KPIs

I have set myself KPIs around sales activities. I have set the weekly number of calls to partners and pipeline, for ongoing account management and I complete a number of speaking gigs and Client Discovery Sessions. I measure myself against this and report back to my team on my progress – this keeps me accountable and keeps them informed

2. Partnerships

The key to exponential growth is through partnerships, so I am investing in developing partner relationships. They have lots of potential clients that will enable me to scale - and scale fast. There is enormous pay-back on this effort – on both sides

3. Never miss an opportunity

I called my local business banker as I had listed his name on an application for an initiative the bank is running for female entrepreneurs. I shared the reason for the call and was astounded that he didn’t take the opportunity to ask me about my business or whether he could do anything to help me. What happened to being client-centric?

4. Invest for the long haul

I have always been a good networker, but I don’t approach relationships with a ‘what’s in it for me?’ approach - quite the opposite - I always look to introduce people that should meet, to refer business or just be a sounding board for a call. This investment has paid dividends time and time again

5. You are always pitching

I am always looking for opportunities to offer my services and to be proactive. I have approached CEOs of ASX listed companies and obtained meetings, both because I asked and because I gave them something of value

6. Use technology

For example, I use YESware to track emails - so I can file something and know confidently that it will pop back into my inbox for action at a later date. I stay on top of things and don’t have to rely on my memory!

7. Givers get

Whenever we win a client we donate to our charity of choice - Buy 1 Give 1. Makes me feel great and, even better, it makes the client feel great.

So, remember sales are both science and art and considering the points above has made it easier for me. Why not give them a try to improve the way you do business?

After a successful international and Australian-based corporate career, Natasha is now a small business owner herself. She is driven to help small business owners rule the world by hiring fantastic talent, managing great teams and terminating non-performers. She is the author of ‘From Hire to Fire & Everything In Between’, regularly quoted in publications such as SMH and The Age. Natasha is also an energetic and entertaining public speaker.

Read more about Natasha in our community member profile. You can connect with her at LinkedIn and at Employee Matters.