It’s time to stop complaining, and start committing to your sales excellence.

You might anticipate my answer to what I think America needs most is referrals. You’d be partly correct. It’s not only what America needs; it’s what the world needs. You know by now that referrals don’t just happen. Referrals must be the focus of our company (adopt a targeted referral strategy) and an integral part of your sales plan. Referrals become your business-development priority. You incorporate referral selling into your sales process and create metrics and accountability to ensure sales results.

I invited Jim Horan, President of the One Page Business Plan Company, to share his unbiased view of the primary sales activity for our success in 2012. His perspective might surprise you.

Guest post by Jim Horan | President, The One Page Business Plan Company

“Fill in the blank: Most of you think the blank should be filled in with JOBS! I think there is a better answer…

I think what America needs now is SALES! When sales increase, companies hire people. When people have jobs, they spend money, buy products and services, pay sales tax, use tax, and a whole host of other consumption-related taxes. They also pay income taxes. America needs more sales… and so do you!

How Will You Generate More Sales in 2012?

Will you choose to be patient and wait for the recovery, hoping you catch the rising economic tide? Be totally opportunistic and take each day as it comes, hoping you are in the right place at the time with the right products at the right price, and that the right people remember who you are and like you?

Wishing & Hoping Don’t Deliver Sales…

I don’t think wishing and hoping are strategies for success. I doubt you do either.

Let’s be honest, the economy hasn’t been your friend the last three years. It may not be your friend this year. If 2011 was a decent-to-good year, it is because you were focused. You paid close attention to your business, worked your plan (written or unwritten), were creative, experimented, and you fully played the game all year long. And it worked! In other years, with this level of focus and discipline, it would have been a banner year.

Focus & Discipline Drive Sales Success

If 2011 was a bust, after complaining about the economy, I suspect you would eventually admit to not being very focused. It was a year in which you could not find your groove, were easily distracted, chased too many bluebirds, spent too much time at pity parties, and just could not get focused. It was easy to be unsuccessful in 2011.

Some recommendations to make 2012 your year:

• Commit to the next level of focus and discipline in 2012. Move to the next level of discipline in your thinking, communication, decision-making, execution, and accountability.
• Commit to improving the skills you know are suppressing your sales. Whether it’s networking, sales planning, follow-through, timeliness, or (fill in the blank)…
• Commit to rethinking your business. Somebody is buying the products and services you are selling. Why aren’t they buying from you?
• Commit to unlimited thinking. Revisit why you have the limiting thoughts you do, and take action to expel them.

Find your voice. Use it to move forward with strength, confidence, focus, and discipline!

America needs sales. The New Year starts now!”

Jim Horan is an author, speaker, publisher and sr. advisor to business executives and high-performance sales organizations. He is also President of The One Page Business Plan Company, located in Berkeley, Calif. His best-selling books, One Page Business Plan solutions and enterprise software are distributed through 500 licensed consulting firms.