Ever sat in front of a phone or screen knowing you have to make so many sales calls/cold emails that day? Whether because you work for someone else or you’ve made a sales target for you to achieve as a freelancer, if you don’t sell ‘on purpose’ you may as well play Candy Crush or surf Reddit.

Without selling on purpose, your sales activity is meaningless.

Let me explain.

Know what and why

Your first job is knowing what you are meant to be doing. Do you have a sales script? Do you know exactly what you are going to say and at what point you’re going to say it? Do you know what you’re hoping to achieve from the sales calls you’re going to make today?

Then, why? Why is your plan and process so important? What is it going to help you achieve? Put simply, if you’re going to make 25 cold calls this week, why not 30? If you know your success rates and how they fit into a bigger picture of business growth, you’re good.

Know exactly what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. That makes rejection easier, and it gives you the confidence when you actually get into a sales conversation.

When are you going to ask?

This is something that anyone who has sold anything knows is vitally important. Sales conversations can be fun, sure, and they can be slow-paced. But if you don’t ask for the order, you’ve just wasted a chunk of your life.

You could start out with a definite purpose in mind though. You could tell yourself you’re aware of buying signals and when they occur you could be right in there, directly asking for the sale.

For example, if you are selling on purpose, and you know that the time is right because your buyer has given you a clear buying signal, just ask for a sale, directly. The simple phrase, ‘Shall we go ahead?’ is very powerful, for example. And if you ask it at the right point, it makes perfect sense. But some people don’t even ask. It’s much easier and more comfortable to send ‘more details’, or to ‘catch up’ in a couple of weeks.

However, ‘comfortable’ doesn’t help you. Ask for the sale whenever an opportunity presents itself. The conversation is there for a reason, and if you’ve prepped enough, and you know what the potential client needs, at some point they will be in a posiiton where they want to buy.

Be ready for that point. If you are not ready, you’re not selling on purpose.

Knowledge is power

In selling, this is true. The more you sell, the more you know how it works. The more you lose sales, the more you know why. And the more you ask for the contract, the more you know exactly what needs to happen before you do.

Sell on purpose. Leave nothing to chance. Understand how selling works and know what and why you are doing every time you pick up the phone or send an email. Be proud of what you are selling, and go find the people who want to buy.