When you find yourself in a sales slump, you can do one of two things: you can wallow in pity and nestle into that slump until somebody drags you out, or you can take initiative and climb out yourself. Obviously, the second option is best. When you take control of your sales slump, you increase in confidence, develop new skills, and give hope to those around you who may also be experiencing slumps of their own.

Getting out of that sales slump doesn’t require Herculean effort; you can accomplish your mission by taking the following three steps:

Re-examine Your Goals

In the hectic day-to-day busyness of your job and personal life, it’s easy to get spread too thin and distracted by all that you have to do. When you’re in this frame of mind, your work suffers, and you can find yourself in a serious slump.

Take a step back and re-examine your goals. You may have started focusing too much energy on areas of your job that are less important, and this can lead to a serious sales slump. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What is my ultimate career goal?
• What do I want to accomplish by the end of the year?
• Which of my daily activities do not get me closer to my goals?
• What changes can I make in my schedule to devote more time to my most effective sales tasks?

If you’re really honest with yourself about these questions and then make changes to your routine, you’ll see results fairly quickly.

Try a More Personalized Approach

If your old sales methods just don’t seem to be working anymore, think about ways you can personalize your approach to get yourself out of that sales slump. Here are some ideas:

• Research before you contact. The Internet and social media make it easy to learn about a person or company before you approach them with a sales pitch. How does this help? It gives you insights into their needs, which you can address when you talk with them. For instance, if you know a company is opening a new department and will need a lot of new office furniture, which you sell, you’ll be able to time your meeting just right.
• Expand your online network. Through LinkedIn and other social media sites, you can get to know contacts better and even make new contacts. Through social media, it’s easy to engage in discussions about what’s going on in your industry. This gives you an edge in personal conversations; you already know what people are thinking about.
• Try asking insightful, open-ended questions. As you speak with people during sales calls, give them an opportunity to open up to you by asking thought-provoking open-ended questions. These kinds of questions get people thinking, and they’ll see you as a person who thinks through all sides of a question and not just a sales rep trying to make a quick sale.

Improve Your Follow-Up

When you get rejected, it’s natural to want to forget the whole thing and move on, but if you learn to successfully follow up with potential customers you may climb out of that sales slump much faster.

The key to following up is to track everything. Keep track of your phone calls, emails, sales appointments, and personal meetings at conferences and events. Schedule a time in your day to focus solely on following up; otherwise, this task easily becomes one of those you wish you had time for. The truth is, though, that successful sales reps find following up to be a critical component of their success.

Get Out of That Sales Slump

Now is the time to get out of that sales slump. You can do it by re-examining your goals, trying a more personalized approach, and improving your follow-up. Once you’re out of your sales slump, continue to use your new successful sales slump avoidance strategies.