The first quarter of 2006 is nearly over, but it's not too late to formulate a sales strategy for the rest of the year. The five exercises below can help you set and reach new goals.

Exercise one
All successful salespeople know their key numbers, so ask yourself the following questions:o What is your hit ratio?
o What is your average commission per account on new business?
o What is your current commission per account on renewal business?
o Has the above figure gradually increased over the last five years?
o How many days are available for you to make sales?
o How much do you spend to acquire a new account?
o What can you do to improve the numbers?

Your answers indicate how well you are doing and what, if anything, you need to do differently. For example, if you want to increase your average commission and achieve a closing ratio of at least 75%, you can resolve to do better at pre-qualifying prospects (rather than simply qualifying them).