“I'm in a sales slump and in serious jeopardy of falling too farbehind to hit my annual sales quota. What should I do?”

This is a problem all sales people run into at some point intheir career. And if you're a straight commissioned, or heavilycommissioned (low base salary) salesperson, the amount of pressureyou feel during a sales slump can be extremely overwhelming.

I've been there. To the point where I felt like I couldn'tbreathe. And if you have a family to feed, the pressure iscompounded 100 fold.

When this happens, sales people have two choices:

• Blame others (leads are bad; economy is slow/no one is buying;our pricing is too high; our competitors have a better product,etc.).

Or

• Attack the problem.

I prefer Option #2. But to succeed, you'll need a game plan.

Here's the one I found to work for me:

1. Believe there is a way out.

You have to believe that “this too shall pass” — but it won'thappen if you sit around or continue to do (or NOT do) what led youhere in the first place. You're going to need to make some changes,but know this: If you do, you will climb to the top of the mountainagain. You can be victorious.

2. Stop trying to close deals.

One job I had as a straight commissioned sales person paidweekly. Next week's paycheck was based on what you sold this week.Driving to work on a Friday morning and having nothing on the boardand little to no pipeline is not something I wish on my worstenemy. Especially if you have others at home that rely on you toprovide for them.

It's easy to lose focus of the customer's needs and to onlyfocus on yourself needing to close a deal. But you have to resistand push away your own problems and focus on your prospect's issuesat hand. And that also means turning a deal down if it isn't theright fit for your prospect.

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When you stop trying to “close deals” and start focusing on helping yourprospects, all of a sudden that tense, untrustworthy tone in yourvoice that you didn't even realize was there disappears, and all ofa sudden you start having real conversations with prospects.

It's an old saying and it's easier to say than it is to do, butif you want to get what you want, you have to put the needs ofothers first.

To put this into practice, each sales call you make, before youpick up the phone, have the mindset of calling to see how you mightbe able to “help” them.

That will help keep your focus where it needs to be while takingthe tension you feel out of your voice.

3. Get back to basics.

One math fact in sales is: Skill + Production =Results. Chances are, you let your production slipover the past few weeks or even months and this is why you are inthe situation you're in — and now you are desperately tryingto get out of it and that desperation is coming through loud andclear over the phone. Using the tips above will help you have theright frame of mind and tone of voice — now it's time to getto work.

Start making more dials and fewer excuses. Sure, maybe yourskill set could use some fresh new sales techniques — butyou didn't forget how to sell overnight.

Implement the three basic steps above to get back on the rightpath and start making some progress.

Top sales people truly only have a major sales slump happen tothem once. The best of the best learn from their mistakes and workto ensure it never happens again. So climb your way out, one salescall at a time and never look back.

Related: 9 tips for producers to get out of a salesslump