You may have heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day – and it is. But here, it takes on an entirely new meaning. To ensure sales success, you should always start your day with B.A.G.E.L.S.
This, of course, is an acronym that relates to six daily tactics that can’t be overlooked when planning for sales success. Each day, before you begin your regular working activities, go through each letter and assess yourself accordingly. At Sandler, we refer to B.A.G.E.L.S. as a process rather than a formula, because it describes the belief that “the more you put in, the more you get out.”
Let’s take some time to examine each piece of the process.
Behaviors:
You’ll want to begin your day by writing down specific activities or actions that you wish to complete, and how they’ll allow you to track towards your short and long-term goals. If you have yet to identify the objectives you want to achieve, start by doing that since your goals should be the basis of your daily actions.
Affirmations:
You’ll begin to see that these steps all stack on one another. After you’ve identified how you want to act, consider what beliefs you must adopt to exceed expectations and complete those actions. Affirmations can be simple or complex, depending on what is a motivating factor for you. Experiment with different beliefs and determine which are most effective for you as you pursue your objectives.
Goals:
Speaking of “objectives,” this is the section when you determine the actionable items that you wish to accomplish today. Goals vary from behaviors because they are specific achievements, rather than the actions you must take to achieve them. You are able to complete your goals by changing your behavior.
Evaluation:
As B.A.G.E.L.S. is a daily process, when you get to this step, look at your actions from the day before and determine the achievements and failures you encountered. This step isn’t meant to reward or punish you for performance, but instead, serve as a method for tracking your progress towards ultimate success.
Lessons Learned:
This step is a chance to examine your progress and determine what it means for you moving forward. Based on your lessons learned from the previous day, how will that determine your behaviors and goals for the next day? Assess your evaluations and see what valuable insights you can take away from them.
Successes:
Finally, as you wrap up your new daily routine, gauge the level of accomplishment to this point, and determine if you can set your sights even higher going forward. As you progress as a seller and individual, the view of yourself and your industry will change. Be prepared to reassess what you aim to achieve as you progress through your career.
This short but valuable exercise is an effective tool that can benefit your sales process by providing accountability, introspection, and structure. If you have a hard time developing a habit of going through this six-step process each morning, partner with a peer or coworker and work through the process as a pair until it becomes an integral part of your routine.
