If you are really serious about achieving your goal to increase sales, then how many contacts do you make with your potential customers? Learn if you are one of the many or one of the few. This number may just surprise you.

With the downward economy of 2008 and 2009, there is a continued cry from small business owners, single office home office entrepreneurs, independent sales professionals or contractors to even C Level executives about the need to increase sales. Yet, discussions I have with clients and the statistics continue to show just the opposite.

The lack of follow-up calls still continues to drive poor revenue. With 80% of all sales being made between the 5th and 12th contacts and only 10% of all salespersons going beyond the third contact, reveals a lot of wasted energy and potentially low hanging fruit on the vine.

Way too many business people expect and hope for a sale to drop on their doorstep or in front of them at a business networking event. Only problem is that only 2% of all sales are made on the first contact. Sales Coaching Tip: Do not confuse networking with "netselling."

Maybe the selling professionals are one of the 25% who secure the second contact and then determine this is not a good fit. Of course, the statistics seem to suggest a lot of people are giving up before they know all the facts. This may also indicate a lack of research by the seller specific to his or her target market. Sales Coaching Tip: Do not confuse selling being simple with selling being hard. Simple it is, hard it may be.

The goal of the second meeting is to make a friend and to be asked back so you can learn more about this potential customer. Sales Coaching Tip: Another word for learning is qualifying.

Possibly this experienced salesperson keeps his or her nose to the grindstone and gets that third contact. This is not the norm given only 12% of people make 3 contacts. Now is the time to start learning about this potential customer's (a.k.a. prospect) needs and to look for these other qualifiers:

• Is this person the real decision maker?
• Is there an allocated budget for this purchase?
• Is there urgency to take action now instead of later?
• How committed is this person to changing the situation?

Maybe a fourth contact is made to secure even more information and determine where the sales process is going. Now this individual who is the seller is really unique because he or she is one of the 10 who make more than three connections with the prospect.

The fifth contact rolls around and a decision is made to continue with this potential customer. Additional sharing happens and more importantly the relationship continues to grow. Value added communications such as sending of relevant articles provide ways to stay connected.

Finally, the sales happens because the sales professional stuck with it, qualified the client and did not give up. So if you wish to increase sales ask yourself this question:

Are you really serious about business or expecting business to drop in your lap or at your feet?

The answer can be quickly determined by how many contacts you make with each prospect. Are you one of the many, 90%, who make 3 connections with your potential clients or one of the few, 10%, who make 4 or more? Your answer will determine if you are really serious or one of the many hopefuls.