Have your sales flatlined at your company? Are you unable to revive them? Do you feel like you couldn’t sell an air conditioner in Arizona in July?

Slumps are a common problem for many salespeople. But don’t worry — growth is possible.

To help get out of a sales rut, here are six ways to open yourself up to new possibilities.

1. Know that growth is
possible – It’s all about your sales mentality. If you don’t think growth is possible, you won’t grow. It will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You must be open to the possibility that things can improve.

2. Survey your customers – One of the best ways to break out of a sales slump is to go to the source. Ask your customers what they need. You can ask them informally when you visit with them, or you can do something more formal such as a survey. The goal is to get ideas from your customer that could help improve sales.

3. Set goals – Setting goals puts you back in the driver’s seat and solves a feeling of helplessness. The energy required and thought process will get you moving. Put your goals in writing and develop a list of steps to reach your sales objectives. It’s important to understand, though, that setting goals is only the beginning of the process.

4. Think big – It’s time to move beyond self-limiting constraints. Big goals and dreams cause people to act — they are the fuel that motivates actions. Big goals set the course for your business. There will be times when the goal may feel impossible; the important thing is to have the tenacity to power through the bumps in the road.

5. Remove yourself – Sometimes it helps to look at your situation from a different perspective. Ask yourself what you would advise if someone brought your situation to you? What would you tell them? Viewing situations from multiple perspectives helps to break the bad habit of doing the same old thing repeatedly even if it doesn’t work.

6. Talk it out – Many of us network with other business professionals. Share your issues with others and ask what they would do. Having a good support network can help infuse your business with new ideas that can help you get out of that sales rut.

And, most importantly, get off your butt and get to work. Feeling sorry for yourself won’t help anything. Activity will work.