Jill's Fresh Sales Strategies Blog

Never Fall In Love with Your Own Product/Service

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:32:00 GMT

Today's never-ever sales post is from Anthony Iannarino, writer of the popular TheSalesBlog.com & CEO of Solution Staffing. He shares how he learned firsthand what happens when you're so excited about what you're selling and totally believe it's the best choice for your prospects.

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My first real job in sales was for a 4 billion dollar international staffing firm. They provided us with an 84-page binder proposal that documented every process, that answered every question, and that left no doubt that we were the right choice.

I loved it so much that I literally read it to my prospects, word for word.

My sales manager joined me on a sales call. I read the prospect the binder. When we left he said: “You should be brought up on charges for cruel and unusual punishment. You almost killed her!”

Then he said: “Nobody cares about that binder. They care about the two or three things that are important to them.”

Then, I joined him on several call. He said almost nothing. Instead, he asked questions about how he could help the client with their goals. They talked and talked and answered his questions. We left with deal after deal.

I never used the binder presentation again.

What did I learn? It isn't about you. It never has been. Your job in sales, regardless of your product, service, or solutions, is about creating value for your clients. Focus on helping your clients succeed.

Your Turn? Share your Never-Ever Story in the comments section of my blog.

Win a chance to get an autographed copy of SNAP Selling -- now out in paperback. Also, your story may also be selected to be included in my upcoming ebook.

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To read more about Anthony's thoughts on sales, visit TheSalesBlog.com.

Never Ask for Referrals This Way

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:47:00 GMT

In today's never-ever post, Joanne Black, author of No More Cold Calling, shares a critical mistake that salespeople make when asking for referrals. And, as the Queen of Referral Selling, she shares what does work too.

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Salespeople should never ask, “If you know anyone who could benefit from my services, please let them know.”

It seems like a simple request for a referral, but it gets us nowhere—except to say we’ve checked “asking for referrals” off of our list. Also, asking for an introduction to "anyone" is far too broad a description for anyone to think of anyone.

This phrase bumps up against the discomfort most people feel in asking for a referral introduction. For some it feels pushy, salesy, and too much “in your face.” Mostly, salespeople are afraid that people might say no. So, instead of asking straight-up with confidence, they ask in a lame way and--not surprisingly--get nothing in return.

Much better to ask, “Who are one or two people you know that I should meet?” Without an introduction from a Referral Source, you are making cold calls with a dismal rate of return. Ask for a referral introduction to your ideal client and boost your close rate to more than 50 percent!"

Your Turn? Share your Never-Ever Story in the comments section of my blog.

Win a chance to get an autographed copy of SNAP Selling -- now out in paperback. Also, your story may also be selected to be included in my upcoming ebook.

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To learn more about how to build your business through referrals, visit NoMoreColdCalling.com.

Never Use Internal or Industry Language

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:18:00 GMT

In today's never-ever post, Jonathan London, author of The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling, tells how how he learned (the hard way) that being impressive in your sales pitch isn't always effective.

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We'd just come out with a new word processor with some really great features, including distributed logic, hard drives that were soft–sectored and stored more information, had asynchronous and bi-synchronous communications, CP-M for running PC applications and more.

I was jazzed and called a law firm I'd been trying to sell. They gave me the appointment and I when we got together, I began to tell them all of these things, assuming they understood.

They were very polite and told me to call back in a few weeks. When I did, my contact told me that it was the most confusing presentation they'd ever seen and they didn't have a clue what I was talking about.

It was a tough lesson to learn, but after that I never used internal or industry language that my prospects didn't understand. And, to extend that learning, if you want to use those words to impress them, make sure they know what you're talking about.

To learn more about Jonathan London, visit IPG Training.

Preemptive Strikes: A Highly Effective Sales Strategy for Dealing With Bad-Mouthing Competitors

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:47:00 GMT

What a brilliant sales strategy! That's exactly what came to mind when I saw Rick Santorum's new television ad. But before you watch it, a little background:

If you follow American politics, you know that Mitt Romney's status as the "presumptive" Republican presidential nominee recently came to a screeching halt. After sweeping the recent caucuses in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota, suddenly Santorum was surging in the polls.

But just a few weeks earlier, Newt Gingrich had been the frontrunner. That is, until Romney's super PACs spent $15 million in Florida and flooded the airwaves with negative ads. This onslaught nearly collapsed Gingrich's campaign.

So Santorum's team decided to launch a preemptive strike in Michigan, the newest battleground state. They knew their candidate would be attacked on all fronts. Plus, having just a pittance of Romney's budget, they knew they couldn't fight him head on.

What did they do it? They put together a commercial they call "Rombo." The setting? An abandoned warehouse. The action? A Romney look-alike slinging mud at a Santorum cutout. The message? Check it out. It's extemely effective.

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtOcrS6axnE

What's so brilliant about this approach, is that they've essentially made it impossible for Romney to "sling mud" without looking like a total jerk. He can't take down Santorum, without taking himself down in the process. He's totally neutralized.

How can you use a preemptive strike in sales?

I'll never forget when I was selling computers and up against a sleazy competitor. He was a master at trashing our systems and my company in such a way that my prospects didn't take offense. They believed him.

After losing to him twice, I'd had enough. So the third time I did a preemptive strike and told my prospect the truth about the previous encounters. Basically I said:

"When you meet with him, he'll tell you this … Then he'll pull out this false study … And, he'll insinuate that our company is in falling apart. None of that is true. I want you to know about it now, before it happens."

Sure enough, that's exactly what my competitor did just a few days later. How did I know? My prospect called me right away and told me.

In short, if you know that people are going to be doing dirty tricks on you - bring it up upfront. Tell the truth. Be factual. Don't trash your competitor. And make sure you keep your emotions out of it or you'll sound like a crazed lunatic.

Then let your prospects be the judge. The truth will win out.

YOUR TURN: Have you ever done a preemptive strike? If so, what made you take this action, what did you do and what were the results?

Never Take It Easy When You're On Fire

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:31:00 GMT

Ron Karr, author of Lead, Sell or Get Out of the Way, learned a critical sales success strategy when his boss chewed him out after closing a big order. And, what really ticked him off was that another rep, who wasn't doing well at all, never got yelled at.

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When I was a top producer for Simplex's Time Recorder Computer Systems division, I came back to the office on a Monday afternoon after closing a huge order.

Feeling full of myself, I walked into my manager's office to gloat. She immediately put me into my place by asking what deal was next on tap.

Feeling like I'd just been slapped in the face, I let loose accusing her of not caring about me. And, I was really ticked because the guy sitting outside her office was only at 50% of quota and she wasn't pushing him at all.

But she didn't back down. Instead, she told me:

"I can push you hard now because you won't crack. You're full of confidence. That's when you need to keep going because you are on fire. You want to take advantage of being in the zone.

"The poor guy outside my office -- if I pushed him, he'd crack because he's already on thin ice."

This taught me a lifelong lesson: When you close a deal, never ever take time off to celebrate. Keep going and leverage that confidence.

To learn more about Ron Karr, visit www.RonKarr.com.

Never Ramble In Your Communications with Busy People

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:11:00 GMT

In today's words of "never" wisdom, Lori Richardson, author of 50 Days to Build Your Sales and CEO of Score More Sales shares an invaluable lesson a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) taught her about email prospecting and email communications.

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A number of years ago when I worked for a technology startup, I was communicating with a CFO (Chief Financial Officer) of a Fortune 500 company. Periodically I'd send him email messages regarding things that needed to get done to move the project forward.

For example, one time I included three items that needed to get done, which I explained in excruciating detail. He had his administrative assistant take care of the first one -- only. This happened again. He'd only partially reply. It was driving me crazy.

Finally I asked him if he saw the 3 steps we needed to accomplish, and he said, “No.”

Upon further conversation, he told me that he only read what was on his computer screen. He never SCROLLED DOWN!

Because of that, I learned to write succinctly when dealing with busy people, especially C-level decision makers.

It also opened my mind to asking prospects what the best way to communicate is. For some, it is e-mail, for others phone, and still others, Twitter DMs. By asking, rather than assuming you’ll find the best way to approach and follow up with these valuable prospective clients.

To learn more about Lori Richardson, visit ScoreMoreSales.com.

Never Tell Your Client What They Need Before They Tell It To You

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:42:00 GMT

In today's "never" article, Charles H. Green, author of Trust-Based Selling and The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook, shares a story about how his boss taught him a big lesson on engaging prospects and creating value without "pitching" your product or service.

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I was young. I went on a sales call with a senior partner to a regional beer company in an old, rust belt manufacturing town. Sales were down, margins were low, and the beer had an undeniably downscale image.

The owner told us about his proud third generation German family heritage and the copper tanks the beer was brewed in. I was thinking to myself, "Who cares! This is a marketing problem!"

But my senior partner seemed rapt at the owner's tales of brewing prowess. The conversation meandered, and my boss asked, "Say, where does the water to brew your beer come from?"

"At last," I thought, "we can pursue some kind of 'land of sparkling clear-blue waters' kind of image campaign. Finally we're talking something important."

"Oh, it's city water," the owner replied. Blecch, I thought; that's completely unappetizing.

"Really," said my boss. "And where does your city get its water from?"

"Why, from the mountain range up north," the client said. "Say – do you think we might be able to use that? I mean, like in our ad campaigns, you know – made from clear mountain water, that kind of thing?"

My boss leaned in excitedly to the owner: "You know, I think you might have something there. Let's kick that around a bit." We left with the sale in hand, and an excited client.

I asked my boss, "You knew that answer already; why'd you lead him on like that?"

"I didn't 'lead him on,'" my boss said. "We all like our own ideas the best. I just helped him find his own idea. He's bound to like his idea more than mine. And what does it cost me to let him have it?"

Your Turn? Share your Never-Ever Story in the comments section of my blog.

Win a chance to get an autographed copy of SNAP Selling -- now out in paperback. Also, your story may also be selected to be included in my upcoming ebook.

Never Sell a Liberal the Same Way as a Conservative?

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:13:00 GMT

Never, in all my years in sales, did I ever think I'd write an article on this topic. But recently, I've been reading some interesting studies that show that liberals and conservatives have some real, genetically hard-wired differences. For example:

An Italian study showed that negative stimuli is more likely to automatically grab the attention of conservatives as compared to liberals.

Another study on "Political ideology, exploration of novel stimuli and attitude formation" show that liberals show more exploratory behavior in a learning video games while conservatives employ an “avoidant” strategy."

Numerous studies have shown that differences in threat perceptions are significant predictor of political attitudes. Conservatives perceive more threats and react more strongly to them.

When I apply this data to the field of sales, it leads to some interesting conclusions:

If I'm selling to conservatives, perhaps I'd be more successful if I focused on problems, risk-related issues or fears of competitive inroads.

If I'm selling to liberals, I might get better traction if I focused on ideas, what's possible and ways to get ahead of the game.

If what I'm saying is true, then it's possible that we're overlooking the most important sales question of all:

Which TV news station do you watch?

YOUR TURN: Should we sell to liberals the same way we sell to conservatives? Or should we be approaching them differently? Share your thoughts in the comments section of my blog.

Salespeople Should Never, Ever Do This ...

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:52:00 GMT

When Forbes magazine interviewed me about what salespeople should never do, the five "no-nos" below immediately popped into my mind. But it was so fun thinking about them that I decided to run a NEVER-EVER contest.

This is a wonderful opportunity to learn from each other's mistakes.

Post your "salespeople should never" advice in the comments section. Make sure you tell us how you learned this lesson.
The best entries will be included in my upcoming ebook on this topic.
10 lucky contributors will also win an autographed copy of SNAP Selling.

Don't forget to share your never, ever story below. And make sure you read my thoughts too!

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5 Things Salespeople Should Never Do

Here's what I shared with the writer from Forbes magazine:

NEVER allow failure to enter your vocabulary. Redefine everything as a "learning experience" and then focus on figuring out how to get different results.

NEVER talk politics with a prospect or customer -- unless you are 100% sure you're totally aligned. And, even then it might not be smart because other members of the decision team may have different feelings.

NEVER look at your email first thing in the morning. It'll suck you in and you'll lose a couple hours.

NEVER ask questions about things that can easily be found on a company's website. You'll lose credibility and look like a fool.

NEVER look at your cell phone during a meeting. In fact, you should turn it off so you won't be tempted to check a text or see who's calling.

YOUR TURN: What should salespeople NEVER-EVER do? Share your no-nos in the comments section below.

"Hail Mary" Passes & the Game of Sales

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:44:00 GMT

Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots threw a long "Hail Mary" pass as a last-ditch effort to win the Super Bowl. But, instead of connecting with one of their receivers, it got batted down in the ensuring melee.

Of course, this got me thinking about sales and football. I actually know a whole lot more about the game than you might expect.

My husband coached two state champion high school teams and also was a Big 10 coach. My son played Division 1AA football as a wide receiver.

Football is a game of strategy. Savvy coaches and players spend hours analyzing their competitors. Each week they design new plays to capitalize on their own strengths and the opposing team's weaknesses.

They never, ever count on Hail Mary passes to win games. It's an act of desperation. Their final chance.

The game of sales isn't any different from football. To be effective, you need to realize that your biggest competitor is the status quo.

Do you know how your prospects are handling things without your product or service?
Do you understand the problems that are caused by the status quo?
Do you know how it impacts their ability to reach their objectives?

Be honest. Do you really think you know enough to plan a game-winning strategy against your biggest competitor?

To be successful, you need multiple plays that will help you march down the field, one step at a time, moving closer and closer to the goal posts. And you need to be prepared to deal with that cornerback or linebacker from the opposing team who wants to sack you.

Yet so many sellers hope they can win with a Hail Mary pass. It doesn't work that way. Without a solid game plan, your success is totally up-for-grabs.

YOUR TURN: What are your thoughts on game-winning sales strategies? Share your ideas in the comment section on my blog.

[Video] Never, Ever Call Your Best Prospects First

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:28:00 GMT

Most sales gurus will tell you to call your A prospects first. After all, they're the ones who are most likely to buy -- and you'll be closing orders before you know it. Plus, you're not wasting your precious prospecting time with low-priority opportunities.

I totally disagree -- and with good reason!

There are situations when it that's exactly the wrong thing to do -- like when you're launching a new product or service. Or when you're new to a company and just learning the ropes. Or when you're starting your own business or deciding to finally pursue bigger companies.

In all those cases, you need to start with your B or C prospects.

Why? Because anytime you're new at something, you're not real proficient at it. You haven't found the right way to describe things. You don't know how your customers will perceive things. You don't understand their business issues, and challenges as well as you should.

And, because of that, you're really easy to brush off. And, you're really easy to stump. You don't want that to happen to you when you call on those A prospects. You want to be grounded in what you say. You want to sound competent. You want to be able to deal with the inevitable objections that pop up.

So start with your B&C prospects first. Experiment with them. Learn what works -- and also what creates problems for you. And, when you're confident that you're ready -- then call your best prospects. That's when you'll get your best results.

Your Turn: Have you ever lost a great opportunity because you weren't prepared? If so, share you story in the comments section below.

[Video] 3 Critical Questions You Must Ask Every Hot Prospect

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:55:00 GMT

Have you ever been called in to meet by a prospect that's all excited about making the change? They're busy meeting with vendors, looking at all their options. And, they want you to get a proposal to them right away -- or to do a presentation.

Stop, stop, stop! If you don't fully understand the why behind all this activity, you may be spinning your wheels for nothing.

1. Ask them, "Why, at this particular moment in time, did you decide that change was essential?" Find out what they say. Does it make sense?

2. Ask them again, "What's the business case for the change?" If your solution costs a lot or is tough to implement, they need to have a pretty strong business case. Do they? If not, showing your solution is premature.

3. Also ask them, "Why would you switch from your current provider?" I know that sounds bold – but the truth is, no one really wants to switch. Unless they have a good reason you may be wasting your time.

Don't be afraid to find out what's behind all this activity. Sometimes the truth hurts and they're not really a hot prospect. But you'll know before you invest tons of time. And, so it's worth it.

Dealing with Oops! Moments: Sales Lessons from Rick Perry

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:27:00 GMT

This not meant to be a political statement. It is simply commentary about what a candidate did - and what we, as sellers, can learn from it.

When Texas Governor Rick Perry entered the presidential race, he immediately soared to a front-runner status. But, it didn't last long due to his performance during the Republican debates.

For those of you who don't follow American politics, during the recent debates Perry stated that he'd eliminate three federal departments. When asked which ones, his mind went blank. He came up with two, but the third eluded him. For 55 seconds, he wracked his brain, babbled and even looked to his colleagues for a little help. (Check it out on YouTube.)

Finally, he sheepishly said, "Oops! I guess I blew that one." Yes, he did. But it didn't have to lead to his downfall. If I were coaching Rick Perry on his sales presentation, I'd offer him these two pieces of advice:

Prep for failure ahead of time.

When you have an Oops! moment - which you invariably will -- own up to it right away. Don't fumble around looking like an idiot. That was the real killer. Everyone's had that same experience, so they all feel for you.

Quickly use your humor to engage their empathy, own up to your fallibility and get yourself off the hook. And, above all, don't be sheepish.

So instead of bumbling around, Perry might have said, "As you can see, even the Governor of Texas is human - and forgets things now and then." We'd have all laughed and let it go.

Avoid using numbers unless absolutely necessary.

It must be Murphy's Law, but whenever you say you have three points to make, under pressure you tend to forget them. (Note: This is the voice of experience talking.) Instead, suggest that you'd make "several" changes or have a few ideas. That way, no one will know when you forget things.

About a week after the Oops! moment, Perry released a commercial in which he owned up to his humanity. I actually thought it was an excellent to address his major failure during the debate. But it was too late. And, combined with his other gaffes, it was just too much for the Iowa voters.

So what do you think? What other advice would you offer Rick Perry?

Please keep your personal politics out of this. We are analyzing the situation - not the candidate or his beliefs.

[Audio] 3 Big Sales Problems I See Today

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:04:00 GMT

Recently I was interviewed by the Sales Lead Management Association about some of the biggest problems I see today that are having a negative impact on sales -- and what can be done about them.

What was my key focus?

Management's failure to understand changing customer/behavior.
Lack of sufficient digital assets to attract & nuture prospects.
Improper training & tools for salespeople to help them succeed in the new sales environment.

You can listen to the download the interview below.

Download this episode (right click and save)

[Video] How to Get More Prospects in Your Pipeline?

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:05:00 GMT

As sellers, we want to keep as many options open to us. We want to be able to pursue business with anyone who has the potential to buy from us. But doing this actually has a boomerang effect and reduces your sales effectiveness.

Here's what you need to do to get more hot prospects in your sales pipeline:

You must focus, focus, focus.

Focus on certain types of customers. Put together a campaign and go after law firms. Or, think about what the school districts might need. Or how about mid-sized manufacturing firms. The more focused you are the better your message resonates.

You can also focus on certain types of decision makers. Immerse yourself in the challenges faced by HR Directors and contact them. Or General Managers. The more focused you are, the stronger your messages.

Finally, you can focus on any one of your products/services. Rather than trying to sell the whole shebang, take just one of your offerings. What's it's value proposition? How does it help companies? What problems does it address? Craft a message around that.

The worst thing you can do is to try to go after a broad base of customers. You'll sound like a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. Prospects want experts. So again, focus, focus, focus. Be the expert.

What do you think? Has focusing been effective for you -- or not?

[Video] What If You Couldn't Get Any New Customers?

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:45:00 GMT

Today's video is designed to get you thinking. Seriously thinking. If you're on a sales team, talk about it together. If you're on your own, explore the ramifications. What you discover may have a huge impact on your success this year.

And when you're done, please add your thoughts & comments below. Your ideas may stimulate us all to think at a higher level. Check out the video now >>

Video Script: If you've been in the sale profession for any length of time, you probably have a whole laundry list of assumptions about what it takes to be successful. But our marketplace is undergoing radical change. Our customers expect different things from us. In fact, they barely need us because everything they need to know is online.

These are the kinds of sales situations that get me thinking. Are we missing anything? Are we capitalizing on the trends? Should we be changing anything so that we can have a greater impact and more success with less effort?

So one of the things I want to do in the upcoming months is to pose some questions that'll get us thinking about our jobs differently. And the first question I'm going to pose is around new client acquisition. Now this is something I'm personally really good at. And it's where I do the bulk of my work with sales organizations.

But, what if -- next year -- you were told that you couldn't get any new clients. I'm serious. What if your income next year was 100% dependent on sales you generated from your customer base?

If that were the case -- if all you could do was work with your existing customers:

What would you do differently?
How would you approach your job in new ways?
What would you stop doing?
What would you do more of?

Think about it. What if you could only earn your income in the next 12 months from your existing customers? How would that change things?

And then, how could you take those insights and leverage them today to be even more successful? Think about it. It's a good idea.

What ideas did today's video stimulate for you? How can they help you get more business?

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For more fresh sales strategies, subscribe to the RSS Feed for this blog and sign up for for my Email Newsletter. Follow me on Twitter, connect on LinkedIn or friend me on Facebook. And, if your sales force needs help cracking into new accounts, check out my sales workshops at JillKonrath.com, email me or call me at 651-429-1922.
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Shocking 2012 Sales Prediction

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 02:21:00 GMT

There's no pussyfooting around it. I feel pretty strongly that I'm right on about this.

My prediction? In 2012, we will see the total demise of nice salespeople.

And here's why. Today's crazy-busy decision makers have absolutely no time nor interest in working with sellers whose main focus is on building relationships & providing great service.

Instead, they want to work with savvy professionals who bring them high value on a regular basis. To avoid extinction in 2012, sellers need to:

Sharpen their personal expertise in areas relevant to their customers.
Proactively bring them fresh ideas, provocative insights and information.
Help them achieve their business objectives.
Realize that they are the differentiator -- not their products or services.

In short, being "nice" is simply no longer sufficient in today's business environment.

So what do you think? Am I off-base? What are your 2012 predictions?

The Beauty of Imperfection

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:21:00 GMT

After I shared this story in today's newsletter, many people asked me to post it on my blog so they could share it with others. So, here you go ...

I first met Mary, my husband's youngest sister, shortly after we started dating. She was the first person I'd ever known with Down's Syndrome. To me, she looked funny, she talked funny and she chewed with her mouth open. It made me uncomfortable.

Back then, kids like her weren't mainstreamed. They didn't exist. And I had no experience dealing with this human imperfection. So I kept my distance, not wanting to interact with this flawed individual. But Mary wouldn't let me do that. She refused to give up on me. And her charm worked as she wormed her way into my heart.

The truth is, my life was blessed because of Mary. She gave me a whole different perspective through which to view my life and taught me a lot. Let me share a few stories:

Mary's favorite holiday was Christmas. She delighted in opening her gifts. But she left nothing to chance. Every Thanksgiving, she pulled me aside to review her very specific list. When I gave her the Fresh Apple Anti-Bacterial Moisturizing Hand Soap that she requested, she chortled in glee.

But I'll never forget the year I bought her the wrong Steven King novel. (I'd searched six stores for the one she wanted, but they were sold out.) Her shock and disappointment in me were plainly evident. She let me know it. The following year, I shopped for her gifts as soon as I got the list.

The lesson? Ask for what you want, expect people to deliver and fully appreciate it when they do. But if they let you down, be clear on that too.

Mary loved looking through Victoria Secret catalogs. But unlike most women, she didn't get one bit depressed comparing herself to all those gorgeous sexy models -- even though she was short, pudgy and hunched over from arthritis.

Do you know what she saw? Herself, wearing all those revealing outfits, prancing around and posing in her beautiful body. Because to Mary, she was beautiful. Just as drop-dead gorgeous as those cover girls. She never once bought into the marketing messages that bombard us on a daily basis, telling us we need to be something we aren't.

The lesson? Never let anyone tell you you're not perfect, just as you are. Appreciate yourself.

Over the years, Mary developed major crushes on different celebrities like the Oakridge Boys and Michael Landon. -- but only one at time. Every day, she'd write them a fan letter. She'd buy all their albums, dance to their music, read all their books and watch all their movies.

One of her final loves was Prince, the hugely popular singer & songwriter from Minnesota, where we live. While she never did get to meet him personally, she was invited to take a personal tour of Paisley Park, his recording studio. It was one of the highlights of her life.

The lesson? Be persistent. Go after what you want and enjoy doing it. Life isn't always about achieving goals. It's about living.

Mary had tons of health problems. She had severe diabetes which had to be monitored constantly. She was hobbled by arthritis. Her kidneys were failing and she was on dialysis several times per week. She never complained, despite the pain and the restrictions on her life.

She let people serve her because she needed their help. She did it gracefully and appreciatively. She saw their "goodness" and that's what they gave her. She made them feel valuable.

The lesson? Complaining doesn't make anything better. People really do want to help you -- if you let them.

I think you're getting the picture. A little imp. A lot of love. So much we can learn from her simple, uncomplicated ways.

And to think that I thought she was flawed. Who was I to judge? A hard-charging, self-motivated achiever who was making my mark on the business world. Someone who was constantly comparing myself to others and falling short.

Mary taught me about the "beauty of imperfection" -- that you're wonderful simply because you exist with all your glorious warts and shortfalls. She helped me appreciate what I had, not what I was missing. And finally, to know that's all I truly needed.

A FINAL NOTE

Two years ago, on December 23rd I was wrapping Mary's Christmas present when we got the call that she'd fallen into a coma. My husband immediately raced up north, leaving the kids & I behind. She passed away the next day. As you might imagine, it was a tough holiday.

Several days later, I came across her unwrapped gift, Barbara Streisand's new CD. When I opened it up and read the lyrics to one of the songs, I felt like Mary had left us a her final message ...

HERE'S TO LIFE

No complaints and no regrets
I still believe in chasing dreams and placing bets
And I have learned that all you give, is all you get
So give it all you've got.

I had my share, I drank my fill
And even though I'm satisfied, I'm hungry still
To see what's down another road, beyond a hill
And do it all again.

So here's to life
And every joy it brings.
Here's to life
To dreamers and their dreams.

Funny how the time just flies
How love can go from warm hellos to sad goodbyes
And leave you with the memories you've memorized
To keep your winters warm.

But there's no yes in yesterday
And who knows what tomorrow brings, or takes away.
As long as I'm still in the game, I want to play
For laughs, for life, for love.

So here's to life
And every joy it brings.
Here's to life
To dreamers and their dreams.
May all your storms be weathered
And all that's good get better.

Here's to life
Here's to love
And here's to you!

Please share your story too. It will inspire us all to be better human beings.

Sales Coaching Marathon: Get the Replay Now

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:11:00 GMT

Did you miss my sales coaching marathon on Tuesday? If so, don't worry. You can listen in now. Lots of people called in -- raising a whole slew of different questions.

We talked about prospecting, stalled sales cycles, start-ups, value propositions, LinkedIn, competition and much more.

Sales expert Jonathan London, author of The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling, joined me for the session too. Together we shared tons of advice on how to deal with the sales challenges you face every day.

The audio is long, so don't plan to listen to it all in one sitting. But do listen in. It'll get you thinking for sure.

Click here to download the MP3 file: Sale-Coaching-Marathon MP3

Happy Holidays! Free Sales Coaching on Tuesday

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:40:00 GMT

If you ever wanted to call me for sales advice, now's your chance. Join me on December 20th for my Sales Coaching Marathon. It's my holiday gift to you!

Ask me about any sales issue you're facing with prospects, clients, bosses or competitors and I'll give you my best advice.

Time: 10am - 1pm ET (7-10am PT or 3-7pm CET)
Call-In #: (712) 432-0900 + Access Code: 337067
Press * 6 to get in the cue -- and then 1 if you'd like to ask a question.

You can also call to just listen in too. And, I'm recording the whole thing as well so you can listen in later if that works for you.

If you feel it's helpful, I invite you to donate to Kiva, an international microlender. I've been funding entrepreneurs through them for about 4 years now. It amazes me how such a small loan can have such a big impact.

Check Out My Recent Kiva Loans

After seeing so much poverty on my recent trip to Africa, I decided to invest in these hard-working individuals:

Charles from Kenya requested a loan of $900 to purchase farm supplies (seeds, fertilizer) & to buy more farm animals. He's raised 41% so far.

Joice from South Sudan used her $750 loan to purchase flower, beans and rice for her restaurant. She's already repaid 12% of it.

Jeanne from Rwanda used her $850 loan to purchase more second hand clothes for resale. She's already repaid 8% of it.

JOIN ME in supporting KIVA. And I look forward to answering your questions on Tuesday!

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Did you get my free Prospecting Tool Kit yet? If not, you'll want to download it right away to get these resources:

Value Proposition Generator
9 Tips to Get Prospects to Call You Back
Buyer's Matrix
Selling to Crazy-Busy Prospects Audio

Click here to get it now.

Is Your Trust Quotient High Enough?

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:37:00 GMT

Being able to quickly develop trust is essential for sales prospecting success and account growth. To learn more, check out my interview with Charlie Green, co-author of the hot new Trusted Advisor Fieldbook and developer of the TQ (Trust Quotient) Assessment.

Interview

Jill: Charlie, recently I took your TQ Assessment. I understand you developed it by surveying over 12,000 people to get their trust profile. Can you give us a quick overview of the TQ?

Charlie: The TQ focuses on the 4 components of trustworthiness — Credibility, Reliability, Intimacy, & Self-orientation. The first three are positive attributes, the last is negative. The TQ score itself is computed as (C + R + I) / S.

Jill: It only took a few minutes online, and I instantly got a cool report from you. (Take the free assessment here.) It says that my TQ was 14, which was higher than average. But what really stuck out for me was the Trust Temperaments. Can you explain what those are?

Charlie: The Trust Temperaments are based on your two highest component scores. For example, people whose strengths are credibility and reliability we classify as “experts.” The other possible categories are the Professor, the Doer, the Catalyst, the Connector, and the Steward.

Jill: I was the Steward type. It pretty much nailed my strengths and weaknesses.

Charlie: I'm always glad to hear that. And it fits with my image of you too - giving, other-oriented, and extremely dependable.

Jill: Are all the Trust Temperament good? Or are some better than others?

Charlie: There are statistically significant differences in the TQ score across most of these groups. Some simply are more trustworthy than others.

Jill: So, who are the more trustworthy groups and types?

Charlie: Well, first of all, women are more trustworthy than men. And that's because they are better at one particular trait - intimacy. And intimacy, as it turns out, is the common variable in all three of the top-rated Trust Temperaments.

Jill: Wow. And, as a women, I'm not surprised! What about credentials and track records? Are they simply irrelevant today and all we need to do is get up close and personal with our customers?

Charlie: No, though credentials and the like are over-rated. The right way to think about it - and this is consistent with leading sales thinkers like Neil Rackham - is that data, credentials and logic are necessary but not sufficient for selling. People need to know that you care. They buy with their heart and rationalize it with their brains.

Jill: Makes a lot of sense to me! Let's talk about The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook. It's a real how-to type of book.

Charlie: We intended it to be intensely practical. We cover a broad range of practical trust problems. And we offer enabling questions, lists and worksheets.

Jill: Has trust changed since you wrote your first book, The Trusted Advisor?

Charlie: No - but the world has. It has gotten flatter, looser, cloud-based, wired, decentralized, networked, disaggregated, more horizontal, and more malleable. Leadership is no longer a set of skills for a few leaders to manage vertically.

It now has to be a broad set of skills useable by everybody -- including salespeople -- to achieve influence where they have no control.

Jill: Yes, salespeople today do need to lead. And they need to develop trust -- quickly and consistently. Charlie, thanks so much for talking with us.

To learn more, click here to read more about The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook. And, you can take the TQ Assessment here.

[Video] How You Can Be an Invaluable Sales Resource

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:45:00 GMT

In today's marketplace, your prospects have so many options -- and they know it. When you tell them, "We're special" -- they don't believe you. If you say, "We have a passion for excellence" -- they don't care one little bit. Tons of companies have the same passion for excellence.

When it comes right down to it, the only real differentiator today is us. I mean it.
It's not about our product or service any more. It's about us -- and if we're an invaluable resource to our prospects.

I bring this up because lots of you are on cruise control. Believe me, I've been on cruise control before and had my whole career wiped out because of it.

If you're not constantly learning or growing today, you're slipping behind. And suddenly you can be whacked out of your comfort zone and be out of a job or not have any prospects. Things can be grim. And it's not good.

You need too -- we all need too -- be learning all the time. We need to be students -- not just of our profession -- but of any subject that interests us. By staying in a learning mode, we significantly enhance our ability to be successful.

If you're not reading something interesting right now, please go get yourself a book or check out a new website. Get your brain cells going. Make more connections. Go to a conference. Sign up for newsletters. Stretch yourself. Learn more.

Customers bring us in today because we have ideas and valuable information. We get the business because of our expertise and insights -- not because of our products or services. They're buying us.

They don't want a relationship with us because we're such a nice person. They're buying us because we bring value.

Join the Conversation: What are your ideas for becoming an invaluable resource?

Q&A: Trouble Setting Up a Follow-Up Meeting

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:19:00 GMT

TERRY ASKS: I help people with new product launches. When I meet with prospects, I do a decent job of building rapport and quantifying their pain. But I run into trouble when I try to nail them down for the next step.

For example, I'll say, "I'll call you at 9am on Tuesday to collect input for the ROI process." Instead of agreeing, they'll say "I don't know my calendar" or "Can you please call me next week."

Should I be empathetic to their situation and just call next week as they ask? Or should I push for a firm time commitment/due date for any follow-up action no matter how harassed they are so I can keep in control of the sales process?

JILL ANSWERS: Dealing with crazy-busy prospects is a real challenge. So let's assume you really did do a great job in the call.

If that's the case, then you need to wrap your request for a follow-up meeting with the valid business reason why they need to meet you again. For example, you could say:

"We've talked about a number of issues related to your product launches. I have some ideas re: how you can significantly impact time-to-profitability on your upcoming introduction.

But based on my experience, we're going to need to get x, y and z people involved too. Their input is critical. Let's get something on the calendar for that. The longer you wait, the tougher it'll be to get the results you want."

One more thing. If you hate "controlling" the sales process (which I personally do), here's an option. Think of yourself as being a project manager who just want to keep things progressing so your prospects can achieve their goals.

Finally, if they still don't set up a meeting, it's likely they didn't see the value or they really do have some pressing things that need to get done.

What suggestions do you have for Terry?

Fresh Insights on an Overflowing To Do List

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:10:00 GMT

Sometimes a change in perspective changes everything. Take this morning for example. Before the day even started, I felt overwhelmed with a never-ending To Do list. But rather than dig right into it, I putzed. I played games. I called a friend. I checked email. I read the news online. I complained to myself. I rechecked email.

Then it dawned on me ... wrong approach.

The torture of the tasks was killing me. I needed to look at my situation differently. At that moment, a question popped into my head:

What can I create today?

Mmmm. That was definitely a more appealing thought. Suddenly that proposal I needed to get done became a creative endeavor. I saw the fun in creating a new presentation to engage potential partners in a new business opportunity.

Ideas were flowing. Good ideas. Ones that would lead to the results I wanted.

The mundane tasks were still there, but I saw them in a new light. I simply needed to get them done as fast as I could to free up time for the work I liked doing.

... which right now happens to be sharing my thoughts with you.

So let me ask you this -- what can you create today?

[Video] Get Prospects To Make Decisions Now vs. Later

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:18:00 GMT

If you are tired of your prospects dragging their feet on making decisions, you need to simplify things for them. This is critical because your prospects are so crazy busy. They don't have time to process tons of information or handle all sorts of new ideas. Complexity of any sort overwhelms them, driving potential decisions to a screeching halt. Check out the video now>>

Video Script: That's exactly what happened to me recently when we did a major home renovation. We'd knocked the walls down between rooms, replaced all the woodwork, re-did the entryway and much more.

Our builder, whose name was Bob, kept bringing me these stacks of catalogs filled with all the options available too me. I had a foot high pile just for front doors alone.

And Bob would say, "Why don't you page through these and find a front door you like."

Now I'm busy and to me all those doors looked pretty much the same. So I did nothing. A week later, Bob asked, "Jill, have you picked out your doors yet?"

I said, "Bob, I don't even know where to start. There's so many doors there I can't figure it out." His response? "I'll give you a little more time."

He came back a week later and said, "We need to get the door ordered if we want to get this project done on schedule."

In frustration, I blurted out, "Bob, I'm so overwhelmed. Here's the deal is. I hired you because of your expertise. You're a builder. You know what goes well with the style of our house. You know I like good value. I can't make this decision.

"Tomorrow I want you to come in and only show me three doors. I want you to say 'Jill, here are your 3 best options.' I'll pick one of them.

Bob did that. He came back the next day and said, "Based on your house and financial considerations, I recommend these three doors. Which one do you like?"

I pointed to a door. Done. The decision was made. Then I said to him,

"Bob, this works for me, so that's how we're going to operate from now on. We're going to use the Rule of Three.

When you need me to make decision, just bring me three options. Three. No more. If we're looking at door handles, show me three samples. Tell me what you recommend. Make things simple for me."

Bob started using the Rule of Three. We got along so well after that. And I was one happy buyer.

Your own customers are like that too. When you start simplifying things for them, use your expertise. Use your knowledge. They're bringing you in because you've got brains. And you've worked on problems like theirs before.

When you simplify things for your prospects, you will be one beloved seller.