EyesOnSales.com

Can you get to ROI faster by slowing down your sales cycle?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:39:36 -0500

I just had a conversation with one of our clients who is successfully scheduling appointments based on a lead generation email campaign he created after attending one of our virtual training programs. Sounds great, doesn’t it? But there’s a catch. The appointments aren’t producing much in terms of sales.

You might think the problem is that the email campaign is attracting the wrong kind of prospects, but that’s not the case.

I believe the problem is that the client’s sales cycle is too short.

It’s an issue we see with many of our clients. In their haste to close a sale, they try to gather all the information needed to write a proposal in just one meeting. Then they send the proposal and try to close ...without much success, I might add.

This “one-and-done” approach is ineffective for a variety of reasons, particularly in high-stakes sales, as is the case with this client who sells IT services.

Think about it. Would you allow a company access to your computer systems after just one conversation? Unlikely! And the same holds true for selling many other solutions.

You need to take time to build rapport with your prospects, to earn their trust. That just doesn’t happen in one conversation.

What typically happens, instead, is this. You...

Overwhelm the prospect with too much information.
Take more of his or her time than planned.
End the meeting with little rapport, or worse, an irritated prospect.

What’s more, when you try to close too quickly, before earning the prospect’s trust, it generally becomes a price game – and that’s a hard one to win consistently. On the flip side, if a prospect trusts you to solve his or her problem, price is often a non-issue.

My advice to this client, and to you, if you’re having a similar problem, is to stretch out the sales cycle by creating reasons for more than one meeting. You might try some or all of these ideas...

Use two or three meetings to gather background information and understand needs.
Set up a meeting to review the proposal with the prospect. Don’t just send it. Go through it together in detail.
Schedule a proposal follow-up meeting to answer any lingering questions, which would be another time to try and close the opportunity.
Email the prospect between meetings to remain top-of-mind and continue building a relationship. You can simply remind the prospect about your next appointment or you might include an article, customer success story or other useful content related to his or her issue.

It may go against your instincts to slow down, but doing so may actually get you to ROI faster. Not only is it likely to increase your win rate, it may actually speed up the sales cycle because you make it easier for your prospects to say “yes,” when you’ve earned their trust.

The Best Way To Do Nothing

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:29:47 -0500

Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you’re doing anything that matters.

In fact, the busier you are, the greater your chances that you’re not doing things that really matters at all.

Think about that for a second. It might be that the more you do the less happens. Frantic behavior and midnight paranoia aren’t the answer to solving complex problems.

Nothing is.

You doing nothing is the answer.

And while this flies in the face of your brain’s rapidly-firing fear signals, doing nothing is the secret to achieving audacious acts of mind blowing brilliance.

How well you do nothing determines how successful you are.

It’s not an excuse though.

Not putting in the effort required to achieve success is never the right course of action. Neither is going through the motions so that those around you think you’re staying busy.

The best way to do nothing is to set aside time to do nothing.

Instead of conforming to the chaos of your schedule, you take control and deliberately blocked out chunks of time to do nothing.

Time where you can think. Time where you can meditate. Time where you can stimulate your brain creatively.

It’s a deliberate conflict with the busyness that stops you from thinking about what you are doing and how you’re doing it. It’s the anitidote to uncertainty and fear and self-induced pain.

It’s less, not more.

You have to pause and be quiet – you have to do nothing – in order to see where you’re going. To feel your way towards success.

Doing more just means you might be making more mistakes.

The reality is that the best plans in the world fall apart. Your smartest advisers gets it wrong sometimes. Life will serve you a raw deal.

It takes deliberate quietness to stay focused and motivated.

Just going through the motions, pretending that your head is in the game, just makes you a loser.

You lose when you give in to chaos. The best plan is to do nothing about it .

And the best way to do that is to stop and think about it.

How to Hold Yourself Accountable (And Make Bank Doing It)

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:00:04 -0500

Top salespeople are self-starters. But even self-motivated sales reps run into times where it’s hard to kick-start their own engines.

If you know what you want but are having a hard time staying committed to the game plan for achieving your goal, the answer is simple: You need to implement a system that will hold yourself accountable. I know, it doesn't sound fun but read on. It's not as bad as you think.

ac·count·a·ble

Required or expected to justify actions or decisions; responsible.

The keyword here is “justify”. That means you have to explain yourself to someone.

So how does this work in a sales environment?

Simple. Let’s say it’s your sales quota that’s the issue. You want to increase your odds of reaching it on a more consistent basis but you’re having a hard time staying motivated to do everything that’s necessary to achieve that goal.

Here’s what you do…

Step 1:
Break up all the “selling activities” that you must do in order to hit your goal into specific categories such as:

Prospecting
Qualifying
Presentation
Objection Handling / Closing etc

And then be specific on what you must do / what your goals are on a daily / weekly basis for each category.

Example:

Prospecting

Minimum of X amount of new prospects per day
Minimum of X amount of first time calls per day
Minimum of X amount of follow-up calls per day

Step 2:
Pick an authority figure above you that you will have to answer to (Think Sales Manager, VP of Sales or a Business Mentor)

Step 3:
Meet once a week, preferable early Monday to go over each category.

The first time you meet you will want to go over what your goals are for each category for that week.

The second time you meet (and every time there after) you will first go over your previous week’s goals before moving on to what you hope to accomplish in the current week.

This is where the “justify” comes in. When you know you’re going to have a meeting to explain why or why you didn’t achieve your clearly defined goals & tasks, you will find that extra motivation to make sure you hit the mark. Plus having clearly defined objectives on a daily & weekly basis will act as a motivator in and of itself. We tend to do better when we see a clear step-by-step action plan laid out before us.

Extra Bonus:

Having clearly defined goals and tasks for each category that are key elements to you achieving your goals will also help you spot any weak areas that you will need to improve upon in order to increase your odds of winning.

One last thing…

In the prospecting example I gave above, it’s not just about “doing more” as in calls per day… that’s just a small piece of it.

But let’s say through these weekly accountability meetings we discover a problem in the objection-handling category… we can now put in a resolution to solving that problem. Think of it has fine tuning your engine in order to run at top performance.

Hope you found this helpful.

Are We Becoming Leadership Wimps?

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:04:20 -0500

Last week, I wrote a short The Case for the Bold Leader. Over the course of the days that followed, it received decent traffic, but certainly not as much as what I have come to expect from one of my posts, and certainly not as much as what I have been receiving in recent weeks.

This fact could be caused by a number of factors, including normal variation, but I’m not writing today about web traffic or statistics. Regardless of actual cause, that reduced traffic led me to think about why the topic of leadership boldness might be less popular than other topics.

I mentioned this to my colleague and co-author Guy Harris, and he said, “Almost by definition, boldness isn’t going to be a popular topic, Kevin.” Guy often makes insightful comments that lead me to think further and deeper.

Boldness does, after all, require us to do, think, or decide something outside of the norm – something beyond what everyone else is thinking. If boldness was common practice, it wouldn’t require its own word – it wouldn’t be bold – it would be normal.

For the early part of my working life, and long before that, a standard and accepted model of leadership success was what we now call “command and control.” The boss was in charge, and they made the decisions (right or wrong). Their decisions were followed (without much/any conversation). Looking at this through today’s accepted leadership practices, many words might be applied to that approach, one of which might be “bold.”

Today, the model accepted, taught (including by me), and much more generally applied, is a model of leadership that includes engaging the ideas and inputs of others, involving others in goal setting and decision-making, and more. Share this model with the “strong, bold” leaders of a past era, and they might apply the word “wimp.”

Let’s pause for a couple of dictionary definitions (from Merriam-Webster.com).

bold – fearless before danger, or standing out prominently.

wimp - a weak, cowardly, or ineffectual person.

Am I suggesting today that we need to return to the command and control approach to leadership? Far from it.

Am I suggesting that being an engaging leader somehow makes one weak, cowardly, or ineffectual? Not necessarily.

What I am suggesting, and urge you to think about, is have we, in the name of being open, engaging, and enlightened leaders, lost our ability to be bold, make a decision, and take a stand?

I believe many people have.

Being a leader isn’t easy work. It requires intellect, wisdom, emotional intelligence, and a dedication to learning (among many other things). It also requires that we lead – that we define a vision and move toward it – encouraging, persuading, and influencing others to follow us.

Doing this requires a type of boldness, a willingness to stand out prominently, stand by our vision and values, and perhaps, in some ways, be fearless before danger. To not do this in proper measure and balance with others is certainly to be ineffectual and perhaps, in some cases, cowardly.

As with most things in leadership and life, the answer lies in a balance, not in the extremes. We should be neither despot nor wallflower.

But I fear, for the wrong reasons and by misinterpreting principles, too many leaders are being wimps.

Where you fall on this “bold/wimp” scale is a useful thing for you to consider; a willingness to ask yourself this question, in itself proves a type of boldness.

A willingness to implement based on your self-assessment, however is far more important.

Put an end to Sales Prospecting Procrastination : Part 1

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:46:30 -0500

Part one of a series on Things Sellers Avoid

We all have favorite things we like about our jobs, and I'm not talking about closing sales. Of course we all love that. I'm talking about favorite job activities.

What are your favorites? Are you fascinated by pre-call research? Do you love strategizing with colleagues or chatting with favorite clients? Most sellers can relate to that last one!

Most can talk to a favorite client for hours on end, while other things are left undone. Which brings me to my point...the things that never seem to get done, even though they're important to the job, even though not doing them can derail one's success.

What is it for you? What always seems to get put on the back burner, sabotaging your success?

Is it prospecting, proposal follow-up or account management? These are the top three procrastination magnets for most of our clients. And because prospecting seems to be a universal challenge, I'd like to tackle that first.

When you're avoiding something, the first thing to do is try to figureout what's behind it. Usually it's either fear or a need for more discipline.

What's behind your prospecting avoidance?

Are you afraid you'll get hung up on or yelled at just for calling? Do you worry that you won't get past the gatekeeper or know how to handle negative feedback? If fear is your issue, training can help by teaching specific techniques to get past the challenge. Consider a prospecting refresher course or attending webinars.

If fear isn't your issue, then maybe you need a little more structure around your prospecting.

Start by re-evaluating your priorities and your prospecting plan. (If you don't, there's a good chance your manager will do it for you. Do you really want your manager telling you how many calls to make each day?)

Is prospecting high on your priority list?

It should be. Do you plan specific activities for it, like calling, attending networking events, or sending email campaigns?

Next, schedule time on your calendar to get these activities done, and you might need to limit the activities you enjoy most. Then, protect the time just like you would a vacation or a call with an important client.

If you try these things and still find yourself struggling to stick to your plan, your mentor may be able to help. He or she can likely see your blind spots and offer some good, personal advice. If you don't have a mentor, this article, "How to Find the Right Sales Mentor," could set you on a path for success not only with prospecting, but throughout your sales career.

What’s Your Funniest Sales Story Ever?

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0500

I'm heading to a sales training session about 12 years ago. It's a client in downtown Cincinnati and I've been working with them for two years. They know me as a high energy, enthusiastic and entertaining sales trainer. In other words I stand up, I move around, I'm engaged, I role play, we learn a lot and people make more sales.

I'm running late this one particular day so I grab a chocolate chip bran muffin (These are the best bran muffins made in the world and they are made by my wife Linda) and a bottle of Gatorade and off I go. It is early, about 6:45 and it is dark, mid January.

As I am driving and eating I sense that something has fallen from my muffin onto my lap or more accurately under the crotch of my pants. My best hope is that it is a piece of the bran muffin. My worst fear is that it is a chocolate chip.

I get to the office early, thank goodness no one is there yet, and I sprint to the men's room only to discover my worst fear. As I turn around and look at my ‘disaster khakis' (They are called this because it seems that I always come home wearing some food on them somewhere), there in exactly the right spot on the back of my pants is a notable brown spot that will easily be seen by anyone behind me.

I get to the training room, set up my flip chart with my notes, the white board with further information and then firmly plant myself in the chair at the head of the conference table and do not move for the next 3 hours.

Now I don't know what the participants thought. Surely they had to find this strange as I never sit down during a session. And certainly I was polite as I shook hands with them as they left. Then and only then did I find a way back out of the office with my spot unrevealed by any of my participants, to come home and rid myself of the disaster khakis once and for all.

Come one, come all, let's have some fun. As a matter of fact, I will call on our CMO, Jeni Wehrmeyer, to share her story. It may be one of the funniest of all time.

The Lady in Red: I was selling advertising at the time and calling on our largest multi-million dollar account and negotiating their annual contract. As I was presenting the significantly increased agreement, I happened to notice that I had a rather large bump on my right thigh. Now, those of you who live in the area have experienced the attack of the cicadas and it had just occurred. All thoughts of revenue left my mind as I became completely focused on getting the cicada out from under my long red skirt. Flapping around, pulling it up, reaching under, I did finally get the cicada. And I might mention, I got the business as well. The VP asked that I handle all contract negotiations going forward!
-Jeni Wehrmeyer

So what is your funniest sales story ever?

We know that you have one! What we're looking for here is a little fun over the next several weeks. We would love for you to share with all those that view this blog your funniest or most embarrassing sales moment, sales call or selling situation. After 30 days we will announce a winner for this years' "Funniest Sales Story".

Top 10 Things: The First Minute of a Sales Candidate Interview

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:54:42 -0500

In just the first minute of your interview with a sales candidate you should know whether you don't want that candidate working for you. Think about it. If you decide in minute one that this candidate is NOT for you, there are options. You can end the interview and find yourself an hour that you didn't expect to have. You can complete the interview for practice or you can do it to see if the candidate succeeds at winning you over during the remainder of the interview. If you can be won over after you have written a candidate off, that is exactly what you want in a salesperson.

What should you look for in the first minute that would suggest you don't want this candidate?

It depends on what you want in a candidate. Most clients provide me with wish lists. in addition to a candidate's sales ability, clients want the candidates to possess certain traits that appeal to the clients. Most of those traits are unnecessary. Many of those traits only serve to make the clients happy. Most of those traits don't help the salespeople sell more effectively. So they aren't necessarily the things you should look for in the first minute.

I have problems with candidates who exhibit any of the following 10 behaviors:

aren't prepared to begin the conversation
don't attempt to overcome my resistance
can't look me in the eye
don't answer my questions with direct answers
dress like shit
fidget
get so nervous they break out in a rash
make excuses for their track record or jumping around from job to job
talk too loud
can't handle being challenged

I'm very impressed with candidates who are capable of these 10 things:

push back and challenge me without starting an argument
ask intelligent questions that aren't about benefits
talk concisely versus ramble
explain rather than claim
express rather than state
be memorable instead of forgetable
demonstrate their ability to succeed
distract me from my interview strategy
connect with me
[please provide us with the one thing you look for in an interview]

Empathy in Selling has nothing to do with being “Nice”

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:53:46 -0500

"If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him you are his sincere friend." Abraham Lincoln

I have a real problem with that quote, when used in a "sales situation" as it often is: It suggests that we need to make friends with the buyer; to become liked; to be "nice" But I am going to write at length about this shortly, as it has become something of a contentious issue.

Today though, I want to focus on "empathy, which is absolutely vital for sustained success within any sales relationship, where you are trying to persuade another — often a stranger — to make a decision they may not even have considered prior to your meeting.

The buyer-seller situation, like any human contact, is an exercise in human relations — the interplay, cause and effect of behavior by two or more people on each other. In the buyer-seller situation, the seller must be responsible for shaping mutual behavior.

What's the difference between human nature and human relations?

Human nature is the instinctive behavior that governs action concerned with the self and with self-interest
Human relations are concerned with how we think and act in terms of others' interests

Successful selling demands that human relations be dominant over human nature.

Selling is not something a salesperson does to a prospect. Selling is something you do with the prospect, in a process of discovery and interaction — human relations at work.

The greatest barrier to success in this process is the "Egocentric Predicament." This consists of being overly and unnecessarily concerned with self. Our ability to be perceptive and concerned about others is inversely proportionate to our self-concern.

When self gets unnecessarily in the way, the fruitful cycle of good human relations stops producing.

The key to understanding and accepting others is to first understand and accept oneself — starting with the realization that, rather than strive for an unattainable "I should be" image, we should settle for our real self as "I am" — accepting shortcomings along with strengths.

The following points provide a practical answer to the "I am" versus "I should be" conflict.

Recognize it — and recognize that its source is rooted in the views of others.

Either (a) accept your "I am" image or (b) decide on attainable, constructive steps to achieve "I should be" in the future.

Our behavior is a reflection of our attitudes — and our attitudes grow out of our values.

Each is an integral part of the other. Do your life values make it easy for you to put the other person's interests first?

Sincerity is a much-used word in relation to selling.

Integrity is a kindred word. Integrity implies a consistent kind of honesty — acting outwardly the way you truly feel inwardly. That's why sound values are so important to your success with others. Remember, "People buy our product not so much because they understand the product, but because they feel that we understand them."

There are many effective ways of doing this — the best way to create this kind of buying climate is to "transmit on their frequency." This opens their mind to you, makes them willing — and eager — to listen.

"Before I sell my prospect what my prospect buys, I must first see my prospect as they see themselves."

In Summary

Empathy is the magical word in the lexicon of human relations. It means feeling as the other person feels, not just with them. It means putting yourself in their shoes and shaping your attitudes accordingly.

Beyond getting the order, the plus factor in selling is to make people look good in their own eyes and in the eyes of others. Rather than sell to them, we help them buy.

We do this best by building their self-image. This helps them grow. And as we help others grow, we grow. To do this, we must be open and honest — this is the essence of good human relations.

These concepts are applicable to every facet of our lives and in selling — they pave the way to the truest and most fruitful success.

The Universal Law of Need - And 3 Ways to Recover

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:30:00 -0500

My good friend and talented sales leader Brian Stanton has coached an entire generation of Sales Professionals that "activity is the foundation of all success in sales" and his proven formula for success has resulted in 20 years of winning sales teams.

Brian, like so many great Sales Leaders and Sales Professionals understands clearly that the number one reason for failure in sales is not experience, skill, talent, desire, training, market conditions, product knowledge, or even the company you work for.

Failure in sales can almost always be tied back to inadequate sales activity. Lack of activity has led to the demise of salespeople in every industry. It has even taken out some of the most talented sales people I've ever known. Why? Because in sales talent doesn't matter if your pipeline is empty.

And it is when pipelines are empty that salespeople find themselves face to face with the Universal Law of Need.

The Universal Law of Need simply states that the more you need something, the less likely it is that you will get it. This law comes into play, in sales, when lack of activity has left the pipeline depleted. When all of our hope for survival rests on one, two or even a handful of accounts the probability of failure increases exponentially.

Here is an example: Sales Representative Janice failed at consistent daily activity. Now she has only a handful of opportunities in her pipeline. Several of the deals she was counting on have pushed off decisions or have signed with a competitor. Now, with the end of the quarter looming, and only a couple of viable prospects left in her pipeline, Janice is under tremendous pressure. She desperately needs one of these deals to close! And as Janice becomes more desperate to get a sale she comes face to face with a cruel reality: desperation magnifies the impact of the Universal Law of Need and virtually guarantees that she won't get the sales she must have to survive.

There are several reasons why desperation diminishes the probability that Janice will get the sale she needs. The first is governed by the Law of Attraction which states that what you focus your thoughts on you are most likely to get. When we are desperate we no longer focus our thoughts on what we require for success, instead, we focus our thoughts on what will happen to us if we don't get what we need, thereby attracting failure. The next problem with desperate need is that other people can sense our desperation. Through our actions, tone of voice, words and body language we send the message that we are desperate and weak. Our prospects and customers naturally repel salespeople who are needy and desperate, gravitating instead to Sales Professionals who are confident and exude success. Finally, when we are desperate we become emotional, illogical and make poor decisions. These poor decisions exacerbate and already bad situation leaving us stressed, miserable and deeper in our hole.

Now consider another Sales Professional, Sandra, who is consistently prospecting, networking, getting referrals, and systematically moving her accounts through her pipeline. Her hard work has resulted in more than thirty opportunities in her funnel. Will they all close? Not likely, but Sandra feels little pressure. She is consistently replacing the prospects that fall out her pipeline and as a result her sales have been regular and on target. She knows exactly what she will close tomorrow, next week, and next month. Under little pressure she gets a huge boost this quarter when several of the accounts that were long shots suddenly go her way and she blows away her quota and earns a huge bonus. She didn't need these extra sales yet because she was disciplined in her activity they were delivered into her lap. I call this Sales Gravy and when you do the right things the Sales Gravy is poured on!

Three PowerPrinciples for Recovering from an Empty Pipeline

Take Responsibility: Sooner or later we will all let down our guard and find ourselves in desperate need of a sale. Our poor decisions, procrastination, fears, lack of focus, and even laziness have added up and suddenly we are desperately scrambling to survive. There is hope though and you can recover but first you must acknowledge where the blame for your predicament lies. You see, often when we find ourselves in desperate situations we fall on human nature and blame everything and everyone for our plight except, of course ourselves. The Universal Law of Need doesn't punish others though; it punishes us for our failures in executing the daily disciplines required for success. Once you look in the mirror and accept your responsibility you have a chance.
Relax: The next step to recovery is to relax and get back to the basics. Don't spend a moment in thought about what might happen to you if you don't get what you need. Worry won't change the future. And like wise, don't get mired down in regret over what you have failed to do. Your future does not lie in your past. Instead put all of your energy, emotion, and effort into actions that you control. Joe & Mike of the top ranked Sales Roundup Podcast have pointed out many times that success in sales is a simple equation of daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual activity. In other words, you are in complete control of your future. Even in a desperate situation if you go back to the basics and focus on the right activity soon the results will come.
Take Action Now to Keep Your Pipeline Full: Success in sales and life is paid for in advance with hard work. When you have a clear understanding and plan for your activities and you develop the self-discipline to do a little bit of the work every day you feel no desperation, you prosper, and you create abundance in your life and career.

[Editors Note: Repost from 11/07]

VIDEO : Every Presentation Ever: Communication FAIL

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:00:00 -0500

Truely funny and worth sharing. We've all had to sit through endless and boring slide show presentations. They always seem to be the same: lame opening joke, long boring quote, wry comments. This awesome PSA is out to get you to forget the old boring slide shows and learn a new way to effectively communicate with your audience!

Making a presentation interesting is an art form, and unfortunately, very few people can do it right. What are some of the worst presentations you’ve ever had to sit though? What are some traits of the best? Have you ever felt like their presenter?

Great Job – Tripp and Tyler. http://habitudesforcommunicators.com
Created by Tripp and Tyler -- @trippcrosby @tylerstanton

What Makes a Successful Sales Team?

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:41:13 -0500

I am often asked just what it is that makes a highly successful and effective sales team — what differentiates them from an average one?

Actually, the answer is simpler than you might imagine — all roads lead back to the leader!

The role of a sales leader is to translate the organisation's vision, mission and values into a meaningful context that sales teams can relate to and feel excited by. If this is achieved then the sales leader will have created a sales team with a shared mental model. This transforms an ordinary sales team into a high performing one.

For clarity, here is a brief description of the following terms:

An organization's vision is a guiding image of success formed in terms of a huge goal. It is a description in words that conjures up a picture of the organization's destination. A compelling vision will stretch expectations, aspirations, and performance. Without that powerful, attractive, valuable vision, why bother?

A mission statement communicates the essence of an organisation to its stakeholders and customers, and failure to clearly state and communicate an organisation's mission can have harmful consequences around its purpose.

As Lewis Caroll, through the words of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland says, "If you don't know where you're going, it doesn't matter which way you go."

Guiding principles are the consequence of a mission statement that are intended to inform or shape all subsequent decision-making, which also provides normative criteria allowing policy-makers to accept, reject or modify policy interventions and activities. They are a guiding set of ideas that are articulated, understood and supported by the organisation's workforce.

Values are beliefs which the organization's workforce hold in common and endeavor to put into practice. The values guide their performance and the decisions that are taken. Ideally, an individual's personal values will align with the spoken and unspoken values of the organization. By developing a written statement of the values of the organization, individuals have a chance to contribute to the articulation of these values, as well as to evaluate how well their personal values and motivation match those of the organization.

The "Human Capital Development Model," created by Krauthammer International, is a logical process that can take top management concepts, and translate them into a context that has real meaning for staff at all levels.

The key to bringing this model to life is to answer the following questions:

Do my team understand the organization's vision and how their role moves the organization closer to achieving it?
How can my sales team translate the organization's mission into one that is relevant to them?
How does the organization's guiding principles impact on the day-to-day responsibilities of sales people?
Which of the organization's values does my sales team relate to?
How can we interpret these values so they become compelling for each sales person?

An effective sales team understands the big picture and the context of their team's work to the greatest degree possible. That includes understanding the relevance of their job and how it impacts the effectiveness of others and the overall team effort.

Too often, sales people are asked to work on an activity without being told how their role contributes to organization's vision, much less how their efforts are impacting the ability of others to do their work. Understanding the organization's vision promotes collaboration, increases commitment and improves quality.

An effective team works collaboratively and with a keen awareness of interdependency.

Collaboration and a solid sense of interdependency in a team will defuse blaming behavior and stimulate opportunities for learning and improvement.

Without this sense of interdependency in responsibility and reward, blaming behaviors can occur which will quickly erode team effectiveness and morale.

No One Makes Excuses When Winning

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:49:57 -0500

When a sales team (or salesperson) is making quota, you don't hear excuses like:

“Cold calling doesn’t work”
“Prospects don’t respond to voicemails”
“Gatekeepers won’t let me speak to the decision maker”
“No one has any money right now. Budgets are frozen”
“Our pricing is too high / our competitors pricing is better”
“The leads are old and have been called 100’s of times” etc.

But when we are failing to reach our goals, and the pressure to identify and correct the situation get’s turned up, its often all too easy to start making (and believing) excuses. And that is an unhealthy environment for everyone involved.

Excuses Keep You Where You Are. Solutions MOVE You to Where You Want to Be.

There are two options when dealing with failure:

We can make excuses to justify the reason for failure... Or...
We can look at the problem and use it as a "map" that will help lead us to the resolution for solving the roadblock that is keeping us from reaching our goals.

Example: Problem > Not Making Quota

Question: Why aren’t we hitting our numbers?

Answer: Well, for one, we leave lots of voicemails and get very few callbacks. It's hard close deals when no one calls you back!

Choice:

Option 1: Excuse: "No one listens to or returns cold call messages anymore"

Option 2: Ask yourself "why aren't my voicemails being returned and how can I solve that?"

Going with option 1 keeps us where we are: Unsatisfactory number of callbacks with no hope of improvement.

Where as option 2 would allow us to investigate how to solve the problem, which would help us get to where we want to go.

Example:

Do I have a consistent message, designed to pique interest and entice a callback with a valid reason, prepared well in advance? Or do I put on the “Captain Wing It” cape and say whatever comes to mind or feels right at the moment?
When was the last time I recorded my voicemail message and played it back?
How can I change my message to improve my callback %?
When was the last time I role-played with my peers in order to get constructive criticism?

Excuses rob us of happiness, pride and the ability to reach our potential. They also take away our accountability. And without accountability, destructive behaviors run rampant.

Definition of ex·cuse

VERB: Attempt to lessen the blame attaching to (a fault or offense); seek to defend or justify.

If we continue to justify our failings, how will we ever achieve our goals?

Don’t accept excuses from yourself (or anyone else for that matter). Only accept solutions and watch how quickly your situation goes from “failing” to “winning”.

Hope this helps.

The Case for the Bold Leader

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:36:18 -0500

In 1776, the colonists in the British American Colonies were unhappy. So unhappy, that they formed a Continental Congress which suggested Declaring Independence from Great Britain. 56 men signed the document, and in doing so publicly announced that they were declaring treason on Great Britain.

That is bold.

Most of them lost their families and many lost their fortunes, largely because of that decision and the decisions that followed.

That is bold.

But none were bolder than John Hancock, who signed his name largely and proudly on that document — a signature that became so famous that his name is now used to denote a signature in the United States.

Bold.

I could site other historical examples, but I cite Hancock because today is the anniversary of his birth.

Today, much is made, correctly I might add, of the leader who strives for consensus, who engages his employees, who, it could be said, leads from the group. There is great value in these leadership talents and behaviors, yet they led to a potential risk as well.

When all decisions are made or confirmed in meetings, when everyone has a say in every situation, you will almost always get safe, conventional, traditional decisions. You won’t get boldness.

Someone has to say, “Enough negotiating, we need to declare independence.”

Someone has to say, “We aren’t going to make a better horse carriage, we are going to make an automobile.”

Someone has to say, “People will want the internet on their phone.”

Someone has to say, “It is time for a new direction, a new vision, it’s time for something bold.”

This is a part of the leader’s role. If you aren’t willing or feel unable to make a bold statement of vision or to decide on a new course of action, you aren’t leading.

Does that mean the best leader is an autocrat, relying solely on their own vision, bombastically making bold decisions every day?

Not at all.

Salt makes your food taste better, but that doesn’t mean you keep putting more of it on (at least if you want to eat the food).

Boldness must be included in your leadership style and approach, and it will be most effective and valued when it is a balanced part of who you are as a leader.

Ways to exercise your boldness are for another day and another article. For today, consider these five questions:

What was my last bold act, decision or statement as a leader?

When was that?

How comfortable was I with that action?

What results came from it?

What do my answers to those questions teach me about my future?

And finally, for today, consider Mr. Hancock, who was not only willing to sign, but sign proudly, largely, and boldly.

What bold thing will you do today?

Doing Business or Doing Business NOW!

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:45:00 -0500

Have you ever known anyone to simply wake up one morning, grab a cup of coffee and decide, "Today I am going to go spend $50,000 on a car, boat, stock, trip or home..."? No one in their right mind makes high value purchases like these spontaneously. They spend time researching and then look for a salesperson to help them with the selection process, and, finally, with price. Think about it, how long did it take to buy your first house?

Traditional sales methods have always focused on closing the sale, NOW. As a result, many opportunities feel pressured and uncomfortable with the salesperson, and by default, with the business or store, and they leave. Buyers become shoppers and the business loses opportunities to create long-term clientele who will return time and again. The question becomes, "is your business or store seeking to do business or simply to do business NOW?" What is the goal? The answer should be, "to build clientele that will return and shop repeatedly, not simply to close a quick sale NOW." Keep in mind that if a client doesn't do business with you NOW it doesn't mean he won't do business with you later.

A serious misconception in the sales world is that business must be transacted immediately – NOW. As a result, sales professionals – many of whom really know better – repel customers by peppering them with questions, ultimately ending with "What would it take to buy the product NOW?" No matter how hard the push is to buy NOW, the result is the same: if it is not the right product for the customer, nothing will make them buy, not even price. In the sales world, there is only one true definition of NOW. It's when the customer is ready to buy and take the product home.

All successful sales are made up of three elements:

Helping customers select the right product that meets their needs, wants and desires
Earning their business by creating an experience that makes customers feel like they are at the right business and working with the right salesperson
The right price

Let's apply this to customers shopping in a clothing store. If an outfit is appealing, a customer takes it to the fitting room and tries it on. If the look, feel and fit are right, then the customer considers price. Price often is the last consideration for something that fits right and looks good.

It is the same with virtually any sale: a customer is interested in the appropriate product, the right features and fit, and then the price. NOW, that artificial sense of immediacy has nothing to do with the sale. It has no place in the sales process and is an impediment more than an aid.

The question becomes: Is your business looking to do business or simply looking to do business NOW? When an opportunity walks in, the goal should be to develop, gain and then retain their business. Whether they buy today or NOW, next week or next month doesn't matter. What matters is that they buy, that they buy from you and that they do so repeatedly.

If buyers choose to consider their purchase, it is imperative that the salesperson gain enough information before the buyer leaves to maintain contact, especially in the first 72 hours after the visit.

Minimally, the salesperson should collect and record standard, detailed data; find the right product for the customer and present the best possible deal before they leave.
Then, they must develop and execute a follow-up plan designed to bring the opportunity back to close the sale, as well as to extend sales opportunities and build the relationship. Not only does this approach enable the salesperson to get the sale, but it also positions him or her to convert a customer to a client and to generate additional revenue and referral sales.

Creating Lasting Relationships

Of lost sales opportunities that leave a business without completing a transaction, 91% never receive a follow-up call or letter from the business, according to a J.D. Power study. That's nearly 100%, meaning salespeople are almost perfect at not following up. The biggest sales opportunity for every salesperson is picking up "lost" sales.

Smart sales teams view 100% of all opportunities that come to a business as buyers, even if they leave. Both the sales staff and store management must leverage established processes to develop follow-up plans for every opportunity based on their needs, wants, desires and other information gathered during their first visit. As new information becomes available that may help close a transaction based on collected information, sales teams should contact the opportunity and bring them back to the store.

Automated systems give management the ability to check the status of every opportunity at any time. This ability ensures that "hot" opportunities won't turn cold. For example, it may be the store's policy that each salesperson sends an e-mail and/or letter within 24-hours of the visit, the manager makes a follow-up call the next day, and the salesperson makes a confirmation call to set up a second visit within 48 hours. From the minute the opportunity leaves, the 72-hour clock begins to tick.

The Le Creuset cookware outlet store in the City of Industry, California has this process mastered – unfortunately, it is not commonplace throughout the chain. Within 24 hours of a visit, each opportunity receives a thank you note, whether or not they have purchased. When items go on sale, the salespeople email or call their customers and clients, offer to set aside specific pieces and arrange a time to personally help them make final selections. When opportunities return they are greeted by name and won over as customers. Often recipes are shared that work well with their previous or current purchases.

Once an opportunity is moved to a customer, the salesperson can develop a communication plan designed to build trust, convert him or her to a client and make incremental sales. Focusing on doing business and creating long-term clients can be a simple process if businesses and their sales teams adopt these basic practices:

Collect and record standardized, detailed data for every opportunity.
Present all the reasons why the opportunity should buy from the business.
Leverage technology to develop a follow-up action plan designed to bring the opportunity back and close the sale.
Focus on relationship building with existing customers with a goal of converting them to clients and generating additional revenue and referral sales.
Always leave the door open so that you can create a "Be-Back;" always give the customer a reason to return. Don't "slam" the door.

3 Reasons Prospects Ignore Your Emails

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:30:14 -0500

In a perfect world, every email we send to a potential client would be read and responded to right away. Unfortunately, many of our prospects are too busy to even look at all the messages they receive, much less act on them.

By avoiding the most common mistakes other people make, savvy sellers like you can move their way to the top of the inbox, and fill their sales funnels with new leads.

In fact, Sheila, one of our clients, recently reported that she got a response from a top prospect after only 20 seconds — and this after she'd tried to reach him by cold calling for weeks! She was shocked by how only a few tweaks to her prospecting email got such a quick response.

You can get the same results simply by remembering the three biggest reasons prospects ignore your emails — and then avoiding them.

They never got your email in the first place.

With the sheer number of unwanted email messages most of us receive, it's no surprise that spam filters are becoming more and more aggressive. Messages with attachments (especially large ones), lots of links, extensive marketing graphics, and other gimmicks aren't likely to make it to the recipient's inbox in the first place. Keep your prospecting emails simple and image free, even in your email signature. They'll have a lot easier time making it past SPAM traps and junk filters.
You didn't give prospects a strong enough reason to take action.

Hard as it is to believe, few people care that your company has a long track record of success. Prospects are too focused on their own problems and issues to bother with any of that. Keep this in mind and use your email message to emphasize common issues and triggering events you can solve that really matter to your customers and prospects. Make them want to engage with you! The point isn't to tell them more about you. It's to give them a strong enough reason to begin a sales conversation.
It seemed like too much to deal with at the moment.

In "The Glimpse Factor", I pointed out that you have three seconds — or less — to convince a prospect that they want to read your email, and that it won't take up more time than they've got at the moment. Your goal is to make your email not just sound compelling, but also look easy to act on. The easier it is, the more likely your prospect will read the first sentence, and then dive in to continue and respond to yo

If your email is more than three paragraphs long, asks your prospect to fill out a lengthy registration form, or otherwise seems like something that's going to take them away from what they were thinking about, then the chances are good they aren't going to bother.

Your contacts are already too busy. Give them a clear specific call to action that you'd like them to take after they read your email. Reply. Call. Click here. Register.

Tell them what you want them to do using a simple sentence. Then make sure that what you've asked them to do doesn't take more than a moment or two.

Even following these steps, you might never achieve a 100% response rate on your prospecting email campaigns. If you can take the time to incorporate these tips into what you do, however, I promise you'll see an enormous improvement just like Sheila.

Derek, another seller who switched up his email approach using these steps, got a 61% response rate on his email lead generation campaign. In just a few days, his biggest problem went from needing more leads to finding the time to respond to all of them. Now that's a problem many sales reps would like to have!

So take my advice and don't fall for these three common email prospecting traps. Once you avoid them, you'll start seeing significantly better results — both in your sales pipeline and your prospect's attention.

Controlling the Idiot Inside You

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:00:58 -0500

There seems to be an idiot inside of us that is always about two drinks away from strangling our common sense and rolling back the progress of a thousand amazing achievements we have accomplished.

No matter how sophisticated or degreed we think we are, it only takes a minute or two for a decade of passion and focus to fly straight out the window in a moment if ill-fated idiocy.

It's high impact, self-destruction.

And it's most likely the reason you aren't closing as many deals as you think you should be.

It's called your "idiot factor";.

And it creeps into small parts of every interaction in your sales day.

It's your annoyance from a meeting running late that makes you lash out at a customer pushing back at your price proposal.
It's your flirting with an attractive client that gets you distracted and more focused on fantasy then the reality of your business deal.
It's your anger from personal setback that makes you irrational, overly sensitive, and emotionally unintelligent with your prospect.
It's your fatigue from too little sleep and too much stress that leaves you forgetful and failing to execute on the details.

It's not logical at all. It's pure emotion. It's your feelings.

And that's why it's so deadly

See, left to your own reason, you would never be an idiot at all. Right?

Idiot moments trump sales intelligence.

No amount of sales training, experience, and niche sales talent can match the damage from an "idiot moment";.

You might be the best "closer"; in the world; but if you can't moderate your urges and temper your anger, nothing else matters.

In fact, you probably need to get out of the business of selling in the first place.

All you're doing is investing in relationships you plan on blowing up at some random time down the road.

(Why not burn your checkbook or drive your car into the lake while you are at it?)

Beating the idiot inside you.

You can't stop being an idiot by just pretending that this doesn't apply to you. That's the attitude that makes you an attitude in the first place.

And stop running to read three more sales books hoping that you can pick up another skill to counterbalance your "idiot factor";.

Isn't it clear by now that that hasn't worked? Stop already.

Here are a few things that do work:

Purposefully take longer to make decisions when you feel yourself annoyed. — Wait 24 hours before "throwing in the towel"; or creating situations that you can't back out of later.
Burn off some steam ahead of time. — Get some exercise. Go running. Grab some pilates. Hit something. Essentially — channel your energy in a way that allows you to feel like you are in control.
Breathe your way through a stressful situation — When you feel yourself ready to explode, take long slow breathes where you count to "five";. Right as things are crashing down around you, pause to breathe.
Apologize as quickly and as passionately as you lose your cool. — You have one (rare…) chance to recover from an idiot moment and and it happens when you immediately seize the moments to apologize for your insanity.

Life is easier when you aren't stupid.

It's about you giving yourself a fair chance to be the amazing person you know you can be.

Sometimes the next best thing to doing something incredibly brilliant is just not doing something stupid.

And being an idiot probably qualifies as a stupid moment.

Ask yourself.

How much more awesome would you be if you could control the idiot inside you?

Eating With the Big Dogs: Taking the Next Step in Your Sales Career

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:30:05 -0500

Last summer I received an email from Beth, a pharmaceutical salesperson with slightly more than two years of experience, asking me what she should be doing in order to take the next big step in her career. She is a slightly above average seller in her company--actually one of the better sophomore performers. Since joining the company she has taken her manager's advice and only compared her performance and numbers against the other salespeople with less than three years experience (her manager told her not to try to compare herself to the more experienced sellers as she would likely become discouraged).

I sent her an email asking a number of questions, one of which was what her short-term and long-term goals were. She responded that her short-term goal was to be the top seller in her company in her "class," and her long-term goal was to become one of the top 5% producers in the company.

In response to my question as to what she was currently doing to improve her sales she responded that she was taking advantage of all the training her company provided, was an avid reader of sales books, and constantly talking to her colleagues about what they found worked and what didn't. As we continued to communicate it became obvious that she considered her colleagues to be the other sellers in the company that were either selling at the same volume or had about the same amount of experience.

Although of excellent quality, unfortunately the vast majority of training her company provided was product training, not sales training. Consequently, Beth was becoming extremely proficient at discussing her products but wasn't getting the training she needed in the various aspect of selling. In a very real sense she was more of a walking product brochure than a salesperson.

My recommendations to Beth were threefold:

Start Eating with the Big Dogs:

Rather than hang out and discuss ideas with others in the company who are at or below her production level, she needed to be interacting and learning from the top producers in the company. The only thing others at her level can teach her is how to stay at the production level she is currently at--worse, those below her can only teach her how to fail. If she wants to grow she needs to learn from those who are where she wants to be. I encouraged her to start inviting those big producers to lunch. She should look at them as mentors and teachers--and as colleagues. Spend as much time as she could learning everything she can. Listen to them on the phone; hitch a ride as they make sales calls if possible; find out what they read and who they value as teachers and mentors. Emulate success, not mediocrity.
Take Control of Her Training:

Since the company is primarily concerned with investing their money training their sales staff on their products, she will have to take control of her sales education. She'll have to invest her time and money in learning how to be a top notch seller. Beth's situation is hardly unique. In fact, a great many companies--probably the vast majority-neglect sales training in favor of product training. Many companies (and sellers) mistakenly believe they are the same thing. Not only are they not the same thing, neither is very effective without the other. At first Beth wasn't particularly enthusiastic about spending her money attending on-line and live training seminars and workshops. After all, she argued, her company should be paying since her skills were going to be used to sell their products. True, I agreed--except her skills were going to be with her for life, not just while she was selling for the company she currently works for. Her product knowledge is to a large extent company specific, her sales skills will be universal and benefiting her for life. With that explanation she agreed--reluctantly--to make the investment in herself.
Compete Against The Best, Not the Easiest:

I encouraged her to stop comparing her production and progress only against those with the same amount of experience but to compare herself against the best in her company and her industry. If she wants to be a top dog she has to compare herself against the top dogs--even if at the moment that comparison isn't comfortable. If she is only competing against others at her level she is giving herself a false trophy. Her goal isn't to be one of the best mediocre producers but rather to be one of the top producers in her company--and ultimately her industry. With that in mind, certainly she can take some pride in the steps she makes, but she really can't allow herself to bask in glory just because she out sold a bunch of other middle of the road sellers. She has to keep her eye on the ultimate goal and only compare herself against that goal. Does that mean she'll be ever frustrated--and possibly become discouraged and quit as her manager suggested--by comparing herself against a goal she isn't close to achieving? Not at all. She should be able to see her progress as she continues to close in on that goal. Like a long-distance runner, she might click off the landmarks as she passes them, but she must know how she stacks up with where she wants to be and keep her eye on the ultimate goal.

It has been almost a half year since my interaction with Beth. I received a call from her last week. She has implemented all three suggestions. She feels she still has a lot of sales training to go through. She still hasn't made her goal of being in the top 5% of her company's sales force. But she has progressed from being in the top 40% to closing this year in the top 25%-with a very realistic opportunity of being in the top 10% next year.

Beth ain't there yet--but she's making great progress very quickly. She says that so far the biggest impact has been eating with the big dogs--she had no idea how differently they did things than the way she and her fellow mediocre sellers did them. The sales training is paying off. Knowing how she stacks up against the big dogs gives her new motivation to make big steps, not just the little ones that she previously thought were reachable.

If you're looking to take the next big step in your career do the same as Beth--start eating with the big dogs and leave the other average sellers behind; take control of your own sales training; and compare yourself with the big producers, not just the ones you think you can compete with easily. It will make a difference--and like Beth, you might find the difference comes pretty quickly.

What NOT to Say in Your Opening Value Statement

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:29:40 -0500

Here's a common example of an opening value statement that often leads to failure:

"Hi, this is (YOUR NAME), with XYZ LOGISTICS. Could I speak to the person in charge of the freight division and could you tell me their name?"

"Hi CHUCK, this is (YOUR NAME) here with XYZ LOGISTICS. As I prepared for this call, I noticed you have shipped with us a couple times before... So tell me, how many shipments off the top of your head do you think you did last month?… (ANSWER) I'd love to talk with you more about that if you have time now,... or if I email you over some information, I can call back by let's say a few days from now and we can talk then."

Why This Fails & What to Say Instead

1) "Hi, this is (YOUR NAME) with XYZ LOGISTICS. Could I speak to the person in charge of the freight division and could you tell me their name?"

This screams COLD CALL to the gatekeeper. You aren't the only person trying to reach their decision maker and it's quite possible the gatekeeper has been instructed to not let anymore of these types of calls to go through... so running this play will increase the likelihood of you having to tangle with the receptionist... and it's above his/her pay-grade to determine if what you have to offer is in the best interest of the company he/she works for... let's not give the gatekeeper power that isn't theirs.

99% of the time you should already know with whom you are calling to speak with. There are only so many "titles" that will have the authority to make a purchasing decision on what it is that you offer. A simple search on their website, LinkedIn or Google search ("title" + company name) and you can often find the person you need to speak with in less than 60 seconds! (Not minutes or hours, but seconds... too much time is also wasted on "research" when really it's a blind excuse to not cowboy up and make the call... but I digress)

Sure, there may be multiple people involved in the decision making process, and each company will have their own approval process to follow (these are things we will cover as we get deeper into the 8-week course) however, at this stage of the game when we are making that first call, a little "pre-call" research needs to be done.

2) "Hi Chuck, this is (YOUR NAME), with XYZ LOGISTICS. As I prepared for this call, I noticed you have shipped with us a couple times before... So tell me, how many shipments off the top of your head do you think you did last month?"

The goal of your opening value statement is to pique interest and gain permission to continue the call. It's not a vehicle to launch right into "probing questions".

That is how most salespeople do it and it is why most salespeople fail. Most times, it's not the lead, it's the process the salesperson is following that causes failure.

3) "I'd love to talk with you more about that if you have time now,... or if I email you over some information, I can call back by let's say a few days from now and we can talk then."

I'm willing to bet that "CHUCK" is going to take you up on that "email some information" deal almost every time. And good luck getting him back on the phone next week.

This is prolonging the sales cycle and making your job harder on yourself and it's also costing you money as you will close very few deals trying to sell this way.

Simple Solution / Suggestion:

Look at the difference a well structured opening value (keyword: value) statement brings:

Hi CHUCK this is (YOUR NAME) with XYZ LOGISTICS. The reason for my call is (slight pause) based on past shipments you've done with us, there's a possibility we may be able to (#1 thing your target audience wants to avoid) while at the same time (#1 thing your target audience wants to gain) and if I caught you at a good time, I'd like to ask you just a few quick questions just to see if what we have to offer may be of some help to you, would that be OK?

With blanks filled in:

Hi CHUCK this is (YOUR NAME) with XYZ LOGISTICS. The reason for my call is (slight pause) based on past shipments you've done with us, there's a possibility we may be able to cut down on your shipping costs while at the same time improve your customers level of satisfaction and if I caught you at a good time, I'd like to ask you just a few quick questions just to see if what we have to offer may be of some help to you, would that be OK?

And now you're in position to smoothly transition into the next step of the SalesBuzz process.

Hope this helps.

What is Leadership?

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:00:00 -0500

This may seem like a fairly simple question. As an author who has written, trained and spoken on leadership for a number of years, I know there are nearly as many definitions as there are people to define it.

If you are, or aspire to be, a leader your personal answer to this question is important; it will, knowingly or not, inform and guide many of the decisions you make and the tasks that you perform while leading.

My goal in this article is to share some things that leadership is, and some things that it is not. I hope my insights will cause you to think and - whether you agree or not - to use these ideas to help you form a clearer definition of what leadership is.

What Leadership Is

Complex. In visiting with an experienced aerospace engineer (a.k.a. a rocket scientist), I asked him which was more complex - rocket science or leadership. His response was swift and simple. "Leadership is much more complex. In my world we can come up with the right answer. We know the equations and formulas. If we put the right numbers into them, and do the right things, we will get guaranteed results. But as a leader you are dealing with people - and people are inherently more complex. And the issues, while perhaps not as dramatic as sending a rocket into orbit, are far more dynamic and contain tremendous amounts of gray area." I couldn't have said it better. Leadership isn't easy or simple. And, like rocket science, it is something that requires lots of study and practice to become skilled.
Action. Leadership is often considered a thing, i.e. "She is the leader." From a dictionary perspective leadership is a noun, but it also is a verb. Leadership is not really something to have or possess; it is something to do. When you think about leadership, think actions; think behaviors. It is with better actions and behavior that you will gain better results.
Responsibility. If you are placed in or accept a formal (or informal) role of leadership, you have taken on a responsibility. It is easy to think about that if you are President, a C.E.O. or a business owner. The fact is that every leadership action carries responsibility - no matter your "title" or job description. People are looking to you. If you are leading, people are following you. You have a responsibility therefore for more than yourself and your own results.
Opportunity. As a leader you have an opportunity to make a difference: for Customers, for the organization, for those you lead, for the world at large. When you exhibit the behaviors of leadership you are actively trying to create new results that will make a difference in the world. Few things hold greater opportunity than this.

What Leadership Isn't

Management. The skills of management are focused on things, processes and procedures. The skills of leadership focus on people, vision and development. Both are valuable skill sets and in many cases we need to exhibit both, but great leaders aren't necessarily great managers and vice versa.
A title or position. You are a leader when people follow you. That action of others isn't guaranteed by a job title, the color of your desk or the size of your office. A title that proclaims you a leader doesn't make you a leader any more than calling a lion a zebra creates black stripes.
A power grab. Others giving you power as a leader is different than people who want power. True leadership comes from your relentless focus on serving others, not wanting to be powerful. Leaders inherently have a great deal of influence, and therefore a certain amount of power, but that isn't a true leaders focus.
A gift from birth. Leadership skills aren't doled out in the genetics of some while others are left wanting. Everyone is given a unique bundle of DNA that can allow some to become highly effective, even remarkable, leaders. Do some people have innate strengths that help them as leaders? Of course, but so do you - even if they are different strengths. None of that matters though if you don't do the things to use those strengths and do the things to improve in areas that are harder for you. Few things are sadder than unfulfilled potential. Leadership success isn't nearly as much about genetics as it is learning and improvement.

This isn't a complete list in either case - creating some sort of compendium wasn't my goal. My goal, as stated earlier, was to give you food for thought. I've set the table, now I hope you sit down and eat at this table of ideas to help you build your own definition of leadership.

Potential Pointer: Your definition of leadership will have a huge impact on how you behave and perform as a leader. Time spent thinking about the role and your beliefs about it will have a drastic influence on the results you see as a leader. Because of this, time spent thinking about and answering the question, "What is leadership?" is time well spent.

[Editors Note: Republished from 10/08 due to spike in readership]

Emailing . . . No Need For Speed!

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:55:05 -0500

This guy I know (Butch) emails me last week saying some really cool things. So I do what any gracious aspiring sales rock star would do . . . I emailed him with . .

"Thanks Bitch!"

Actually . . . That's what I almost did until I paused and gave my reply a quick once over.

Imagine that! Butch does something cool for me and I thank the guy by calling him a Bitch . . . guys typically don't respond well to that!

Before you dismiss me as rude or disrespectful, I need to tell you that your argument isn't with me . . . it's with my fingers or maybe even the genius who decided to put the i and the u right next to each other on the keyboard.

Luckily I caught this but I think its representative of a bigger issue . . .

In our need for speed with our emails, the following can happen

We don't really read the email and fire off a reply. Like when someone responds to an email with a question. Meanwhile the answer was like 2 sentences down on the original email. It's like "Thank you for making me do double work because you can't scroll two sentences" Jackass!
Auto Correct Agony: The auto correct function on my i-phone is possessed and makes word choices for me that are the equivalent of "talking in tongues" . . . at the very least it makes me appear to be a drunk. Now if I could only teach auto correct to de slur my speech when I actually am drunk then I'd just call it even. Do they have an app for that?
Thoughtless "Reply All" Abuses! When I'm rich, I'm going to build a special "Reply All" Rehab clinic. This will be for people who feel the need to terrorize my inbox with unnecessary replies that didn't require replying to all. I'm hoping this is a result of a quick reply but it might be some kind of genetic disorder. There's another side to the "Reply All" and its when you think you're responding to your homie and meanwhile you just let the whole distribution list know that Franklin in accounting has been acting like quite the dick lately.
Homophone Homicide! This is when you're so busy firing out a response you confuse words like their, they're and there, your and you're and even the rare grammatical exception of "Y'all" and "You's Guys". Note: When I was in college, my teacher asked me what I knew about homophones. I replied "Not much. I'm straight and not even the least bit bilingual!"

But seriously . . .

The cure is simple . . . Take a moment to think about what you are about to send!

Your turn . . . What else can happen when we rush our email communication?

Relationship Selling: Don’t Propose Marriage on the First Date!!!

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:10:00 -0500

Yesterday, I said “You have to sell first – prove yourself first – before you can hope to develop a relationship. Leading with the notion that you can build any sort of relationship from the outset, is hopelessly out of touch – but that is precisely what around 90% of front-line sales professionals are still trying to do.

But be assured “relationship selling” is alive and well, and reports of its death have been wildly exaggerated”

I think in order to fully comprehend what I mean, you need to imagine a couple on a first date – think of this in sales terms as the “exploratory meeting” The two have never met before, but they have both done their homework: They have asked friend’s opinions; they have checked out each other’s Facebook profiles; in fact they have conducted as much research as possible, so that when they finally sit down to eat, the conversation is flowing, and they discover considerable synergy. But this early attraction, and discovery of mutual interests and values in no way leads either of them to instantly think of marriage – the desire to grow the relationship is established, but they are not ready to open joint bank accounts!

Our commercial relationships are very similar to that scenario if you think about it: Trust, which is the basis of all symbiotic business partnerships, cannot be created overnight – it takes time. Don’t ever mistake lust for love!

You see, on day one of any new potential relationship, we are simply in the “Me too” bracket: Lots of other companies may be bidding; we have not yet had the opportunity to demonstrate and prove our uniqueness, let alone our superiority.

If we are lucky enough to win that first order, we establish a foothold – it is never more than that.

At this point, we work diligently to ensure that all of the after-sales tasks are performed reliably, efficiently, and on time. Our aim is to reach that next stage “Me first” In other words, every time this customer has an additional requirement, they call us first for a quotation. We are not yet trusted advisors, but we are preferred suppliers.

Finally, we reach the hallowed ground – if we have followed all the rules of engagement, and if we have continually worked to “earn the right”. We become the chosen ones, and we enter “Only me” territory. We now work with our customers to define strategy; we are not only trusted advisors, but long-term allies. We have a relationship, and both parties work very hard to maintain it, both aware of the costs of starting all over again from scratch – not unlike a marriage!

So in summary, I repeat, relationships take time to blossom and grow. There is no instant magic dust. But when a strong commercial relationship is formed, it can provide rich benefits – including substantially increased profitability and stability for both partners.

Tomorrow, I will discuss how the “selling landscape has changed forever – and is a constant state of change” You may be very surprised – startled even!

News: Lots going on over at Top Sales World today: You can catch my interview with Dan Waldschmidt – “The Trouble with Sales Trainers” – really enlightening! Plus Steven Rosen provides the day’s sales tip – “Laundry List Coaching” – catch it all HERE

Take Two of These and Call Me in the Morning

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:45:00 -0500

Imagine for a minute that you feel yourself starting to become ill. As usual, your calendar is swamped with appointments so you try to tough it out hoping you'll get better. After a few days, you feel so miserable it's almost impossible to function. You finally decide to pick up the phone and make an appointment with your family physician.

You arrive at the doctor's office anxiously looking for relief. The physician walks briskly into the exam room and exchanges some quick pleasantries. He rambles something about seeing these symptoms before and tells you to take two pills and call him in the morning.

Do you feel the doctor really took the time to understand your situation? Are you motivated to follow his advice? I'm guessing there's a good chance you'll start looking for a new physician and probably won't be referring anyone else to this practice.

Question: What does this lousy doctor have to do with selling more in today's economy?

Answer: Almost everything.

Rule #1: Prescription before diagnosis is malpractice!

Ever watch a sales rep jump to conclusions and start offering ideas prematurely? It happens almost every day and you know it's not pretty. Even the best qualified prospect will start to disengage and begin formulating their escape plan.

Many reps rationalize this behavior by believing there isn't enough time to truly engage with potential clients. Their focus is on activity, not accomplishment. These reps are convinced that they can survive this economy by making more appointments, increasing their number of demos, giving more presentations and ramping up their number of proposals. A classic case of confusing wing flapping for flight!

Recently I wrote an article that outlined specific ideas on how to create more sales success in these turbulent times. I used the introduction of the article to put a "tongue in cheek" spin on how the soft economy had convinced me to just give up and quit. The entire article was less than two pages (this is about a 3 minute investment if you're a slow reader). One simple paragraph (four sentences to be exact) of doom and gloom I used to set the stage for the rest of the commentary.

Within hours I received unsolicited advice from sales professionals all across the country. Each one weighed in with specific ideas that were obviously formed after reading the first four sentences or maybe just the headline. Although I appreciated the advice, it was completely off the mark. It felt like my doctor has just told me to take two pills and call him in the morning.

So what's the prescription for driving more sales in today's market?

Knowledge - it's the common ingredient found in results, relationships and referrals. The more you demonstrate knowledge, the more prospects will take time to listen. And the best way to establish expertise is not by pitching features; it's by asking questions. Questions that can differentiate the value you bring to every call.

Many selling professionals fall into the common trap of asking questions that are self serving. "What does your purchasing process look like?" is a mind numbing, self serving question that doesn't create new insights. Your customer hears these types of questions every day and they bring zero value to the dialogue.

Instead ask questions that get customers to stop and think. Ask questions they haven't been asked before. Ask questions that get the customer to pause and say, "That's a really good question." Here are some simple examples to help jump start your thinking:

-"There's a lot of information that I could share with you, but I'd like to know what your specific goals for this conversation are. What are the most important things you feel we should focus on to make this meeting a valuable use of your time?"

-"At the end of the day, what's going to be the biggest differences between the one representative that will win your business and the 9 others that don't?"

-"What, if anything, is going to prevent you from taking the next step with me?"

Creating high impact questions takes extra time. But it's worth every minute. Start investing more time doing research and preparation, less time running from sales call to sales call. I know this contradicts traditional wisdom, but this isn't a traditional selling environment.

Don't pick up the phone or walk into the lobby until you're absolutely ready to engage in a meaningful dialogue. You're not going to get a second chance in a slowing economy, so make sure every one counts!

Speaking of Sales is about finding, winning and keeping customers for life. If that's part of your job, then you won't want to miss the next issue.

Until then,

Tim

[Editor's Note: Reposted due to increasing interest from Feb 19, 2009]

Ten Morning Habits that Promote Greater Success

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:01:00 -0500

Do you want to get more done, reach more of your goals, and make a bigger difference?

If so, the morning is when that can all begin!

However you came to read these words, I’m confident you are interested in greater productivity, achievement and success. Perhaps you want that for yourself, or perhaps you want that because you lead others and you owe it to both yourself and them. Either way, this article will help you when you take action on what follows.

Before We Start

Before I share the ten ideas, a couple of caveats.

1. There is likely nothing on this list you haven’t heard before. That doesn’t make the list less valuable. In fact, it proves these ideas work if you use them!
2. You can’t do them all. I’ll say more on that at the end of the list, but don’t read thinking “I can’t do all of these,” because that would be missing the point of doing something.

Making the Time

None of these would have to be done in the morning though, from Ben Franklin to the present day, it has been proven that getting up earlier is a great way to accelerate your success (and “find” intentional time to do important things for you).

My intention with this list is to give you a list of things that you could do in 30 minutes or less each day. Trying to find 30 minutes in an already-packed-like-sardines-in-a-can day might seem daunting. That is one reason why I suggest creating a new morning habit.

Making a decision to change your morning routine and getting up 30 minutes earlier than usual is the first part of this habit. I am a morning person, and you may not think you are, and that’s ok. I’m not suggesting when you get up; just that you get up 30 minutes earlier than you have in the past!

Ok, now, on with the list!

The Ten Habits

The list is in no particular order. My point isn’t to prescribe one, rather to present them all. Any one of these actions, made into habit, can change your life for the better (and perhaps much sooner than you think).

Read powerful material. This could be spiritual or uplifting, it could be edifying to a goal or objective. I don’t mean the newspaper, your blog reader feed, or a celebrity magazine. Read intentionally, to put powerful and valuable ideas into your head at the start of your day.

Exercise. Exercise is good for your health and it releases powerful chemistry in your body for greater energy and productivity as well. If you are a lunchtime or after work exerciser, that is fine; just pick a different habit on this list!

Write Notes. Get out your pen and paper and write notes to people. It could be a thank you note to a client, colleague, or team member. It could be sharing a resource, article, or idea. It could be a letter to a family member. It could be appreciation or a note to let people know they are remarkable. All day, you will be on your computer. This habit is about personal, intentional, and handwritten communication and connection.

Review Your Goals. If you have goals (if you don’t, make that the first new habit —to write them), reviewing them daily is powerful. Look over your daily, weekly, short and long term goals. Review your bucket list ,or lifetime, goals. This can be a simple reading of the list and then allowing yourself time to soak them into your subconscious. While or after you read them, think about why these goals are important to you, too.

Plan Your Day. While a great point can be made for doing this in the evening for the next day, starting each day with a clear picture of what you want and need to accomplish is important. This short time will help you keep the important items on your mind and help you from falling completely into reactive mode all day long.

Meditate or Pray. Quiet your mind. Follow a process that you already know, or learn one. Especially if you are moving quickly past this one to find “something better,” for you this might be the most valuable one of all.

Think! Closely related to meditating or praying this is quieting your mind to specifically work on a challenge, a problem, or decision. This one might also be less of a singular habit, but one that is done in tandem with many of the others on this list.

Work on a Goal. What if you invested 30 minutes each day to progress you towards one of your goals? Do you think you would achieve more of your goals? Duh.

Reflect on Yesterday. One of the best ways to improve and get better is to make sure you are learning from your experiences. Making time to consciously ask yourself what you have learned, what you want to repeat, and what you want to change is a powerful productivity habit.

Journal. This one truly is a combination habit; it can be coupled with almost any other one on this list (yes, you can even journal about your exercise, keeping track of what you did each day, for example). When you write your thoughts you make them clearer. When you write you become more focused, learn more, and improve your results.

Final Thoughts

Pick one, two at the most. You may like all of these ideas. That’s fine, but you have to pick. Perhaps you will try two each day (some can be done in less than 30 minutes), or perhaps you will do one during the week and another on the weekends.

Find what works best for you.

And start today (or tomorrow morning, at the latest).

4 Ways to Sell When You're Not The Lowest Price?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:35:00 -0500

How Can You Sell When You're Not The Lowest Price? I wish I had a dollar for every time I was asked that question in a sales training session. It's certainly one of the most common questions I hear coming from professional salespeople - and their bosses. There are a variety of answers -- too many for just one column. But, we can identify one of the most powerful ways to deal with this problem.

First, let's start with this premise: "Low price" is not the main reason people buy!

In every survey of buying motivations I've ever read, low price is never the primary motivation. Yes, it's important. And, when everything else is equal, it will be the deciding factor. But very rarely is everything else equal. And very few people in this world buy only on the basis of low price. How many of you are driving used Yugos? Or wearing a suit you bought at a garage sale? Or watching an 8-inch black & white TV?

You've got the picture. You don't always buy on the basis of low price, so why should you think that all your customers do? The truth is, they don't. And here's a secret that almost nobody knows, including all those gurus telling you to sell value. They don't always buy the best value. But, they can invariably be counted on to buy the lowest risk!

The biggest issue in the minds of your customers and prospects is not price, and its not value - it is risk.

What's risk?

It is the potential cost to the individual customer if he/she makes a mistake. It's not just the money, although that is part of it. It is also the social, psychological and emotional cost that your customer will pay if your choice isn't the best one. The lower the risk of the decision, the more likely your customer will say "yes" to you - regardless of the price. Let's become comfortable with this concept of risk first, and then discuss how to use it in your sales efforts.

In order to really understand risk, you must first see this issue from your customers' perspective. Try to put yourself in their shoes, and calculate the amount of risk that you expect your customers to take when you offer them an opportunity to say "yes" to you.

Here's an illustration to help you understand this concept.

Imagine that you are under orders by your spouse to pick up a package of disposable cups on the way home from work today because you're having friends over for a casual evening of dessert and drinks tonight. You stop at the local grocery store, and make a selection between brand A and brand B. You pick brand A.

After you bring the cups home, your spouse mixes up a pitcher of margaritas and pours one. The drink leaks out of the bottom of the cup and puddles on the counter. There is a hole in the bottom of the cup. You pour your drink into another cup and it leaks, too. In fact, every one of the cups you bought is defective.

What happens to you in this instant in time? What is the consequence of your decision?

I don't know about you, but I would be the recipient of some negative emotion. My spouse would be upset with me. That may be the most painful cost of your decision. But there are other costs. You're going to have to fix the problem. If there's time, you'll have to run back to the store and replace the cups. So, in addition to the emotional cost, you must also pay in terms of extra time and additional money. All because of your bad decision. Those costs -- negative emotions, time wasted, extra money spent-all combine to form the risk you accepted when you made your decision.

Here's a simple exercise to help you understand this concept.

Draw a short vertical line. At the top of the line write the number 25. At the bottom, write the number zero. Now on a scale of 0 - 25, where would you put the risk of buying a package of disposable cups? You'd probably say it is close to zero. So, put an X on the line from 0 to 25 where you think the risk of buying those cups would be.

Now, let's apply this concept to your customers. Remember that every time you ask your prospects to say yes to you, they are accepting some risk. And each of those decisions you ask of them carries with it a different degree of risk.

Imagine your typical customer. Then think of the typical offer or decision you ask of that person. For example, take one of your newer products. Imagine you are presenting it to your customer for the first time. Now, put yourself in his shoes, and see the situation through his eyes. On a 0 - 25 risk scale, how much risk does your customer accept when he says "yes" to you?

For an easy way of calculating it, just ask yourself what happens to that individual if you, or your company, messes up.

If your customer buys that product and it doesn't do what you claim it will, what trouble will that make for your customer? What consequences will he/she pay? What is the risk?

And don't say that there is no risk because you'll take care of any problem that might develop. You may think that, but your customer doesn't know that. And remember, you're trying to see this from your customer's point of view, not yours. The amount of risk is what your customer perceives it to be.

I had a great example of the role of risk in sales several years ago. A young man approached me to help his company with their sales efforts. They were selling a product that was, at the time, a real state-of-the-art breakthrough. The company designed computerized controls that were retrofitted on production equipment. As a result of the use of these controls, the savings in energy consumption would pay for the cost of the equipment in less than a year. It looked like a great product. But he couldn't sell them as rapidly as the company wanted.

"Tell me how you go about selling them" I asked.

"We qualify our prospects to the point where we know we have someone who could use the equipment. Then I call the production engineer or the plant manager on the phone, and gather some information about the type of equipment they use. Then I create a written proposal showing the economic payback, and mail it to him. Next I call and try to close the sale."

"Let me see if I understand correctly," I said. "You're calling a plant manager on the phone. I would guess that most plant managers are men in their 50's, probably with advanced degrees, and who have been in the plant for a number of years, is that right?"

"That's right."

"OK," I said. "So, you're calling someone twice your age, asking him to spend $20,000 - $30,000 on equipment he's never seen, from a company he's never heard of, and from a sales person half his age who he's never met. Is that right?"

My client became a little defensive. "If you put it that way, I suppose it's right."

"Well put it that way," I replied, "because that's the way he sees it."

The problem was simple - risk. On that scale of 0 - 25, how much risk would you think the plant manager would be accepting if he said "Yes" to the over-the-phone offer?

Put yourself in his shoes.

Suppose the equipment didn't work the way it was supposed to? He could shut down production lines, spend weeks trying to make things right, cause all sorts of havoc in the plant, and potentially even lose his job. Now that's risk. If you were that plant manager, how much more than the original $20,000 quote would you spend to reduce the risk? It wouldn't be hard to justify a price double that.

That should give you a clue as to how to fight the "low price" issue. Worry less about low price, and more about lowering the risk.

Here are four strategies to do so.

1. Build solid, deep relationships with the key decision-makers. Relationships mitigate risk. The greater the relationship, the lower the perceived risk. That's why the salesman with the longer relationship almost always has the benefit of the doubt in a competitive situation. Its not the price - its the risk.

2. Make ample use of third party recommendations, customer lists, case studies and testimonials. All of these say to the customer that someone else, or lots of someone elses, have used the product or service. That means its less risk for your customer to buy it.

3. Try to get your customer as physically involved with the product as possible. For example, if you're selling a piece of equipment, try to get the customer to trial the equipment, or at least visit somewhere its being used. The more your customer can see and feel the actual thing, the less risk is it to them.

4. Finally, work with your company to create offers that reduce the risk. Trial periods, money-back guarantees, delayed billing, warranties, service desks - all of these reduce your customer's perception of risk. The winners in the competitive selling arena of the Information Age are those who are the low risk providers, not the low price people.

[Editors Note: Repost 10/09 - 7328]

Top 10 Things Not to Say in a Client Meeting…

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:30:00 -0500

I was talking with a client the other day and we were sharing stories of dumb things that we and our teams had done in client meetings that really messed up the deal. Those of you who have been in my programs know that I try to remember my mistakes so I can keep in mind not to repeat them. In that spirit, here are the top mistakes we came up with. Knowing my readers, you will send me many more in response to this post. I look forward to reading them.

I've never heard of your company before. What do you make here?
Can you buy lunch? I'm a little short this month.
Do you have any decision making power or should I be talking with your boss?
Let me tell you about our product, then, if there is time, I'd like to hear about your needs.
I hope you are ready to buy because I really need to make this sale to keep my job.
I know what you want to hear, so let me cut right to the price.
Your predecessor called me a jerk and refused to do business with me.
Can we get everyone who is interested together now so I don't have to do my presentation more than once?
I know our price is high and our quality is low but that won't really affect you because our delivery is so slow.
Did you hear that our stock price crashed today?

Do dumb things sneak into your sales calls? Do members of your support team trip over their tongues when they get in front of a live client? Does your boss always say the wrong thing at the wrong time?

Trip up where only you can see the mistake!

If you rehearse your meetings and make a list of the issues to avoid, you will reduce the faux pas and improve your chances with the client. In private, you can use humor to laugh; bring up previous gaffs and make sure they are not repeated. Just remember that criticism is taken best when it is aimed at yourself.

You may only get one shot at the account. Make your meetings count by removing the risks in advance. If you own the account, you own the responsibility for everything that happens.

[Editors Note: repost from 11/06]

What are some of the dumbest things you've ever heard in a Sales Meeting with a Client?

6 Powerful Ways to Increase Your Sales in 2012

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:00:00 -0500

Another year has come and gone. For some sales people 2011 was a great year while others struggled to make ends meet.

Like many sales trainers and speakers, I thought it would be appropriate to list a few things that will help you achieve great results in the upcoming year.

Here are six that immediately come to mind.

1. Make more appointments

This may seem like an obvious one, but many sales people get hung up on the administrative aspect of their job and end up wasting a ton of time on paperwork when they could be selling.

If you are serious about increasing your sales in the upcoming year you MUST make appointment-setting your number one task each and every day. Set aside time every day to make calls and set appointments.

2. Target your prospecting

Many sales people cast a wide net hoping to catch something. Unfortunately, this approach doesn't work unless you sell a product or service that appeals to wide range of people or businesses. In today's highly competitive business world it is essential that you narrow your prospecting efforts.

Who could most benefit from your product, service or solution? If you want to stand out from the crowd you need to become more specific on who you target.

3. Increase Your Pre-Call, Pre-Meeting Research

To survive in the today's business world, you need to invest time researching your prospects BEFORE you contact them to arrange a meeting or appointment.

Meeting with an executive and saying, "I'd like to take a few minutes to find out exactly what you do and what problems you're facing" will not get you very far.

Corporate executives and key decision makers are too busy to educate you. They expect you to know AND understand their business and the challenges they are encountering. They don't have time to listen to a self-serving sales pitch that does not address their specific needs.

Conducting pre-call, pre-meeting research is absolutely essential if you want to survive in today's tough economy.

It is the ante. The price to play the game.

If you don't do the homework before contacting a high-quality prospect, you run the risk of losing the business to a competitor who took the time, did some research, and was able to position his or her offering more effectively.

4. Increase your Actual Selling Time

I know, you're probably thinking that you already spend 40 hours a week selling.

Well, the truth is most sales people do NOT spend as much time selling as they could. Productivity expert, Mark Ellwood, has discovered that most sales people spend as much as 78% of their time on non-selling activities.

This includes: travel time, admin work, planning, researching their prospects, fulfilling orders, dealing with client concerns and problems, attending meetings, training sessions, conferences, and trade shows.

This does NOT include distractions, socializing, and interruptions.

If you want to have a great year you NEED to maximize your selling time.

This means doing pre-call research, completing expense reports, and other admin work during non-selling times. The most successful sales reps do this type of work early in the morning or at the end of the day after they have returned to the office.

If you want to be achieve your sales targets in today's new economy you need to discipline yourself to do this additional work at a time when it doesn't interfere with actual selling activities.

5. Improve your Ability to Connect with Decision Makers

This is one the biggest challenges because decision makers are so busy in today's business environment. Decision makers are incredibly busy which makes it extremely difficult for sales people to actually connect with them. It can even be difficult to connect with existing customers.

It used to take about 7 attempts to connect with a decision maker but now it takes as many 16 tries.

And that's just to connect with them for the first time.

Maintaining ongoing contact is another challenge.

This means you need to change your approach.

Instead of taking a shotgun approach and trying to connect with decision makers in dozens of companies at the same time, you need to focus your efforts on trying to get into a few businesses at a time.

And to achieve this you need to use a variety of strategies. This includes; calling, snail mail, networking, email, tapping into your network, referrals and using social media.

The key with any of these approaches is to create a compelling message or to demonstrate your expertise on a particular business problem your prospect may be facing. This does not include sending self-promotion emails, corporate brochures or leaving long-winded voice mail messages.

6. Improve your sales presentations and/or sales proposals

Most sales presentations and proposals highlight the seller's business and/or company. Virtually every presentation I have been subjected to, or proposal I have read, started by outlining the seller's company.

How long they've been in business.

The clients they work with.

The solutions they provide.

The awards they have won.

Blah blah blah…

I recall meeting with a company about a particular training solution a number of years ago. After the meeting the rep sent me proposal and the first two pages talked about his company's achievements. As I read through the information, the only thought that ran through my mind was "What the heck does this have to do with my problem?"

Your clients and prospect don't care how many awards you have won.

They don't care if your company has been in business for 65 years.

They don't care if you use the latest and greatest technology.

You may be saying, "Yeah, I know that Kelley" so I challenge you to examine your current approach. If ANYTHING in the front end of your proposals or presentations references your company, your products, your services or solution, then you need to modify your approach.

Stay away from techno-babble, corporate speak, or marketing mumbo-jumbo. Explain your solution in easy-to-understand terms and vocabulary. Executives don't care how many hundred dollar words you know; they want to know how you can solve a problem. I learned this in the very first proposal I sent many years ago. When I asked my client why she chose me versus a competitor, she said, "Your proposal was easy to understand."

Proposals and presentations should not be complicated, unless of course you sell a complex product or solution. I once received a proposal for a training program that filled 24 pages. It was a miniature book! It was confusing, difficult to understand, and worst of all, it failed to address my specific issues and concerns.

Many sales people fall prey to the myth of believing that their marketing materials will seal the deal but fancy brochures don't capture new business although marketing departments would beg to differ. Brochures can be a good "leave behind" piece of literature but few, if any, companies make their buying decision based on this material.

10 Tips that Separate the Good Sellers from the Great Ones

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:10:00 -0500

If you go to work every day, you might as well go all the way and shoot for the pinnacle of your profession. It's a competitive world, so set your sights high. If you're going to take the risk and invest the time, strive for greatness.

Ever since Jim Collins wrote his best-selling book, Good to Great, in 2001, business people worldwide have been fixated on greatness. Why do some companies do so well when a similar competitor languishes? Why do some companies transition from being merely successful to being truly great? What traits and behaviors separate the good from the great?

Of course, good-versus-great questions apply not only to companies; they can be asked of people who want to be great salespersons or marketers.

And remember, everyone is in sales AND marketing regardless of their title.

Whether you're selling medical equipment, working in business development or brokering international business transactions, it's frankly easy to fail. Salespersons, marketers and dealmakers in every profession commonly fail. Some succeed, but only a tiny percentage achieves greatness.

The question then is what sales-and-marketing traits will lead you to the top of your profession?

Character

Great professionals are ethical and honest. They don't tell a client or colleague what he or she wants to hear, it's what they need to hear. Leaders with character tend to hire employees who are also upstanding citizens. Together, they attract clients of character. Everybody wins.

Be Competitive

"Second don't mean nothin'," said Hall of Fame football coach Barry Switzer who led the Oklahoma Sooners to three national championships and the Dallas Cowboys to the Superbowl. Play to win. Be persistent. Don't let anything fall through the cracks. Keep track of your competition and do what it takes to run at least a couple steps ahead of them. Be bold for the world has no room for shrinking violets.

Interpersonal Skills

It sure helps if you possess some charisma, but rule number one is to listen. Great professionals listen and truly HEAR. When you are engaged in conversation, remember it's not about you; it's about your client.

Strategic Thinking

Have a plan that takes into account the big picture. What's your philosophy? Strong organizations have developed mission and vision statements. Great individuals need them too.

Focus

Whether you are looking at this from an organizational perspective or a personal one, determine your competencies and spend the majority of your time, energy and resources working on those. If you feel like you're spinning your wheels, ask yourself, "Am I doing what is truly important?"

Have a Good Product

Contrary to the popular saying, nobody can really sell ice to Eskimos. If your product or service doesn't stand on its own merit, trying to sell it is no different than beating your head against the wall.

Others First

Real estate agents, accountants and trustees are said to have "fiduciary" responsibilities to their clients. In other words, they are legally required to put the client's interest before their own. No matter what you do, pretend you have a fiduciary duty to the customers you serve. If you do this, you will build rapport, which leads to a relationship, which leads to the holy grail of sales and marketing: trust.

Ability to Handle Stress

"There are many guys who can paint an incredibly cogent picture of why a company should be investing in China or why a football team should run a certain offense," says Joe Moglia, who serves as both chairman of TD Ameritrade and a head coach in the United Football League. "The reality is, when things are not going well, when you're losing money in China, and your guys keep fumbling the ball, how do you handle yourself?"

Keep Prospecting

No matter how busy you are as you put the finishing touches a big deal, remember to think about future deals. Always take time to fill your hopper, so you always have a steady supply of business. Don't get emotionally attached to a certain piece of business, because you give up your power. Always go where the business is, where your best prospects live. It makes no sense to fish for business in a deserted lake.

Wrap It Up

Ultimately, the purpose of marketing is to get somebody to say "yes." Know what you hope to achieve from a prospect before you meet him or her and then keep steering the conversation toward closure.

(repub 11/11)

Meetings a Waste of Time? 6 Smart Ways to Fix Them.

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:03:01 -0500

Team meetings cost you more than you think. Here are 6 ways to get the most out of them.

Meetings are energy and time vampires. Sales people estimate they spend up to 40 percent of their time in internal meetings. Internal meetings! That means they are not prospecting, networking, presenting, writing proposals, closing or serving customers.

Of course internal meetings are necessary–but just how necessary? If you want to drive up productivity in your business, follow these simple guidelines when you have your internal meetings:

1. Value the Meeting

At the start of every internal meeting multiply the number of people in the room by a set amount of money per person and the length of the meeting and then write the amount on the board: “This is a $XXXX meeting.” If the average employee’s productivity (not wage) for a company is $100/hour, then the math is easy.

People forget that there is a large opportunity cost to every meeting. The point is that meetings are an investment: know how much and everyone may be more cautious about the investment.

2. Declare a Desired Outcome

Before you get started, state explicitly: What is supposed to change at the end of the meeting? Are we taking action, hiring someone, firing a vendor, determining a strategy, agreeing to fund an initiative, modifying a policy?

When you bring people together, it should be to change, develop, stop or start something. Informing, keeping in the loop and getting everyone on the same page are bad reasons for meetings. There are other tools for that communication. Meet to do something.

3. Limit Your Topics

If you tighten the topic list–say, to no more than three items–you will tighten the attendee list, shorten the time frame and increase the potential for action. I have seen meetings that are laundry lists of reviews, discussions and feedback that do not lead to any real action. All of that can be handled digitally.

If you are not doing something, don’t meet. If you are, then do it deep, get it done and move on.

4. Control the Clock

In Robert’s Rules of Order, the touchstone of meeting protocols, time frames are carefully allotted by the chair of the meeting. There’s a reason for that: It controls the investment expense. When you set the topics, set the time you will allot for each item’s discussion. When the time is completed, either allot a defined amount of additional time as necessary, or make a decision based upon the discussion to that point.

5. Call Foul on Repeaters

The best meeting leaders will stop a participant (or the entire meeting) and declare, “It seems that we have heard all of the ideas on this topic and we are now repeating ourselves. Does anyone have a new comment to make that is neither a repeat of a past idea nor a counter to one?” If the answer is none, the chair calls for a decision and you move on.

6. Wrap Up with Commitments & Time Frames

This is easy enough to do if you set the outcome expectation at the beginning of the meeting. Review the decisions and changes made, remind those who made the commitments of their accountability and time frame, and declare the meeting ended.

Meetings are very expensive. They should not be the regular form of communication, but one reserved for truly important matters.

Achieve Your "Unachievable" 2012 Sales Goals

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:45:00 -0500

If there's a universal truth in sales, it's that the start of a new year means everything starts over.

Whether you had a terrific 2011 or not, whether you create your own goals or they're handed down, we're all in the same boat. We're facing new revenue goals for 2012, and I'll bet yours are higher than last year's.

Freaking out? You're not alone.

Take a deep breath. We've helped hundreds of sellers reach seemingly unachievable goals by breaking them down into achievable bites. This is my secret to consistent success. Here's how you do it.

Achieving "unachievable" revenue goals

Start by accounting for business you know you can get without doing anything new. Do you have closed business that's still clearing accounting? Count that. Opportunities you started last year that haven't closed yet? Count that.

Do you have clients who will renew contracts or need more of your services this year?

Look at the prospects in your pipeline. Consider your typical closing conversion ratio and do some quick math to see how much revenue you can expect.
Determine how many leads you need to close the quota gap. Now that you've counted all that revenue you can rely on, it may be fewer leads than you think. That's great news!

To figure it out, divide the remaining revenue goal (your quota gap) by your average sale size; then divide by your conversion rate. Easier still, use our free Quota Gap Calculator to quickly calculate the leads you need.
Next, break down that number into the number of leads you need each month. But don't make the mistake of simply dividing by twelve, unless you have a very short sales cycle.

Suppose, for example, you have a 3-month sales cycle. You'll need all your new leads by the end of September to close business in 2012. That gives you nine months to make your lead generation goal.

Is your business cyclical? Do some months produce more leads than others? Factor that in as well.
Once you know how many leads you need each month, you're ready to plan the activities to generate them. How many calls do you need to make each month? How many per week? How many personal emails or campaigns? How about hosting events, blogging, attending networking events, asking for referrals or other ideas?

Focus on the activities that work best for you.

Just because social media is all the rage, for example, doesn't mean that's a good strategy for you. If you're not a fluent Tweeter or facile Facebook fan – or more importantly, if your prospects aren't – don't make that a cornerstone of your plan.

Are you especially good at personal phone calls or hosting webinars? Focus on your tried and true lead generation strategies and combine them with something new to expand your base of lead sources.
Finally, as you're planning your lead generation activities, keep in mind you still need time for your regular selling functions. Do block out chunks of time for prospecting and generating leads, but reserve the remainder for nurturing relationships and closing sales.

Four Sales Crimes You Must Avoid in Today's Economy!

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:20:00 -0500

Times are tough for sales professionals everywhere. Customers are slashing budgets, shuffling business priorities, reorganizing internal responsibilities and avoiding almost every unnecessary risk. Today's business climate has many prospects running scared and spending time with a salesperson is not exactly at the top of anyone's list.

So what can you do to increase your chances of sales success in this turbulent economy?

Hint: The answer is right there in your mirror. That's right. . . it's YOU!

It's easy to blame the weak financial markets, the relentless competition or even the boss's unwillingness to negotiate as primary reasons for your lack of success. Hiding behind these excuses is simple and painless. But unfortunately it also creates the perfect environment to start losing your edge. Given enough time, you'll find yourself turning into a serial deal killer.

Here's a quick countdown of the four worst "selling" crimes being committed today and some practical advice on how you can avoid them.

Crime #4 – Assuming "no" when you really don't "know"

Stop assuming they won't take your call, agree to an appointment or do business with you. Too many reps simply give up because they don't hear back from prospects right away. They throw proposal after proposal out the door and then lose interest in following up because they get distracted chasing the next opportunity.

Please understand that I'm not giving you license to become a pest, but I am encouraging you to become more persistent. Quit making decisions for your prospects and move forward the remainder of this year with a relentless "go for no" attitude. Sure you'll face a little more rejection, but that helps clean out your funnel and forces you to focus on the right opportunities. I know it hurts to lose, but you can't lose what you don't have. And you just might be surprised how many times you'll hear a "yes" if you're willing to stay engaged.

Crime #3 – Talking too much

Many sales people get hired because the have the infamous "gift of gab." There is a pretty good chance that you've worked with someone who loved nothing better than the sound of their voice. These reps are great at telling stories, but they struggle to connect and create deeper dialogue with prospects and customers.

Many customers are being asked to do more with less today. Spending time with an overly friendly (see all chatty) sales rep isn't a priority, it's a liability.

Being able to clearly and succinctly articulate a compelling story is vital to your success. Your goal is to be brief, be bright and then be gone.

Before you make your next call, ask yourself; why, given all of the competitive alternatives available, should this prospect want to do business with me right now?

Crime #2 – Failing to ask for commitment

One of the major reasons reps don't get the business is because they hesitate to ask for it. Don't focus on the outcome, focus on the process. If you've done the right things in the right way, it becomes your professional responsibility to be assertive.

When should you close? Early and often! Asking for little commitments along the way makes asking for the final commitment much easier. Plus you'll quickly learn how realistic the opportunity is. Customers who are unwilling to make small commitments along the way are going to be even less enthusiastic about making a bigger commitment later on.

Crime #1 – Purposely (or mistakenly) using less than adequate skills

If you're going to sell more every year, you need to get better every year. Sales people who think they're done learning are usually just done. And that's OK if your closing question is "Do you want fries with that?"

There is an abundance of sales books, tele-seminars, podcasts, webinars, and sales training programs available today. What are you waiting for?

So where should you focus? Start by honestly answering a few of these questions.

-How much preparation are you putting into each call?

-Are the questions you ask thought provoking or mind numbing?

-How valuable are your ideas (i.e. would prospects pay for them?)

-What are the top three obstacles that prevent deals from closing?

-How do you clearly and concisely address these obstacles?

-What are you doing every week to help build better relationships?

Make a commitment right now to sharpen some of your selling skills. I'm confident it will help you win more opportunities and create more success!

It takes courage to admit you could be a better sales rep and confidence to believe you can change; it takes nothing to create excuses.

Speaking of Sales is about finding, winning and keeping customers for life. If that's part of your job, then you won't want to miss the next issue.

Six Reasons Why Sales Managers Fail

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:15:00 -0500

I have put this report together to help sales managers and their employers maximize the results that a sales manager and his/her sales team produce. This information is based on my personal observations of over 5,000 business-to-business sales forces during the past twenty-seven years. While no company manifests all six of these, most companies manifest most of these challenges on a frequent basis. Reducing or eliminating the impact of these issues will have a direct and positive impact on your company's top line.

1. Lack of Process

Today's sales manager is handicapped by the fact that few, if any, universities offer a degree in sales management. However, thousands offer degrees in marketing management. Consequently, many sales managers are selected from the ranks of top-producing salespeople with little, if any, transitory training. Most companies don't have a process and, therefore, the manager is forced to figure it out as they go. In many cases, this perpetuates poor processes due to the fact that the conventional wisdom of "we've always done it that way around here" tends to apply. The cure for this problem is to take your time to document the processes associated with finding, acquiring and retaining customers. Don't make the mistake of focusing only on sales processes, as there are sales support, customer service, operations and many other processes that need to be examined through this exercise.

2. Lack of Proactive Funnel Management

The number one problem facing many sales managers in this area is the inability of the sales manager to have clear visibility as to what goes on within the funnel. The manager knows how many leads are distributed to the sales team, and he/she has a clear and very accurate understanding of how many deals are produced. Unfortunately, due to the aforementioned lack of process, there are no guidelines against which to measure funnel activity. Consequently, the manager is inclined to accept gut feelings, hunches and other anecdotal evidence regarding the progress of opportunities through the funnel. In order to remedy this problem, the sales manager must establish firm benchmarks and milestones that determine the progress of opportunities through the funnel. Once these benchmarks are in place, the sales manager must hold the team accountable for achieving qualification benchmarks such as understanding the decision-makers, the need your product or service can fill, the timing of the decision, and budget issues. These four primary milestones are just the beginning of what I consider to be a good qualification process.

3. Lack of Preemptive Actions

This problem comes from the failure of the sales manager's boss to clearly communicate the scope of his/her power. Frequently, sales managers feel that they must wait for their boss to approve everything. Consequently, the sales manager does not act on issues that he/she observes. The classic example of this is the hesitancy on the part of the sales manager to terminate a poor performer because the sales manager "hopes" that the poor performer will start performing at a higher level at some point in the future. The remedy for this issue is for the sales manager to focus his/her effort on the worst performer of the team. The worst performer may be in this position due to lack of knowledge, lack of skill, lack of aptitude, poor attitude and/or bad luck. Regardless of what puts this person into the position of being "worst", the sales manager should have an action plan in place to help the employee improve his/her performance. As a rule, all sales managers should have an action plan in place for all poor performers, all of the time.

4. Lack of Training

As mentioned earlier, sales managers rarely get the training they need before becoming a sales manager. Likewise, very few sales managers conduct ongoing training sessions with their sales team. Selling requires cognitive skills as well as practical skills, which cannot be developed without practice. Tiger Woods practices his golf game immediately following a tournament, whether he won or lost. When was the last time the sales managers at your company conducted sales practice? I have frequently observed sales managers who intend to start a series of sales practice exercises, however they are dissuaded from this plan by their salespeople who express dislike or discomfort with the idea of practicing. Top-performing sales forces conduct sales practice on a regular basis. They have a focus on training and developing the skills and process of their team on an ongoing basis. I recommend that all sales managers conduct sales practice on a weekly basis. This will allow them to inspect the quality of presentation, process, territory management, account management, etc. of each of their salespeople in a safe and nurturing environment. Practicing one's sales skills in front of a customer is analogous to practicing football during the Super Bowl. Obviously, it is too late to practice when you are in the game.

5. Wrong Selection/Promotion Criteria

Frequently, good salespeople are ruined when they are promoted to sales management. Senior management presumes that this promotion is a) something that the salesperson wants and b) something that will help the salesperson become more satisfied and more productive within the employer's environment. These two hopes are rarely realized. Selecting a sales manager based on his/her sales ability is a critical mistake that is frequently repeated. I have yet to see any correlation between one's ability to sell and one's ability to recruit, hire, train, manage, coach and de-hire a sales team. Before your next sales manager is selected or promoted, I suggest that he/she be exposed to some people management or coaching opportunities. Failure to do this will turn your top producer into a mediocre manager and, even worse, he/she could contaminate the entire sales force. This is one of the causes of low production for sales teams.

6. Too Many Administrative Tasks

I have observed that many talented salespeople become sales managers and then, due to the environment within which they are working, are forced to become administrative managers. In other words, they interact between their company's operations, shipping and finance departments as well as customer operations. Clearly, the attributes that made one eligible to be considered as a sales manager are not the attributes that makes one a proficient operations manager. Literally, this creates a situation of "a fish out of water". I recommend that you examine the tasks that your sales managers are charged with undertaking. If these tasks are operational or administrative in nature, they should be reassigned to a lower cost resource. I value the sales manager in this regard based on his/her ability to impact the top and bottom line of your company. It is shortsighted financial management to allow sales managers to perform administrative tasks. Remember, one of my rules is that salespeople and managers should be involved with selling while everybody else does everything else.

[Editor's Note: This article was originally published August 1, 2008.]

Tis the Season… to Work!

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:31:03 -0500

So, here we are, enjoying the holidays: the fine meals, drinks and laughs we are sharing with our friends and family, but it seems that there will be a little (or a lot) of work in the mix.

Xobni has released their 2nd annual survey results on email behavior around the holidays… and it ain't pretty if you're a believer in disconnecting over the holidays. Overall, the percentage of people checking and receiving email was shockingly similar to last year's results, leading us to believe this is a very valid representation of email behavior over the holidays.

The highlights of the survey are as follows:

79% of U.S. working adults say they receive work email on traditional holidays like Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, etc.; and 68% with email admitted to checking it.

19% of people said that they are actually "thankful for the distraction" or "relieved" to receive work email on holidays.

37% of people surveyed admitted to feeling annoyed, frustrated or resentful after receiving work-related emails on holidays. This number dropped slightly from 41% last year, leading to more evidence that people are accepting (and for some, embracing) work on the holidays.

41% of people that admitted to checking email because they believe doing so would ease the work load once they return from the "break."

Funny bone stat: 6% say they use work email as a way to avoid awkward family/holiday commitments and "crazy" friends and/or relatives.

But, there's good news for the holiday purists. According to the survey, men are checking email LESS.

That's right – in 2010, 67% of men admitted to checking email in 2010, and that number fell to 58% in 2011. And women are checking slightly more… meaning we're closing the gender gap on who checks email while spending time with friends and family over the holidays.

If you are one of those who is on your email over the holiday, get Xobni and Smartr - It makes managing all your contacts and email a million times easier. Treat yourself!

If you're intrigued and want to learn more, here's a link to the full data released today (and here are the results from last year).

2011 Top Sales Awards Winners are Here!

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:15:29 -0500

Everyone likes to win an award, whether it's a simple acknowledgment of an accomplishment or something bigger, like an Academy Award. But, when you gain recognition from your peers, it's an honor that is much more valued. That's why we'd like to thank everyone who helped EyesOnSales and Landslide CRM, to gain our latest recognition.

Yesterday, the winners of the 2011 "Top Sales Awards" were publicly announced, and for the second straight year, Landslide CRM, earned a medal as the "Top CRM Solution". To be sure, this is something that we're very proud of, for a couple of reasons. First, it's always an honor to have our efforts recognized by some of the biggest names in the industry.

It's equally an honor to be selected as one of the nominee finalists, putting us alongside our industry's biggest and brightest peers. But then to be selected as a medal winner among those same peers — and then to win something two years in a row — is a special thrill. Our sincere thanks to everyone who made it possible.

Landslide CRM
Two Year Metal Winner

EyesOnSales
Top Resource Finalist

We're equally proud of the fact that EyesOnSales was also nominated for an award in the new "Top Sales & Marketing Resource" category. While we did not win a medal this year, it was again an honor to be chosen as one of the finalist nominees. After all, considering the competition, just being selected as one of the finalist nominees puts us in some pretty good company.

But we also realize that EyesOnSales wouldn't have gotten this recognition if it were not for the many blog article contributions that we share on our website. Two of our contributors have also won an award medal while several others were honored as finalist nominees. Congratulations to:

Dave Kurlan — Gold Medal winner for "Top Sales and Marketing Blog" and Silver Medal winner for "Top Sales and Marketing Blog Post"
Jill Konrath — Bronze Medal winner for "Top Sales and Marketing Thought Leader"
Mike Schultz and John Doerr — Gold Medal for "Top Thought Leader", along with Gold for "Top Book"
Award Finalist Nominees:
Mark Hunter * Dan Waldshmidt * Wendy Weiss * Paul McCord * Dan McDade * Kelly Robertson *Dave Brock * Laurie Richardson * Steve Martin * Jonathan London * Colleen Francis * Tibor Shanto * Kendra Lee

Finally, a sincere thanks to Jonathan Farrington for putting this event together for the second year in a row. And, also thanks to the entire team of judges at Top Sales Awards Event for their recognition of the best of the best in our fields. Lastly, thanks to everyone for making this entire competition so enjoyable. If you'd like to see the entire list of winners, visit the TopSalesAwards' website.

Thanks again. We look forward to competing again next year!

My Best Closing Tactic

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:15:11 -0500

Getting people to laugh helped me close more deals than every other method combined. Steve and I were negotiating our first deal. He was pushing me to the wall for a big discount. First, I was unwilling to cut my price. Second; I didn't need to, because he had already made the emotional commitment to buy, which was why he was pushing so hard.

It got tense. You know the type of tense negotiations I'm talking about. This wasn't a poker faced, behind the shades, all in Texas old ‘em negotiation. This was an in your face, blood on the wall, last man or woman standing deal.

Finding an opportunity to raise a smile seemed impossible, but Steve finally gave me the opening, "You have it and I want it, so let's make this deal."

Without hesitation and a smile I said, "Steve, having is better than wanting, and I have it and you want it."

He had a hard time catching his breath and nearly laughed himself to tears. I knocked off less than 1% on a six figure sale and we did plenty of business together down the road.

A father and son team tried working me over on $60,000 piece of equipment we were dying to sell. The son offered me $48,235.61 or some hokey number very close to that. Our deals are rounded off to the nearest zero, so this smelled fishy.

"Do you mind if I ask how you came up with that number?"

"My dad told me to offer you that."

"Do you mind if I speak with your dad?"

"That's an interesting number" I chortled. "Do you mind telling me how you came up with it?"

"It sounded good to me" he laughed.

"Well, $60,000 sounds better to me." We laughed. He then explained that he was teaching his son how to buy. We agreed that I would give his son a small discount and a feel-good moment. We settled at $57,000, which I was very happy to get. His son felt like a hero and his father appreciated the discount and my handling the situation with a good sense of humor.

Of all the closing tips, tricks, and manipulations, nothing works better than authentically making someone feel good. And the best way to do that is to put a smile on their face and a laugh in their belly. Joke telling isn't the only way. Most often, when we're in tight negotiations, there is something in the situation that is truly funny. Try not to take yourself and selling too seriously. When all else fails, self-deprecation works very well.

When you laugh, the world laughs with you, and so do your customers.

10 Ways to Realize Hidden Opportunities

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:50:00 -0500

"Great moments are born from great opportunities," said the late Herb Brooks, one of the world's most famous hockey coaches.

Brooks certainly seized opportunity during his career. He agreed to coach the 1980 U.S. Olympic team that beat the "unbeatable" Soviet Union in Lake Placid, New York during the famous "Miracle on Ice" game on the way to winning the gold medal. It was a modern-day "David vs. Goliath" matchup. Many coaches would refuse such an overwhelmingly difficult job. In fact, several did.

But Brooks saw opportunity in the monumental challenge of leading a bunch of young, amateur, college all-stars against the essentially professional players of the Soviet Union and other European hockey powers.

That opportunity paid off, to say the least.

Whether you're talking about sports, business or any other subject matter, seeking, finding and capitalizing on opportunity are among the most important things a professional must do.

There's one big problem with opportunity, however. It is often hard to find and even harder to harness.

"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations," said Charles Swindoll, an American religious author.

I agree wholeheartedly with Swindoll's characterization. The best opportunities are often hidden. They are often located in places we least expect to find them and are presented by people we least expect to provide them.

That reminds me of the old story that sales managers like to share with their young trainees: "On his way back from a three-day fishing trip, a multi-millionaire visits the showroom of an upscale, luxury car dealer. The salespersons, seeing an unshaven, disheveled, poorly dressed man, essentially ignore him. Offended, the multi-millionaire buys a top-of-the-line model the next day from a direct competitor." There are a lot of ways to tell that classic missed-sales-opportunity story, but they all sound something like that.

If opportunity is so important to our success, and so difficult to find and recognize, we need to focus more of our energy on it. Unless you're naturally good at it, finding and capitalizing on opportunity needs to be a deliberate focus:

Open your eyes and ears - we can no longer afford to be indifferent, or even worse, oblivious to the world around us. Be on the lookout for ideas that could lead to new opportunities. Even more important than eyes and ears, keep your mind open too. Many of us miss opportunities, because they don't fit into our pre-existing paradigms.

Remember that all people count - sometimes we get so obsessed with the "right" people, we miss out on valuable opportunities from people, who on the surface, can do seemingly nothing for us.

Fight through the fear - one of the biggest reasons we miss out on extraordinary opportunities is because we are too afraid to leap. Herb Brooks wasn't too afraid to leap; we shouldn't be either.

Let your creative juices flow - the Nobel Prize-winning scientist Albert Szent-Gyorgi once said, "Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought." The more creative you are, the more opportunity you will discover. See the world in a different way, and doing things like nobody else, and just watch the opportunities that manifest.

Take risks - As the old saying goes, "nothing risked, nothing gained." Unless you take a chance and do something new, you'll keep running into the same old opportunities.

Work really hard - "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work," said the great inventor Thomas Edison.

Set meaningful goals - make those goals specific too. The more you clarify what you really want, the quicker you will recognize it when it shows up.

Find quiet time - many people have found great opportunities, because they prayed for them or spent time meditating about them. Such activity creates focus in your mind, and a focused mind is a powerful mind.

Believe - visualize success and tell yourself that good things will come. A positive mind is more receptive to hidden opportunity.

Prepare - as the old Boy Scout motto says, "be prepared." You never know when the perfect opportunity will open up. If you're not prepared, you might not act on it quickly enough. In his autobiography, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said he believes in "relentless preparation." He constantly prepares for crisis, so he will perform properly. Same thing applies to opportunity.

Overwhelmed By Greatness

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:21:49 -0500

There are moments when the opportunity for greatness becomes overwhelming.

The mission, our purpose, and the effort demanded collide with an emotional intensity that stuns you to the core.

Our natural reaction is to be overcome by the enormity of the challenges in front of us.

To run from what frightens us most.

To excuse away the opportunity with a righteous explanation of logic, experience, and the odds.

Instead of welcoming the challenge with the anticipation of a champion, we wallow in the self-pity and worry of under-performance.

And greatness goes undone. An opportunity for greatness goes un-conquested.

We stop ourselves for no good reason.

What holds us back is not our distaste for greatness or our inability to achieve it. What stops us from venturing down the path less traveled is not knowing where the trail will end. Not knowing what will happen along the way.

"It is our fear of the unknown that cripples us. A fantasy of fear and worst-case disillusion that clouds our ability to see the conquest for what it is."

We create the obstacles we pretend are the reason for our limitations. We conjure with mystic precision the antagonism that we explain as forewarning of failure.

Because greatness scares us.

The idea of doing something truly amazing staggers us. The cost. The dedication.

We are frightened at the effort demanded.

And what we miss is the simplest of insights. That greatness is simply in taking the next step.

Again and again and again.

Greatness is each of your steps along the way. Each step through.

And a step is easier than a journey.

When you look at success with eyes wide open you begin to see it for what it is.

One foot in front of the last.

There is no fear except that which we create for ourselves. There is no danger only that which we run from.

Just because you think you can’t doesn’t mean you won’t.
Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.
Just because they think you’re wrong doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.

It’s your decision to be amazing.

Greatness isn’t an idea or a goal or a status symbol.

It is an attitude. It’s how you live your life.

It’s an awareness that you’re flawed and fragile. An understanding that despite your best intentions, you won’t always get it right. An integrity that demands you keep trying.

You will take the next step.

The world is full enough of good executives at good companies doing good things in good ways.

What will change the world is greatness from you and from those you lead.

You need not be overwhelmed by the challenges that greatness demands. You merely need to take the next step down a path.

Along the way greatness will find you.

5 Leadership Actions to Kick Start a New Year

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:25:00 -0500

The beginning of the year is a typical time to read these types of suggestions. In many ways we ascribe a special significance to the beginning of the year as a time to proactively do things to improve our future. These actions are just as relevant whenever you may be reading (or re-reading) this - at any time of the year.

As leaders we know that being proactive is one of our most important attributes - for without a bias to act, we won't be leading anyone anywhere.

The five actions suggested below can set a proactive tone for you and your whole team or organization. In fact, they apply equally well for anyone, leader or not, regardless of role. When you take these actions you will gain a new perspective, a new focus, and will move forward more resolutely and with greater energy.

The Five Actions

Call ten Customers.
Now is the perfect time to call ten Customers and thank them for their business! This is NOT a sales call. It is a call to connect, thank people for the opportunity to serve them and to ask them for feedback. While this should be a regular task on your leadership list, now is a perfect time to pick up the phone, say thank you and ask for input. If you're an internal leader and don't deal with external Customers, this advice remains the same. Talk to those people you and your team support to thank them and ask for feedback. No matter who your Customers are you will gain credibility, learn a lot and perhaps set the stage for the next action.
Pick a relationship to improve.
As a leader you have many relationships to manage. You have relationships with Customers, suppliers, your team, your peers and your boss(es). You have relationships across your network, and among your friends and family as well. Pick one. Pick one you feel needs some strengthening, or you believe needs some attention, or one you just want to improve for any other reason. Pick one and make it your goal to do whatever you can to improve that relationship in the coming days, weeks and months. Even if the relationship is outside of work, you will gain benefits as a leader from these efforts. There is no better time to pick one than right now.
Find a focus.
You might think of this as a theme. Look at the months to come, the challenges you will face, the opportunities you see and the current state of your team and create a singular focused theme for the year. Share this with your team (or have them help you craft the wording from your initial ideas). Then use that theme to focus and unify the team in the days and weeks ahead. Use it as a guidepost to help you prioritize and maintain a proactive focus.
Set goals with your team.
If you have an intact team or organizational goal setting process, these goals may already be set. If so, review them collaboratively in light of your theme. If not, use your theme as one input in creating the goals for the team as a whole and individuals in particular. As leaders we must role model goal setting and goal achievement behaviors, and there is absolutely no time like the present to do just that.
Decide what you need to learn.
Each of the previous four actions will be inputs into this decision, but may not create a complete picture. As a leader who wants to improve and grow to help others create better results, you must be on a path of learning. More specifically, you must be intentional about your learning path. Investing the time to determine what you need and/or want to learn is an important step. Once you have taken this important step of deciding, then you can build a plan to help you achieve those learning objectives.

You've read the list. My suggestion is to do all of them. Even if you aren't sold on or see yourself doing all five, before you leave this article and move onto your next task, commit to doing at least one of them. Of course the more of them you do, the greater edge you will gain. But, one is better than none, and becoming a Remarkable Leader requires that you move forward proactively doing things to help you learn, grow and stretch.

All five of these actions will do that for you. Happy New Year! It's time to get started.

Potential Pointer: The actions suggested in this article are valuable anytime of the year. If you are reading this the 5th of January, the 5th of April or the 5th of September the value is the same. Take the time to take these actions and you will, in effect, create the start of a New Year! And all will help you become a more informed, confident and effective leader.

[Editors Note: Reposted from 1/09]

15 Questions for the New Year: How to Adopt Better Strategies and Have a Better Year

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 10:20:00 -0500

Last year, we spent a great deal of time looking at the strategies the Top 10% of sales people use to fuel their success. Now that we're beginning the New Year, it's important to decide how we can put those strategies into action in our own lives, so we can take our careers wherever we want to go.

As you start your planning for the New Year, below are a few questions you should be asking yourself to give you a clear focus of the areas and goals where you are committed to improving, and to help make sure that this year is your best year ever.

Be Nice

How passionate are you about what you do? Loving what you do will ensure that you maintain the positive attitude you need to get to the top. Ask yourself Brian Tracy's question, "if I knew then what I know now about this job, would I have taken it?" If the answer is yes, find a way to communicate that passion to your team mates and your clients. Passion and a positive attitude are the glue that hold all your sales skills together.
Are your company, colleagues, family and friends life givers who support you in your endeavors, or life suckers who impede your progress? Only life givers can create an environment that fosters success.
Do you want to become who you hang out with? Tony Robins says that our success is directly linked to the expectations of the people we associate with. Do you have the right associations? If not, you might have to go to different places, try something new or join new groups to meet new or different people.
Are you the "it" person in your industry? Do people see you as a person with valuable information, and come to you first? This year, develop a plan to become the "go to person" for your clients. Studies show it can be worth between $63,000 and $117,000 in extra income for you per year.
Do you take responsibility for your actions? You can complain all you want that it was shipping's fault for getting the order out late, marketing's fault for not giving you good leads or your manager's fault for not funding or training you sufficiently. The fact is, in sales, the buck stops with you. Your clients don't want people who make excuses or whine about being victims. They want agents of success. They don't care whose "fault it was," only that you take responsibility for it. What are you going to do this year to take more responsibility?

As a side note, when I interview sales people I always ask them to tell me about an opportunity they lost, and why they lost it. If they blame others for the loss, they do not get the job. I know that sales people who can't take responsibility, are never going to be in the top 10%

Stay Focused

Do you believe you have the skills, knowledge and strength to be successful? If you don't believe in yourself, no one else will, either. Develop a strong belief system that reminds you every day that you can be successful, and that you are the best.
When was the last time you tried anything for the first time? This is a pivotal question in lifelong learning and development. If you aren't learning something new about sales every day, you are falling behind. What's something new you learned last year? How can you learn more new things this year?
What goals have you set for this year? Are they written down? If I showed up at your office right now, would I see them posted where you can look at them every day?
Are you focused on the customer first? Do you have all the information your customers want, in the way they want it? Notice that I said, "all the information your customers want," NOT "everything you want to tell them." Customers want answers to their questions, not yours. This means you must first be an expert at what you do or sell, and then document all the relevant information in a way that answers the questions your clients ask, and solves their specific problems. How good are your answers?
How focused is your plan for success, and how focused are on achieving it? Top performers focus most of their time working on those activities that help them achieve their goals – such as prospecting, meetings and closing – and little time doing those tasks that earn them little or nothing. What are you focused on for the majority of your day?

Get to Work

How aware are you of the opportunities that you encounter? Do you see opportunity on every street corner as you drive home at night, or are you only focused on the latest re run of CSI that's waiting for you? Mediocre sales people complain that top performers are simply in the right place at the right time. Top performers know the harder they work the luckier they get. In other words, they create their own luck. You have to be good to be lucky – how good are you?
Are you making any mistakes? Are you failing? If you aren't failing, you aren't growing. My karate master is always pushing us to strike one more opponent, block one more kick, hold our stance just one more minute, until our bodies physically fail. Why? Because until you've pushed past your limits and failed, until you've stretched past your comfort zone into your uncomfort zone, you can never achieve more than you thought possible. What are you doing every day to reach your uncomfort zone?
What risks are you taking? Like high performance athletes, high performance sales people are constantly challenging themselves to do better. Every time you play it safe, you lose. Every time you take a risk, you win – either you win the business, or you win the knowledge of what not to do the next time. What risks are you willing to take in 2008 in order to beat the competition?
Did you give up on any goals last year? Thomas Edison failed 1,000 times before he invented the light bulb, and changed the world. Stanford University shows that 85% of clients buy after the 5th meeting and 95% of sales people give up after the 4th.Most sales people I meet give up after hearing their first "no" on a cold call. Persistence pays off. Do you want to be remembered as a quitter, or as the Thomas Edison of your industry?
Are you putting your great ideas into action, or just putting them on the shelf? Thomas Edison also said: "Strategy without execution is hallucination." Knowing the strategies of top performers is great. Executing them is what will make you a star. Take some time now to think about what you will do this year to execute on these strategies of the Top 10%. Then go out, and as Nike says: just do it!

Challenge yourself by going through these questions with candor and honesty. You already know many of the strategies you need to execute in the New Year. Make them happen and reap the rewards!

[Editor's note: Repost from 12/07]

They Changed My Sales Comp Plan! What Should I Do?

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:21:34 -0500

Sales Question:

"I have over 15 years of sales experience, with over 5 years at a Fortune 500 company handling million dollar accounts in a sales/maintenance role with about 20% new business development. After leaving that position due to a family issue I have been struggling in my last couple of jobs as a 'new business development' salesperson. Long story short, three jobs later I realize I am terrible at cold calling and don't like it either.

After 90 days my current employer eliminated my base salary and put me on a commission only plan. I have a pipeline that could potentially allow me to match my salary but I am feeling as if I've been slapped in the face and my motivation to work with my CEO is seriously diminished.

What would you suggest that I do?

ANSWER:

Well, for starters, no one "likes" cold calling. What you need to like is cold hard cash. So if you're in sales, and you like cash, there's hope for you because you can learn how to become successful at cold calling. It's teachable. I might even know someone who could help.

But before we dig a little deeper into that, let's discuss what most likely happened with your employer...

Does This Sound Familiar?

Your stellar resume landed on the desk of your current employer who was seeking someone that could help take his or her company to the next level. You interviewed well and were full of confidence. Shortly thereafter, the job and the "higher than they had budgeted" salary plus bonus structure was yours, and the boss couldn't wait to see you make it rain.

Only it didn't rain. In fact, it did the exact opposite of rain. You hit the longest drought of your sales career and your employer can no longer afford to pay you on promises. They need cash to run a company and have decided to put you on straight commission.

What you need to understand is that selling by phone / cold calling / business development etc requires a different skill set than "managing" accounts. Kind of like how it's one thing to be the running back, and it's another to be the field goal kicker. Same game. You can even be on the same team. But it requires a different skill set in order to be successful.

So with the economy the way it is, high paying base salary jobs are hard to come by let alone keep and I get why your current employer realized that your impressive resume was no longer enough to justify what they were paying and you would be wise to see it from their view point as well, otherwise you will never grow as a business professional.

However... What I don't get is how your employer expects you to generate what they need most – revenue – without giving you the tools you need to be successful.

Now don't get me wrong, I wholeheartedly believe salespeople are responsible for their own success and that includes investing in themselves.

But if they believe in you, yet need to take away your base, I would think they would want to at least look into helping you get the skills you need in order for everyone to win.

Unless they think it's a "motivational" issue and that you needed to be motivated to sell... But here's the thing, no one stays motivated when they keep getting rejected on the phone. And the only reason salespeople get rejected a lot is because they haven't learned what to do and what not to do.

If they've offered to provide you with the sales training needed in order to improve your cold call skills, my advice is take it and stick it out. Straight commissioned sales are where all the money is.

But if they've offered no help you have 3 choices:

Get help on your own
Go work for a company that is willing to help their inside sales team succeed
Find a job / position that is in need of the skills you already posses

Here's what I love about all three of these options:

You control all of them. Your success (or failure) is up to you.