If you have a love-hate relationship with networking events, you’re not alone! You might get nervous or awkward before an event or feel like there’s not really a point.

The truth is, from cocktail parties to huge conventions, networking events are a great way to meet new prospects or referral partners. But they can only help your business if you go in with a plan. By following these six steps, you’ll make more effective (and profitable) connections at your next networking event:

1. Block your schedule before and after the event.
2. Meet 3 quality people.
3. Send an email immediately following the event.
4. Connect with them on LinkedIn within 24 hours.
5. Call them within 48 hours.
6. Do what you say you’ll do!

Let’s dive in.

1. Block Your Schedule Before And After The Event

You should treat a networking event like any other sales meeting. You want enough time and energy to give the event your entire presence.

This means you want to schedule ample time before the event, so you’re not coming in hot from a previous meeting. Blocking off time before the event lets you be calm, prepared, and clear-headed. You want enough time to grab your nametag, meet some people, and find a seat—all without being rushed.

It’s just as important to block off time after the event. This is when the magic happens! When you rush out of an event to your next meeting, you miss out on true networking. Throughout an event, people naturally get more comfortable and loosen up—after an event, they’re more open to making new connections.

Morning sessions lead to impromptu lunches. Evening events lead to dinner or drinks with people you just met. That prospect you’ve wanted to meet happens to be free for some coffee. Keep your schedule clear for these occasions!

2. Meet 3 Quality People

At every networking event you attend, plan on meeting three quality people.

You can gather (or hand out) as many business cards as you want. But I enter an event intending to get business cards from three quality people who I want to set up meetings with later.

That means I’m looking at the attendee list and finding out who will be coming. I’m arriving early and looking at the table of nametags to identify who I might want to target when they come in—or who I should try to sit by.

Before an event, I put three business cards in my pocket. My goal is to replace each of my cards with a business card from a quality contact. This way, I can make sure I’m on track to reach my goal.

3. Send An Email Immediately Following The Event

Once you’ve met quality people, how do you ensure you don’t forget about them?

Send an email to anybody you meet—immediately following the event. I try to always send an email before they do. A prompt outreach email communicates so much more than what’s in the body of the message!

For tips on writing the perfect follow-up email, click here!

4. Connect With Them On LinkedIn Within 24 Hours

After emailing, the next step is connecting on LinkedIn within 24 hours of meeting them. If you are a professional, you need a LinkedIn profile. You’re missing out on a huge networking tool if you don’t have one.

Read my article on creating a powerful LinkedIn profile if you need help!

5. Call Them Within 48 Hours

Yes, phone calls still work! A live follow-up conversation is the best way to determine if the person you’ve met is a quality prospect. If they are, you should be well on your way to booking an appointment.

6. Do What You Say You’ll Do!

Always, always, always do what you say you’ll do. Did you say you’d send them an article or an email? Did you say you’d call and set up an appointment? Do it—and do it within the time you said you would.

Failure to follow up is shooting yourself in the foot—but I see salespeople do it all the time. That’s why staying true to your word is one of the five ways salespeople can stand above the crowd.

Bonus Networking Tip: Business Card Backup

People always ask what to do if you run out of business cards (or forget them!) during a networking event. Right now, take a minute and create a contact for yourself in your phone. This should be separate from your default contact card, which has all sorts of personal information you might not want to share. Your shareable contact card should contain only your professional picture and all the business contact information you’d like to include.

This way, when someone asks for your card, you can ask for their number and text a professional, digital contact card from your phone. They’ll have all your info—and you’ll already have their cellphone number!

I hope your next networking event is a blast—and you walk away with some quality conversations!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Six Steps For Networking Success appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Sales professionals tend to build their careers the old-fashioned way—start at the bottom and work their way up. Besides the occasional book or seminar, most don’t have a formal sales education—we learn as we go.

Unfortunately, the self-taught approach can lead to misunderstandings and misconceptions. And these myths could be holding your business back!

I’ve worked with thousands of salespeople as a sales coach and consultant. Most of the myths and misconceptions I’ve heard from sales professionals seem to be about prospecting. Here are the top ten:

1. Cold calling doesn’t work.
2. Calling at the wrong time will ruin everything.
3. Dialing doesn’t work—just email.
4. You must send an email before dialing.
5. If you’re not prepared, you shouldn’t answer.
6. The timing must be perfect.
7. Don’t call ideal prospects until you’re ready.
8. If they said “no” today, they’re a “no” forever.
9. Dial tomorrow when your head’s in the game.
10. Don’t bother dialing if you have already missed your goal.

Why does sales prospecting seem to be so misunderstood? Let’s take a closer look at these myths and find out.

1. Cold Calling Doesn’t Work

This is, by far, the number one myth regarding prospecting. It makes me crazy when people say cold calling doesn’t work! Cold calling is never going away.

Thankfully, I’ve invested enough time and energy into my business relationships that my sales funnel stays full without cold calling. But I built my entire business on cold calling. If you believe in your products and services enough, your prospect will too. Cold calling works!!

2. Calling At The Wrong Time Will Ruin Everything

Many salespeople believe calling at the wrong time will interrupt their prospect and make them mad or make a bad impression.

The truth is, there is no perfect time to call. That means the best time to call is now!

If your prospect answers their phone when they’re in a meeting, that’s not your fault. They chose to be interrupted—that’s on them! Don’t worry about whether or not they answer the phone. Just dial.

3. Dialing Doesn’t Work—Just Email

I’ve met salespeople who refuse to pick up the phone and dial. They feel like everyone ignores phone calls anyway, so why bother? Just send an email instead.

The truth is people still pick up their phones. Even if they don’t, they will listen to the voicemail you leave. Sure, your prospect is busy—but when you’re busy, an email is much easier to ignore than a voicemail notification or a missed call.

4. You Must Send An Email Before Dialing

No, you don’t need to give your prospect a heads-up before you call. You can send an email after you dial, or you can send it before—either way is fine.

Personally, I send emails after calls. In my voicemail message, I’ll say, “I’m going to send a follow-up email with my contact info, so it’s at the top of your inbox.” It works!

If you’re dead set on sending a heads-up email first, ask yourself—are you just using the email as an excuse to put off dialing? And now that you have that guilty feeling in your stomach, you should pick up the phone and call.

5. If You’re Not Prepared, You Shouldn’t Answer

Many salespeople tell me they can’t always answer their phone when a prospect calls them back. Usually, it’s an excuse like, “What if I’m not prepared?” Lame!

This might be the only opportunity you get to talk to this prospect. You could have been reaching out for months until they finally called you back—or you might be trying to reach them for months after this. Answer your phone.

I had a client who was on vacation at Disney World when a prospect called him back. He tried to find a quiet corner in the park and answered his phone. He explained, “Sorry about the noise; I’m at Disney World—but I didn’t want to miss your call.”

Of course, the prospect told him to enjoy his vacation—but they set up a time to talk the following week. Isn’t setting an appointment worth the slight inconvenience of answering your phone?

6. The Timing Must Be Perfect

There’s never going to be a perfect time for prospecting.

Whether it’s the beginning of the month, end of the month, start of the first quarter, end of the year, 9 in the morning, or 4 in the afternoon, no time is perfect.

Of course, most business owners and executives are the first ones in the office. If you want to catch someone at their desk before their assistant is there, call them at 7:50 AM, and there’s a good chance they’ll answer.

However, the important thing to remember is: the perfect time to dial is now.

7. Don’t Call Ideal Prospects Until You’re Ready

“I’ll call my ideal prospects when I’m really good.” No!

This is a lame excuse that new sales professionals use all the time to put off dialing. They’ll call “when I know my products really well,” or “when I get good enough.”

The longer you keep using excuses starting with “I will call this prospect when…,” the less likely they are to be there when you call. How will you feel when you’re finally “ready” and call a prospect, only to find they signed a deal with your competitor a week ago?

Again, the best time to call is right now.

8. If They Said No Today, They’re A No Forever

A “no” can feel like a crushing blow. But don’t take it to heart—and definitely don’t turn it into an excuse! A “no” today is just a “no” for now.

One of the prospecting methods I teach is called a territory rework—and part of this process is going back through your past “no’s” and finding out if any prospects have changed their mind.

Time changes everything, even a “no.” Your prospect may have gone with a competitor they’re now unhappy with. Or, they could have been locked into a contract that has now expired.

Don’t let a “no for now” turn into a “no forever.” Work them back onto your list (unless it’s someone you don’t want to do business with).

9. I’ll Dial Tomorrow When My Head’s In The Game

We put so much pressure on ourselves by believing there’s a perfect attitude, time, or reason to pick up the phone and prospect.

If your head’s not in the game, there are so many things you can do—right now—to reset your attitude and ditch this lame excuse. Take a break and go for a walk, have a brainstorming session [is your prospect list too short?], meditate, do some positive affirmations, or do anything else to increase your positivity.

One of my favorite ways to keep my head in the game is to use my husband, Shane, as a prospecting accountability partner. In the morning, I tell him what I aim to accomplish and tell him to ask me about it at the end of the day.

10. Don’t Bother Dialing If You Already Missed Your Goal

Have you ever felt like there’s no point in dialing today because you’ve already missed your goal for the week?

One of the goals that I held in my business for many years was to be five strong every week—holding or setting at least five client meetings. One Friday morning several years ago, I was zero strong for the week. I told Shane I just wasn’t in the mood to prospect. I had gotten nowhere all week, and just wanted it to be over.

He said, “Remember that clutch at Nordstrom you really liked? If you finish five strong today, let’s go get that clutch tonight.” That’s some motivation! I promptly went up to my desk, made some sticky notes numbered 1-5, and started dialing. From 9 AM to 4 PM, I set 5 appointments and finished my week five strong. And for date night we went shopping for a new clutch at Nordstrom!

It was a great way to celebrate—and a great way to motivate myself.

Don’t Fall For These Prospecting Myths

I hope this helped you avoid some of the most common prospecting pitfalls. Did you notice the one thing they all have in common? They’re all just lame excuses not to dial your prospecting list!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Ten Prospecting Myths and Misconceptions appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Most salespeople have a few “tried-and-true” approaches to closing a deal, and there’s nothing wrong with having a go-to that you use all the time. It’s what you’re most comfortable with, and it works—until it doesn’t.

If you really want to be a sales champion, you need to understand and master a wide variety of closes. This way, you’ll always have something in your back pocket when your tried-and-true technique comes up short.

To help build your sales arsenal of closing techniques, I’ve been sharing a few of my favorites. Here are some of the closes we’ve covered:

• The Next Steps Close
• The Takeaway Close
• The 1-10 Close 
• The Walkout Close 
• The Tie Down Close
• The Two Positives Close
• The Crystal Ball Close 

If you’ve got a client who just won’t make up their mind or finds every excuse to hesitate, The Impending Event Close is a great way to provide some urgency and motivation—and get your prospect’s signature on the dotted line.

Here’s how it works:

The Impending Event Close

This closing technique aims to speed up the timeline for closing a sale. By using an upcoming (or impending) event to create a deadline, the buyer feels they need to take decisive action.

The right impending event is meaningful to your client and has a specific date. It can be something in their personal lives, a promise you’re creating, or even a holiday. Whatever the event, your client needs to feel that getting the deal done before the event will be much better than waiting or rescheduling.

Here are a few examples:

Using Life Events

In the real estate industry, moving into a new house is a big impending event for clients. A mortgage loan officer can use the impending event close to provide a timeline and motivation for their client. They might phrase it like this:

“If you want to close on the 30th, I’ll need signatures on these documents by Thursday. Can you get me the signed paperwork by then?”

Moving into a new house is a big deal and a challenge to get everything timed right. Changing a closing date could turn into a giant hassle, so the client is highly motivated to help speed the process along.

Getting Deals Done Quick

A common strategy that uses this technique is to create your own impending event. This usually takes the form, “If I can do ____, then can you do ____?”  For example:

If I get you the delivery next Wednesday, could we move forward today?

In order for us to guarantee this pricing, we have to sign a contract by the 15th.

Note that these closes tell the client exactly what action they need to take before the upcoming event—and when they need to take it.

Impending Events On The Calendar 

Certain dates of the year can be excellent impending events to use as a motivator. Depending on your industry, you can find significant deadlines year-round: Summer vacations, new school years, the ends of fiscal quarters, periods before holidays, or even seasonal weather changes can be important impending events in your client’s life or business.

Motivate Your Clients To Close The Deal

Whenever you need to get people to move forward, the impending event close serves as a great motivator. I’ve even used it to get speedy responses when I’m planning an event! It’s a great technique to add to your sales toolkit.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Closing Deals Fast: The Impending Event Close appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Every salesperson knows the feeling of staring at a big new sales goal and thinking, “This is impossible!” Your sales funnel isn’t full enough, there aren’t enough prospects, and you’ve already exhausted every lead.

How can you get more prospects when you’ve already called everyone you could?

Here’s a clue: When a prospect says no, it doesn’t mean forever. And if you went back through all of your calls and proposals from last year, you’ll notice many rejections aren’t a firm, final “No.” Your client might have said “not now” or “maybe later,” but you chalked it up as a loss and moved on.

Sure, it’s great to shrug off setbacks, but what if that “no” wasn’t a never? Reworking past no’s is a methodological process to review “nos” and revitalize your prospect list. I recommend that every sales professional does this every quarter!

Create A Follow-Up Plan

Usually, we give a proposal, our prospect says, “No, we’re going with your competition,” and that’s that. We feel a little sore about not getting their business, but part of us assumes the client had some good reasons for awarding the project to someone else. They seem to have their mind made up, after all!

Here’s the thing—time changes everything!

Because of that, it’s essential to have a strategy in place to follow up with clients who say “no.” Depending on your product or service, set a timeline for follow-up. In three, six, or nine months, reach out to your old prospect to ask:

• Did the implementation of our competitor’s solution go well?
• Did it meet all your needs and expectations?
• Are you happy you made the change?

About 25% of the time, they’re going to be unhappy about the choice they made. If they’re tied into a contract, you’re going to be the first on their radar when that contract runs out. You can find out the perfect time to set up an appointment for next year when they’re able to switch to your product!

Of course, if they don’t have a contract, they may be willing to make that change immediately!

Near the beginning of the year, one of my sales coaching clients decided to do a full territory rework of his rejections from the previous three years. By April, he had already hit his quota—for the entire year! This simple prospecting concept allowed him to completely crush his annual sales goal.

Tip: Don’t Forget Past Clients

When you’re doing your quarterly territory rework, don’t forget another group of past prospects with lots of potential—the people who said yes! This could be an old client who left for a competitor, a decision-maker who now works at a new company, or even an existing client who would benefit from a new, up-to-date solution.

“No” Isn’t Forever!

Next time you’re feeling that your territory is completely tapped out, remember to rework your past no’s. It’s simple to build this process into a quarterly routine, and it works!

Even if your prospect is still a “no,” they will remember your follow-up skills. You’ll leave them with a lasting impression of someone who understands service and values business relationships. When their “not now” turns into “now,” you’ll be the first one they call.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Finding New Prospects—With Old Prospects appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

You might dream of being the CEO of your own business someday. Maybe you’re already living that dream! Or maybe, you’re one of the many people with no interest in entrepreneurship?

You might love being a part of a big corporation that provides you stability, support, and an expense account. The truth is, a vast majority of salespeople work for a larger organization, and you only have to worry about closing deals.

The bad news—that perspective is holding you back.

You are employed by a company, but you should be running your business like you’re the owner.

As a salesperson, you’re in charge of how much commission you make. Only you know what needs to be done to accomplish your goals! No matter who you work for, you need to run your business as if you’re 100% in charge of your success.

So, how can you manage your business like a CEO? Do what a CEO does:

• Invest in your business
• Make time for your business
• Understand how to get results
• Build quality relationships that drive the business forward

Invest In Your Business

If you’re working for a company, you might get a specific budget for marketing and promotion. Great! But how do you know that’s the right amount?

If you’re just following what your marketing or sales department tells you to spend on your business, you could be missing out—without even realizing it.

My rule of thumb is that 10% of profits need to be reinvested back into the business.

But there’s another rule that goes along with this! Don’t just spend 10% of what you make now. To get ahead, you need to invest 10% of what you want to be making.

(Okay, I know you really want to make $3 million a year, but keep it reasonable!)

The more you reinvest into your business, the more dividends come back later.

You are in charge of growing your business, so you need to be in charge of what’s being done to grow it. So how should you spend this money? Advertising and nice client gifts are a good start, but that only goes so far. It’s crucial to invest in yourself. This includes:

• Personal Development
• A Sales Coach
• Education & Books that will help you grow your business

You didn’t get a college degree in “How to be a Salesperson.” Many successful salespeople don’t have a degree in anything! That doesn’t mean sales education isn’t essential—it means it’s even more of a priority. If you want your sales career to grow, you need to be learning and growing constantly.

Make Time For Your Business

Investing money into your business is crucial, but you also need to invest your time.

It’s simple. When growing a sales business (or any business!), you’ll have to put in more time.

Entrepreneurship doesn’t equal tons of free time—that’s really just a pipe dream. Most business owners work way over 40 hours a week. They put in the time because that’s what their business needs to survive, grow, and thrive!

Put the extra hours in. This includes growing your sales practice and all the time you spend on yourself—learning about new products, researching new methods, and expanding your capabilities.

It can feel challenging, but you’re laying the groundwork for a bigger future. A farmer who wants a bigger harvest has to first put in the extra work—planting new fields, learning new techniques, nurturing growth. The time you invest into your business will pay off!

Understand How To Get Results

A lot of sales professionals know the exact results they want. Unfortunately, many sales professionals don’t know how to get there.

It’s crucial to understand the relationship between your sales activities and your results!

If you don’t have the habits or activities to support your desired result, you’ll never get there. That’s why you have to examine what you’re doing—and what you’re not doing—and be honest with yourself.

Once you have a handle on your sales goals, ask yourself if you’re putting in the effort you need to reach them. Are all your sales activities enough to support your goal? What needs to improve?

Build Quality Relationships That Drive Your Business Forward

Speaking of activities supporting results, let me ask you a question: Do you have enough referral sources?

Next question: Do you have enough quality referral sources?

A business can’t grow by itself! Your sales business needs to be fed with fresh prospects just to stay alive. If you want more business, you’ll need more prospects than you currently get.

For most sales professionals, relationships with referral partners are the most important ones you have. But not all referral sources are alike!

Quality referral partners are people who have the power to drive your business forward.

Too many salespeople get caught up in “how many” referral sources they need and ignore how good their sources are. Quality beats quantity. Twenty-five shallow relationships might give you enough business, but imagine the kind of business you’d get from 10 or 15 very deep relationships.

What do you need to do to deepen your relationships? How can you find better partners for your business? How can you build and grow their trust in you?

As the CEO of your career, you owe it to yourself to answer these questions!

Act Like A CEO!

I have provided sales coaching and consulting services for hundreds of people over the years. 50% of our sales coaching clients pay for their own coaching. Even though their company doesn’t cover the cost, they understand the value of personal development. They’re investing in their own business.

They know investing their time and money (and building deep relationships) is the only way their business will grow. And that’s why they’re smashing new goals while others are stuck on the same plateau year after year.

If you want to take charge of your sales business, I’d love to help. Drop me a line. If you could use some free advice, subscribe to my updates! I cover sales techniques, time management tips, and ways for sales professionals to stay motivated and keep their heads in the game.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Act Like A CEO! appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

So many people don’t allow their weekend to be a weekend. Why? I think people—especially salespeople—often feel like the weekend is our only opportunity to “catch up.”

We can’t get enough of our work done during the week—because work gets in the way! The weekend is blissfully free of all the meetings, phone calls, interruptions, and last-minute emergency fire drills that take over our week.

Do you feel like the only way to get any work done is to do it outside of work hours? We’ve all been there!

You Need R&R!

Sadly, when we spend all weekend catching up on work, we rob ourselves in another area.

We invest so much time into our businesses. We want them to be successful and profitable. This results in very little time invested for ourselves. When we repeat this pattern week after week, our business may do great—but we’re burnt out, overwhelmed, unfulfilled, exhausted, and unhealthy.

If you’re burnt out, how can you sustain your business? You can’t. If your life falls apart, your business will too.

The most successful athletes work hard but know how essential recovery is to their success. Pro-level training plans outline workouts but incorporate rest periods and healthy amounts of sleep.

Similarly, the most successful businesspeople know that hard work requires rest and recovery to be sustainable. You have to make taking care of yourself a priority. It’s good for business!

Set Limits On Your “Working Weekends”

The fact is, the weekend is possibly the only time most of us will get to rest, relax, and recover. For those of us with children, sometimes the weekend feels even busier than the work week! This is why it’s so important to let your weekend be a weekend and take steps to protect this valuable time.

Working over the weekend isn’t always completely avoidable. But if you’ve decided to “work” this weekend, set strict limits ahead of time. Determine a specific time frame you’ll do the work, and only work during those hours.

I’ll admit it—I often work on Sundays! But it’s a good example of how setting limits allows you to keep your weekend from being taken over by work.

• First, I clearly define what I want to accomplish. For me, these are usually tasks like coming up with ideas for articles, brainstorming marketing ideas, and managing my calendar.
• Second, I clearly define how long I’ll work on these things. If I block out noon to 4 p.m. for work, I don’t go beyond that allotted amount.

Working Weekend Don’ts

If you’re comfortable working on the weekend, it’s entirely okay to build a half-day into your regular schedule. But there’s a critical rule for this block of time: Don’t put things off until the weekend! This should always be seen as bonus time.

The reality is, you never know when there’s a last-minute birthday party invitation or if you’ll come down with something and desperately need an afternoon of lying on the couch! Rest and recovery need to take priority. If you have a big Monday deadline, don’t let things wait until the weekend! You’ll be doing the work when you least want to, and the quality of your work will suffer.

The other thing I recommend against is waiting until Sunday night to plan for the upcoming week. If you’re doing this, you’re already behind the ball. Follow the 10-10-30 rule, and use your Friday afternoons to plan for the following week. This way, you can go into your weekend and fully enjoy it, knowing you already have a plan for Monday.

Make Time For Yourself!

Years ago, I promised myself that Saturdays would always be a full day off. I work from home, so I’m careful to avoid even going into my office! I want my Saturday to be truly open and free from work. I can do anything I want, without feeling guilty about it. That way I can truly relax and recover!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Let Your Weekend Be A Weekend appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

If you want to get further in your career, you have to grow. It’s just a fact! As long as you stay the same, you’ll always stay in the same place.

A salesperson who isn’t growing personally will see the same lack of growth in their sales numbers. Every year, the commission checks are stagnant (or less!), and goals seem forever out of reach.

The only way to grow as a person—and grow your sales business—is to invest in yourself. To reach long-term goals, there’s no other way! The money and time you spend on yourself always pay future dividends. Here are some of the best ways sales professionals can invest in themselves:

1. Invest in your personal development.
2. Invest in an assistant.
3. Invest in your relationships.
4. Invest in your personal image.
5. Invest in your personal financial plan.
6. Invest in your health.

Invest In Your Personal Development

If you’re in sales, I’m the first advocate that you need a sales coach in your life.

If it’s not me or my team, fine. But find someone! The experience, techniques, accountability, and insight you’ll get from having a coach on your side is worth far more than the cost. Executives, top producers, and pro athletes all employ personal coaches. There’s a reason—to perform at the highest level, you have to constantly work on your personal development.

Education is another way to invest in your personal development. You can’t go off to college and get a doctorate in sales—you’ll need to find the resources that will help you expand your sales skills and develop your mind for business.

Is there a course you want to take or a networking group you want to join? Do it—even if your company won’t pay for it. It’s an investment in yourself, and you’re worth the money.

One last easy way to invest: Set a reading goal. Whether one book a week or one book a month, set a goal and stick to it. And yes, audiobooks count—they’re a great way to reach your reading goal while commuting or exercising. No excuses! Be consistent and always be learning.

Invest In An Assistant

For many sales professionals, a personal assistant is an investment with huge returns.

You can afford a personal assistant! By hiring someone to handle easy-to-delegate tasks, you’re investing a little money to get back tons of time.

The same goes for investing in tools and technology that will save you time. They pay for themselves—you can use more of your time for activities that actually produce income.

Learn how to calculate the true value of your time, and you’ll quickly see how any investment that saves you time is worth the cost.

Invest In Your Relationships

Our relationships with others are incredibly valuable in every aspect of our lives. By strengthening our relationships, we can lead happier, more fulfilling lives. We all intuitively know that when our relationships with other people suffer, it has a substantial negative impact.

So why do so many salespeople phone it in when it comes to their professional relationships?

Your referral partners keep your sales funnel full—they are crucial to your business. There are many other relationships, from mentors to networking connections, that will drive your business forward. Not to mention your clients, who have placed so much trust in you and your product!

Are you spending enough energy, time, and money on the people who will take your business to the next level? Are you meeting with your referral partners and clients to stay connected and deepen those relationships?

At least once a week, have an in-person meeting with someone who can drive your business forward. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Even if it’s “just to catch up,” you’re building a relationship and level of trust that will pay off.

And be sure you have a client retention program that shows your customers your commitment and appreciation! Are you sending regular gifts, organizing networking events, and hosting parties? Investing in these relationships shows that you provide value beyond just selling your product.

Invest In Your Personal Image

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—first impressions matter.

As much as first (and ongoing) impressions are about how you conduct yourself, appearance is important. And looking good is a surefire way to boost your confidence!

Having a well-maintained, professional image does require spending a little money. But don’t worry—I’m not saying you need to go out and buy a closet full of bespoke suits and a $15,000 wristwatch. You don’t have to spend ridiculous money to look great!

You do need nice, well-made business attire that conveys the image you’re trying to promote. Pay attention to commonly-overlooked details, like shoes—good ones are worth the investment. And remember that as the years go by, even the nicest items will start to look shabby! Maintain, repair, and replace items as they wear out.

Guys, if your shirt collar and cuffs are frayed, it’s time to buy new shirts!

Personal grooming is also an investment requiring time and money. Regular, professional haircuts, well-kept manicures (and pedicures!), and quality grooming products show an attention to detail that furthers your professional impression. An unattractive or sloppy appearance can be a huge distraction for a client and make a salesperson seem less trustworthy.

Get a haircut more often than you think you need to. Shave more often than you think you need to. Trim your nails more often than you think you need to.

If I chip my nail polish at the beginning of a long day, I’ll put a Band-Aid over my fingertip! I’d rather look injured than shabby.

Impressions aren’t only made in person—you have an online image that needs to be maintained as well. Is your headshot up to date? Is your LinkedIn profile as good as it can be?

Invest In Your Personal Financial Plan

Salespeople live on a variable income. You’re going to have high months and low months. A long dry spell could be devastating if you’re on a low-base, high-commission compensation plan.

This means it’s crucial to be following a solid financial plan. This includes budget, savings, investment, and retirement—but also includes planning how much you’ll be investing in yourself!

To weather the variations in your commissions, you need a savings reserve. Start with one month, and work up to at least three months. Six months is ideal.

One of the personal finance tools we use is You Need A Budget (YNAB). With the YNAB system, you can be sure that every dollar you have coming in has a place to go. It takes some discipline, but careful budgeting is essential to ensure your stability and financial security.

If you need help, remember that many “financial advisors” are really salespeople, just like you, and are more interested in selling you their company’s products than helping you with personal financial planning. Do your research, and find the right professionals with a fiduciary requirement to act in your best interests.

Invest In Your Health

Finally, you have to take care of yourself—both your mind and your body.

You’ve only got one body!

You have to exercise. Invest time into a fitness routine. Get a gym membership. The benefits of exercise are endless.

You have to sleep. Develop a sleep routine for good sleep hygiene. Invest in a quality mattress. See a doctor if you’re tired no matter how much sleep you get. Sleep has a massive impact on our performance, physically and mentally!

Take care of your mind and body. If this means dragging yourself to the doctor, seeing a therapist, or meditating—stop procrastinating and take action! Start making investments to improve your health. It’s important for your business, your personal life, and the people who love you!

You’re Worth It

Your growth, development, and efficiency are worth the money. Your appearance, safety, and health are worth the time. There’s no better way to invest than investing in yourself!

I hope this list gave you some ideas. If you’d like to start investing in your sales career, I’d love to help—work with me!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Invest In Yourself appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Every sales professional will face a wide variety of objections and obstacles during the sales process. But whether you’re trying to close a deal, or simply set up an initial meeting, there’s one fundamental obstacle that you’ll come up against time and again: The status quo.

Never underestimate the power of the status quo. As a salesperson, it will always be your biggest competitor. Humans don’t like to change—even if we’re unhappy! 

People will make any excuse to maintain the status quo and avoid change. From a prospect, these excuses look like these:

“I prefer working with my current rep.”
“We just changed providers last year.”
“I don’t want to go through the trouble of switching.”
“We’re happy with what we’re paying for our current solution.”

To many salespeople, these objections sound like an outright “no.” But they’re all rooted in a desire to keep the status quo. How can we overcome this resistance to change and get a deal signed? If you’re fighting the status quo, you need to:

• Put yourself in your client’s shoes
• Provide a powerful solution
• Make change easy

Put Yourself In Your Client’s Shoes

The first step in overcoming the status quo is understanding the pain of change.

Let me ask you a question: When was the last time you changed your entire banking system?

If you’re like most people, the answer is somewhere between “ten years ago” and “never!” Why? Because it’s a huge pain to transition all your automatic deposits, account numbers, log-ins, checks, and debit cards. And what if something transfers incorrectly or gets held up during the process? Even if you’re pretty unhappy with your bank, you’ll keep banking there to avoid the hassle of switching to a new bank.

We all understand wanting to keep the status quo in our personal lives. But many sales professionals forget that clients feel the same about their business. Maybe your solution is better, faster, and cheaper on paper—but your client still has to go through the immense hassle of disturbing the status quo.

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes! Whether you’re selling a new prescription provider plan, an enterprise software solution, or a fleet of new equipment, you have to be realistic about how disruptive it will be for your client’s business.

Provide A Powerful Solution

Once you appreciate how painful the transition or implementation process is for your client (without actually telling them how painful the transition will be), you can understand how much value you need to bring to the table. 

Consider this example: A client of mine changed providers for their company’s benefits program, resulting in savings of $200,000 a year. Great! But a year later, my client says they wish they never did it. Between the costs of rolling out an entirely new program and the headaches of dealing with unhappy employees, it simply wasn’t worth the savings.

Change isn’t just inconvenient. It results in real business costs—from retraining technicians to rolling out employee initiatives. Your product or service has to outweigh these costs. Is your solution more robust, more functional, or more cost-effective? Do you have better service and support? If you understand your product and your customers’ pain, you can make a case for why switching is worth it.

(And remember—when you sell on price, you lose on price!)

Make Change Easy

The best way to eliminate the option of status quo is to help with your client’s transition process. It’s crucial that you understand all the obstacles your customer will face in implementing your solution and have ways to assist them.

Change is a lot of work—and extra work is the last thing any of us need in our lives! As you’re telling your client about your company’s fantastic cost savings or superior functionality, they’re thinking, “Great, this sounds like a lot of extra work.”

Think back to the banking example. What if the new bank had a salesperson, or team, who seamlessly handled the transition for you? 

Can you do the heavy lifting for your client? Are there extra steps you (or a team member) can perform that will take some of the burden off their shoulders? Do you have a strategic plan to help clients implement your product or service? Can you offer a framework to support and guide them through the process?

Any of these will give you a considerable edge over the status quo.

Fight The Status Quo!

No matter what you sell and who you sell it to, the status quo will always be your biggest competitor. Knowing this is half the battle. When you anticipate your client’s needs and understand their resistance to change, you’ll be able to develop solutions that make significant changes feel a little less daunting.

If you’re a sales professional looking for fresh ideas and new strategies to overcome objections, a professional coaching or consulting solution can make a huge difference. Reach out—I’d love to hear from you!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Status Quo: Your Biggest Competitor appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Salespeople have to be resilient. We’re responsible for how much income we make. Our job is to go out and ask for the business. And a lot of the time, the answer will be a hard no.

Rejection is bad enough. When it’s tied to your paycheck, it takes on a whole new level!

The Mighty Oak Tree

When coaching my clients, I remind them that sales professionals have to be like a mighty oak tree.

I know, the fable we all grew up with had opposite advice!

In that classic tale, the grasses bend and sway with the wind. The oak tree stands unyielding and sometimes snaps in half. The moral of the story is that if you’re too proud and stubborn—and you refuse to adapt—you’ll be destroyed.

I get it. But in the real world, salespeople have to be firm. And they can’t be blown every which way and fold over when they face adversity. They need to be more like the mighty oak tree!

A strong oak tree can survive for hundreds of years, through hurricanes and drought. It can do this because it has deep roots and strong, dense wood. Sure, a few branches may break in a heavy storm—but the tree survives.

You’ll break some branches, too. A client will leave, a prospect will reject you, a deal will fall through. But if you’ve put down roots, and built a strong foundation, you’ll survive.

When a branch breaks off, a healthy tree will always grow a new limb. And for every loss, you will experience new growth!

Never Give Up

How can you be a stronger salesperson? How can you deepen your roots? How can you bounce back when a tornado comes through and demolishes your book of business?

You have to persevere and keep planting seeds. The oak tree keeps growing and keeps dropping acorns. You have to ensure you’re growing, and putting in the work to grow your business. No matter what setback you experience, you have to sit down, pick up the phone, and dial!

If you can think of yourself as a mighty oak who can weather any condition, you’ll be able to accomplish anything you want.

The grasses bend in the wind, and they don’t get hurt—but they never grow tall. They die after a season, get trampled down, and vanish. 

The oak fights to survive, keeps growing no matter what, and knows that losing a limb isn’t the end of the world. It stands strong, because time is on its side. With time and resilience, it can build itself into an enduring monument.

Sales Isn’t For The Faint Of Heart

You’re a mighty oak. Get after it! No matter what your plan is, you need to be attacking it wholeheartedly—you can’t let life’s storms set you back. You have to do whatever it takes to keep growing.

If you don’t know how, it’s time to get educated. If you need help, reach out— I help sales professionals and teams build their knowledge and resilience so they can weather any storm and grow to new heights. And don’t forget to subscribe to my posts if you could use some free tips on time management, sales techniques, and ways to stay motivated!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Be A Mighty Oak appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

I’m a big believer in goal setting (like an Olympic Gold Medalist believer). Whether it’s in your personal life or your sales career, you need a goal to measure your success against and keep you motivated.

Every sales professional needs to set (and revise) business goals. Even if someone else in your organization is setting revenue goals for your team, you need to do your own personal goal setting—to make sure you’re working toward where you want to be. It’s critical to your business success.

If you’re a big believer in setting goals like I am, that’s great! But there’s one common goal-setting mistake I see made over and over again, from business executives to top salespeople. If you’re doing this, you might be setting yourself up to fail without realizing it.

The Hidden Danger Of Annual Goals

When people set business goals, they usually do it one year at a time. A year feels like a long time to look ahead, and it’s easy to reverse engineer 3-, 6-, and 9-month milestones from your annual goal.

For example, you know you want to increase sales to $12 million this year, so you set that as the goal at the start of the first quarter. Divide by four, and you have a goal of $3 million per quarter. Easy! 

As the year goes by, your team is averaging $1 million a month. You’re 100% on track. Right?

Dead wrong!

When you only plan one year at a time, you’re ignoring the following year’s expectations. It’s highly unlikely that your sales organization is okay with stagnant revenue! Next year’s sales goals are always bigger. Your company may expect a consistent rate of year-over-year growth, or they may have a significant initiative next year that will demand a 25% in sales. Even if you don’t “officially” know what will be expected two or three years down the road from your team, I’ll bet you have a good idea.

Back to our example. You knew that this year’s goal was $12 million… but you also knew that next year’s goal would be $15 million. If your team closes $1 million every month through December, you’ll definitely hit your goal for this year. But the very next month, your team will need to find another $250k to meet the new goal!

Build In An Upward Trajectory

With a limited one-year goal-setting horizon, you’ll always be stuck at the beginning of the following year, trying to catch up from behind. Your team’s sales funnel won’t be full enough to support the increased expectations. Attitudes begin to suffer. The new goals seem impossible to achieve. It stinks!

How can all this be avoided?

Build an upward trajectory into your goals.

Simply put, this means that by the middle of the year, your production needs to be trending up. By the last month of the year, you should be well on your way to meeting the demands of next year’s new goal.

In the previous example, your team should have been making incremental changes to increase their numbers—from expanding prospect lists to improving closing techniques. $3 million in the first quarter was a good milestone, but only to start with. If you raised the bar by $250k each quarter, you’d be ready to close $15 million a year by the end of Q4. 

Yes, this means your $12 million annual goal is actually over $13 million—but that’s a good thing! Instead of having to suddenly come up with an additional $250k in 30 days, your sales team will have the time to make gradual adjustments. Instead of feeling defeated by next year’s goal, you’ll be ready to attack it confidently. After all, you just exceeded last year’s goal!

Don’t Forget Seasonality

Another great reason to plan two years at a time is to get a better perspective on seasonal variations in your sales cycle. Some businesses are highly cyclical, and some have long sales cycles. Either factor can require careful thinking on how your quarterly goals are set.

Not all months are alike!

Even if your revenue varies throughout the year, an upward trajectory still needs to be in place. If your sales business is constantly getting stronger, you’ll be able to weather the slow periods better and rely a little less on the busy season.

Trend Towards Success

While I used sales numbers as an example, the two-year approach to planning applies to virtually every business strategy. Whether it’s sales, recruiting, or marketing, building an upward trajectory into your goals keeps you from playing catch-up.

Goal setting and planning are critical for success. Do it right, and remember to look at the big picture!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Setting Better Goals: The 2-Year Approach appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Salespeople and business leaders face challenges, setbacks, and disappointments every week. If you’re in business, it happens! Sometimes it’s hard to stay positive.

Unfortunately, a negative attitude can destroy your motivation. Over time, it hurts your business, your career, and your personal life. Maintaining a positive attitude is often the biggest hurdle a salesperson must overcome.

Positive Emotions: The Key to Positivity

Barbara Fredrickson is a well-known psychology professor and an expert on positive psychology. In addition to writing several books on the subject, her ideas pop up all the time in books and articles about the importance of positivity.

Her main idea: You can use different emotions to bring a more positive outlook on life. 

She identifies ten positive emotions that we can tap into and increase our positivity:

• Joy

• Gratitude

• Serenity

• Interest

• Hope

• Pride

• Amusement

• Inspiration

• Awe

• Love

These positive emotions show up in your personal life and work life. When we pay attention to these emotions during our workday, we can increase our positivity and motivation. Think about each emotion and how it relates to your sales career:

Joy occurs when we’re surprised and delighted—when we experience an unanticipated good thing. When something good happens, joy is usually the first emotion to follow. In sales, joy happens when you win. Conquering a goal, closing a deal, or hitting a milestone gives us joy and keeps us positive.

We experience Gratitude when somebody else’s effort comes back in a way that benefits us. You can be grateful for your team, your product or service, or your company. The great thing about gratitude is that it can motivate you to pay it forward and do something for someone else. Find a way to be grateful every day!

Serenity is what we feel when we’re at ease. Serenity is such a powerful emotion for our well-being. It encourages us to savor the moment and gather ourselves. I love a quiet Sunday morning with a cup of tea, but you can cultivate serenity anytime—in the morning before you’ve started your day or in the evening when you’re curled up with a book. Rest and recovery are critical after all the effort we put into our business. (And, if you haven’t tried meditation, start!)

Interest is the curiosity to explore something when it feels safe. When you’re thinking about a new way to grow business, a new way to prospect, a new product, or even a new job, those are all positive emotions of interest. You are really curious about what this will do and how it will bring positivity to your life!

So many people say, “Hope is not a strategy.” But hope is a strategy! Hope allows you to dream about a brighter future. That’s how you get through difficult times! For me, hope has brought me tremendous peace throughout the uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can be optimistic and resilient through hope.

Pride sometimes gets a bad rap, but it’s the emotion we feel when we’re happy about something we did. It’s great because it’s a chance to feel positive about our accomplishments. When you get a promotion, hit a goal, or are recognized for your achievements, don’t hide your pride!

Amusement is always tied to laughter. When you think about what makes you chuckle or someone else laugh, that positive emotion can bring you great happiness. When you flub your way through a presentation or trip in front of a client, sometimes all you can do is laugh. Amusement lets us stay positive even when we make a fool of ourselves.

We feel Inspiration when we see the best in someone else. In turn, this feeling motivates you to do your best. When you see one of your team members win Presidents’ Club or see an underdog win a big account, it’s an inspiring moment. With an abundant mindset, you’ll see their accomplishment and think, “If they can, I can.”

Awe is one of my personal favorites—I am constantly in awe of nature and what people can accomplish. I love the sunset, every time, even when it’s partially blocked by telephone poles and power lines. Taking in and appreciating the glorious, unbelievable awesomeness around us will motivate you to do great things and create your own awesomeness.

Love is the emotion we feel when other positive emotions are shared with someone else. This shared experience makes it the most powerful way to increase positivity in your life. In business, this includes growing relationships and loving what you do. “Love what you do” is part of our motto at Skillway because it’s so critical to what you are able to accomplish.

Use Your Emotions!

Throughout my years of sales coaching, some of the most inspiring changes I’ve seen in people’s lives (and businesses) came from cultivating a positive attitude. The next time you’re feeling amused, inspired, in awe, or full of love, think about how you can draw on this positive emotion to keep driving you forward!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Positivity Can Change Your Life appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Quite regularly I’m told, “Dew, I just don’t have enough leads!” As a salesperson, it’s hard not to panic when your sales funnel is drying up and fewer and fewer proposals are going out. You need to grow your prospect list and get more leads to call on—but it seems impossible.

Stop right there! There are ALWAYS enough leads!

Unfortunately, sales professionals often fall into a scarcity mindset and miss out on abundance. Feeling like you’ve “tapped your market” is a perfect example of scarcity thinking.

Keeping your prospect list full is crucial for your sales funnel and can drive an abundance mentality through your entire sales process.

Power Prospect Brainstorming

The lack of prospects came up in a sales team meeting I was in recently. Everyone was wallowing in the woes of, “I just don’t have anyone to call!” It was like a competition to see which salesperson had it the worst!

Complaining isn’t going to get you or your team anywhere. But there’s a quick fix that anyone can do, and it works wonders for rebuilding a prospect list. I call it Power Prospect Brainstorming. Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Turn on music (it takes off the pressure of sitting in silence).

Step 2: Set a timer for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Perform a “name dump.”

A name dump is when you jot down as many names as possible that you can think of that could either be a prospect or a referral partner that could give your names. I prefer starting by simply going through your phone contacts, but you can use any source (e.g., LinkedIn, your CRM, etc.). You can jot down these names in a notebook, Word, or a spreadsheet. Just start writing!

Like any brainstorming session, the key here is not to sweat the small stuff! When you’re doing the name dump:

• Don’t get lost in the weeds worrying about small details or categorizing names.
• Don’t worry about having their contact info—you can get that later.
• Don’t try to remember if you’ve called that person before.
• Don’t stress about where to start—just start!

You Are Your Best Source For Leads

After listening to everyone’s grumbling, I had my client’s sales team try Power Prospect Brainstorming. For 10 minutes, I watched them jot down names. Some struggled, some used their phone contact list or flipped through their notebooks, some used their CRM, and a few jumped on social media sites (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.). One of them just got busy writing names off the top of her head as quickly as possible.

The result? 11 people came up with 489 names!!! 489! This was a group of people who had just said they didn’t have anyone to call, but after only 10 minutes they had 489 people to start calling. The winner? The person who got busy writing. She didn’t worry about anything except writing down names, and she came up with 112 by herself! I opened my wallet and gave her $20—112 names are worth celebrating!

I’ve done this with teams in all sorts of industries. It’s not only a great way to build your prospect list; it’s a great way to find new recruits. One branch manager I worked with had her team brainstorm for names of potential new salespeople. As a reward, she had $20 gift cards for anyone who came up with five names and a $100 gift card for whoever came up with the most. By the end of the session, she had more than 40 great candidates to pursue.

Prospects Are Out There!

Whenever I feel like my prospect list is getting short, I do a Power Prospect Brainstorming session. It’s always surprising how many new names I can come up with. It’s the best, fastest way to identify people who can either help me grow my business or who would be good clients. (In fact, while writing this, I took a quick 10-minute break and wrote down 49 names of people it was time to call—I guess my prospect list is done for this week!) 

Drop the scarcity mentality. There truly is an abundance of prospects out there—and you already know their names! I hope you try Power Prospect Brainstorming the next time your sales funnel is running low on leads.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post The Easy Way To Find New Leads appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Regret can make your life miserable. It can even force you to leave a career you once loved. After coaching and consulting hundreds of sales professionals and business owners, I’ve met plenty of successful people who wish they could do a few things differently.

Across this diverse group of people, these four regrets have come up over and over again:

• Not asking for help
• Keeping unnecessary relationships
• Worrying
• Jealousy

Interestingly, these common regrets aren’t tactical mistakes—they’re all about mindset! Some professionals take years (or decades!) to realize they’ve been holding themselves back. That means years of not living up to your potential and missing out on opportunities—and someday saying, “I wish I had known better ten years ago!”

They say wisdom is learning from others’ mistakes, so let’s look at each one. Think about how you can change your mindset to avoid these and save yourself from regret!

Not Asking For Help

Too many people wait too long to ask for help running their business.  

Maybe you believe you should be able to figure things out on your own. Maybe you think your questions are stupid. Maybe you feel asking questions is silly, embarrassing, or weak.

But what’s more embarrassing—asking a bad question or having your business fail?

Ask for help. If you’re working with a prospect, it’s okay to not know the answer! 

Recently, I worked with a company who had a new salesperson. His client needed a solution, and the salesperson was pretty sure his company’s software was capable of providing it. So, he went ahead and sold them the software.

It turned out that what he sold didn’t cover the client’s problem. The company had to go back with their tail between their legs to explain that the client would have to pay more for an add-on package to get the functionality they needed.

This could have been avoided if he simply told his client, “I think we can do that, but I’d like to check with my team to be certain. Let me get back to you.”

Don’t let your ego get in your way of tapping into the resources that will help you succeed. Leverage your team’s knowledge. It’s not worth losing a deal just because you were too proud to ask for help!

Keeping Unnecessary Relationships

Many sales professionals will keep certain partners around for far too long. These people drain your energy, take up too much of your time, and aren’t really ideal partners. But you keep them in your book of business, because you feel like you “need” them.

This is the scarcity mindset at work. You don’t need them!

It can be hard to let relationships go, but you need to constantly evaluate your business relationships and ask if they’re a good match. This applies to inner circle relationships, referral partners, power partners, and even clients.

Don’t waste your energy, time, and effort to keep a less-than-ideal relationship going, when tons of other people can help you truly move your business forward.

Worrying

Salespeople love to worry! They worry about closing a sale, losing a client, losing their job, their team being happy, a project coming to an end.

Believe me, I find myself worrying, too—from hitting annual growth goals to successfully onboarding new hires. But when I heard this phrase about worrying, it really struck me:

Worrying is like praying for something you don’t want.

I actually have this written down on a sticky note and stuck to my monitor! It’s so true.

Worrying is useless. It does nothing for you and nothing for your business.

If you’re worried about a situation, it’s a sign you need a plan. Instead of worrying, focus on forming a strategy on how you’re going to attack the situation. Setting goals and planning how you’ll achieve them is the best way to overcome worry!

Jealousy

Many professionals don’t fully come to regret jealousy until later in their careers. Jealousy has an interesting effect on your business.

Jealousy is closely related to the scarcity mindset. Someone else hits their goals or has a big win. Somebody goes on an amazing vacation or grows their business into a huge success. You see it, and say, “I’ll never be able to do that,” or, “Why don’t I get to do that?”

Success is not a limited resource! But jealousy makes us see other people’s success negatively, making us feel like there’s not enough room for us to succeed.

The way to get past jealousy is to use the success of others as a positive driving force. Instead of asking, “Why do they get to have an awesome vacation,” tell yourself, “If they can, I can too!” 

Of course, I’m realistic with myself. I know I can’t go out and win the Tour de France! But if someone else’s accomplishment is truly impossible for you, there’s no reason to waste time being jealous about it—just be happy for them, be inspired and move on.

Use other people’s success as motivation to catapult your business. If they can do it, chances are you can do it too—you just need to set your goals, identify your challenges and opportunities, and make a plan.

“If they can, I can.” This phrase has been a mantra for me for years. Don’t get jealous of other people, when you can use their success to drive you forward!

Avoid Regret—Change Your Attitude!

Ask for help, curate your relationships, stop worrying and ditch the jealousy. You’ll be more flexible, more open, more positive, and ultimately more successful—and you won’t be saying, “If only I could do it all over again!”

Even the best sales champions need to be vigilant about their attitude. Often, the best way to get your head back in the game—or energize your sales team—is to work with a professional sales coach. If you’d like to learn more, drop me a line.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Four Career Mistakes Sales Professionals Regret appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Every salesperson knows what they want out of their next client meeting—to close! But how do you make sure your first appointment will lead to getting your prospect’s business? 

More importantly, how can you make sure this meeting is wildly successful and super efficient? 

Your goal should be to make the most out of your sales appointment—and like any goal, step one is making a plan!

Determine Your Winning Strategy

You want your client meeting to be the best use of your time—and your client’s. It’s worth taking time before your meeting to think about strategy. I recommend that you sit down and outline what an effective sales appointment will look like.

First, I ask myself: What will a wildly successful outcome for this meeting look like? By envisioning total success, you can then reverse engineer your goals for the meeting.

Secondly, consider the amount of time you want to dedicate to each step of the sales process during this meeting. This timeline includes:

1. Building Rapport
2. Needs Analysis
3. Identifying the Solution
4. Closing For Next Steps

This timeline will help you stay on track and keep moving—stick to it! In time, you’ll have it down to a science. In my own prospect meetings, I allocate 25 minutes to ask questions, 15 minutes to talk about the solution, and 5 minutes to close for next steps. 

Finally, outline the questions you want to ask your prospect. For example, if your prospective client is a golf course, you’ll want to research the other golf courses that your organization works with and come up with some “A-ha!” talking points that you can bring up during your conversation.

The needs analysis (or discovery) is the most important part of your prospect meeting, and that’s where most time should be spent. This includes the time you spend ahead of your meeting doing research. Asking enough questions—and making sure they’re the right questions—makes all the difference when it’s time for your proposal. 

Stop Winging It!

Too many sales professionals just show up to client meetings and wing it. They call their sales manager 10 minutes before the meeting, asking if there’s any talking points they should know about. They’re kicking themselves throughout the whole meeting, wishing they spent some time on research. 

Don’t be one of those salespeople!

Instead, put in the work on the front end. Know what outcome you want, and plan for it. When it’s time for the meeting, all the pressure is off—you know what you’ll say and when you’ll say it. You’re relaxed and free to adapt without worrying about looking like a fool.

Relaxed, confident, and prepared salespeople win business. It’s as simple as that.

Set Yourself Up For Success

As the saying goes, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” A plan and some preparation is the best way to set yourself up to succeed during your next sales meeting. Whether it’s a big presentation or a one-on-one meeting with a prospect, being prepared pays off! 

If you’re looking for even more ways to unlock your sales potential, contact me—I love working with individuals and teams to find solutions to any sales obstacle.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Getting The Most Out Of A Sales Appointment appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Every salesperson needs to convert leads into closed deals. Making sales calls to a prospect list is the only way to keep your sales pipeline full. If it runs dry, so will your revenue.

We all know this, but sooner or later, most sales professionals face a huge obstacle clogging their pipeline: themselves. When it’s time to make calls, we hesitate, procrastinate, and get nervous or fearful. Call reluctance stops us cold!

The best way to get past call reluctance is to understand why it’s happening and how it affects your business. Every salesperson should:

1. Understand what call reluctance is.
2. Avoid the call reluctance trap.
3. Remember why you’re closing business now.
4. Get past the fear!
5. Try a new strategy to stay motivated.

These tips will help you get back on track and keep your sales pipeline healthy. Let’s dive in!

What Is Call Reluctance?

Call reluctance is a negative emotion that is preventing you from wanting to prospect. 

Most commonly, a salesperson with call reluctance will start making excuses when it’s time to prospect. We’ll tell ourselves we’re too busy. We’ll suddenly have important paperwork to file. We’ll decide we need to prepare for next week’s vacation.

The cause of this reluctance is usually tied to a fear of rejection. Sometimes, it’s not just a fear—we know we’ll be rejected because our prospect list is old and tired. If you’re just dialing through the same names over and over again, you already know the answer. Stop everything and focus on getting a fresh list of leads!

When we identify the negative emotions we have towards dialing, we can understand why we’re avoiding this crucial part of our business. But it’s important to remember why it’s so crucial—and why call reluctance is an easy trap to fall into.

The Call Reluctance Trap

Every single time you don’t prospect, you’re putting off future wins.

If your sales cycle is 6 months long, and you’re not calling prospects, you’re deciding your pipeline 6 months from now isn’t important.

This is how the call reluctance trap catches so many salespeople. Right now, your sales pipeline may be full and you’re closing plenty of business. The need for new prospects doesn’t feel immediate, and the negative consequences of not calling won’t be felt for months (or years). It’s easy to find short-term excuses that seem more important.

But is there anything more important to your business than your pipeline? Without customers, there’s no business at all!

6 months from now, when you’re looking at a very bleak month, you’ll have a very unpleasant reminder of how today’s prospecting dictates your future performance.

Remember Why You’re Closing Business Now

A good way to encourage yourself to keep calling, even when you have plenty of business, is to remember why you’ve got all that business.

When your pipeline is full and you’re closing lots of business, go back six months (or however long your sales cycle is) and look at your past sales activities. The numbers don’t lie—how many meetings were you setting, how many calls were you making, and what were you doing to earn such a full pipeline?

Let those past activities be a motivating and guiding factor for what you need to be doing every week to keep up the success.

Get Past The Fear

While you’re looking back at your past sales activities, notice who said no. What was the worst proposal you gave? Which prospects seemed like they would close but backed out at the last minute? What are the things that you thought would work out, but fell apart instead?

Reviewing our past failures can be a great source of motivation with the right perspective. Those failures happened, and you’re still here. You experienced rejection, missed opportunities, and ran straight into obstacles, but it didn’t prevent you from closing tons of other business. What felt like a big deal then probably doesn’t seem very important now. Remember that you can overcome setbacks—you have in the past, and will in the future.

There’s a simple saying called the 5×5 Rule: “If it’s not going to affect you five years from now, don’t spend more than five minutes worrying about it.” This perspective can really help you get past the fears of rejection or failure and start dialing.

Try Something New

I’ve shared some tips for conquering call reluctance before, because it’s such a common obstacle. Call reluctance can pop up anytime in a sales professional’s career—and it will keep returning! Working with a sales coach is a great way to stay motivated and get new ideas for tackling your prospect list. 

Many salespeople I’ve worked with have had great success by using visual motivation strategies to keep dialing. Try these out, and before you know it, you’ll be making calls instead of making excuses. You can do it!

If you could use some more free tips on motivation, time management, and sales technique, sign up for my blog and I’ll send new posts straight to your inbox.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Change Your Mindset to Get Over Call Reluctance appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Last month I overheard someone saying modern technology was killing communication. “Why don’t we just pick up the phone anymore?”

Most of us take today’s technology for granted. It’s easy to forget that emails, texting, video calls, and social media are fairly recent inventions. Understandably, some people find all this change in such a short time overwhelming. They meet it with resistance and negativity.

But is tech really the worst thing for our lives and our businesses? I don’t think so. In fact, I love our technologically advanced world. Technology is our friend!

It’s Not Age, It’s Attitude

Someone complaining about how texting has replaced phone calls is bound to get a dismissive “OK, Boomer.” We assume that the older people are, the more they will struggle with technology—and that age is a valid excuse to refuse to accept new things. 

That’s just not true!

My mother was 70 years old when we bought her a computer—and she had never used one before. Today, she’s the most technologically advanced 85-year-old I know! Instead of being fearful or dismissive of new things, she chose to fully embrace technology. Learning to use technology allowed her to be more connected to her family and expanded her abilities (is your mom addicted to Ancestry.com too?). She loves it!

You’re never too old to learn something new. So what’s your excuse?

Refusing to use Slack, Zoom, or TikTok isn’t about age, it’s about attitude. You’re choosing to be close-minded about new ways to communicate and build relationships—usually just because you don’t want to learn something new.

Instead of complaining, try focusing on the positive ways you can use a new technology. Embrace what’s new! By putting technology to good use, you can reap the benefits in your personal life and your business. 

Tech Builds Relationships

These days, insisting on meeting in-person (can we stop using outdated phrases like  “face-to-face” or “belly-to-belly?”) means ignoring dozens of ways to get the work done.

If the pandemic showed us anything, it was that technology does work! Not only can we get our work done from home, we can build and maintain relationships and communicate effectively through video conferencing, chats, and emails. 

Sure, there were difficulties and adjustments. But the world didn’t come crashing to a halt. We still met new people and closed new business via Zoom. Many companies embraced the new way of doing business and won’t go back.

At the end of the day, technology keeps us connected. New apps and devices are a good thing—they’re really just new opportunities for building relationships with other people.

Take advantage of the ability to have virtual relationships. If you don’t, someone else will.

Embrace Technology

It’s true, I have talked a lot about how technology gets in our way. We have to be in charge of our screens and not the other way around. But as much as I talk about the drawbacks of our devices, I still love technology!

I love getting to see pictures of my siblings and their kids in 6 different states on a daily basis. I love feeling closer to people who are far away. And I love the chance to communicate in ways that are fast and easy, yet still meaningful.

At the beginning of the year, I decided that I was going to text someone every day that I appreciate just to let them know I was thinking about them. It’s my reminder that as much as I love to hear from people, they like to hear from me too.

Technology is always changing. The more you embrace it today, the easier tomorrow will be. Instead of fighting it, figure out how to use it for good!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

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As a sales consultant and one-on-one coach, I’ve educated and motivated hundreds of businesses and sales professionals. Ready to unlock your true sales potential? Reach out!

The post Can Technology Hurt My Business? appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

What were you doing on January 24th, 2019? Personally, I have no idea what I was doing. It’s just a random date I picked. But I’ll bet someone reading this remembers that day vividly—for better or worse.

If you can remember January 24th, 2019, maybe you have a miraculous memory and can recall every day of your life. But it’s much more likely that something important happened in your life on that day. A moment that’s burned into your memory.

These defining moments are the subject of The Power Of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath. This book was my #1 book of 2017, and years later, I still recommend it to someone at least once a week. It’s simply one of the best books on customer service I’ve ever read.

The memories that define us

In The Power Of Moments, the Heaths explore how we remember life experiences, basing their insights on scientific research. They break down the reasons certain moments are more memorable than others and how to amplify moments in our own lives to make them more meaningful.

There’s a long list of life-defining experiences in the book: falling in love, getting married, the birth of a child, the death of a parent, buying a house, natural disasters, historic events, and more. We usually don’t remember every single part of these transformative experiences, but we attach a lot of meaning to smaller moments within them.

According to the authors, these meaningful moments in our lives always occur around milestones, pits, and transitions. The conclusion is that whenever we’re at one of these peaks, pits, or turning points, we have an opportunity to create meaning that could have a significant impact.

Create new moments that have impact

In that long list of life events, one that stood out to me was starting a new job. Starting a new job is often a major transition for people, so it’s an opportunity to make some really meaningful moments that have lasting effects.

All too often, a new hire gets their badge, is shown to their desk, and their new boss says, “Welcome aboard. Now get after it!”

What a wasted opportunity!

Transitions and milestones in our careers are just as important as those in our personal lives. Creating powerful moments during these events can build stronger teams, foster a sense of belonging, and spread positivity. Meaningful experiences make us more productive, happier, and fulfilled.

Appreciate and celebrate moments

At my company, Skillway, we decided to make moments a priority. We love to celebrate important dates like birthdays and anniversaries, but we also keep track of what’s going on in our clients’ lives. We formed a Surprise & Delight initiative devoted to celebrating and appreciating these special moments.

Buying a new house, a daughter’s marriage, or a big career change are more impactful events than a birthday. Know what’s happening in the lives of your clients and team members so you can celebrate and appreciate major moments. Don’t just let them pass by! With a tiny amount of effort, you can make an impression that won’t be forgotten.

Make some memories!

Go pick up a copy of The Power Of Moments, and ask yourself how you can create meaning around life’s moments—for your clients, your team members, your family, and yourself. The book has tons more insights into customer service, setting goals, and how to elevate our life experiences. I should also mention that Chip and Dan Heath have written many great books—seriously, go read everything they’ve written!

My team and I love reading, and we’re always sharing book recommendations with our sales coaching clients. If your sales business is stuck on a plateau and you could use some fresh ideas, I’d love to work with you!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Book Recommendation: The Power Of Moments appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

If there’s one key to success, it’s consistency. That’s why I’m a big believer in routines. I talk about them a lot!

From winning morning routines to end-of-week routines, they’re not just a key to efficiency and success—they’re important for our well-being.

But before you can focus on making a routine a habit, you have to decide which routines will be the most effective for you. For me, there are four routines that have risen to the top—they’re the best at making me feel centered, productive, and in control of my day:

1. Get 8 hours of sleep with a regular bedtime
2. Exercise as soon as you wake up
3. Launch your workday with a to-do list
4. Make time to decompress every night

Putting these routines into consistent practice so that they’re happening at the same time every day can seem daunting. But once they fall into place, everything else in your life gets easier and happier. It’s amazing! Let’s take a closer look at each routine.

Get 8 Hours Of Sleep With A Regular Bedtime

According to the Sleep Foundation, adults need 7-9 hours of sleep. Study after study has shown insufficient sleep is simply unhealthy—it affects us both mentally and physically. Even though it’s a basic human need, over a third of us aren’t getting enough.

If you’re sleeping in late every weekend, you’re not getting enough sleep during the week. If you’re drowsy during the day, you’re not getting enough sleep! Without a solid eight hours, we simply can’t function to the best of our abilities—and the sleep deficit builds up over time.

Does getting eight hours of sleep sound impossible to you? One of the best ways to improve our sleep is to establish a nightly routine and go to bed at the same time every night. You have to set aside a time, every night, to turn off devices and start getting your mind and body ready for sleep.

If you need to fall asleep at 10 PM to get eight full hours of sleep, you can’t just jump into bed at 9:58! Every evening, you should have a quiet block of time that’s long enough to allow you to relax. Your bedtime routine might include a cup of (non-caffeinated) tea, a warm bath, and some light reading.

I have a reminder on my phone that goes off every night at 8 PM to let me know it’s time to start my evening routine.

Some other tips for a successful bedtime:

• Don’t allow screens in your bedroom
• Invest in a quality mattress
• Exercise daily (but not at bedtime!)
• Don’t drink caffeine after 2 PM

Exercise As Soon As You Wake Up

Many studies have shown that morning workout routines are more effective than working out at lunchtime or in the evening.

When you schedule your workouts later in the day, it’s easy to find excuses. Situations come up during the workday, and suddenly there’s a really good reason to skip the gym.

When exercise is the first thing on your schedule after waking up, you don’t have an excuse. Just do it. I talk a lot about the power of exercise and how it’s more important than ever. It’s good for your body but even better for your mind—it’s a free form of stress relief that will improve the rest of your day.

I don’t allow excuses to derail my exercise routine. No matter if it’s raining, or it’s hot, or I overslept, I’m getting out there and moving my body. It’s that important—and by making it a part of my morning routine, I can be sure I won’t miss out.

Launch Your Workday With A To-Do List

I’ve been educating and motivating sales professionals for a long time, and of the time management techniques I cover, the 10-10-30 rule continues to dramatically impact people’s lives.

Basically, you make planning your to-do list part of your daily routine. At the start and end of every day, you spend 10 minutes organizing your to-do list.

What’s so magical about this? Well, by devoting 10 minutes to your to-do list at the end of the day, you already have the next day’s tasks in your head. When you wake up, you know what you’ll do—and it’s in the back of your mind as you’re getting ready, exercising, or commuting to work.

Then you spend 10 minutes reviewing and prioritizing anything that may have popped up overnight, so by the time you get to your desk, you’re ready to start working. You’re not winging it. You’re not shuffling papers around, figuring out how to prioritize the day’s activities. You can simply dive right in and launch your workday—and because you’ve already been preparing for your tasks in the back of your mind, they get completed quickly and easily.

If you’re wasting an hour every morning trying to get organized and psych yourself up, the 10-10-30 rule will change your life.

Make Time To Decompress Every Night

For many of us, the benefits of working from home are undeniable. During the COVID pandemic, many people finally got the chance to ditch long commutes and have more freedom with their workday.

Unfortunately, as working from home became more common, I noticed a negative side effect popping up in many of my clients’ lives. At the end of the workday, people get up from their desk and walk straight into their kitchen with their families.

That sounds like a good thing, right? It turns out that, while no one likes a long commute, it was a built-in time at the end of every day that we could decompress and gradually stop thinking about work. By the time we got home, we had shifted gears and were ready to engage with our personal lives.

If you don’t decompress at the end of the day, you’ll just carry stress from work over into your personal life. You’ll probably end up trying to decompress at the end of the night when you’re trying to sleep—ensuring you’re groggy and stressed out the following morning when it’s time to go back to work! This constant cycle of stress is terrible for our careers, relationships, and health.

Be sure you’re setting aside time to unwind at the end of each day. You don’t have to be alone—it could be something like taking the entire family for a walk around the neighborhood. It can be as simple as taking five minutes to read a magazine article at your desk. What’s important is having a consistent routine that marks the end of your workday and the beginning of your evening.

Routines Are The Answer!

These four routines make every day a little easier, a little happier, a little healthier, and a little more productive. I’ve found these four have the most powerful impact on my life, but there are plenty of other areas in our personal and professional lives where routines can make a big difference.

Ask yourself how a routine might improve some part of your life that’s always a struggle. For example, I have a very specific housework routine: cleaning the kitchen is part of my everyday evening routine, while other household tasks are done on certain days of the week. By following a household routine (and sharing it with your partner!), you can make sure everything gets done while spreading the load—so you aren’t swamped every weekend with a giant pile of dishes and laundry. What would you do with all that extra weekend time?

I hope you can make the power of routines work for you! If you’d like more time management tips, along with sales techniques and ways to stay motivated, be sure to sign up for my free newsletter.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Four Essential Routines For Success appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

As a sales coach, I’m all about goals. My goal is to help salespeople achieve their goals—both personal and professional.

Every salesperson should know what their sales goals are. You might not have mastered them yet, but at the very least, you have a number you’re planning on hitting for the year. The goal is set—just start selling, right?

Your Sales Goal Isn’t the Only Number You Should Know

This story has happened more than a few times in my coaching career:

On a coaching call, I asked a client what his YTD revenue numbers were.

“I don’t know off the top of my head. Give me a second.”

After a few minutes, he was able to pull up his files and figure out what his current revenue status was. Then, I asked about the amount in outstanding invoices and contracts.

“Dew, I don’t know. I’m behind on my invoices. Let me look…”

It took a few more minutes, but I was willing to wait. It turned out he had over $100,000 in outstanding invoices. This amount happened to be the difference between hitting his quarterly goal or falling short! It was a wake-up call: he knew he had to start fixing the problem right away. A problem he wasn’t aware of until I asked!

The lesson was painful but clear: You have to know where you stand in real numbers. And you have to know those numbers at all times.

Are You Really on Track to Meet Goals?

On any given day, I’m able to say where my business stands (give or take a few thousand dollars). I know, because it’s important! If you want to reach any goal, you need to know how quickly you’re getting there day-to-day. How else will you know if something’s wrong or should be adjusted?

This is why it’s crucial to have weekly, monthly, and quarterly reviews. Analyze the numbers and compare between previous periods, as well as the same periods last year. Remember—you’ll need to incorporate upward trends into your plan to meet future goals. Just because you’re tracking to meet this year’s goal doesn’t necessarily mean you’re at the pace you need to hit next year’s goal.

Even if business is great and you’ve got so much revenue you don’t need to worry about making ends meet, you still need a constant finger on the pulse of your business. You need to know how much is coming in, how much clients owe you, and how much is going out. If you don’t, you’re living in a dream that may not come true.

Be a Champ—Know Your Numbers

If you’re one of the many, many salespeople not keeping a close eye on the numbers—start a new habit! At the beginning of every quarter, I put my quarterly goals and targets on a big wall-size sticky note in my office. Then, every Friday, part of my weekly wrap-up is to track how I’m doing and identify any issues with my sales pipeline or accounts that might affect the numbers. This way, I have plenty of time to make any necessary tweaks, and I can be sure I’m on my way to crushing my goals.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Sales Champions Know Their Numbers appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Recently, I had an experience that reminded me how important first impressions are. If you’re a salesperson, getting this right needs to be a top priority!

Your first impression can literally make or break a deal—and research has shown that people start determining whether you’re trustworthy in as little as a tenth of a second. What they decide within the first seven seconds of meeting you can influence the rest of your relationship!

Unfortunately, that’s not enough time to rely on your interesting background or your subtle sense of humor. Whether you want to be or not, you’re getting judged at every moment—and the impression you make is mostly based on appearance. This includes:

• Your posture
• The way you walk
• Eye contact
• Your smile
• The way you’re dressed
• How you shake hands

First impressions are head-to-toe. With a bit of attention, every one of these factors can project confidence and positivity. If you’re careless, your body language and appearance can send the wrong message to your client.

Be First – Show Up Early

You might even be making a first impression before your meeting begins—without knowing it! Before you walk into an organization, can they see you when you’re walking in? What about in the parking lot when you’re still in the car? Did the office see you pick your teeth in your rearview mirror, then watch as you tucked in your shirt and put a belt on?

By the time you’re shaking people’s hands, your seven seconds are long gone. Whoops.

This is why I always show up early to every meeting—especially when it’s at a restaurant or coffee shop. When I’m the first to show up to an appointment, it gives me control over my first impression—I get to choose where we sit and how I present myself. In addition, being first shows that this meeting is important to me.

Things Haven’t Changed!

The recent experience I mentioned was a job interview. Even though we were meeting at a coffee shop, this was still a business meeting. I showed up early, in standard business attire, and got situated.

I saw a woman park her car outside and get out, but I didn’t think she was the candidate I was about to interview. She was wearing full athleisure wear. I assumed she was just grabbing a coffee on her way to the gym—until she introduced herself.

She told me that with everyone working at home, she didn’t believe business attire was really relevant post-COVID. The “new normal” was yoga pants—all day, every day.

That’s certainly a liberating opinion. Unfortunately, it gave me the impression that she didn’t take the interview—or the job—seriously.

Even when working from home, first impressions matter. The “new normal” didn’t change this. You’re still being judged, consciously or unconsciously, when you join a Zoom call. Sure, you don’t have to worry about your shoes, but now you have to worry about your audio quality, your background, and your lighting!

Know Your Audience

Obviously, workout clothes wouldn’t necessarily make a bad impression on me if I owned a gym and was interviewing trainers. But on our company website, it’s pretty obvious that we wear business attire and work with professionals who do as well. It’s important to know your audience.

If you’re selling financial products to the CFO of a major corporation, an impeccable suit and careful grooming might go a long way towards a positive first impression. If you’re selling roofing to construction contractors, formal business attire might come off as ridiculous. You simply need to tailor your appearance to make the best impression on your audience.

First Impressions Matter!

Remember: If they can see you, you’re making an impression. The confidence and positivity you project can be the difference between a rejection and a closed deal, so your business is on the line. You’re being judged whether you like it or not. Put in the effort!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Make First Impressions A Priority appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

In The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey describes two opposing views: the scarcity mindset, ruled by a fear of limited resources (you should get your piece of the pie before someone else gets it), and the abundance mindset, in which you believe there’s always enough to go around.

I’ll let you guess which mindset is most common in highly effective people! (Spoiler alert! It’s the abundance mindset.)

Top sales performers usually think they’re living in an abundant mindset. They know they’ll never run out of clients. They know that there’s plenty of money in the world, and the success of another salesperson on their team isn’t a threat, but something to be celebrated. They’ve figured out how to use the abundance mentality in sales.

However, after years of working as a sales coach with top producers, I’ve discovered a few areas where scarcity creeps into a salesperson’s mentality—even when they’re the most successful producers on a team. One of the most common symptoms I see: a salesperson who can’t stop answering their phone. I know you’re thinking, “but Dew, you wrote a post about sales rock stars answering their phone,” but hear me out on this one.

Are You Always Available?

Time and again, I’ve seen top sales performers struggle not to answer their phones after hours, weekends, and on vacation.

It’s often a referral partner calling to send them business late in the evening, but I’ve also watched salespeople standing outside conferences answering calls. They paid thousands of dollars to attend a conference and miss the entire thing because they’re on their phones!

As the mortgage industry market heated up in 2020, many loan officers started working overtime, and they got used to taking calls from real estate agents at all hours. It’s fine to work late hours—sometimes—but you must set limits on your time.

If you’re not willing to clearly define when you’re available and when you’re not, you’re in a scarcity mindset! You’re afraid that you’ll “miss out” on business, and this fear of lost opportunities causes you to give up your personal time. It’s the definition of scarcity, and it’s a quick way to get burnt out.

Set Expectations & Take Back Your Time

I’m always ready for a sales call. But sometimes, that means being ready to reschedule the call for an appropriate time. If your client or referral partner doesn’t like it, move on—there’s an abundant number of other people who will respect the boundaries you set!

When you deepen your relationships with business partners and set expectations with them, they’ll know that even if they can’t reach you at 7 PM, they can trust you’ll be available at 8 o’clock in the morning—and you’ll bring your “A” game.

Embracing abundance gives you the power to say no. Not too long ago, my cell phone rang on a Saturday morning. I answered the unknown number, and it was a woman interested in my coaching. I told her I was about to go for my walk and asked if we could connect the following week. She said no because she had to work during traditional business hours. I immediately knew that she wouldn’t be an ideal fit for me (since my whole team and I only do coaching calls during business hours). So, I kindly told her I would be more than happy to talk to her about coaching when we could find a time that worked for both of us.

Yes, I turn business away because when you’re working with great people, the other party isn’t upset if you’re not available. It gives you the power to be in control of your time, your private life, and how you run your business. When you realize that the world is full of qualified leads, that 9 PM call can go to voicemail!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post How Top Salespeople Miss Out on Abundance appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Salespeople usually have a few go-to closing techniques they use all the time. But if you want to be a real sales champion, you need to have a full arsenal of closes! This week, we’re looking at a deceptively simple closing technique: The Yes Momentum Close.

The Yes Momentum Close is an attitude-type closing technique. The idea is to keep your prospect excited about the discussion at hand. By creating positive momentum throughout your entire sales presentation, you can ride the “yes” momentum to a closed deal.

How To Use The Yes Momentum Close

During your proposal, you’ll ask your prospect questions that you already know the answer to—questions that will be answered “yes!”

These questions range from casual, everyday questions to ones specific about your product. The key is getting a positive response. Here are some examples:

• Is this the most recent branch you’ve opened?
• Do you still have four office locations in Tennessee?
• Do you love being in this neighborhood/area?
• Isn’t this great? (When you can see they’re nodding and smiling)
• Is this what you’re thinking?

Start building that “yes” momentum from the moment you walk into a meeting. The more times they say “yes” during your presentation, the more likely they are to say “yes” when you ask for the business. They’ve already been saying “yes” to you all along!

Create Positive Momentum!

It’s important to note: To feel comfortable saying “yes,” your client needs to trust you enough to tell you “no!” Know how to spot trust objections and listen to your client. If they’re just telling you “yes” to get rid of you, you’re not building positive momentum!

Too many salespeople forget to create an atmosphere of excitement and positivity. The Yes Momentum Close is probably the easiest way to do that—it’s simple! Identify points during your presentation that you’ll ask a “yes” question, and prepare some icebreaker questions that you know will get a positive response.

By the end of your proposal, you’ll have one more “yes” question—Can I start the paperwork?

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post The Yes Momentum Close appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

If there’s one thing that being a salesperson teaches you, it’s that being successful takes grit. You need raw willpower to find prospects, make calls, overcome objections, and close deals.

In fact, getting anything done in life means you just have to set your mind to it—and will yourself into action. If you’re struggling, you simply don’t have enough willpower. Try harder!

Sounds really tough. What if it’s all wrong?

In his book, Willpower Doesn’t Work: Discover The Hidden Keys To Success, Benjamin Hardy asks if there’s a better way to get things done—a way that doesn’t feel like a painful, uphill battle against yourself.

Two lessons from the book are my favorites:

• Instead of relying on personal “grit,” create an environment for success.
• Don’t put unnecessary pressure on your willpower—choose to protect it!

Let’s look more at Hardy’s suggestions on being happier and more productive.

Are You in Successful Surroundings?

You can do a lot with sheer grit. But Hardy observes that, time and again, environment makes the biggest difference—not willpower—in whether you succeed.

Have you ever noticed a friend change after they start spending time with a new group of people? With their new crowd, they’re a different person. The people around us have a tremendous influence on us. As Jim Rohn said:

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
-Jim Rohn

Take a look at who you spend time with most and realize they’re influencing you—in your attitudes at work and home, your diet and body image, your finances—in every aspect of your life. Compare your goals with the people you’re surrounding yourself with, and you’ll likely rank closely. If you want to be a wildly successful entrepreneur, start spending time with people who are already successful entrepreneurs. If you want to achieve President’s Club, spend time with the producers in your organization who have made President’s Club in years past. You’ll be creating an environment that helps you work toward your goal.

Create a Space to Succeed

Your environment is more than just having the right people around you. The spaces we work, play, and rest in significantly affect our productivity and well-being.

As working from home becomes more and more common, we’re tempted to combine spaces—bringing our laptop to our living room sofa or making our bedroom multitask as an office and exercise room.

Being able to work anywhere in your house may seem like a perk, but a poorly defined, multi-use environment actually requires you to use more willpower and self-discipline to get things done!

Productivity experts know that we’re actually more effective when we have clearly defined, dedicated spaces for different categories of tasks. If your exercise equipment is scattered around your home office space, it makes focusing on work harder—and exercise less appealing. Getting started on either task is more difficult, and you’re likely to get distracted.

If you’ve got a goal you want to accomplish, create a space for it. When you see this space in your home or office, it should inspire you to work on the task it was created for—and you won’t have to rely on willpower alone. And in the scenario where you have to share space, put your exercise gear away before starting work, and clean up your workspace when you stop working each night.

Protect Your Willpower

Another great topic in Willpower Doesn’t Work is how often we overwork our willpower. We stress ourselves out and waste tons of energy on willpower—and it’s often completely avoidable!

If you have a goal, identify everything that will test your willpower—and eliminate it.

If your goal is to give up sugar, get rid of the foods that tempt you—don’t just put them away. If you want to stop drinking, don’t keep alcohol around the house. If you want to exercise in the evenings instead of watching Netflix, cancel Netflix!

These examples seem obvious, but all too often, we say we want to accomplish something, then rely entirely on willpower to keep ourselves on track. Willpower won’t work forever. And your willpower will burn out quickly if you’re leaving temptation within arm’s reach.

Are You Relying on Grit Alone?

You know that sales prospects won’t fall into your lap. But if your solution is to grit your teeth and rely on sheer willpower to make it through a prospecting session, you need to read Benjamin Hardy’s book!

Think about creating an environment that surrounds you with the optimal conditions for success. For prospecting, this could include creating a prospecting schedule, eliminating distractions, and dedicating focus time to your call list. I promise—you’ll see a difference when you stop relying on willpower alone!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Book Recommendation: Willpower Doesn’t Work appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Do you have something on your list that just never gets done? What about a project or an idea that you’ve “always wanted to do” for years? A habit you’ve been “meaning to work on?”

We want to reach our goals. We know we should take care of our bodies, our minds, our relationships, and our businesses.

So why do some things always get done while other things never even get started? How can we motivate ourselves to accomplish what we want to accomplish?

The answer to both of these questions:

“If it’s important, you’ll find a way. If it’s not, you’ll find an excuse.”

This statement really sums it up! It’s one of my all-time favorites. I say this so much, I should probably have it tattooed on me!

Excuses Are Easy to Find

Let me know if any of these sound familiar:

• “There’s never enough time for prospecting.”
• “I’m terrible at remembering names.”
• “I can’t find the time to read.”
• “I meant to send a gift, but I was too busy.”
• “I never have time for exercise.”
• “I just haven’t done it yet.”

We constantly tell ourselves these lame excuses! What these lame excuses are really saying is, “That’s not really important to me right now.”

Once you translate your excuses into the truth, there are two ways you might react.

On one hand, that to-do item isn’t actually that important to you right now. That’s OK to admit! You might have a goal you’d like to tackle someday, but it’s truly not the right time—or other things are simply more important. There’s no need to beat yourself up, worry, and make excuses about something that’s not really a priority for you.

On the other hand, you might realize you’re making lame excuses about something that really is important to you. You’re comfortable saying, “I’m terrible at remembering names,” but are you comfortable telling people, “Remembering names isn’t important to me?”

Time to Find a Way

“Dew,” you say, “I’m done making lame excuses. Prospecting, reading, remembering names, and exercise really are important to me!”

Well, if it’s important, you’ll find a way.

Once you admit you’ve been creating excuses and decide to commit to what you think is important, you will find the time.

Don’t get me wrong—it takes work. You can’t decide that running a marathon is important to you, then show up on race day after spending the entire year on the couch. But, when we know our priorities, it becomes much easier to find time, make plans, and put in the work to achieve our goals. Affirming what’s truly important keeps your head in the game.

If that marathon really is important to you, you’ll find the time to put together a training plan, wake up early, and get in those miles. If all you find is excuses, then running that marathon’s not really important to you, is it?

If it’s important, you’ll find a way. If it’s not, you’ll find an excuse.

Decide What’s Non-negotiable, and Commit.

So why do I love this motto so much? Not only does it show us what we need to commit to, it helps us stay committed.

When I realize I’m making excuses to not prospect (I’m busy, I’m tired, I’ll do it tomorrow, etc.), I remind myself: If it’s important, you’ll find a way. If it’s not, you’ll find an excuse.

If I’m making excuses to not prospect, I’m saying that prospecting isn’t important to me. I’m saying growing my business isn’t important to me. And that’s NOT true! It IS important, so I WILL find a way to make it happen!

The things that are really important to us become our non-negotiables. For these things, excuses are simply not an option. Once excuses are off the table, you’ll be amazed by the creative ways you’ll find to keep non-negotiables a priority. When we commit to what’s important, it’s incredible what we can accomplish.

One more time: If it’s important, you’ll find a way. If it’s not, you’ll find an excuse.

Done With Excuses?

We all have plenty of stuff we really want to do—and plenty of stuff we know we should do. We also have more self-discipline than we think!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post If It’s Important, You’ll Find a Way appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

I’m constantly reminding salespeople that you have to know your numbers. It’s more than just knowing revenue—you need to know if you’re hitting the right amount of calls and appointments to stay on track to your sales goals.

When it comes to dialing prospects, there’s a problem: Numbers tell you quantity, not quality.

I tell my sales coaching clients they need to set a weekly goal for great conversations and track that number most importantly. So, what qualifies as a great conversation?

A great conversation moves your sales pipeline forward.

Here are some examples:

1. A decision-maker tells you, flat out, “No.” This counts as a great conversation! Why? With a firm “no” from a qualified decision-maker, you can conclude they’re not a great candidate for you (today). You can cross them off your list, set a follow-up for 6-12 months from now, and move on.
2. You talk to a decision-maker who says, “The timing isn’t great right now. Can we talk again in six months?” That’s a great conversation—your prospect is interested, and you’re six months away from setting an appointment. Your pipeline is moving forward.
3. Your prospect says, “That sounds interesting! Are you able to come to my office next week?” You’re setting an appointment and moving your pipeline forward.

What Isn’t A Great Conversation?

The key to a great conversation is that it moves prospects along the sales process. And remember—to count as great, your conversation needs to be with a real decision-maker. A “no,” “maybe,” or “sure” doesn’t mean anything if you’re talking to the wrong person!

I believe that “maybes” keep you stuck in life. When a prospect tells you “maybe,” they’re not any further down the sales pipeline—but you can’t cross them off. A “maybe” isn’t a great conversation (yet).

Ten years ago, I had a prospect who kept giving me the “not today” and excuses. Over months and months, I followed up several more times. Finally, he told me, “Alright, if my sales team had your follow-up process, they’d close tons more business! Let’s set up a meeting.”

He was stuck in my pipeline as a “maybe.” Only when he agreed to meet did I count my call as a great conversation. Today, they’re still one of our best clients!

You can only count one great conversation per prospect. Calling your client back to set up an appointment doesn’t count as a second great conversation. You already counted it as a great conversation when they told you they were interested.

How Healthy Is Your Sales Pipeline?

Instead of tracking dials, emails, or outreaches, track great conversations. This number is the best way to know how healthy your sales pipeline will be. If you need to set three appointments a week to meet your sales goal, you might need five or six great conversations per week. If you’re spending a lot of time on outreach without enough great conversations, it’s a sign that your prospect list needs work!

Tracking these great conversations is often the best way to gauge how well you’re moving your business forward. Try it out!

I love helping salespeople and sales organizations find ways to break through plateaus and keep growing. If you could use free sales tips, time management techniques, and attitude adjustments in your inbox, sign up to receive new posts automatically!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Are Your Sales Calls Great Conversations? appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Delegation is difficult for a lot of salespeople. Some struggle to give up control (even for tasks they don’t like). Others only delegate a few things, missing opportunities to free up time for income-producing activities.

Delegating effectively only takes a few steps:

1. Make a list of everything you do
2. Break down larger tasks into components
3. Identify tasks that can be done by someone else
4. Create instructions & checklists
5. Train & supervise

Make a List of Everything You Do

Based on last week’s calendar, write down everything you did. Fill in all the small tasks that weren’t on your calendar—everything from emails, to printing, to writing proposals. Be sure to capture everything.

Next, look back on the previous month, quarter, or even year, to make sure you’re not missing anything. Your goal here is to capture literally EVERYTHING you do at work.

Break Down Larger Tasks Into Components

After you’ve got your big list of all that you do, take a close look at the larger tasks like “writing reports.” This kind of task can be broken up into many smaller tasks. For example, you may spend an hour actually writing a report, half an hour proofreading and getting it to look right with your company’s template, and another five minutes printing copies of it and emailing it to the right people.

Make sure you’ve identified all the smaller components of large tasks before moving on to the next step.

Identify Tasks That Can Be Done by Someone Else

Certain tasks are things only you can do—tasks that require your unique experience, knowledge, and skill. For the most part, these are your income-producing activities (IPAs). Circle or highlight these tasks.

Using the example above, you’d circle “writing a report” as something only you can do—but remember, putting the report into a template and printing it out are things that pretty much anyone could do.

After this step, every task that’s not circled is a task you can delegate!

Note: You may have some tasks that can be delegated but you’d like to hang on to, and that’s fine. For instance, I really enjoy managing my calendar. It’s part of my daily process, and I don’t want to pass it off to someone else. Other people have no problem handing their calendar off to an assistant to manage.

Create Instructions & Checklists

Once you’ve decided what you’ll be delegating, you’ll need to plan on how to hand it off. You may need to write checklists or detailed instructions, so your assistant knows what to expect. Other times a few notes may be enough.

For example, if you’re delegating your travel booking, create a document listing your preferred airline and hotel brands, seating preferences, and frequent flyer numbers. A little bit of time spent on this step makes handing off a task faster and easier for your assistant and allows them to work independently.

Train & Supervise

When you hand off a task, be prepared to walk your team member or assistant through the process to make sure they have all the information they need. Be clear with your expectations, and remember that they’re likely to need some help in the initial stages.

Many delegated tasks might only need a checklist or a brief note for your assistant to get started, but some tasks will require regular supervision. When necessary, have a plan for tracking and reviewing the work you’re delegating.

Use the Power of Delegation!

Being able to delegate tasks is a valuable skill for every sales professional. It provides you with more hours in the week to focus on generating revenue and growing your business relationships. While it takes a little work to audit your workload and prepare tasks for delegation, it’s worth it!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post What Should I Delegate—And How? appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Salespeople know that when we close the deal on a big account, it calls for a celebration!

Meeting our goals for the year? Office party! Major milestone? Balloons! We might even celebrate just for making it through a difficult work week. You need to celebrate the wins, right?

YES. YOU NEED TO CELEBRATE YOUR WINS!

Let me say it again. You need to; you have to; you must—celebrate your wins! Here are some examples of wins you should be celebrating:

• You washed the dishes even though you were really tired
• You finished the first task on a mile-long to-do list
• You made it to the gym even though you didn’t want to
• You kept your streak of meditating every day—even on vacation
• You dialed the first number on this week’s list of prospects

Small Wins Are Still Wins

“But Dew,” you’re saying, “I’m not sure those are WINS.”

Yes, those are wins worth celebrating, every bit as much as when your team wins. Sure, you might not brag about these wins to your friends. But try being honest with yourself about what is a win for you and celebrate it!

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you may know that I exercise every day, no matter what. I’ve learned that I won’t melt in the rain, and I won’t freeze to death in winter. I just put the right gear on and get my walk in. Every single day.

Here’s the thing: My win doesn’t happen when I finish my walk. My win isn’t reaching the end of that third mile.

My win is when I leave the house.

The hardest part of exercising every day isn’t the exercise. It’s getting yourself ready and getting out the door. As soon as I walk outside, I know I’m getting my three miles in.

The win isn’t always at the end.

Keep the Win Going

Celebrating wins is critical—even when they’re small, silly wins. Your goal is to keep the win going. I’ll admit, sometimes designing the way I’ll celebrate a win takes longer than actually doing the task, but that’s how important celebration is!

Here’s an example of keeping the win going: I wanted to make 25 calls one day last week. I made a stack of post-its numbered 1 through 25. After every call, I tore one post-it off the stack—it was my little celebration to keep going to the end.

Another way to keep a win going is to go for a streak—and celebrate the fact that you’ve kept the streak alive. I am a streak queen! Little things like closing all the exercise rings on my Apple Watch give me a reason to celebrate. It’s a small win that represents a bigger, ongoing win.

I set a goal of setting time aside to meditate every day. But how can you “win” at meditation? A streak! I use the Calm app to track my progress and could see my streak getting longer every day. Today I’ve meditated over 1700 days in a row! Every day added to my streak is a reminder to celebrate.

Go Celebrate Some Stuff!

Try it next time you’re dialing prospects, especially if that’s a task you dread. When you’ve dialed your first prospect, celebrate! Remember, starting is an accomplishment too—because once you start, the momentum will follow.

Whether it’s prospect calls, exercise, or a diet change—celebrate however you need to, to keep the win going!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Are You Celebrating Your Wins? appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Maybe presentations are easy for you—or maybe you think they’re terrifying. If you’re in sales, presentations are a common job requirement, but even if you’re a pro, they can still be stressful.

The stress we feel around presentations usually comes from a fear of something going wrong. And since this is real life, things do go wrong! The good news is that you can often avoid disaster and stress with a few common-sense preparation tips:

• Always start preparing early.
• Always bring backups.
• Always budget extra time.

When you’re prepared, you’ll be able to stay calm and keep your presentation on the rails! Ready? Let’s dive in.

Always Start Preparing Early

I’ve always said printers can smell fear! When you’re trying to print out copies of your presentation 15 minutes before you leave for your meeting, that’s when a printer will decide to run out of paper, run out of ink, or have a paper jam.

Instead of being calm, cool, and collected in the minutes before your presentation, you’re freaking out in a copy room.

My rule of thumb: Be sure everything is prepared at least 4 hours—if not 24 hours—ahead of your start time. Right before a presentation, you should be mentally preparing—not making frantic, last-minute changes to your PowerPoint slides!

If your presentation is virtual, you still need to prepare ahead of time! You don’t want to find out something is broken after the meeting has started.

Always Bring Backups

Those handouts you’re printing? Print a few extra copies! It’s very common for one or two extra people to show up to a meeting, and running out of handouts just feels unprofessional. I print more than I need, and I make sure that I know my materials well enough that I can give up my copy if necessary.

You should also bring backups of your presentation itself. Have a copy of your Keynote or PowerPoint presentation files on a thumb drive, as well as somewhere on the cloud. If something goes wrong, you can quickly pivot to a backup option instead of trying to troubleshoot an issue right before your meeting.

Take a look at the other “essentials” you need for every presentation, and identify the items that are easy to bring a backup of. Throwing extra batteries or a cable in your bag is an easy way to prevent a presentation nightmare!

Always Budget Extra Time

A few years ago, I traveled to Los Angeles to give a presentation at a hotel. I got my laptop hooked up in the conference room, pulled up my presentation, and pressed my clicker to advance to the next slide.

Nothing. The battery was dead. I pulled the cover off the back and saw the battery had oozed gunk all over the inside of my presentation clicker!

It wasn’t a big deal because I had plenty of time to run down to the lobby, buy new (ridiculously overpriced) batteries, clean out the gunk from the old battery, and get everything working. It wasn’t a big deal, because I was prepared hours early!

When you budget extra time for travel and presentation set-up, problems are simply less stressful.

Extra Time For Travel

For an in-person, in-town meeting, I always plan to arrive 30 minutes early. You never know what delays you’ll run into! If everything goes smoothly, I’ll use the extra time for prospecting.

For out-of-town meetings, I’ll often plan to be 60 minutes early. If I’m flying in, I try to arrive the night before. When your presentation is in an unfamiliar town, be sure to look up directions the night before—and use the “Depart At / Arrive By” function in your maps app to see the estimated travel time for when you need to leave.

Extra Time For Setup

When booking a meeting space, I like to request an extra 15 minutes before the meeting time, so I can arrive early and get settled in. This allows me to check out the presentation equipment and be sure everything is working correctly.

When you’re presenting, you always want to be the first in the room. With the extra time, you can choose where you sit, set up, and take a breath before everyone arrives. When people are coming in and shaking hands, you’ll be able to greet them—instead of trying to hook everything up in a frenzy.

Always Be Prepared!

Sales presentations might not be part of your everyday routine, but every professional has to give a presentation now and then. With a little preparation, you’ll be able to avoid stress and focus on your presentation skills! 

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post How To Prepare For Your Sales Presentation appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Imagine this scenario: You’re shopping around for a service and meet a few sales reps. The prices are all reasonable, and the products are similar—but after you try getting back in touch with them, you get wildly different results.

One of them doesn’t return your voicemail, one person sounded too busy to deal with you, and another salesperson didn’t even seem to exist when you tried to look up their contact info!

The fourth salesperson, however, seemed like she was always on. No wonder she seemed to have a good reputation—she answered the phone every time you called and followed up with information when she said she would.

Obviously, she’s the one who gets your business. She stood head and shoulders above the competition. With these tips, you can too!

Stand above the rest!

If you’re a salesperson, you always want to stand above the rest. These five simple things will help make sure you’re not getting lost in the crowd—and they’re the sign of a true sales professional:

1. You’re easy to find.
2. You’ve got a solid professional reputation.
3. You can answer the question, “What do you do?”
4. You do what you say you’re going to do.
5. You’re always on!

Let’s take a closer look!

1. You’re easy to find

I’m a sales coach, so when I’m prospecting, I’m contacting salespeople and sales managers. It always blows my mind to see how many sales professionals are hard to find!

Your online presence is important. Can clients find you on your company’s website? If someone Googles your name, will they see links to your business profiles? Is your LinkedIn profile up to date, and does it have a link to your business email address? (If your email on LinkedIn is a personal account, your clients will hesitate to use it—and you’ll be less likely to pay attention to your LinkedIn notifications!)

Here’s another way to make sure you’re easy to find: A complete email signature on every email you send. It’s usually the fastest way for someone to find your number, so don’t leave it out!

2. You’ve got a solid professional reputation.

As they say, a good reputation is better than gold. If you want to build your professional reputation, you have to start building a network of people who will happily share your name with potential clients. That means building relationships, attending networking events, and doing what it takes to stay at the top of people’s minds.

If you’re at the top of their mind—and you’re easy to find—they’ll have no problem passing your info along. If you’re always on and do what you say you’re going to do, they’ll have no problem vouching for you.

A solid professional reputation isn’t just about word-of-mouth. When a prospect looks at your LinkedIn profile or hears your voicemail greeting, they should be able to tell that you’re a serious professional who’s worth doing business with. If you’re an active member of industry organizations, professional associations, or other networking groups, be sure to include those on your profile.

3. You can answer the question, “What do you do?”

Simply put, you need a WOW statement!

If you don’t know how to succinctly answer the question, “What do you do,” you need to start working on it—now!

If your answer is just, “I’m an account manager,” that’s not helpful. You need a short statement, in simple language, that creates interest in you and your company. Can you explain what you do in a way that a normal human being can understand and in a way that makes them interested to hear more?

It takes some work, but it’s worth it. After you craft your WOW statement, you’ll end up using it everywhere—from networking events to your LinkedIn profile. You’ll never again stumble over yourself trying to answer someone who asks, “So, what do you do?”

4. You do what you say you’re going to do.

We do so many things as sales professionals, and we need to have a solid way of managing it all. If we fall behind, we chip away at our client’s trust—or risk losing a deal completely.

If we say we’ll do something, we have to do it—within the timeframe we set. If your voicemail greeting says you return messages within 24 hours, you have to follow up! If you tell your client you’ll get the documents ready to sign by Friday, then you have to make that happen!

That’s why managing our time is so important. When you tell your client you’ll have documents to them on Friday, you can’t let your marketing and legal teams know about it Thursday evening! Over-promising lets everyone down.

You’ll need to reverse-engineer timelines for your commitments, so you can deliver on promises without putting pressure on yourself—or your team. Set yourself up to succeed, and you’ll be able to keep your word!

5. You’re always on.

No, “always on” does NOT mean you’re available 24/7, or that you never stop working.

Always on means that when you are working, you’re 100% committed to bringing your “A” game. Your head’s in the game. Your attitude’s in the right place. You’re resilient in the face of rejection. You’re handling everything in the way it needs to be handled.

Always on is an attitude—and embracing this attitude takes practice!

In fact, “I am always on” became one of my daily affirmations. Incorporating this attitude took practice, repeating “I am always on,” reminding myself that when I sit down at my desk at 8 am, I am 100% devoted and ready to prospect, ready to coach, and ready to bring my “A” game.

And yes, in the rare occasion that a work call comes when I’m not prepared for it, at night or on the weekend, I switch back to always on mode—and give 100% to that call. I don’t ignore it because I’m not ready! If you’re prepared, practiced, and ready to be “on,” you’re able to devote your full attention to what needs to get done. If you’re giving 100%, your clients will notice!

Don’t get lost in the crowd

The things that set the best salespeople apart from the crowd are often things everybody should be doing. The pros just actually do them!

When you’re easy to find, always on, and reliable, you’ll build strong relationships with clients that close business. With a solid reputation and a clear answer to the question, “What do you do,” you’ll get more prospects into your sales funnel.

Go work on these five qualities and stand above the rest! If you’d like to get more free tips on how to stay motivated, manage your time, and master your sales technique, sign up for my mailing list.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post 5 Ways To Stand Above The Rest appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Sales pros know it’s not enough to excel at one or two closing techniques. You need to master a number of ways to close a sale, so you can adapt to every situation.

Today we’ll focus on a classic: the Choice of Two Positives Close.

Does your client like to take charge?

I’m sure you’ve noticed that every one of your prospects has a different personality style. These styles have different needs when it comes to communication, and the Two Positives Close is perfect for a “direct” or “take charge” personality style.

People with a direct personality style like to take charge! They might seem headstrong, but they simply feel comfortable being in control—and uncomfortable when they’re not.

The best way to deal with a prospect who likes to be in control is to give them choices. When they get to decide between two options, they feel like they’re in the driver’s seat!

Offer a choice between two positives.

Obviously, you don’t want your prospect’s options to be “yes” or “no.” Instead, offer a choice between two positives—two options that result in your desired outcome.

For example:

“Would you like the service to begin next week, or do you prefer to start at the beginning of the month?”

“Should we meet at my office or yours to go over the paperwork?”

“Should we launch May 1st or June 1st?”

“Would you like standard or elite membership?”

You don’t care which option your client chooses—because with either one, you’re closing the deal! The real benefit is that your client feels more comfortable—you’ve empowered them to make a decision, and the two positives shift their focus away from objections.

It’s more than a close!

Have a prospect who’s motivated by being in control? The “Two Positives Close” isn’t just a closing technique. You can use this tactic throughout your entire sales process.

Asking to send information? Ask the client if they’d like you to email a PDF or drop off a printed brochure. Setting up a meeting? Ask the client to choose between two times or locations.

It’s easy, and if your client likes to be in charge, let them! As long as the options lead to your desired outcome, whatever they choose is a win.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post The Two Positives Close appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Salespeople tell me all the time: “I can’t afford an assistant!”

Do you want to know the truth? You can’t afford NOT to have an assistant!

Not convinced? If you’re on the fence about hiring an assistant, take a little time to do the math! It’s a simple process to determine if you can afford to hire an assistant:

1. List everything you do
2. Calculate how much time you spend on each task
3. Decide which tasks you can delegate
4. Determine your true hourly rate
5. Calculate your new income

Let’s dive in and find out if hiring an assistant is worth it.

1. List everything you do

The first two steps may feel daunting, but they’re necessary! Make a detailed log of everything you do over the course of a typical week. I mean EVERYTHING! Booking appointments, sending emails, meeting with clients, making copies, and anything else you spend time on during your workday.

You might be able to do this off the top of your head, but you’ll be more accurate if you keep a detailed daily journal for a week or two. You can use the list from your ideal week or the list you created for your income producing activities as a guide. Either way, be sure to include how much time you spend on every task.

2. Calculate how much time you spend on each task

Now that you have a thorough list of everything you do in a typical week, go through and add up how much time you’re averaging per task. You’ll have a condensed list with items like this:

Setting up meetings: 3 hours
Follow-up emails: 4 hours
Client meetings: 16 hours
Intake paperwork: 5 hours
CRM management: 4 hours
Proposal writing: 7 hours

Remember, you want to capture EVERYTHING. You may only spend 30 minutes a week printing out proposals or making copies, but it’s important for that time to be included on your list.

3. Decide which tasks you can delegate

Now, go through your list and identify which tasks can only be done by you. Meeting with a client or writing a proposal are good examples—as a salesperson, these are core requirements of your job.

Everything else is fair game for delegation. Sending a gift to a client, entering data into a CRM, or setting up appointments are tasks that your team can handle.

You might not want to delegate a task even if someone else can do it. For example, many people delegate calendar management, but I really like to be in control of my calendar! It’s okay to hold on to a few things, but be honest with yourself—there’s plenty of mundane tasks that aren’t worth clinging to.

After this process, you’ll have two numbers: the hours you spend on income-producing activities that only you can do, and the hours you’ve been spending on tasks that you can easily hand off to someone else. Surprised by your numbers? Sales professionals often have ten or fifteen hours of work they can delegate every week!

4. Determine your true hourly rate

I’ve already written about how to determine your true hourly rate. This is something that every sales professional needs to do, so follow the steps outlined in that article!

By taking stock of your income producing activities, you’ll be able to put an exact dollar amount on the value of your time. Knowing this number is crucial for all sorts of decisions—including whether or not to hire an assistant.

5. Calculate your new income

You’ve now collected all the information you need to make a final calculation. The only remaining factor is how much you plan on paying an assistant. Depending on the tasks you’re delegating, you may be able to save money with a virtual assistant. On the other hand, your assistant may need industry-specific certifications that warrant a higher hourly rate.

REMEMBER: You don’t need to hire a full-time assistant! Unless you’ll be splitting an assistant with other team members, a part-time freelancer is fine. Virtual assistants usually require a minimum of just 5 hours a week.

In our example, we’ll assume our assistant will earn $20 an hour. With all these numbers together, you’ll have something like this:

Hours per week on income-producing activities: 30
Hours per week to delegate: 10
Assistant hourly rate: $20
My true hourly rate: $154/hour

So, by paying an assistant $200 a week, you’ll free up ten hours to focus on income producing activities instead of mundane tasks that aren’t making you money. When you multiply that by your true hourly rate, and subtract the cost of an assistant, you have an extra $1340 of income every week!

To put it another way, for only 1.3 hours of income-producing work, you can afford to delegate 10 hours of other tasks!

You can’t afford NOT to have an assistant

When you do the math, the decision is obvious. Chances are, you can not only afford an assistant, but you’re giving up a bunch of income by NOT having an assistant!

It’s not just about income, either. What you do with that extra time is up to you. After you’ve figured out how many hours of income-producing activity you need to pay for an assistant, you know your break-even point. You might decide to use your additional hours to take on a new project or regain some family time.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post You CAN Afford an Assistant appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Salespeople, like all people, love staying in their comfort zone. It’s comfortable, after all.

Of course, staying comfortable means staying in place. If you want to make a big move, get to a higher level, build new relationships, and crush your sales goals, you will need to “step outside your comfort zone.” Right?

Well, there’s something that works even better than stepping outside your comfort zone!

Your comfort zone shouldn’t be set in stone

The old cliché of “stepping outside your comfort zone” is proof that most people have a fixed mindset when it comes to uncomfortable obstacles.

We think of our comfort zone as a circle that never changes. We’re either inside where it’s safe or outside where it’s scary. But I tell this to everyone I coach:

Your comfort zone shouldn’t be a fixed circle!

If you think of your comfort zone as a rubber band instead of a fixed circle, confronting new challenges will not feel as uncomfortable.

A rubber band can stretch and grow. Every time you push the limits of your comfort zone, you stretch and grow the areas you feel comfortable in. When you think of it this way, you’re just learning and growing—which is much more comfortable than imagining yourself jumping headfirst into the unknown!

Stretching is how we grow

“Stepping outside of our comfort zone” means doing something new and unfamiliar—and people find it uncomfortable to do something they’ve never done before. But once you do it, it’s not so uncomfortable!

So, do you remember your first kiss?

Not a schoolyard peck on the cheek, I mean your first real kiss. Stay with me—I promise I’m going somewhere with this!

When you were a teenager, leaning in for that kiss, you probably felt wildly uncomfortable—hands sweating, nervous, thoughts racing, butterflies in your stomach. It felt uncomfortable and awkward, and then it happened. And then… hey, that was actually pretty great!

Well, in hindsight, it was probably not your best kiss. But that didn’t stop you. You had stretched your comfort zone, and the next time you went in for a kiss, your palms were a little less sweaty, you were a little less nervous, and it didn’t feel as awkward. That second or third kiss was probably even more exciting—because you were more comfortable!

When we stretch, we get better. With regular practice, things get easier, and you can enjoy the benefits of your new, bigger comfort zone.

Rubber bands snap back

So, now you’re a great kisser. Totally comfortable with it. Until you go eight months without kissing anyone. You meet someone new, and one thing leads to another… and wait! The butterflies are back! Why am I suddenly so nervous, like it’s the first time I kissed anyone?!

If our comfort zones are like a rubber band, that means they can stretch to be bigger—and bounce back to where they were if we’re not stretching them anymore. If we don’t practice the things that make us uncomfortable often enough, they’ll be uncomfortable every time we try.

So what does all this kissing have to do with sales? Whenever a salesperson tells me how nervous they get when they’re prospecting, I tell them: Prospecting is just like making out!

You get nervous while prospecting, and feel like it’s out of your comfort zone because you’re not doing it enough. You need to tackle these uncomfortable tasks often enough to overcome your feelings of discomfort. It takes deliberate practice to be a better salesperson!

If you only dial once a week, every week will be a little uncomfortable. But, if you dial every single day, it doesn’t feel so awful. You’re used to overcoming your internal resistance, and dialing is no longer “outside your comfort zone”—it’s just something you do all the time without thinking about it.

Keep stretching!

When it’s time to meet a challenge “outside your comfort zone,” remember you’re just stretching yourself to become comfortable with new things. That’s how growth works! The more you stretch, the more comfortable you’ll feel with what you’re doing—and you’ll be able to stretch in new directions that used to be out of reach.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post How to Stretch Your Comfort Zone appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

When salespeople are prospecting, we’re in the zone. If you’ve got a solid prospecting schedule, you’ve blocked off time, and you’re giving it 100%. When you’re in the zone, those phone calls feel easy!

Many sales professionals, however, have an “Oh, crap” moment when one of their prospects returns their call. When a prospect calls you back, do you ever think, “I’m not ready to have this conversation right now?”

Just let it go to voicemail, right? Wrong.

An incoming call from your prospect might be the only chance you’ll ever get to talk to that person!

Can you really afford to ignore a prospect and never talk to them again? No way! That’s why real sales rock stars always answer their phone. Use these six tips to make sure you’re not throwing sales leads in the trash:

1. Be prepared for a call at all times
2. Add every person you meet to your phone’s contacts
3. Answer even if you can’t talk
4. Have a professional voicemail greeting
5. Clear out your voicemail inbox
6. Return your messages promptly

1. Be prepared for a call at all times

If you don’t answer your phone when a prospect calls, you’re hoping they leave a voicemail. You’re hoping you’ll be able to catch them when you return their call. You’re hoping you’ll be able to schedule a call after who-knows-how-many rounds of phone tag. Hopefully, they won’t give up on you and find someone else they can actually connect with!

You really shouldn’t be basing your sales revenue on hope. But that’s what you’re doing when you press “Ignore” on your cellphone. Prepare yourself to handle an incoming call at any time—and pick up the phone when it rings!

2. Add every person you meet to your phone’s contacts

Here’s a simple way to always be prepared for when a prospect calls: Put the number for everyone you meet (or prospect) into your phone. When they give you a call, their name pops up on caller ID—giving you the few seconds you need to prepare yourself to talk to that specific person.

It’s just a few seconds, but it’s amazing how much of a difference it makes in your ability to be “on” for a call!

3. Answer even if it isn’t ideal

Even if you “can’t talk,” you still want to answer your phone! Do whatever you can to avoid sending someone to your voicemail.

OK, sometimes you really can’t talk. But most of the time, we “can’t talk,” we can answer the phone and take a few seconds to set up a better time. Here’s an example:

“Hi [name], I’m in between appointments right now, but I didn’t want to miss your call. Is there a time that we can connect later today or tomorrow when I can give you my full attention?”

A brief conversation is way better than hoping the caller leaves a voicemail and tells you a good time to call them back! Even if you “can’t talk,” you’re showing your prospect that you value their business.

4. Have a professional voicemail greeting

For those instances that you truly can’t answer your phone, the worst possible thing for your caller to hear is a computerized voice telling them this:

“Your call has been forwarded to an automatic voice message system. 6-1-2-3-6-6-4-8-2-2 is not available. At the tone, please record your message. When you have finished recording, you may hang up or press 1 for more options.”

Every time I hear a salesperson with a default greeting message, I cringe! There’s no excuse for making your prospects wonder if they even dialed the right number. I’ve written a whole article about it if you need some tips. Take a few minutes out of your day, and make a professional voicemail greeting!

5. Clear out your voicemail inbox

Actually, this one makes me cringe even more than a default voicemail greeting—a computerized voice saying, “Mailbox is full,” and hanging up on your prospect!

CLEAN OUT YOUR OLD VOICEMAIL MESSAGES!

I’ve called thousands of salespeople over the years, and it’s shocking how many of them had full voicemail inboxes. Your prospect can’t leave a message if your voicemail is full! And, they’re not going to call back tomorrow just to see if you’ve cleaned out your old messages.

Depending on your phone and your service provider, it can be pretty easy to accidentally let your voicemails pile up. Stay on top of it, and be sure to delete the “Deleted Messages” and “Blocked Messages” that can take up space without you knowing.

6. Return your messages promptly

Have you ever listened to a new voicemail message (or read the first few words of the transcript) and thought, “Okay, I’ll get back to that”—and then you promptly forget about it? We’ve gotten so focused on returning emails all day that it’s easy to forget to return our voicemail messages!

It’s crucial to have a system in place that ensures you’ll return messages quickly and reliably.

One way to make sure you’re following up: Forward voicemail messages to your work email. It’s easier to keep track of voicemails you need to follow up on because they’re in the same place as everything else you need to follow up on.

Plus, by storing messages in your email and deleting them from your phone, you’ll never risk filling up your voicemail with old messages.

I started using this method and discovered another benefit—forwarding voicemail to my email inbox allows me to easily add the message into my CRM!

Stop ignoring calls!

I’ve worked with thousands of sales professionals to help them crush their sales goals, and the real sales rock stars always answer their phones! I hope these tips help you start answering more calls and closing more business.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Sales Rock Stars ANSWER THEIR PHONE! appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

I’m assuming after a long day at work you want to spend quality time with your family, catch up on a few house to-dos, read a book, maybe work on a hobby. Then, spend some time relaxing and a full night of restorative sleep, so you can meet the next day recharged and ready!

I know that’s what you want to do, but you’re probably thinking, “Yeah, right! In your dreams!”

We all wish we could read more, spend more time with our kids, and not feel swamped every evening. But most people struggle to live up to their at-home ideals—it just seems like there are not enough hours in the day!

So why do so many of us seem to lose control of our lives after the workday is done? The answer might be in how much time we’re devoting to our screens.

No, I’m not saying you need to stop watching your favorite show or throw out all your technology! However, with these rules in place for your screen time, you’ll be surprised how much more fulfilling and effective your life at home becomes:

• No TV on weeknights
• Create a TV-free space
• Limit screen time to one hour a day
• Make good habits a priority over screen time

More time with screens means less time for life

Way back in 2016, I saw a Nielsen Ratings statistic that, on average, Americans watched five hours of TV a day. When Shane & I saw this, we were blown away. We decided the new rule was no more TV on “school nights”—for everyone in the house—starting immediately!

I’m sure you’ve also seen the shocking numbers showing how much time we spend watching TV and looking at our phones. What’s truly shocking is that these numbers keep increasing year after year.

All the recent cord-cutting doesn’t mean we’re consuming less media. We just replaced cable TV with Netflix—and piled on half a dozen other streaming services. Then, during the pandemic, we all found ourselves suddenly spending a lot more time at home.

Business Insider reported that in 2020, our average overall time spent on media (all media, not just “TV”) had increased to over 13.5 hours a day. That’s 3.5 hours more than our daily average back in 2016!

(If you think those numbers are hard to believe, don’t forget how much we multitask—if you are watching TV for an hour while looking at your phone the whole time, they count as two hours spent with media.)

With all the time we devote to our screens, it’s no surprise that average Netflix users finish an entire season of a show in 4-6 days. But wait—is polishing off 25 hours of TV really what you wanted to accomplish this week?

Are your TV habits getting in your way?

Do you turn on the TV for background noise? Do you turn on the TV in the morning for the weather report—and then leave it on? Do you turn on the TV to unwind at night? Do you ever lose track of time while using media?

If you’ve got other things that are truly more important to you than screen time, you need to make them a priority. If you’re saying, “I wish I could read more books at home, but I never have the time,” what you’re really saying is, “For me, reading books isn’t a priority.”

Like I always say—If it’s important to you, you’ll find a way. If it’s not, you’ll find an excuse!

If you feel bad about how you’re spending your time, realize that you can change it! All it takes is a little effort.

Make new habits to take back your time!

No TV on weeknights

I already mentioned our first new habit to take back our time: No TV on weeknights! I remember going through the mental anguish! “But what about ‘Biggest Loser’?!” Sure, maybe you’ll be “behind” on your shows—but you’ll be ahead all week doing the things you actually want to do. You can catch up on the weekend!

You’ll feel an adjustment in your evenings right away. Everything changes! You’ll be more productive without the distraction—dinner gets made faster when you’re not trying to watch a show at the same time. Chores are finished more efficiently. The best part? You’ll have more meaningful conversations with your family without a TV competing for everyone’s attention.

Create a TV-free space

The second thing we did was to create a TV-free space in our home. Many people know that having a TV in your bedroom is a bad idea—it interferes with your sleep and can even affect your marriage. We took things one step further. When we moved a few years ago, we created a TV room in a spare bedroom—and kept our living room TV-free.

So many of our friends notice right away something’s missing, and ask, “Where’s your TV?” Taking the TV out of our living room allowed us to focus on using that room for actual living—being together, reading, relaxing, having conversations. Watching TV is now a conscious decision, instead of turning it on “just to have something in the background.”

Limit screen time to one hour a day

Thankfully, phone manufacturers have started making it easier to track and limit our screen time. I limit my screen time to one hour a day. Having automatic limits on apps like Instagram or YouTube is great! Deep down, we know we’re usually just wasting time—so when the timer runs out, it’s not a big deal. You got your 20 minutes of Instagram scrolling in for the day, and you can move on to doing something else.

Obviously, you don’t need to limit the hours you’re using your phone for business. With a few common-sense limits placed, you’ll keep yourself from mindlessly looking at your phone when you actually wanted to be reading a book. I limit the time I spend on apps to 30 minutes a day.

Make good habits a priority over screen time

Here’s another great way to ensure your priorities are straight: Implement a no screen time rule until everyone in the house exercises, reads, or practices their new hobby. It’s easy to just pick up our phone or turn the TV on. All too often, our brains just go for the easiest thing to do—and suddenly, the day is over, and we haven’t accomplished what we really wanted to get done.

By choosing to spend time on our goals first, screen time takes a back seat. If you need a reminder, your phone can help—for example, I’ve set an alert that says “Read a book!” to go off every evening. You might even get so into your book or hobby that you completely forget to look at Twitter!

Take back your week!

When we talk about “not having enough time,” we really need to pay attention to how we’re using our time. Chances are, we’re wasting precious hours on something like TV or social media—things that feel easy to do but aren’t getting us closer to accomplishing what we want to do.

Managing your time wisely—both at home and the office—is the key to having a balanced, enjoyable life.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Are Screens Eating Up Your Week? appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

You talk to yourself more than you talk to anyone else. You’re probably even talking to yourself right now by wondering, “Do I really talk to myself?”

We often take this inner dialog for granted. But we’re always listening to what we tell ourselves—and this self-talk can work its way into the conversations we have with other people. Over the years, I’ve met salespeople who don’t realize how negative their self-talk is—and how much it’s affecting their business.

Positive self-talk: the key to good self-care

The number one habit you can have for good self-care is positive self-talk. Being kind to yourself doesn’t just make you feel better—it helps you be resilient when obstacles arise and see opportunities when you’re faced with challenges.

The power of positive affirmations is real. And so is the power of negative affirmations. Phrases like “If it’s not one thing, it’s another,” “That’s just my luck,” or “When it rains it pours,” are all negative affirmations. If you always tell yourself, “I hate Mondays,” how likely are you to have a great Monday?

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.” -Henry Ford

Pay attention to what you’re telling yourself, and start replacing negative self-talk like “I knew it would never happen” with affirmative phrases like “I know I can do this.” Stop talking yourself out of success!

Little words can make a big difference

You might be using negative self-talk without knowing it. There are two little words that people use all the time—if and try—and they can make a big difference in your confidence. When you’re moving through your sales process, watch for these “unsure” words and replace them with a positive, affirming word.

For example, change “if” to “when” the next time you’re talking about your client:

“When my client closes on this deal,”
NOT “If my client closes on this deal.”

By using when instead of if, you’re telling yourself you believe it will happen—instead of just hoping it will happen. “If” creates doubt.

And stop saying you’ll “try” to do something! When you say, “I’ll try to get that report done by Friday,” you’re giving yourself an excuse to not get it done. When you tell yourself, “I will get that report done by Friday,” you’re much more likely to finish it on time.

Self-talk isn’t just about us!

Sure, it takes some work to change your self-talk, but it’s worth it! Getting rid of negative self-talk and using positive affirmations will improve your attitude, motivation, and effectiveness.

By changing the way we speak to ourselves, we lessen our self-doubt and bring positive change into reality. The best part about culturing this habit is that, as we speak more positively to ourselves, we speak more positively to others as well.

Whether you’re leading your sales team or closing a deal with the crystal ball method, using positive terms and “speaking it into reality” works to eliminate doubt from the conversation. Telling your team “If we can get that company to sign” leaves everything up in the air—telling them “When our new client signs” keeps everyone in the mind frame of working towards closing the deal!

Everything you tell yourself matters!

You’re always listening to yourself—so pay attention to what you’re saying. Every word you tell yourself matters. Make sure those words are pushing you forward instead of holding you back!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Self-Talk Your Way To Success appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Have you ever hesitated when you’re facing a decision? A big decision can be scary—and usually, that fear is from the unknown. Am I making the right choice? Will my decision lead to the outcome I want?

We’ve all felt that pressure!

If you’re closing a sale, your client is facing a decision. And their fear of the unknown could kill your deal. The Crystal Ball Close helps your client overcome that fear. When you use the Crystal Ball sales closing technique, prospects will feel like signing your agreement is a natural next step and not a stressful decision.

With the Crystal Ball Close, you’ll do two things:

1. Paint a picture of the future, and
2. Assume the deal is done

Paint a picture of the future

The Crystal Ball Close helps your prospect see into the future—a future where you’re their partner. Inclusive, assumptive language is part of that, but it’s also important to give them detailed information about what they can expect.

For example, this may include a description of what it will be like to work with you:

I’ll be taking care of everything for you, so once we have you all set up, you won’t notice a change in your service. The transfer will be seamless.

By giving your prospect a clear picture of the future, you’ll eliminate the uncertainty that makes big decisions scary. That big decision won’t seem like such a big deal—and your client will know they’re in good hands.

Assume the deal is done

The Crystal Ball Close assumes your client will say yes, and the deal is already done. The idea that they would possibly say “no” is taken off the table.

If you’re a salesperson, you may be using language that is exclusive instead of assumptive. You might not even realize it! Take a look at these two statements:

We provide our clients with 24-hour phone support for any of our services.

We’ll provide you with 24-hour phone support for all of your services.

See the difference? Both sentences have the same information, but the second one assumes your company already has your prospect’s business. By changing a few pronouns, you’ll encourage your prospect to imagine what it will be like if they sign up.

• When we launch your website.
• When we implement your software.
• When your products arrive.
• In your coaching program.

By assuming the deal is done, you’ll give your prospects ownership even before they’ve signed. And when they’ve imagined that future, signing feels less like a big decision and more like a step in a process they’re already a part of.

Give your clients a crystal ball!

When your prospects seem hesitant, try the Crystal Ball Close! It’s a technique that works wonders at every point of the sales process. Assume you’ve already got your prospect’s business, and change your language to reflect that. Show them their future!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post The Crystal Ball Close appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

For many salespeople, one of the most impactful techniques for time management is the “ideal week.” I’ve written in-depth about creating your ideal week and helped many people implement this ideal week blueprint into their schedule.

If you’ve used the ideal week method to take control of your time, you know it works!

Unfortunately, an ideal week won’t work forever. When you take control of your time and you’re able to accomplish more in fewer hours, there’s a good chance that you’re going to have to deal with success.

Success means more business, more responsibilities, bigger numbers, and bigger goals.

When you’ve got new things to do, the old way of doing things won’t work. If you’re making progress, your ideal week needs to progress with you!

What Breaks An Ideal Week?

Your ideal week is simply a plan to manage your time in a way that works best for you, but this plan is NOT “set-it-and-forget-it.” It must be updated, altered, or completely renewed as your scenario changes. Here are a few examples of when your ideal week will need to change:

New Hires or Direct Reports

Your sales team expands through a big hiring initiative, or your company is consolidating and you absorb a new department. Now you don’t have enough hours blocked for one-on-ones and other management tasks for a team this size.

New Travel Requirements

You used to work from your office every day, but a new promotion has you traveling 20 weeks a year. You realize there’s no way to stick to your ideal week when you’re on the road.

New Responsibilities

Your company reorganized, and now you’ve got a new workflow with new processes and new paperwork. Your old ideal week can’t handle all the new stuff on your plate!

Or, Time Simply Goes By

It’s pretty obvious that a big change in your job calls for a redesigned ideal week. But even if nothing big happens, your business and your goals still change a little bit every day. Over time, it adds up—and your ideal week is out of date.

Make A Plan For Tweaking Your Week

The ideal week doesn’t last forever! I set aside time at the end of every quarter to review my goals, make adjustments, and examine my ideal week.

After any change in your responsibilities—or at the end of a quarter—ask yourself these three questions:

1. Is this ideal week still working for me?
2. Could anything about my ideal week be tweaked to make it better?
3. Am I still doing all the things I’m supposed to be doing, according to my ideal week?

If you’re on track and still love your ideal week, great! If not, it’s time to make some changes—and no, the answer is not adding more hours to your workday! Take a look at my process for adjusting your ideal week.

New travel requirements might mean you need two ideal weeks—one for when you’re traveling and one for when you’re in the office.

If you’ve got a new increase in your workload, from new hires or new requirements, there simply might not be enough hours in a week no matter how you block your time, and you’ll need to learn to delegate. (More articles on that subject are coming soon! Be sure to sign up for updates!)

What’s Your Ideal Week?

Keep your ideal week up-to-date! It’s the key to taking control of your workday, maintaining balance, and getting more done.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Is Your Ideal Week Still Ideal? appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Years ago, a co-worker came into the office one morning and told us about his son’s shocking announcement: His four-year-old was now a T. Rex, and thus would no longer be wearing shoes of any kind.

Getting a four-year-old ready in the morning is tough even on a good day—and when you’re a parent who’s already running behind, this is not the announcement you want to hear!

My co-worker didn’t lose his patience, argue, or yell. He just grabbed his son’s socks and shoes, said “Oh, well,” and headed out to the car.

It was the middle of winter. He knew that as soon as his kid’s feet hit the cold concrete outside, the boy would change his mind—and say, “Hey dad, can I have my shoes?”

It’s OK to say “Oh, well!”

When we don’t get what we want, we tend to fight it—we’ll dig our heels in, argue, and get upset when things don’t work out. We’ll let a situation become a big deal when we should really just say, “Oh, well!”

If it’s not really a catastrophe, shrug it off. It’s no big deal.

Sometimes in sales, no matter how hard we work to close a deal, it’s just not going to happen. There might be a good reason for things falling through, or it might seem like there’s no reason at all. Either way, a salesperson should be able to say, “Oh, well!”

Set up for success

If you’re saying, “But Dew, I’m not someone to just let things go!” then it’s worth asking yourself—Why is shrugging it off so hard?

Cancellations, reschedules, and refusals are going to happen. If every deal is a “big deal,” it’s because you don’t have enough deals! To set yourself up to succeed, you need to provide yourself with enough opportunities so that it’s okay when something goes wrong.

I’ve seen salespeople hold on to a deal forever. They’re refusing to let go because they don’t have a healthy pipeline. Build up your prospects list and stay consistent. When we have a healthy pipeline, a client’s rejection might sting, but we can shrug it off—we know it won’t ruin our entire month.

Short-term Setback? Shrug it off

If a prospect has to cancel a meeting, instead of getting angry at them, be grateful—grateful that they have so much business coming in that they had to cancel. Don’t sulk about your loss. Work on getting more meetings scheduled, so you’re able to shrug it off when one gets canceled.

If your client tells you they want to push your project off until the next quarter, say “I’m happy to set up that meeting, can we book something for July?” Instead of sulking about a lost sale, celebrate the fact you just set up another meeting.

When a client tells you they’re not quite ready to buy, it’s only a short-term pain—if you remember that in the long term, you still have an interested prospect.

You’re not the only one affected by your attitude. When you can deal with setbacks, you avoid pressuring a client into something they’re not comfortable with. Your prospects will remember how forgiving you were when they had to reschedule. And clients—or other people on your team—will know they can come to you with issues.

Be resilient!

You can’t always control what happens, but you can always control your reaction. A resilient, abundant mindset will pay off in the long run. Sometimes, that just means shrugging and saying “Oh, well!”

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Shrug It Off! appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Not every salesperson needs to write sales proposals, but if you’re in a relationship-based sales cycle, there’s a good chance your client expects to see a proposal. And, your entire deal may hinge on this single document! Where do you even start?

If you want to craft the perfect sales proposal, you need to:

• Follow a clear outline.
• Keep it about the client, not you.
• Be specific, not generic.
• Come prepared.

With a little care and attention to detail, you can make sure your sales proposal stands out and will deliver exactly what the client needs to make their decision. Let’s get started!

Follow a clear outline

The purpose of a sales proposal is to communicate the “what, why, when, and how” of the work you’ll do for your client. To be sure you’re including everything the client needs to know, the proposal should follow the outline below. And there’s no shame in getting help—if you’re not good at writing clear and brief statements for any of these points, find someone who can!

1. A summary of their pain

Here, you’re restating why you’re having a proposal meeting—the challenges the client faces, and their unique needs.

If you don’t already know these pain points, you shouldn’t be proposing anything! Have a discovery meeting first!

2. Your solution for solving their pain

Only provide the specific solutions that will solve your client’s pain! If they’re only evaluating three of your services, don’t throw in a generic list of six or seven other solutions that they don’t need. If a new pain point arises later, you can tell them then.

3. Timeframe

How long is the engagement? When does it begin? Don’t use vague timeframes like “once signed” or “upon approval”—use specific, real dates. This makes it real for the client and prevents any guesswork.

4. Pricing

How much? When is payment due? Are there options for a monthly term or a lump sum? These need to be specific numbers. Ideally, you’ll present several payment options, so the client has some flexibility. Don’t forget to include how payments can be made—ACH, credit, check, etc.—and clearly state due dates. If your company has a preferred method, be sure to mention it.

5. Next Steps

What are the specific actions that need to take place after this meeting? In order to launch, your company may need to perform an assessment or backend evaluation. The ‘next steps’ section makes sure the client knows your project needs more than a signature—and lets them know what else your company needs to get started.

6. Why you?

If you feel like it’s needed, this section explains your qualifications to do the proposed work. Note that this section is at the bottom, not the top! A short paragraph or a few certification icons is enough.

Keep it about the client

Your sales proposal is not about you! It’s about what you can do for the client and how it will get done. If you want to have a “brag book,” that’s fine, but it needs to be a separate document. Keep it out of the proposal!

If you’re at the proposal stage, you’ve already made your case for how great your company or product is. To make their final decision, your client wants to know the details of your solution, how it fits their needs, and how it will be implemented.

Be specific!

The worst thing you can do is use a generic sales proposal template that “covers all the bases.” It’s okay to start with a template, but it must be adjusted to fit every individual client.

If you’re not specific or include pointless information, it will work against you. If your sales proposal mentions services that the client doesn’t need, how can they trust that you understand their challenges?

Vague terms and placeholders don’t inspire confidence. If you want your client to sign, your sales proposal needs clear, correct, and complete information.

Come prepared

When it’s time to present your proposal, here’s a bonus tip—unless you’re great at reading upside down, be sure to have a copy for yourself! You always want your client to have the proposal in front of them.

Another tip: It’s not uncommon for an additional person to show up to your proposal meeting—and they’ll need a copy, too! You never know when a client will bring in their CEO or CFO to sit in. Always have extra copies, and if you run out, give up your copy.

Go sell some stuff!

I hope you feel a little better about writing that sales proposal now. Remember to be specific, keep the focus on your client, and come prepared!

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post How To Write The Perfect Sales Proposal appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.

Have you ever had a deal get delayed due to a holiday? Decision-makers are traveling and offices are closed. Around a holiday, you can lose an entire week—and this happens multiple times a year!

Many salespeople assume they have 52 weeks a year to reach their sales goals. Nope! When a holiday rolls around, you can’t hit your weekly quota, and suddenly you’re playing catch-up. If you’re lucky, you can catch up before the next holiday—and the cycle repeats.

So, how can you be strategic about planning your sales goals for the year?

When I’m calculating my weekly goals, I typically subtract 6 weeks out of the year. Here’s why you should too. Planning for 46-weeks:

• Keeps goals realistic
• Reduces stress around holidays & vacations
• Provides “Bonus Weeks” to use as you wish

Ready to make a 46-week plan work for you?

Why 46 Weeks?

If you think you’re going to accomplish 52 weeks of work in a year, you’re setting yourself up for failure. For any year, you can cross off four weeks right from the start:

• Fourth of July
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas
• New Year’s

This doesn’t mean that you’re not working those weeks, but it’s just really hard to close deals when so many people are taking time off.

In addition to the four holiday weeks, I subtract two more weeks to account for the vacation days, school snow days, sick days, and other lost time. It will happen—even if you don’t know when!

Your Six ‘Bonus Weeks’

These six weeks are now bonus weeks for you. If you get anything done, great! Check out my article on Making the Most of a Bonus Week. You can use this time for planning, research, networking, and more.

If you need personal time off, you can take it! Since you’ve already built in the lost time, you don’t have to worry about not reaching your goals. But if your regular business has slowed down during one of these weeks and you’re free, it’s a great opportunity to catch up—stress free!

Setting Up To Succeed

When you’re setting your sales goals, don’t count on these six weeks being productive, so the other weeks will have to pick up the slack. That’s why we divide our annual goals by 46 (not 52) to get our weekly quotas.

Managing your year this way ensures you’re setting up the correct quotas and milestones you need to achieve your annual goals. You won’t get off track, and you won’t beat yourself up every time there’s a snowstorm, illness, or national holiday.

Planning ahead takes the pressure off those “lost weeks” and sets you up to succeed. You’ll be able to enjoy your personal time off (with a positive attitude), and you won’t be playing a losing game of catch-up at the end of every year!

Hit Your Sales Goals With Time-Management

In my career as a sales coach and consultant, I’ve seen so many salespeople find that time management and planning had the most impact on their bottom line.

Until next time—go sell some stuff!

The post Plan Your Sales Goals Around a 46-Week Year appeared first on Sales Coach Dew.