Some of my faithful followers and clients will possibly complain about my "preaching" of the value of doing post mortems AGAIN ! Say what you will, but this form of evaluating your selling skills works very well and I have many who can tell you that this direction has helped them become much better salespeople.
And you may be one of those who believes that my utilization of that term is not comfortable. OK ! Use whatever terminology you choose but what you are challenged to do is take real life cold calls, face to face appointments, customer follow-ups, and virtually any selling situation and dissect it after it takes place. As best you can remember what you said and what they said and replay it via verbalization to a peer, manager, coach, who knows something about selling. The point is to get suggestions about what you could have said differently, what you could have asked differently, how you could have reacted differently, etc., etc., etc. Look for directions and phrasing that you have never used before.
I know ! It's ROLE PLAYING based upon real situations - not obscure hypotheticals that allegedly make you uncomfortable. The big issue here for many of us (again) is who will you allow yourself to learn from. How open are you to criticism ? How well do you take suggestions ? Is your ego so big that you believe no one could do it better than you ? Please ! Please allow yourself to recognize that no one knows it all and we can all learn from each other. Get comfortable asking for other people's opinions about how they handled themselves in a similar situation.
This method of learning how to become a better closer, a better listener, a better relationship builder works and works very well for many people
LAST, but not least go to my HOME page - I'm offering a special pricing DEAL for the first two months of this year to all new clients.
Thanks for taking the time to read this week's Perspective. Good Luck and Good Selling
Challenge yourself to grow ! Challenge yourself to be more accountable to yourself and the people who rely on you to make it happen. There isn't one of us who could not be more productive, more focused, more goal oriented, and more open to change - doing things different than what we have ever done before.
Look around for success stories - they are all over the place. Get inspired ! Kick yourself in the butt !
NOW GO SELL SOMETHING - YOUR BABY NEEDS A NEW PAIR OF SHOES !
REMEMBER every salesperson is a part of the economic recovery we are all looking for ! Don't believe me - go to the Sunday classifieds and see where the most job opportunities are. Yes, it is the sales jobs which far outnumber any other professional group that are looking for producers ( well, maybe the need for nurses outnumber us in certain areas ). There is only one direction that is going to solve any of our problems - "MORE SALES".
HAVE A GREAT WEEK ! CALL IF I CAN HELP YOU OR YOUR TEAM !!
Always remember - "people still buy people" and that's why we have sales professionals !
"The Biggest Obstacle to Sales Success is the Resistance to Change How You Sold Yesterday in Order to Be More Successful Today "
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
ARE YOU READY FOR SALES SUCCESS IN 2010 ?
Blink your eyes ! January is almost gone ? So, where are you at as far as being positioned for success (greater than last year or any preceding years) in this fast flowing New Year ? Here's some questions to stimulate your positioning:
1. Is your database up to date with every bit of details and actions ?
2. Are your goals ( daily, weekly, monthly ) defined in writing and are they visible ?
3. How many cold calls have you made in the last three weeks ? Does that coincide with goals ?
4. How many "campaign steps" are defined & developed ? How many have been utilized so far ?
5. What are you reading, listening to, or doing that's contributing to you being a better salesperson ?
6. On Monday morning is your PLAN for the week detailed in writing ?
7. How many of your existing customers have you seen in person since 1/1/2010 ?
8. When you have a face to face meeting - is there a list of questions written out ?
9. When visiting any customer - have you looked carefully at their website before going to the appointment ?
10.After any appointment are you setting down with a peer, coach, manager to do a post-mortem ?
11.Are you working harder (longer hours and/or more intense) than ever before ?
12.What are you doing differently ? Remember INSANITY is doing the same and expecting different
results.
13.What are you doing that you never did before to develop leads ?
14.Do you really want to be the BEST (most successful salesperson) on the Team ? In your industry ?
15.How's your attitude ? How's your listening skills ? How do you feel about yourself and your act ?
WELL ? Were you able to answer all of these questions and know that you are doing everything possible to influence your success ? If not, than I suggest you stop playing games with yourself and relook at your level of intensity. Good Luck - call if I can help !
LAST, but not least go to my HOME page - I'm offering a special pricing DEAL for the first two months of this year to all new clients.
Thanks for taking the time to read this week's Perspective. Good Luck and Good Selling
Challenge yourself to grow ! Challenge yourself to BE more accountable to yourself and the people who rely on you to make it happen. There isn't one of us who could not be more productive, more focused, more goal oriented, and more open to change - doing things different than what we have ever done before.
Look around for success stories - they are all over the place. Get inspired ! Kick yourself in the butt !
NOW GO SELL SOMETHING - YOUR BABY NEEDS A NEW PAIR OF SHOES !
REMEMBER every salesperson is a part of the economic recovery we are all looking for ! Don't believe me - go to the Sunday classifieds and see where the most job opportunities are. Yes, it is the sales jobs which far outnumber any other professional group that are looking for producers ( well, maybe the need for nurses outnumber us in certain areas ). There is only one direction that is going to solve any of our problems - "MORE SALES".
HAVE A GREAT WEEK ! CALL IF I CAN HELP YOU OR YOUR TEAM !!
1. Is your database up to date with every bit of details and actions ?
2. Are your goals ( daily, weekly, monthly ) defined in writing and are they visible ?
3. How many cold calls have you made in the last three weeks ? Does that coincide with goals ?
4. How many "campaign steps" are defined & developed ? How many have been utilized so far ?
5. What are you reading, listening to, or doing that's contributing to you being a better salesperson ?
6. On Monday morning is your PLAN for the week detailed in writing ?
7. How many of your existing customers have you seen in person since 1/1/2010 ?
8. When you have a face to face meeting - is there a list of questions written out ?
9. When visiting any customer - have you looked carefully at their website before going to the appointment ?
10.After any appointment are you setting down with a peer, coach, manager to do a post-mortem ?
11.Are you working harder (longer hours and/or more intense) than ever before ?
12.What are you doing differently ? Remember INSANITY is doing the same and expecting different
results.
13.What are you doing that you never did before to develop leads ?
14.Do you really want to be the BEST (most successful salesperson) on the Team ? In your industry ?
15.How's your attitude ? How's your listening skills ? How do you feel about yourself and your act ?
WELL ? Were you able to answer all of these questions and know that you are doing everything possible to influence your success ? If not, than I suggest you stop playing games with yourself and relook at your level of intensity. Good Luck - call if I can help !
LAST, but not least go to my HOME page - I'm offering a special pricing DEAL for the first two months of this year to all new clients.
Thanks for taking the time to read this week's Perspective. Good Luck and Good Selling
Challenge yourself to grow ! Challenge yourself to BE more accountable to yourself and the people who rely on you to make it happen. There isn't one of us who could not be more productive, more focused, more goal oriented, and more open to change - doing things different than what we have ever done before.
Look around for success stories - they are all over the place. Get inspired ! Kick yourself in the butt !
NOW GO SELL SOMETHING - YOUR BABY NEEDS A NEW PAIR OF SHOES !
REMEMBER every salesperson is a part of the economic recovery we are all looking for ! Don't believe me - go to the Sunday classifieds and see where the most job opportunities are. Yes, it is the sales jobs which far outnumber any other professional group that are looking for producers ( well, maybe the need for nurses outnumber us in certain areas ). There is only one direction that is going to solve any of our problems - "MORE SALES".
HAVE A GREAT WEEK ! CALL IF I CAN HELP YOU OR YOUR TEAM !!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
DON'T FORGET - SALES IS A NUMBERS GAME !
HELLO ! Here we go again down the road of sales success for each of you. The perspective this week has echoed throughout the profession forever and it hasn't changed one bit regardless of what anybody tells you. Sales is a numbers game and in so many ways. Contacts, leads, customers, dollars, opportunities, networking, hours worked, details, innovations, campaign steps, miles traveled, cold calls, warm calls, voice mails, messages, presentations, face to face meetings, closes, trial closes, questions, tenure, resources, training sessions, role playing, letters sent, brochures sent, visits, and many more. So, the BIG question for each of you - Do You Know What Your Numbers Are In All Of These Areas And More ?
There is a direct correlation between your success and your numbers. I know you are more talented than other sales professionals and your numbers aren't that high because you get so much more out of each thing you do because you just got your act together better than anyone else ! Cut me a Break ! I either hear that BS or it's implied in many of the conversations I have everyday. I agree a strong ego is a necessary evil as a sales professional but when it starts to stand in the way of your ability to challenge yourself to go beyond wherever you have been before - that's a problem.
Professional sales is a growing and evolving awareness for sure and no one person or Team knows it all. But I'm always amazed at the number of salespeople who are convinced that they know it all and no one could do better than they do. They don't necessarily say that but that's how they conduct themselves.
This insight will hopefully illustrate my point. I have had occasion to interview numerous prospective sales people for sales positions for my clients. For one client I interviewed close to a 100, yes one hundred, over a period of 6 years in SC These were people who were established salespeople - meaning they had been earning a living doing it for over five years according to the recruiters and their resumes. The number of candidates who had been through some type of third party professional sales training and / or had read a book or listened to a CD / DAVID about professional sales were less than 1% at best. What does that say about them and our field of endeavor ?
Sales is and will always be a NUMBERS game. What you do and what you don't do will greatly affect your success. One of the major factors in the development of professional salespeople is the willingness to be content with existing numbers (all categories included - especially dollars earned). That's another way of speaking to a lack of GOAL orientation. I will speak to that issue next week.
Until then, look at your NUMBERS. Where do you stand ? How are you going to increase your numbers in 2010 ?
LAST, but not least go to my HOME page - I'm offering a special pricing DEAL for the first two months of this year to all new clients.
Thanks for taking the time to read this week's Perspective. Good Luck and Good Selling
There is a direct correlation between your success and your numbers. I know you are more talented than other sales professionals and your numbers aren't that high because you get so much more out of each thing you do because you just got your act together better than anyone else ! Cut me a Break ! I either hear that BS or it's implied in many of the conversations I have everyday. I agree a strong ego is a necessary evil as a sales professional but when it starts to stand in the way of your ability to challenge yourself to go beyond wherever you have been before - that's a problem.
Professional sales is a growing and evolving awareness for sure and no one person or Team knows it all. But I'm always amazed at the number of salespeople who are convinced that they know it all and no one could do better than they do. They don't necessarily say that but that's how they conduct themselves.
This insight will hopefully illustrate my point. I have had occasion to interview numerous prospective sales people for sales positions for my clients. For one client I interviewed close to a 100, yes one hundred, over a period of 6 years in SC These were people who were established salespeople - meaning they had been earning a living doing it for over five years according to the recruiters and their resumes. The number of candidates who had been through some type of third party professional sales training and / or had read a book or listened to a CD / DAVID about professional sales were less than 1% at best. What does that say about them and our field of endeavor ?
Sales is and will always be a NUMBERS game. What you do and what you don't do will greatly affect your success. One of the major factors in the development of professional salespeople is the willingness to be content with existing numbers (all categories included - especially dollars earned). That's another way of speaking to a lack of GOAL orientation. I will speak to that issue next week.
Until then, look at your NUMBERS. Where do you stand ? How are you going to increase your numbers in 2010 ?
LAST, but not least go to my HOME page - I'm offering a special pricing DEAL for the first two months of this year to all new clients.
Thanks for taking the time to read this week's Perspective. Good Luck and Good Selling
Sunday, January 10, 2010
HOW'S YOUR LISTENING SKILLS ?
Can you believe it ? Second week in January already. I'm happy to report that I've added a few new clients - as a result of my new "limited time" pricing DEAL. Thanks to all of you - I'm looking forward to the challenge of "coaching" you to a new level of sales success. Onward !!
Listening Skills ! On the basic one to ten rating system - ten being the best at listening. Where do you rate yourself ? Try asking your peers or support Team where they would rate you. Why is that so important ? Because most of us are poor listeners and what's worse - we don't accept that fact.
Many sales organizations and research firms that support marketing efforts have found through the utilization of "focus" groups ( your potential customers and / or existing customers - where they actually get responses from this group ) that almost every time there is a significant amount that claim that salespeople are poor listeners. Hard to believe ? Stop and think about the sales process and how you deal with it. Most salespeople have strong egos ( almost a necessity ) and self perception of being very good at thinking on their feet. The minute a customer or potential customer says something that triggers your internal dialogue and your desire to appear eager / responsive and knowledgeable - BAM - you stop listening and can't wait to make your point.
Another place I see it is when most salespeople ask a question of the customer - they end up answering for them because they can't stand silence long enough for the customer to express their thoughts ( it's the adrenalin pump ).
In addition, there is a prevalent fear among many salespeople that you should have an answer to everything a customer could possibly ask. Instead of repeating the question and even asking other questions to make sure there is a clear understanding.
Here's the real issue. One of the ways to build new relationships is to be a better listener. To show respect for the customer's thoughts. To have them answer more questions and build the relationship on a higher level of understanding. Customers have egos also and want to deal with someone who listens to them and thoroughly understands their concerns / needs.
None of this is likely to be a discussion you have never heard before. It's something I speak to all of the time and as been a "Perspective" before. But it bears repeating many times. Rate yourself and work on your listening skills. A good resource (again) is the "7 Powers of Questions" by Dorothy Leeds - read it - it's one of the best books I've ever read.
LAST, but not least go to my HOME page - I'm offering a special pricing DEAL for the first two months of this year to all new clients.
Thanks for taking the time to read this week's Perspective. Good Luck and Good Selling
Challenge yourself to grow ! Challenge yourself to more accountable to yourself and the people who rely on you to make it happen. There isn't one of us who could not be more productive, more focused, more goal oriented, and more open to change - doing things different than what we have ever done before.
Look around for success stories - they are all over the place. Get inspired ! Kick yourself in the butt !
NOW GO SELL SOMETHING - YOUR BABY NEEDS A NEW PAIR OF SHOES !
Listening Skills ! On the basic one to ten rating system - ten being the best at listening. Where do you rate yourself ? Try asking your peers or support Team where they would rate you. Why is that so important ? Because most of us are poor listeners and what's worse - we don't accept that fact.
Many sales organizations and research firms that support marketing efforts have found through the utilization of "focus" groups ( your potential customers and / or existing customers - where they actually get responses from this group ) that almost every time there is a significant amount that claim that salespeople are poor listeners. Hard to believe ? Stop and think about the sales process and how you deal with it. Most salespeople have strong egos ( almost a necessity ) and self perception of being very good at thinking on their feet. The minute a customer or potential customer says something that triggers your internal dialogue and your desire to appear eager / responsive and knowledgeable - BAM - you stop listening and can't wait to make your point.
Another place I see it is when most salespeople ask a question of the customer - they end up answering for them because they can't stand silence long enough for the customer to express their thoughts ( it's the adrenalin pump ).
In addition, there is a prevalent fear among many salespeople that you should have an answer to everything a customer could possibly ask. Instead of repeating the question and even asking other questions to make sure there is a clear understanding.
Here's the real issue. One of the ways to build new relationships is to be a better listener. To show respect for the customer's thoughts. To have them answer more questions and build the relationship on a higher level of understanding. Customers have egos also and want to deal with someone who listens to them and thoroughly understands their concerns / needs.
None of this is likely to be a discussion you have never heard before. It's something I speak to all of the time and as been a "Perspective" before. But it bears repeating many times. Rate yourself and work on your listening skills. A good resource (again) is the "7 Powers of Questions" by Dorothy Leeds - read it - it's one of the best books I've ever read.
LAST, but not least go to my HOME page - I'm offering a special pricing DEAL for the first two months of this year to all new clients.
Thanks for taking the time to read this week's Perspective. Good Luck and Good Selling
Challenge yourself to grow ! Challenge yourself to more accountable to yourself and the people who rely on you to make it happen. There isn't one of us who could not be more productive, more focused, more goal oriented, and more open to change - doing things different than what we have ever done before.
Look around for success stories - they are all over the place. Get inspired ! Kick yourself in the butt !
NOW GO SELL SOMETHING - YOUR BABY NEEDS A NEW PAIR OF SHOES !
Sunday, January 3, 2010
THE PARTY IS OVER - LET'S GET WITH IT !!
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES !
Just in case you didn't realize it yet - 2010 is here and all the speculation about the economy, your direction, your quota, and related events is now yours to handle and make happen. Please review the results of my suggested self - evaluation ( didn't do it or forgot to do it ? - go to my blog and review my suggestion ) and make certain that you define exactly what you are going to do differently to enable a higher level of success this year.
The great challenge is that most professional sales positions allow you the opportunity to influence your income and self satisfaction beyond belief. Many of us forget that fact and fail to not only cherish it but take advantage of it. Your personal leadership of your efforts, your direction, your willingness to hold yourself accountable, in all facets of your sales endeavor will be the most significant influence of your income.
Let me give you an example of where I'm coming from: take one facet of your endeavors - networking. What type(s) of networking have you been doing ? How are they paying off ? Is it worth the time and effort ? Only you can tell - do you have specific facts to measure ? Do you realize how many people in sales waste time at various networking functions ( including web 2.0 & 3.0 ) and don't derive any benefit other than telling themselves ( and possibly their manager ) how hard they are working. What are you doing specifically at any of these networking opportunities ? What could you do differently to get more benefit ? What else could you be doing to proliferate your success other than what you are doing? Time is of the essence of your success - it flies by. Blink your eyes and the first quarter of this decade will be over.
Do yourself and the people who depend upon your success - be they loved ones or fellow workers and support people. Become more critical of how you spend your time, what you are doing differently, and how you separate yourself from competitors.
LAST, but not least go to my HOME page - I'm offering a special pricing DEAL for the first two months of this year to all new clients.
Just in case you didn't realize it yet - 2010 is here and all the speculation about the economy, your direction, your quota, and related events is now yours to handle and make happen. Please review the results of my suggested self - evaluation ( didn't do it or forgot to do it ? - go to my blog and review my suggestion ) and make certain that you define exactly what you are going to do differently to enable a higher level of success this year.
The great challenge is that most professional sales positions allow you the opportunity to influence your income and self satisfaction beyond belief. Many of us forget that fact and fail to not only cherish it but take advantage of it. Your personal leadership of your efforts, your direction, your willingness to hold yourself accountable, in all facets of your sales endeavor will be the most significant influence of your income.
Let me give you an example of where I'm coming from: take one facet of your endeavors - networking. What type(s) of networking have you been doing ? How are they paying off ? Is it worth the time and effort ? Only you can tell - do you have specific facts to measure ? Do you realize how many people in sales waste time at various networking functions ( including web 2.0 & 3.0 ) and don't derive any benefit other than telling themselves ( and possibly their manager ) how hard they are working. What are you doing specifically at any of these networking opportunities ? What could you do differently to get more benefit ? What else could you be doing to proliferate your success other than what you are doing? Time is of the essence of your success - it flies by. Blink your eyes and the first quarter of this decade will be over.
Do yourself and the people who depend upon your success - be they loved ones or fellow workers and support people. Become more critical of how you spend your time, what you are doing differently, and how you separate yourself from competitors.
LAST, but not least go to my HOME page - I'm offering a special pricing DEAL for the first two months of this year to all new clients.
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