by Admin | May 15, 2012 | Networking, Prospecting, Referrals, Selling
Are there days you ask yourself why you do what you do? I know many of the professionals I coach will stop and ask themselves this question. Especially if they are experiencing not so great results from a lot of hard work. We spend 1/3rd of our days at work, sometimes more. And that’s ½ of our waking hours. We enter the workforce when we are 20 (sometimes sooner), and we exit at 70+ (remember the ‘new normal’ with retirement planning and social security?). That’s 50+ years you devote to a professional career. God promises us 3 score and 10 (translates to 70 years in non-Bible math) in our life. If we are promised a lifespan of 70 years and more than 2/3rds of that is devoted to our profession, shouldn’t it be something worthwhile? I ask you these questions to get you thinking about what you do in sales. I was visiting with a group of sales professionals who thought by expanding their relationship with their clients it would appear as if they were ‘just selling more stuff’. Is that really what you consider a career of sales? People buy solutions from people they know, like and trust. I don’t know about you, but if someone is ‘just selling something’ they don’t fit into the ‘know, like and trust’ category. There are a few really smart people I know that are always seeking innovation. They adopt new habits, buy new technology and hire the best service providers. I call them when I am looking for a solution. I do this because I – like most business owners –...
by Admin | May 6, 2012 | Networking, Prospecting
I love the lessons learned from the big screen. For the first time in my life, I recently went to see the first showing of a new release. It was The Avengers – a definite must see for children of all ages! During the movie, though, I kept thinking of how many of these plots demonstrate a valuable skill set for us to learn from. Of course, my lessons are around prospecting and networking in particular, so here are my thoughts around the 5 Lessons Learned from the Avenger’s Network… Reach out. Even though you may be super talented and have super powers, you have your own strengths and weaknesses. Others are often able and willing to step in and help you out so reach out! You are stronger as a team. Each member of the Avengers is a bad ass in their own right, but together they are unbeatable. Even when problems may arise and you feel defeated, look to others to help you and you must be there to help them when they are down. Ask for help. It’s OK to not have all the answers and often by brainstorming with your peers and partners you can find answers to the biggest problem the mightiest villain can throw your way. Sometimes your super powers are hidden. The ‘normal folks’ bring great substance to this story. Not to be a spoiler, but one of the key support members of the Shield Team inspired greatness, from his connection with the love interest of Iron Man. He gained her support to engage this critical team member into giving more than...
by Admin | Jan 25, 2012 | Goal Setting and Achievement, Prospecting, Selling
Nike may have made a billion dollars on that phrase, but in sales you can make a jillion (as my 9 year old would say) by, yes, just doing it! So many times, though, we don”t just do it. How often do you find yourself overthinking an issue rather than just pushing for a next steps? Example: John is on a sales call and his prospect has just greeted him with the news that the account that was potentially a ‘deer’ for him (could feed him for a month) was about to turn into a ‘bear’ (he can eat for the winter). Pretend you’re John, do you… Say ‘That’s fantastic, what has changed internally?’ and proceed on with the initial agenda for the call which was gathering the scope of work? Get flustered and go for the close? Start overthinking and underselling – meaning you are worried about saying or doing the wrong thing so you become hesitant about asking tough questions to flesh out what is truly in this opportunity? Professional athletes train for hours and hours each week so that when they are in the moment and the pressure is on their body and brain know what to do. These are like autopilot settings for them. They have conditioned the response to happen to the point that the actual situation is almost irrelevant. How is this any less critical than your success in sales? Sales is about process, not online casino personality. Malcolm Gladwell talks about what defines an ‘expert’ in Outliers (awesome book by the way, highly recommended). In his definition, it’s not someone who is...
by Admin | Jan 18, 2012 | Goal Setting and Achievement, Prospecting
In coaching sales people I have found many similarities to raising children. Not that sales people are childish at all, but we tend to be an emotional and reactive lot. Take Ben as an example. He knows that he needs to book 2 appointments every day to reach his sales goals, but setting appointments is not his most fun thing to do in his day. He’d rather research companies to call, read his trade journals, call his buddies to network (of course) and fill in the blank with any other activity possible to put off doing what he knows he should be doing: scheduling appointments. We’re all guilty of this, even my hyper-productive sales people. Even if our prospecting effort is solid, taking the time to fill in our contact database with solid leads or our calendars with appointments is just not fun. That’s work that we would rather not do – even if it brings us that much closer to our sales goals. I know I would rather have fun – and I know most of my clients would too. It’s our natural childlike instincts that are resisting our adult ones. But who’s running the show? Is your inner child in control, or does your adult stay in command? If you’re honest, you probably will admit to the child allowing procrastination to creep in. Here’s how to corral your inner 9 year old. Ask yourself a key question. Stop what you are doing right now (although you do need to keep reading for a bit!). Ask yourself: “Is what I’m doing right now taking me closer to or...
by Admin | Jan 16, 2012 | Goal Setting and Achievement, Prospecting
Who will your best client be in 2012? Do you know what they look like? How big they are? What market they are in? What stage of growth or contraction are they in? Which of your products and services will they want or need to buy? What value will you provide to them? What positive impact will you have on their company”s bottom line? Why am I asking all these questions? In sales aren”t you at the mercy of fate with who you will work with? Not really. In the past 12 years I have spent coaching and training sales people, some successful, some not so much – the common thread with the intentionally successful producers is their determination and planning of their market early in their sales career. That”s not to say happy accidents don”t happen in your prospecting effort, after all we know that Luck is merely preparation meeting opportunity as quoted by some really smart guy I can”t remember the name of right now. (If you know it, please reply). And then there”s “Hard work is it”s own reward” and countless other quotes that we can all recite… The point is that if you get sick and tired of taking what life hands you, you can decide instead to act with purpose in your prospecting effort. The best place to start? Determine who will be your best client this year. But…How? I”m glad you asked! Here are the 3 steps you can take right now for intentional success in your prospecting effort. Look at who your best clients were last year. Not just the biggest and...
by Admin | Jan 11, 2012 | Goal Setting and Achievement, Networking, Prospecting, Selling
2012 is here whether you like it or not. This time of year brings reflection, celebration and sometimes regret. Many of the folks I talk to each week have had a mixed bag with the economic challenges, changing market conditions, political uncertainly and overall unwillingness to move forward and make something happen. My clients in construction are challenged with the lending environment, clients in insurance are dealing with the uncertainty of health care reform, financial service professionals have a turbulent market, fill in the blank with your challenge from the above or perhaps you are dealing with you own. What’s a sales person to do? Environments such as the one we are in right now leave you in one of two places: the ‘Waiting Place’ referred to in Dr. Seuss’s the Places You Will Go (a must read, my favorite book this year) or the ‘On Purpose’ place. In the Waiting Place you are at the mercy of circumstances out of control of your own life and destiny. You are at the mercy of your clients, prospects, competition – name the reason for lack of results. In the ‘On Purpose’ place you recognize that while many circumstances may be beyond your control – how you react to challenges is completely in your control. Ready to change your address from the Waiting Place to the On Purpose Place? Here are a few thoughts on how to do just that. Recognize the positive that happens each and every day. What you reflect on will reproduce itself. You think about crummy stuff and all it seems you are surrounded by is crummy...
by Salezworks | Aug 4, 2011 | Prospecting, Referrals, Selling
Summer is a great time to take stock of referral partner relationships and figure out who will you focus on in 4th quarter. Yes. I know it’s a busy season with family and vacations and life happening. But who continues to make time for you? Who is continuing to prospect? I will give you a few things to think about as you sift through your CRM (customer relationship management system such as ACT!, Outlook, Sales Force, etc). Here are the four main categories you should have in mind as you do that review and think about the level of influence of your natural market – those immediately surrounding you: Center of Influence: Are they lovely people -great to hang out with but don’t have the influence to refer you? Or are they suppliers – their influence is with middle management, not senior level decision makers? Movers & Shakers: This is where the influence begins – these are the people who know who is doing what with whom (as one of my client’s phrases it, they know where the bodies are buried and who placed them there 😉 Contacts with Clout: This people make a recommendation that is acted on by the end of the meeting. Yes, their influence is that great. Networking is moving online, and we are finding more people in the ‘room’ of social media. A fun tool I just found that measures on-line influence is Klout. If you take a moment to go to the SalezWORKS facebook page you can find the link and also I shared my Klout score -apparently I just entered...
by Salezworks | Mar 7, 2011 | Referrals
An interesting quote I received via e-mail this past week referred to the best vitamin to grow friends – B1. This is a simple but true statement that applies to friends and also to referral partners. How many of you would be successful if you walked into a bank at which you didn’t have an account and then asked to withdraw $100? Not very many – if any.Yet, we do the same thing when we make a request for a referral with someone that you have done nothing to build a relationship with. What if you found people who recognize the value of relationships? Hopefully you are already one of these. Recognizing the value of relationships means you must have genuine interest and curiosity in those around you and your focus needs to be on how you can help others get what they want in order to get what you want. This is the first and foremost criteria that must be present in successful relationships, referral or otherwise. While you may not be escorted out of a networking event by security, like you would in the bank example, think of the impression you leave with those you are attempting withdrawals out of a referral account with a 0...
by Salezworks | May 25, 2010 | Goal Setting and Achievement, Selling
Disclaimer: Prepare for a 2 x 4 directly between the eyes. I am not responsible if the proverbial 2 x 4 leaves a mark. I work with compensation a lot, especially sales compensation. I have 2 compensation tenants that I know are universally true: I have never met somebody who truly thought they were paid enough.And…Compensation is an emotional topic that people find difficult to have a rational discussion about.If you can keep these in mind for the rest of the entry, it will be appreciated. You see, I have been introduced lately to rational, talented sales people who know all of the things I point out above yet have a very unrealistic expectation of their value, especially in this economy. Look around. Things aren’t what they used to be. Companies still value sales people knowing they are the lifeblood of their company but want to change the deal a bit. Gone are the days of high base salaries for sales people, with very few exceptions. Say hello to the days of 100% commission opportunities or a lower base. Companies are happy to pay their top sales people who produce but that will be in the form of variable compensation that they earn from sales. Sales people who mention they need a higher base to be comfortable with this new opportunity in an interview might as well say they are a blood sucking leech (sorry, forgot to warn you before the 2 x 4 hit) who will take your money and not deliver. I am reminded of a recent discussion with a salesperson that had a salary history of...
by Salezworks | Apr 22, 2010 | Referrals
‘Tis the season to clear out drawers, deep clean, and re-arrange our household. Summer is coming, and we will be caught up in frenetic activity with kids, vacations and a host of personal obligations. This means we are giving away and throwing away things we haven’t touched in a year or longer, right? That is the buzz on the getting organized shows and topical in magazine articles. But what is happening to our referral partner relationships? Are we cleaning those out? Or do we need to clean them up? I am finding I have lots of great people I know that there have been wonderful relationships with through the years that I have just not had time to connect with. My referral partners of yesterday have often had business market or focus changes that have affected our ability to serve as referral partners for one another. Then I have the partners of today that I need to stay top of mind with, but not wear them out. So how do we manage our time with these relationships so we are engaging in the ‘Habits of Excellence’ that lead to referral partner success? Are you staying top of mind with your favorite resources? When was the last time you sat down for a ‘what’s happening’ lunch that was about them and their lives? We often get caught up in business and forget about the relationship with the person. Let’s engage in some spring cleaning with our referral partners. Here are some ideas… Schedule a meeting with someone you haven’t seen in the last 6 months or longer. Find out if...
