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 | Feb 22, 2010 | Prospecting, Referrals, Selling
Late in 2009 I was sitting in a presentation by a Senior VP of a major Company headquartered in Kansas City. He was speaking about the ways he is engaged by various Business Development Professionals and what his expectations were of them when he did speak with them. I thought reviewing his major points here would be a great refresher for all of us. Initial Contact. E-mails, cold calls, mailings and free stuff don’t work on him. He hits delete and gives the stuff to his staff. If he answered every unsolicited voicemail or correspondence he would get nothing done. He only speaks with individuals who are recommended to him by those he trusts. Modulated Persistence. Once an individual is referred to him, it may take awhile until there is A conversation. Stick with it. However, there is a fine line between persistence in following up and stalking. Choose the right advocate. Your best friend may be the accountant at the organization you are prospecting but they might not be able to get you a meeting with the CEO. Entering the organization at the right level and for the right reason is critical. Top down is always an easier approach than bottom up, that one works best at happy hour;-) Know your audience. Once you have a meeting with the decision maker, do not ask them information that is readily available. Examples of questions are particularly irksome: size of Company, Company culture and diversity. Spend time finding out information from the decision maker that is not readily available and probe at the type of solution slots...
by Salezworks | Feb 1, 2010 | Prospecting, Selling
Isn’t it funny what life has to teach us under our noses? We acquired a new cat that had been dumped out at a friends’ farm.  This same friend already has about 15 felines (last time she counted), so we were recruited into providing a lovely year old kitty with a new home. All in our household were in favor, but no one asked Caesar, our 5 year old feline, whether he supported the new addition. And let me tell you the first day he was not happy at all!  (My mom is still healing from their first face to face meeting….) First day the hostilities were abounding, then Caesar changed tactics. Knowing who the ‘pack leaders’ in the household were, he has abandoned the former post of sleeping with whichever body was the largest and warmest (formerly held by our 17 year old 6’+son) to my husband and myself.  He has become our shadow. We haven’t had a cat sleeping with us since he moved in 4 years ago and now he wants to be right between us at night. So, last night he jumped up and we knocked him down, jumped up again and down again he went. Finally after tossing him out of the room 5 times he snuck up and found his spot at the foot of the bed where he didn’t get booted out. This cat knows to protect his territory… Do you? How hard do we work when we get booted off? Right now our current economy requires we work very smart with each and every opportunity we are presented. So your ‘no’goal that...
