by Admin | Feb 9, 2013 | Referrals
Wouldn’t it be great if you had a relationships with someone that just sent you business consistently day in and day out without any investment of time on your part? I see a lot of people fall down with expecting people to be thinking of them without doing anything remain top of mind with their center of influence relationships. I have the fun of working with people in a lot of different industries and one of my clients, Marc, is a sales genius who happens to broker airplanes. Our conversation this morning was about what autopilot really does in an actual airplane with wings, an engine, with a propeller-+ that flies. I was thinking autopilot was like cruise control you would set and then pop open the latest best seller, be able to run below and make yourself a cocktail, take a nap or enjoy the in-flight movie. Of course, that is not the case. I learned there are aircraft in which you have an autopilot that merely maintains level wings and altitude, in other words, it simply goes straight at that same speed. Then there are some aircraft in which you can set the system to basically run your flight from takeoff from once you get it in the air until you are ready to land. The difference is, of course, dependent on aircraft model, features and how much you are willing to spend (since that plays a role in how many bells and whistles you get). But bottom line, there are still systems that if you walk away from the controls, you will fly into the side of...
by Admin | Feb 5, 2013 | Referrals
Little things mean a lot, and often it’s the little habits top producers consistently practice that lead to their success. They don’t let things drop. They’re better at follow up than we are. They can afford to hire an assistant and you are stuck doing your own admin. Blah, blah, blah. All good reasons but I thought I would share with you one of the success traits I see that differentiates successful prospectors from the rest of the world who has meetings, but never seems to accomplish anything. So what do they do? They get a next step. An outcome. A conversation with a mutually agreed up on agenda. They don’t live in the world of assumptions. They don’t add time into their schedule when they have their calendars with them, they know how much longer it takes to get something done if you have to rely on email communication – back and forth, does this date work, no, how about the week following… and before you know it – you’re ‘out of the notion’ as my Grandmother used to say. And what could have been a great relationship goes by the wayside. There’s my rant for the day – now what you do with it is up to you. Will you determine together if there is a next step? Discuss what it looks like? Book the meeting? Invite other attendees who would benefit from the relationship? Make it happen… It’s all you! Ready to take action but not sure what to do next? Join us for the 9 Steps to Productive Prospecting webinar or live event. Contact us...
by Admin | Jul 26, 2012 | Networking, Prospecting, Referrals
This topic always strikes up a great conversation when I have it during one our Productive Prospecting workshops and it has been the source of many large and painful train wrecks for professionals in their careers. The rule of “that which gets rewarded gets done” is often understood but the execution is fraught with many potential dangers. From the appearance of impropriety to perceptions of an employee receiving ‘kickbacks’ to potentially someone feeling insulted over ‘just doing the right thing’ leaves a lot of room for error. Too many people think of rewards in terms of monetary compensation only when there are so many other rewards that are often more meaningful (and, frankly, less risky). Today’s post will discuss a couple of options that we have found successful in motivating many quality referrals to our clients and perhaps you can share your experience also. Our first example: An insurance agent who sold P&C (property and casulty) insurance to large employers in the Springfield area partnered with another agent who sold Employee Benefits offered a 50% commission split to provide access to his clients for benefit sales. Much business was written and both producers were happy. The P&C producer retired after a year and a half and the benefits producer got to keep the client relationships. Things to consider: Was there on-going access to additional referrals was gone after the producer retired? What if the Benefits producer got paid 1/2 but still had to do all the work? How would the clients feel knowing that the reason the introduction was made was for sales people to make $, not necessarily...
by Admin | Jul 16, 2012 | Prospecting, Referrals
It’s interesting to pause and reflect as I enter my 2nd decade of coaching and my 5th decade of life. I have been a student of sales since I chose that as my career leaving college and have seen many trends even in that time span. And yet, the more things change the more they stay the same. Referrals still work and are the key to the gold of new sales. Many steps to get to referrals also remain the same. Today’s post will share with you simple steps to build and grow great relationships… When I first started outside sales, I was selling of all things – sales training. My boss (the guy who got me into this) told me to sit down and make a list of the 20 people I knew that would help me and could get me in front of business. Of course, I didn’t think I knew anyone and sat there looking at a blank sheet of paper for what seemed like hours. Then it hit me, it didn’t have to be people that I had known forever! If I had a conversation with them, I knew them. I recognized that there wasn’t a relationship yet, but it beat a cold call. I was off and running! Here’s how it works… Make a list of great contacts you made during networking events, previous job contacts, personal friends in the business world, etc. There is no magic in the number 20, but you need a goodly number to get started to yield a few good relationships that can be mutually beneficial. Start a 2nd...
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 –...
