November 19, 2008
Some sales trainers will tell you that the location of your sales presentation is of critical importance in making the sale; unfortunately, they don't all agree what that location should be. Some say that it should be made in the prospect's office, others in your office and still others in a neutral zone such as a restaurant. I'm going to break with these folks and say that the only place where truly successful selling takes place is right between the salesperson's ears.
The most important playing field in sales is and always has been your mind. Look at any sales superstar and you'll see this is true. The truly great ones in any field succeed because they have developed the mindset for success. For some, this mindset has developed naturally because of good genes and a nurturing environment. For most of us, though, developing the right mindset takes a significant amount of work and a constant vigilance to guard any progress we make.
The reason for this is that we are under a constant barrage of negative messages from the world around us. We take in so much negative information on a daily basis, it can be a real challenge to keep our success mindset intact. What are some steps we can take that will help? Try these:
First, limit the amount of negative information you voluntarily take in on a daily basis. The easiest way to do this is by simply turning off the news. Another way is to limit your dealings with people who insist on focusing on negative subjects. Of course, it's impossible to shield yourself entirely from negative input; just do your best to limit your exposure. Think of it as smoggy air: you know that it's bad for you, right? Does the fact that you can't avoid it entirely, though, mean you should go wrap your lips around the nearest tailpipe and suck it all in? Of course not.
Second, replace the negative with something positive. A good book, a motivational CD, some upbeat music: whatever makes you feel good about yourself and what you do. There are some great programs you can buy or check out from your local library that you can pop into the CD player in your car and turn your drive time into learning time. Be proactive with your mental intake.
Third, develop an optimistic outlook on life. Focus on the good things, the things you are grateful for. Remember that no matter how bad things might seem right now, there is almost always someone who is in a worse plight than yours. Optimism is a choice. You get to choose in each moment how you are going to react to what the world is offering you. The more often you choose to react with gratitude and optimism, the more you will see the world respond with more things to be grateful for.
If you'd like to hear a more in-depth discussion of how to keep your motivation and energy up when the world seems to be falling apart around you, click here to check out my new audio program "Motivation 101: Five Steps to Activate Your Potential in Any Economy".
The Most Important Playing Field in Sales
It's All In Your Head
November 17, 2008
I recently completed Mark Tewart's fantastic new book How to Be a Sales Superstar, and I have to say it is quite possibly the best sales book I've ever read.
I know that's a bold statement, but if you haven't read it yet, you should (you can click on the title above to get your copy from Amazon). That said, let me give you a little taste of what you can expect.
For the first 100 pages or so, there is no discussion of the sales process or closing techniques or any of the other topics you might expect to find in a book about sales. Rather, Mark spends the first half of the book discussing the most important (and often the most neglected) tool in your sales arsenal: your mindset.
You have to know that this was music to my ears. After all, DROP DEAD Sales is all about starting with the right mindset. As a man thinketh, so he becomes, right?
So here's a question for you: why do so many sales training classes focus on the process rather than the person? When is the last time you heard a sales manager tell one of their reps to go read a good book if they really want to improve their numbers? Why are we surprised when new hires fail to produce results when we haven't given them the proper tools to succeed?
I'm so glad Mark decided to address these topics in his book; I only wish more attention was paid to them by salespeople and their managers. Please join me in offering a big hand to Mark for having the courage to talk about such a "soft" subject and for putting these concepts within the reach of sales forces everywhere.
Of course, the best way to show our appreciation would be to spread the word about Mark's book, so please join me in getting the word out to as many people as possible.
Thanks again, Mark!
Keeping It Up When Everyone (and Everything) Around You Is Down
October 19, 2008
Are you as sick as I am of all the bad news? If so, please join me in a special campaign next week. I'm officially designating the week of October 19th-26th as National News Free Week.
I'm issuing a challenge to as many people as I can reach to turn off the news for one solid week. That's right: no TV, radio or internet news for seven full days.
"But Jerry!" they cried, "How will I know what's going on in the world?"
Good question, and the answer may shock you. Listen closely: it doesn't matter! Yes, my friends, you read that right...it just doesn't matter what's happening in the world around you. The only thing that truly matters is what's happening in the world inside of you.
I wonder how many people realize that by obsessing about who's ahead in the polls this week and what the Dow is doing this minute, they are actually giving up the only power they have, the power to direct their own thoughts and actions. They are allowing the circumstances of the world around them to dictate their actions. What an incredibly dangerous way to live!
And yet, that is how the vast majority of people structure their lives. They decide how they will act and what they will think based on what they see and hear going on around them instead of listening to the voice inside of them that tells them what they should be doing.
What does this have to do with sales? Just this: if you have been sucked into all the drama, I can almost guarantee that it's had a negative impact on your sales activity. After all, how important is it to make the calls you need to today when the world is going to hell all around you? How motivated are you to get up early and stay out late when the news is convincing you that no one has any money to spend anyways?
So this is a call to action! Starting at 12:01 am on Sunday, October 19th, turn off the news and don't turn it back on until 11:59 pm on Saturday, October 26th (the really adventurous might want to make it all TV, but that's up to you). In place of the news, read a good book on sales or listen to an audio program that will motivate you to get into activity mode. If something really important happens in the world, I promise that you'll hear about it.
This one act is going to help you take your power back. Instead of feeling like a victim of the economic crisis, you'll begin to realize that you have the privilege, as a salesperson, of being a part of the solution to said crisis! You've heard that nothing happens until something gets sold, and that's never been more true than it is now. We need to restore the confidence of the average consumer to resume consuming. If we don't, who will?
Do I mean to say that you should be out selling things to people that they don't need or can't afford? Absolutely not! That kind of behavior has been one of the big causes of the current situation. At the same time, you need to be working hard to match up your products and services to your customers' needs and help them to realize that it's okay to buy!
Are you with me? If so, pass this challenge along to everyone in your network and let's make next week the most productive one so far this year.
I look forward to hearing your feedback and, hopefully, your success stories as well. Leave a comment and until next time, happy sales to you!
Are You READY for Sales Success?
August 13, 2008
“Some people like my advice so much that they frame it upon the wall instead of using it.”
-Gordon R. Dickson
“Are we there yet?”
We probably drove our parents nuts asking that question as children. Even as adults, we’re often so anxious to get to the destination that we miss some pretty great things along the way. This is true of our desire to achieve success. We are so eager to get there that we easily forget that the path to greatness is a never-ending journey of discovery. We have to constantly make adjustments in our attitudes and behaviors, working each day at becoming incrementally better, never resting on yesterday’s achievements.
This applies with equal force to following the path to sales greatness. For several years, now, I’ve been discussing the need to adjust your internal processes (your thoughts, attitudes and emotions) in an effort to change your external behaviors and thus achieve your desired outcomes. I've shared tools and ideas that can help you implement these changes in your life; how, though, can you sustain these changes to produce great results? In order to make a real, lasting change, you must always be READY: Renewing, Expanding, Amazing, Doing and You.
Renewing
When I say “renewing”, I am talking about the daily practice of self-renewal. As a sales person, you must spend some time each day recharging your batteries. If you are employing the DROP DEAD Sales principles, you are going to be doing a lot of giving of yourself. What will happen if you don’t spend some time each day putting something back in? Very soon, you’ll find yourself with nothing left to give.
Think of your capacity to give as a bucket of water. If you only ladle water out to others without ever refilling the bucket, it will soon be empty. How do you refill it? By taking a little “you” time every day. I prefer to spend a little time each morning in quiet reflection, just ten or fifteen minutes considering all the great things in my life. You’d be amazed how often I’ve discovered the solutions to difficult problems by taking just a few minutes to clear my head. Whenever you choose to do it, whether morning, evening or sometime in between, the important thing is to make sure you do it every day.
Another great source of renewal is listening to motivational tapes or CDs at the start of your day and between sales calls. This is especially crucial if you’ve hit a rough spot, a cycle when you are having difficulty closing. At times like this, it is so easy to lose your momentum; just a little pick-me-up in the form of a motivational message can make all the difference, helping you to break a negative cycle. It doesn’t have to be geared toward sales, either; anything with a positive message will do the trick.
I’d like to take just a moment to address some comments directly to sales managers. Take a moment, if you will, and think about your sales meetings. How often do you get your team together for a little renewal? It’s unfortunate to see that most sales meeting have become forums to air complaints and address behavioral problems and little more. While it is important to discuss such matters, I believe that an equal or greater amount of time should be spent building your team up. Use your sales meetings as occasions to inspire your people to greater heights. Offer encouragement, praise and helpful ideas and watch your team soar.
Renewal is an essential part of your selling day. Without it, you’ll soon find yourself with dead batteries and a desire to do nothing but stay home and watch “Three’s Company” reruns. You certainly won’t feel like making sales calls. On the other hand, if you block out a portion of each day to get back in touch with your Desire, Enthusiasm and Optimism and you’ll discover immediate benefits.
Expanding
How long have you been selling? Five years? Ten? In all that time, how often have you adjusted your approach to your customers? If your answer is that you never have, it might be time to reconsider your strategy. While I’m not saying that you should follow every new fad or selling strategy that comes along, I do believe that you should be constantly looking for new and fresh approaches that will help you to open doors.
For example, how often have you heard sales educators tell you that referrals are your absolute best source for new business? How many of them have told you how to get referrals? I’d wager that probably every one of us has heard at least once that the easiest way to get referrals is to simply ask your current customers for them. I’d further bet that all of us have heard specifically of using the method of taking three 3x5 index cards, handing them to a current customer and asking her to write down on the cards the names and phone numbers of individuals who would benefit from the product or service that we offer. The question is, how many of us have actually tried it?
This is just one example. The point is that we should always have our eyes and ears open for new techniques and solutions. These can come from books and tapes on selling, training seminars, blogs and other online forums, or our peers. One opportunity for such expansion that is often overlooked or ignored is our competition. Do you have a competitor that is especially hard to sell against or that is exceptionally gifted at taking your business away? If so, you have two options: you can get mad and vandalize his car or you can take the time to study him in an effort to learn why he’s so good. Don’t let your ego get in the way of your education.
Expansion is a critical part of your growth as a salesperson. If you’re not growing, you’re dead. It’s that simple. If you really want to grow, you should always have your sense of Awareness tuned in for an opportunity to learn something new.
Amazing
With the flood of information and technology that bombards us each and every day, you might think that people would be pretty hard to amaze anymore. After all, most of us are used to being able to instantly communicate with someone across the country, the continent or the globe with the touch of a button. We can beam images and music through the air at blinding speeds and play them on receivers with a clarity that boggles the mind. How can you amaze people who are used to things like that?
It’s simple, really. Just show up.
You see, while technology has certainly made our lives more convenient, this convenience has come with a price. All too often, the human element has been removed from our transactions. Even many customer service representatives are more robot than human. With just a little practice, however, you can be a refreshing change. How?
As often as possible, be available for your customers. This means answering your phone whenever you can and, when you do miss a call, returning it as soon as possible. In addition, get in the habit of providing requested information in a timely manner. Whenever possible, go the extra step and provide a little something extra that you think might be helpful to your customer. I've often dropped off a copy of an article that I thought was particularly applicable to a customer's business, and they have been exceedingly grateful for the information. With all the changes happening in today's world, you can amaze your customers by keeping them up-to-date with the latest information.
Further, you can really be amazing if you practice treating your customers with the Dignity, Respect and Professionalism they deserve. They are used to being abused by salespeople; amazing them should actually be pretty easy for you, the true sales professional.
Doing
Do you have a reputation as someone who gets thing done? Do your customers and coworkers see you as a reliable person, someone they can trust to see a task through to completion? Do people come to you with problems that don’t necessarily fall under your job description simply because they know they can count on you to find the solution? If your answer to these questions is “Yes”, you are well on your way to success in sales. If not, it’s time to get busy!
“Doing” is much more than staying busy, though. You can maintain the appearance of being extremely busy and still get very little done; salespeople, especially, have a natural talent for this. We are very good at being “busy” without actually accomplishing anything. Why? Because relatively few of us have taken the time to develop a plan for getting things done.
We’ve all heard the adage “Plan your work and work your plan”. We all recognize (at least I hope we do) the value of planning. We all expect to get around to it eventually. In fact, every one of us has probably purchased one or more planning tools (a day planner or organizer) which we carry around in our car or briefcase but never actually use. We may me even be guilty of saying “I’m trying to get organized”. Remember, though, what Yoda said: “Do or do not. There is no try.”
You cannot be a doer unless you are a planner. It’s time to get tough with your self. Develop a system of organization and planning, and stick to it. It doesn’t have to be complicated, either. I find the best method for me is to carry around a small notepad that I record phone calls and action items on, and then check them off as I complete them. It’s a little primitive, I’ll agree, but it works for me. Find something that works for you, and then cultivate the Discipline to follow through on it.
You
This blog is full of suggestions and recommendations geared toward helping you to be a better person, and therefore a better salesperson. While I think a healthy self-appraisal is probably in order, please don’t get the impression that I am suggesting that you sacrifice your personality in an effort to become a DROP DEAD salesperson. At the end of the day, YOU are what your customers are buying. Your product or service may be important, even critical to the operation of their businesses, but there is a strong likelihood that someone else offers the exact same product or service at a better price. The difference is you. If your customers didn’t like you, they would be buying from your competition.
This is a crucial insight into how to increase your sales: get people to like you, and they will buy from you. Simple, right? Unfortunately, many salespeople have yet to figure out exactly how to accomplish it. If you are one of them, I’d like to suggest that you immediately drop what you’re doing and head over to Amazon.com to purchase How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Then, take the rest of the week off to read, study, meditate on and memorize it. Put the ideas you find there into immediate practice; watch them work, and be amazed at the success you start to see.
I’d like to make a couple of assumptions about you as a person. First, I’m going to guess that you are a “people” person; otherwise, you wouldn’t be in sales. Second, I believe that you have friends who truly value you as a person. Third, I’m betting that you have already achieved a reasonable amount of success as a salesperson. That being the case, I’d like to assert that you have the potential for sales greatness. In order to tap that potential, you simply need to spend some time in learning what your strengths and weaknesses are. This can come from an honest self-examination, but it would also be helpful to ask those who know you for some input. You might be surprised by what you hear. You might also be surprised to learn that one or two small changes in the way you deal with people can lead to exponential growth, not only in your sales but in your personal satisfaction as well.
Until next time, happy sales to you!
Have You Read It Yet?
June 16, 2008
I'm sorry for the lack of posts this week, but I've been engrossed in Chet Holmes' book The Ultimate Sales Machine. If you haven't read it yet, click on the link above and order it from Amazon today! Chet discusses the 12 key strategies that you need to focus on to radically improve your company's sales. What an amazing book!
Which leads me to today's topic: What are you reading (aside from this blog) to help make you a better person? Do you regularly read great books? If not, why not?
I can hear the excuses already:
"But I don't like to read!"
"After 10 hours in the field, you want me to come home and read?!"
"With everything else I've got going on, I just don't have time to read!"
Well...tough! Get over it. You simply can't afford not to be an avid reader, especially if you ever want to be a superstar. I've said it before, so I'll say it again: true sales genius (or any other kind, for that matter) starts on the inside. Success is an inside job. In other words, if you want to change your outer results, you start by changing your inner thoughts, beliefs, etc.. And how do you do that? By reading great books!
Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm a voracious reader. In fact, it used to drive my wife a little crazy because I can't read just one book at a time...I usually have 4 or 5 scattered around the house, some fiction, some non-fiction, all of which I'm reading simultaneously. You don't necessarily need to do that (especially if you're just getting started), but if you're not reading at least one great book a month on self- or skills-improvement, you're doing yourself a great disservice.
Not sure where to start? Click here to visit the "Essential Reading List" section of my website, www.inside-out-solutions.com for a list of the 10 books you should start your library with. If you'll make a commitment to read just 10 pages per day, you can read all of these books in less than a year. Imagine where you'll be if you make the simple decision to start today.
Look: it's really simple. Reading is a critical part of your growth as a salesperson, and if you’re not growing, you’re dead. If you really want to grow, you should always be on the lookout for new books that will expand your horizons and challenge you to really think about where you're headed and how you'll get there.
Of course, if you're already a reader be sure to leave a comment with a suggestion for a great book. I'll be looking for another good read soon!
Happy sales to you, until we meet again!
Information Overload: How to Avoid Overwhelm
June 8, 2008
With Monday morning on the horizon, I want to chat for a bit about information overload and its effect on the unwary salesperson. I'm sure you would agree that it's very easy to get bogged down with too much information: from the daily news to talk radio to the endless stream of e-mail alerts and RSS feeds, we receive far more information in a day than we can hope to process. This often leads to that old disease, the paralysis of analysis.
When we ask our minds to process too much information, we have a tendency to lose sight of the fact that information alone is useless. We have to put that information to use, and in a positive direction, before we receive any value from it. For example, consider all the data you've seen recently with regard to the economy. From the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the related dip in real estate prices, to the oft-repeated fear of recession, we are bombarded by data that has worked many people into a state of panic. This panic has caused many salespeople to fall into negative thinking patterns ("No one is buying in this economy!") which prevents them from engaging in the very activities that could bring a swift end to all the bad news. Enough is enough, already!
Consider a different way to look at, process and do something with all that information that comes in the form of "bad news" about the economy. What if, instead of buying into the panic, the salespeople of the world looked at the situation as their cue to step up their efforts and invigorate the economy? What would happen then?
I'll tell you what would happen: we would get the blood (in other words, the money) flowing again. That is the power that you, the world's sales force, holds in your mortal hands. You see, I know that salespeople are the backbone to any thriving economy; at the same time, we can also exacerbate a stagnant economy. The only difference is in our attitudes. If we buy into the dismal outlook regarding the future, are we really going to feel motivated to get out and make our daily quota of cold calls? If, on the other hand, we choose to let all that information motivate us to take responsibility for getting things moving again, we can really make a difference.
I'd like for you to try a little exercise with me. Whenever you sell something, I'd like for you to visualize the process by which that product or service arrives at the customer's door. Think of all the folks who receive a paycheck along the way; try to imagine what they, in turn, buy with the proceeds of that check and all the subsequent paychecks that generates. Keep it up until you can see a crowd of at least a thousand people in your mind's eye, all smiling and waving their checks over their heads. Now, I'd like for you to accept that you are responsible for making sure they continue to get those checks! That certainly changes the way you look at your sales day, doesn't it?
Here is another suggestion: try going for a week without listening to, watching or reading any news. I realize this isn't going to be easy for some of you, but I'd like for you to try it anyway. I think you'll be surprised at how much better you feel when you don't know the up-to-the-minute body count in Iraq or this second's price of crude oil. Some of you are asking, "But...but...how will I now what's going on in the world?!" Well, I have a question for you: what difference does it make? How does all that information really benefit you? What does it do, aside from making you a stressed-out wreck? As a salesperson, when has the news ever actually helped you close a deal?
I'd like for you to spend at least one full week testing this out. Ignore the news and focus all your attention on closing deals. If you need something to listen to in the car, try Tom Hopkins' Audio Sales Collection instead of talk radio. Need something to read? How about Jeffrey Gitomer's Sales Bible. If even 20% of the salespeople in this country would take this challenge, we could actually do more than ignore the news: we could change it! And don't worry; if something really important happens, you'll find out, I promise. Just focus on making some sales. It will be good for the economy, and it will be good for you, as well.
Until next time, happy sales to you!
Do you know (and follow!) the Rule of Three?
June 5, 2008
“I’ve got bad news, Boss,” said the account manager on the other end of the phone call. “I just got a call from Company XYZ, and we lost their account!”
“What happened?” I asked, expecting to hear a tale of missed deliveries, rude drivers or that old standard, high prices.
“Well, he didn’t really say…just that his boss told him they are going to start buying from Competitor ABC. What should we do?”
I asked the account manager to set up an appointment with the customer for the following day so that we could make an “autopsy” call to find out what had gone wrong and what, if anything, we could do to salvage the business.
I can honestly say that was one of the most dissatisfying sales calls of my career. It was clear from the outset that there was little we could do to win the customer back: Competitor ABC’s equipment was already in place and ours was sitting outside, waiting to be picked up. At least it wasn't raining! The shop foreman was very friendly and accommodating to our interview, but not very helpful to our investigation. Apparently service was not an issue; in fact, he said that our service over the years had been quite good. He also didn't think price was a factor. In fact, he wasn’t really able to give us any clear idea of why we had lost the business. It was exactly what he’d said: his boss had made the decision, and we were out of luck.
So, what's the moral of this sad story? The moral is the Rule of Three! The Rule of Three says that, no matter how certain you are that your main contact at a given account is the true decision-maker, you should be familiar and friendly with at least two other people in the organization. Why? Very simply stated, the more contacts you have within an organization, the more stable your relationship with that organization is.
In the example stated above, the fact that our account manager only had one point of contact, the shop foreman, left us exposed to the possibility of a competitor selling to someone above that person’s head; in this case, Competitor ABC contacted the Vice President of Operations and sold to him. Up to this point, the decisions about who to buy from had always been left to the shop foreman; now, though, the VP had decided to flex a little muscle and we were out in the cold. Perhaps if our account manager had been familiar and friendly with that VP, we would have retained the business. Instead, he now has the daunting task of getting to know the VP from the outside and convincing him to give us another shot.
Getting to know other people besides their one main contact intimidates some sales people, but don’t let it intimidate you. The fact that the customer already buys from you is your ticket to, at the very least, a “getting to know you” meeting with your main contact’s boss. Don’t be afraid to ask for it…you might regret missing the opportunity later! At the same time, don’t pass up the opportunity to meet and become friendly with people below your main contact as well; after all, that receptionist you smile at and call by name might be the purchasing agent who decides to continue buying from you (or not!) a few years from now. Even now, he or she might be the one who lets you know that the boss has been talking to one of your competitors.
The important lesson to remember in all of this is simple: shop supervisors sometimes quit, purchasing agents sometimes get fired, CEOs sometimes retire and owners sometimes sell their businesses. If that shop supervisor, purchasing agent, CEO or owner is your only point of contact in the organization, you leave yourself open to receiving the kind of disappointing phone call our account manager did. On the other hand, if you cultivate at least three points of contact in all the organizations you sell to, you greatly increase your odds of warding off those pesky competitors!
Until next time, happy selling!
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