Quote of the Week

"Every strike brings me closer to the next home run." -- Babe Ruth, American baseball player

With baseball season finally upon us, I was pretty excited to find this quote. For those of you that don't follow the game, a baseball player with a batting average around .300 is considered a good batter - and is making great money. They are only getting on base on average, three out of ten times at bat - but when they do, it makes a big impact.

Try thinking of your sales in terms of baseball standards - of course you want to win every time - but is that going to happen? Of course not. If you are always prospecting and contacting potential clients, a 30% sale rate will put you in line with baseball's elite. Remember, each time you strike out with a prospect, you're free to move on to another - and you're one pitch closer to the next home run.

Give Your Selling Skills a Workout

So, what exactly do sales and exercise have in common? More than you'd think, according to sales coach Pat Weber. "Going back to the basics in sales is like starting a new exercise program," says Weber. "Muscles working out in an established routine may no longer respond to toning or strengthening. Sales skills in your regular routine may never get a tune up. Like physical exercise, why not tune-up your sales skills?" Follow these tips from Weber for a tight and toned sales process:

Warm up. Assess your strengths in the sales process. How is your attitude? Do you have various ways of prospecting? Is your presentation more "you" focused than "I" focused? Assess your skills all along the selling process.

Power Yoga. This stretching exercise builds big muscles in a fast and effective way. In sales skills, asking for referrals is like a 'big muscle' and even the best salesperson may overlook it. When customers are delighted with your product or service, have a systematic way of asking for referrals in place.

Multiple rounds. In one of my first years of selling my manager raved to the staff about my persistence. To me I was simply following up. The sales cycle in that industry could take 6 to 24 months, even for the best. My training at the time proposed a six-time follow-up. Very often, it was 24 times with follow-up of a specific business reason that resulted in a customer. How many rounds of follow-up do you need?

Take breaks. Focus or full engagement is a critical skill necessary for sales success. Still it is wise to take a break on occasion from your vigorous selling routine. As in almost any endeavor, including selling, a break to recover will leave you refreshed, recharged and more creative.

Don't hyperextend. When kickboxing, it is possible to overextend your reach with either legs or arms. Likewise, when selling, it is possible to go beyond being persistent. But who gets to decide? Ask your customer about staying in touch with them and determine how long, how often, in what ways and about what you will follow up with. Follow the customer's request and you will never hyperextend.

Cool down. Networking, making follow-up calls and giving presentations are all extroverting events. Balance these with activities that give resting points along the way and your cool down will serve you well in sales. Purposefully schedule planning time and you will step off the treadmill and optimize your results.

"Just as exercise keeps your body tuned up, assessing your sales skills keeps your sales up," says Weber. "When you identify what needs to be tuned-up, exercise that sales skill by adding to or deleting from it what is no longer effective."

Pat Weber is a top-selling salesperson, sales manager and America's #1 Coach for Introverts (and even extroverts who may be reluctant to sell.) She assists her clients in sales, leadership and learning to speak with more confidence, deliver effective presentations, and increase sales by 100%. Learn more at www.prostrategies.com

Don't Worry

When you tell your customer "don't worry" you're alleviating all of their concerns and showing your value...right? Not according to Colin Wilson at The Entrepreneurial Salesman blog. In a recent post he suggests that "if you utter the phrase 'don't worry' you may have committed the biggest faux pas of the sales campaign." These examples show you why:

Take the Test

First, I want you all to be comfortable...sit back and relax a little and while relaxing, whatever you do, don't think of an elephant...in fact, don't think of a grey elephant with a yellow monkey on its back...clear it from your mind! What happens? Many people can't resist thinking of the grey elephant with the yellow monkey on its back.

Things You May Have Said

Perhaps you have helped a friend at the top of a ladder who is a little shaking by uttering the immortal words..."don't look down"...and what did they do?

...or the boy who was running along the wall who you tried to help by shouting "don't fall off" ...and what did he do?

This Is What You Told Them

Your friend up the ladder... you told them to look down.

The boy on the wall... you told him to fall off.

And your customer... you told them they need to worry.


This Is What You Should Have Said

Say what you want, not what you don't want...

Your friend up the ladder... "Keep looking up."

The boy on the wall... "Be careful."

And your customer... "We have everything under control."

This small change in words can make a big difference in your customer's mind. Try to imagine what message your words give and make changes where necessary. A small change might be all you need to seal the deal!

Be, Do, Sell

You have the best product out there, with the best price and customer satisfaction guaranteed, yet you're not selling as well as you'd like. So, what could be the problem? "People buy the salesperson first, the product second, and the company third," says sales and business coach Diane Helbig. "It's critically important that you be the kind of person who others want to buy from. You can't do this by working at being someone you're not, nor by trying to sell. Just be."

According to Helbig, there are 3 Be's to adopt. Try these out:

Be yourself

It takes less effort to be yourself than it does to create a persona. Besides, people can spot the mask a hundred miles away. Their guard will be up before you realize it. Why? Because your focus is off. It's on you (or should I say, your creation of you) - not on them. The 'you' who you really are will resonate with people - so do yourself a favor and embrace your genuine self.

Be a giver

Don't focus on what you want to get. Focus on what you can give. 'What goes around, comes around.' 'The smile you send out returns to you.' Sound familiar?

Listen. Learn all you can about the person you are interacting with. Find out if there are ways you can help them and have a positive impact on their day. Don't sell them. People don't like being sold - do you? People DO like to feel respected. They want to know you have their best interest at heart. That's something you can't fake.

Be knowledgeable

Know what you are talking about and state it simply. Don't try to wow someone with your 'vast knowledge.' That's obnoxious. Once you've listened and learned, you are in a better position to share from your knowledge base and experience. What you have to say will resonate with others.

They'll want to hear it because they know it is coming from your genuine self. They'll know it's coming from a position of giving, not getting. And they will know that what you are telling them is true - because you are.

"Selling is easy - when you are yourself," says Helbig. "Try it on and see how it fits! I have a feeling it'll fit better than trying to be someone you're not."

Diane Helbig is a Professional Coach, and President of Seize This Day Coaching. She works one-on-one and in groups with small business owners, entrepreneurs, and salespeople. Visit her website at http://www.seizethisdaycoaching.com.

They Won't Tell Me Anything...

Studies have shown that the effectiveness of training increases by as much as 35% when you ask the trainee what they want to learn. Steve Waterhouse believes that this principle also applies to sales presentations - involve the prospect and the learning will increase. Great idea, but how do you do that? Waterhouse explains:

"One of the steps I am passionate about is probing the prospect to find out what they want to hear in the presentation. As I was going through the steps, one guy raised his hand and said, 'Steve, I've tried that and they won't tell me. As I start my program, I ask them if there is anything special that they want me to cover. Most of the time they say, 'No' and ask me to continue.'"

"Sure they do, They are in listening mode and ready to listen."

"So when are they not in listening mode? How about when you planned the sales call? When you set up the meeting, what would have happened if you asked, 'Mrs. Howard, I want to be sure this presentation makes the best use of your time. Please tell me what issues are critical to you so I can be prepared to answer them.'"

What would they say?

"Can you imagine a prospect saying, 'I'm sorry Jill, but I really want to hear your standard presentation. Don't do anything special for me.' Or, 'Bob, I'm really excited about sitting through your standard PowerPoint presentation. Bring it on!'"

Won't happen!

"Timing is everything and you may need to ask more than once to get the answers you need. Ask early and ask often. When the prospect feels the presentation will be customized and relevant to their needs, they will pay attention. In fact, they may even invite more people to attend."

"Selling is about preparation and that is especially true in presentations," says Waterhouse. "Make the call. Ask the questions. Give your best presentation ever and close that big deal."

Steve Waterhouse is Principal and Founder of The Waterhouse Group, a sales consulting and training company that helps companies dramatically increase their sales. He can be reached at 1-800-57-LEARN or info@waterhousegroup.com.

Quote of the Week

"People don't ask for facts in making up their minds. They would rather have one good, soul-satisfying emotion than a dozen facts." -- Robert Keith Leavitt

Unless your prospect is Sgt. Joe Friday from Dragnet, he probably needs an emotional reason to buy. So why are you loading him up on proofs and comparison charts? Satisfy the emotional needs of your buyer first, then give him all the evidence he needs to justify his choice.

The Magic Phrase

Today's SalesDog Quick Tip shows you how to use a simple phrase to elevate your level of professionalism in your prospects' eyes.

The Magic Phrase: "This is the way I work..."

When you say, "This is the way I work" to a customer, you communicate that you have an organized, planned approach to sales and to solving a problem.

Understanding that sales is a process and being able to articulate the steps in our process separates you from the pack and positions you as a professional.

If you cannot sell your customers on the way you work (your process), you're going to have a tough time selling them your product or service.

If you try to sell your product before going through the process, you're going to get more objections and create more resistance.

People buy the way you sell, before they buy what you sell.

Today's quick tip comes from Chris Lytle, CSP. Lytle time releases immediately applicable sales advice via the MAX-ATM Automatic Training Machine website. Check it out at www.max-atm.com