Quote of the Week: Destiny and Decisions

Quote of the Week

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Your destiny is in your hands. All of it! Your business life and your personal life are all determined by the decisions you make and the actions you take.

Who do you want to become? And what steps will you take to get there? Got any tips for how all us Sales Dog can determine our success? Tell us in the comments below! 

Quote of the Week

"Someone might have a germ of talent, but 90% of it is discipline and how you practice it, what you do with it. Instinct won't carry you through the entire journey. It's what you do in the moments between inspiration." -- Cate Blanchett, actress

Time in sales means money. Make the most of yours by practicing, practicing, practicing.

SalesDog Quick Tip

Find the real value.

If your company offers a lot of different products, think carefully about where their real value lies. What end result are your customers really buying from you? That's the best place to begin your prospecting and lead generation messages.

Today's quick tip comes from Kendra Lee. Kendra Lee is a Prospect Attraction Specialist and president of KLA Group. Specializing in the IT industry, KLA Group helps companies rapidly penetrate new markets, break into new accounts and shorten time to revenue with new products in the SMB segment.

Irritating Listening Habits

Today's article from sales trainer Tom Reilly describes the kinds of listeners we don't like to be around - people who don't actually listen, but are constantly thinking about themselves. Read about these types, and then make sure you're not one of them!

Top-achieving salespeople spend 60% of their time listening on a sales call. Listening is a core competency for salespeople, yet too few companies and managers emphasize its importance to success. Schools rarely teach it. Training budgets generally ignore it because it is a soft skill. Most people assume that if you have two ears you know how to listen. Wrong. Here are some of the irritating listening habits I have noticed in training salespeople:

Competitor —this person is a master of one-upping the other person. The competitive listener typically says, “You think that’s something, let me tell you about something I did.”

Anticipator —this person spends most of his or her listening time thinking about what they will say next.

Rusher —this person is always giving the other person the bum’s rush. The attitude is, “Hurry up and finish, I have something to sell you.”

Distracted —this person is a walking billboard for attention deficit disorder. Every little distraction catches his or her attention. Their being distracted distracts the speaker.

Disinterested —this person cannot even feign being interested. They find the conversation dull and make no pretense to be interested.

Multi-tasker —this person thinks they can effectively communicate with others as they check text messages and emails. This is the phone conversation when you can hear the keyboard in the background. This is just plain rude.

Effective listening requires the listener to put his or her focus on the other person, not themselves. Too many people fail to subordinate their interests in an effort to understand the other person. You can only fully understand what someone is saying (and feeling) when the conversation is more about them than you. This is good listening. This is good selling.

Tom Reilly is the president of Tom Reilly Training. He is an authority on value-added selling, and speaks to thousands of salespeople and managers annually on increasing their value to their company and customers.

Quote of the Week

"Don't let yesterday take up too much of today." -- Will Rogers, humorist

It's really easy to dwell on the past. We've all done it - after a particularly difficult day, we all sit there thinking about what we should have said or should have done. Here's the thing - while you're thinking about that, you could be making sales today!

Each day is a clean start, so make the most of it! Put yesterday behind you and focus all your energy on what you can control today.

Quote of the Week

"The first part of success is "Get-to-it-iveness"; the second part of success is "Stick-to-it-iveness."" -- Orison Swett Marden, Editor, Success Magazine

When you start implementing new sales strategies they're going to take time. Time for you to get used to them, and time for you to start seeing results. Keep this in mind as you work towards your sales goals - nothing happens overnight, so make sure you stick with it and stay positive!

Quote of the Week

"Without courage, all other virtues lose their meaning." -- Winston Churchill, British prime minister

What have you done to push past your comfort zone today? Stretch yourself, and your work will be more meaningful!

Quote of the Week

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." -- Mother Teresa

Kind words can go a long way in sales. They are essential to building relationships, soothing ruffled feathers, and maintaining client relationships. Take a minute to share a kindness with someone, and the effects will be long-lasting!

Quote of the Week

"If you want to conquer fear, don't sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy." -- Dale Carnegie, motivational expert

The sales profession has a lot of fear built into it. Everyday you deal with the unknown, you deal with rejection, and you deal with ruthless competition. These things will always be a part of the profession, so all you can do is think past them, and get started. Conquer those fears by working hard!

Quote of the Week

"A good goal is like a strenuous exercise - it makes you stretch." -- Mary Kay Ash, cosmetics pioneer

Even if you're on track to meet your quota for the month or year, think about changing your goal so you're working harder and putting in more effort. You'll see the reward in your sales!

Quote of the Week

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." -- Maya Angelou, poet

While there are many things in life we can't control, a lot of the stuff we complain about actually is under our control - we're just too scared or lazy to change it. Today, try to think of one thing you complain about that you could try to change. Then write out what you would have to do to change it and get started on that list!

One less thing to complain about means more time selling and making money!

Quote of the Week

"When I thought I couldn't go on, I forced myself to keep going. My success is based on persistence, not luck." -- Estee Lauder, entrepreneur

Sales is about effort and persistance - don't let anyone tell you otherwise! It requires a commitment to putting in your best day after day. Are you up for the challenge?

Quote of the Week

"Losing is a learning experience. It teaches you humility. It teaches you to work harder. It's also a powerful motivator." -- Yogi Berra

When you lose a prospect or client how do you react? Do you let it defeat you and keep you from making more sales, or do you take that loss as an inspiration to work harder and do better for your clients? Take inspiration from every setback, and you'll find that nothing can keep you from success!

Quote of the Week

"Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions." -- Albert Einstein, Physicist

If you want something, you need to be able to imagine it first. Think in detail about what you want, and picture yourself achieving it. Then get started on what you need to do to make it happen!

Quote of the Week

"The key to successful time management is doing the most important task first, and giving it your full concentration, to the exclusion of everything else." -- Alex MacKenzie

In sales, there are so many tasks to do. In addition to prospecting and selling, there's research, meeting preparation, emails, phone calls, and lots of other busy work to complete in a day. That means it's very easy to be productive, doing things other than the big thing you should be focusing on.

This quote reminds us to focus on the one big thing first, get it out of the way, and then go back to those other things. It's a way to stay productive, and feel accomplished!

Quote of the Week

"Before you begin a thing, remind yourself that difficulties and delays quite impossible to foresee are ahead... You can only see one thing clearly, and that is your goal. Form a mental vision of that and cling to it through thick and thin." -- Kathleen Norris, Writer

This quote is an excellent reminder that getting what we want doesn't come easy. Sure, it may seem like we can reach that bigger numbers goal with just a few more clients, but getting those few big clients requires dedication, practice, and a little luck. We may get sidetracked and broken down on the road to our goals, but if we always keep those goals in mind, we will be able to power through. Hold on to what motivates you most!

Quote of the Week

"Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true." -- Leon Suenens, Clergyman

Every dream requires dedication and hard work. If you're willing to do what it takes to achieve your dreams, then get started today! You'll be energized by your progress and motivated to continue until you reach it. Knowing this work is part of reaching your dream will make it seem more manageable and attainable.

Quote of the Week

"No great performance ever came from holding back." -- Don Greene, performance coach


Put everything you have into every day! There's no point in even going to work if you're going to give limited effort. When you give everything you have each day, you'll see results.

Quote of the Week

"Every man, however wise, needs the advice of some sagacious friend in the affairs of life." -- Plautus, Playwright

No matter what your situation, getting a little advice from a friend is never a bad thing! In fact, discussing a situation with someone else can lead you to see it differently, and discover a solution you might never have found otherwise! There is power in talking with others and looking at things from their viewpoint.

If you're stuck today with how to handle a new client, or an old, difficult client, try talking to someone about it. You just might find the answer to your problem.

Quote of the Week

"We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same." -- Carlos Castaneda, author

Some days you just aren't in the mood for work. I get that - I've been there! But the thing is, you are at work. Why not make the day productive? Why not sharpen your selling skills?

Even on those days when you just aren't feeling it, try to look at the work day as a chance to strengthen yourself and your business. After all, you're spending the time there - may as not be miserable if you can help it!