Quote of the Week

"Let your hook always be cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish." - Ovid, Roman Poet

These may be fancy words from an old-world poet, but they ring true in business today. The only way you'll be successful in sales is to be constantly prospecting and finding new ways to reach your customers. Attend a community event, create a business card that expresses your personality, or just hold the door open for someone juggling a tray of Starbucks. You'll be surprised what turns up in your net.

Do you have any stories of unlikely meetings or a method that helped you reach prospects in a new way? We'd love to hear them!

Good Prospecting is Boring

I came across this blog post written by Nigel Edelshain over at Sales 2.0 and thought it was a great reminder to all salespeople that success is in the details. It may not be glamorous, but the best way to earn more money (and reach that glamorous lifestyle!) is to spend time scheduling follow-up calls, taking notes, and making lists.

"We had been on quite a 'roll' securing new business and leads all over the place for our clients for a few months," says Edelshain. "Then we relaxed a bit, got a bit less detail-focused and 'voila' things slowed up in the pipeline. So we spent the last couple of weeks looking into what was causing this slow down - what we have found was details. It turned out small differences in how 'type A' we were being really impacted our results."

Some specific areas that we found:

• Scheduling Follow-Up Calls: Some of our sales team got into the habit of scheduling follow-up calls one or several weeks out. But deals have their own tempo and when leads are warm that tempo needs to increase. Follow-up should be sooner for warm leads. We started to shorten our follow-up time, especially on warm leads, and right away our sales pipeline improved. A pretty boring detail.

• Note-taking: CRM systems are pretty boring. But taking good notes on your interactions with prospects is very important if you "team sell." Team selling can be extremely powerful - it lets others come up with ideas you may have missed. But team members can only help you if you take enough notes for them to know what's going on with that contact/account. We started getting "type A" on our notes again and came up with new ideas that caused deals to flow.

• Documenting Best Practices: Another boring one. Who wants to put information into an Intranet when you could be selling? Understood. But we found that some of our sales people were missing details of the sales process for specific products we are selling. They had definitely known the details at some point but had simply forgotten one particular point on one particular project. Big deal? Well it can be because sales is a "real time game," if you don't say the right thing on a prospecting call, you lose your chance. Knowing the details of the sales process is key.

• Lists: Yet another boring one. I believe target lists for prospecting may be the #1 factor in determining sales success. If you call the wrong people, you won't sell anything. We started to lose one name here and one name there, whether from an outside list or a referral that was not well documented in our CRM system (not truly lost but not in the right place). A name here or there does not seem like a "biggie" right? But all this adds up. It's that one missing name that might be a prospect with a burning need.

"I've said before 'sales is just like accounting,'" continues Edelshain. "In prospecting this is so true. The details count a lot. The cliche of salespeople is loud backslappers buying drinks at the gold club. Great characters but lousy at administration...and details. The reality in a 'Sales 2.0 world' is that salespeople need to be 'boring' and not miss a detail - or they will miss a deal."

The Eight-Point Buyer Checklist

How many times do you leave an introductory meeting, or hang up from a phone call with a prospect, only to realize that you are missing critical information that you need? Instead of slapping your head, like in the old V-8 commercials, use sales trainer George Ludwig's easy acronym -- BEND 4P's - to help you remember what you need to know.

B-BELIEFS: What does the buyer believe about you, your product or service, your competitor, etc.?

E-EVALUATION PROCESS: How will the buyer evaluate your product? What criteria will he or she use?

N-NEEDS: What does the buyer really need?

D-DESIRES: What does the buyer really want?

P-PSYCHIC WOUNDS: Does the buyer have any ill will toward your company, you, or a particular type of product or service?

P-PERSONAL INTERESTS: What are the buyer's hobbies, his or her family life, favorite sports, etc.?

P-PERSONAL MENTORS: Whom does the buyer look to for similar buying decisions? What references will he or she accept?

P-PERSONAL SUCCESSES: What is the buyer proud of? What has he or she purchased before that gave him or her a personal win?

Remember to get the answers to the BEND 4-P QUESTIONS, and you'll be better armed to better serve the buyer and close the sale!

George Ludwig is an author, speaker, and consultant with years of experience as a top-seller. He developed his Power Selling Process and the Double Your Income Power Seminars after 20 years of researching the most successful sales strategies in the world, and is the author of the book Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code. Discover your sales strengths and weaknesses at www.GeorgeLudwig.com.

A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea

Motivator and speaker Bob Burg has written a new book with co-author John David Mann called The Go-Giver. It's an eye-opening parable about Joe, a harried young salesperson on the brink of failure. He's short on his quota - with just a week left in the quarter. Prospects are dim - that is until Joe meets the enigmatic "Chairman" whose friends reveal to Joe the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success, with intriguing results. Think The Celestine Prophesy for business people.

If you're not happily accomplishing what you want in your career, and earning what you deserve, you owe it to yourself to read The Go-Giver. It will change how you think about success and what it takes to manifest it.

Today only, they are having a one-day sale where you can get the book at a 20% discount and receive a $297 set of amazing videos for free! This is over ten hours of world-class training videos recorded at the "Extreme Business Makeovers 2007" event with people like Bob Proctor, Bo Short, Cameron Johnson and Stephanie Frank. Visit http://www.thegogiver.com/amazon today!

Destined to Fail: The Truth Behind New Year's Resolutions

If you're like most people, you've either already broken one of your New Year's Resolutions, or will sometime soon. Don't worry - it's nothing to be ashamed of! "The failure of your resolution has nothing to do with a lack of resolve or discipline. The success or failure of your resolution is determined at the very moment it is born, when the idea for change first stirs in your mind," says sales trainer and speaker Tom Richard.

"True change happens in the blink of an eye. It stems from an emotional trigger that speaks to you, stirs something within you and opens your eyes to recognize that something must change. If a resolution does not carry with it this immediacy of action, it is destined to fail. Therefore, any resolution that can wait until the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve lacks the emotional power to have any lasting effect on your life."

"The only way to change an entire year is to change how you act within every single moment. How can you best spend, not a minute next week or next year, but this very minute?"

"As you begin 2008, embrace the strength and courage you have to see that every minute you have the power to act in such a way that will make that minute its very best. You don't need the burden of trying to change an entire year all at once. By focusing on the present moment, you will discover a refreshingly light way to conquer large and long-term goals. Then, when 2009 rolls around, you will look back on the year with a smile, knowing that your entire year was as complete, fulfilling and successful as every minute within it was."

What a great way to look at the New Year!

Tom Richard gives seminars, runs sales meetings, and provides coaching for salespeople nationwide. He is also an inspiring and educated speaker who will light a fire under your team. For more information, visit www.TomRichard.com, or email info@tomrichard.com.

Quote of the Week

"Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study. Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life." -- Henry L. Doherty

The most successful salespeople view sales as a never-ending learning process. If you're committed to making more sales in the New Year why not make a resolution to study your craft for a few minutes every day?

We're here to be your expert resource for sales advice - so take advantage of it! Click through our resources section, ask questions in our blog, contact our sales experts, order our book, read the newsletter and discuss it with your colleagues or manager.

We'll be back on Wednesday, working with you towards sales success. Happy New Year!

You've got a plan. How do you stick to it?

As the calendar year winds down, thoughts turn to new goals for a new year. Maybe you had a great year and want to go further, or maybe you didn't perform as you hoped and need to make some changes. Whatever your situation, thinking ahead will help you make it happen.

How do you ensure that you stick to your plan and reach your goals? Sales trainer Colleen Francis has some tips to help you focus:

• Make each goal quantifiable. It's simple to say, "I want to triple my sales this year," but how realistic is a goal like that? To make goals stick, you need a breakdown of exactly how you plan to succeed. How many more cold calls would it require? How many presentations?

• Execute on a daily basis. Once your goals are quantified, make a daily chart that includes the number of cold calls made, presentations scheduled, sales closed, etc. It's the only way to chart your progress and adjust on a week-to-week basis.

• Create a "To-Do List." Successful salespeople know goals are more than words on paper. Each week, make a list of the top five things you need to adjust in order to achieve them. The following week, replace the ones you've accomplished and continue to work on the others.

• Create constant rewards along the way. You are the ultimate manager of you! Lasting success comes when your motivation comes from within - not an outside source. To help along the way, provide yourself an incentive at key milestones. Try setting up small bonuses for meeting benchmarks along the way. Treat yourself to a purchase, a trip, a day off, or coffee with a friend. One way to achieve long-term goals is by focusing on short-term ones. I believe that what gets rewarded gets repeated.

Check out more of Colleen's advice at www.engageselling.com. You can also reach her by calling 877-364-2438 or emailing her at colleen@engageselling.com.

Setting Goals for 2008

Successful salespeople know that setting goals is one of the best ways to stay on track throughout the year, and now is the perfect time to get started. Have you created your plan for the year? How many more clients do you want to sign on? How much money do you want to make?

"If you haven't started thinking about your sales goals, you're likely to be in the same place this time next year," says sales breakthrough expert Rochelle Togo-Figa. "The definition of a goal is 'a dream with a plan and a deadline.'"

"The most common reasons people don't reach their goals are they fail to write them down, fail to make a plan, and fail to take action. Without knowing where you want to go and how you're going to get there, you'll never reach your goal destination."

Here are Togo-Figa's nine steps to help you achieve your goals:

• Create your S.M.A.R.T. goals for the year. Make sure your goals are vivid and specific, measurable in quantity, achievable, realistic but also a stretch, and you have a timeline of when you'll reach your goal.

• Write down all barriers you can think of that might get in the way of you achieving your goals. Writing down all these thoughts on paper helps to diminish them.

• Select the top 3 goals you want to reach in the next 3 months from your list, and commit yourself to taking an action step every day to achieving these goals.

• Write specific action steps for each goal. An action step doesn't have to take very long to do. It could be spending 10-15 minutes daily working towards that goal. If your goal is to sign on four new clients in the next three months, an action step could be making ten new prospect calls each day before 9am.

• Make a list of people who can support you in reaching your goals. They may also have goals that you can support them in reaching. People like to help, so ask them.

• Put your goals in a visible place so you can see them daily. Post them on your desk, in your car, on your bathroom mirror.

• Every day read your goals aloud. Speak your goals in the present tense, as if you're already there. The more you say your goals aloud and to yourself, the more real they become.

• Visualize yourself having reached your goals. See yourself succeeding. How excited you'll be when you bring in those new clients and get that bonus commission check!

• Promise yourself that you will achieve your goals. If you want this to be the year of sales breakthroughs, then it's up to you to commit yourself emotionally, mentally and physically. Otherwise, it's likely not to happen.

Put these goals into practice while setting your goals, and you'll see success throughout the year.

Rochelle Togo-Figa, The Sales Breakthrough Expert, is the creator of the Sales Breakthrough System. Visit her website at www.SalesBreakthroughs.com

Quote of the Week

"Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, 'Make me feel important.' Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life." - Mary Kay Ash

Put this thought into practice this week and take notice of the happy faces around you - you'll make more sales, more customers, and more friends.

Quote of the Week

"No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude." -- Alfred North Whitehead

Wise words to contemplate this week as we pause to give thanksgiving. Give some thanks for the people who are helping you achieve sales success.

Quote of the Week

"Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success." --Henry Ford

What are you doing now to get ready to succeed this week?

Are you researching your next prospect on the Internet? Are you practicing for tomorrow's sales presentation? Have you given careful consideration to the terms of your next negotiation? Have you prepared to close your next deal by role-playing with your manager or colleague?

Put the time in this week to do your homework, and reap the rewards.

Three Steps to Successful Sales

Selling is a process that builds from your first point of contact with the prospect - one step in the wrong direction can cost you the sale. "A successful sale is like building a pyramid; each step depends upon the success of the previous ones, and no step can be omitted without creating disaster," explains sales guru Tony Alessandra.

Here are Tony's three steps to selling success:

Step 1: Exploring Needs
The exploring step of sales gives you the chance to get deeply involved with your prospects to determine exactly how your product or service can help them. It's where the partnering process begins. The purpose of exploring is to get enough information from the client to enable you to recommend appropriate options. This step is epitomized by the guiding principle of Collaborative Selling, "Prescription before diagnosis is malpractice."

Step 2: Collaborating Solutions
After you've worked with your prospects to identify needs and concerns, the next step is to determine whether or not your product or service will solve a problem or seize an opportunity for them. Usually there are several different ways you can put your product or service together to meet the needs of your prospects. The collaborative selling way is much less adversarial and much easier. You actually involve your prospects in deciding which one of your options makes the most sense for them.

Step 3: Confirming the Sale
If you've done your job properly to this point, your customer should be asking to buy from you. The commitment becomes a how and a when, not an if. Signing the agreement is merely a formality. However, before confirming the sale, you'll want to be sure your prospect has all the information he needs to increase their perceived value of your product or service.

Tony Alessandra is a contributor to Top Dog Sales Secrets. He has authored 17 books translated into 49 foreign language editions, recorded over 50 audio/video programs, and delivered over 2,000 keynote speeches since 1976.