Sales advice is not one size fits all. One tip may work for you, but not for someone else, simply because of your disposition or the way you work best. That's why we try to get you as much information as possible, and vary the strategies we suggest.
Today we have something we know will work for anyone, and it comes from sales blogger Scott Sheaffer. He suggests you play to your strengths, and we couldn't agree more. First, read his advice here. then take a few minutes to think about what your strengths are. How can you apply them to your selling?
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Choose not to Participate
Are you back from the long weekend feeling refreshed and ready to get back to work? I've often found that an extra day off or a small change in my thinking makes a big difference in my work performance. On this note, today speaker and sales trainer Billy Cox shares the idea of "choosing not to participate." I'm thinking of taking on that mindset when it comes to the recession - and any other negativity in my life!
"I recently spent a fantastic weekend with a couple of top producers from a large insurance company," says Cox. "Their business is way up in a down economy. As a matter of fact, they just experienced a record quarter in sales and recruiting."
"I asked them how they managed to produce record results. They responded by saying "we choose not to participate." I've found this attitude to be true with top producers in all areas. While many people predict doom and gloom and some salespeople look for every excuse in the book to produce less, the top performers choose not to participate."
"Those who choose not to participate turn off the evening news and feed their mind with positive uplifting thoughts. They understand that their attitude determines their altitude. Sure, they have as many challenges as anyone else. They have objections to overcome and rejections to deal with."
"So what do they do? They work a little harder and a little smarter. They reinvest in themselves and their knowledge and future. They attend seminars to sharpen their skills and network with empowering people. They choose what and who they listen to and the words they speak. They think winning thoughts and when someone asks them how they are breaking records in recessionary times they simply reply "Recession....Oh, we choose not to participate in it"
The key word is "CHOOSE." Because success is a choice, you can choose what you read, what you listen to, who you hang around with, and how hard you work. It is choice, not chance, that determines your destiny. Are you participating or are you choosing not to participate? It's your choice and it's a decision you have to make daily.
I challenge you to dig deep down inside and make up your mind that you are not going to participate in a pity party. You have to decide that you will never settle for less than your very best anymore. You must rise up above today's challenges and be a leader by making the right choices.
By choosing not to participate in life's negativity, you actually can make better choices that will contribute to your success. It's your choice to participate in success and to be in the top 10 percent in your field. When you reach this level of success, you get to experience 90 percent of the wealth and associated successes.
Of course, nothing happens without taking massive focused action. The top performers take massive focused action each and every day. They work with purpose and passion and a strong belief in their products and services. And, those who choose not to participate are the ones who eventually achieve the results they desire.
Learn more from Billy Cox at www.billycoxinternational.com. You can also reach him at info@billycoxinternational.com
"I recently spent a fantastic weekend with a couple of top producers from a large insurance company," says Cox. "Their business is way up in a down economy. As a matter of fact, they just experienced a record quarter in sales and recruiting."
"I asked them how they managed to produce record results. They responded by saying "we choose not to participate." I've found this attitude to be true with top producers in all areas. While many people predict doom and gloom and some salespeople look for every excuse in the book to produce less, the top performers choose not to participate."
"Those who choose not to participate turn off the evening news and feed their mind with positive uplifting thoughts. They understand that their attitude determines their altitude. Sure, they have as many challenges as anyone else. They have objections to overcome and rejections to deal with."
"So what do they do? They work a little harder and a little smarter. They reinvest in themselves and their knowledge and future. They attend seminars to sharpen their skills and network with empowering people. They choose what and who they listen to and the words they speak. They think winning thoughts and when someone asks them how they are breaking records in recessionary times they simply reply "Recession....Oh, we choose not to participate in it"
The key word is "CHOOSE." Because success is a choice, you can choose what you read, what you listen to, who you hang around with, and how hard you work. It is choice, not chance, that determines your destiny. Are you participating or are you choosing not to participate? It's your choice and it's a decision you have to make daily.
I challenge you to dig deep down inside and make up your mind that you are not going to participate in a pity party. You have to decide that you will never settle for less than your very best anymore. You must rise up above today's challenges and be a leader by making the right choices.
By choosing not to participate in life's negativity, you actually can make better choices that will contribute to your success. It's your choice to participate in success and to be in the top 10 percent in your field. When you reach this level of success, you get to experience 90 percent of the wealth and associated successes.
Of course, nothing happens without taking massive focused action. The top performers take massive focused action each and every day. They work with purpose and passion and a strong belief in their products and services. And, those who choose not to participate are the ones who eventually achieve the results they desire.
Learn more from Billy Cox at www.billycoxinternational.com. You can also reach him at info@billycoxinternational.com
Friday, September 4, 2009
Don't "Over Respond"
When I'm nervous, I tend to babble. It's definitely something I've been working on, and this advice from communications expert Dianna Booher is a great reminder for me slow down and shut my mouth!
Keep Answers to Complex Questions Clear Yet Simple
"Answer a question clearly and succinctly and then stop," says Booher. "Continuing to ramble on about a complex matter can make the issue seem even more complicated and can cause the other person to give up in frustration."
"Give an overview of the "must know" information, then wait to see if the other person asks for further details. If so, you can always add a second layer of detail to the foundational information you have already provided. Let follow-up questions be the guide as to how much or how little detail is appropriate."
"With an over-response to questions, you may find that your discussion gets sidetracked on unimportant issues, and then you're forced to rush through key points to finish within the allotted meeting time," explains Booher.
Shoot for the simple and hit the mark every time.
Author of 42 books, Dianna Booher, CSP, CPAE, delivers keynotes, breakout sessions, and training on communication and life-balance issues. Her latest books: Speak with Confidence, Your Signature Life, Your Signature Work, E-Writing, and Communicate with Confidence. www.Dianna-Booher.com
Keep Answers to Complex Questions Clear Yet Simple
"Answer a question clearly and succinctly and then stop," says Booher. "Continuing to ramble on about a complex matter can make the issue seem even more complicated and can cause the other person to give up in frustration."
"Give an overview of the "must know" information, then wait to see if the other person asks for further details. If so, you can always add a second layer of detail to the foundational information you have already provided. Let follow-up questions be the guide as to how much or how little detail is appropriate."
"With an over-response to questions, you may find that your discussion gets sidetracked on unimportant issues, and then you're forced to rush through key points to finish within the allotted meeting time," explains Booher.
Shoot for the simple and hit the mark every time.
Author of 42 books, Dianna Booher, CSP, CPAE, delivers keynotes, breakout sessions, and training on communication and life-balance issues. Her latest books: Speak with Confidence, Your Signature Life, Your Signature Work, E-Writing, and Communicate with Confidence. www.Dianna-Booher.com
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The Power of Third-Party Credibility
A quote by David H. Comins reads, "People will accept your ideas much more readily if you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it first."
It's a great quote - partly because it's funny, and, according to sales expert Bob Burg, partly because of how it leads us to see the importance of third-party credibility. Here's what he has to say on the topic:
The term itself has several generally-accepted meanings, two of the most well-known being:
1. Your credibility in the mind of your prospect based on the recommendation of someone he or she already deems credible.
2. The credibility you attain from others due to crediting another person with the information you are sharing.
It's the second of the two definitions we will focus on in this post.
A very strange fact of life (though not totally when digging deep into the issue) is that the closer you are to someone emotionally, the less believable you are in most other areas. On the other hand, the farther away emotionally, the more believable you are. Thus, when you phrase your wisdom, opinion, instruction as having come from someone else (a third party), the person with whom you are sharing this information is much more likely to accept it as true and believable.
While this would seem to defy logic, it is absolutely true. And, those who are humble enough to not care who gets the credit - and will consistently utilize this basic principle of human interaction - will find his or her persuasive abilities to hit new heights of effectiveness.
Third-Party Credibility is based on the human tendency to value the opinion/expertise of someone outside their circle of influence more than someone within (i.e. an outsider must know something we don't).
Example: Assuming some advice your children hear is the exact same, are they more likely to believe and accept it from you or from the parent of their friend? From you, or from a teacher? From you, or even some other adult that they have just recently met? Most parents laugh knowingly when answering this question.
Have you ever heard the saying, "In order to be thought of as an expert you must be from 50 miles out of town and carrying a briefcase?"
If so, then you are familiar with the concept of third-party credibility. The key is to allow yourself to credit the wisdom, advice, instruction, etc. to someone else. The person you are trying to persuade will much more likely believe what you are saying, and you'll all be happy.
The paradox is that by always giving away the credit (whether or not it's to Ben Franklin), you'll eventually be given even more credit.
Bob Burg is the author of "Endless Referrals," "Winning Without Intimidation," "The Success Formula," and co-author of "The Go-Giver." Learn more at his website, www.burg.com
It's a great quote - partly because it's funny, and, according to sales expert Bob Burg, partly because of how it leads us to see the importance of third-party credibility. Here's what he has to say on the topic:
The term itself has several generally-accepted meanings, two of the most well-known being:
1. Your credibility in the mind of your prospect based on the recommendation of someone he or she already deems credible.
2. The credibility you attain from others due to crediting another person with the information you are sharing.
It's the second of the two definitions we will focus on in this post.
A very strange fact of life (though not totally when digging deep into the issue) is that the closer you are to someone emotionally, the less believable you are in most other areas. On the other hand, the farther away emotionally, the more believable you are. Thus, when you phrase your wisdom, opinion, instruction as having come from someone else (a third party), the person with whom you are sharing this information is much more likely to accept it as true and believable.
While this would seem to defy logic, it is absolutely true. And, those who are humble enough to not care who gets the credit - and will consistently utilize this basic principle of human interaction - will find his or her persuasive abilities to hit new heights of effectiveness.
Third-Party Credibility is based on the human tendency to value the opinion/expertise of someone outside their circle of influence more than someone within (i.e. an outsider must know something we don't).
Example: Assuming some advice your children hear is the exact same, are they more likely to believe and accept it from you or from the parent of their friend? From you, or from a teacher? From you, or even some other adult that they have just recently met? Most parents laugh knowingly when answering this question.
Have you ever heard the saying, "In order to be thought of as an expert you must be from 50 miles out of town and carrying a briefcase?"
If so, then you are familiar with the concept of third-party credibility. The key is to allow yourself to credit the wisdom, advice, instruction, etc. to someone else. The person you are trying to persuade will much more likely believe what you are saying, and you'll all be happy.
The paradox is that by always giving away the credit (whether or not it's to Ben Franklin), you'll eventually be given even more credit.
Bob Burg is the author of "Endless Referrals," "Winning Without Intimidation," "The Success Formula," and co-author of "The Go-Giver." Learn more at his website, www.burg.com
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Email Remains a Mystery to Many Salespeople
Looks like a sure thing. You've got a hot prospect. You send an email. You don't hear back.
There's an art to getting prospects to respond to your emails. You only have 3 seconds, according to Kendra Lee, to get their attention. Kendra is a prospect attraction expert who has developed a system that significantly improves prospect response. Her one hour downloadable audio seminar with workbook walks you through each eye-opening step. She covers the nitty gritty of what to say, attention grabbing subject lines, follow-up strategies, closing for the appointment, and more. You can learn more here. Worth checking out.
There's an art to getting prospects to respond to your emails. You only have 3 seconds, according to Kendra Lee, to get their attention. Kendra is a prospect attraction expert who has developed a system that significantly improves prospect response. Her one hour downloadable audio seminar with workbook walks you through each eye-opening step. She covers the nitty gritty of what to say, attention grabbing subject lines, follow-up strategies, closing for the appointment, and more. You can learn more here. Worth checking out.
Use Time as a Sales Weapon
Time is the most important thing in your day. You have to send documents by a certain time, make a call at a certain time, and catch your prospect at the right time. It's the same way for your prospects when they're making a buying decision "Your prospects, when they are making a business or purchase decision, use the entire time spectrum - past, present, and future," says sales trainer Skip Miller. "Usually they use more than one time element in their decision. Your job is to help the prospect to use these time elements to your advantage."
According to Miller, "prospects use three time zones to justify their purchasing decisions. They rationalize or compartmentalize their needs, place a priority on them, and then go forth and try to make a decision. Each one - Past, Present, and Future - will cause a different motive for buying."
Time Zones
Past - Decisions made for past motivations are restorative. They are being made to get something back up to speed, to atone for a mistake, to catch up to a standard.
Present - Present decisions are made for present or current reasons. These are ones that take advantage of a current opportunity or a planned scheduled event.
Future - There are a few decisions that are strategic, where prospects will invest now so they can save money or time later, or even defer their risk.
"All of the time zones are critical to your prospect for making a purchase decision," says Miller. "During a sale, the prospect will give hints that she is looking at multiple Time Zones. It is really quite simple: The more Time Zone issues you face, the more value you create."
Here are some examples:
"They said they need it right now because it's holding up production of their new plant."
"He told me, in a very direct way, the reason they are so hot on our solution is they have tried three other options, and this is their last attempt. They need to get back on track, and they see us as the way to do that."
"Strategic. I just know it. They are telling me we are critical to the successful launch of the new product they are rolling out in a few months."
"Questions with a time element in them will give you loads of information on where the prospect is in each Time Zone," explains Miller. "You need more to your sale than just your product's features and benefits. You need to find out the reason your prospect is willing to make a commitment right now."
"To do this, map it out so you can ask questions about the time situations that are most important to them. A good rule of thumb is to ask future-based questions to move the prospect off their current objection."
"I really am happy with what we are using currently."
"That's great Mr. Janovitz. However, over the next 6-12 months, how do you see your business changing, or your customers' requests changing that may require you to do things a bit different than you are currently doing?"
"Move them into the future, and watch their needs grow, and your solution appear. Just in time."
A recognized authority on the psychology of sales performance, Skip Miller has helped countless companies, already at the height of success in their respective fields, achieve an even greater level of sales productivity and success. Learn more at www.m3learning.com
According to Miller, "prospects use three time zones to justify their purchasing decisions. They rationalize or compartmentalize their needs, place a priority on them, and then go forth and try to make a decision. Each one - Past, Present, and Future - will cause a different motive for buying."
Time Zones
Past - Decisions made for past motivations are restorative. They are being made to get something back up to speed, to atone for a mistake, to catch up to a standard.
Present - Present decisions are made for present or current reasons. These are ones that take advantage of a current opportunity or a planned scheduled event.
Future - There are a few decisions that are strategic, where prospects will invest now so they can save money or time later, or even defer their risk.
"All of the time zones are critical to your prospect for making a purchase decision," says Miller. "During a sale, the prospect will give hints that she is looking at multiple Time Zones. It is really quite simple: The more Time Zone issues you face, the more value you create."
Here are some examples:
"They said they need it right now because it's holding up production of their new plant."
"He told me, in a very direct way, the reason they are so hot on our solution is they have tried three other options, and this is their last attempt. They need to get back on track, and they see us as the way to do that."
"Strategic. I just know it. They are telling me we are critical to the successful launch of the new product they are rolling out in a few months."
"Questions with a time element in them will give you loads of information on where the prospect is in each Time Zone," explains Miller. "You need more to your sale than just your product's features and benefits. You need to find out the reason your prospect is willing to make a commitment right now."
"To do this, map it out so you can ask questions about the time situations that are most important to them. A good rule of thumb is to ask future-based questions to move the prospect off their current objection."
"I really am happy with what we are using currently."
"That's great Mr. Janovitz. However, over the next 6-12 months, how do you see your business changing, or your customers' requests changing that may require you to do things a bit different than you are currently doing?"
"Move them into the future, and watch their needs grow, and your solution appear. Just in time."
A recognized authority on the psychology of sales performance, Skip Miller has helped countless companies, already at the height of success in their respective fields, achieve an even greater level of sales productivity and success. Learn more at www.m3learning.com
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Affirmations for Inspiration
Yesterday our quote of the week reminded us that optimism is an essential in the workplace. Today speaker and motivational expert Josh Hinds shares an affirmation you can use to stay optimistic when you're having a hard day. Repeat this daily, or write it out and keep it by your computer to stay positive and work better!
Here is Hinds' positive affirmation:
"I believe whole-heartedly in my ability to achieve whatever I set my sights upon. If others can accomplish the goals they set then so can I. Each day I take the time to review my written goals. I keep them nearby so they're never far from reach.
"I am moving confidently in the direction of my desired outcome. Each day I move further along the path to unlocking my full potential. I selflessly share my own unique talents for the good & benefit of everyone involved."
Josh Hinds is a speaker, trainer, and author on topics such as networking and personal branding. Check out his popular newsletter at www.GetMotivation.com.
Here is Hinds' positive affirmation:
"I believe whole-heartedly in my ability to achieve whatever I set my sights upon. If others can accomplish the goals they set then so can I. Each day I take the time to review my written goals. I keep them nearby so they're never far from reach.
"I am moving confidently in the direction of my desired outcome. Each day I move further along the path to unlocking my full potential. I selflessly share my own unique talents for the good & benefit of everyone involved."
Josh Hinds is a speaker, trainer, and author on topics such as networking and personal branding. Check out his popular newsletter at www.GetMotivation.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)