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- What will this cost me if I don’t make a change right now?
- What has this cost me so far in sales results, income, and overall success?
- If I do start prospecting effectively and on a regular basis, how will I feel about myself?
- How will this impact my sales career, my business, my life?
- What will I gain as a result of this new commitment?
10 Tips to Improve Your Listening Skills
September 10th, 2012“Deep listening is miraculous for both listener and speaker. When someone receives us with open-hearted, non-judging, intensely interested listening, our spirits expand.” – Sue Patton Thoele
1. Be present and stay focused.
Stop thinking about what you are going to say next, and focus on what the speaker is telling you. Be curious and ask follow-up questions to learn more about what they are telling you.
2. Pause before you respond.
Take two full breaths before responding. It will ensure the speaker is finished and give them space to share more. It will also help you control the amount of talking you are doing.
3. Refocus if your mind wanders.
If you start thinking about your next meeting, travel plans or what you have planned for the evening, bring yourself back to the moment.
4. Summarize and bottom line the key points.
Play back to the speaker the key items you are hearing to ensure you are capturing the essence of what is being relayed to you. Make sure to take notes of these key items so you can revisit them as needed later in the meeting.
5. Focus on listening and understanding versus judging and forming an opinion.
It is natural to want to share your two cents right away, or to be making judgments in your mind
about what you are hearing. However, that is not focused listening. Stop yourself from doing this by placing your attention on learning, listening and understanding. Ask open-ended questions that begin with “what” to stay focused on listening and understanding.
6. Use your intuition.
Whether you are on the phone or in person, you should be listening not only with your ears but with your intuition as well. Notice the speaker’s
breathing, tone, pace and energy. There is a lot of information to be gathered, and the more you pay attention to your intuition, the more effective your listening will be.
7. Never talk over anyone.
If the speaker is talking, simply wait your turn. Do not try to interject, and if you do, catch yourself, and say, “Sorry, please carry on …”
8. Ignore internal and external distractions.
Imagine that you are in a bubble with the person you are speaking to, and they are the center of your universe. Try it out and watch what kind of impact it will have.
9. Resist telling the speaker how you handled a similar situation.
Pause yourself from sharing your own input and experiences until you have fully listened to what the speaker has to say.
10. Relax.
The more calm you are, the more information you will gather from the person you are listening to since they will be at ease with you.
How to Deal with Criticism from Your Sales Manager
August 15th, 2012Criticism from your sales manager (or from anyone) is not easy to handle, however, learning to deal with it can be a valuable skill. Here are some ideas to practice and keep in mind next time you receive criticism.
Take a Deep Breath and Pause before You React
If your first reaction is to lash back at your sales manager or to become defensive, take a moment
before speaking. It is natural to feel a little angry or to be on-guard. However, if you can teach yourself to take a moment before simply reacting, it will give a chance for logic to sink in and not just raw emotions. There is certainly nothing wrong with emotions, but when people are upset, they are more likely to say things they will regret later on.
Turn Lemons into Lemonade
Sure, it may sting to hear negative feedback, but in most criticism, you can find a suggestion for improvement. For example, this criticism: “You are talking too much on your sales calls with prospective clients and just overloading them with too much information,” can be interpreted as: “I need to listen much more, ask more questions and talk less.” That’s just one example of course—you can do that with just about any criticism. View criticism as a challenge to improve your sales skills.
Say, “Thank You for the Feedback.”
Even if your boss is tough on you, just say, “Thank you.” Your gratitude will probably catch them off-guard, and they may even respect you more for taking it so well. Not everyone is as positive as you may be, and your manager might just be having a bad day (not an excuse, but be aware of this), or have a much more negative personality than you.
Learn and Integrate
After seeing criticism in a positive light and thanking the critic, don’t just go back to selling as usual. Decide what the key take-away is to improve upon, and determine how to integrate the new learning into your work.
Don’t Stoop Down to His or Her Level
It is so easy to take criticism as a personal attack. View the criticisms as an attack on your sales skills, not on you as a human being. You will be tempted to attack the attacker, but if you do this, you are just stooping to his or her level. When you do this, you are no better than the attacker, and it will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. Be the bigger and better person. Rise above the critical comments and respond in a calm and positive manner. You will feel better about yourself at the end of the day.
Give the Critic Some Background when Needed
Sometimes the situation might be much more complex than it appears on the surface. After you have followed the above steps, know that it is OK to give more background that might be important for the critic to understand. For instance, you could say, “I understand what you’re saying, thank you for the feedback, and I want to make this work. But last time I tried what you are recommending, it didn’t work because of ________. What do you suggest I do to make it work this time?”
Bonus Tip: Keep All of This in Mind when YOU Are the Critic
Remember what it feels like to be on the receiving end of criticism when you are the one dishing it out. Not everyone will handle it as well as you, so make sure you are clear that you simply want to help.
What I Learned from a Successful Small Business Owner about Sales
June 12th, 2012By Jeremy J. Ulmer
Yesterday I stopped in at a large Fortune 500 retail chain to make a small purchase. As I was checking out, the clerk was looking at an inventory list that she was working on. When I came to the counter, she hardly looked up, and 
then proceeded to check me out. She muffled an obligatory “thanks” and handed me my receipt quickly as she began to look back at her inventory list.
I thought to myself, wow, if I were the CEO of the company, I would not be happy with the customer service. As a consumer, however, I quickly shrugged it off and accepted it as poor service that was not out of the ordinary, until today.
Today, I stopped in at a small business and made another small purchase with a very different customer-service experience. I was greeted with a friendly “hello” and smile from the owner right when I walked in and was told to ask if I needed any help. I was then left to myself to complete my shopping. I checked out and he looked me in the eye and said, “Thank you, I really appreciate your business,” as he reached out to shake my hand.
Wow. As I walked out, I felt really good about the interaction, just because he looked me in the eye and said a genuine “thank you” with a handshake. That was it. That is all he did. Granted, maybe a handshake at a large retail store would be different, but maybe not a bad thing? Certainly a “thank you” while looking someone in the eyes would be appropriate.
What I learned from him is that the little, tiniest customer-service experiences can have a huge impact on customer loyalty.
In the world of sales, make sure you are doing the simple little things, to have a huge impact:
1. Look people in the eye when you shake their hand.
2. State a genuine “thank you” when you have earned new business, set an appointment or gained a commitment. Also, handwritten “thank you” notes never go out of style.
3. Always be early or on time.
4. Never be late.
5. Be prepared.
6. Listen much much much more than you speak, please.
7. Smile and learn to laugh easily. (Both are contagious, good for your health and make you more likeable.)
8. Follow up when you say you will.
9. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
10. Be kind and thoughtful.
Twenty Tips from a Sales Coach to Increase Sales Productivity
March 29th, 2012“Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is specifically your own.” – Bruce Lee
Here are twenty quick tips to help you increase your sales productivity. Keep in mind, not every tip will be useful for every person. Just pick the tips that are helpful for you and integrate them into your routine.
Here are a few suggestions when reading through all of these tips:
- Don’t do them all at once. Focus on one at a time.
- Experiment with different tips.
- These are not in any particular order, so browse through them all.
So, here they are, twenty tips to increase your sales productivity:
1. Less is more. Focus on your most essential tasks each day. Eliminate or delegate as much as you can.
2. Exercise. Make this a habit if it is not already. For me, exercising is the key to my energy, health and productivity. It also greatly reduces stress and can be a form of meditation. Here are some tips on how to make exercise a daily habit.
3. Stop rushing. Focus on what you are doing in the moment and don’t rush through it. It will be much more relaxing for you and in the end, your quality of work will be improved.
4. Fail. Don’t be afraid to fall flat on your face and fail. If you are afraid of failing, you will never take important first steps. Without failure, there would be no success.
5. Find what you love to do. Find something you love to do, and your quality of life and work will improve. If you love your work, you will become more productive and less stressed.
6. Wake up early. This is not for everyone, but it can make a huge impact on your life and what you get done in a given day. Here are some tips on how to wake up early.
7. Eat clean. Don’t buy junk and don’t bring it into your house. That will instantly help you stay lean and trim. Be aware of what you are eating, your mouth is not a garbage disposal.
8. Get organized. The more organized you are, the less time you will waste finding things and the more productive you will be.
9. Review goals. Don’t just set sales goals, but take a look at them each month to see what is working and what is not working. It is ok to change you
r goals.
10. Be positive. Focus on the positive. Focus on what you have, not on what you don’t have. Surround yourself with people who have positive energy. Here are some tips on how to stay positive in sales.
11. Practice being compassionate. “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” – Plato.
12. Visualize. Envision your most positive future self. What would life be like for her or him? Where would you live and what would you be doing? Let that vision pull you into the future you want to have.
13. Set goals. Long-term goals are important to set, but also be sure you are setting daily and weekly goals as well. Here are some tips on how to set goals.
14. Get the toughest things done first. Aim to accomplish the three most important things of your day before noon. Give them top priority.
15. Be focused. Work on one goal and one task at a time. Don’t spread yourself too thin.
16. Enjoy the ride. Don’t just focus on the end goal, but enjoy the process and learning that takes place as you strive to achieve them.
17. Enjoy the little things. A joyful and happy person is a more productive person. Editors Note: I used to walk my grandma on long walks in her wheelchair and the little things gave her the most joy. Seeing a Cardinal bird, a beautiful flower, or simply getting some fresh air, made her day and taught me a lot about what really matters.
18. Single-task. Stop multi-tasking and this will instantly increase your productivity. Here are some tips on how to minimize distractions to focus on one task.
19. Be in the now. Be present and focus on being in the now more than the past or future.
20. Volunteer and help others. Just one hour a week of volunteering can make a huge impact on the world and on yourself. I find volunteering to be one of the most fulfilling things I do. Try it out, and you just might become hooked too! When you volunteer, you will not only be helping others, but you will provide yourself with many health benefits that will increase your energy and productivity.
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Minimize Distractions to Boost Your Sales Results
September 27th, 2011
As a sales professional, sales leader or business owner, distractions can often be the main obstacle for achieving great success. If you have too many distractions, you will never achieve your full potential.
It is important to continue to evaluate what sales activities will be most important to reach your goals. Then, you must focus on those activities first, and make a commitment to complete them each and every day without failure.
You must remove and minimize your distractions. You will then have the time to focus on what you have determined is most important.
Here are some tips on how to minimize common distractions:
Limit your number of social networks.
Determine which social networking sites are most valuable to you. You may be a member of multiple forums, online groups, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and will be invited to join other networks as well. Pick a couple that are most helpful for you and drop the rest.
Do not log into social-networking sites while you are working.
Save social networking for times when you are not at work.
Block time to check your email.
When you are working on a task, focus on the task. Emails constantly flying into your inbox can be a constant distraction. Schedule specific times during the day to read and send emails.
Send fewer, shorter emails.
Also, don’t become dependent on emailing versus picking up the phone. There is value in the personal touch.
Shut off notifications.
Are you constantly getting pinged with an email, tweet, text or IM? When are you actually focused and present in the moment? Don’t forget that the most important time you have is right now. Consider at times completely shutting off your computer or turning off your smartphone.
Clear off your desk.
Only keep what you truly need on it. Keep it neat and tidy. Do the same for your computer desktop.
Do one thing at a time.
Multitasking can be totally counterproductive.
Do the tough stuff first.
Try it. It works.
Have a cut-off time.
Make sure you have set times to complete your activities as well as set times to stop working. Have you ever planned a trip where you left work early at 12:00 noon? Remember how much you got done before 12:00 noon because you knew you had to leave early that day? Exactly.
The next step is to put these items into action and start minimizing your distractions today. Also, consider making a list of all other distractions you may have.
By minimizing my own distractions, I was able to be a #1 sales performer within multiple Fortune 500 organizations. Now, as a sales coach, I help support my sales-coaching clients achieve similar success by providing specific solutions to challenges that are holding them back from extraordinary results.
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How to Run a Sales Meeting With a Prospect?
June 13th, 2011With so many sales articles, sales books and sales coaching philosophies, it sometimes can be overwhelming and hard to know where to start in terms of how to run your sales meeting effectively.
Many aspects of sales are over complicated. Keep it simple for you and for the prospective client to start seeing better results.
Here are some ways to keep your next sales meeting simple:
Set a simple agenda: Prior to the meeting, email out a very brief agenda, with three to four topics you will cover — i.e., current challenges, discovery about those challenges, potential ways your company can address those challenges and set the next steps.
Be sure to ask if there is anything to add to the agenda before you get the meeting started and get their buy-in that the agenda looks good.
The agenda may read like this:
1. Current Goals and Challenges
2. Questions and Discovery
3. Possible Solutions and How We Help
4. Next Steps
Ask simple questions, ask one question at a time and listen: Sometimes the most powerful questions you ask are the shortest and most direct ones. Questions that begin with “what” are generally a good place to start. Take your time listening. Really put your focus on the prospective client and #1 and #2 from the sample agenda above.
Be in the now and in the moment: Most people tend to sacrifice the now because they are worrying about the past or the future all the time. Are you truly listening to the person you are speaking with, or are you thinking about what you need to go and do, your emails, your voice mails or what you are going to say next? The more in the moment and present you can be with your prospect, the more effective the meeting will be. And by the way, they will feel like you listened to them and understand their challenges.
Set simple next steps: Think about how to make things easier for the prospective client by clearly setting out the next steps for partnering together. Make sure the next meeting (phone or in-person) is being set up before you leave the meeting and that you gain a commitment on the next step.
The key here is to keep forcing yourself to look for ways to simplify the meeting and the entire process for the prospect to partner with your organization. If you are not clear, they will be confused and this will only hurt your efforts. Keep looking for ways to make it simple for all parties and you will start seeing better sales results before you know it.
How To Improve Sales Negotiation Skills
April 11th, 2011
“My father said: You must never try to make all the money that’s in a deal. Let the other fellow make some money too, because if you have a reputation for always making all the money, you won’t have many deals.” ~Getty, J. Paul
Here are 17 quick sales coaching tips to improve your negotiation skills: 1. Create An Agreed Upon Agenda. Determine the following: What needs to be resolved? Who is involved? What are the major issues? What are the time frames? 2. Resist Committing Too Early. Do not lock in your pricing or commit to other items until everything is on the table and negotiated. 3. Resolve Any Major Issues Early. If the prospect has some major concern about your organization, it is best to uncover this early, so that it is not brought up at the end of the negotiation which will weaken your position and you’ll be tempted to give in to more concessions. 4. Determine What Can Be Shared. Determine the information you will disclose or not disclose with the prospect. Also, consider what types of information they are open to sharing and the information they are keeping from you. 5. Focus On Needs & Requirements. Don’t get caught up on the price alone. Ask to put price aside for a moment and address all other obstacles to find a solution. 6. Establish Value For Your Service or Product. Understand needs, challenges, goals, and then provide a solution. 7. Throw Your Ego Out The Window. If you view the negotiation as a personal victory or loss, your ego is involved and can make it difficult to remain objective during the negotiation process. 8. Buy Yourself Some Time If Needed. Be upfront, but if you can’t approve something yourself and you need a sales director to approve it for you, let the prospect know you need to check with your manager before making the change to the agreement. 9. Plan Ahead. Come to the table armed with where you are willing to give and where you simply can not make any changes. 10. Know When To Walk Away. You and your sales management team should have clear guidelines for what is profitable business and what is not. Be sure to know when you need to end the negotiation if it will be a loss to your company. 11. Be Patient. If you are in the middle of negotiations and significant decision are being made, don’t rush to finalize a decision in that meeting. Consider requesting a break to think it over and discuss with members on your sales team and schedule a follow up meeting. 12. Look At The Negotiation From Various Perspectives. Think about it from your prospects position and request the opinion of your sales manager or sales peers. 13. Make Sure You Are Talking To The Decision Maker. As sales professionals know, if you are not working with the decision maker, especially when it comes to negotiating the final deal, you are wasting your time. 14. Close Your Mouth. Learn to talk less and listen more. The more you listen and ask questions the better you will understand and be able to position your company effectively. 15. Provide Case Studies. If the prospective client has never worked with you before they may have some concerns. Bring written case studies of similar clients that your organization has helped. It will build credibility and help you initiate the partnership. 16. Remember To Give & Receive. If you are offering concession after concession without any commitments in return you are going to get run over in the negotiation. Remember that for each concession you make, there should be some commitment or concession made on the other side. 17. Be Optimistic, Confident & Positive. Expect more and receive more. Think big and aim high. It is easier to negotiate down, than up.
Top 10 Ways To Stay Motivated In Sales
November 30th, 2010
“Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose–a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.” – Mary Shelley
1. Get Inspired Everyday. Inspiration is one of the best motivators, and it can be found everywhere. Sources of inspiration can include, but are certainly not limited to:sales blogs, sales articles, sales online success stories, sales forums, peers, friends, sales books, and motivational quotes.
2. Hire A Sales Coach. Working one on one with a sales coach has proven to be one of the most effective methods to truly achieve breakthrough sales results. However, be sure to ask these questions of any sales coach you interview before hiring a sales coach.
3. Have Compelling Reasons For Your Actions. Write them down and know your reasons for wanting to achieve your goals and stay motivated. When you clarify why you want to accomplish certain goals, and what it will mean to you to accomplish them, it will help increase your motivation and keep you on track.
4. Be Ready For Negative Self Talk. Become very aware of that inner voice that says you should just quit and give up. One of the most powerful things you can do is to simply raise your awareness and recognize when it is happening. Just by naming the negative self talk alone, it will help you consciously decide what you need to do.
5. Get Back On The Horse If You Fall Off. Don’t beat yourself up if you slip up one day, but make it a rule to get back into your routine the next day. Don’t wait any longer. You don’t need to be perfect all the time, you just need to brush yourself off, and get back on the horse.
6. Visualize Your Sales Goals. Visualize the successful outcome of staying motivated in great detail a few times for 2 minutes each day. Close your eyes, and think about exactly how your successful outcome in sales will feel. Form as clear of a mental picture as you can.
7. Create A Daily Journal For Your Sales Goals. If you can become consistent about writing notes in your journal, it can be a tremendous motivator. You should focus on writing about what you got done that day and how you felt about the things you did or did not do.
8. Get Competitive. Many sales people are driven by competition. Take advantage of this natural drive by using it to fuel your sales goals. Take a look at your peers around you and see where you are ranking on new clients per month, revenue, or appointments set. Aim to be #1, or stay on top, if you are already #1.
9. Make A Public Statement About Your Commitments. Make a statement on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or announce to your friends and family that you are going to achieve a certain sales goal by a certain date. You will get support and accountability automatically with this method.
10. Think Positive. Monitor your thoughts and become more aware of your self-talk. If you hear negative thoughts, notice them, and then choose to replace them with a positive mind-set.
Six Ways to Laugh Your Way To Better Sales Results
September 7th, 2010
Is your sales force not producing the results you want and lacking the energy, teamwork, drive, and the attitude that they need to have for great success?
Are you a sales professional or sales manager who is carrying around too much stress, lacking motivation, and not achieving your full potential? If any of this is true, then listen up.
Laughter just might be the solution. You can immediately reduce stress, increase productivity, teamwork, focus and motivation for your entire organization or team with laughter.
The bottom line impact from improving all of these factors means better sales results. As a former director of sales for multiple organizations, I was always looking for innovative ways to motivate my entire sales force. I wish I had known about laughter exercises at that time!
There has never been a simpler way to bring more laughter into the workplace, until now. The most powerful and effective way to bring laughter into the workplace is to hire a certified laughter yoga leader like myself, to conduct a laughter seminar.
Many professionals have experienced the benefits of laughter exercises first hand, yet laughter seminars are still far from being mainstream. When I have conducted laughter seminars, it is not uncommon for perceived motivation and productivity to nearly double, right away. Unbelievable, right?
Below are some of the reasons why you should bring a laughter seminar to your organization or sales team:
1. Reduce Sales Stress
While there are many tools available for stress management, laughter seminars provide a unique system that helps to reduce physical, mental and emotional stress at the same time. It works simultaneously both on the body and mind.
2. Improved Sales Attitudes
Performance is connected to attitude, and laughter has the power to change the attitude and mood within minutes by releasing neuro-peptides from the brain cells called endorphins.
3. Sales Team Building
“People who laugh together, work together”
John Cleese, a renowned British comedian, once said during his visit to Mumbai for a laughter seminar, that laughter is a great connector of people. It breaks all hierarchies and is a force for democracy. Laughter has the ability to change the work environment drastically by making people happy and cheerful, bringing positive mental attitude, and optimism into the sales force. It also increases communication skills which further help in team building.
4. Sales Innovation and Creativity
Some of the most creative people in the world are children. The essence of laughter exercises is to cultivate childlike playfulness. This playfulness stimulates the right brain activity which is where the creativity originates. This helps to generate new ideas and insights about sales challenges and problems.
5. Increasing Attention Span During Sales Conferences, Sales Training, or New Product Training
Studies have shown that even after just 30 minutes, the concentration levels start to decrease. A brief laughter seminar can provide a great energy boost during a full day of training, meetings or conferences.
6. Positive Sales Force Environment
Sales job dissatisfaction can compel people to change jobs more frequently which will affect productivity and profitability. Laughter creates positive energy and improves communication between people. Studies have shown that positive emotions are increased while negative emotions are decreased from laughter. Happier, more balanced employees increases loyalty and commitment.
7. Sales Motivation
Laughter helps to bring a smile on the face and generate good feelings within the body. This enhances communication and motivation. Positive energy is contagious, and will be felt by prospects, clients, and the entire sales organization.
These are just some of the many reasons why you should consider a laughter seminar to increase your sales results. Most sales leaders have tried just about everything to increase sales results and motivate their sales force; however, it has not been until now, that laughter has been viewed as a viable solution.
The Danger of Sales Professionals Working from a Home Office
August 6th, 2010
I have worked successfully from a home office in various sales roles in the past, and there are many benefits from working at home; however, there are also many dangers.
Sales managers and sales professionals need to be aware of potential pitfalls.
Avoid the following dangers, and you will be able to create a highly productive home-office environment.
Never Shutting Off the Work
One of the main problems with working from home for salespeople is that you are technically always at work. It becomes very hard for your mind to separate your free time and your work time. This can result in an unbalanced lifestyle and addictive work behaviors. Some common negative habits that are formed consist of constantly checking emails, always taking calls even during non-working ours and working well into the night.
To help prevent these negative habits, set up a separate office space, maintain set working hours with a clear start and end time to your day, shut your computer down and turn off your work phone during non-working hours.
Not Getting Any Exercise
Sitting on your butt for 8+ hours a day is never a good recipe for physical fitness and health. If you do work from home, then make sure you are scheduling time for your workouts or participating in some sports or activities to stay active. The body and mind are all connected. Without a strong body, your mind will lack the energy it needs to be productive day in and day out. Without energy and a high level of fitness, you will not produce the same results.
Lack of Sales Motivation— Procrastination
When you are on your own working from home, it can be easy to slip into procrastination mode. You can help to prevent this by setting weekly and daily goals. Make sure you complete your toughest work activity first thing in the day. Consider finding some accountability partners to help you stay on track.
Distractions
This can range from laundry and cleaning to TV, personal calls, running errands and nice weather. I have heard of sales professionals and sales managers who simply were so distracted at home, that they wanted to find an office away from home, even if it meant driving well over an hour each way. You must minimize your distractions and set clear guidelines of what you should be doing and should not be doing during working hours.
Not Feeling Like “Real Work” Was Accomplished
Despite the fact that working from home is more popular than ever before, a lot of people still don’t see it as “real work.” They think if you don’t commute an hour each way, dress up in a suit, drink coffee with your peers in the morning and sit in a daily sales meeting that it isn’t “real work.”
To others, working from home means you have a license to do what you want, when you want. Although this is not true, you need to make sure you set the boundaries with your friends and family. Just because you are at home does not mean you are free to help them with favors. They need to understand the hours you work and that you are serious and disciplined when working and can not be disturbed.
Trouble Getting Up Early
Most people don’t like getting up at 5:30 a.m. or 6:00 a.m. to get ready and drive into work. Working from home will
often give you some degree of flexibility in this regard, however, be careful that you don’t take advantage of this too much. Make sure you are getting up, taking a shower, getting dressed and eating before the time you want to start working. Give yourself a solid hour to prepare for the workday. So, if you want to start work at 8 a.m., make sure you have an alarm going off at 7 a.m.
Trouble Sleeping
The fact that you can feel like you are always at work means it becomes hard to shut down. Too often sales professionals will check email a few minutes before going to bed. This means the last thing on their minds are emails from their management, clients and prospects. This is not a good way to prepare and relax the mind for sleep. To avoid this, make sure you do not log into your email within one to two hours before getting ready for bed.
I love working from a home office, but it is not the paradise that many people presume it is unless you are very disciplined and regimented with your approach. Avoid these dangers, and you too can enjoy working from a home office productively and successfully for many years to come.
Top 4 Sales Excuses That Stop You from Winning More Clients
July 16th, 2010Excuse #1:
“I Don’t Have Enough Time To Prospect or Focus on Sales Related / Dollar Productive Activities.”
Solution: Create Time.
Sales professionals of all levels and business owners who achieve extraordinary levels of success have days just as hectic as everyone else, right? Yet somehow they make prospecting a part of their daily or weekly activities.
So how do they do it? They create the time. You can instantly create time if you begin to plan ahead and stay committed. This means planning your days and weeks. One of the best time-creating techniques is to schedule prospecting or selling time on your calendar and delete unimportant activities.
Schedule your most important tasks earlier in the day to ensure they get done. Ask yourself, “Where am I wasting time?” Make sure you remove those activities from your daily schedule right away. Set up a recurring event for prospecting and don’t miss it. To be successful with this, be sure to eliminate your distractions.
Excuse #2: “I Can’t Stay Committed.”
Solution: Find Compelling Reasons For Your Actions.
There is a significant difference between intentions and action. The difference is commitment.
Our commitment to our goals leads us to achievement, even during the toughest times. There is a direct relationship between motivation and commitment. If you are really committed to making a change now in your sales or business results, create a sense of urgency.
You need reasons that are so compelling and so intense you must follow through. So right now, ask yourself the following questions and come up with the three reasons why you must commit to your sales growth goals.
Your answers to these questions will help you gain an immediate understanding of what you’re committed to and why!
Excuse #3: “I Don’t Feel Confident That I Will Succeed. This Is A Waste Of Time!”
Solution: Break down your sales and business goals into measurable steps.
Sometimes trying to accomplish sales goals seems so overwhelming, the immediate temptation is to give up before we even start. Ouch. That kills self-confidence. And it’s true; we can’t gain confidence until we take action. Yet, we don’t take action because we are afraid to fail. See the problem here?
Take, for example, the intimidating obstacle of facing your sales goals or business goals for the entire year. Now that’s paralyzing, isn’t it?
To gain confidence, you must break your goals down into measurable steps. For example, if want to win 12 new clients within 12 weeks, then you could set your goal for 1 new client per week. It just feels easier and more attainable this way.
You don’t have to focus on the entire goal; but instead take smaller, manageable steps. This gives you a tremendous sense of control and achievement.
By the time you are nearing the end of your first couple of weeks on your new prospecting or sales plan, despite the ups and downs in progress, you begin to feel more confident because you have experienced some results.
Suddenly, as the fear dissipates, you will discover new found confidence. And best of all, you will have achieved what you once thought was impossible—proceeding one step at a time.
Excuse #4: “I Don’t Know What To Say. I Don’t Know If I Am Delivering The Right Message or Value.”
Solution: Seek Support & Don’t Try To Do Everything On Your Own.
It is understandable to feel a little confused. You may feel overwhelmed and paralyzed. There are so many sales techniques recommended by so many “sales experts”. So, whose advice can you trust?
Are you tired of trying to sort through all the information on the internet, sales books, business articles and tips? Well, you can stop right now and keep yourself from chasing every sales technique or theory.
So how do you find the answers?
When seeking support on these topics, make sure you are working with someone with a proven record of producing top sales results. But that is not enough. Just modeling the approaches of a highly successful sales person isn’t enough. You can start there, but you must learn your own style, strengths, and how to use them. If you can develop your own personal selling style, you will never come across as “salesey,” which is the last thing you want to do.
Start by looking towards those with great success in this field and then challenge yourself to develop your own sales style. Seek out a sales coach who helps their sales coaching clients develop their own authentic selling approach that takes into account what makes them unique, as they incorporate proven methods and techniques. This combination of proven expert methods in conjunction with a personal selling style produces dramatic results.
The Bottom Line:
Seek someone who has achieved the “extraordinary” results you desire, learn the “winning” methods, and then integrate them into your own personal strengths to develop your own genuine selling style. By committing to turning these mistakes and excuses into powerful success strategies, you will begin to create extraordinary sales and business results! Don’t wait, make a commitment to yourself today!
Laugh Your Way To Better Sales Results
April 23rd, 2010
Is your sales force not producing the results you want and lacking the energy, teamwork, drive, and the attitude that they need to have for great success?
Are you a sales professional or sales manager who is carrying around too much stress, lacking motivation, and not achieving your full potential? If any of this is true, then listen up.
Laughter just might be the solution. You can immediately reduce stress, increase productivity, teamwork, focus and motivation for your entire organization or team with laughter.
The bottom line impact from improving all of these factors means better sales results. As a former director of sales for multiple organizations, I was always looking for innovative ways to motivate my entire sales force. I wish I had known about laughter exercises at that time!
There has never been a simpler way to bring more laughter into the workplace, until now. The most powerful and effective way to bring laughter into the workplace is to hire a certified laughter yoga leader like myself, to conduct a laughter seminar.
Many professionals have experienced the benefits of laughter exercises first hand, yet laughter seminars are still far from being mainstream. When I have conducted laughter seminars, it is not uncommon for perceived motivation and productivity to nearly double, right away. Unbelievable, right?
Below are some of the reasons why you should bring a laughter seminar to your organization or sales team:
1. Reduce Sales Stress
While there are many tools available for stress management, laughter seminars provide a unique system that helps to reduce physical, mental and emotional stress at the same time. It works simultaneously both on the body and mind.
2. Improved Sales Attitudes
Performance is connected to attitude, and laughter has the power to change the attitude and mood within minutes by releasing neuro-peptides from the brain cells called endorphins.
3. Sales Team Building
“People who laugh together, work together”
John Cleese, a renowned British comedian, once said during his visit to Mumbai for a laughter seminar, that laughter is a great connector of people. It breaks all hierarchies and is a force for democracy. Laughter has the ability to change the work environment drastically by making people happy and cheerful, bringing positive mental attitude, and optimism into the sales force. It also increases communication skills which further help in team building.
4. Sales Innovation and Creativity
Some of the most creative people in the world are children. The essence of laughter exercises is to cultivate childlike playfulness. This playfulness stimulates the right brain activity which is where the creativity originates. This helps to generate new ideas and insights about sales challenges and problems.
5. Increasing Attention Span During Sales Conferences, Sales Training, or New Product Training
Studies have shown that even after just 30 minutes, the concentration levels start to decrease. A brief laughter seminar can provide a great energy boost during a full day of training, meetings or conferences.
6. Positive Sales Force Environment
Sales job dissatisfaction can compel people to change jobs more frequently which will affect productivity and profitability. Laughter creates positive energy and improves communication between people. Studies have shown that positive emotions are increased while negative emotions are decreased from laughter. Happier, more balanced employees increases loyalty and commitment.
7. Sales Motivation
Laughter helps to bring a smile on the face and generate good feelings within the body. This enhances communication and motivation. Positive energy is contagious, and will be felt by prospects, clients, and the entire sales organization.
These are just some of the many reasons why you should consider a laughter seminar to increase your sales results. Most sales leaders have tried just about everything to increase sales results and motivate their sales force; however, it has not been until now, that laughter has been viewed as a viable solution.
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