The Sales Pro Insider Building Performance Profits and People

At the end of each year many Top 10 lists are published.  This Top 10 List is different.  It is the Top 10 Questions you should ask yourself (and answer) to set up for a more productive, healthy and happy 2009.

Planning and goal setting are two ongoing challenges and suggestions I often make.  Answering the following questions will reveal how effective your planning (and execution) was this year.

1. What are the successes I am most proud of?
2. What have I done to celebrate these successes?
3. What people do I surround myself with? or Who have I met this year that has impacted me in some way?
4. What goals, that were important to me, did I not reach?  Why?
5. Considering the development opportunities available to me this year, how have I applied what I learned?
6. What written content did I read?  What did I do with the information from the reading?
7. What person have I taken time to develop/coach?  or Who is better off now because of my relationship with them this past year?
8. What actions have I taken to better my life in some way?
9. What strengths do I possess that I can use at a higher level next year?
10. What obstacles must I work through so that I reach my goals for 2009?

May your answers give you pause to:

Recognize the good things you have experienced.

and

Purposefully plan for a great 2009!

Happy New Year!

Filed Under: focus, goal setting, priorities, productivity

Want to grow your business in a tough economy?  Use the power of your existing relationships to grow your sales.  Tap into reciprocity when asking for referrals.

Reciprocity is defined as “mutual exchange” – the give and take of life.  And in a slow economy reciprocity can be your LIFELINE!  Many times referrals can be one-sided.  When we focus on what we give as well as get, we are more successful.

3 Lessons Learned to Give, Take and Give for Referrals

Lesson 1:  Give great value and your best referral source will be your loyal customers.

Who are your loyal customers?  These are customers who will “sing your praises” given the opportunity.  They know you provide great value to them and TRUST you. They stick by you in hard times because they know you will do the right thing for them.

Action:

GIVE your loyal customers the opportunity to share referrals!  This looks/sounds very different depending on what you are asking.  For example:

I did great work for a loyal customer and she valued our results and relationship.  But this never led to referrals.  In considering her needs, I realized that she might be concerned that I would be less available to her if I had more work!

To help ease this concern, I approached asking for referrals differently.  First, I assured her how important our relationship was to me.  Second, I let her know that I had positioned my company for more growth through additional consultants and was looking to secure work for those consultants.  And finally, I asked who she might know that would benefit from the work we do in strengthening customer loyalties.

She had two names for me within a week!

Lesson 2: Help them help you!  Identify your ideal referral and the value that you provide. Make it easy for your referrer to understand what you can do for your ideal referrals.  They only know what you do for them and may not be able to explain it to anyone else. 

Action:

Answer these two questions to make TAKING referrals easy:

1. Who makes a good referral for you?  Help your referrer identify opportunities that will be good business for you.  What companies are you best positioned to serve with your product/service?
2. What is the value you provide?  Explain the value in a sentence or less so your referrer can articulate it to others for you.

After 9/11 when the economy slowed, I contacted our loyal customers to review updates, talk about how we might serve them in the future and THEN said, “As we look to the future of our business, we are ready to help more people like you.  Who else is in a position such as yours that might benefit from increasing sales 5-25% this next year?”

Notice I didn’t give them, “Who can you introduce me to?”  Or, “I’d like the names of everyone in your address book.”  I was specific to the value we could provide to make it easier for them to refer specific people/companies.

Over 80% of these loyal customers provided at least one referral.

Lesson 3: Follow-up and reciprocate!  Closing the loop from a referral is extremely important in the give and take of a referral process.

Actions:

1. Give updates.  Periodically keep your referrer updated on the status.  A quick message telling them you have initiated contact or you have a meeting scheduled is always a welcome surprise and closes that loop.  A side benefit is that they might help you even more.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            I couldn’t get in touch with a referral for months.  When I followed up with the referrer, he said, “Hang on, Ill conference us all together and get this done!”  Wow, in a minute’s time I was on a call “meeting” this referral and scheduling an appointment!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
2.  Give value back to the referrer.  Reciprocate their generosity.  The value can be in a referral to them, a thank you note, information to help them with something, or a  heart-felt THANK YOU.

Relationships have always been the foundation to long-term successful business. The value of relationships is even higher during a slow economy.  Focusing on the give and take of asking for referrals will show how you VALUE your most loyal relationship and give you opportunities to build new ones.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, customer loyalty, maximize sales productivity, recession proof sales, sales tips

A short work week – Yeah!  Yet as we close out 2008, we don’t want to miss any opportunities to set ourselves up for success next year.  Top producers make EVERY day matter. 

Three actions to take to make this week productive.

1.  Make a specific list of actions you NEED to take.  Then evaluate.  Are these actions just ‘fillers’ or ‘clean up’?  Make sure you have proactive customer-building actions on the list.

2.  Then make as many contacts as you can.  Plan for the contact to be short and to the point – to schedule time after the holidays.  Don’t wait to schedule the appointment early January, most people are in GREAT moods this time of year.  Its a perfect time to ask for appointments for the first week of January.  Before 9 a.m. this morning I already set up two appointments for January 6th! 

3.  Before you leave your office for holiday, reflect on the three things you are most proud of from this year.  Then make notes on the actions you can take as soon as you return post-holiday to duplicate them next year.

And there you have it – a  short list of productive actions for a short week.

Filed Under: priorities, productivity, sales productivity, sales tips

Dennis Felix is a very rich man.  At least financially.  The article posted on MSN today highlights what he has learned and given up to earn his wealth.

Interesting to see what some people focus on in their lives.  I believe that we can work hard, be successful AND have a great well-rounded life.   

I do appreciate that Felix isn’t tauting “you can be just like me” – he knows he made mistakes.  And is giving away all his money before he dies.

I’m not going to comment on how he earned his money.  There are all kinds of ways to be successful and I believe in SUCCESS!  I help others become more SUCCESSFUL!  And I did learn something from Felix’ experiences:

Set goals that include personal/human aspects as well.  Its not all about quantity – quality is even more important in the long run.

Filed Under: goal setting, learning

Yes, you read that right!  Increase the sales results and performance of your sales team in 2009 as you join sales experts, Nancy Bleeke and Lynn Zimmer for a FREE webinar.  An economic recession does not have to to spell doom and gloom for your sales results.

We will share the “inside” secrets to help Sales Managers:          

1. Increase the sales results of your team
2. Decrease your turnover and recruiting expenses
3. Maximize each person’s talents and abilities

Want to know how valuable this information is?  An attendee in November, Mark Friberg, said:

I would definitely recommend your business to friends and fellow workers. Both you and Lynn did a professional job and gave us valuable information that anyone in the business could use. Thanks for holding this quality seminar, I hope there are more to come! -        I will bring a friend.

Make a note on the details:

Thursday, January 22nd   

10:30-11:30 a.m. Central Time

And then click here to Register to ensure your spot!

Help your colleagues – forward this information so they can increase their team’s sales results too!

Filed Under: Leadership, coaching, learning, maximize sales productivity, productivity, recession proof sales, sales expert, sales productivity, sales success, sales tips

Expanding your network and referral base is smart business these days. But so many professionals miss the boat on how to network effectively! As you link with other people, keeping your old connections is as important as making new ones.

Yesterday I met with someone starting her own business. As we discussed how to build a network, I was reminded of the important nuances of building the network lifeline.

In my 11 years of providing sales training courses and tools for successful sales and service, I have been on the receiving end of a LOT of bad attempts to network. Most – and I mean 95% – of people that contact me to network really just want to know who I can introduce THEM to. I learned the hard way how important finding out what value they bring to others is before making these connections.

As a rookie, I was giving out names to new contacts very easily – after all wasn’t that what I was supposed to do? Until…

I realized that I was potentially damaging some VALUABLE existing relationships by not ensuring they would be a GOOD connection. I was wasting my existing connections’ time with people that they didn’t need (or want) to talk to.

Not anymore. I am more careful before making a connection. To value my existing relationships, I have work to do before I link them with a new connection.

Additional specific tips to network effectively:

1. Before you ask to meet with someone to network OR go to a network event, consider what you can offer to the other person(s). Is it expertise? Other contacts? Assistance with something they are working on?
2. Know your value proposition to potential clients. If you can’t explain your value, how will your networkers know who might need what you offer?
3. Do your homework! Know as much about the person or the people in the group as you can prior to connecting.
4. In a “live” setting ask people for THEIR business card first. Look at the card and see what it says – use that as a conversation starter.
5. For live events, always have the following items with you:
   • Your business cards
   • A pen to take notes on their business card
   • A smile on your face
   • Some type of paper to write on
6. Tap into social networking. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn. All great potential tools…if you use them correctly and keep the first 3 tips in mind.
7. Ask questions about the motivation and reputation of a new connection BEFORE giving out the names and phone numbers of your valuable existing relationships
8. And with his efforts, I’m pleased to introduce Jim and what he does to you! His blog and newsletter have great marketing information. See how the value exchange pays off?

And a foundation element to all of these networking tips: Networkers that GIVE something to others before asking for something are much more successful in the long run. A great example: Jim Connolly’s blog post shows how a seemingly little effort of giving in networking can pay off big – not only for himself but for everyone else!

Networking with others will be even more important as the world we operate in shrinks with technology. As you consider how you will expand your network, focus on the song I learned in Girl Scouts, “Make new friends, but keep the old…one is silver and the other gold!”

Newsflash! In the next six weeks, the SalesProInsider will be offering more free resources for you! Two eBooks, a free webinar and more! Stay tuned…

Filed Under: Sales, consultative selling, maximize sales productivity, networking, value proposition

Want to increase your probability of sales success?  “Lost” customers may be the key!  What do you do with your former customers?  Many salespeople hit the ‘delete’ key and focus on new prospects. Big mistake!  These former customers can make great future customers.  Another tip to recession proof your sales – earn business again from customers you’ve “lost” over the years.

How valuable can this be?  A study done by Marketing Metrics shows that we have a 20-40% chance of re-engaging a former customer vs. a 5-20% chance of turning a new prospect into a customer!

Why is now a good time to focus on former customers?  The consolidations, bankruptcy filings, and workforce reductions leave HUGE opportunities for those who are ready to capture more business in this economy.

What can you do?  First,        look BACK!

1. Review your past three years of sales data. Make a list of customers who have not bought/worked with you in that time.  Then for each organization note: 
   • When was your last contact with them?
   • Do you know what/whom they are now working with?
   • On a scale of 1-10, how likely is it they would welcome contact from you again?  If the score is a 5 or higher, they are a good prospect!
   • What do you know about them that you can use to reconnect? History, experiences, challenges they had, people they work with, hobbies or any shared stories?
2. Research your primary contact at each identified organization.  Use the Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, bizjojrnals.com search tools.  Find out what he or she has been up to!  Are they still with that company?  In the same position?
3. Review past business you did with this organization.  What product/service did they use?  What was their experience – favorable, neutral, bad? Why did they stop working with you?  Do you know? Identify whether this was a valuable customer to you/your company.  Sometimes customers can be more work than the value they brought. No sense in recontacting a customer who drained you

Second, use this background information to prepare to move FORWARD.

1. Are the reasons they stopped being a customer relevant any longer?
2. What value might you provide them today?
3. What experiences have you had since you last spoke that would help them?
4. What information would help them Right now?
5. What questions should you ask them?

Third, make CONTACT!

“Hi Gary, it has been a long time. We continue to help companies such as yours increase xyz or decrease abc.  When we worked together, we provided you with the product you needed at exceptional cost and delivery time.  With all the market changes we’ve still been able to help companies with increasing xyz.  And I didn’t forget about you!”

Then turn the focus to THEM!  Be prepared to listen…maybe there is information you don’t know about whey they are no longer a customer.  This should be addressed first.  Then you can move into a series of open-ended questions that will allow you to see if there is an opportunity to work together again.  Some examples:

• “What are you currently working on”
• “How is this economy affecting your business?”
• “What is most important to you these days?”
• “How happy are you with your current supplier?”

This works!  In the past month we’ve reconnected with former customers. And we found that some of them have done NOTHING since we worked with them.  They haven’t left us at all. And yet we haven’t done business with them in a while.  Now that we made the effort to open the discussion again, we are moving through the sales process to see how we can help them again in 2009.

This tip does take work – but the upside of the effort is HUGE!  You never know what hidden gems of business you might FIND in your lost customers.

Filed Under: Sales, customer loyalty, customer loyalty, maximize sales productivity, productivity, recession proof sales, sales process, sales productivity, sales success, sales tips

  The view from my window

The weather can have a huge effect on people’s productivity – especially in the Midwest!  In spring, sunshine and warmer temps lure us outside. Summertime is short, so we want to take time off work to enjoy the many lakes.  And winter can cause havoc with travel plans and business meetings!

The second big storm of the season is hitting right now!  Instead of complaining about the roads and travel, I’m very focused today and using all the great technology with this blog, Twitter, email and the telephone to reach out to even more people!  The storm is a great conversation starter! 

As the song says…”Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.”  And a bonus…all evening events are cancelled, meaning our whole family can help finish decorating and baking!

How can you use “current” events like weather to your advantage?

Filed Under: focus, productivity

Have you noticed the changing buying patterns in business these past few months?  The economy is forcing everyone to re-evaluate how business is conducted and who business is conducted with.  The smart sales pros know changes in buying patterns means we have to change too.  One way to maximize your sales productivity is to re-evaluate the prospects in your pipeline.

Recently I took a hard look at the l-o-n-g list of prospects for our company.  At first glance, I thought “Wow, we have a lot of potential business!”  (Whew!)   But then I started looking closer. 

And I realized…

These aren’t all prospects anymore!!  The likelihood of doing business with some of these people and companies in the next year was extremely low! 

I don’t know about you, but we have limits to our time, energy and resources to invest in our sales efforts.  Our priorities had been pulled out of whack these last 6 months.  The anticipation of what the recession might bring caused some of our clients to postpone scheduled services.  Yet there were other prospects that wanted to reconnect and reconsider our expertise in how to increase sales! 

Now the big question, “Where are we spending our time, efforts and energy?”

I challenged our team to consider some tough questions for each name on the prospect list.  In light of what is going on with the economy:

1. What do you know about this person or company?  How might the economy be affecting them?  What does this do for their need for what we provide?  Do they need us now more than ever?
2. When was our last contact and what happened? 
3. Where are you in the sales process?  Be realistic.  Are you in the beginning stages of building trust and a relationship?  Have you uncovered needs?  Are they open to a solution?  Is it time to tie WHAT you do to their needs?  Have you gone through the process and not asked them for a decision?
4. What is the likelihood of them moving to the next step in the sales process in the next 60 days?  The next 6 months?
5. Do they have money to spend on what you offer?
6. Are you talking to the decision maker?
7. What have you done to provide proof and validation of potential results?
8. What value can we provide them today to demonstrate our expertise and to help them?

We learned that we need to realign our efforts. Some of our prospects needs had changed and so must our approach to earning their business.  We also found that some prospects who took a lot of our time and energy were never going to ”buy”.  They were happy to have lots of free consulting and resources.  But no budget to spend.  This doesn’t mean we will ignore them, but they won’t take up so much of our time.

We’ve been working on the new approach for a month and are having very good results.  Recession or not, 2009 is looking bright because we are focusing on the right prospects!

What about you?  Is it time to re-evaluate your prospect list?  To identify your real opportunities in light of the current economic conditions and to realign your efforts to the highest likelihood of success?  How can making the time now ensure you have recession proofed your sales?

Filed Under: Sales, customer loyalty, maximize sales productivity, priorities, productivity, recession proof sales, sales success, sales tips

Ready for another tip on how to increase your sales in a tough economy?  Commit to excellence and focus on the power of one! 

The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to his or her commitment to excellence, regardless of his or her chosen field of endeavor.  Zig Ziglar’s quotation is important for all fields - but most specifically the field of sales!

Today’s economy has created a lot of easy excuses for the average performer to not take action.  Top performers continue to succeed in spite of the economy.  In our sales training courses, we see salespeople become a bit paralyzed as they look at ALL the activities they could be doing to make more sales.  Don’t let that ‘I’m overwhelmed’ feeling stop you.  Instead of thinking you need to do 20 things different today, start with just ONE MORE!

 Today, make the time for ONE more: 

1. Phone call.  Who do you want to connect with?  Take 5 minutes to prepare your objective, how you will engage them when they answer the phone, what you want to find out and the next step.  And then pick up the phone!  Be prepared to leave a great voicemail message if they don’t pick up.
2. Message.  What information can you send to someone as a follow-up?  Is there something you promised that you can get out today?  Send it by email or regular mail.
3. Note. Handwritten notes/cards are a powerful connection!   Select someone that you haven’t connected with in a while and send them a note.  Don’t make it about your company, product or service specifically.
4. Action item from your plan to achieve your goals.  You do have written goals don’t you?  Review them and find one action you can take today that will move you closer to achieving that goal. 
5. Question.  What information do you need from a client, prospect, or internal team member? Craft a good open-ended question and then ASK the question.  If you are in a meeting – with a client or internal team – ask one more question before ending the meeting.

For more ideas that you can do ONE more of – I have a free resource for you!  Timely Tips for Sales Managers is full of 52 tips to increase sales!  The free  tips can be downloaded for you to reference as you focus on achieving higher sales results.

Now that this post is written, I too will focus on the power of one and make one MORE phone call before lunch.

Are you committed to excellence?  If so, what ONE MORE action you will take today for a big pay off later?

Filed Under: consultative selling, focus, priorities, productivity, recession proof sales