Ready to get the most out of this week?  Though some of you may feel a bit ’stuffed’ from holiday eating last week…the good news is that you can work it off with action this week!

We have three full weeks of work remaining in 2009 (assuming you have time off at Christmas and New Year).  That’s at least 15 full days to make it happen!

The Countdown 8 week challenge to finish the year strong began in November.  Below are links to the first 5 tips and strategies.  This week is about DOING!   

First 5 Countdown 2009 links:

1. Take a hard look at where you are and answer questions that helped you identify and diagnose potential roadblocks.
2. Set specific targets and plans for reaching them. 
3. Focus on  accountability, activity, and action!
4. Your tool check up.
5. The 4Rs to Hit your Target

Now to DOING!  This list is not focused on new prospects – your actions should focus on your current pipeline to maximize your time in the next few weeks.

1. D – Decisions.  Your role in sales is to help others decide.  Decide that they are ready to purchase, get you in front of the right person, or that they don’t need what you have (better to know than keep wasting your time).  Look at your pipeline. What is the decision you need from each person on the  list?
2. O – Offer.  What can you offer to to help move the sales process along?  It doesn’t need to be a discount of price.  An offer to get something done for them, an implementation suggestion, offer of assistance in completing paperwork or having a meeting with someone they need to include may be just what they need to move forward.  Be creative.
3. I – Initiate.  Who do you need to proactively contact?  Who is stalled in your sales process?  Write down their names – all of them. Then get their contact info and add that.  When are you going to make the contact?  Email? Telephone?  Write down when and how. 
4. N – Negotiate.  Negotiate as in problem solving.  Do you know why someone hasn’t moved forward?  Have you asked for their concerns in a non-confrontational way?  “Please tell me what is keeping you from moving forward.”   Or bring up the concern yourself. “John, others have told me that budgets have been tight all year and that is why they can’t commit. How true is that for you?” If you don’t ask, you may be making assumptions that aren’t true.  See this post on assumptions.
5. G – Go!  Yes, Go!  Right now, start by writing down 10 actions you will take today and then DO them!

The time is now.  Access your pipeline data- electronic or hard copy.  Then start DOING! 

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John F. Kennedy said:

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.      

Thank you for the words of encouragement and tips you provide me throughout the year.  I am grateful for each and everyone of you.   

We strive to live the Sales Pro Insider mission (Building performance, profits and people) with words, actions and tips/tools to help each of you reap a bountiful harvest from your labor!   

 May your day be blessed with family, friends and gratitude.

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Goals.  We love them, we hate them.  And we need them!  When we started the 8 week plan to end 2009 strong, I encouraged you to set targets.  Now is a great time for a 4R Target check-up!   

Before the check-up – and to allow any of you just getting in on the Countdown to catch up – a recap of the first 4 weeks’ actions:

1. Take a hard look at where you are and answer questions that helped you identify and diagnose potential roadblocks.
2. Set specific targets and plans for reaching them. 
3. Focus on  accountability, activity, and action!
4. Your tool check up.

Now to the 4R check-up!  Having a target is extremely important – and checking in to verify progress and whether the target is the correct target is equally as important.  With 30 days until year-end, use the following process to help ensure you are on track to achieve your short-term goals!

• Review – read your goals and the plan to achieve them.  Are you on track?  Then move to Renew.  Not on track?  Revise or Recycle. 
• Renew- Recommit yourself to the goal and the time-frame.  Consciously think through the next steps and how you will feel when the goal is accomplished.
• Revise- If the situation has change – revise your gaol as needed.  maybe the timing is off, or the outcome needs to be edited or the people involved have changed.  It’s okay make those revisions and then you have a realistic goal based on today’s criteria.  
• Recycle- Yes, recycle.  Just because a goal made sense earlier, doesn’t mean it still does.  It’s okay to remove a goal from your priorities and replace it with one that is more meaningful.

When should you do this?  Today, tonight or tomorrow morning.  Make the adjustments or recommitment and hit it hard these next days.

How am I going to live today in order to create the tomorrow I’m committed to?
Anthony Robbins

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Assumptions.  Guessing or thinking we KNOW what someone else is thinking, needing, objecting to, etc.  How many relationships and sales are lost because of assumptions?  Of course that’s a rhetorical question – we can’t know for sure.  The real question is – how many are lost to you?

Every week I work with sales reps and non-traditional sales professionals (IT consultants for example) on consultative selling skill training.  Our process is 6-9 weeks long depending on the course.  We use the methodology of long-term behavior change process to help everyone “stick” the skils land behaviors.  Why? It takes some people 4-5 weeks to REALLY understand what it takes to stop and listen.  Their mode is go-go-go and “I know” and many assumptions are made to keep moving forward. 

Example?  I have many business examples, but I’m going to use a personal example that is so poignant.  I have a relative who does not listen.  Even when she asks a question – it is closed and assumptive.  The following exchange is a PERFECT example of what happens when we assume.

Sarah was talking with another relative, Carrie, who had been dealing with some heart medical issues for months.  Here is the exchange:

• Sarah, “So, you had a stint put in?”
• Carrie, “No.”
• Sarah, “Oh, they did the scope thing instead.”
• Carrie, “Nope.”
• Sarah, “Hmmm. They probably decided medications were the best thing for now then.”
• Carrie, “No.”

 After several more reiterations of this approach Sarah gave up and moved to another conversation…still having no idea what happened to Carrie.

As I observed this I wanted to scream “ASK her a question instead of “guessing” what happened!!”  Carrie, whose known Sarah for 50+ years knew the drill and wasn’t going to play. Honestly – just writing out that dialogue has raised my blood pressure – it is SO frustrating to be in one of those conversations!

How much easier it could have been, if Sarah had asked, “I heard you were having some medical problems, what’s going on?”  Or “What happened?”  That’s it!  Carrie would have answered and both would be better off.

Do you see this at work?  Do you catch yourself and realize that you didn’t get the information you needed from your prospect, customer, teammate, or manager because you didn’t really ask a relevant question and wait for the answer? 

When my husband and I were purchasing a kitchen set, the salesperson took the same approach:

• Seller: “You probably have family parties.”
• Us: “Yes.”
• Seller: “I’m sure you are going to want extra chairs.”
• Us: Silence…there wasn’t anything to answer.
• Seller: “I bet you want this today and we don’t have it in stock.”

After several similar shopping experiences, I said “I wish someone would just ASK us something.”  The sales process took a lot longer than it needed to.  The seller could have just asked, “Tell me about how you use your kitchen?” or “What type of entertaining do you do?”   I would have given him what he needed to make a recommendation.  Instead, we were the ones asking the questions to filter out our options.   

We’re all a work in progress – and each day if we can focus on one, seemingly small, communication action, those around us will be better off for it. 

In fact, a great tip from Pat at CVS Caremark this week – she took all the little tips and wrote one action item on index cards.  Each morning she shuffles the cards and selects one to be her focus of the day.  What a great idea! 

And if the tips includes stopping to listen, letting the other person answer, asking questions without assumptions, focusing on others’ intent and words, etc. we’ll learn a lot that day that might save us a lot of time, energy and frustration later.  It keeps us all from the adage you might have heard about assuming, “When you assume, it makes an as_ out of U and me!” 

What do you think?  What reaction do you have to the dialogue I shared above?

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Tags: consultative selling, Listening, Sales Tips

Five FULL weeks left to achieve your 2009 goals!  Ready to make it happen?  You can still make great strides in your sales for this year AND set yourself up to start 2010 with a BANG!  This week’s challenge is to maximize the use of your “tools” to gain time and efficiency.

We started 3 weeks ago with the 8 week plan to end the year strong.  The challenge of the past three weeks was to:

1. Take a hard look at where you are and answer questions that helped you identify and diagnose potential roadblocks.
2. Set specific targets and plans for reaching them.
3. Focus on  accountability, activity, and action!

We still need to focus on accountability, activity and action – and to be smart with our activity and action by using the tools available to us.  What is a tool?  A tool is something regarded as necessary to the carrying out of one’s occupation or profession (this definition brought to you by dictionary.com).  So what are the ‘things’ necessary to carrying out your occupation?   This is a starter list.

The Basics:

• A telephone
• Email
• Some type of program to keep your notes, customer details (could be a database or a full CRM system)
• Written information that can be shared – this might be a hard-copy brochure or electronic documents

Advanced tools:

• The right people around you – a coach, a support system and internal team that supports your efforts
• Lead generation or prospecting tools

Doesn’t seem like a lot does it?  It doesn’t have to be!  The key to a good tool is your use of it!  A tool is only as good as its’ user – the input, the use and care of, the access to the tools is what makes them work.

Over the years in my work with companies, I have observed HUGE investments in the “tool” that is going to solve their problems.  In 2002 a Fortune 100 company invested millions in a new tool – and eliminated all other investments for 18 months to fund it.  Guess what?  This new “tool” didn’t do what they hoped, productivity did not increase and the productivity they lost during the 18 months was a huge LOSS!

Your tool check up this week is to look at what tools you have and how you are using them – in crunch time its not usually wise to figure out something new – its looking at how you are using what you have.  What are you now doing that could be more efficient if you spent 20-30 minutes this week in getting it up to speed? 

For example:  I have been very lax on inputting some details on prospecting activity into my database.  Tomorrow i have a 60 minute block of time just to get this done.  The efficiency this is going to bring is going to help me stay focused and productive the next five weeks.

So a tool check up is the challenge for this week.  What tool do you have that you are not using well?  How are you going to change that?

Speaking of tools – some free sales tools (and reviews on many more) can be found at www.smartsellingtools.com. 

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Ever feel stuck for an idea?  Sometimes we get in a situation that is stalled and we just don’t know what to do.  We think we have tried everything and we remain stuck where we are.

2009 has been a bit challenging for some people  to say the least.  And we need to be more creative than ever to:

• Get in front of decision makers
• Find some sense of balance in our work/life
• Close sales
• Meet and beat our goals
• Move a stalled or stuck situation

We can throw a lot of ideas down on paper and that helps.  But to really tap into our creativity to get unstuck and unstalled,  we might need to tap into both sides of our brains – logical and creative!   

Martha Beck outlines the Kitchen Sink approach in her article, Half a Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste.  When you are stuck and need to open your mind to find new ideas:    

1. Sign your name in differnet ways.  Sign normally.  Sign with your opposite hand. Sign it upside down. Now backward.
2. Write the question you want answered with your dominant hand.  “How can I connect with ___ prospect?”  Then switch the pen to your opposite hand and write whatever pops into your mind.
3. Move!  Get out of your chair and walk a few steps.  Notice how your arms swing opposite your legs?  Now walk with your right arm going forward with your right leg.  Same with your left leg/foot. 
4. The kitchen sink – think about your opportunity or problem.  Now stop thinking about that subject and read about totally unrelated subjects (a sports article, a recipe idea, a biography, a blog ) think of the situation again – read – think of the situation.  This might trigger totally different ideas or actions!

This works.  Sunday evening I was stuck as I was brainstorming an opening for a sales training workshop on Tuesday.  I went through this process and within 15 minutes I had it!  It was simple, something I had used in an unrelated workshop years ago – and when I delivered it, the sales reps LOVED it!

To get ready to relax this weekend – get creative in answering a problem, challenge or opportunity that is stuck and weighing on your mind.  Use the kitchen sink approach to identify real alternatives and actions – which will take that TO DO off your mind and allow you to enjoy a more restful weekend.

What other ways do you get un-stuck? 

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Tags: Creativity, sales

Have you ever had this experience?

Someone whom you look up  to, consider a role model and whom you want to emulate suddenly notices you?  Or validates something you have done?

That’s how I felt this morning when I saw that Jill Konrath - of Selling to  Big Companies, Sales Shebang and Get Back to Work Faster – posted a blog post about Sharpenz.   I wanted to sing Barry Manilow’s song…Looks Like We Made It! 

Really!  Jill does topnotch work, gives her stuff away free with the Great Sales Give and is mentioned in thesame breath as all the big sales “guys”.  And now she has endorsed Sharpenz sales boosters!   This nod has given me energy today!

If you haven’t yet visited www.sharpenz.com now is the time!  Our 50% off ALL orders ends on November 15th.  We hope you’ll take us up on a Try Before You Buy - and then return for more.

As Laura Holtz of Data Financial told me today (she delivered her first Sharpenz on Monday): 

To my great pleasure…the booster is so well written… there is movement, collaboration and …. that is was exciting to hear how engaged they were. 

Our marketing manager said “who, amazing to have the people on spot with you that time of day so engaged, really sharing high level of energy.  We were thrilled!

Thanks Laura for your feedback! 

Make the time to visit Sharpenz today – your team will thank you for it!  

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Tags: learning, networking

With six weeks to go in 2009, this week is all about A - Accountability, activity, and action!

The challenge of the past two weeks was to:

1. Take a hard look at where you are and answer questions that helped you identify and diagnose potential roadblocks.
2. Set specific targets and plans for reaching them.

Today, we’ll start with Accountability.   Who is responsible for your success?  You!  Don’t like where you are?  Change it!  Don’t like your results?  Do something different!  Want more sales?  Ramp up your activity! 

Where is victim thinking, procrastination or blame going to take you?  NO WHERE!  What will move you?  Activity and action!

Activity - identify the activities (looking at your plan for your goals is a good place to start) that you need to take Today.  List them out – prioritize them.   Whether you do this on paper on electronically is up to.  Personally, I love the pen to paper crossing off items as I complete them.  You have to find what works best for you.  The challenge is to not make this complicated and a time waster. 

I had a colleague who used to spend hours putting together  her lists.  First she wrote them on paper.  Then she transferred them into Word.  And finally transferred them to Excel to be able to calculate dates and dollars.  The result?  Hours of work on a pretty list and no action!  She has since moved out of sales. 

Action - Just Do it!  It’s not just a Nike motto – it will get you where you need to be.  Look at your list of activities.  Does it look overwhelming?  Well, the list won’t get any shorter without you taking action and crossing off items.  Where to start? 

1. Select the action on your list that you MOST dread doing today.  Make that #2. 
2. Select an easy, just a few minutes items and make that #1.
3. The action you are excited about and can’t wait to get to?  Make that #3.

You can repeat this process over and over today.  What it does is allow to knock something quickly out of the way.  Then by doing what you dread doing next, you feel better and don’t waste energy with avoiding it – and it builds your enthusiasm for the 3rd thing.

Studies show that prospecting (and exercise) habits are more productive and are stuck to longer when they are done early in the day.  The later they are “scheduled” the more that can get in the way.

So, this is the easiest tip on our countdown – and the three As – repeated every day this week will get you further along! 

Okay – what do you think?  Are you going to focus on Accountability, Activity and Action?  What is the thing you dread most?  After you complete it – leave a comment here for us all to celebrate with you that it is done.  Or send me an email at nancy@salesproinsider.com -  I’ll virtually celebrate with you! 

Now I’m off to do something I dread…create flipcharts for my sales workshop this afternoon..  If I would have done them on Friday, I wouldn’t have had that looming over my head all weekend! 

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Boost Sales NEXT Week!

It’s amazing what a focused 30 minutes of sharpening sales qualities can do.  Energy, enthusiasm and activity levels increase and the whole team is ready to sell more!

Sales managers asked and we listened.  They wanted something quick and easy to use to build their sales team.  Sharpenz…  Half  Hour of Power, 30 minute sales training boosters were developed to save everyone time and increase sales!

We’re honored that Smart Selling Tools has named Sharpenz their Hot Pick for November!    

You can read the announcement here.      

 Just this week dozens of managers have taken us up on the Try Before You Buy offer.  And then after seeing the ready-to-go sales training kit with copy-ready  handout, word for word outlines, reinforcement tips and more – they took advantage of the 50% off launch offer!  We are so excited to see that others see the value and that sales people around the world will sell more next week because of it!

Visit www.sharpenz.comfor more information – and you can watch a short (less than 2.5 minutes) video where I explain  Sharpenz in a nutshell!

————————-

        Speaking of honors - Top 10 Sales Articles has selected Sales Meetings that Engage: Please Include Me as a nominee for the November article of the month.   

Click here to see all 10 nominees.  If you would, I’d appreciate it if you would vote for my article!    

—————————–  

   Another FREE ebook filled with TONS of useful sales tips and tools from Top Sales Experts.             

It’s the Fall Edition and it is ready for you.  Click on the graphic to get your copy. 

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Filed Under: Sales Productivity
Tags: maximize sales productivity, sales, Sales Productivity, Sales Tips

Want to play a game?  I challenge you to a game of darts.  Ready to play?  It’s a little different than you might think.  You have 8 darts in my game.  Each dart represents an hour of your ‘regular’ work day.  Your success depends on how accurate you hit your target.  But wait!  The dart board we use doesn’t have numbers – you don’t know where to aim, and you can easily hit a target youdont’ want to, instead of the bulls-eye.  

Wanna play this game with me?  No? Why not?  It’s similar to the game I see sales pros, teams and managers play EVERY day. They work hard.  They work long hours.  They want to win. And still they end up wasting a lot of time and energy reacting and chasing. 

Sound familiar?  Without a clear, focused target to aim at, there is so much waste and likelihood of missing the target!  With only 7 weeks left in 2009 is it too late to set targets now?  No!

Last week the action to Countdown 2009 was to analyze and find where you really are.  This week’s activity was to help you determine where you need to go and what you need to do!

This week’s challenge is to be very clear on your desired results for 12/31/09.  We call this the Ready, Aim, Action plan. 

Ready

Take out pen and paper NOW.  At the top write:

On 12/31/09  I/My

It all starts with a target date and the focus on YOU!  You have more control (and potential reward) over what happens in this next 7 weeks than anyone else.

Aim

Then make 3 columns and title them:

Quantity/amount                     Result/Outcome              Reward/Benefit

• Column 1 – Measurement – What numbers do you want on 12/31/09?  Dollars?  # accounts, # prospects at certain points in your pipeline, # appointments?
• Column 2 – Result/Outcome – this is the result you want on that date.  Closed sales, contracts signed, appointments set, etc.
• Column 3 – Rewards – this the benefit of you achieving the result or outcome.  The more specific the reward, the more motivation you will have to take the necessary action.

Target examples:

• On 12/31/09 my annual closed sales are $750,000.  My reward is recognition from my company and manager, the feeling of success and my 5% bonus for reaching my goal that we will use to pay cash for our son’s tuition in January 2010.
• On 12/31/09 I have 12 contracts signed for delivered product in January 2010. My reward is knowing that I will start 2010 with a bang and that I will not work at all on the holidays and use that time to focus on my family.
• On 12/31/09 my 2009 goal is reached with ease.  My reward is that I will not have to scramble the last week justifying to management why I missed goal and what I am doing for next year. 
• On 12/31/09 My annual income is $250,000.  My reward is to fund my retirement account fully and to buy the flat screen TV for my bedroom that allows me more dresser space!

Action

With only 7 weeks to go setting the target is necessary AND action is what will get you there.  Next is to identify 2-3 actions you will take THIS week to move toward these goals.

Example for Target 1:

1. I will follow-up with Prospects A, B, C, X, Y, Z for the outstanding proposals.
2. Brainstorm with my manager on otpions I can offer to stalled sales for Prospects M, ,N. Make contact with those prospects.
3. For every meeting this week, I will spend 30 minuets preparing – researching any new information and identifying how to use the information in my contact.

That’s it!  It’s only about 60 minutes of time that will SAVE you so much energy and frustration.  Taking the 60 minute to follow the Ready, Aim, Action plan will make the rest of this week focused and productive.  And you will be well on your way to all the rewards you listed!

Chime in here…what is a goal you wrote?  What is your reward?  Do you think through your rewards and the ‘why’ you should reach your goals? 

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Tags: goal setting, maximize sales productivity, productivity, sales tips