It’s a week of goal focusing tips!

Ever really consider how important visualizing your success is? Let’s use this excerpt from Jack Canfield’s “The Success Principles” abour Jim Carrey, the actor/comedian as a starter.

“Around 1990, when Jim Carrey was a struggling young Canadian comic trying to make his way in Los Angeles, he drove his old Toyota up to Mulholland Drive. While sitting there looking at the city below and dreaming of his future, he wrote himself a check for $10 million, dated it Thanksgiving 1995, added the notation “for acting services rendered,” and carried it in his wallet from that day forth.

The rest, as they say, is history. Carrey’s optimism and tenacity eventually paid off, and by 1995, after the huge box office success of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb & Dumber, his asking price had risen to $20 million per picture.

When Carrey’s father died in 1994, he placed the $10 million check into his father’s coffin as a tribute to the man who had both started and nurtured his dreams of being a star.”

Visit Futureme.org and write yourself a letter – it can be a goal, congratulating yourself for achieving one of your goals, a reminder on an action you committed to – or anything!

Your actions?

1. Identify a goal – and the reward for achieving it.
2. Set a timeline for the reward to be received. 60 days? One year? Five years?
3. Visit Futureme.org and complete the fields – a letter to yourself – specifically outlining what you accomplished and your reward. Select a date to send it to yourself.
4. Click ‘Send to the future’
5. Start your actions to reach the goal!

For example, if your goal is to achieve forecast in January 2012 with a reward of treating your significant other to a dinner. Send yourself a letter dated February 1st, congratulating yoruself for achieving the goal and reminding yourself of the dinner you will share.

It’s a great way to visualize the achievement and mentally starting your journey toward the reward!

You might be surprised when the letter is delivered, how accurate you were in your prediction.

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Filed Under: Sales Tips, Success Tips
Tags: focus, goal setting

Happy 2012!

What are your dreams and goals for this year? What is it that you want to DO, HAVE, or ENJOY?

Well, when I ask that question, many people start telling me what they DON’T want. And the lists are long. It is hard to get that turned to identifying the target or goal.

That’s why when I saw this video from Laura Goodrich, calling Seeing Red Cars, I jumped on Laura’s bandwagon:

“We get more of whatever we focus on.”

If you want to be successful in 2012 – and this should be YOUR definition of what success is for you – I suggest that you:

1. Click here to watch the 10 minute Seeing Red Cars video. Click on the Preview button. Though it’s her preview – you will view the entire message.
2. Then to help you identify what you want, click here to get your Timely Tips to Achieve Your Goals eBook. The activities and FREE Goal Planner will help you map out your goals.
3. Focus on the first 60 days of 2012 for your action plan. That’s enough to get you moving in the right direction and committed to specific activities.
4. Use the 4R Goal Review process outlined in the eBook each month to keep on track and moving forward.

What’s interesting for me in writing this reminder for all of you,  is that each January, my team and I mapped out the goals for the year. One of the papers was stuffed in cabinet and was ‘found’ last week. Surprising – even without having it in front of us all year, EVERY item was achieved!  Including a book ‘deal’ for me!  More on that to come. So, one of my personal goals is to finish writing the book on TIME this year for publication in early 2013.

p.s. Everyone’s ‘red car’ is different. My ‘fun’ red car is a convertible VW bug – others are Porsches or Ferraris. It doesn’t matter – find what YOU want.

Take 45 minutes today to watch the Seeing Red Cars video and then use  your FREE Goal Planner in the eBook to focus on what YOU want in 2012.

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Filed Under: Sales Productivity, Sales Tips, Success Tips
Tags: focus, goal setting, Sales, Sales Tips

This is a two-part post. And if you are only reading this for the free goal planner, click here to get your very own Timely Tips to Achieve Your Goals eBook that will help you focus and plan for 2012. The Planner is an interactive pdf, so you can type directly into it and print it out!

It’s the last official work day of 2011!  What a year this has been for me and Sales Pro Insider, Inc.

The whirlwind of opportunities to help companies strengthen sales, collaboration and teamwork kept the whole team extremely busy.

For us, before we begin setting goals for 2012, we start with an activity to reflect back on 2011, specifically. This allows us to use the information to do more of what worked well, and less of what didn’t work so well.

Some questions to ask – and answer – for yourself:

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 person have I taken time to develop/coach? or Who is better off now because of my relationship with them this past year?

7. What person has helped me grow or who has challenged me to be better this 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 2012?

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Filed Under: Collaborative Selling, Sales Productivity, Sales Tips, Success Tips
Tags: focus, goal setting, maximize sales productivity, Sales Tips

In the U.S., many are preparing for Thanksgiving and eating their turkey. But at this time of year, if you are in sales, you might get better results by preparing to eat a frog each day!

A frog? Yes!

Mark Twain is quoted as saying,

“Eat a live frog every morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” -Mark Twain

It’s the quote that author Brian Tracy has worked into his practical tips on how to stop procrastinating and get more done in his book, Eat That Frog!

There is no better time to adopt some of the ideas than TODAY! You have 40 days left in 2011 – even with the holidays and weekends, that is a LOT of time to get more done, achieve what you can this year and set yourself up for success in 2012!

A few of the ideas Brian shares:

• Clarify what you want and the steps to achieve it.
• Plan every day in advance.
• Focus on KEY activities – ‘resist the temptation to clear up the little things first’.

There are 18 additional ways in his book (I am not benefiting from this recommendation in any way – I just know it is true!)

So, what are some practical ways to take this actions?

1. Make a list! Whether it is on your phone, computer or the back of an opened envelope – write down what you want to do and some specific actions you will take each day this week.  Refer to the list often to confirm what you committed to do/focus on for the day.
2. Every morning re-write your list of actions – you will quickly see which ones you are procrastinating on. I still put pen to paper for my list. the redundancy of writing certain items 3 days in a row, makes me take action so I don’t have to write them again tomorrow!
3. Be proactive. I’ve found that my first two hours of the day are most productive as I am not interrupted yet by everything and everyone. If I focus on the tough stuff, it is done and the rest of the day fills quickly.
4. Find a stakeholder or ‘frog buddy’ - someone you can report in to each day once you have eaten the BIG frog of the day. It will add some fun and accountability.

If you think you aren’t a procrastinator, I dare you to think about ANYTHING that you know should have been done in the last 48 hours that still isn’t done (taking out the trash, making a call, sending a note to someone, completing an item, etc.) I bet there is something you have not taken action on.

Picture your frog – is it cute like the image on this post? Or is it a swamp frog, with warts and such? It doesn’t matter, identify the frog you need to ‘down’ and get it over with already!

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Filed Under: Sales Productivity, Sales Tips, Success Tips
Tags: focus, goal setting, maximize sales productivity, priorities, Sales, Sales Tips

Do you know the  story of David and Goliath?  David was the underdog – the small teen who agreed to take on the mighty ‘giant’, Goliath, for the greater good of his people.  The story ends with David using his brains to beat the giant. 

David’s will – or desire, commitment and focus – helped him win over the mighty skill – size, intimidation factor, reputation and strength – of Goliath. 

Why a David and Goliath story in a sales blog?  Well, many of my sales ‘ahas’ come from life outside of work. This latest tip comes from observing interesting human dynamics during the state basketball championship for the Lutheran church basketball league in Wisconsin.

All season, the Goliaths of SE Wisconsin intimidated all other teams with their size, forcefulness and ‘plays’ – all called by their coach from the sidelines. They showed great skill all season long.

During the first games of the state tournament they continued their domination – and never let up  on their opponents – even when they were up by 40+ points with seconds to go.

The crowds did not appreciate the total annihilation…they wanted Goliath beaten!  In the semi-finals games, the crowd vocally started slaying Goliath and worked on breaking their will.  How? They cheered wildly for the underdogs.  This confused the Goliaths at the time.  And yet they won by more than 40.

The following day was the championship game. The giants were facing the ‘Davids’ – a team with a good, but not great record – full of a mis-match of players in size, skill and backgrounds.  The ’Davids’ put on a brave face, vowed to ‘fight’ for the win and were supported by a crowd who WILLed them to win.  They fought hard, they used their skill to the best of their ability and with 6 minutes left in the game were still down by 19.  Victory did not seem possible.  And then….

The crowd cheered and encouraged and believed they COULD…and the WILL to win returned.

We watched in awe as the players drove hard, made unbelievable plays and showed they would not be beat. The Goliaths were confused by this burst of skill and will at the end of the game and eventually slunk away speechless as they were BEATEN by the smaller ‘David” team with seconds to go.

The field house exploded with energy and jubilation. The giant had been defeated.

Doesn’t it feel like that some days in sales? That the  ‘giants’ of the world are too much for us to win against? That all our skills are not leading to the success we thought should be ours?

Well, those are the days we need to find our will. We need to pull energy from all our sources to continue to make those calls, match our solutions to needs and ask for the decision!  In the long run, skill and will WIN in all aspects of life!

p.s. My 18 year old son was one of the “Davids’ in the basketball story. I can’t tell you how proud we are of this Hales Corners Lutheran team. They have shown us all that is okay to have FUN and still be winners. They have played basketball together for many years – and pulled it together, stayed focused and beat the big, bad Giants in their final-ever game as a team.  And proud for our Jackson, who put all the will he had into a game that has not always been his strong suit, to be named Tournament MVP   He’s #14 in the photo (my husband, Jon, is the coach in the white shirt).

Makes me more focused and thinking about my own will in certain situations recently. With more will, there are some giants I need to slay this week too.  

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Tags: focus, Sales, Sales Tips, skills

It’s the first full week of the year for many people.  And judging by the number of downloads of the Sales Pro Insider Timely Tips to Achieve Your Goals eBook last week, many of you are starting 2011 with goal setting!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Clarifying your goals is one action to achieve what YOU want or need this year.  I often write about goals – and goal setting is a component of every training seminar I facilitate – that is how important it is.  And if the common or more transparent reasons for goal setting are not enough for you, there is newer research on the health benefits!

The most common benefits of having written, specific goals are:

• Focus
• Saving time and energy
• Allowing you to achieve more

And the health benefits?  Dr. Boyle’s research found that people with a purpose and plan are 30% less likely to develop Alzheimers’! 

“It can be anything — from wanting to accomplish a goal in life, to achieving something in a volunteer organization, to as little as reading a series of books,” said Dr. Patricia Boyle.

“What this is saying is, if you find purpose in life, if you find your life is meaningful and if you have goal-directed behavior, you are likely to live longer,” she said.

I’ve long noticed a difference in people with purpose and for the analytics out there, now there is proof of the benefits!

Ready to make some time to define goals and outcomes for yourself? Click here to get your very own copy of  the Timely Tips to Achieve Your Goals eBook - in 45 minutes YOU can begin to plan your year and a healthier life!

——————–

p.s. I was in line at a checkout this morning, and the woman in front of me overpaid $1 in cash, when the clerk returned the dollar, the woman said, “Well, I guess I don’t get out enough anymore…I’m nearly 95 years old, you know.”  Here was a woman, on her own, making purchases, seemingly happy and in a great mood – wonder what her purpose of life has been!

Source: Patricia Boyle, Ph.D., neuropsychologist, Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and assistant professor, behavioral sciences, Rush University Medical Center

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Tags: focus, goal setting, productivity, Sales Tips

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but “NO” can never hurt me!”  What a powerful quote from the Go For No book by Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz.

Andrea gave me the Go For No book last week at the Sales Shebang in Chicago.  It is a ‘short’ book that I read early Saturday morning as I sat on the patio enjoying the fantastic end-of-summer weather in Wisconsin.

Go For No is a story about Eric James Bratton (fictional) who discovers that his success increases exponentially with the number of Nos that he seeks each day.  Eric  finds that if “Yes is the destination, No is how you get there.”  The philosophy is that persistence pays off.  And most of us give up WAY too early – like after we hear No once, twice, or even three times!

Fenton and Waltz’ message is that we need to embrace failure (if we consider hearing “No” a failure).  They outline the Five Failure Levels and the number of people that stop there – meaning if we keep going we differentiate ourselves and will find more success at the end! 

What are these Failure Levels?

1. Level 1  The Ability to Fail -  100% of people have this ability. 80% of people stay here because they avoid any form of failure.
2. Level 2 Willingness to Fail – These people come to accept failure as a natural product of the process of seeking success. Only 20% of people make it to this Level
3. Level 3 Wantingness to Fail- Developing the desire to fail with the inner faith that growth follows. Fewer than 5% of people get to this level.
4. level 4 Failing Bigger and Faster – These people conclude that if failing is good, than failing faster is better!  And they go after big goals to make it worth their effort!
5. Level 5 Failing Exponentially – Bringing others along because if individual failure means individual success; group failure equals group success!

Sounds crazy to ‘want’ to fail – but reading the book reminded me of a story I heard many years ago from a trainer.

Bob was a couple of years out of college working for a manufacturing company in Detroit. He had impressed management enough to be given the lead in a million dollar project.  He was so excited and spent 10 months executing the project…which failed quickly.

Bob was summoned to the President’s office. With his head low, Bob entered the office with his ‘data’.  The President had many questions for Bob on How, Why and What. Then he asked ‘What would you do different?” Bob had some thoughts on that.

The President thoughtfully listened to Bob and then excused him. Bob was confused and said, “So, do you want to me clean out my desk today?” The President said “Why would I want you to clean out your desk?”

Bob replied, “Aren’t I fired for wasting the time and money on this project?”

The President chuckled and said “Fire you? Are you kidding? Son, I’ve just invested a million dollars in your education! I need to see a return on that investment.”

Wouldn’t it be great to work for THAT President?  Well, even if we don’t when take on the Go For No philosophy we have permission to TRY – and if it doesn’t work, that is more than OKAY – we are now closer to success.

I ‘grew up’ in the banking industry. Going for No was NOT okay with the President I worked for. We were careful…very careful….too careful! And unbelievable ideas and successes were missed. I learned a lot – and grew a lot but was also stifled.

After years I made a change…to the opposite end of the spectrum!  President Peter Reynolds at BRIO Toys (he now owns the Little Little Little Toy company) changed my possibilities. Peter was open to new ideas…and letting people try ALL kinds of things. That is where I learned how much I love sales – and the people who sell!  Without the permission to try things and possibly fail…I surely wouldn’t be in the career of selling and helping others sell better! 

I highly recommend you get a Go For No book – and the resources that come with it for yourself- and your team if you have one.  Don’t just read it once – read it again – digest the message. Determine how you can approach what you do with the Go For No attitude.

This week I am challenging myself to hear ‘no’ more often. Its a great week to put this into practice – with a focus on business development at work and transitioning  3 teens back into school – the Go For No mindset might just allow me to feel like a winner by the end of the week!

p.s. This is not a sponsored recommendation – I receive no monetary gain from recommending this book – its just THAT powerful.

p.s.s. I just returned from a local parade. I told the folks around me I was Going for No for all the freebies being tossed out. they couldn’t believe what I received! A Frisbee, water bottle, tons of candy, certificates from local stores, temporary tattoes, a bead necklace (not like at Mardi Gras and refreshing squirts of water.  Yes it was a  little silly ‘test’ with great reesults.  My ‘loot’ was more than double anyone around me (And I paid it forward and gave kids most of the goodies I collected too. I wanted to keep the water bottle…) 

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Filed Under: Sales Tips, Success Tips
Tags: focus, learning, maximize sales productivity, prospecting, Sales

The rain has finally stopped in Wisconsin and I am looking forward to planting my vegetable garden this weekend.  For the past 20+ years we spend a day ‘getting dirty’ in the garden.  The process is messy – and the yield later in July, August and September is well worth it.

It’s the same with our sales success.  The seeds we sow today may not bear fruit for a while, yet that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be constantly planting them. 

Too often I coach managers and sales pros who don’t have enough in their pipeline.  Once the pipeline looked ‘full’ they stopped sowing.  Big mistake!  We need to identify our ‘reap ratio’ and timing and then sow continuously to keep an even number of ripe prospects at each step of the sales cycle.

What do I mean? Well, in my garden for example, I only plant certain veggies once a season. While other veggies – like onions and lettuce – and some herbs need to be planted every 4-6 weeks for a continuous fresh crop throughout the season.

It’s the same in your pipeline!  Some prospects may bear fruit sooner than others.  The continuous monitoring of where the prospects are in your sales cycle will allow you to have a continuous crop of sales throughout the year.

Fortunately rainy days and weather don’t affect the sowing process at work as much as it does in my backyard.  It might be a dirty process of digging in to find the right leads, secure referrals and make those phone calls, but the yield (and $$) will be there if you sow the right seeds now.

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Tags: focus, maximize sales productivity, priorities, Sales, Sales Tips

There’s a TV show on HGTV called What Not to Wear.  Stacy and Clinton host and work with someone nominated from friends/family for a makeover. 

It’s fascinating to watch the transformation over the four day process.  And there IS a process to the transformation:

1. Video footage taken by friends/family is shown to the person for them to become aware of what others see. 
2. A 360 degree mirror is used with the hosts assessing what works for them and what doesn’t. The mirror allows the guest to really see themselves from all angles. 
3. What’s helpful about watching the show is they not only show the ‘guest’ what NOT to do, they lay out simple ‘rules’ for them to apply with their clothing choices.
4. Finally the guest can choose to adopt the new rules and look as they shop and then head home for a welcome party where they show their new look to their friends and family.

As a business/sales coach I watch transformations happen much more slowly.  Though the process is the same to building or breaking a habit. 

• Awareness
• Assessment
• Application
• Adoption

These four steps are necessary to get to the end result – adopting a new habit or skill!  You might not have a skilled coach bringing you along the way – and the process can be uncomfortable – the key is to get through it and stick with it. 

So, what can you do with the 4 A’s? 

1. Awareness – observe successful salespeople. What are the actions and attitudes they have?  Make a list.
2. Assessment – open yourself to honest feedback from others. Manager, peers who see you in action, customers.  Ask them for feedback on what you do and what you should not continue to do.  (If you would like a short, free assessment to look assess – email me at nancy@salesproinsider.com – I’ll be happy to send you a 80 question assessment you can use as a baseline.)
3. Application- decide on WHAT you need to do – and do it!  Act on the feedback.
4. Adoption- this happens with time, repetition and reinforcement. Ongoing application of the right actions will lead you to consistently adopt them.

To truly adopt or break a habit takes between 21 and 35 days (depending on the study) – plan for 4-6 weeks of concentrated efforts.  The payoff?  In sales, 4-6 weeks of the right actions will bring more sales!

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Tags: focus, maximize sales productivity, productivity, sales success, Sales Tips, skills

Work and life events recently have reminded me of a scientific concept – Cause and Effect.  Our sales and leadership ”Effect”iveness is very much tied into our ’causes’ whether we like it or not.

What you put into your career, your activities and your life DO determine what you will get out of it.  Examples:

 The list goes on and on – we might not have control over every aspect of the effect – but how much more likely are you to realize the Effect when you take action on your ‘Cause’?

For this week, consider what your ’cause’ is…what effect do you want to have on:  sales, performance, your customers, your colleagues, your family?  Then with that goal/objective in mind – determine the input needed to realize the output at the end of the week.  You will be effective if  you back your cause with action and effort each day!

Join in – with the time of year, month (it is month end for many of us), etc. What are some of the Input you need to make to reach the Output you want?

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