I’ve been in Florida for 5 days. It’s a chance to rejuvenate and write. the ‘plan’ was morning walks on the beach, writing, maybe a swim in the pool in the afternoon, and more writing. A good plan, right?

Well, the weather changed that plan – it rained for 4 days – serious rain, high winds and gloom. 

Today is my day of departure, and of course, the skies are clear and the sun is shining. I made time for a walk on the ocean’s edge before the airport!

As I was walking, I looked for shells. Each trip I find one or two special sea shells to take back to Wisconsin. We put them in the rocks around our pool to connect the two spaces we loves.

The beach was full of people hunting for shells this morning after the storms. There were thousands of shells – or rather parts of shells.  As I walked the shoreline like everyone else, I didn’t see any special shells, they were probably picked up already. So I waded into the ocean a bit to see what else I could find. Some, but still mostly broken. Then I waded out knee deep – figuring its a better workout anyway – and THERE were beautiful shells aplenty!  I filled my pockets within ten minutes.

Isn’t this how it is with sales? We need to look for prospects and opportunity. Yet often its easy to stay where it is safe on the shore and wait for the perfect opportunity to find that perfect prospect to surface.

We then find that many of the prospects may not be qualified – like the broken shells. So we need to exert more effort, wade in further and get ourselves really wet to find the perfect prospects – maybe they are even untouched by our competitors!

By taking the extra steps, we differentiate ourselves from most other sellers. They stay at the shoreline and fight for the easy picks.

By wading in, we can find a more bountiful opportunity.

As you think about this – are you playing it too safe by the shoreline? What waters should you wade deeper in to find your opportunities?

I challenge you this next week to take that step by:

• Identifying what is happening in your market that has washed ashore some opportunities?
• Where are your competitors focusing their efforts because of this?
• What is the next level for finding more opportunities? Is it calling someone you never have?Asking for referrals from your happy customers? Finding a plan for opening new relationships? Mining your CRM for stalled sales or former customers?

Identify at least ONE action  you can take – and then wade in to grab it!

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Filed Under: Collaborative Selling, Marketing Tips, Sales Productivity, Sales Tips, Success Tips
Tags: Collaborative Selling, learning, maximize sales productivity, prospecting, Sales, Sales Tips

In many parts of the world – summer has arrived or is coming soon. (In Wisconsin, we are desparetly waiting still….)

Summer time often means a little more time to sit and enjoy life or maybe work in a little R&R on vacation! And that’s a great time to read…to let your mind fill with new possibilities or solve agonizing questions such as:

• Why did I ___________ ?
• How can I ___________ ?
• What on earth caused _________ ?

Well, I have put together a list of great sales books. I personally know many of these authors – and their insights, experiences and unique styles all provide something valuable to help YOU be more successful.

There are so many books we have made this a two-part post!  Look for Part 2 on May 30th.

And, to make it easy for you to reference the entire list, we’ll have a full listing of all 25+ books available for download on the 30th for you as well.

Enjoy!

42 Rules to Increase Sales Effectiveness, by Michael Griego. If you are a professional salesperson, sales manager or director, vice president of sales or marketing, CEO, or anyone supporting selling efforts, this book is for you. If you are a senior executive, consultant, venture capitalist, board member, entrepreneur or aspiring up-and-comer, you should know the updated tools, language and tactics of selling in today’s market.

Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by using What You Already Know About the Game of Baseball, by Dave Kurlan. Summer and Baseball!  Baseline Selling makes for a great summer read because unlike most sales books, it’s enjoyable to read, it’s easy to apply and the Baseline Selling sales process is both intuitive and easy to remember.

Business Expert Guide to Business Success, 21 Business Experts Guide You to Profit by Lee B. Salz and Jeb Blount. Build your business right the first time with practical, proven strategies that grow profitable business for the long haul. Be in control of that business rather than it controlling you! 

Bypassing NO in Business, New Body language and Influence Strategies to Eliminate or Reduce Resistance to Anything by Harlan Goerger. 31 quick ideas to get you to the beach more often with more green! Get more YES without pushing, lying or negative manipulation of your customers.

Go for No! Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There by Richard Fenton & Andrea Waltz. A short, fun easy read about a guy who learns an entirely new way to view success and failure and the “NO’s” he encounters in his sales career. Written in fable style, you’ll get plenty of entertainment and sales lessons along with your tan!

Mastering the World of Selling – The Ultimate Resource From The Biggest Names in Sales, by Eric Taylor. No other resource gives you such depth AND breadth on so many sales-related topics, from so many experts – literally everything you need to know to become a Master of Selling and take your sales to a level you could only ever dream of before now.

Secrets of Successful Selling by Kelley Robertson. A good summer read, because each two-to-four page chapter offers a different piece of sales advice, technique or strategy. Categorized alphabetically, it is a great reference book and its short chapters make it easy to pick up and review in-between sales calls. You can read one or two chapters, go for swim, read another few chapters, enjoy a BBQ, etc.

 SNAP Selling by Jill Konrath. If you’re frustrated dealing with today’s crazy busy prospects who never answer the phone, stay with a status quo they don’t like and take forever to make decisions, then check out this book. Tons of ideas and fresh strategies for dealing with frazzled prospects. #1 sales book on Amazon.

The Art of Social Selling – Free e-book from The Customer Collective, with contributions from Anneke Seley. Summer. It’s a time of relaxed deadlines, vacations, and the perfect time to let your mind explore new concepts and grapple with ideas your busy workaday mind doesn’t have time to explore.  This summer, consider the changing behavior of today’s customer that is prompting the contemporary sales organization to rethink how they sell. In this e-book, top corporate leadership and thought leaders who sell in a variety of industry sectors will share success stories and strategies for using social networks to generate leads and cultivate relationships.

The Selling Gap, Selling Strategies for the 21st Centuryby Harlan Goerger. Gain more beach time in less time with new ideas on how people buy in today’s market. It’s not about product, it’s about decisions and facilitating those decisions.

Negotiation Rules by Jeanette Nyden.  Big deal negotiators know the rules to winning great deals without sacrificing their bottom-line. This book is packed with dozens of relevant and practical skills that will help you successfully negotiate your next big deal.

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Filed Under: Marketing Tips, Sales Productivity, Sales Tips, Success Tips
Tags: learning, Negotiation, networking, prospecting, sales expert, Sales Objections, sales process, 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

Today is my birthday…actually I’m not even supposed to be working – a long held practice from never having to be in school on my birthday since it was always during summer break!

But here I am posting this offer…cuz I’m so excited! What am I offering?  A FREE sales course to 2 deserving sales professionals!  This FREE $1295 8-week sales course will help you build your sales quickly – and I am giving 2 seats away this week!

Details, details….

• The sales training course is in the Milwaukee, WI area beginning September 22, 2010 at 8:30 a.m.
• The workshop is 1.5 days and then the course continues once a week for 8 weeks of reinforcing teleconferences!
• The sales approach is collaborative sales and will include success habit building activities and tools.
• All your materials – and success tools are included!
• You pick up your personal travel expenses.
• Contact me for a full course description.

What do you have to do?  Email me your name, company name and why you are ready to building your sales skills and results.  I’ll draw the winning names Monday morning!

Giving on my birthday makes me so happy!  I hope you’ll take me up on the gift!

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Filed Under: Collaborative Selling, Sales Productivity, Sales Tips, Success Tips
Tags: Collaborative Selling, learning, Sales, sales seminar, sales tools, Sales training

For most people it is hard to see a full picture of what the personally do well and the areas we don’t.  We plug along doing the same thing day in and day out.  We are ‘blind’ to what really helps us … and what is hurting our results.

How to change that?  Well, if you are reading this post, you are already looking for sales tips and ideas to be more effective – give yourself a pat on the back!  To take it further, ask those who see you at work for feedback.  Prepare 2-3 questions on specific areas and broader feedback to help them give you meaningful information. 

Questions such as:

• When we worked together on the ABC prospect, from your viewpoint, what did I do to help move that sale along?  What did I do that maybe challenged it?
• From your observations of working with me, what are the activities that you see hold me back from being more successful?
• What do you think I do well?

Ask for balanced information and be prepared with follow-up questions to get to the ‘real’ feedback (just like in a sales call where you have to ask for more than the first response).

If you have a sales manager, they are a good source. But don’t stop there, your colleagues and customers – even administrative support – might be able to help you shine the light on those blind spots and turn them into ‘gold’.  Once you know what works and doesn’t – you can address them!

What other questions can you ask to find the blind spots?

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Tags: learning, maximize sales productivity, Sales Tips

Another blogger, Becky Robinson of the LeaderTalk blog, recently asked her readers the question, “What do I know best?”

What an interesting question to ponder – “What do I know best?”  And it wasn’t as easy as it first appeared. She suggesed that we think about things that are easy for us, that we don’t need to prep for and that we can just help others with.

To come up with my list, I thought about this past week. What conversations have I had with others that were ‘teachable moments’ and I was able to pass along knowledge or insight that really helped someone else? My answers are simple (and it makes me wonder if I over complicate things in my training if it was this simple.)

So here goes:

1. No one has to appoint you a leader. You get to decide and can act as a leader day in and day out without a formal title.
2. Being a mom and a high level business professional is tough. And you will have to make tough choices sometimes – the mom part should always win – the time we are blessed with the kids passes quickly.
3. To be successful in business (whether you are in a direct sales role or not) means having to constantly focus on the WiifT – What’s in it for THEM. The more you communicate, act and live with the WiifT mindset, the more successful you will be.
4. The key to WiifT is undertanding others communication needs and then adapting your communication to it. Though each human being is very individual, there are tools and assessments that can help us with the understanding and ‘how to’ of doing this well.
5. I also know that everyone needs a ‘coach’ in life and business. It can be a spouse, friend, colleague or anyone. And that each of us can coach others by paying attention, giving them time and attention and sharing ‘what we know best’ when appropriate.

Now I ask you – What do you know best? It doesn’t need to have been learned in a book, in fact your life or work knowledge learned the ‘hard way’ might be what is most valuable.  You don’t have to be Einstein to know a lot of things best.  Please share with the rest of us – it will help us all know our ‘go to’ person on many dfferent things!

Looking forward to reading about more ‘knows bests’ from readers.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized
Tags: learning, sales tips

In 2009 All Business initiated a new sales contest – Sales All Stars.  The goal is to promote the career of sales and to recognize those that excel in this very tough business!  I hope you have taken time to look into recommending someone you know for this award.

Yet, can’t we all become a Grand Champion in what we do?  What does it take?  The following Success Factors:

• Skill to perform to your best
• A strong work ethic to use your time and resources wisely
• A goal that is clear, written and attainable
• Competitive spirit to dig in and give it all you’ve got
• Emotional intelligence to weather the ups and downs

The following are also immportantk though not indivudal factors

• Having the right ‘goods’ that fit the situation
• Collaborative teammates who are supportive, skillful and in the right roles

I saw all of these in place last weekend – not in a sales situation – in a sporting event.  We spent 16 hours on a bus and 24 hours in a convntion center for the Jamfest Super Dance Nationals.  My daughter’s team came in as the unknown team from Wisconsin and were determined to make their mark.  The competition is over two days with scores only posted after Day One.

In their two genres – jazz and pom – they did well after Day 1.  Fourth place for Jazz and First place by a tiny margin in Pom.  We thought it was a good first day. Then were told that Day 2 is worth 2/3 of the total score at the end.  The coach, Kate Fabbri did a great job in coaching the girls and explaining what they need to do to advance to the win in poms and place in jazz.  She expressed her belief in them, review the judges’ comments and then got them practicing – they even raised their level of difficulty the week before.

On Sunday, the dancers (24 of them) spent time together getting ready to ‘bring it on’.  After the jazz, we knew they did well.  And for poms they performed better than they had all year (which is saying a lot since they haven’t yet lost this season).  It was energetic, spot on and the dancers looked like they were having fun.  The short story?  They placed with a 3rd medal in jazz and WON pom.  More importantly, they scored so well they were also named junior champions.

It doesn’t end there. The top scorers are also in contention for the GRAND champion award – which involves judges selecting the team they feel had entertainment value, etc.  The girls were named the Grand Champions!

Isn’t it the same in sales? We need all the Success Factors listed above to be the Grand Champion and win the big deals. And still having the right ‘scores’ isn’t always enough. We need to bring that ‘something extra’ to our sales calls that makes us memorable, trusting, and respected so that the prospect WANTS us to win with them. 

I hope you will make time this week to strengthen one of the Success Factors so you can be a Grand Champion in your sales this year.

Think about the most successful sales pros you know – do you see these Success Factors in them? What else would you add to the list?

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Tags: goal setting, learning, Sales, Sales Tips

Today’s post is all about giving a lift – to your confidence and spirit!  It’s the time of year where people are busier than ever – year-end work stresses, holiday prep and for many of us, dealing with  unfavorable weather – all can make for a ‘bah-humbug’ day.   

Yesterday, a group of professionals each joined our workshop with a bah-humbug after another.  I thought “Oh  boy, this could be a long HOUR!”  But, once we got engaged in discussion, started focusing on actions we have control of and listened to each other, there was a much lighter spirit as they left the workshop.    

Six ways to lift your confidence and spirit today in 5 minutes or less:

1.  
   1. Think about one person who has helped you this year.  One person who somehow made something easier or better for you.  Call them or write them a note of appreciation!
   2. Look at your goals for 2009 (you do have them in wriring somewhere, don’t you?) – instead of focusing on the goals that are not wher eyou want them to be – for a minute – concentrate on a goal you achieved or made significant progress with.  Take a FULL minute to think about this accomplishment.
   3. Watch these videos:  Smile and Move and ifyou need hlep with a smile, these 4 ladies will help, if you aren’t smmiling after this 1 minute video, I’m not sure what can help!
   4. Read the following quotation “All the great blessings of my life are in my thoughts today.” Phoebe Cary  – What if your blessings were in your thoughts?  Wouldn’t that give you a lift?
   5. The following websites are full of positive news – find one story to read: 
      • Happy News - Real  News. Compelling Stories. Always  Positive.
      • Daily Good - this even has a Business section!
      • Upbeat  - Positive, Optimistic, Inspiring News for All Ages – Read about Gracie, you’ll feel better.
      • Optimist News - What a great name!
   6. And maybe my favorite, Eat a piece of chocolate.  It really does have mood-lifting benefits!  And if you want an extra boost – share a piece of chocolate with someone else – watch how it lifts them too!

That’s it!  Actions for you, actions that will also lift others and in only 5 minutes your lift will give you more energy, confidence and spirit to tackle the rest of the day.

And if you want to lift my spirits – I’d appreciate your VOTE!  An article I wrote, The Sign of a True Sales Pro, was honored as the Sales Article of the Month in May 2009.  Now it is contending for the Top Sales Article of the Year.  the competition is stiff and I’d like a great showing!  It will take less than a minute for you to vote here.   Thank you so much!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized
Tags: learning, priorities, productivity, Sales Tips

Have you ever considered what it takes to get the result you really want?  Sometimes its just a matter of degree!  

There are all different degrees of professionals – hot ones, cold ones, lukewarm ones.  What makes hot, hot?  It can be the seemingly little things like:

1. Follow-up
2. Process – having one and sticking with it
3. Caring to communicate the way the OTHER person needs to communicate
4. Using resources wisely and effectively
5. Having a mentor or coach
6. DOING, instead of talking and thinking about something
7. Setting goals – and a plan to achieve them
8. Making the time for rejuvenation – keep the batteries charged!

The difference in degrees was powerful this morningl  I live in Wisconsin and for days we have been warned of a huge winter storm.  The kids were all set for a snow day today (Mom was too – but guess what?  We were on the edge of the front that kept us at 34 degrees – meaning we had more rain than snow! 

That means school is in session here, but just a mile west it is not because they have over 10″ of snow!   I tried to explain to the very disappointed high schooler that sometimes the difference in getting what you want and reality is…just a matter of a degree or two!

What do you think? What are some of the little differences in degree that makes a GREAT professional great instead of good?

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Tags: learning, Sales Tips

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