Studying top performers and successful people provides fascinating insight into what makes them tick.

One common characteristic of the most successful is Initiative. I define Initiative as the proactive and personal energy we use/exhibit each day.  

I guess I’m not alone. This morning, I first found this great quote:

“Their comes a moment when you have to stop revving up the car and shove it into gear.”

by David Mahoney

And then saw this post about how many of the CEOs and Leaders share a common habit of starting their day early – often a sign of Initiative.

What is your routine? Have you build the personal habit or routine of making the most of your minutes? Whether you stretch your day to a full 18 hours or not, each minute , when tackled with initiative is productive.

p.s. I’m not suggesting you need to be a workaholic, initiative in your personal activities gets you more fun too!

Print Friendly

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?

Print Friendly

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!

Print Friendly

In 2008, I traveled to Brazil for work with a large client. I added on a day trip to Rio since I was ‘there’. And during my day with a travel guide, was introduced to the term ‘tribe‘ to describe a group of ‘like’ people.

Marcio Goedes (an excellent guide if you ever travel to Rio) spoke fluent Portuguese and fluent English, so I knew I didn’t misinterpret him. But I asked him to explain more about ‘tribe’ used in this way. Marcio explained that different tribes hang out on the beach together- the family tribe, young single tribe, been-here-forever tribe, athletic tribe, etc. – have their ‘spots’ on the beach and you join the tribe that fits with your lifestyle and taste!

Since then I have used the term Tribal Types to describe the customs and characteristics of groups of people. And this use of the word Tribe has not always been received well!

So, imagine my vindication today when I received an invitation to a new social networking site for bloggers (well, they claim to be so much more) called Triberr!

I laughed out loud because I was WAY ahead on the use of the term in the U.S., I guess.

Triberr invites you to create your own tribe, invite others to be a tribal member and so on. The use of the word, Tribe, has caught on!

Now, maybe I can connect more easily with others when I use tribe in my language! You see, in working with people, we need to speak the same language to be understood, to build trust and to win sales.

In my work with dozens of companies each year, I hear the different ‘languages’ of each company. There are many terms and acronyms unique to the company’s work, culture and solutions. And yet, as sales professionals, if this language makes NO sense to others, we lose the ability to build trust and win sales.

Now, though I stuck with the Tribal Type term for the last three years, I did stop using it with some customers that could not accept the modern meaning.

It’s the same for you, if your terms/acronyms are unique to your company, prepare to explain them or substitute them for the language that makes sense to your prospects and customers. After all, it’s their understanding and comfort that matter.

For me though, just for today I am feeling great about the term Tribe and that it is ‘catching on’!

Print Friendly

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!

Print Friendly

I was shipping four boxes of training materials to Canada. It was a project I had worked on full-time for weeks and was so excited to box them up and ship them out.

I’ve shipped boxes consistently – and globally – for the last 12 years, so I was expecting the regular drill – we even had the forms completed in advance.

The normal shipping drill?

• Who are you shipping to?
• When do they need to arrive?
• Is there anything hazardous, liquid or perishable?
• blah, blah, blah

I was thinking, ‘Let’s hurry this up, we have a a celebration lunch to get to!’

But this time was different, we encountered Ann as we entered the FedEx Office Store. It was immediately apparent Ann took her job seriously as she directed us to a cart to use.

Later as we discussed the ‘regular’ questions and she asked for the value of the contents, she looked concerned. And she started asking  more ‘risky’ questions. I explained that we’ve done this before and let’s just keep it moving. Ann examined the boxes and asked more questions,  two of which got me thinking…

What happens if, when you get to Canada, your contents have been damaged?

Do you realize that these boxes move down conveyor belts at more than 40 miles per hour and that without extra paper packaging and padding, the corners of the box can dent? then she pointed out the boxes we had packed the materials were in – which the empty original binders arrived in – were  a bit crinkled in the corners already.

Well, this caused me to pause.

Ann then continued, “I could pack these in a larger box with good padding and you won’t have to worry about any damage.’

I asked ‘How much?’ She calculated it was a total of $40 – to protect materials worth over $12,000!  This was a small price for ‘insurance’.  I agreed it should be done, and Ann got to work – smiling and enjoying every minute of packaging those boxes. Ended up only $35 extra!

The lesson?  As we seek to understand the ‘sitautino’ of our buyers – we need to ask risk questions!  I had no idea of the risks until Ann asked those questions. I never considered I needed to do something different with a job I’ve done so often. her questions opened my mind to new information…and I bought!

Ann increased her sale by 5% that day. Not bad for asking a couple of extra questions. How would you like to expand your sales by 5% or more each time?

It’s possible if we ask our prospects questions about the risk of doing nothing different. These risk questions might sound like:

• What types of liability are you expected to to if your situation remains  unchanged?
• Tell me what will happen in your facility if you don’t make the change/
• What might be the potential downside for not making a decision in the near future? or What is the potential downside if the decision is delayed?
• What could happen if this issue isn’t addressed in the next 6 months?
• Based on your experience, what type of liability is present when ____________ happens?

Caution! I am not an advocate of manipulating people or scaring them to make a sale. In collaborative selling that is not necessary. We can explore the risks together if we ask the right questions.

Now, I’m not a pushover in any way. I’m always on the lookout for ‘getting sold’ to and scams, and I know that Ann was sincere in her desire to help me…and scare me potential harm. So it worked well.

With some thought on the risks your prospects may encounter…IF they move forward in a decision with your solution OR if they do nothing, you can ask great risk questions that  elevate the sense of urgency and advance your sale more quickly.

Those benefits sound like they are worth the risk of asking risky questions, don’t they?

Print Friendly

Sweaty palms.

Rapid breathing.

Nervous chatter.

Uncertainty.

No, I’m not writing a romance novel. I’m recalling what it feels like to do something ‘new’.

Last week, our youngest child, Jenna, got her learning permit for driving a vehicle.  As I sat in the passenger seat with her at the wheel the first few times, I observed the behaviors listed above. As Jenna kept apologizing for her mistakes and I observed her focusing SO hard on what she was doing, it brought back memories of a younger me.

When I started in sales, EVERY sales call was like that. I was nervous, jittery, unpolished and I made mistakes!  I didn’t want to do those things, but I did. I wanted to be like the successful professionals I observed right away. It was frustrating to not do something well right away.

Looking back now, I realize that this was a stage I needed to go through. To become proficient -and then excel, I had to build my success habits.  I had to work through the stages to build these habits.

Awareness - I needed to know what to do – what worked and what didn’t.

Assessment - the opportunity and openness to critique and feedback on how well I was doing each part of sales.

Application - action! I couldn’t get better at selling if I wasn’t selling. Sitting in my office and not picking up the phone or making calls was holding me back.

Adoption - Learning what worked or didn’t and making the right actions part of my subconscious activities. making them a part of who i was – or better yet adapting the best practices in a way that let me be a ‘better’ me.

In our state of Wisconsin, Jenna has six months to perfect her driving skills and earn the right to drive without me (or her Dad) observing and correcting and monitoring.

In sales, my observation is that the BEST and top performers are on a continuous loop of improvement. they continually move through the four actions of awareness, assessment, application and adoption.

In our training workshops, the top performers do not generally sit back with their arms crossed and ignore the tools, ideas and opportunity to learn from others. They are actively engaged and look for ANYTHING that they can do better. This is how they perform best each year, why the economic conditions don’t impact them as much and is who they are in and outside of work.

What about you? Remember being new and striving to get better?  How it felt when you became proficient and successful?

If you haven’t felt nervous, had sweaty palms or been uncertain about your actions lately, maybe you are in a rut and need to bring the ‘newness’ back to your career again. Try something new, contact someone you know you should or dreamed you should, and stretch your possibilities and opportunities.

Print Friendly

A few weeks ago, I hosted a webinar through the Verizon Wireless Women in Sales efforts at SalesGravy.com.  Alice Kemper, my Sharpenz partner, and I were sharing our tips on how to sell to and with different Types of people.

Verizon Wireless, as the sponsor, was represented by Debra Palme, a Business account Manager in Minnesota. Debra shared a tip to the hundreds of participants that day – and I’ve asked her to share it with you!

Debra’s tip on a strategy for those ‘stuck’ prospects or the ‘no call back’ customers  is powerful!  

I have been working in outside sales for almost 10 years and I have been a sales manager for over 5 years.  One of the top challenges my sales professionals encounter is a customer who will not return follow up calls or emails after an appointment.  The sales representative will wonder if they are not following up with the customer enough or maybe they are “stalking” their customer too much.

I encourage my sales reps to be more aggressive and ask the tough question, “Are you still interested in Verizon Wireless?   It is ok to tell me no.”

This question comes in various forms, but the intention is the same.  The sales person wants to know if they have a chance of winning the opportunity.  Each one of my sales representatives has encountered a non-respondent customer and every time they use this form of questioning with the non-respondent customer, they have received a response back within days and sometimes hours.

Many times the customer will say, “Yes we are still interested,” but when a customer says they are no longer interested it allows the sales person to move on and spend more time working on other opportunities.

As a manager, coaching your team members to ask the “tough” question is a good way to monitor and measure those sales people who put all their eggs in one basket; this teaches them to fill up their funnel.

Think of how much time and effort you can say when you KNOW where you stand with a prospect.  Funneling your energy and time into probable prospects is a good time management – and successful strategy.

I thought you might want to know more about Debra. Read about her success in leading her team, wouldn’t you like someone like Debra to be YOUR manager?

I started as a Business Account Executive at Verizon Wireless and after three years I was promoted to a Major Account Manager.  I was a MAM for a year and I have been a Business Account Manager for over 5 years.

I inherited a team that was not achieving quota, but by the end of my second year of management the team was averaging over 120% of quota.  My team has been very successful and over the last 5 years 7 people that have been promoted.

The two objectives I focus on with my team are prospecting and attending their customer appointments.   After prospecting or attending appointments I offer constructive feedback to help them improve sales aptitude.  How we sell has evolved throughout the last 10 years and it will continue to change.  It is important to focus on the basics, but it is imperative to be informed on new ways of selling and evolve with market demands in order to become a successful sales professional.

Thank you Debra!!!

And this was a great reminder of a fantastic book, Go for No, by Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz, see this post for more information. Yes is great – but being open to NO makes the difference!

Print Friendly

Opening a sales conversation effectively is important. Preparing how you will engage, turn the focus to them and earn the right to get into a good convereation helps ensure you oare successful.  Yet with all the time spent on opening conversations, I notice very little, if any, time is spent on how to close the conversation!

Closing the conversation may mean asking for the buy! Yet in today’s complex sale, the close of the conversation may really mean getting a commitment to what is next.

We call the end of the conversation the Consolidation versus the close. Consolidate means to ‘bring together pieces into a whole.’ Think about ANY conversation you have, isn’t that what you need to do at the end of every conversation?

to advance your sales cycle, build stronger value and save you TIME in follow-up efforts, Consolidate your conversations with these specific actions:

• Summarize what you covered in the conversations -what problems, opportunities, wants or needs were revealed?
• Check for readiness. Are they ready to end the conversation? Pay attention to body language, words and sounds, and responses to your trial close questions.
• Confirm value for what you are asking them to do.
• Ask for a decision or commitment to something.
• Identify next specifics, with specifics. What are you going to do? What are they going to do? By when?
• CLOSE - this is your final comment.  The ‘Thank you’ or ‘Thanks’ is so overdone, it doesn’t even register that you’ve said it. Be specific in personalizing the last comment. Make it about THEM, the value they are going to receive, something you appreciate specifically about them or the conversation.
  • “Sharon, I appreciate that you were able to take the time to explore your __________. I look forward to our next conversation.”
  • “Mike, thank you for the confidence that we can help you _________. i will do everything I can to ensure this is successful.”

I’m often told (just this week two different sellers mentioned this) that they run out of time and the end of their conversations become rushed and this miss pieces of consolidating.  A solution? PLAN in your agenda for the 5-7 minutes needed to consolidate. Set the expectation that you will need to identify what comes next at the end of the conversation.

Think about how much quicker your sales will advance and how much less follow-up or chasing you will need to do if you consolidate EVERY conversation in this way.

Print Friendly