Ready for a powerful and productive work week?  Sometimes on Monday mornings it is hard to get out of  the weekend mode. Especially if the weather was wonderful and you spent the whole weekend outside.  Now it’s like ‘What? Oh yes, work.”

So, I’m taking the approach I took   the yard work  to ‘dig in’ to the work week.

1. First, the LIST. I took my first 20 minutes to review last week’s status and make my list for this week – not just a To Do list, I put an ‘outcome’ list together followed by the actions.
2. Cleared my work place – getting rid of stuff on my desk is freeing – and gives me a clean slate to start.
3. Tools - I had some tech issues last week – first outcome needed this week is that they are operational to support what I need to get done!
4. Action - I’m already done with two items and this blog post is my third!  It feels good to have progress so early and I’m going to keep moving along!

Whether you are seeing this message early in the day or not – it IS early in the week. Making the time to DIG IN now allows you to advance your success during the week and get OUT for some free time next weekend.

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Filed Under: Success Tips
Tags: maximize sales productivity, productivity, 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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Filed Under: Uncategorized
Tags: focus, maximize sales productivity, productivity, sales success, Sales Tips, skills

Two days left in April – and for some this is a ‘woeful’ time.  They have about 24 hours to ‘make numbers’.

I spoke with two different sales managers this morning – both scheduled meetings - that needed to reschedule because they are in ‘make the number’ mode. Really? Today is when they are worried? What about on April 15th or even April 1st?

It’s so timely to think about this after the last post of Cause and Effect. If you are really scrambling now, the cause might have been what did – or didn’t – do weeks or months ago!  It’s time to diagnose the cause of the state you are in.

1. What was your plan for the month? Did you have a clear plan with actionable items?
2. How diligent did you carry out the actions necessary?
3. What market changes happened? How did you adjust for them?
4. What resources did you use effectively during this time?
5. What barriers did you personally create?
6. What worked well for you this month?  What actions and contacts paid off?  How can you duplicate those?
7. What did you do to strengthen your knowledge, skill or belief in what you sell?
8. What successes did your customers realize as they used your product/service? How can you use that for next month?
9. On a scale of 1-4 (no middle ground here – you were above or below average) – how well did you carry out the activities needed for success?

Your answers to these questions will help you make sure next month end is a ‘wow’ instead of a ‘woe’.

Good luck!

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

Prospecting has never been harder – or easier. Yes, it’s hard to get responses, but you have all the tools at your finger tips to increase your odds of grabbing the attention of your top contacts and getting a reply.

One real bonus of staying ‘connected’ in your industry, is that you will have access to lots of great expertise!  You will also have comrades to share ‘your stories’ with and find out information that will help make your work more efficient and productive.  These ‘tools’ will make everything easier! 

That’s why I so appreciate sales experts like Kendra Lee of the KLA Group. Her article, Cool Sales Tools to Make Prospecting Easier, is so packed with great ideas and links!  Below is the article in its’ entirety.

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Cool Sales Tools to make Prospecting Easier by Kendra Lee

Gone is the dialing for dollars mentality. You can do better than that.

You can use these tools to do everything from identifying who your best-odds prospects are to deducing why they’d want to speak with you, writing a powerful email, and ultimately attracting them to you. Here are some of my favorites.

1. Identify the who. Once you know the profile of the types of contacts and companies you want to approach, use Zoominfo.com, NetProspex.com, Insideview.com or Hoovers.com to search and get the names of the best contacts to talk to.
2. Delve in. Go a step further and do some research for the contacts you’ve uncovered on those same sites. What have they written? Where have they been quoted? You can quickly get a feel for what’s top of mind with them and where their passions lie. Use this information to craft your grabber value proposition for phone calls and emails. Use it to write blogs or articles that’ll attract their attention and peak their interest. Comment about your ideas on social networks.
3. Secure contact info. Start with these same sites to find the most current contact information for your target prospects. Jigsaw and NetProspex are maintained by people like you and me, so they’ve often got very current information. While you’re there, add a few contacts of your own and earn points for free contact information downloads. You can also use LinkedIn, Facebook and other social networks as a tool.
4. Find elusive email addresses.  If you still can’t find an email address here’s a trick to try. From your search engine type “@their website domain” and it’ll pull up anywhere on the web where email addresses for that domain appear. Now you’ll have the email protocol for that company and can more effectively guess your contact’s email address.
5. Watch your prospects. No, we aren’t talking stalking. Watch what your top prospects are doing using alert services like Google Alerts for free. Set up a daily alert and see all the tweets and comments they’ve made and where they’re mentioned. You’ll know what to talk about when you call and more importantly, when they need you to call.
   Make your emails stand out. Use Gobbledygook.grader.com to pick out trite or hype-filled words and phrases you don’t even know you’re using. It’s a great tool to increase the impact of your brochures and online copy, too.
6. Know if they’re listening. One of the biggest challenges with email prospecting is knowing if anyone has read what you sent. Use ReadNotify.com to trace email opens and forwards, numbers of times read, and URL clicks. Use bit.ly to shorten long links for social network comments and emails. You can track how many times the links are opened, forwarded and by whom.
7. Increase your own productivity. If you’re a Microsoft Outlook user Xobni.com is a plug-in that makes searching your inbox and finding information about your contacts fast and easy. You can even search social networks for information about your contacts.

Getting people to reply is the most difficult aspect of prospecting. These tools give you new levels of information and insight to increase your odds of success.

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Thank you Kendra for all the great tips – and the links to these tools!

If this isn’t enough – the Smart Selling Tools site lists dozens of tools to help make your sales life easiser.

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Tags: maximize sales productivity, productivity, Sales Tips

Right now I am flying high.  Literally flying at 33,000 feet – probably somewhere over Indiana. I’m on my way to work with Alice Kemper, my Sharpenz.com partner, for the rest of the week.  (For those of you who have used Sharpenz – we’ll have three new boosters ready-to-go next week!)

I’m chuckling because the last post was about You Won’t Get if You Don’t Ask - well I asked the flight attendant the cost of wifi on the airplane – not because I really wanted to use it, just because I was curious.  She told me that she wasn’t sure but that I should go to the site because you can sometimes try it free.

Well, the Go Go site was more than Try it Free – they had a game you could play to earn free wifi for the duration of the flight. I tried it and won!  How cool is that?

So now today I am feeling lucky, confident and like a winner. How will that translate to my success today? I believe it will translate into energy and productivity leading to success.

If you aren’t flying high today like I am, how can you get your energy and confidence up?  A few things come to mind:

1.  Do the thing you are dreading the most for today. Tackle it head on and get it out of the way.  The rest will seem easier.

2.  Review your goals – what are you working toward? What progress have you made? Take one full minute to think and feel that progress. Doesn’t it feel good? Don’t beat yourself up over what you have left to do – acknowledge what you have done.

3.  Contact someone you have been meaning to. You know who the person is – just pick up the phone or send an email NOW!  They’ll be glad to hear from you.  It’s amazing how much connection we need as people.  Don’t want it to be work related? That’s okay!  Amanda shared with me that she found someone she had completely forgotten about on Facebook – they now have reconnected and she is so grateful.

Sometimes the little actions we take early in the morning can give us that boost of energy and confidence that will keep us ‘flying’ a winner all day!

p.s. For someone like who bemoans the speed of new technology, I’m loving it today!

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Tags: productivity, Sales Tips

What does it take to be successful in the sales world?  Intelligence, drive, a good work ethic, being customer and company focused, knowing ‘how’ to sell in your industry and so much more.  Yet all of this can be boiled down to two broader items:  confidence and competence.

In my sales training courses, we build competence and confidence.  When my prospects ask me which is more important – I’m stumped.  It’s both!  Being confident with competence is what is necessary.  Strengthening each of these lasts and gives a healthy ROI to the training!

Let’s look at the alternatives:    

• Confidence with incompetence:  You know these folks – lots of bravado and nothing to back it up.  They create a trail of destruction – inside and outside the company. Often these are what people label the dreaded ‘used car salesman’ type.
• Lack of confidence with incompetence:  Not much to say, hopefully they find another career quickly. The sad part?  Often they are the NICEST people – just miscast in sales.
• Lack of confidence with competence:  They know what to do and CAN do it – but their lack of confidence can rear its ugly head in so many unproductive ways – procrastination, lack of making contact with prospective buyers, and over preparing for everything.

A competent and confident sales professional knows WHAT to do, HOW to do it and does “it”.  They are consistent, productive and proactive.

It’s Friday – let’s have some fun with this one.  Please comment with examples of salespeople you have run into that fit into one of these groups. 

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Filed Under: Uncategorized
Tags: consultative selling, productivity, Sales Tips, skills

Once a week we have a Smörgåsbord night for dinner at my house.  (Somepeople might call this leftover night – we don’t.)  It’s the time when we gather all our little tidbits of this and that food and have a FEAST!  Well, today is a sales Smörgåsbord.  Lots of little tidbits from around the world of sales for you. 

1. Jonathan Farrington is offering YOU a free seat in his February 3rd Top Sales Expert Masterclass:  How to Become a Sales Superstar in 2010.  Click here for free registration.
2. Jill Konrath continues her philanthropy with Get Back to Work Faster – visit the site for a free book, free resources and webinars.  Share this with those who need to…get back to work!
3. SmartSelling Tools is offering a written tool – a 100 page eBook titled Increase Sales Productivity in 2010: Sales Tools and the Path to Productivity Gains - full of great tools that can help you be more productive this year.  Click  here.
4. Free eBook from Top Sales Experts with lots of great articles and advice.  Great reads to have with you so that when you are waiting for an appointment, you can make great use of your time.  Click here for the ebook.
5. Sharpenz.com offers a free ready-to-go sales training kit. the kit is for a 30 minute ‘live’ training with a group.  If you aren’t a sales leader, get your free copy and share it with your manager – you’ll score brownie points and get a productive ‘boost’ for your skills and energy!  
6. And last, but not the least of this fabulous Smörgåsbord, Sales Pro Insider, Inc.  (that’s me!) is giving the new eBook Timely Tips to Achieve Your Goals is being downlaoded by dozens of sales pros each day!  Get your copy by signing up for the Timely Tips ezine – sent every 3 weeks and full of little tips and ideas to help you get the most out of your day and contacts.

I hope you’ll find plenty to feast on with today’s sales Smörgåsbord. 

If you have any ‘treats’ to add – leave a comment!

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Tags: productivity, Sales Tips, sales tools

It’s Monday morning.  I’m tired.  The weekend was long and ended with a funeral for a 39 year old mom with young kids.  What an energy zapper.  And I have a long To Do list for today including an important sales call (aren’t they all important?).

How about you?  Ready to go this morning?

Sometimes its hard to be productive when you have ZERO pep.  Isn’t it?  So what to do?  Going back to bed is not an option.  Taking the day off isn’t either.  So I need to find a way to dig in and find ‘it’ today!

Here’s my plan to find ‘it’:

1. Before looking at my long To Do list, I am taking out my goals.  I am going to read through them and remind myself of WHERE I am headed.
2. Then I am going to really think hard about the rewards I am seeking by achieving the goals.
3. And next I am going to look at my To Do list for today and this week and make sure I have activities listed out that will move me forward.
4. Then I am going to start with the #1 priority (this blog post was the first #1 and I am almost finished !

Just writing these actions has me feeling more energetic!  I think it is because I have a plan now.  That works for me. I will have a productive day

What you need to discover is what works for you? How are you going to get ‘it’ going today so that THIS week is productive and powerful?

If you want help in being more productive, starting with your goals can help.  I did complete the Timely Tips to Achieve Your Goals eBook.  It’s a quick process to help you write and plan to reach your goals.  An easy-to-use goal planner is included!  All you need to do is sign up for the Timely Tips ezine here to get your copy.  If you are   already a Timely Tips subscriber, I sent you a link over a week ago to access yours.  If you don’t have it – send me an email. 

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Tags: goal setting, maximize sales productivity, productivity, Sales Tips

A few days left in 2009.  What are you doing?  From the number of Out of Office notices to messages sent yesterday, many of you are enjoying time OFF!  Yeah for you.  I hope you are rejuvenating yourselves!  For those still ‘in’ this week- its a great time to to close 2009. 

 How?  If you aren’t able to get in front of prospects and decision makers (though I do have 2 sales calls via telephone tomorrow), its the PERFECT time to do all the activities that we say we are too busy to do the rest of the year.  A recap of the actions and then tips follow.     

1. Organize.  Yes, the dreaded organization.  Take time to go through files, drawers, stacks of paper.  
2. Set goals.  Many say there is no time to do this the rest of the year.  Today is the day!
3. Plan. Once the goal is set – putting together the plan is next.
4. Rest.  Give your body and mind time to regenerate.

Tips for each action:

Organize – it’s more than straightening and getting things out of sight.  Start with this 3-step process:

1. Review.  What is in your hand?  Scan it over and then,
2. Decide what to do with it.  Is it something you will need again?  If you discard it, would you have access to it in some other way without it taking up your ’space’? 
3. Keep, toss or file.     Yes, each item – once you get started this is only seconds per paper, item, etc. 

Once you have control of the stuff – set up your files for next year – electronic or paper files.

Set goals.  I’ve written about goals many times, they are THAT important.  A few posts to help you: Ready, Aim, Action and  4 Rs of a  Great Goal Process,  

Plan.  Planning is a different activity than setting the goals.  The goal is the target, the plan is the how you will get there.  If you would like a copy of an effective goal planning form, email me and I’ll send you a Word document.  This document not only allows you to write your goal (an important part of goal achievement) it also has places to write your actions and planning considerations. 

Rest.  As a person who ‘gos’ full steam all the time.  The resting is something I have had to condition myself to.  And I realize the benefits every time.  Make time to get enough sleep, get your ‘head’ out of work, enjoy yourself and others without work pressures!  A previous post speaks to the benefits of rest.

And there you have it.  Make these days work for you!

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Special Note:  If one of your goals for next year is a more productive sales team – we have a great resource for sales boosters!  Sharpenz…Half Hour of Power sales boosts.  Get a FREE Booster here.  And then take advantage of the 30% off sale through 12/31/09- a full robust training library for under $1000!  A great way to use year-end budget dollars. 

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