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!

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Ready for more reading recommendations that will help YOU sell more this week, month and year?

Below is the second part of the Sales Summer Reading list.

To make it easy for you to access the entire list of GREAT reads in an easy-to-access format, click here for the pdf copy, compliments of yours truly, Nancy Bleeke.

 50 Days to Build Your Sales- Book of Tips and Inspirations plus accompanying Workbook, by Lori Richardson. The book is a great gift for someone new in sales, or in a sales slump – to get a daily sales inspiration, then a sales tip to take action. Combine with the workbook, and you have “sales education in a bundle”. It makes for a great read because it is simple – even the type is big – and the tips are tried and true to grow revenues.

 
Building Inside Sales: Framing a Best Practice Group, by Trish Bertuzzi. Whether you have an Inside Sales team or are thinking about building one, this ebook will provide you with the framework you need to launch and sustain a successful program.

Bust Your Slump: A Dozen Slump Busting Strategies to Fill Your Pipeline in 30 Days, by Paul McCord. Need more business?  You’ll find a dozen effective, proven stategies to help you generate a large amount of business fast.  Whether you sell B2B or B2C, have a fast or long-term sales cycle, sell a commodity or highly sophisticated product, you’ll find strategies to meet your market and your sales process.  Pick the one or two that fits best and get busy getting your pipeline filled NOW!

   Creating  a Million Dollar a Year Sales Income: Sales Success through Client Referrals, by Paul McCord. No, the book doesn’t promise you that you’ll make a million dollars a year, but it presents a high impact process based on the steps used by 4 dozen sellers from various industires to make their million dollar a year plus incomes—and  you  can turn yourself into a referral-based salesperson just like they did.  Hey, you just might make a million bucks too!

From Bud to Boss: Secrets to a Remarkable Transition to Successful Leadership by Kevin Eikenberry and Guy Harris. From Bud to Boss is an excellent read for anyone who wants to increase their effectiveness as a leader. Whether you have been on the job for years or you are just starting out, this book will offer you practical, applicable advice.

Growing Great Sales Teams: Lessons from the Cornfield, by Colleen Stanley. Finally, a sales management book that has real world application.  This is a must read for any sales manager that is committed to building a sales culture of excellence, integrity and results.

In Women We Trust, by Mary Clare Hunt. In Women We Trust cuts to the bullet-points of how women engage with each other and what business can do to have the same engagement levels.  While primarily a workbook for the B2C crowd, its 90 trust points can help any sales team internalize the female culture and learn how to work with women as peers first, not targets. Time to read — one day at the beach, or 2 airport layovers.

Metaphorically Selling, by Anne Miller. If you have to get things done through influence or persuasion–and who doesn’t?–then Metaphorically Selling is written for you. Learn how to cut through information overload and grab attention, open minds, close deals, or wow a crowd with the magic of metaphors. Fun to read, Easy to apply.  Speeds up sales.

No More Cold Calling™: The Breakthrough System That Will Leave Your Competition in the Dust, by Joanne S. Black. Why read? Get the meeting at the level that counts and convert more than 50 percent of your contacts into clients. Learn the referral-sales process that seals the deal every time.

Rainmaking Conversations: Influence, Persuade, and Sell in any Situationby John Doerr and Mike Schultz. Summer is a great time to catch up on your reading and sharpen your selling skills and there’s no better book to help you do that than the Wall Street Journal bestseller, Rainmaking Conversations. In this book, Mike Schultz and John Doerr provide a proven system that will help you master the art of the sales conversation so you can close more deals, bring in more revenue, and be more successful in 2011 and beyond.

Sales 2.0, by Anneke Seley and Brent Holoway. This summer, while you’re body’s relaxing, take your mind on an adventure into the changing world of sales, with authors Anneke Seley and Brent Holloway.  Ride along as they demystify the world of Sales 2.0 – a better way of selling for today’s savvy buyers and sellers – and showcase four industry-leading companies who are using these practices to great success and profit!

 Selling to Big Companies by Jill Konrath. Want to land bigger accounts as your customers? Then check out this book. It gives you a step-by-step guide on how to what you need to do to get your foot in the door. Fortune selected it as one of 8 must reads for salespeople – and it deserves the award. Top 20 on Amazon since 2006.

The Sales Winner’s Handbook: Essential Scripts & Strategies to Skyrocket Sales Performance, by Wendy Weiss. Insider, business-by-phone secrets to get the appointment, sail through objections, and get the sale… Scripts for what to say in every situation so you get what you ask for.

What a list for you to select from!  Click here for the comprehensive pdf with all the titles and information to easily click through to your selections. 

Fill your mind..as you rest your body this summer. 

Want to reference this list and the pdf in your blog or newsletter?  Go ahead – but make sure you include the full copy below:

The 2011 Summer Reading list is provided compliments of Nancy Bleeke, Sales Pro Insider, Inc. www.salesproinsider.com 414.235.3064. Nancy’s training courses can help you and your team build confidence and competence to make every conversation matter to increase sales, reduce turnover and strengthen customer loyalty.

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In less than a week – YOUR success is the focus of 35 sales and marketing experts from around the world. We’ve joined together, under the planning and organization of Jonathan Farrington at Top Sales World – to deliver an impactful series of sales and marketing webinars.  The best thing? The proceeds of the $5 donations will go to the Red Cross efforts for the Japan disaster relief.

The donation is one fantastic reason to begin to consider this…but that won’t be why you participate.  Look at the topics and presenters!  No matter where you are in your sales career or in your success level – there is SOME thing during this week that will benefit you immediately.  Or maybe there are MANY topics for you – and your sales team.

Click here for the full listing.  35 different topics – 7 each afternoon.  And they are ONLY 30 minutes long. We’ve been challenged to put our ‘best’ into a targeted 30 minutes so you gain the most in the least amount of time.

My presentation on Tuesday, May 10th is geared to those in a position of influencing a sales team. Maybe you are a business owner, or maybe  you lead a sales team personally - I will share with you how to  Build the Success of Your Sales Team with 3 Simple Steps to Improve Skill and Will. You won’t want to miss it.

If you are really ready for more success – select at least 3-5 of the topics during the week – make it one a day – or all 5 in one day. It will be hard to choose when you look at what is available.

I wish you the best of success today (and everyday)! 

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If you have 30 minutes and $5 – you can make a difference … for yourself and for the disaster relief efforts in Japan. 

Top Sales World has put together 35 sales and marketing experts for a week-long SUCCESS Conference!  Select your topics and for $5 each you will receive 30 minutes of incredible information and tips.  Look at who is delivering – we have Linda Richardson, Kendra Lee, Dave Brock, Dan Waldshmidt and more!  And for $5 each topic – which is being donated to the Red Cross – you win!

I am part of the group on Day Two – May 10th.  Below is my ‘team’ for Tuesday – click here to view ALL the details and the 35 topics that can help YOU be more successful immediately.

Selling Is At An Inflection Point – How Can You Succeed From Here On In? 
Presented at: 12:00 – 12:30 EASTERN
by Dave Brock
CEO of Partners in EXCELLENCE
http://topsalesworld.com/salesConference/sessionDetails.php?c_session_id=8
 
Build the Success of Your Sales Team with 3 Simple Steps to Improve Skill and Will
Presented at: 12:45 – 1:15 EASTERN
by Nancy Bleeke
President of Sales Pro Insider
http://topsalesworld.com/salesConference/sessionDetails.php?c_session_id=10
 
Winning sales in 2011: How to arm today’s BtoB sales force with the tools and skills to compete- and win 
Presented at: 1:30 – 2:00 EASTERN
by Michael C. Bird
Chief Revenue Officer at NetProspex
http://topsalesworld.com/salesConference/sessionDetails.php?c_session_id=22
 
Social Media Strategies for Lead Generation Success
Presented at: 2:15 – 2:45 EASTERN
by Kendra Lee
CEO of the KLA Group
http://topsalesworld.com/salesConference/sessionDetails.php?c_session_id=11
 
14 Edgy Ways to Break All the Sales Rules and Be Madly Successful Doing It 
Presented at: 3:00 – 3:30 EASTERN
by Dan Waldschmidt
Co-Founder of IntroMojo
http://topsalesworld.com/salesConference/sessionDetails.php?c_session_id=12
 
Success Tactics to Generate Red-Hot Prospects 
Presented at: 3:45 – 4:15 EASTERN
by Joanne Black
Best Selling Author of “No More Cold Calling”
http://topsalesworld.com/salesConference/sessionDetails.php?c_session_id=13
 
Improve Your Cold Calling Success 700% 
Presented at: 4:30 – 5:00 EASTERN
by Nigel Edelshain
CEO of Sales 2.0 (LLC).
http://topsalesworld.com/salesConference/sessionDetails.php?c_session_id=14

Select the topic that will help YOU be successful and register. Make sure you check out Day 1, 3, 4 and 5 – so many topics to choose from!

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Japan’s disaster may seem long ago to many of you. For those in the US, the hundreds of tornados and deaths in the last week have replaced the news of Japan.

But sales and marketing experts around the world are giving back to japan!  The give back begins the week of Monday, May 9 through Friday, the 13th.  During those five days you’ll have the opportunity to attend up to 35 incredible webinar sessions—7 every single day—presented by 35 of the top sales minds in the world. You pick your topics – for just a $5 donation for each topic – which is a donation to the RedCross!

Each session will be a quick, but highly targeted, 30 minutes of tips and information.

Who are some of these presenters?  Well, there’s Dave Kurlan, Jill Konrath , Kelley Robertson, Colleen Francis, Linda Richardson, Paul McCord, myself, and manyothers.  Topics covered will range from Sales 101 Isn’t Enough: Advanced Selling Capabilities For Outselling Your Competition to 7 Habits of Highly Effective (Social) Salespeople to Successfully Profiting from the New Buying Cycle to my session on Build a Successful Business on Referrals by Knowing Who Your Client Knows and, of course, many, many more.

You can see the whole list of sessions HERE

And here’s even better news—when you attend any given session you’ll be helping the Red Cross in their mission in Japan.

Jonathan Farrington, the host of the conference says,

Just four weeks after the Magnitude 9.0 Tohoku earthquake and a tsunami which delivered 46ft waves, we learn that the death toll is likely to top 25.000, and recovery is going to take not years, but possibly decades, maybe even a generation, at a cost of at least $250 billion.

This is our opportunity to show that the sales community – so often derided for being shallow and materialistic, amongst other things – actually has a very big heart.

We plan to charge just $5 registration fee per presentation, and we are limited to 1000 guests per session, so places will be allocated on a “first come – first served” basis.

Can I count on your support? Together we can make a worthwhile *contribution to the people of Japan.

That’s right, it only costs $5 to attend any one session and all proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross specifically for Japan.  At the end of each session you’ll be given an opportunity to donate an additional $1, $5, or $10 if you so wish.

Here is a tremendous opportunity to contribute to the efforts in Japan and get great training at the same time. 

What a great deal!!!

If you are a leader – who needs to engage and equip your sales team this year (and beyond) I encourage you to seriously consider attending my session Tuesday, May 10 at 12:45 Eastern time as I’ll sharing 3 Tips to Build the Skill and Will of Your Sales Team.  Here is the direct registration page for my session.

Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to help yourself improve your sales while helping those who are in desperate need of help.

View the entire list of topics and presenters – seriously, you will find MANY that will be ‘just’ what YOU need.

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I don’t know how long you have been in sales. And often those of us who have ‘been at it’ for a long time forget what it is like to get started. 

So, today we’re going to look at the career of sales like a ‘rookie’. 

Some background: I just completed an 8 week journey with a group of sellers. We all adopted the ‘rookie’ of the group, Nathan.  Nathan is in one of the toughest spots in sales…the BEGINNING.  Fresh out of school, in a job where he needs to cold call EVERY day on people twice his age with expertise in the printing industry, and trying to figure it all out. 

Nathan is fortunate to have a manager/owner who believes in him. Bryan Sachs of Precision Graphics  hired Nathan.  Brian wrote Nathan a very encouraging note to be read at his graduation from sales training. 

One of the resaons why I decided to hire you was because you reminded me a bit of myself when I first started in sales many years ago.  Like any beginning sales person, I had my share of struggles, frustrations and even times when I questioned the sanity of my decision to get into sales.  BUT…..I persevered and am glad that I did as it’s been a rewarding career for me.  One of the true turning points and keys to my success was the sales training I got in my very early years and my willingness and desire to apply what I learned.  Without the training I doubt I’d have enjoyed near the success that  I fortunately have.
 
So, now the ball is in your court.  Your in the same position I once was.  Take what you’ve learned, mix it with hard work, work smart and see where it goes.  There is a tremendous amount of support for you at Precision Graphics.  We’re always here to help and support but now it’s up to you.  If I didn’t think you could do it, I wouldn’t have hired you.
 
Congratulations on finishing the training.  Now let’s go to work on earning your first million!”

And Nathan’s reflections about sales and the owner’s note follows:

It is frustrating but I still enjoy it. Everyday I get excited but then discouraged within the same hour. The letter made me realize that I am not alone in frustration in the sales world. I didn’t think anyone would take a risk at such a young looking guy for a sales position but I was wrong. That is why I have been working so hard but it is a lot harder than I thought. I thought that if a person is interested in something that “BAM” they would buy it. Its a lot more work than that. I will Keep going and keep working with what you taught me. Hopefully my bosses see that I am working as hard as possible (sometimes 4:30 in the morning with 4 hours of driving to 5 in the p.m.) and will let me keep going because I know I will begin to sell more than I imagined.

Thanks for all your help! Hopefully will make a million soon like Bryan said!

Remember those days?  Remember feeling excited and discouraged in the same hour?  Do you still have days like that?  I sure do.  And one thing that can help is someone who believes in you.

So think back to the FIRST few months of your career and reflect on these questions:

• How was your confidence level?
• What were your favorite things to do?
• What were your biggest frustrations?
• Remember your first sale? How did hearing that ‘yes’ make you feel?
• Remember the rejections as you worked to figure it all out?
• Who was at your side or covering ‘your back’?

Often the last question is the one that is powerful.  Hopefully you had a  Bryan Sachs on your side – someone that gave you encouragement at just the right time that led you to stick with it.

Now it’s time to pay it forward. Who do you know that could use words of encouragement today. That could use a boost knowing that someone knows its tough and that they are thinking of them.

I believe YOU can do it – and will have a more productive, energetic day because of it. 

p.s. I thought of calling this post “Hug a Rookie Today” but figured no one would get the topic  

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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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If you’re a Sales Manager or Trainer, a Company President or an HR Manager, then you know the importance of keeping your sales team performing at their highest level. 

You also know that in today’s economy, sales training is absolutely crucial. But do you know which training techniques are the most effective in today’s economy? Do you know which techniques have lasting power – and have worked time and time again?

I’m hosting a FREE webinar with Alice Kemper, my co-creators of Sharpenz. Together we’re sharing 37 years of experience and our work with thousands of sales professionals to bring effective, actionable tips to you.

“Get Your 2010 Back on Track – 3 Simple Steps to Double or Triple Your Sales“ is scheduled for Tuesday, June 15 at 10 a.m. Pacific / 1 p.m. Eastern.

We’ll present several must-know pieces of information – like how to get your salespeople to want to take action, how to occupy the attention and efforts of your sales team, how to give them the resources they need and how to help them find their motivation (and you’ll be surprised to hear what it isn’t!).

Here’s what we’ll cover during this powerful webinar:

• 2 Critical Needs to Get Your 2010 Back on Track – how to get your salespeople to want to take actions that lead to more sales, and when they do, how to turn what they do and what they offer into success.
• 3 Simple Steps to Succeed – by occupying the attention and efforts of your sales team, giving your team members the resources they need, and helping them find their motivation.
• Why MONEY isn’t the main motivator for the salespeople on your team – and what IS. 
• A 4-step process salespeople need to go through to build better selling habits.
• 5 skills critical to a sales professionals success in this economy.
• How to engage with the people on your team to keep them motivated and moving forward.
• And much more. . .

It’s easy to register here.  We hope you’ll join us!

Please note:This webinar is designed for those in a position to help their sales team – not for individual sales professionals.

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Every effective sales training course teaches sales professionals to ask open-ended questions.  These are the questions that start with who, what, why, when, how, etc.  Why are open ended questions so universally taught? Because:

• They solicit great information
• Get the person talking
• Allow you and them to find out if there is an opportunity
• Can show your expertise, IF you ask the right questions

All that sounds great, doesn’t it?  They really ARE effective.  But not 100% of the time.  Sometimes they can make a needs analysis seem like an interrogation.  Even though they are open they can be leading, forced, narrow, product focused and irrelevant.  Sales pros can come off like a robot reciting their list of questions so they can get to pitching their product! 

When we use the 3 ‘I’ approach, our open-ended questions include: 

1. Intent
2. Intelligence
3. Interest

Intent.  I’ve seen sales pros launch right into a list of questions that might seem irrelevant to the prospect.  The prospect thinks ‘What’s this have to do with anything?” Instead, we need to explain the intent of the line of questions so the prospect can put it in perspective and answer thoughtfully.

An example: Yesterday I received a call for someone who had something to offer.  They immediately asked me “So, what are you working on?”  My response?  “Wow, that’s broad, in what context?” They responded, “Whatever context you choose.”  Well, I was confused.  I knew what this person was selling and thought, should I answer my question based on that narrow interest or is he really trying to find out more?

So, I turned it back to him and said, ‘What are you working on?”  And then he responded. After 15 minutes I knew the flavor of his focus and we continued.

But why should I have had to work that hard?  If I knew where the discussion was going we could have both saved time.

To share intent can sound like this.  “We are going to talk about your human resource needs. What we have learned is that understanding  how this fits into the overall company’s goals and objectives helps us narrow down the approach and we will be able to give you a more accurate picture of how we might help.  The first questions are focused on that broader picture. Then we’ll get more specific.”  Then we go into our list of questions.

Intelligence.  Your questions reveal a LOT about you. Here’s how to raise your ‘perceived’ intelligence level:

• Explain the intent  of your line of questions and ask questions that broaden the dialogue to a bigger more strategic discussion. 
• Focus on the solution or value desired versus just the product.
• Wait to LISTEN once you have asked  a question. When you ask more intelligent questions, the person may need to think before responding (this is usually a good thing).  How long? According to research, they might need 15-25 seconds to think and respond.  That’s a long time to wait, but it can payoff.

Interest.  The questions should be ‘of interest’ to the person. How?  Make the questions relevant to the situation and person. When it’s about THEM, it’s interesting TO them. Every aspect of the sales process should be wiift focused – What’s in it for THEM? – and this includes your questions!

There you have the 3 necessary “I”s for making your needs analysis informative and not an interrogation. 

Of course I have learned many of these things the hard way.  With confused looks from prospects as I took a direction that surprised them. What have you learned about open ended questions?

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Free Sales Training Outline for Your Sales Meeting!  Looking for ideas to easily and quickly strengthen the skill and results for your sales team?  We’ve got ‘em!

We whittled our comprehensive sales training expertise into specific 30-minute boosts of power!  These proven (all tested) outlines focus on a specific sales topic (skill, attitude, tool, practice).  There’s more than 25 to pick from today and more in development.  We have tested each booster in the 30 minute format to make sure you do get a big BOOST in a little time.

Whether you are a sales manager or a member of ANY service/sales team that would like to work with your colleagues to boost each other’s skills in selling, prospecting, marketing, or personal development, there may be a Sharpenz booster for you!  (From goal setting to working through objections to team building.) 

To build excitement in our 2nd week of launching Sharpenz, we have two special offers:  

1.  A FREE Sharpenz booster for you – you can select one of two titles:

        Better Questions which focuses on helping you identify and practice better questions you can ask in your needs analysis and problem solving.  Or

       Now to Wow provides a very interactive format for your team to look at all your customer “touch points” and determine how to escalate these touches to a WOW! experience.

2.  All orders through November 15th are discounted 50%!

I’ve even put together a video for you to listen into (less than 2.5 minutes!)

Sometimes its good to hear other’s perspectives, the following blogs mention Sharpenz: 

• Jonathan Farrington’s Blog – Sharpen Your Greatest Sales Tool
• Salesopedia Blog – Sharpenz Your Sales Meeting
• Scott “Social Media” Allen – Sharpenz: Better Sales Meetings = More Sales

Give it a try today with your free Sharpenz sales booster.  You’ll find it to be the BEST 30 minutes of your sales meeting!

P.S. Sales Pro Insider, Inc. is alive and well.  In fact, we are working right now with two Fortune 100 companies to build sales and service skills  and helping another sales organization hire a KEY sales exec!

Let me know what you think of Sharpenz!  Do you think you can sharpen skills and results in just 30 minutes?

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