photo credit: Pablo H

My friend Lee Salz has put a lot of work into setting up a service where you can learn directly from the Guru’s.

Business Expert Webinars (BEW), an international community of business experts, comprising best-selling authors, award-winning speakers, and business gurus, launched  with more than 100 speakers and 700 live business education webinars that begin airing in May 2008.

“We are using webinar technology to deliver business eLearning,” said Lee B. Salz, President and CEO of Business Expert Webinars. Topics include all genres of business – sales , networking, public relations, marketing, real estate, human resources, entrepreneurship, management and many others.  Visitors interested in participating can view the extensive schedule and sign up for webinars at BusinessExpertWebinars.com  Each webinar is taught by a live presenter on the phone and is supported by a presentation delivered over the Internet.

“People are frustrated with the free webinar offerings where the price of admission is a sales and marketing pitch. Either the entire webinar is an infomercial or the content is delivered at a high-level in the session and concludes with, ‘if you really want to know how to do this, buy my CD, DVD, book, etc.’ Thus, they aren’t really free,” said Salz.

Business expert and author of “Selling to Big Companies,” Jill Konrath, said, “What attracted me to deliver content with Business Expert Webinars was that the experts pick very specific topics and go deep into the subject matter. This is strictly business education. Participants come away from BEW webinars with actionable information they can implement immediately. It is a great way for adults to learn valuable information inexpensively, without leaving the office.”

This is a fantastic opportunity.  With so many topics there simply has to be at least one topic that will be of value to you.  Go to Business Webinar Experts and get registered today:-)

by Jeb Blount, author of PowerPrinciples and host of the Sales Gravy Podcast

You just closed the biggest deal of your career, you blew away your quota, you made the president’s club, you were named sales rep of the year. You just crossed the finish line first . You raised your hands, pumped your fists, and celebrated. You are a winner!

Nothing feels better than winning. But while you are cashing that big commission check, relaxing on the beach at your sales award trip, or walking on stage at your national sales meeting to pick up your trophy ask yourself this question: What next? You see, winning was hard. It required perseverance, training, hard work and focus. But all too often, after achieving our big goals we take our foot off of the success accelerator and just coast for awhile. Relaxing in the glow of our victory we quickly forget that the game is still on, our competitors are not resting but instead are plotting our demise. I was reminded of this yesterday when I read a marketing slogan for a company that had just received a top award in its industry. The slogan simply read:

“When you’re in second place attack the leader. When you’re in first place Attack Yourself.”

What a perfect message for winners. In the 21st century there is no time for complacency. We can not afford the luxury of comparing ourselves to those behind us. There is no time to rest easy. And though we must take time to celebrate and enjoy the fruits of victory, we must also stop and create new goals for ourselves. We must learn to take each win in stride and raise our own bar so that we keep reaching higher.

It is easy to look back poor performance or a failure with our 20/20 spectacles on and find all of the areas where improvement can be made. But it takes loads of self discipline and the heart of a winner to break down a brilliant performance and then take action to make small adjustments and improvements that keep us ahead of the pack. The great NFL quarter back Steve Young said once that “the principle is competing against yourself. It’s about self-improvement, about being better than the day before.”

In fact this is what all elite athletes and elites sales professionals do. Real winners constantly attack themselves. They pick apart each performance and seek ways to improve. It is the unwavering focus on constant improvement that separates the good from the great.

Jeb Blount is CEO of The Sales Leadership Group, author of PowerPrinciples, the creator of the popular internet sales community, SalesGravy.com and the host of the top rate Sales Motivation Podcast, SalesGravy: PowerPrinciples. Considered one of the leading experts in sales and sales leadership with over 20 years experience in Fortune 500 sales and marketing, Jeb holds a core philosophy that in sales and life there are a handful of basics, which if focused on intently, will drive peak performance and achievement. He seeks to remove complexity from inevitable challenges, and instead, focuses individuals and businesses on key actions that deliver quick and sustainable results.

photo credit: Steve Rhodes

You’d think if you just shouted loud enough your prospects would hear your message.  But that doesn’t work, and it doesn’t make them think well of you.  So how do you formulate a message that gets your prospects to pay attention to you, and want to more about how “you” can help “them”?

Last week I pointed out that your communications must focus on your prospects. Your prospects want to know what’s in it for them.  They won’t listen to your message, and they certainly won’t respond to a message that doesn’t have a big benefit for them.

You want to keep that message tight.  There are a couple of reasons for that.

• our attention span is shorter than ever, and we just won’t listen to a long message unless that message is so powerful it literally has us riveted
• it helps you to gain clarity about what you’re doing
• you can re-purpose that message in a number of ways

Dean Rieck poses an exercise for developing a 60 second radio ad.   This is a great idea because if you can say everything you need to say in 60 seconds you have a message your prospects will listen to.  In essence your just following the old marketing principle of AIDA:

• Attention - get the attention of the prospects you want to talk to
• Interest - give them a clear reason why they should listen to what you have to say
• Desire - build there desire to want to take action
• Action - give them a way to reach out to you to learn how to get what they want

How could you use a short message like that?  Well, most of you aren’t going to run a radio ad, however, you could use that short message to:

• develop your core marketing message to introduce yourself to others
• use it to make a post card in your direct mail campaign
• use it to develop a small ad placed in a publication frequently read by only your best prospects

And that’s just a few ideas.  The major point to developing an effective communication is to:

• keep it brief with a powerful impact
• it should clearly resonate with your ideal prospects
• there should be no doubt who the message is for, the ultimate outcome they want, and the reason why you are the person to make it happen

You may also want to check these out:

• Report on the 7 Secrets Top Producers Know
• How to market to the near sales
• My inner circle coaching program

photo credit: abardwell

You and your prospects love information.  In fact, you have to have information.  You love to be in the know and you need information to make informed decisions.  However, you’re only interested in the information that is relevant to you and what you want what you need.

Information has never been more accessible more readily available than it is now.  That’s both a good and a bad thing.  If you dig deep enough search long enough you can probably find anything you need.  But who has enough time to do all that digging all that searching, and more importantly who would even want to?

Wouldn’t you rather have all that information sorted out for you, and only get the bottom line nuts and bolts that you need?  You bet you would, and that’s why you read this blog.  Because I give you immediately actionable ideas that you can take to the bank for your business.

What most service professionals underestimate or overlook is that you can do that for your best prospects too, and they will appreciate it.  You have the information they desperately need floating around in your head.  All you need to do is get it out of your head and put it into a readily consumable format such as:

• a comparison chart
• graph
• concise report of what to avoid or what to look for
• audio recording
• interview
• video
• reference package
• etc.

That valuable information serves you two-fold.  First, it positions you as a trusted adviser.  Second, it helps you to filter for qualified prospects and gets them to reach out to you.

Start looking around you for things you already have that you can repurpose for your prospects.  Repackage it so the message matches what you know your market wants and give it to them the way they want it and …voila instant prospect attraction.

photo credit: Daquella manera

You want to increase your sales.  Yet you approach sales from:

• what you want
• what you have
• what you can do

Because of this “you” focus you don’t know:

• who your best prospects are or how to reach out to them
• what they want
• how they want what they want

“Prospect” focus means you communicate:

• who you can best serve and why
• the big reason why these people should listen to you
• how you can give them what they want the way they want it

As a result:

• you understand your best prospects
• you empathize but don’t sympathize
• you sell more than you can even imagine now

photo credit: markhillary

You are in for a special treat today.

Hi Readers,

Today I’ve been able to secure a special article for you from my friend Jonathan Farrington.
Jonathan Farrington is a globally recognised business coach, mentor, author and consultant, who has guided hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals around the world towards optimum performance levels. If you aren’t familiar with Jonathan yet I strongly urge you to sign-up for his newsletter.

Cheryl

Enjoy….

Emerging salespeople typically believe that all business is good business and to an extent, I can understand this viewpoint. If you are trying to make a name for yourself, being put under pressure by your sales manager to get “runs on the board” and earn the respect of the more experienced and successful members of the team, it is difficult to walk away from any opportunity if you believe you have the remotest chance of winning it.

However, it is essential that more seasoned professionals fully understand both the value and importance of rigorous objective qualification, not just at the front end but right the way through the sales cycle. Qualification is a process not a single event and even internal and reactive salespeople should be fully skilled in asking a small number of basic questions regarding precise requirements, time scales, budget, competition etc before they are prepared to reveal their price and delivery.

As the value of the product, service or solution increases, the depth of the qualification should increase proportionally.

External salespeople have the opportunity to meet with prospective customers and it is far easier to extract information face to face than it is via the telephone, however, it is vital that some initial answers are elicited prior the that first exploratory meeting in order to ensure that the meeting will be worthwhile to both parties. With sales costs spiraling upwards and sales time becoming limited, considerable prudence is required on the part of the salesperson.

During that first meeting, a considerable amount of detail can and should be uncovered e.g. background and history of the company, the key individuals, the composition of the DMU (Decision Making Unit) if there is one, timescales, budget, competition, current suppliers, buying criteria etc. Only by rigorous questioning will the salesperson be able to answer the following questions when they get back to the office: Is there a requirement/need that my company can satisfy? Is it winnable? Do I want it?

The very best sales professionals will not pursue the opportunity, after proper objective analysis, if the answer to any of those questions is “No”. They will rather invest their precious selling time seeking out and closing opportunities that will provide a profitable return on that investment.

At the very highest selling levels i.e. strategic “big-ticket” selling and marketing, clearly the sales cycle is much more protracted, complex and typically moves through four stages i.e.

- Rigorous Opportunity Assessment
- Develop A Strategy
- Present The Solution and Re-Assess The Opportunity
- Gain Formal Commitment, Sign The Order and Develop

In my latest newsletter, I have provided a link to the full document entitled:

“The Four Stages Of A Consultative Sales Cycle”

In Summary:
Having a tilt at every windmill that presents itself, is neither practical nor profitable. Qualification, is a core competency that every professional salesperson should take on board as quickly as possible. Working to the maxim that “All business is good business” is unrealistic and totally erroneous. It takes just as long to work an unprofitable opportunity through the pipeline only to lose it at the death, as it does a profitable one – the ability to determine which is which, can have a huge impact on your ultimate success in a front-line sales role

Copyright 2008 Jonathan Farrington. All Rights Reserved

photo credit: preciouskhyatt

Are you tired of sitting around waiting to be seen, tired of being stood up, tired of being treated like you’re a zero?  It’s embarrassing, frustrating, and unproductive.  Unfortunately, you’ve positioned yourself to be treated this way.

You actually fuel this negative treatment through the way you think.  You think you have to work long and hard, pay your dues, in order to “make it” in your profession.  You’re even told this by others in your profession who’ve supposedly “made it”.  If you’re willing to bite on that it will hold true for you, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

You actually further fuel the negative treatment you’re experiencing when you believe that if you just think positive thoughts you’ll think your way to success.  You do need to have a positive attitude so you’re a pleasant person to be around.  However, you can’t simply think happy thoughts and end up with a bundle of success because you’re just so darned positive.

You earn the position you’re earn.  And it begins with the first contact.  That’s why cold calling is such a bad thing for you to do as your first contact.  When you cold call a prospect they immediately categorize you as a loser and an unwanted pest that must be swattted away ASAP.

Position yourself for increased sales by preparing the way for the position you want.  You want and deserve a position in the prospects mind as a trusted adviser.  To get that position from the onset you must:

•  confidently know the ultimate outcome you help your clients to get that they want
• refuse to invest any of your valuable time and energy on anyone who doesn’t fit your profile for an ideal qualified prospect
• develop the systems that set you apart as a professional they can count on to get it done.

photo credit: Dan4th

Have you ever noticed that Top Producers always have time to succeed?  Top Producer’s are busy people, don’t get me wrong, yet they have time to do everything they need to do plus time to live their life the way they want to live it.  Isn’t that what you want too?

Have you also noticed that the busiest salespeople are often the least productive salespeople?  Now that doesn’t seem possible does it?  However, it makes perfect sense when you understand why some people always have time to succeed and others never have time for anything.

It’s miserable never having enough time.  Removal of this misery is entirely within your power.  There are several things you should know about time management.

1. You can’t effectively “manage” your time when you haven’t figured out exactly what you’re trying to accomplish with your life.
2. You can be both successful and trapped by your success.  Better to set your sites on the life you want to live.
3. Poor time management is predominately a bad habit.
4. Time management problems stem from planning and goal achievement failures.
5. It’s the simplest things that have the greatest impact improving your time freedom.

Are you beginning to understand that if you want to invest your time the way you want, you have to start in your own head?  Millions of dollars have been spent on calendars, day planners, time management books, etc. to no avail for most people who struggle constantly juggling their time.  Why?  Because until you understand what about your behaviors and attitudes is getting you into this mess you’re in, until you understand time management is a habit either good or bad and identify the specific small habits you want to replace and why, you will return to those un-fulfilling habits over and over again.

If you’re serious about wanting to control your time so you can increase your sales and add balance to your life you have some serious work to do.  Starting with listing all those bad time habits you already know you have, and then asking yourself what about those habits is rewarding to you.  I know, you’re initial reaction is they don’t reward you they make you miserable.  That simply isn’t true.  Deep down on some level in some way something about that seemingly negative habit feels good to you.  You also can’t just stop a habit.  You have to replace the habit you don’t want with a habit you do want.  If you try to stop a habit without replacing it with a more rewarding habit you’ll fall off the wagon so to speak, and return to your old comfortable habits.

photo credit: Jay Erickson

Are you tired of objections stopping your sales progress?  Effectively handling objections is a quick way to increase sales.  One of the best ways to overcome objections is to acknowledge and address them before the prospect does.

Most sales people fear bringing up objections because they don’t want to fuel the flame.  The reality is that when you bring up the objections you know a prospect is likely to have before they do, you have the power to direct what you want the prospect to focus on.  Plus the prospect begins to respect and trust that you understand them, and have their best interests in mind.

To do it effectively you must properly prepare. 

• What are the objections you know your prospects commonly have?
• What questions must they have answered to make a buying decision?
• What must they believe to buy what you have to offer?
• What other options do your prospects have?

Stories are among the most powerful multi-purpose tools you have in your sales tool kit.  Stories are highly effective and very non-threatening.  They engage the prospect and they’re an easy way to make your point.  Develop a story to overcome the objection.

The way you structure, or how you tell your story makes all the difference.  Your story must be in alignment with the beliefs your prospects already hold.  They should demonstrate the actions you want the prospect to take.  The story itself could be based on a case study or a seemingly unrelated story that makes the point you’re trying to make.

Clarification is another powerfully effective tool to eliminate objections.  You know your prospects have options and so do they.  However, being the expert you are in a position to make it easy for the prospect to compare the outcomes each option is likely to produce.  The features each option has or doesn’t have.  When a simple chart, table, or graph can tell your story by all means make one and use it.

The more you remove objections by working with your prospects the more your sales will increase.  

photo credit: ogimogi

When you can’t hit your targets it must be the target’s fault, right?  I know that sounds silly yet salespeople fail to hit their targets everyday and they always have someone or something to blame.  It couldn’t possibly their fault they didn’t hit their target, or could it?

If you were throwing darts and missed the entire bull’s-eye would the target itself be to blame?  Would you need to move the target making it easier to hit?  Would you need bigger darts making it easier to hit the target?  Of course not, you’d need to adapt and adjust how you threw the dart so you could hit the target.

The same is true in your daily sales activities.  When you’ve consciously chosen a good target for yourself there isn’t any reason or excuse for changing the target.  It isn’t acceptable to make excuses for yourself when you haven’t hit your targets at the end of the week.

However, there is a lot to learn and a lot to be gained when you don’t hit your targets.  As you track your progress you know exactly where you are at the end of the week, and why you’re where you are.  You also know where you intended to be.

So why is there a gap between what you set as your target and what you got as your outcome?  What do you need to do, and what are you willing to do differently to hit your target the following week?  There has to be a change in the actions you’ll take.

When you continue to take or avoid the same actions you’ll continue to get the same results.  No big mystery there.  Yet that’s exactly what the majority of sales people do week in and week out.

If you don’t know what to do or how to do it, what will you do to know?  Until you do something you’re stuck, and as long as you’re stuck you can’t hit your targets.  So stop blaming the target, stop repeating poor or non-existent behaviors, and start racking up those bull’s-eyes.