What are the two biggest obstacles to growing your business? In every industry and vocation there are those who attract clients like a magnet and reach the pinnacle of success and there are those who are stuck wishing they were at the top.
What separates the wealthy business owners who make it to the top and those people who get stuck on the ladder of success? Less than you think.
Do prospects tell you that your firm is too small to do the job? Do they think your prices are too high? Is it the economy? You may not know how, but all of these obstacles can easily be overcome.
There are two more persistent obstacles that get in the way of most small businesses. Before I tell you what they are and how to eliminate them, let's agree that two facts are true:
1. You're highly competent in your profession.
Whatever your profession, you've labored long and hard to become a master at it whether you sell accounting, legal or medical services.
2. You have confidence in the quality of your products and services.
You don't sell junk or under deliver. You provide top quality that your clients love.
Competence and confidence are two of the most important ingredients to creating satisfied clients and succeeding in business. You need to know which marketing activities get results and generate sales and you need the confidence to implement them.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
COMMON MISTAKES EXTRAORDINARY LEADERS DON'T MAKE
When people make a decision (either consciously or unconsciously) to follow your leadership, they do it primarily because of one of two things: Your Character or your Skills. They want to know if you are the kind of person they want to follow and if you have the skills to take them further. Yes, there are other variables but these are the bulk of the matter. This week we focus on the kind of skills that cause people to follow your leadership, specifically things that an Extraordinary Leader doesn’t do!
1. Not Riding Momentum - To increase your leadership effectiveness, you want to learn to ride the momentum of the situation (the positive momentum of course!). When we begin to experience bad momentum we naturally try to stop it and that is good, but many people also have the tendency to try to stop the positive momentum as well. This comes from our basic desire to have things “under control.” Unfortunately, often when we try to control the situation, we actually stop the good that is happening. So let go of the reigns and ride the momentum!
2. Flaunting the Privilege of Leadership - Leadership has its privileges, that is for sure. And rightly so! The entrepreneur who started the company ought to be paid well and reap the rewards for the risks that he or she took. Unfortunately, human nature is still such that people can resent the success and privileges of others, even if they worked hard for them. Therefore, an extraordinary leader will not be guilty of flaunting the privileges they have because this is likely to cause a backlash and can actually harm their ability to lead. Whenever possible share the privileges and rewards of leadership and your followers will love you all the more!
3. Picking People Who Won't Threaten Them - An Extraordinary Leader will always try to pick people who are better than them! Again, human nature is such that we think, “Wait, if I hire her, she’ll have me out of a job in no time.” Then we pick someone of lesser quality, while our competitor hires the good one and surges ahead. No, pick the best! If they are better than you, you will grow together as a team and you will still be the leader and people will respect you for your ability to pick - and lead - a winning team!
4. Not Having a Second in Command Who Complements Them - An ordinary leader picks someone who is like them so they can feel comfortable. An Extraordinary Leader picks someone who can do all the things that he or she can’t; someone who can see things in ways that he or she can’t. An Extraordinary Leader needs a right hand person who can compliment their skills and style. This way the old adage is proved true - two heads are better than one!
5. Not Giving Power Away - An ordinary leader wants to do as much as they can so they can be seen as a good, hard worker. They think that they lead by example in this. An Extraordinary Leader knows that they need to empower others to do the work and make the decisions if the organization is to grow and they are together going to make a difference. We must let others take leadership themselves, even if it means they fail at first. This way we multiply the organizational leadership and we go even further!
6. Unable or Unwilling to Make Hard Decisions - Leadership is a lot of decision making. Non-leaders don’t like to make decisions because they operate from a subjective viewpoint. They aren’t thinking about the overall health of the organization, they are thinking about who will get mad or who might lose their jobs. While we want to be sensitive to these things, the Extraordinary Leader understands that sometimes hard decisions have to be made for the sake of the organization - and they make them. Then they carry them out. John Maxwell says that decisions are like crying babies: both should be carried out quickly!
7. Trying to Have No Casualties - This may be the greatest leadership lesson I have ever learned. The Extraordinary Leader knows that anytime the organization will make ground, there will be casualties. In the movie Gladiator, the lieutenant comes to tell Maximus that the troops are not fully ready for battle. Maximus sees that the other side is about to move and if they don’t move first, they will lose the war. The Lieutenant begins to say, “The casualties will be too great,” but Maximus finishes the lieutenant’s sentence so that instead he said, “The casualties will be ‘acceptable.’” I realize now that when my organization moved ahead tremendously a few years ago, the people who got in a huff about it were the casualties and that any time a group moves ahead, that will happen. We shouldn’t look for or enjoy casualties, but understand they will assuredly come, and accept them. So move ahead!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
ONE THING AT A TIME, PLEASE
I have long been fascinated with the number of frustrated people in the world. Too many of us, too often, want to be someplace else. No matter what we are doing, we want to be doing something different. I’ve often heard that the secret of our age is that “most people feel inadequate most of the time.”
I want to begin by assuring you, whoever you are, that you are entirely adequate! Yes, you are!
I think of the famous poster of a mischievous toddler with his head on his hands, and the banner underneath says, “I must be OK ‘cause God don’t make no junk!” Trust me, God “don’t make no junk” and you are at the very least, “OK.”
But where does this sense of distraction and stress come from?
For many years I’ve suspected that the rise in ADD wasn’t because more people were born with it or we were better at diagnosing it. Something else seems to be going on. And then I came across a brand new mental health diagnosis, “Acquired Attention Deficit Disorder.” I think that’s it!
Think about that. I’m told most commercial images now last less than two seconds before jumping to another visual. No wonder a long, unbroken shot of 30 endless seconds is hard to watch!
In forty years, our world has sped up that much, and it is a metaphor for our lives. We multi-task. We have music or news on all day long, every place we go—in the car, while eating or exercising, even going to sleep at night. We are surrounded by sights and sounds all day long, on top of the traditional tasks of working, cooking meals, paying bills, running errands and juggling family issues.
Fortunately, our brains have actually learned to function in a world of constant stimulation. I think our brains do this amazingly well.
But I’m not sure “we” can. Between the mental effort, the physical strain and the constant distraction, I’m not sure our bodies and our souls are designed for the demands we place on ourselves.
And so we feel “inadequate.” We are exhausted, frustrated, in a hurry, feeling like we need to be someplace else, doing something else or something more.
I don’t have a quick or simple cure. But I have some suggestions:
1. Do less. Refuse to believe the illusion that every task, invitation or entertainment “must” be done. Practice laziness. Develop the self-discipline to say no and do less.
2. Get more sleep. Studies show most of us are sleep-deprived and that catches up with us. Take naps. Hammocks are good.
3. Savor silence. Turn off the television, the stereo, the radio, the phone and the iPod. Learn to love the sound of silence. It will lower your blood pressure and increase your patience.
4. Love what you do. Treat your work with respect. Give it the passion it deserves. Become an expert and let your work express your excellence. Do one thing, and do it well.
5. Be kind to yourself. Eat well. Delight in beauty. Laugh. Give and get lots of hugs. Play. Spend time with people you love. Avoid stress. Have fun.
I want to begin by assuring you, whoever you are, that you are entirely adequate! Yes, you are!
I think of the famous poster of a mischievous toddler with his head on his hands, and the banner underneath says, “I must be OK ‘cause God don’t make no junk!” Trust me, God “don’t make no junk” and you are at the very least, “OK.”
But where does this sense of distraction and stress come from?
For many years I’ve suspected that the rise in ADD wasn’t because more people were born with it or we were better at diagnosing it. Something else seems to be going on. And then I came across a brand new mental health diagnosis, “Acquired Attention Deficit Disorder.” I think that’s it!
Think about that. I’m told most commercial images now last less than two seconds before jumping to another visual. No wonder a long, unbroken shot of 30 endless seconds is hard to watch!
In forty years, our world has sped up that much, and it is a metaphor for our lives. We multi-task. We have music or news on all day long, every place we go—in the car, while eating or exercising, even going to sleep at night. We are surrounded by sights and sounds all day long, on top of the traditional tasks of working, cooking meals, paying bills, running errands and juggling family issues.
Fortunately, our brains have actually learned to function in a world of constant stimulation. I think our brains do this amazingly well.
But I’m not sure “we” can. Between the mental effort, the physical strain and the constant distraction, I’m not sure our bodies and our souls are designed for the demands we place on ourselves.
And so we feel “inadequate.” We are exhausted, frustrated, in a hurry, feeling like we need to be someplace else, doing something else or something more.
I don’t have a quick or simple cure. But I have some suggestions:
1. Do less. Refuse to believe the illusion that every task, invitation or entertainment “must” be done. Practice laziness. Develop the self-discipline to say no and do less.
2. Get more sleep. Studies show most of us are sleep-deprived and that catches up with us. Take naps. Hammocks are good.
3. Savor silence. Turn off the television, the stereo, the radio, the phone and the iPod. Learn to love the sound of silence. It will lower your blood pressure and increase your patience.
4. Love what you do. Treat your work with respect. Give it the passion it deserves. Become an expert and let your work express your excellence. Do one thing, and do it well.
5. Be kind to yourself. Eat well. Delight in beauty. Laugh. Give and get lots of hugs. Play. Spend time with people you love. Avoid stress. Have fun.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
PERVERSE MOTIVATION
Everyone likes to buy, but no one wants to be sold. People don't like to feel that they are the recipients or the victims of a sales presentation. Most customers are independent in their thinking, and they don't like to think that they are being manipulated, pressured, or coerced into doing anything. They like to feel as though they are making up their own minds based on good information that has been presented to them.
Sales Helper
The best salesperson is perceived as a helper who assists prospects in getting what they want and need. Remember, it is the perception of the customers that, more than anything else determines how the customer behaves toward a salesperson. You must do everything possible to appear to be helping rather than selling.
Salespeople are Teachers
Top salespeople are teachers who show their customers how products and services work to satisfy their needs. The more you are perceived as a teacher, the more likely it is that you will also be perceived as a consultant or an advisor. You will be seen as a trusted counselor who can be depended upon to help customers get what they want by means of the product or service that you are selling.
Don't Pressure the Customer
If ever your customers feel, even for a moment, that you are trying to sell them into buying something, they will instantly resist and withdraw. The most important part of selling is the quality of the trust bond that exists between you and your customers. You can't afford to do anything that threatens that trust bond. It is important that the customer feels that they are being informed about something that will benefit them, rather than feel pressured to buy a product that is being pushed upon them.
Design Presentation
Design your presentation in such a way that you are always showing, explaining, and asking questions to assure agreement and understanding. See yourself as a teacher with a willing and able student, eager to learn.
Action Exercise
Think of yourself as a teacher and your sales presentation as a "lesson plan." Always begin your presentation with agreement on the value or benefit that the customer seeks that your product or service can deliver.
Sales Helper
The best salesperson is perceived as a helper who assists prospects in getting what they want and need. Remember, it is the perception of the customers that, more than anything else determines how the customer behaves toward a salesperson. You must do everything possible to appear to be helping rather than selling.
Salespeople are Teachers
Top salespeople are teachers who show their customers how products and services work to satisfy their needs. The more you are perceived as a teacher, the more likely it is that you will also be perceived as a consultant or an advisor. You will be seen as a trusted counselor who can be depended upon to help customers get what they want by means of the product or service that you are selling.
Don't Pressure the Customer
If ever your customers feel, even for a moment, that you are trying to sell them into buying something, they will instantly resist and withdraw. The most important part of selling is the quality of the trust bond that exists between you and your customers. You can't afford to do anything that threatens that trust bond. It is important that the customer feels that they are being informed about something that will benefit them, rather than feel pressured to buy a product that is being pushed upon them.
Design Presentation
Design your presentation in such a way that you are always showing, explaining, and asking questions to assure agreement and understanding. See yourself as a teacher with a willing and able student, eager to learn.
Action Exercise
Think of yourself as a teacher and your sales presentation as a "lesson plan." Always begin your presentation with agreement on the value or benefit that the customer seeks that your product or service can deliver.
Friday, September 18, 2009
THE LAW OF ADVANCE PLANNING
The best salespeople prepare thoroughly before every call. This principle is so simple that it is often overlooked. The hallmark of the true professional is thorough preparation, reviewing every detail, before every sales meeting. The very best salespeople are those who review their presentations and study the details of their products and their sales materials repeatedly prior to every new sales contact.
The Customer's Situation
The salesperson with the best knowledge of the customer's real situation will be the one most likely to make the sale. The more time you take to thoroughly understand your prospective customer and your prospective customer's situation, the more likely you will be in a position to sell at the critical moment.
Sales Professionals Plan their questions in Advance
There is a direct relationship between the quality of the problem focused questions that you ask a customer and the likelihood of a sale taking place. The only way of assuring that your questions are clear and penetrating is by writing them out, word for word, in advance. Some of the most successful salespeople who have ever lived have been "question experts."
Notes
The power is on the side of the salesperson with the best notes. Plan your sales-call objectives thoroughly in advance of meeting the client. Write down and itemize exactly what you hope to accomplish in this visit. After the call, quickly write down everything that was said. Don't trust it to memory. Remember the Chinese saying, "The palest ink lasts longer than the finest memory." Prior to every sales call, and no matter how many times you have visited this same customer, take a few minutes to review the customer's file, the customer's situation, and your own notes on what has taken place in the past. You'll be amazed at how impressive you sound when you go into a sales interview having just reviewed the customer's file a few minutes before. And customers always know if you have done your homework.
Prior to Closing a Sale
The top salespeople in every field prepare exhaustively prior to selling, prior to their presentations, and prior to closing. They think everything through in advance. And they leave nothing to chance. Remember, it's the details that make the difference. The salesperson who has taken the greatest amount of time to acquaint himself or herself with the most specific needs of the customer is the one who builds the highest level of trust and the best sales relationship. Thorough preparation is the essential precondition for successful selling.
The Customer's Situation
The salesperson with the best knowledge of the customer's real situation will be the one most likely to make the sale. The more time you take to thoroughly understand your prospective customer and your prospective customer's situation, the more likely you will be in a position to sell at the critical moment.
Sales Professionals Plan their questions in Advance
There is a direct relationship between the quality of the problem focused questions that you ask a customer and the likelihood of a sale taking place. The only way of assuring that your questions are clear and penetrating is by writing them out, word for word, in advance. Some of the most successful salespeople who have ever lived have been "question experts."
Notes
The power is on the side of the salesperson with the best notes. Plan your sales-call objectives thoroughly in advance of meeting the client. Write down and itemize exactly what you hope to accomplish in this visit. After the call, quickly write down everything that was said. Don't trust it to memory. Remember the Chinese saying, "The palest ink lasts longer than the finest memory." Prior to every sales call, and no matter how many times you have visited this same customer, take a few minutes to review the customer's file, the customer's situation, and your own notes on what has taken place in the past. You'll be amazed at how impressive you sound when you go into a sales interview having just reviewed the customer's file a few minutes before. And customers always know if you have done your homework.
Prior to Closing a Sale
The top salespeople in every field prepare exhaustively prior to selling, prior to their presentations, and prior to closing. They think everything through in advance. And they leave nothing to chance. Remember, it's the details that make the difference. The salesperson who has taken the greatest amount of time to acquaint himself or herself with the most specific needs of the customer is the one who builds the highest level of trust and the best sales relationship. Thorough preparation is the essential precondition for successful selling.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
SOLVING COMPLEX ORGANISATIONAL PROBLEMS
Sustainable skill and competency development is the key to innovativeness
and increased productivity which is critical to your bottom-line. In the
current economy, sustaining current competition is a challenge, but it is
achievable with access to an accredited institution that can satisfy your
training needs on location or across the country.
Organizations today suffer from a severe disability when it comes to
solving problems. In virtually every organization, regardless of mission
and function, people are frustrated by problems that seem unsolvable.
Every attempt to resolve a problem results in unintended consequences that
dwarf the original one. Relationships worsen as people harden into
opposing positions, each side insisting on its own solution, unwilling to
consider alternatives. Too many problem-solving sessions become
battlegrounds where decisions are made based on power rather than
intelligence.
There is a subtle but pervasive kind of pain in our organizations. It is
characterized by such frequently heard complaints as “How am I supposed to
get my work done with all of these meetings?” and “We always have time to
do it over again, but never time to do it right.”
And organizational aggression is on the rise, mirroring the societal
trend. Competition has become increasingly ruthless with strategies that
aim to destroy competitors and achieve total market domination, rather
than former strategies of co-existence within well-defined niches. The
resurgence of command and control leadership is a less obvious but strong
form of aggression, where the will of one person is imposed on others with
the demand for obedience and compliance.
Laurence J. Peter said, “Some problems are so complex that you have to
be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them.”
and increased productivity which is critical to your bottom-line. In the
current economy, sustaining current competition is a challenge, but it is
achievable with access to an accredited institution that can satisfy your
training needs on location or across the country.
Organizations today suffer from a severe disability when it comes to
solving problems. In virtually every organization, regardless of mission
and function, people are frustrated by problems that seem unsolvable.
Every attempt to resolve a problem results in unintended consequences that
dwarf the original one. Relationships worsen as people harden into
opposing positions, each side insisting on its own solution, unwilling to
consider alternatives. Too many problem-solving sessions become
battlegrounds where decisions are made based on power rather than
intelligence.
There is a subtle but pervasive kind of pain in our organizations. It is
characterized by such frequently heard complaints as “How am I supposed to
get my work done with all of these meetings?” and “We always have time to
do it over again, but never time to do it right.”
And organizational aggression is on the rise, mirroring the societal
trend. Competition has become increasingly ruthless with strategies that
aim to destroy competitors and achieve total market domination, rather
than former strategies of co-existence within well-defined niches. The
resurgence of command and control leadership is a less obvious but strong
form of aggression, where the will of one person is imposed on others with
the demand for obedience and compliance.
Laurence J. Peter said, “Some problems are so complex that you have to
be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them.”
Look for institutions that offer trainings on these and get enrolled. You get informed so as not to be deformed.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
THE LAWS OF NEGOTIATING
The Laws of Negotiating are closely related to economics. They are part and parcel of the same process. Both economics and negotiating are based on the fact that each person places different values on different things. Everyone behaves economically in the sense that they always strive to negotiate the very best situation or result for themselves in each situation.
The Universal Law of Negotiating
Everything is negotiable. All prices and terms are set by someone. They can therefore be changed by someone. Prices are a best-guess estimate of what the customer will pay. The cost of manufacturing and marketing a particular product or service often has very little to do with the price that is put on it. Don't be intimidated by written prices, assume that they are written in pencil and can be easily erased and replaced with something more favorable to you. The key is to ask.
The Law of Futurity
The purpose of negotiation is to enter into an agreement such that both parties have their needs satisfied and are motivated to fulfill their agreements and enter into further negotiations with the same party in the future.
The Law of Win-Win or No Deal
In a successful negotiation, both parties should be fully satisfied with the result and feel that they have each "won" or no deal should be made at all. When you are determined to achieve a win-win solution to a negotiation, and you are open, receptive, and flexible in your discussions, you will often discover a third alternative that neither party had considered initially but that is superior to what either of you might have though of on your own.
The Law of Unlimited Possibilities
You can always get a better deal if you know how. You never need to settle for less or feel dissatisfied with the result of any negotiation. If you want a better deal, ask for it. You will be quite astonished at the better deals you will get by simply asking for a lower price if you're buying and asking for a higher price if you're selling.
The Law of Timing
Timing is everything in a negotiation. Whenever possible, you must plan strategically and use the timing of the negotiation to your advantage. If you are in a hurry to close a deal, your ability to negotiate well on your own behalf diminishes dramatically. The person who allows himself or herself to be rushed will bet the worst bargain. You resolve 80 percent of the vital issues of any negotiation in the last 20 percent of the time allocated for the negotiation.
The Law of Terms
The terms of payment can be more important than the price in a negotiation. You can agree to almost any price if you can decide the terms. It is important to never accept the first offer no matter how good it sounds. Act a little disappointed when you hear the first offer, and then ask for time to think about it. Realize that no matter how good the first offer is, it usually means that you can get an even better deal if you are patient.
Action Exercise
Whenever possible, talk to someone who has negotiated the same sort of deal with the same person. Find out what the other person is likely to want and what he or she has agreed to in the past. Forewarned is forearmed!
The Universal Law of Negotiating
Everything is negotiable. All prices and terms are set by someone. They can therefore be changed by someone. Prices are a best-guess estimate of what the customer will pay. The cost of manufacturing and marketing a particular product or service often has very little to do with the price that is put on it. Don't be intimidated by written prices, assume that they are written in pencil and can be easily erased and replaced with something more favorable to you. The key is to ask.
The Law of Futurity
The purpose of negotiation is to enter into an agreement such that both parties have their needs satisfied and are motivated to fulfill their agreements and enter into further negotiations with the same party in the future.
The Law of Win-Win or No Deal
In a successful negotiation, both parties should be fully satisfied with the result and feel that they have each "won" or no deal should be made at all. When you are determined to achieve a win-win solution to a negotiation, and you are open, receptive, and flexible in your discussions, you will often discover a third alternative that neither party had considered initially but that is superior to what either of you might have though of on your own.
The Law of Unlimited Possibilities
You can always get a better deal if you know how. You never need to settle for less or feel dissatisfied with the result of any negotiation. If you want a better deal, ask for it. You will be quite astonished at the better deals you will get by simply asking for a lower price if you're buying and asking for a higher price if you're selling.
The Law of Timing
Timing is everything in a negotiation. Whenever possible, you must plan strategically and use the timing of the negotiation to your advantage. If you are in a hurry to close a deal, your ability to negotiate well on your own behalf diminishes dramatically. The person who allows himself or herself to be rushed will bet the worst bargain. You resolve 80 percent of the vital issues of any negotiation in the last 20 percent of the time allocated for the negotiation.
The Law of Terms
The terms of payment can be more important than the price in a negotiation. You can agree to almost any price if you can decide the terms. It is important to never accept the first offer no matter how good it sounds. Act a little disappointed when you hear the first offer, and then ask for time to think about it. Realize that no matter how good the first offer is, it usually means that you can get an even better deal if you are patient.
Action Exercise
Whenever possible, talk to someone who has negotiated the same sort of deal with the same person. Find out what the other person is likely to want and what he or she has agreed to in the past. Forewarned is forearmed!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
LOWEST PRICE OR BEST SOLUTION?
Everyone wants a bargain. When we shop, we always look for a “good deal” because want to receive maximum value for our money. The key to building your business is to know how your customers measure a “bargain.”
When we buy a product where the features and benefits from various suppliers are virtually identical, a bargain is usually measured in terms of low price. When we buy a bag of rice or a box of corn flakes, for most of us the brand makes little difference. We want a low price and buy the brand that is on sale.
On the other hand, when we are buying a product or service where we believe quality, reliability or other essentials could vary widely, price becomes secondary. Who shops for the cheapest surgeon?
Many professionals and small business owners make a mistake in trying to compete on the basis of price, when they would be far better off emphasizing the qualities that their customers value most highly.
Everyone can recall choosing a restaurant because of the atmosphere, superior service or extra attention we received. For a special occasion, we may drive many miles and pay extra to be certain of a "bargain" in terms of a delightful dinner experience.
To increase your sales, survey your best customers and find out exactly why they buy from you, then emphasize those fea tures or benefits when marketing to new prospects. Most of us hire our attorney, our accountant, dentist and physician for reasons other than low price. Perhaps location and convenience were critical factors, or the recommendation of a trusted friend may have been important. Perhaps they have a specialty we value, or we may have been impressed with their competence.
The same principles apply in selling your services! Find out what your customers want, how they define a “bargain” and focus on THAT, every single time, to every single client.
When we buy a product where the features and benefits from various suppliers are virtually identical, a bargain is usually measured in terms of low price. When we buy a bag of rice or a box of corn flakes, for most of us the brand makes little difference. We want a low price and buy the brand that is on sale.
On the other hand, when we are buying a product or service where we believe quality, reliability or other essentials could vary widely, price becomes secondary. Who shops for the cheapest surgeon?
Many professionals and small business owners make a mistake in trying to compete on the basis of price, when they would be far better off emphasizing the qualities that their customers value most highly.
Everyone can recall choosing a restaurant because of the atmosphere, superior service or extra attention we received. For a special occasion, we may drive many miles and pay extra to be certain of a "bargain" in terms of a delightful dinner experience.
To increase your sales, survey your best customers and find out exactly why they buy from you, then emphasize those fea tures or benefits when marketing to new prospects. Most of us hire our attorney, our accountant, dentist and physician for reasons other than low price. Perhaps location and convenience were critical factors, or the recommendation of a trusted friend may have been important. Perhaps they have a specialty we value, or we may have been impressed with their competence.
The same principles apply in selling your services! Find out what your customers want, how they define a “bargain” and focus on THAT, every single time, to every single client.
Quotes of the Week
"To follow, without halt, one aim: That's the secret of success." -- Anna Pavlova
"Inspiration grows into full-scale creation through persistence and imagination." -Carol Lloyd
"We have to do the best we can. This is our sacred human responsibility." -- Albert Einstein
"Work and play are the same. When you're following your energy and doing what you want all the time, the distinction between work and play dissolves." -- Shakti Gawain
"To follow, without halt, one aim: That's the secret of success." -- Anna Pavlova
"Inspiration grows into full-scale creation through persistence and imagination." -Carol Lloyd
"We have to do the best we can. This is our sacred human responsibility." -- Albert Einstein
"Work and play are the same. When you're following your energy and doing what you want all the time, the distinction between work and play dissolves." -- Shakti Gawain
Thursday, September 3, 2009
TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR SALESPEOPLE
In 1928, the magazine Sales and Marketing Management surveyed American Businesses to determine how efficiently salespeople were using their time. They discovered that the average salesperson in America was only working 20 percent of the time, approximately one and one-half hours per day. This finding caused bells to go off throughout the sales industry. The idea that salespeople were only working ninety minutes per day became the emphasis for improved training, better time management skills, better supervision, and better control of the activities of salespeople.
Double Your Sales
In my sales programs, I teach what I call my minutes theory. It is based on a simple equation. If you are in sales today, 100 percent of your sales and your income are generated by the number of minutes hat you spend face-to-face with prospects and customers. If you want to increase the number of sales or the amount of money you make, you must increase the number of minutes that you spend in actual selling activity, face-to-face with people who can, and will, buy from you. My theory says that if you double the number of minutes that if you spend with customers, you will double your income, even if you do not improve in any other area of sales. If you manage your time as the top salespeople do, so that you are spending more time with customers, your sales will increase immediately.
The Job of the Salesperson
Let us begin with the job description of the salesperson. The job description of the salesperson is to create and keep customers. The measure of effectiveness of a salesperson is how many new customers she creates, or resales she generates, in any given time period. Everything else that salesperson does is secondary to creating and keeping customers. Therefore, the only time a sales person is working is when he is face-to-face, head-to-head, and knee-to-knee with a prospect or customer.
Begin with Clear Income and Sales Goals
Achieving Peak Performance and excellent time management in sales begins with your setting clear income and sales goals for yourself. The act of sitting down and deciding, in writing, how much you want to earn, and how you are going to go about earning it, makes it far more likely that you will achieve those goals than if you didn't set them at all. The goal-setting exercise I am about to share with you has led to the doubling and tripling of the incomes of many salespeople. It is powerful because it is simple and easy. You can learn it and apply it immediately.
Determine What You Will Have to Do
Once you have broken your income and sales goals down into monthly, weekly, daily, and hourly amounts, you then define these goals in terms of the activities necessary to achieve them. The critical element in this calculation is the factor of control. You cannot control your income or your sales on a day-to-day basis. They depend on too many other factors. But you can control your activities. You can determine and control what you do from morning to night, and as a result, you can indirectly control your income. If you engage in the activities necessary to make sales you want to make, you will inevitably achieve your sales goals.
Get Better at What You Do
Once you have determined your sales goals and worked out an activity schedule for each day, you immediately go to work on yourself to upgrade your skills in your key result areas. One of the best uses of your time is to get better at the most important things you do. Your goal is to upgrade your skills so that you achieve more and better results in a shorter period of time.
Action Exercise
Take charge of your sales career today; resolve to double the amount of time you spend face-to-face with prospects and customers.
Double Your Sales
In my sales programs, I teach what I call my minutes theory. It is based on a simple equation. If you are in sales today, 100 percent of your sales and your income are generated by the number of minutes hat you spend face-to-face with prospects and customers. If you want to increase the number of sales or the amount of money you make, you must increase the number of minutes that you spend in actual selling activity, face-to-face with people who can, and will, buy from you. My theory says that if you double the number of minutes that if you spend with customers, you will double your income, even if you do not improve in any other area of sales. If you manage your time as the top salespeople do, so that you are spending more time with customers, your sales will increase immediately.
The Job of the Salesperson
Let us begin with the job description of the salesperson. The job description of the salesperson is to create and keep customers. The measure of effectiveness of a salesperson is how many new customers she creates, or resales she generates, in any given time period. Everything else that salesperson does is secondary to creating and keeping customers. Therefore, the only time a sales person is working is when he is face-to-face, head-to-head, and knee-to-knee with a prospect or customer.
Begin with Clear Income and Sales Goals
Achieving Peak Performance and excellent time management in sales begins with your setting clear income and sales goals for yourself. The act of sitting down and deciding, in writing, how much you want to earn, and how you are going to go about earning it, makes it far more likely that you will achieve those goals than if you didn't set them at all. The goal-setting exercise I am about to share with you has led to the doubling and tripling of the incomes of many salespeople. It is powerful because it is simple and easy. You can learn it and apply it immediately.
Determine What You Will Have to Do
Once you have broken your income and sales goals down into monthly, weekly, daily, and hourly amounts, you then define these goals in terms of the activities necessary to achieve them. The critical element in this calculation is the factor of control. You cannot control your income or your sales on a day-to-day basis. They depend on too many other factors. But you can control your activities. You can determine and control what you do from morning to night, and as a result, you can indirectly control your income. If you engage in the activities necessary to make sales you want to make, you will inevitably achieve your sales goals.
Get Better at What You Do
Once you have determined your sales goals and worked out an activity schedule for each day, you immediately go to work on yourself to upgrade your skills in your key result areas. One of the best uses of your time is to get better at the most important things you do. Your goal is to upgrade your skills so that you achieve more and better results in a shorter period of time.
Action Exercise
Take charge of your sales career today; resolve to double the amount of time you spend face-to-face with prospects and customers.
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