3 SALES TRUTH YOU CAN HANDLE

Did you get a chance to look at what I discovered after studying the research behind 10,000 hours of sales calls?

Now we know EXACTLY why top producers close more sales than anyone else...

But before you click on that link, I want to drive home a few IMPORTANT facts about life in the 21st century.

There are three unfortunate "sales challenges" we face in today's environment.

Here are the three "sales realities" that are affecting your sales today -- no matter what industry, niche or product you sell.

First -- look around you. Look at your nightstand. Look inside your pocket. Chances are, you'll see a smartphone. 

Nearly every person seems to have one these days...

How does this affect our ability to sell in the 21st century?

Quite simply -- information about you, your product, service, reviews, competition... and price... is at the touch of a fingertip these days.

It's so easy for your prospect to dig up anything. If they see something they don't like... or something better... they're gone.

That's one sales reality of the 21st century.

Here's number two: Everyone has a smaller wallet these days.

Frankly, the economy has not improved as much as we'd like to think it has since 2008. Consumer spending is still unstable.

And that means you have to fight that much harder to make a sale.

If you sell to businesses, be prepared for a battle.

However -- if you know the "seven key results areas" top performers focus on... and how they practically avoid negotiations and "price wars"...

You can make sales without "fighting prospects."

That's "sales reality" number two.

Here's the last one: The world is getting smaller and smaller.

Just 25 years ago, the idea of a "video phone" was still science fiction. And now, anyone on Earth with a Skype account can talk with people half-way around the world... face-to-face.

What does this mean for you? It means anyone can sell to anyone.  

Back in the day, there were "regional areas" for sales teams. Companies would break up territories.

Today, you're competing against practically anyone, anywhere. 

That's tough, but it doesn't have to be.

ORGANIZING HINTS FOR COMBATING OVERWHELM

Even if you know how to get organized, sometimes it seems like there's so much to do you don't even know where to start! Here are some hints to get you going and keep you on track.

 

1. Break your job into small chunks. If you're going through lots of paper, take a pile and put it in a nice looking basket. This is your project basket. Concentrate on sorting only these papers until you're done, preferably out of sight of the rest of the job. Then refill the basket and repeat.

 

2. Set aside small blocks of time. Don't commit an entire weekend to organizing your closet. First, decide what your organized closet will look like and make a plan. Using a plan helps keep you on track and frees you from rethinking the project every weekend.

 

3. Promise yourself to work for 2 hours at a time, then do something fun as a reward. Working for a limited amount of time instead of working until a task is complete means there's a defined beginning and end to keep things in perspective.

 

4. Make a master list. This is a complete brain dump of all you want and need to do. It may be long, but getting it on paper will unclutter your head.

 

5. Hire an organizer. An organizer can offer you skills and experience, but also an objective, nonjudgmental eye to help you from getting bogged down.

 

6. Pretend it's not your stuff. Try some tricks to gain objectivity such as pretending you're an archaeologist, or you're helping a friend.

 

7. See the trees, not the forest. To find the trees, try looking at your desk through a paper towel tube (professional organizer Judith Kolberg's idea). When you can literally only see one pile at a time the project seems more manageable.

 

8. Arrange your work space so that you have to get up from your chair regularly as you work. Movement will help dissipate nervous energy and bring you back into your body.

 

9. Think of getting organized as a gift you give yourself, because you're worth it.

 

10. Know that you are not alone. Having clutter isn't something people like to talk about, but it's very common and it doesn't mean you're a bad person. Overcoming it involves learning skills, not changing who you are.

- by Claire Tompkins

USE STRENGTH, ELIMINATE WEAKNESSES

Two principles came through clearly at the World Class
Business conference: High achievers use their
strengths and eliminate their weaknesses.
Winners know what they do best, and they focus on it.
They understand their market, their resources and their
talents, and they deploy their assets to maximum advantage.
In business, you always want an "unfair" advantage by doing
something that sets you apart from your competitors, that
gives your customers unique value, and identifies you as
the very best in your field.
Focus on and specialize in your strengths. Use them to
your advantage every day, in every way possible.
Similarly, winners know and accept their limitations. They
do not struggle or "try" to do things that do not interest
them. They are not defensive or embarrassed about this,
they simply acknowledge that they cannot serve everyone and
turn that "weakness" to their strategic advantage.
Never spend time doing things that do not interest you, or
for which you have no talent or skill. If you can, simply
don't do them at all. If they must be done, delegate them.
Hire someone to do it for you, or form an alliance with
another business to your mutual advantage.
Profitable businesses know what they do best. They get
very good at it and charge a premium for the quality they
deliver, and they never, never drown in the swamp of low
quality, high-cost frustration. Do what you do best and
eliminate the rest.

TO GET RICH, SERVE YOUR CUSTOMERS

This week I heard a cute story about a golf instructor who

asked a student what the basic, fundamental purpose of the
game was. The student replied, "To enjoy a great sport?"
No. "To enjoy the company of friends and play well?" No,
no, no!
The instructor replied, "The point is to get the little
white ball in the hole as efficiently as possible!"
Sometimes in business we forget the most basic
fundamentals. I've heard business people argue about the
basic purpose of being in business. Some say it's to make
a profit, because unless there is a profit, the business
will eventually cease to function. Others say the point is
to provide a valuable service or a great product.
In my opinion there is only ONE reason for any business to
exist, and that is to serve the needs of it's customers.
Of course, as a practical matter, you must make a profit,
you must operate legally and ethically, and provide value.
But in the end, the only real measure of a business is
whether or not it serves it's customers well.
If you serve the needs and desires of your customers, they
will do business with you, and that will allow all those
other things, like profits, to happen. If you fail to
serve your customers well, in the long run nothing else
matters.
In the end, the customer IS always right. The customer is
the boss. The customer is the final inspector, the final
supervisor, the absolute "owner" and manager of the
business and their opinions come first. Successful
businesses from Walmart to Home Depot to Amazon, to your local
hair dresser all understand this.
Know your customer. Understand their needs, their desires,
even their preferences, and serve your customer. It's the
key to success.