Recently I had the pleasure of being a passenger in a small private airplane. The pilot, the owner of the airplane welcomed me then instructed me to just sit in my seat while he went through his pre-flight check list that was printed on a laminated card. So I just sat there while he spent about ten minutes checking the exterior of the plane, the quality and amount of fuel, fluid levels, the settings and workability of the controls, and various instruments. Finally he looked around, hollered “Contact” and pressed the starter button. The motor started, we taxied to the runway then surged into the sky. We flew to another city and, as we approached the airport to land the craft, he pulled out the checklist and went through the same procedure checking everything before landing.

As we walked away from the plane I asked him, “How long have you been flying?”

“About ten years” he replied.

“Haven’t you memorized the procedure for taking off and landing by now?”

“Of course I have.”

“Then why do you bother using the printed checklist each time?”

“Well, I’m sure you’ve read a story in the newspaper about an airplane

that lands on its belly because the pilot forgot to lower the wheels? That’s not going to happen to me! I was taught to always use my checklist every time I take off and every time I land. I always do it. I have never had a problem and don’t plan on ever having one.”

He’s right of course. In our normal existence we do many routine tasks almost unconsciously. Ever since that conversation I have started working on being more conscious and intentional about my routine-yet-important tasks with a goal of never “landing the plane with the wheels up.” I’ve created written checklists to insure I do them right every time. I encourage you to look at the routine tasks at your company, write checklists for them. You’ll be sure to “lower the wheels every time.”

Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the long-running (every Sunday since November 2001) business column, “Front Lines with Larry Galler” Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.larrygaller.com Questions??? Send an email to larry@larrygaller.com

Does your business run on a sales engine or a sales effort? A sales effort is something that has to be done every time you want to make a sale. But, a sales engine is something that, once put into place, can bring you sale after sale without added effort. Here are a couple of examples …

A photographer gets to know a handful of bridal consultants that refer every new bride they meet to him. Each time they get a new client, he has the opportunity to get a phone call from that bride without having lifted a finger.

A home cleaning company establishes a relationship with organizations that provide temporary corporate housing for companies with newly relocated employees. The temporary housing companies contact the cleaning company each time they have a person vacate one of their units so they can prepare it for the next resident. Since the nature of the residences is temporary, they have a continual need for cleaning services.

In both of these examples, instead of spending valuable (potentially billable) work time on marketing, these companies are earning money. And during the time they do spend on marketing, they are focused on developing long-term relationships with sources of continual referral instead of tracking down each individual purchaser.

In the cleaning company example, they could be running classified ads, taking calls, visiting individual homes to provide cleaning estimates, etc. But all that effort only results in one job. There is an opportunity to clean each temporary residence 3-4 times per year. Multiply that figure by the number of units the temporary housing company manages, and you’ve got some regular business rolling in. And all from one relationship. Now, that’s a sales engine!

In the case of the photographer, the service is not being performed for the bridal consultants. It’s being performed for their clients. So, rather than being a

repeat-service relationship, it is a referral relationship. However, it is not reciprocal. By the time the photographer hears from brides, they have already started planning the other elements of their wedding, so it’s too late to refer them to the bridal consultants he knows. But, he could reward the bridal consultants with a referral fee that he creates by either discounting his services when dealing with those brides they refer to him or by marking his services up by 15%.

Despite all the stories you hear, most business owners are honest people who have the desire to treat their customers fairly. In the case of the photographer, the bridal consultants provide the brides with a list of photographers that they can choose from. This allows the bride to make her own decision based on quality/price rather than being pushed into a relationship with a particular photographer.

Would you prefer to invest your time in building a relationship that brings you sale after sale or one that brings you a one-shot sale? It’s not magic. It’s not a get-rich quick scheme. It’s a simple key to business success.

So, the question is .. are you going to spend this afternoon pitching one account that could lead to one job or building a relationship that could lead to several jobs? Don’t get me wrong — it can take more than an afternoon to establish the most ideal relationships. But, in more cases than not, it’s no more difficult to form this one relationship than it is to form any other.

Start your sales engine!

About The Author

Kimberly Stevens is the author of the ebook series, *The Profitable Business Owner: A Step-by-Step System for Starting & Running a Successful Service Business*. Download Sample Chapters & get her free MiniCourse, *The 10 Most Common Mistakes Business Owners Make & How To Avoid Them* at: http://www.askthebizcoach.com/ebooks.htm

kim@askthebizcoach.com

I have to admit, I have an ‘addiction’.

Sometimes this addiction keeps me up to 3 am, sometimes it causes me to work 7 days a week.

Many times this addiction is healthy, but I will confess that sometimes it’s not.

No, my addiction isn’t drugs or alcohol, it’s something much more powerful.”Mike, what is it?”

I’m addicted to studying successful people in all areas of life and taking from them things that can help me and my business.

I’ve had this ‘addiction’ for a while and I think it’s getting worse. :}

There are so many people in hundreds of different industries doing amazing things that we can learn from.

Recently, I started to become fascinated with the 80-year plus master vacuum salesperson David Oreck.

Have you seen his TV commercials or print ads? He and his company are everywhere.

The guy is a master salesperson and entrepreneur.

In doing some research about him, I found many intriguing success principles and I want to share 2 of them with you today:

1) The Importance of a Coach/Mentor – David Oreck gives a ton of credit to the late David Sarnoff who was instrumental in the development of radio and TV.

David Oreck learned a great deal about selling, communication, and having a vision. And he transferred those skills to his own business.

(If you’re serious about changing your life quickly, I have set aside 47 more f.ee success assessments with one of my top success coaches. These assessments will get you focused and help you quickly reach your dreams, go here:

target="_blank" href="http://www.successcoaching.com">http://www.successcoaching.com )

2) The Power of Sticking to the Fundamentals – After reading many, many articles about David Oreck, the one point I noticed he kept emphasizing that was instrumental to his success is sticking to the fundamentals.

Ask yourself:

What are the fundamental keys and action steps to succeeding at my line of work?

Pick 1 and start working on it today.

Becoming a huge success isn’t necessarily a complex thing; it’s taking consistent steps forward, learning from your mistakes, understanding the business you’re in…and never giving up.

David Oreck has been living these principles for decades and if you start applying them in your life, you’ll SEE huge progress toward your dreams.

Now back to my addiction: I love it. :} But I probably need a bit of moderation at times.

I’m committed to sharing with you tips and strategies that have helped me to live my dreams at 31 years old and my CHALLENGE to you is this: apply 1 new thing you learn each week.

Do one thing today you don’t feel like doing, but if you do, it will move you forward.

YOU can do it.

Talk to you soon.

Mike Litman is the co-author of the #1 Best-selling book Conversations with Millionaires. Over the last 3 years, Mike has unleashed the greatness of tens of thousands of people worldwide. Networking Times Magazine called Mike Litman ‘a modern day Napoleon Hill’ and at the age of 30 he’s already shared the stage with well-known speakers such as Mark Victor Hansen and Bob Proctor. http://www.mikelitman.com

Alcohol Abuse information, tips, recovery and treatment.

Ask any salesperson, “At what point in the selling process does the ‘Close’ take place?” Eight out of ten will answer, “at the End”. To be fair, they are not totally incorrect but they are, nevertheless, more wrong than right proving in principle and in practice, Perado’s Law: Twenty percent of the sales force make eighty percent of the sales and profitability.

The questions that should then be asked are, “Why it is so many professional sellers have it wrong?” and, “What is right?”

For decades salespeople were [and still are] taught certain accepted selling fundamentals; the best being Dale Carnegie’s 5-Steps to a Sale: Attention, Interest, Conviction, Desire and Close. Perhaps a little ahead of his peers, Carnegie’s formula has certainly stood the test of time and continues to work. On the other hand, selling, like so many other disciplines, has many subtle layers that color the process, especially as it relates to the Close and like the 1/100th of a second that can separate a Gold Metal winner from Silver, the outcome in sales is equally dramatic.

The ‘No Close’ Know-Nots!

The last couple of decades spawned some major changes regarding how sellers were to sell and redefined some of the rules of engagement. It also produced new selling gurus convinced in theory that the ‘Art of Closing’ was no longer in fashion. Things like their new Funnel approach all but eliminated the need to understand and hone closing techniques of any kind. History demonstrates that convincing though they were, in practice, they were dead wrong.

Regardless of whether one is selling pens, mufflers, computers or airplanes, customers still possess an innate psychological need to have what is often a new direction [the decision to buy] validated. Asking for the order and reaffirming the decision-to-buy a good one, does this and yes, it takes place at the end of the selling encounter. Not surprisingly, however, what transpires at the ‘Front-End’ of the sale – the point successful sellers know the art of the close actually takes place – is what allows this process to transpire.

From another perspective, we can draw parallels of closing-strategies to that of the last war in Iraq. Long before the firing of the first bullet or cruse missile

launch, specially trained soldiers [Special Ops] had already been in Iraq for months covertly uncovering strategic information to send back to the invasion architects.

War experts agree and it’s been well documented, the job the US and British Special Ops did was so exceptional it all but captured victory before the war in the Middle East ever took place. Interestingly, those who have read Tzu Sun’s book The Art of War, would understand the uncanny parallels of the Iraqi campaign to his conflict strategies – conscious too of how he [Tzu Sun] would have certainly been impressed.

What, though, should we glean from this example? An overview of the battle strategy for the Iraq war clearly demonstrates the success of the campaign was front-end loaded: first understand the enemy. Learn its strengths, weaknesses. Uncover – ahead of time – what challenges may be faced. Then and only then, develop ‘Practiced Strategies’ expressly designed to overcome any such resistance. Simply put, the Iraq war was won in the quality of its Preparation – in keeping with Tzu Sun’s mantra: The war is already over before the enemy believes it has even begun.

Drawing our parallels from this to selling, customers, although not our enemy, nevertheless put forward unique challenges [real or otherwise] requiring first, an intimate and compassionate understanding of their needs BEFORE the implementation of a strategy/process using proven/practiced skills designed to garner customer Trust, Rapport and Satisfaction [the Close] ever takes place.

The Bottom Line:

Successful sellers continue to hone their closing skills ever mindful of the importance closing and the ‘Ability to Close’ has to the success of the sale. The difference for them, however, is they see the art of closing from a point most others can only see through their rearview mirror.

About The Author

Paul Shearstone aka The ‘Pragmatic Persuasionist’ is one of North America’s foremost experts on Sales and Persuasion. An International Keynote Speaker, Author, Writer, Motivation, Corporate Ethics, / Time & Stress Management Specialist, Paul enlightens and challenges audiences as he informs, motivates and entertains. To comment on this article or to book the Pragmatic Persuasionist for your next successful event we invite to contact Paul Shearstone directly @ 416-728-5556 or 1-866-855-4590.

www.success150.com or paul@success150.com.

About 2 years ago, I participated in a training program I’ll never forget. The leader divided us into two teams. Each team’s task was to fire a whack of darts into each number on a dartboard. The leader of Team A was given instructions that his team had to hit the numbers in a certain sequence. He then related the sequence, number by number, to his team.

The leader of Team B was told that her team could hit the numbers in any sequence. Her task was to encourage and motivate us (I was on Team B) to achieve.

We fired away. Team B won. Team A complained about their rules and that Team B won because we were free to hit any number in any order. They felt that the results didn’t fairly reflect their ability.

What did we learn?

After the whining died down, we reflected on what we learned:

· Both teams were given the same goal: to hit all the numbers

· Those given free rein to reach the goal any way they wanted did it more quickly, effectively and enthusiastically

· Freedom, coupled with support, will inevitably result in higher achievement and commitment levels than dictated actions and steps.

CONSIDER THE IMPLICATIONS FOR SALES TEAMS

Sales people are promoted into management because they are fabulous, effective and motivated. However, when they become sales managers they often turn into the Team A kind of leader, telling their sales people what to do and how to do it, insisting that if the sales team just did it ‘my way’ they would achieve results. With this kind of leadership, most of the team starts a fast track to mediocrity.

News flash: No one likes being told what to do. Especially adults.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

One of the most critical roles a sales manager (or any manager, for that matter) can play is that of coach. A coach is more than a cheerleader. A coach holds people to a higher standard than they would for themselves, and then helps them get there. A coach asks questions,

rather than offers advice, so that people can arrive at their own conclusions of how they want to proceed.

NOTICE…AND THEN NOTICE MORE

As you go about your week, consider the following questions around your ability to develop and motivate others. Let them inform and shape the quality of your interactions.

· What do I believe about the others on my team? (Capable? Incompetent? Can figure things out if given a chance?)

· What is my intent in working with this person? (Check off my ‘To Do’ list? Have fun? Learn from them? Have them learn from me?)

· What kind of relationship do I want with my team?

· How are my negative beliefs about team members leading to self-fulfilling prophecies?

· What does control mean to me?

· What would happen if I let go of some of my control?

· What does that look like in practice? (Asking more questions? Really listening? Allowing people to come up with, and implement, their own ideas?)

· What do I need to do ‘more of’ or ‘less of’ in order to develop and motivate others?

SUCCESS CHALLENGE: KEEP A JOURNAL

Spend five minutes each day writing a daily journal. Try posing to yourself one of the above questions, and then jot down your answer.

Writing in a journal can help you see some subtleties in your world you didn’t notice before and can open up your mind to new ideas. This daily practice can keep you sharp, and on the path to success.

This article may be reprinted in its entirety with express written permission from Nicki Weiss. The reprint must include the section “About the Author”.

About the Author

Nicki Weiss is an internationally recognized Certified Professional Sales Management Coach, Master Trainer, and workshop leader. Since 1992, Nicki has trained, certified, and/or coached more than 6,000 business executives, sales managers and salespeople.

Nicki guarantees increased sales performance when sales managers become better sales coaches. Sign up for her FREE monthly e-zine, Something for NothingTM, which has powerful tips and techniques for sales managers who are ready to make this transformation. Sign up at http://www.saleswise.ca You can email her at nicki@saleswise.ca or call 416-778-4145.

After careful consideration, we have chosen our vendor, and it’s not you.”

Hard words to hear. That big deal, the account you’ve been courting for months, has fallen to someone else.

“We appreciate all the time and effort you put into your bid. It was quite professional.”

Yeah sure, they really appreciate your months of grueling work, but not enough to actually write you a check. You feel like you’ve just been elected the mayor of Loser-ville.

So what do you do now? At this crucial point, many salespeople make one of two mistakes: they either forget about this big potential customer (and the time invested) forever or they make some desperate move that further cements their fate as the Company That Couldn’t. “Hey wait-a-second Mr. Prospect, are you really mentally prepared to give me a final no? Hello?…. Hello?” (Never comment on a prospect’s mental health).

One thing that separates a good salesperson from a great salesperson is the ability to become a backup vendor. In essence, positioning yourself as the secondary supplier for the account sets you up to continue to build a relationship with the client, to someday win that business. Most companies want to have depth in their supply chain. Everybody likes to have options. Few clients will deny your last request.

“Sure, whatever.”

Maybe they don’t sound sincere, but they’ve just given the invitation to keep the relationship alive. Now you can go to work showing them what a great vendor you could be. One key thing to remember is to never criticize the company that won the business. If you talk bad about the winning competitor, you are criticizing the customer’s recent decision. Calling your potential customer stupid is not an effective sales tactic.

Next, find out exactly why you lost the deal. People typically don’t have much trouble telling you where you went wrong. If they balk, tell them that to be an effective backup vendor, you want to know more about their specific needs. Before long, you find out what you did wrong – and what you need to do right – to eventually get the business. Every bit of detail you discover will help you win the account one-day. Look for the role you played in the failed deal.

You can also ask for referrals. You will be amazed how easy it to get leads from a company that just told you they have chosen another vendor. Then sell to the other companies and get testimonial letters from them. Send copies and a thank you note to the company who gave the referral.

Continue to build the relationship just like you would if you were the primary vendor. Put regular ticklers for the client in your contact database (if you don’t have contact software, pick up your rotary phone next to the lava lamp and order some now) and touch base with them. Keep reminding them that you’ll be ready when they need backup.

Develop an Email relationship and

let them know occasionally (not every two day’s) how you are helping your other happy customers.

Keep building the relationship. Stock the products they use, and send updated product information. Offer solutions to any problems they may tell you about. Refer them to other companies who provide products or services you don’t. These kinds of activities will ensure that you stay on their vendor list, and you will build a reputation as a problem solver.

Be nice to everyone in the company. Someone, who is not making the final decision, now, could be in the future. As a matter of fact, I have seen situations where the low man on the ladder ended up as a decision-maker. I was able to get the business because I treated him with importance when he was Mr. Nobody. In another case, I discovered that the purchasing agent had been replaced, and that the new one couldn’t stand the current vendor. I have also built strong relationships with want-to-be decision-makers who move to other companies to become real buyers (guess who got the business).

Invite the client to company events and parties. Treat them just like a customer, and sooner or later, they will be.

All the while, continue to document what did not work the first time with this client, and make sure you cover your bases for the future. If your product and service is superior to the competition, hang in there. Your potential customer will be replacing parts or suffering inferior service while you start to emerge as the low risk provider.

Treat the lost customer well enough, and they’ll start to imagine how good you’d treat them if you really had their business. The company that keeps up the communication longest will eventually get the business.

Practice poised consistent persistence. We had a Skybox at the Astrodome. On one occasion, I had some folks there from a company we had never sold anything to. They hung out and watched the game with all our happy customers. At the end of the day the CEO walked up to me with a plate of barbecue in his hand and said, “How come we are not buying from you?” I said, “I have no idea!” I signed them the next day.

Never give up. A company once told me I would “never, ever” get their business. Never turned out to be exactly 18 months.

Garrison Wynn is a nationally known speaker, trainer, and coach. He is the President and founder of Wynn Solutions, specializing in The Truth about Success.

www.wynnsolutions.com

About The Author

As a speaker, advisor, and entertainer, Garrison has worked with some of the world’s most effective corporate leaders and salespeople, from multi-billion dollar manufacturers to top New York Stock Exchange wire houses. He has a background in manufacturing, entertainment, telecommunications and financial services. An experienced actor and former professional stand-up comedian, he has hosted PBS television specials and national radio programs.

garrison@wynnsolutions.com

What can you do to motivate your sales staff?

Absolutely nothing.

I know it sounds contrary to everything you’ve come to believe, but if you want a team of great salespeople who get results, understanding this is the first step.

Every human being has internal factors that determine his/her success. Therefore, there are two types of people: those who are internally driven to succeed, and those who aren’t. No matter how hard you try, you will not be able to arbitrarily influence these internal motivating factors.

Now maybe you’re having a hard time believing me because you once held a contest or another promotional event that seemed to really motivate your employees. But think of the salespeople who participated and succeeded from this event. They were probably the same people who always participate in your promotions and strive to do well.

The truth: You created an environment that fueled the drive of those who were already internally driven to succeed. Those who weren’t driven probably didn’t participate and had little to do with your great results.

Type 1: The Unmotivated

Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to motivate someone who has no internal drive to succeed. Trying to motivate these people will NEVER produce the results you want and will only leave you disheartened and worn out. These are the people you do NOT want on your sales staff.

Type 2: The Motivated

A person with a natural drive to succeed can make a wonderful salesperson. They have what it takes to bring about the results you want. These results, however, do depend on that person’s environment. The environment that you create for your salespeople can either fuel or dampen that inner drive.

To have a successful sales staff, you must have two things: naturally motivated salespeople and the right environment to keep them motivated.

Finding the right people

Hiring the right employees for the job is the most critical step in building a successful sales team.

How can you tell who has what it takes and who doesn’t?

The best way to have great employees is to find them. Great employees do not answer your ad in the paper because they already have a job. Take the initiative and be on the lookout for great employees who work somewhere

else, even when you are not currently hiring. When you are constantly scouting for truly gifted employees, you will find rare talent in strange places.

Another way to let the naturally driven stand out is to provide an engaging hiring process. One of the most inventive ways to challenge your prospective employees is to assign them an open-ended task during the initial telephone interview. Have them prepare something for their formal interview the following day. When they probe for more details, do not provide them.

A good candidate will understand that their approach to your task will show their approach to the sales process. Let the employee flex their sales muscles in order to win a job with your company. If they are truly driven, it will show.

Creating the right environment

Even those who are naturally driven can become unmotivated in the wrong environment, so it is essential that you create an environment that will prevent them from feeling unmotivated.

The things that dampen a person’s natural drive are obviously as different as his/her individual personality. In order to have a successful staff, you must have different management styles to match the unique personality and needs of each employee.

Some employees lose their natural motivation when they are micro managed, while others can lose their natural motivation when they feel left alone and unsupported by their superior. Then there are the employees that need constant positive reinforcement to keep their natural motivation alive and well, while others feel constant reinforcement is unnecessary, and even condescending.

The examples go on and on…

So, what is the best way to find out what keeps your employees motivated?

Ask them! Take 15 minutes to sit down with your employees and ask them some questions about things that they like and dislike. What do you do that is unnecessary or limits their motivation?

Being aware of what your employees like and dislike will help you create an environment that encourages each of your employees to reach full potential. This means happier, more productive employees, which will lead to better results and more sales!

Tom Richard is the author of a weekly ezine on selling skills. To subscribe to this free weekly ezine send a blank email to subscribe@tomrichard.com

Exactly what is CRM

The idea itself is nothing new; its roots have been around since trading began. The principle of looking after your customers so that they come back regularly is, after all, merely the basis of good trading. In an increasingly competitive commercial world however, strong customer relationships take on an increasing importance. With the cost of selling to a new customer being five times the cost of selling to an existing one you can’t afford to lose established business.

Yes, you still want new markets, and yes, for various reasons customers will still disappear. The important thing is to minimise this loss and make sure the reasons behind it don’t stem from something you are doing – or more significantly something you are not doing.

Which is why good Customer Relationship Management is vital – and why the process has now been refined to make it more effective than ever.

What does CRM Involve?

In essence, making your customer feel special by understanding his needs and fulfilling those needs in a personal manner which will keep him coming back for more.

Going that extra mile and providing service beyond that which was expected takes your customer to the next stage, where he becomes a ‘raving fan’ of your business – and you can’t have too many of those. Achieve this and your customer suddenly becomes part of your sales force, telling everyone he meets how good you are.

This can actually be achieved without computers and software. A good memory and a card index can keep track of customer’s preferences and buying patterns. Newsletter campaigns, post sale follow-ups and special offer mailings can all be organised – given time; except that this is where it so often falls apart. For most companies time is the commodity in shortest supply.

Identifying the Challenge

This is where you find the first steps into CRM. Contact Management or Personal Information Manager software can provide substantial benefits. A database of customers for envelope labelling, simple word processing and calendar functions can save an enormous amount of time. The latest breed of contact manager software can do this quite efficiently across small groups of people, an office based sales team for example. So what’s the point of moving to a full CRM strategy? Why not stick with a simple address book style contact manager?

The real secret of selling has always been to ‘Think Buying’So consider for a moment, the things that annoy you as a customer:

• Promised return phone calls not made, and information not sent

• Not being informed of possible delays or problems

• That call to tell you when your order is ready – promised but not made.

• One department in the company having no idea what another department

said to you in the last call or letter.

• No one bothering to call to make sure the goods arrived, or are satisfactory. Probably no calls at all – until of course they want to sell you something else

• No one knowing what they last sold to you – or when

• No one knowing enough about you to offer you items or services that would enhance or compliment your purchase. Frequently only one person in the company seems to know anything about you! And if they’re not available…?

Overcoming all this takes more than just contact management software.

The Answer

What is needed is a change in attitude that extends from shop floor to boardroom. Not easy! It takes something special to initiate such a major change, but once up and running the change will feed on its own success.

The CRM solution provides a sophisticated but (and this is important) ‘easy to use’ computer system which monitors all activity with customers, current or potential. Phone, mail, e-mail and fax all link in. Give everyone in your company who deals with your customers access to that system. Link it to word processors, accounts systems, stock control and manufacturing Now you’re starting down the right road to achieving your ultimate goal – customers who become Raving Fans.

Your Information Bonus

The additional benefit to a company implementing CRM, is far superior tracking of sales and marketing activities. Suddenly it becomes easier to identify the most effective sources of business.i.e.

• which Mailshots worked best

• which sector provides your best business

• how many leads turn into actual sales

All this information makes running your company so much easier. Your Sales Manager will also benefit considerably from being able to see sales activity and ratios more clearly. He will probably produce the most accurate sales forecast you have ever seen!

Conclusion

So, should you try to implement CRM or just stick with contact management? That depends on what you want to achieve. If your aim is to look after your customers to the best of your ability, keep those customers, and tower head and shoulders over your competitors, it has to be CRM.

The alternative is to stay with the pack and lose, on average, 50% of your customers every 5 years. Can you afford to do that?

Roy Gough

Alloy CRM

Helping you keep your customers away from the competition

Roy Gough has run and managed businesses for over 30 years. He has experience in finance, automotive, retail, high tech and ecommerce. He uses this knowledge to help businesses to improve their sales and profitability. He currently also sells GoldMine business contact management software, QuoteWerks quotation management tool and Mind Manager the brainstorming and planning tool.

His web site can be found at http://www.alloycrm.com

Ballet is an art form that began in the 1400’s and became more standardized in the 1600’s in the court of Louis XIV. Louis was known as the “Sun King.,” Tthe name came from a role he danced in a ballet. In 1661 Louis XIV established the Acadmie Royale de Danse to train dancers and dance teachers. By the 1800’s the technique was pretty much solidified into a form very close to what we see today.

Ballet, the art and the training of a dancer, has a tradition that is now handed down from generation to generation. The training a dancer receives today is similar to the training a dancer would have received in the 1800’s. Yes, there are differences, stylistic and technical. Certainly better nutrition, better health care, and the ability to start training at a young age has also had an impact on what a dancer today can physically achieve. The engineering of the pointe shoe has also changed significantly, allowing the ballerina to dance en pointe for longer periods of time. The framework for all of this, however, was set in the 1800’s.

Today, if you take a ballet class any place in the world, the structure of the class is the same, the steps are the same and the approach is the same. The timing, the position and the execution of any given step is not open to discussion. Neither is the posture or the alignment or the classical line. Why? For one reason—it works.

Now let’s talk about introductory calling. (You knew I’d get here eventually, didn’t you?) In many of the workshops I conduct, participants are generally opposed to the idea of working with a script. They tell me they feel uncomfortable, canned, phony and insincere. They also tell me that every conversation is different.

Hmmm…..

When you make introductory calls, the only thing that really counts is results. Here are the numbers: If you are calling to schedule meetings, in a given time frame how many times do you dial the telephone? How many decision-makers do you reach during that time? And how many appointments do you schedule? Your feelings don’t count.

Some words are stronger than other words, some phrases are more persuasive. Some words or phrases are more powerful, more evocative, better selling words than others. If you say something to a prospect that works to get the result that you want—why would

you ever want to say anything else? If what you are doing does not get the result you want then you have to tweak your approach until you get a better result.

It’s easy to recognize what works and what doesn’t—count and keep records. Keep records of the number of times you dial the phone, the number of decision-makers you reach and the number of appointments you schedule. If you are scheduling one meeting without of every three or four decision-makers with whom you speak, you are doing fine. Keep doing exactly what you are doing. If you are not scheduling that number of meetings, find better words and phrases with which to entice your prospects. Track your results. You will quickly be able to figure out what works and what does not. Once you know what works—keep doing the same thing—it works!

Every conversation is not different. The reality is that most conversations with most prospects are very much the same. When asking for a meeting, most prospects respond: “I have a vendor,” “Send a brochure,” “I’m too busy” or “I’m not interested.” You need a response to each of these objections and you need a response that works. Once you find a response that works—note it down and keep using it. It works. (For a complete listing of objections and effective answers see “Cold Calling for Women: Opening Doors & Closing Sales,” Chapter 12, page 121, “Specific Answers to Specific Objections” or “Cold Calling College,” Module 3. To order visit: http://www.wendyweiss.com.)

Great actors have the ability to work with scripts and make them lifelike every time. You can do this too. It takes some concentration. Part of what makes great dancers great is the discipline and concentration to start at the beginning, follow through and continue to do what works. Great sales people are great because they have the ability to plan, think strategically, discover what works and then they have the concentration and discipline to follow through and continue doing what works.

Where do you fit in? Only you can decide.

© 2005 Wendy Weiss

Wendy Weiss, “The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling Success,” is a sales trainer, author, and sales coach. Her recently released program, “Cold Calling College”, and/or her book, “Cold Calling for Women”, can be ordered by visiting http://www.wendyweiss.com Contact her at wendy@wendyweiss.com. Get Wendy’s free e-zine at www.wendyweiss.com

Ever lost a sale? Of course you have, we all have. The difference between the average salesperson and the great salesperson is how quickly you recover from the lost sale. When you lose a sale that you thought you should have won, it is often tempting to take it personally and to become negative. If you give in and allow the lost sale to affect your attitude, then you will be allowing the lost sale to affect your future sales presentations and therefore affect your future sales.

There are five steps to recover from a lost sale and to rebuild your positive attitude so that you can quickly bounce back and start making new sales.

Step One: Turn To Your Personal Foundation

Your personal foundation is made up of those people that believe in you and the people that inspire you to be your best. It is important that you turn to these people as you begin recovering from a confidence shaking lost sale. These people play an important role in your personal and professional life and it is important to use them when you need them the most. Pick up the phone and call them. You will find yourself immediately feeling better.

Step Two: Walk Away

When you find yourself a bit rattled from losing a sale, walk away and get your mind off of work for a short time. Something as simple as doing a crossword puzzle, working on your hobby, or playing with your kids will give you the needed break from work that is important to getting

over your lost sale.

Step Three: Talk To The Customers Who Love You

Pick up the phone and call those who love to do business with you. Call them to make sure everything is going well for them or to simply chat. They’ll remind you of why it is great doing business with you.

Step Four: Read Something Inspirational

Having an inspirational book or audio program nearby is always beneficial, especially when trying to recover from a lost sale. You should read a few pages or a few chapters of your book to rebuild your confidence and maintain a positive attitude. By reading a chapter or two you’ll find that your attitude will begin to immediately turn around.

Step Five: Plan

If the lost sale changes your monthly sales plan, then after you lose a sale it is time to revise that plan accordingly. How can you make up for that lost sale? Most times you should not try to make it up with just one big sale. You will find that it is more effective and realistic to spread the lost sales volume over several smaller sales. By having your revised plan and a fresh positive attitude you can again hit the road and get back on task to hit your monthly sales goal. After all, it is great to do business with you! Go Get ‘Em!

For more tips and to subscribe to Tom Richard’s Free Weekly Ezine, send a blank email to subscribe@tomrichard.com

Tom Richard is the owner of Tom Richard Marketing and Tom Richard Sales Education.