Yesterday I sat with an aspiring young professional who wanted to know the formula for breaking into a great job. I asked him what he thought of his current one. He said it was okay but that he didn’t see a ton of opportunity to grow. I then asked what he was doing to show his manager and co-workers that he was capable of growth. He couldn’t answer. I followed up by asking him to give me three reasons his manager should give him more responsibility and, after drooling on himself, he mumbled three things that were merely part of his job. In short, he was doing nothing special but was expecting special career results.

Perhaps it’s the new world of entitlement we are living in that is leaving many to believe that being average is enough to produce exceptional opportunity. Wrong! If I thought looking for excuses, being negative, and looking for somebody to blame was the path to wealth and happiness I’d say…go for it! But truth is…it doesn’t work. Are some people given more opportunities than others unfairly? Maybe. But who cares! Because for every one person who found success or got promoted for the wrong reasons, there are 20 others who busted their hump, took a risk and did things to convince everybody around them that they were an irreplaceable asset.

So this week, take 15 minutes in your office, grab a pen and paper (or an iPad), and write down five things you do in your profession that make you special. And if your list includes the same things that all your co-workers would write then it’s not SPECIAL. Which means you aren’t worthy of any additional opportunities. And the same things goes for many companies who also believe they too should expect extraordinary results without doing anything extraordinary.

In short, NOBODY controls your destiny but you. Because nobody has that power over you. And if they do, it’s only because you gave it to them. From this point forward in 2012 you will expect nothing from anybody and instead give everything to everybody. Your reward will be life and a career that gets you noticed, gets you opportunity and gets you to the TOP!

This week, Brian Sullivan, CSP interviewed Eric Chester, author of the new book, Reviving Work Ethic. If you’re looking for hard hitting truth about what it takes to get to the top, listen to this high-energy interview by going to www.preciseselling.com/podcast

Okay, I had to go and ruin it didn’t I. Can’t I just get off your back and let you enjoy the revelry of the recently departed Holiday Season before dropping the “reminder bomb” of the “life altering” resolutions that you just made. But good news! It’s only January. Which means you have eleven plus months to really get things going. I mean, you still have tons of time to blow out of work early while walking passed door after door of possible clients. Or perhaps burn up an hour or so doing meaningless paperwork after one halfway decent tele-sales call. Sure, don’t sweat it. And oh, it’s time to start researching that 2012 spring break trip. Never mind those Facebook updates you need to get on top of. And did you see what Kim Kardashian was up to today on Twitter?!!! Your change can wait a while, can’t it? Whew!

Well, I hate to do this to you. Hell, I like some good procrastination like most, but I just can’t let you do it. You are in this thing with the rest of us. We are all going into 2012 together…as a bunch of crazy Sales Weapons. Why? Because things aren’t as easy as they once were. All right, I said it. This economy stinks, customers seem harder to find, and margins aren’t what they once were. But guess what? A lame economy, tough customers and eroding margins only affect average and below average salespeople. And YOU don’t have to be average. That is a choice no economy or customer can take away from you.

So why make 2012 the year you worked harder, became smarter and did more than ever to increase your skills? Because the feeling of accomplishment that comes from being THE top sales performer in your company or industry is tough to beat. Think of the perks that come with being better than everybody at the world’s greatest profession. While I will promise not to sound like a late night infomercial promising lavish yachts, fast cars, and beautiful people falling at your feet, I will promise you this. You will feel like a champion. You will gain the respect of your managers and company leaders, and perhaps more importantly, your customers.

While I fully realize the thrill of a large commission check may be good enough for you, for most, the driving motivation is recognition and respect. So ask yourself a question right now. When was the last time you were publicly recognized by your company, manager or industry? I’m talking about an award, a voicemail passed on about something extraordinary you did, or a posting of a customer testimonial on the company website about your amazing service. When was the last time somebody made you feel respected by asking your advice about how to sell at a high level, how to overcome that common objection, how to get to the top! If you said six months, one year, or never, then things are about to change. In 2012 you WILL be noticed. You WILL be respected. And you WILL be a top performer. It’s time to become famous in your company and industry. But how?

Step 1: Grab a pen and pad, an iPad, or a computer right now.

Step 2: Think clearly about what your success will look like at the end of this year. Then answer the below questions:

• How will you ultimately measure your success?
  _______________________________________________________________
• Who will be positively affected if 2012 is your best year?
  _______________________________________________________________
• Who will help you get there?
  _______________________________________________________________
• What did you do in 2011 that you should keep doing?
  _______________________________________________________________
• What did you do in 2011 that you should stop doing?
  _______________________________________________________________
• What do you need to begin doing in 2012 that you haven’t done yet?
  _______________________________________________________________

Step 3) Let’s talk activity and make it specific.

I will make $______________ this year.
I will close ________ sales a week.
I will have _________ sales presentations/meetings a day.
I will make _______ prospecting calls a day.
I will plan _________ hours/minutes each week to plan.
I will be rank #_________ in my company in sales.

Now take that sheet and tape it to your forehead! Take a deep break and let those commitments sink into your brain. And when you are done peeling the tape off your face, make one more commitment. Promise yourself that you will look at that sheet (electronic version works good, too) each Monday morning and Friday afternoon. The more you look at those objectives, the more quickly you will become a top performer. You see, by keeping the finish line in front of you at all times, you will know exactly where to run. The target will be stationary, and a stationary target is much easier to hit than one that is moving.

And notice the second to last line of the PRECISE Objectives. You need to plan to plan. This means that you need to pick a set time each week to map out your month. And during that planning time, DO NOT pick up voicemails, emails or tweet! Plan your high value activities at least two weeks out.

So here’s my prediction for 2012. If you are committed to mastering sales, consistently focus on your objectives, and schedule time each week to plan, you will get the recognition and respect that we talked about earlier. Your peers will want to be like you, your CEO will want to know your secrets, and your customers will want to fix you up with their closest relative (assuming your single). And next holiday season, as you review 2012, you will be thankful for the commitments to excellence you made one year ago.

And lastly, never forget:

“No amount of success at work can compensate for failure at home.” -Patrick Morley

See you at the TOP!

Sales Coach and Business Consultant Brian Sullivan, CSP is the author of the book, 20 Days to the TOP- How the PRECISE Selling Formula Will Make You Your Company’s Top Sales Performer in 20 Days or Less. Sign up for his free weekly motivation and sales tip by going to www.preciseselling.com. Fun stuff that will keep you focused on getting to the top!

“If you don’t have a plan for yourself,
you’ll be part of someone else’s.”
-Unknown

We are now three weeks into 2010, which means your sales plan should be in full swing. If you haven’t made one yet, let’s give you some tips to makes sure you are on the right track. In order to make your plan work, you need two components. The first is a Strategic Objective that includes the larger goals you want to accomplish. Those goals might include becoming your company’s top sales performer. Another might be to grow your business by 20%. Whatever those Strategic Objectives are, it is important that you match them up with a very specific Tactical Plan. These are the smaller milestones that will help you get to your larger objectives. If you are in sales, you need to do the following:

1.    Determine exactly how much product you need to sell each week
2.    Determine how many live sales presentations you need to deliver each week to reach that sales goal.
3.    Determine exactly how many prospecting calls each day it will take to reach the sales presentation goal

For example, if you need to sell 5 of your focus products each week to reach your yearly goal, you may have to present to 10 prospects each week. To get those 10 presentations, you may need to prospect with 20 new potential clients. Which means you need to make 4 prospecting calls each day. Once you have that number in your plan each day, let it HAUNT you! Don’t end the day until you reach that Tactical Objective.  By breaking down your plan to a measurable daily number, you will have created a plan that sets the course to making you your company’s top sales performer. See you at the TOP!

“No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other’s worth.
-Robert Southey

Do you look at your customers as friends? And do they see you as a friend? And what is your definition of friend? Well, the dictionary describes a friend as a person you know well and regard with affection and trust. But as it relates to business, I have another definition. I believe a friend is somebody you care about so much that you feel you OWE it to them to keep them informed of the latest products and services you offer. Because if you truly believe in the benefits of what you sell, wouldn’t you FIRST want your friends to know about it.

But unfortunately, the word “friend” has been distorted by countless salespeople who believe that if they try to present too many new solutions to a “friendly” customer, they will suddenly stop being their friend. On the contrary! Because by delivering value to your “buddies” you will create friends for life. And your friendship will be built on a foundation of service, not a foundation of knock-knock jokes, indifference and sales guilt.

So this week, don’t forget that while many of your customers make you feel like you are part of the team, your friendship is NOT what they are paying for. They are paying for your professionalism, your knowledge, and your ability to match their needs with the perfect solutions. Keep selling them products and services that make their life easier, more efficient and more profitable and you will create value-based friendships that are nearly impossible to break.

Why won’t they call me back? I thought we had the deal. I can’t believe they are not interested? If you have ever spoken those words, then chances are you neglected to make your prospect curious enough to need more information and “antsy” enough to need your solution NOW. So how do you create curiosity? First, minimize the number of statements you make in any early sales call. Don’t start your call by telling them what your solution does, but instead ask them a question that gets them “slowly engaged.” For example,

“Would you be interested in learning about a product that has helped similar clients save several hours a week?” Think about it. Who wouldn’t want to save several hours a week (if that’s the benefit of your product)? As a result, you will often get the curious response, “How are you going to do that?” BAM! You have just received an invitation to continue.

So this week, pick your favorite product or service and develop three curiosity building questions that will get your prospects more fully engaged. Then use those to open your prospecting calls. And once you have their ear, keep questioning until you have learned exactly what it’s going to take to help them understand that can’t live without your solution.

“I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard.”
Estée Lauder

Hard selling, Estée? Careful, that may scare some of the readers. Nobody wants to be perceived as a salesperson, do they? But you don’t care, do you? And you know what I love about your comment? You aren’t afraid of the word “selling.” You see, in this politically correct business environment we live in, “selling” has become a nasty word. In fact, we have become so afraid to call ourselves salespeople (this includes executives and business owners), that we have forgotten how to sell! Have we become WIMPY? We aren’t asking enough questions, we are talking too much, and we are delivering too many presentations without asking for agreement.  And because we aren’t “selling,” we are walking out of meetings having accomplished nothing. We are visiting the same customer fourteen times having never asked for a commitment. And as leaders, we are wondering why our employees aren’t “buying” into the corporate initiative. And why, we ask? Because we aren’t SELLING!  So  Estée, thanks for reminding us of who we are…salespeople…the engine of our great economy!

Brian Sullivan
President Salesperson
PRECISE Selling

“I have learned that trying to guess what the boss or the client wants is the most debilitating of all influences in the creation of good advertising.”
Leo Burnett

Have you ever walked out of a meeting with a client, boss, peer, associate or employee and unconfidently uttered the words, “I think that meeting went well.” Of course you have…we all have. But if we are making guessing a habit, it is one we need to break quickly. Every time we guess what somebody important to us is thinking and feeling, we are rolling the dice and taking chances we shouldn’t be taking.

So this week, go into every meeting with specific objectives and walk out knowing exactly what others are thinking…even if it isn’t the answer you wanted to hear. And how are you going to do that? ASK! Questions like, “How can I better serve you? How was my presentation? What can we do to improve our relationship? Why to you hate me and my company?” Whatever! Because the quicker you ask, the quicker you will learn what it will take to improve that relationship and improve your performance.

Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.
-WALT DISNEY

Spring Break is here and a ton of folks will be heading to Disney World for the “experience.” In fact, about 44,000 people each day or about 16 million people each year will trek to Orlando. An even more impressive number is that almost 80% are REPEAT customers. So what did Walt Disney create that that we too can create in our own businesses? The two words that come to mind are FUN and REFERRALS. And what can those two words do for your business?

• Fun is innovation, creativity, and adrenaline. It produces productivity, loyalty and morale. Fun creates communication, teamwork and reduces conflict. Fun creates a profitable culture, increased sales and retained customers and employees. And fun fulfills our basic human need to be happy. So with all these benefits of FUN, why don’t more salespeople and companies use it? Some have.

Companies like Disney and Southwest airlines have harnessed the power of FUN to create loyal and repeat customers, and so can you.  But you have to schedule time to think of ways to add fun to your job. For 15 minutes each week, step away from email, get off the voicemail, and put your creative energy to work by thinking of innovative ways to create a customer experience. Then go do it. Do it just for the fun of it, or do it only because it works! Either way, a company or a salesperson that doesn’t “bring it” better be prepared to lose business to the competitors that do.

• Referrals- Surprise people with a fun customer experience (internal and external) and they will tell their friends. But don’t just stop at fun. If you are making your customers smile while providing big value, you need to ASK them for referrals. It’s a nice little game of give and take. I make you smile…you give me the name of three friends who would also like positively outrageous service.

So this week, find ways to add fun to your customer’s day. By doing so, you will have earned the right to ask for referrals. Make it a habit, and you will learn just how fun it is to cash your commission check, build a top performing team, and bury the competition. Let the fun begin!

This week, Brian interviewed author T Scott Gross on his weekly radio show. Scott wrote the book “Positively Outrageous Customer Service,” and shares tips on how you can use FUN to get to the TOP.   Go to www.preciseselling.com/Radioaccess.htm to listen to the interview. To find out more about Brian’s sales and leadership programs, visit him at www.preciseselling.com or email Brian at bsullivan@preciseselling.com.

Funny works. It sells a ton of product, brings the walls of resistance down, get’s you the attention of a tough audience and can create the type of business culture that makes people comfortable to be themselves. So if funny actually can mean more sales, more influence and less stress, why don’t more people use it as one of their greatest business weapons? Well they should, and so should you!

But what if you just aren’t that funny? Well fear not! You don’t have to be Jerry Seinfeld to add a spark to people’s day. You just need to be willing to be a little funnier than you are right now. For instance you may choose to:

•    Take funny pictures of customers with your product and use them in a monthly newsletter to other prospects.

•    Go to Google Images, type in a funny topic that you and a client discussed (i.e. Octomom, Attack Gorilla, 401K … now that’s funny) and add that image to a follow up email. Then find a way to work it into the text of your email.

•    Speaking of email, create a tagline at the bottom of your signature that describes you in a “less than serious” way. For instance, “Your Industry Bailout Specialist” Or perhaps a meaningless quote like, “96.7% of all statistics are made up” or “Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?”

•    Open your next meeting with the funniest story you tell your friends (clean it up!) and FIND a business message in it (believe me, there is one in there).

If some of the above ideas made you feel a bit “goofy,” GOOD! Because that’s what humor is supposed to do. It is meant to take people out of their routine and into a place they would rather be. And when you make a habit of combining humor with the serious business value, you become the unstoppable force that your competition will not find very funny. And only then will you be laughing all the way to the bank.

To learn how to find your Humor, go to www.preciseselling.com/Radioaccess.htm to hear Brian interview humorist, Brad Montgomery, co-author of the book “Humor Me-America’s Funniest Humorists on the Power of Laughter.”  As president of PRECISE Selling, Brian Sullivan helps improve sales, customer service, negotiations, leadership, and presentation skills through seminars and Internet training programs. He also hosts “Entrepreneurial Moments,” a radio show on business and personal development. For more on his speaking, consulting or book, visit: www.PreciseSelling.com or email: bsullivan@preciseselling.com.

Okay, the year end sprint is in full swing. You have some choices to make, don’t you? Should you take on that extra project, tackle that nagging “problem” that’s been hanging over your head, iron things out with that co-worker who you walk by in the hall, or make that sales call to the account you have “absolutely no chance” of getting? The answer is YES! Because by undertaking in things that you don’t want to do, you will receive things that you didn’t know you could get. So this week, do something that seems painful but that you know is the right thing to do. And by next week, you will be happy you did.