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

Yesterday morning, my 12-year-old son Jake needed to use my computer to print out a school report. Of course, he waited until five minutes before his ride to school to do what should have been done the night before. After scrambling to get the printer to work, he finally got his printout and crazily ran out the door. Like most parents, I was not happy that he waited until the last minute. This was NOT acceptable. I thought, “When he gets home from school, that boy better prepare for a little time-management seminar…delivered by his Dad.”

As I began packing up the computer to take into my office, I began reading what Jake had written. In the report he had to identify his role model. For a Dad, this is like Judgment Day! Because our greatest fear is our boy picking anybody other than us. As I read more I discovered…YES…I made the cut! I’m not sure he ever planned on showing it to me but as I read it, I was reminded how no success at work can make up for failure at home. I was also reminded how difficult it is to really know if we are doing our most important job (parent, spouse, friend) as well as we should.

So for this week’s exercise ask yourself this one question, “If I found something written by a loved one describing me, what would it say.” The good news is that we can control the narrative that would be written…by doing everything we can to be even better at home than we are at work. And yes, we will screw up. In my case…way too often. But by reminding ourselves that the stories that will be written about us in the future are being assembled today. So make this week’s chapter of that book one you would wish others would write, and one you would love to read.

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. For more resources to help you get to the top go to www.preciseselling.com.

Are you tired of leaving voicemails for prospects that don’t get returned? Well it’s official. You’re human! In fact, studies show that prospects only return between 5-10% of all voicemails left. So the first question may be, “Should I even leave a voicemail?” And the answer is, “Yes!” But your objective is to get that number up over 25%.

Let’s talk about why you should leave a voice mail. First, there are only three ways to be successful in sales.

1.    Make a ton of calls and leave a ton of voicemails
2.    Make sure your voicemail is a good one.
3.    Leave a ton of voicemails AND make them good ones.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, Option 3 is the best way to go. So let’s break it down.

1) Effort  and Activity- If you make more calls than your competition, and as a result, leave more voicemails, you will increase your chances of getting called back. (How’s that for deep thought?) Perhaps NHL legend Wayne Gretzky said it best when he said:  You will miss 100% of the shots you never take.

Even if your voicemail is less than spectacular, you still have almost a one in ten chance of getting it returned. So keep making calls!

2) Make ‘Em Good- Think about a recent voicemail message you left. If you were on the receiving end of it, would YOU return the call? Below are some tips that will make the prospect want to return your call.

• Do your research- Face it, a cold call doesn’t have to be cold. It’s only cold if you don’t do your homework. Do a quick Google search on the business. Also, head over to LinkedIn and do a search to see if you can find the prospect’s profile. They often will tell you everything you need to say to create the needed curiosity to draw them in. (Don’t believe me, go to LinkedIn right now and search for a prospect!)
• Don’t be a stiff!- What’s worse than getting a voicemail from a salesperson who sounds like they would rather be bathing in a tub of scissors than making this call. Sound like you are happy to be reaching out…because you truly believe you have something that can help them. The prospect can hear and feel the vibe you put off. Also, don’t sound like a corporate brochure. If you wouldn’t talk that way at a cocktail party, don’t talk that way on the phone. People buy from people they like, not corporate stiffs.
• Name and Number- Immediately give them your name and number.
  • “Hello Sue, my name is Brian Sullivan. My direct number is 913-530-8894.
• Credibility- Tell them who you are and what your company does.
  • “I am with Acme and we specialize in ________________ (Make this a BIG BENEFIT that you have done for other companies like theirs.)
• Reference Research-If they know that you actually cared enough to possibly understand their needs, they just might care what comes next.
  • “In researching your facility prior to calling you today I learned _____________.
• Make it Personal- This is where you state what may be in it for them only IF they call you back.
  • In working with another company like yours (if you have a well-known name, use it here), we were able to (state huge value) _____________.
• Curiosity Builder- The most important emotion you need to create in any voicemail is curiosity.
  • I have some ideas that I’d like to share with you regarding how you can possibly  _______________.
• The Gift- If you have nothing they want or need, they won’t be calling you back. So offer something of value.
  • I also have a marketing analysis that’s been useful in departments like yours from (credible source, regulatory agency, etc) that you might find useful for your department. (Give some examples) It’s helped some folks save a ton of money…hours…etc.
• The Close- Your ultimate objective is to get them to call you back. So ask for it.
  • “While I can’t promise the same results we got with (another facility), I promise it will be worth your time. I can make myself available tomorrow morning between 9:00-11:00 or Wednesday afternoon between 1:30 and 3:00. (Notice how leaving specific times makes you seem busy. And I know you are!) In the meantime if you would like to learn more about us, stop by www.yourcompany.com. Let me know if either time works by calling me back at 913-530-8894. Or you can drop me an email at bsullivan@preciseselling.com. Thanks a ton, Sue!

Is there a guarantee that this voicemail will be returned? Nope! But the above structure, combined with your dynamic personality, will help open more doors than the average salesperson. And knowing it’s still a numbers game, you will find that leaving lots of great voicemails can still be one of your most effective tools to getting to the top and staying there. (Quick note…this structure works if they actually pick up the other end of the phone too!)

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!

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

Frederick Keonig (German Inventor)

What would you do if somebody handed you $100,000 today and said you can spend it on anything you want? What would you spend that money on? And how much happiness would that $100,000 bring you? Now what if somebody handed you 100,000 hours of time and said you can spend that time doing anything you want? What would you do with it? How much happiness would that time bring? Most would say that the hours would be a greater gift than the cash. Because the happiness the cash brings is quickly forgotten while the memories created in time stick around forever.

The good news is you have been given this gift. And what you choose to do with the gift will determine its value. So this week, make every moment count. At work, appreciate more fully the customers who give you their business, the co-workers who make your day easier and the friends and family who make your life happier. In short…slow down. Because time is only a gift if you take time to fully appreciate the moments that just past and the ones that will soon come.

Let’s not overcomplicate this. In sales, there are only two ways to get better results. The first is to make more sales calls. The second is to perform better on each call.  So how many prospecting calls do you make each week? And as an FYI, “It depends,” is NOT an acceptable answer. Because those that say, “It depends,” or “I am not really sure,” have lost control over their sales territory and as a result, are at the mercy of whatever voicemail and email are telling them to do. The top performer, on the other hand, sets a call objective number and let’s that number drive the workweek. If he or she wants to increase their sales by 15% or more, they realize it means they may have to make 15 more calls. They then let that number haunt them. They don’t start the weekend until they made the last call.

Another way 15% more effort can create 15% greater performance is by investing in improving your sales, communication and leadership skills. Buy a sales book, attend a seminar, seek out top performers in your company and grill them! By increasing your knowledge and skill by 15% or more, you will become 15% more valuable to your customers, your company and your future.

How do you feel? Are you ready? Of course you are. Because in 2010 you are going to change the world! And I promise it’s not going to be difficult. In fact, it’s going to be easier than you ever imagined. And the good news is that you have total control over how much positive impact you make. If you want this to be your most famous year ever, you absolutely can have it. But it means you have may have to “clean house.” That house is your mind. You need to get rid of any grudges, anger, jealousy, apathy or fear that existed in your business or personal life just two days ago. Why? Because it’s holding you back. If I thought being negative, angry or grumpy would help you sell more, lead more, organize more, or change the world more I would say, “Go for it!” But it doesn’t work.  It only makes people more negative angry and grumpy towards you and you can’t influence them if they think you are a jackass.

So today, make a deal with yourself. While others are making excuses, gossiping about a co-worker, cutting corners or frowning in frustration, be the one finding solutions, recognizing the good in others, finishing the job and smiling in celebration. Then be prepared for the positive results that this year will bring. Because these small changes in you are about to make BIG changes in everybody around you.

“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!

The person who sends out positive thoughts activates the world around him positively and draws back to himself positive results.
-Norman Vincent Peale
(1898-1993)

How do you feel? Are you ready? Of course you are. Because in 2010 you are going to change the world! And I promise it’s not going to be difficult. In fact, it’s going to be easier than you ever imagined. And the good news is that you have total control over how much positive impact you make. If you want this to be your most famous year ever, you absolutely can have it. But it means you have may have to “clean house.” That house is your mind. You need to get rid of any grudges, anger, jealousy, apathy or fear that existed in your business or personal life just two days ago. Why? Because it’s holding you back. If I thought being negative, angry or grumpy would help you sell more, lead more, organize more, or change the world more I would say, “Go for it!” But it doesn’t work.  It only makes people more negative angry and grumpy towards you and you can’t influence them if they think you are a jackass.

So today, make a deal with yourself. While others are making excuses, gossiping about a co-worker, cutting corners or frowning in frustration, be the one finding solutions, recognizing the good in others, finishing the job and smiling in celebration. Then be prepared for the positive results that this year will bring. Because these small changes in you are about to make BIG changes in everybody around you.

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.
-Albert Einstein

“I’ve been in this business for over 25 years. I have run out of things to learn,” was one of the saddest comments I have ever heard from one of my recent seminar attendees. Stop learning? Don’t we need to learn from our customers so we can effectively serve them? Don’t we need to learn what our competition is doing? Don’t we need to learn how our peers and employees feel about working with us? Don’t we need to learn how much we DON’T know? Once you lose your hunger to learn, you lose the ability to positively affect everybody around you. And who would choose that? And it’s not enough to be open to learning; you have to aggressively seek opportunities to learn.

For example, this week try these three questions with your current customers…and family members:

•    What am I doing I should keep doing?
•    What am I doing I should stop doing?
•    What aren’t I doing that I should begin doing?

Because customers, peers, employees and family members won’t often seek you out to tell you how you can be more valuable to them, you have to ask. And when you ask, you show a willingness to learn. And once you create a habit of LEARNING, you will create a habit that creates some of the world’s top performers.

People fall down, winners get up, and gold medal winners just get up faster.

-Bonnie St. John

Bonnie St. John lost a leg at the age of 5. Several years later, she would go on to become the first African-American to win an Olympic medal in skiing as she was awarded a silver and two bronze medals in the 1984 Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria.  This week on my radio program, I asked Bonnie to tell her story about how she won the Silver. She said, “I was leading in the slalom after the first run. Then in the second run, I slipped on an ice patch and fell down the hill. I thought for sure this would cost me a medal, but I got up and continued racing.  Several other competitors hit the same patch of ice and also fell…even the one who eventually won the gold.  The only difference, however, between her and I, and the Gold and the Silver, was SHE got up faster…and THAT won her the gold.”

So what about your business? In this tough year, do you feel like you have “slipped on a patch of ice?” Well if so, NOW is the time to get up…and get up FASTER than your competition. Because there is only one gold, and it’s either going to you or them.

Here are three ways to get up faster in your business:

•    Get out of bed 30 minutes “faster” and earlier each morning.  Then use that extra time to learn something new about your Product, Industry or Competition.

•    Stop procrastinating! It’s time to quit talking and start doing. Write down a list of high value activities that might be painful but necessary to make you famous in your company then schedule time each day to do those things.

•    Network and Cold Call more than the competition. If you are speaking to 10 accounts each day, pump it up to 15 accounts each day.

And remember, the common fuel to “getting up faster” is URGENCY. Make your body feel it, then help others use it to make decisions more quickly. And by this time next year, you will look back on the autumn of 2009, as the greatest FALL of your career…the fall that couldn’t keep you down.