“If you want to be famous in business, do your job so well that everybody wants to tell a friend about you.”
-Brian Sullivan

Let’s get something straight. Nobody…I mean NOBODY likes to make cold calls. That’s because well over 90% of the cold calls we make lead to rejection. And that rejection leaves us feeling as we are somehow less human than we were before the cold call. While many of our professions rely on us reaching out to new prospects, who says those new prospects have to be ice cold? Because they don’t! In fact, if you do your job exceedingly well for current customers, then make it a habit to ASK for their help in growing your business, your days of getting kicked to the curb should be greatly limited or eliminated all together.

So this week, identify 10 current customers who love you and your company. Then ask each one of them this question, “Can I ask you for a favor? I am trying to grow my business,  and I trust your opinion. Do you know of three or four friends or associates who could use the type of service/value that I have been providing?” Then don’t look shocked when they actually give you some names. Hey, if you get three referred leads from each of those ten customers, you just created 30 new warm and cozy leads. Then go spend your sales time prospecting with that list…a list that carries a much higher percentage of success than that frigid one staring you in the face right now.

“But wait, there’s more…”
Billy Mays

This week the sales world lost one of its great Pitchmen, Billy Mays. His ability to create millions of dollars in sales by pitching common household products landed him on his own Discovery Channel show known as Pitchmen. So what can we learn from Billy that will make us a top Pitchmen or Pitchwomen? Well there are many lessons, but perhaps the biggest one that stands out is Billy’s ability to make common products seem uncommon. To do this, he made his demonstrations fun. They never got stale or boring. He was able to get more done in a two-minute commercial than most “professional” salespeople can get done in 60 minutes.

So this week, pick your favorite product to sell. Then sit down and write a short two-minute commercial on what makes that product so special. It should include

•    An introduction,
o    “Hi, I’m Billy Mays here for What Odor.”
•    Heavy on Benefits
o    “Eliminates Embarrassing Odors with One Spray.”
•    The Secret to How it Works
o    “Non-Toxic, All Natural Formulation of 41 Oils.”
•    Where to Use it
o    Sour Milk, Moldy Rotten Cheese, the Litter Box
•    Wow Examples
o    “Can eliminate a Skunk’s Odor”
•    Call to Action with UREGENCY
o    “Order now and we will add a second bottle.”

By taking time to think like Billy Mays, you will have developed the essential ingredients of what will become your greatest sales presentation. So thanks Billy, for teaching us how passion, energy and an occasional loud voice are essential tools to not only getting prospects interested, but committed.

“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 want to discourage you from choosing anything
or making any decision simply because it is safe.
Things of value seldom are.“

Toni Morrison (1931 – )
American editor, writer & teacher
first African-American to win the
Nobel Prize for Literature

So you like to play it safe, do you? Well…stop it! Few people in this world, and in your industry, ever become famous by being wimpy. So take a calculated risk in your business that stirs up the pot a bit. Might you fail…absolutely!! But WHO CARES?! Isn’t there freedom in those two words?

You see, there really are only two types of people…spectators and players. So if you are sick of sitting in the stands and instead want to get in the game, do something this week that tells those around you that it’s game time. And then swing for the fences!

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.

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.

President of Kansas City-based PRECISE Selling, Brian delivers seminars and Internet training programs on sales, customer service, leadership and presentation skills to companies of all sizes. He also hosts the radio talk show Entrepreneurial Moments, a show dedicated to personal and business development. To find out more, visit him at www.preciseselling.com or email Brian at bsullivan@preciseselling.com.