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!

Think about how you will feel at the end of this workday and head into a great Thanksgiving weekend. Something is happening to you right now that feels different, doesn’t it? That feeling is “thankfulness.” When we feel it and express it to others, everything changes. So selfishly, it’s my turn to get the positive vibes going with a bit of thanks.

• I am thankful for your desire to always improve.
• I am thankful for what you teach me.
• I am thankful for your trust.
• I am thankful for your friendship.
• I am thankful for letting me into your life once a week.

And thank you for allowing me to express it. Like most, I don’t do it enough. Have a wonderful time with your #1 customers, the friends and family that are thankful to have you in their lives.

“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.

“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.

If I can just remain ‘flat’ this year, I will be happy,” were the words recently spoken to me by a fellow salesperson. By this he meant he would deem it a successful year if he only equals 2008 sales. But there is a problem with that philosophy. If you plateau or consider “flat” sales a success, you are NOT remaining flat…because others are in attack mode and growing their business. And for them to grow their business, they either need to sell more to current customers or ATTACK yours. Now is business a little more difficult to find this year? Maybe, but who cares? Because the only think YOU have total control over is what YOU do. But one thing is sure. Expect flat sales and you will GET flat sales. Believe this will be your toughest year. and it WILL be your toughest year. But here’s the good news. 2009 can be the year that FORCED you to become the best professional you have ever been. And because you decided not to sit back but instead to attack, it will be this year that you will look back on as the one that FORCED you to become more knowledgeable, more innovative, a better communicator, a more effective negotiator, and flat out BETTER at what you do.

So this week, decide how many new clients you want to have on the books by the end of the first quarter. Then decide how many formal presentations it will take to capture that number. Next, decide how many cold prospecting calls you need to make to get those formal presentations. Then get to work! Attack and then attack some more. And when the battle of a slow economy is over, you will look back on this time as the period in your career when you became a true professional.

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.

What? Isn’t it still November? Now there is a time and a place for everything but here we are, still a week BEFORE Thanksgiving, and Christmas music still doesn’t feel right. But the time will come, and I when it does, I will jump in headfirst. I just don’t like to be forced into something when I am just not ready. I think that radio station went for the Christmas Close just a bit too early.

What do I mean?  Well, I was presented with a product that I really enjoy (Christmas Music), but the timing was all off. I loved what the radio station was offering but was not quite ready to “buy” into it just yet. The point is that there is a certain ebb and flow to people’s emotions. And to be successful in sales, you need to be in tune with your prospects emotions at all times. If you go for the close too early, before they are ready, you risk them “changing the channel” and going to your competitor.

So how will you know when your prospect is emotionally ready to jump in? Ask them up front, before you start playing your music (presenting your solution) about the timing of the potential buying decisions. In other words, if they don’t have money in the budget until ’09, singing your tune too loudly now could cause them to hit the mute button in January. And don’t forget to ask who at the facility needs to hear your music. Too many times we deliver our songs to people who have no buying authority. Don’t assume you know.

So what do you do between now and the time they are ready to hear your music? Ask them questions that create curiosity in your solution. So when the time is right, they will be dying to hear your new song. For example, if somebody asked me today, “Have you heard about the new exclusive Nate King Cole Christmas song remake that will be released on the day after Thanksgiving?” BAM! You got me. Because while I might not be ready now, your curiosity building question has me hanging on the edge of my dial, waiting for Jack Frost to start nipping at my nose.

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.

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.

“Diamonds are only lumps of coal that stuck to their jobs.”

B.C. Forbes (1880–1954)
Scottish journalist and founder of Forbes Magazine

There are only three ways to become a diamond in your career. If you are a professional salesperson, the formula is easy:

1. Become smarter and more skilled than the average rep

2. Make more prospecting calls than the competition

3. Be smarter, more skilled AND outwork the competition

And you know what is so great about this formula? You have total control over it. So if you are unhappy with your sales results at this point in the year, take a close look at that list above and decide which one you are going to work on. If you chose option #1, then here is your mission. Buy a business book, sign up for a sales seminar, or schedule time each week to get on the phone with a respected mentor. If you are the option #2 type, increase the number of prospecting calls you make by at least 20% this quarter. And these 20% don’t all need to be cold calls. In fact, just by turning a portion of your current account “order-taking,” follow-up, and service calls into SALES calls, you will find it easy to get to that 20% number.

And lastly, if you are looking to become a 5 Star Quota Busting Diamond, choose option #3 and do both! Because if you dedicate yourself to both mastering your great profession through consistent education as well as increase your activity level, the only thing that will be lumpy at the end of the year will be the wad of extra cash in your wallet!

To learn more lessons about getting to the TOP, listen to Brian interview some of the nation’s premier business and motivational minds on his weekly radio show by going to www.preciseselling.com/Radioaccess.htm. 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. To find out more, visit him at www.preciseselling.com or email Brian at bsullivan@preciseselling.com.

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.