“The one advantage of playing with fire…is that no one ever gets singed. It is the people who don’t know how to play with it who get burned up.”
-Oscar Wilde

Did you watch the Super Bowl this year? Well of course you did! Well, at least you had it on the tube, right? In fact, you might have been having too much fun to watch the actual game but when those commercials came on you immediately became glued to the set, right? And why is it that viewers are more interested in those commercials than on any normal viewing day? It’s because most of them get a reaction out of you and usually that reaction is a laugh or a smile. In fact, 86% of commercials played during the Super Bowl contain some sort of humor or fun message. Why, you ask? It’s because FUN WORKS! The sponsors realize that if they can get those muscles around your face to move in a positive way, there is a chance you will make a move for your wallet in a way that’s positive for them.

So what about you? Do you have a Super Bowl commercial mentality? If not, it’s time to step it up. While you might not control the advertising budget at your company, you DO control the amount of fun and laughter you bring to your customers and prospects. So this week, think of something creative you can to do light up your sales territory. Become a commercial on every call. And while your competition is busy being “professional” (aka boring), your risky creativity will take the customer mentally away from work, and off to a happy place that makes them want to spend their money with you. And don’t be surprised if your competition is burned up by your results.

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.

“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.

It’s not about your sales “pitch,’ it’s about connecting on a higher level that tells them you are truly interested in what is important to them.

-Michael McDonald
Founder of ATO Records and Mick Management and
Manager of John Mayer, Natalie Merchant and Others. Also former stage manager for the Dave Matthews Band

The music industry is big and the competition can be fierce, but listen to music industry executive Michael McDonald talk about his advantage over the competition and he will tell you it is simple. Questioning, listening, understanding and a touch of humility will help you better server others. In addition, do for your customers what others won’t do. In other words, look at nothing as a hassle but instead as an opportunity to once again show them how much you care about their business.

This week on my weekly radio show, Michael shared a story about an up-and-coming artist who was interviewing potential managers. Michael jumped in his car and drove to a remote part of New England to meet with his prospect. This prospect lived in the “sticks” with his wife and kids, had no running water or electricity and was more interested in his music than in living the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Prior to Michael visiting, this musician had met with a few other management companies but could not find one that “felt right.” They promised him big time success that included fast cars, fast women and fast money. What they didn’t do was take the time to understand that those things had absolutely no value to the prospect.

Michael, on the other hand, did the following:

•    Prepared by doing his homework on the prospect
•    Built respect and trust before selling his services
•    Engaged the prospect with questions and listened to fully understand what the prospect wanted
•    Conveyed his Mick Management solution, assuring the prospect that his family’s interests were his priority
•    Made a friend, won an account!

So this week, let’s make some music of our own by connecting with customers on a higher level than our competition. And while the competition is busy “pitching,” let’s get busy learning. Because by learning what our customer is thinking and feeling, we can then design the perfect solution to make them happy for years to come. And by doing that well, our careers will also connect on a higher level!

Do you know what makes you so good? If somebody asked you right now to tell them why you or your company is worth more than your competitor, could you tell them precisely and confidently? While most salespeople and businesses believe they are worth every penny and certainly worth more than the competition, most cannot articulate what makes them better. Because they often have not spent time thinking about it.

Today, take 15 minutes at your desk and make a list of what makes your offering so special. Is it your knowledge, follow-up, listening skills, or creativity? Whatever it is, write it all down. Then dig deeper. Be specific in each area. What knowledge do you have that’s different? How quickly do you follow-up? What do you listen for? How does your creativity benefit others? And once your list is done, ask yourself, “Would my competitors list look like this?” If so, you better change your list or do a better of identifying EXACTLY why you can do those things better.

By making this list and then putting it into a repeatable “script,” you will be better prepared the next time a prospect asks you, “Why should I do business with you.” And rather than spewing out the same lame, “We specialize in service blah blah blah,” you will instead fire off your specific sales value in a way that leaves them better understanding why they NEED to spend money with you.

Want to turn your salesforce into Sales Weapons? Go to sellhardplayhard.com to learn about the PRECISE Selling Performance Camp on June 11 in KC. To find out more about Brian’s sales and leadership programs, visit him at www.preciseselling.com or email Brian at bsullivan@preciseselling.com

“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

There are two ways to be successful. Know a ton of people, and make sure more than a few of those people are well respected and influential. First, make it a habit to know the leaders and influencers in your organization. If you are a company employee and find yourself at a corporate convention where your leaders will also be, find a way to develop a conversation with as many as possible. This means you should NOT spend every free minute and eat every meeting meal with your group of business buddy associates who you already feel most comfortable with. And while they are calling out “Brown Nose!” as you shuffle past them to the leaders table, just give them a wink, knowing that your circle of influence is only 20 minutes from growing larger.

Next, remember not all “movers and shakers” reside in the Executive Suite. In fact, the most influential people often lack the fancy business card title but own the “street credibility” necessary to get things done. Don’t overlook them. In fact, go out of your way to help THEM increase their network and watch how the favor someday gets repaid.

Your next influence tip is to hone your speaking skills and USE THEM outside your company. Why? Because people in leadership positions often have to deliver both formal and informal “speeches.” And the ones who get to the top most quickly are often those can deliver a “talk” with poise and confidence.

And this is a skill that, when owned, is perhaps your single biggest weapon to increase your professional perception.  So find an area of expertise that you feel you know well. Then develop a 20-30 presentation on that topic. Practice it, rehearse it, and drill it until you impress even yourself. Then find a place to use. This could be a company meeting, an industry event, a Chamber of Commerce meeting, Rotary Club, or any number of organizations looking for an expert.

Lastly, spread the word on the web. Sign up for a Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter account, and as you keep learning, keep the world informed about who and what you know. And as you find new ways to share valuable information with others, you will find that you have become an irreplaceable asset in THEIR rise to the top. And when you become irreplaceable, you become unbeatable in business.

To listen to Brian’s radio interview on “how to increase your circle of networking influence” with Sheryl Nicholson, author of two Chicken Soup for the Soul books, go to www.preciseselling.com/Radioaccess.htm. Brian is 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. To learn more, go to www.preciseselling.com.

“Unless you love everybody,
you can’t sell anybody.”

-Dicky Fox
Sports agent
from the film Jerry Maguire

As we come off of Valentine’s Day I was reminded of the simplest and most timeless business and life formula…Love Equals Success. Love your customers, love your peers, love your competition, love your boss, love your family and friends, and love yourself. Do this in abundance and you will love waking up, love the cold call, love the challenges, love the long quiet drives, love the sales meetings, and love finding new ways to obtain and retain customers. In short, love people and the “situations” of life will take care of themselves.

To inject a little more love into your life, and as a result, a lot more success, try the following exercise:

•    Beginning tomorrow morning, count the number of human interactions you have in that day.

•    After each interaction ask yourself this question, “Did that person ‘feel the love’ or will they resume their day quickly forgetting that I was even part of it.”

•    After each interaction, grade yourself on a scale of 1-10, one being the Grinch-esque and 10 being Cupid-like.

•    Before you turn out the lights, determine the average “love index” of those interactions.

•    If you averaged between 1-5, SNAP OUT OF IT and set the goal to increase your number by a point or two the next day.

•    If you were between 6-8, nice job, but you may still be leaving some points on the board.

•    If you are a love pro and came up with either 9 or 10, congratulations…you achieved Barry White Love status!

So this week, bump up your “Love Index” by smiling more, listening more, serving more and by leaving everybody you touch better for being with you. And by making love your secret weapon, you better prepare to love the success that will soon follow.

This week, Brian interviewed author Scott McKain on his weekly radio show. Kevin wrote the book “Collapse of Distinction,” and shares tips on how some of the world’s most famous people use love and humility 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.