Sales Training Tactics

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.

“Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude.”
-E.P. Powell

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.

“It’s wonderful to have a beginner’s mind.”
-Steve Jobs
Co-founder and CEO of Apple

My three-year old daughter only recently discovered her Daddy’s iPhone. As she picked it up, she began pressing every button. As her finger accidentally slid across the screen, she noticed she could make things move. And if she pressed that button on the bottom, music came on. The more noises and movements the phone made, the more curious she became. After loading it up with a few Toddler games, she became hooked. Three weeks later, Maggie can now do more on that thing than her Daddy and is a regular shopper in the Application Store.  She keeps looking for the phone to do more, and with curiosity as her fuel she keeps making new discoveries.

So what about you? Are you as curious as you were when you were a child?  If you said yes, then it means you are NOT satisfied with what you already know. It means you feel challenged, not burdened when a new technology enters your life (either willingly or unwillingly). It means you don’t look for answers to be given to you but are thrilled when it is your job to find the solution. It means you don’t see the world for what it is, but instead for what it should be. So STAY CURIOUS, and you will realize there is no END to the potential that your “beginner’s mind” brings to your sales region, company, industry and world.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

There are seven Army values that determine a great soldier. They are:
•    Loyalty
o    Bear true faith and allegiance
•    Duty
o    Fulfill your obligations
•    Respect
o    How we consider others reflects upon each of us, both personally and as a professional organization.
•    Selfless Service
o    Selfless service leads to organizational teamwork and encompasses discipline, self-control and faith in the system.
•    Honor
o    Live up to the organization’s values.
•    Integrity
o    Be willing to do what is right even when no one is looking.
•    Personal Courage
o    Our ability to face fear, danger, or adversity, with both physical and moral courage

Today, on Veterans Day, we can show our greatest appreciation to our men and women in uniform by embracing and living the values that make our soldiers a model of what makes our country, our companies and ourselves great. Soldiers, thank you for the lessons you teach us, the selflessness of your service and the sacrifice you give.  We will forever be grateful.

Half the time people think they are talking business, they are wasting time.
-Edgar Watson Howe

Think of the number of meetings you attend each week. What percentage would you say are a waste of time? If you are like many, that percentage is high. Because too many meetings take too long, get too little done and often only add to the confusion that existed before the meeting. Studies show that one key reason meetings are unproductive is because too much time is spent going over the same topics discussed in previous meetings.

So this week, follow these tips to a successful meeting (or sales call).

•    Have a clear objective. A good objective is what you want the people in that room to do as a result of you being there. In other words, it’s not about what you do, it’s about what THEY do as a result of you being in that meeting.

•    Simplify- Quit “re-visiting” old issues. Then pick no more than three action items that must take place as a result of the meeting. If you walk away with fifty things that need to be done, not all will get done. And the stuff you do get to will not be done as well as it should.

•    Shorten- Cut the time you set aside for meetings in half. The urgency to get things done will force you to trim the BS and help you accomplish more.

In short, be PRECISE. Which means exact, sharply defined or stated. And by following the lessons above, you will find you are about to get twice as much done in half the time.

“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.

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.

Stress is an ignorant state.  It believes that everything is an emergency.  ~Natalie Goldberg

Have you ever noticed how some people look stressed all the times? In fact, these same people often get stressed BECAUSE they have nothing to stress about. Problem is, many of these folks believe that the appearance of stress is a signal to others that they are super busy. But in reality, it is only a sign to others that they are STRESSED.

Think of some of the great leaders in history like Winston Churchill. One of the greatest assets he possessed while bombs were being littered on his country was his ability to stay calm under pressure. And think of great athletes like Michael Jordan or Peyton Manning. There is a calmness in top performers that becomes even more apparent when situations become difficult. While everybody around them is showing the pressure, they show control. And that control is what makes others want to follow them.

So this week, when the heat is on, don’t let anybody know it. Focus on the objective calmly, knowing people around you are watching how you handle it. And when they see you at your best, while others are feeling the heat, you will become the type of leader that others turn to when they need a top performer.

“Every person I meet has a lesson for me. But it is my responsibility to search for that lesson.”
-Brian Sullivan

Think about how many people you came into contact with yesterday. Now ask yourself, “How many of those people did I learn from, and what specific lessons did I take away?” If you can’t recall any substantive lessons, it’s not because they weren’t available. It just means you didn’t search for them. Truth is, all the knowledge we need to be top performers resides in the minds of the people we meet everyday. And the only difference between those that make it to the top and those who aspire to get there is top performers ask more questions in EVERY conversation they have. They realize they don’t get smarter by telling others all about themselves and their “product,” but rather by learning as much as possible from others.

So this week, add more who, what, why, where and whens to every conversation. And when you ask, LISTEN and learn from what is being said. Don’t think of your next question… just listen. And with your newfound interest in others, you will find the world’s most powerful search engine is not GOOGLE. It is YOU!

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.