Prospects Define Value by Your Commitment and Persistence

August 2, 2017 By

Lately I’m hearing a lot of salespeople say they call prospects, leave messages and they never call them back.  Most times the prospect doesn’t answer the phone.  In an age where every phone has Caller ID it is a split second decision to quickly ignore the interruption.  When this is true most of the time, we want to ask ourselves, “Why?”

Salesperson Phone

The strongest influence in personal behavior is weighing the consequences of any action.  What are the consequences of answering the phone or returning a voice mail message of any unknown person?  Another factor in determining what we do and don’t is fear.  Combine those two and here is what the prospect is thinking; “I don’t know this person; I don’t know why they are calling; I’m busy; I’m afraid if I answer, I’ll never get that time back; and if I avoid it, it will go away.”  And guess what, you do.  You stop calling.  The prospect was right! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cold Calling, Commitment, Prospecting, Role, Technique

What Are You Willing to Tolerate?

July 12, 2017 By

Last week I spent a day on a ride-along with a sales rep visiting existing accounts and meeting new prospects. The conversations during the miles we covered were mixed between business and personal topics. One personal story was about how the rep can’t find her hotspot at home, so she has been using the cell phone as a hotspot. I asked her how long the hotspot was missing and she said about 3 months. She was not sure if her daughter hid it or the dog ran off and buried it in the backyard.

The following week when the sales report came out, she fell short of her weekly goals.  I reminded her about the story she told me about the missing hotspot. I asked her if she is willing to tolerate substandard results at home, she will also accept substandard results at work and she will never succeed if she continued to believe she doesn’t deserve anything better than what she is getting. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Commitment, Failure, Potential, Prospecting, Role

Whom Do You Admire?

June 21, 2017 By

I remember growing up and wanting to be a doctor. My grandfather was a doctor and was allowed to smoke Dutch Masters President cigar’s in the house after dinner. I thought that was pretty cool. I’m sure there were other reasons I aspired to be like him, but cannot recall them today.

Recently I asked a new client who they admire and they were caught off guard. They replied with, “Well, I guess my father.” I asked, “How often do you see your father?” “About two to three times a year, I guess.” they answered. “What do you admire about your father?” I asked. Silence. He couldn’t think of anything. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Commitment, Failure, Role

Define Yourself

October 23, 2016 By

During a political season, each candidate defines himself or her­self before their opponent does it for them. As the campaigns heat up and issues are tossed around in the media and discussed with friends and neighbors, you can base your beliefs on what you believe to be true, based on your evaluation of each candidate.

The effort to “define yourself ” is not limited to just political fig­ures. You do it for yourself as a salesperson who constantly opens yourself up for acceptance and rejection in the role you play. You also take the risk of letting others define you, causing you to live according to their definition of you instead of your own. But by defining yourself, when you are rejected by prospects, criticized by others and judged by strangers, you will know their judgments to be untrue because you have decisively defined yourself. who-am-i
When you define yourself, you are consciously deciding what your goals and values are now and in the future. To help stay on track when you are tempted to accept and believe criticism, these goals and values determine your daily behaviors and priorities. Here are three questions to ask yourself about who you are and want to be. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Commitment, Potential, Prospecting, Role

Fight and fail; the only option worth taking

October 12, 2016 By

Lately it seems I’ve be learning a lot of lessons.  Which is another way of saying; I’ve been attempting new activities and not achieving the preferred outcome.  This is frustrating for me and I imagine the same for others who are constantly doing the same.

I don’t want to learn anymore lessons for a while.  I want a normal day of mediocrity, filled with a calm contentment and no surprises; like working on an assembly line for a few months. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Commitment, Failure, Potential, Prospecting, Role

I’m a First Responder to a No Soliciting sign

October 5, 2016 By

Last week I made a visit to my neighborhood mobile phone carrier’s retail store and noticed a ‘No Solicitors’ sign in the window.  This gave me pause before entering.  I thought – “I’m a Solicitor, what’s wrong with me.  Why don’t they want me to come in?”

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I peered through the glass like a school boy at a peep show, wondering what is going on inside that I was forbidden to see.  Others inside the store began to look at me and I finally mustered up the guts to pull the door open and walk in.

I stopped as everyone looked at me and said, “I saw the No Solicitors sign.  I’m a salesman.  I sell for a living.  What do you folks do behind the counter?  Are you salespeople?  Can I come in?”  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Cold Calling, Prospecting, Role

The One Word to Stop Using

January 4, 2016 By

One of the services I offer clients is selecting and hiring superstar salespeople. I work with them on weeding through resumes and asking questions during interviews. During one of the interviews, last week, I asked a candidate to describe a superstar salesperson, and they replied with, “someone that is helping customers solve problems.” Is this how you describe a superstar salesperson? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Commitment, Featured, Hiring, Price, Questioning, Role, Technique

It’s the bottom of the 7th and you’re trailing

December 31, 2015 By

Your team has just taken the field after another inning with no hits. You have 2 more chances at bat to change the score from being behind 5 to 3. Your focus is currently on being defensive with throwing more strikes than hits and making more outs than errors. But, you also have to get some hits in when you’re up to bat. What can you do to get more hits? That is the question.

OutfielderThis is the same question salespeople need to ask themselves when they are in the last two months of the year and they are 25% away of reaching their annual quota. You cannot have another year when you don’t make quota. At this point, with the current sales pipeline, you will fall short by $67,000 in revenue. What can you do to change the outcome of the year and make your quota? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Change, Commitment, Failure, News, Prospecting, Role

My Boss Told Me I Should Go – oh joy!

February 2, 2014 By

Before opening a seminar, I’ll hang around the registration desk to meet the audience and ask “how did you hear about the event and what made you decide to attend today?”  Two important questions will help me discover a successful source of marketing and uncover the motivation of the attendee.

Sometimes my audience attendees will say, “My boss told me I should go to this.”  At that moment, they have met their boss’ goal, but chances are that anything in their life will change is low. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Commitment, Role

Dead Sea or Sea of Galilee

January 22, 2013 By

I sign off on my newsletters with “Enjoy the Journey.” Life is a journey with a new destination set every time we reach one.  Change is growth and growth is learning.  Our knowledge and beliefs evolve with new experiences.  This is how we keep up and keep current.

The marketplace changes every day with new experiences.  Your prospect’s buying process evolves when their needs become reality, and if you don’t grow and change with them, you will be left behind.  Your competition may have started the conversation with a prospect before they invited you to participate by submitting your proposal.  Once you submit yours, the prospect feels comfortable going with your competitor, because your sales skills were a little rusty in presenting your company as the winning solution provider. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Role, Technique
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