Do you hate sales people

What is a sales person to you? In your mind what do salespeople do to get business?

Is your image of a salesperson similar to a stereo-typed used car salesperson?

Do you see a salesperson as a slime-ball who doesn’t mind lying to get business? Will do anything to get the business?

For some people this is the reason they won’t do sales! Where are your thoughts – are they helping you or hindering?

If this kind of image is getting in your way. I would recommend reading the ‘One minute salesperson’ which should help you get things straight and get drumming up business. It quickly gives insight into the attitude and skills needed to make sales by treating potential clients as people and not fools.

Everyone of us has some sales skill. Ever got a job? Ever been on a date, got engaged, got married? All the time we sell?

You are not sleazy, dishonest or using tricks in those transactions. So you don’t need to be anything but yourself and work honestly to gain new business.

Anytime I work with a client first I listen to their problem, then think, then offer a solution or recommend a course of action with another company if need be.

I am always looking to offer a potential solution with a price tag rather than "make a sale". I would rather walk away from the wrong type of business but help find a next step for my clients rather than take everything i get offered. That way I become a first resource to consult and get more of the right work.

Don’t let your mental image of salespeople stop you gaining new business.

What do the Successful Do differently

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing." - Abraham Lincoln

A habit is something that you create by repeating a particular behavior. Do something over and over and it will become a habit. An attitude is a habitual way of thinking. You can develop an attitude by taking conscious control of your way of thinking. By constantly reinforcing your way of thinking, you develop an attitude. Habits and attitudes can make you or break you. Many a hapless business has been broken by the habits and attitudes of its owners. I've listed below a compilation of the common habits and attitudes of successful entrepreneurs.

"We first make our habits, and then our habits make us." - John Dryden

Focus. Successful entrepreneurs have the ability to focus their attention on important projects and see them through. This is the secret to getting things done. Once their priorities are set, successful businesspeople refuse to switch from task to task randomly.

"If you chase two rabbits, both will escape." - Anonymous

Think! Successful businesspeople don't fall apart when faced with crises. They take a moment and think about their situation. They evaluate their options, discuss them with others who can offer insight and then decide on the best course of action. People aren't compensated for having brains... they are compensated for using them.

"The happiest people are not the people without problems,
but the people who know how to solve their problems." - Robert Seashore

See the opportunities. Opportunities are everywhere. They really are. It's just that most people can't see them. Most of us expect opportunity to beacon to us with flashers and sirens, but that isn't how it normally works. If opportunities were that easy to see, everyone would flock to them.

"Opportunity's favorite disguise is trouble." - Frank Tyger

Develop good work habits and attitudes. There are far more people who can start a business than there are who can run a one thats successful. You've heard the statistics - most small businesses fail. Develop your procedures and policies regarding how you get your work done, how you treat your customers, how you make decisions, etc. Do this consistently and over time, you'll find that you've established the patterns for keeping your business developing and growing.

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." - Jim Ryun

Don't let criticism crush you. Everyone is an expert on your problems. Listen and give consideration to the inputs you receive, but remember, you're the person who will be impacted directly by your decisions, policies, and habits not them

"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem: they know how it's done, they've seen
it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan

Don't overcharge. Customers are quick to recognize value and quick to go elsewhere if they feel they are being overcharged. You're goal should be to make them customers for the long term.

"Don't learn the tricks of the trade... learn the trade." - Anonymous

Never forget why you're doing this. Sometimes, we lose sight of what we are working for. We get sucked into the day-to-day activities that we have to master to keep the show going and forget why we're doing all of this rather than something else. Its the wood for the trees question. Look up!

"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Be willing to take calculated risks. Evaluate the benefits of doing something and compare it to the benefits of not doing it. If you can afford the consequences of failing, then do it. There is never a better time than now to do anything... in fact "now" is the only time you can do anything!

"Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is needed. You
can't cross a chasm in two small jumps." - David Lloyd George

Start even when you don't have the complete information. You will never know everything You won't know how that ad will work until you try it. You won't know how people will react to your web page message until you try it. There is simply no way of knowing , so don't make knowing all the answers a criteria for taking action.

"If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey,
most of us would never start out at all." - Dan Rather with Peter Wyden

Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Most of us aren't good at everything we try to do. Learn what you're good at and let others do the rest. Focusing on the things you do well is the best use of your time.

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden

Ask for business. So many things are lost to us for want of asking. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you can succeed in business without asking for it. Let everyone know what you do. Give everyone a card. Let everyone know that they can call you for a free initial consultation. Spending time with prospects is a good avenue for acquiring new business... but don't forget to ask them for it!

"Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find;
knock and it shall be opened unto you." - Bible, Matthew 7:7

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. You will learn more from your mistakes than you do from your successes. So fail fast. Try not to keep making the same mistakes over and over. View every disaster for what it is: an opportunity to learn and improve.

"Good judgment comes from experience and...
experience comes from bad judgment." - Anonymous

If you discover you've been wrong, stop the damage immediately. It's never too late to cut your losses and change the way you're doing things. If something isn't working, change it...Don't be controlled by emotion or simply let things run. Letting inertia run your business is suicide.

"No matter how far you have gone on a wrong road, turn back." - Turkish Proverb

Persist. It's been said a thousand times and a thousand ways... persistence pays. Some people even think that it is a facet of intelligence. This could explain how some people of lower intelligence have time after time - far exceeded the accomplishments of others who were acknowledged as smarter.

"A chicken doesn't stop scratching just because worms are scarce." - Anonymous

Be open to changing the way you work. The way it's always been done isn't necessarily the best way to do things today. Be ready to change the way you do things if you see, hear, or think of a better way.

"If you do the things you've always done,
you'll get the results you've always gotten." - Anonymous

Keep pushing, even in good items. Just because you got a nice contract or had a good week is no reason to sit back and relax. You can have a good week followed by three not-so-good weeks so keep taking consistant actions.

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." - Will Rogers

Have a great day getting into action

Adam

How to get Referrals

People are always asking me of the easiest and quickest way of getting infront of warm potential customers. Without doubt the best, the cheapest, the highest conversion rates come from sales to a warm referral. So this week I have listed below my top 10 strategies for actively getting referrals.

1. Set a target - you have to set a goal or target first before you can achieve it. So decide on your referral goal, how many people will you ask and by when. Remember its only when you have a goal will you have obstacles, so whenever you are aware of something getting in your way take it as a positive and a clear sign that your moving towards your goal

2. Birds of a feather flock together - people mix with people they feel comfortable with, or 'people like people that they are like' so focus on people that are already customers or people you have great relationships with.

3. Take responsibility - Its no use handing out hundreds of business cards if you're not going to take responsibility for getting the referrals to happen. If you want to move to the next level of achievement, you must start asking for names and phone numbers. Get their details!

4. Send an 'advance party'-if possible have a current client who thinks highly of you phone ahead to a prospective client before you meet them. All the existing client has to say is 'You'll really like her - she's very professional and calls a spade a spade' , and bingo, you're in.

5. Nothing succeeds like success - one of my clients, who is in the home loan business , said he obtained some of his greatest referrals after he sent a gift basket to a client on the completion of their loan. However, he made another jump in quality and numbers of referrals when he started sending the baskets to the clients' workplace instead of home. This was a stoke of genius because, as soon as the gift basket arrives, everyone in the office gathers around to find out where it came from. Suddenly you will here 'I wish my mortgage broker was that great'

6. Follow up with a thank you call or card - it may not be as grand as a gift basket, but a thank you call or card always impresses clients because most salespeople forget to make or send them. While you're on the phone, why not ask your client for at least one person they can think of that could use your product or service. You can also do this with a hand written card. Simply have some cards ready in your bag or car, quickly write one on the way out of your meeting and simply drop it off at reception. How about that for 'action'

7. Ask your clients to send a letter or email of introduction - when I first started whenever I completed a series of coaching sessions with a company, I would draft a letter that my satisfied client could send or email on to their associates. The letter or email was written in a way that praised me and my coaching and spoke of the positive feedback and , most importantly of the benefits my client had received from my coaching.

8. Centres of influence referrals - centres of influence are people who are well regarded among a group of people. For example, the head of your local BNI or Chamber of Commerce. They might even be the captain of your local footy team. Knowing a centre of influence could result in an avalanche of sales for you because instead of wasting your time seeing each person individually, a centre of influence can invite you to present your product or service to the whole group.

9.Join a group - Following on from centres of influence is creating your own centre of influence. Join or start a group. Perhaps a business breakfast or local club. Surround yourself with people who have the same interests as you. Perhaps start an online blog, where people begin to look to you for advice or to be influenced. Create credibility and trust and then people will begin to ask you for your service or product.

10. Manage your database for big results - without doubt one of your biggest opportunities is your humble database of past and current clients. If you haven't started a database or if your current one is in poor condition, make a commitment now to contact somebody to either help you set one up, or get in touch with me for a few easy steps on how you could start one with no or little cost.

Have a great day getting into action

Adam

Carrott verses Stick

Motivating Employees: Carrots vs Stick Approach

A recent news story said that if you want happier workers then you should drop the stick, and find more carrots....

According to a 10-year survey of 200,000 managers and employees around the world conducted by The Jackson Organization in Laurel, Md., organizations that consistently recognize excellence generate a return on equity more than three times higher than institutions that don't.

Sales Sales Sales

Cold Calling Tips

Cold Calling Is still by far the most effective sales tactic if done correctly.

The obituary for cold calling is premature. While in the perfect world, your phone would be ringing off the hook all day with clients offering you business, the reality is that if you want business, you need to go after it, be the cause, not the result, and cold calling is an effective sales tactic if it's done properly.

For most people however, I realise that they would rather spend an entire day in a dentist's chair than go cold calling. Does the thought of cold calling immediately make you think of that "other thing that you really should have got finished" These cold calling tips won't eliminate your fear, but they will help you make cold calling a more successful experience.

1. Focus on the goal when cold calling.

Beginners tend to think that cold calling is about making the sale. It's not. It's about getting the chance to make the sale. Specifically, the purpose of a cold call is to set an appointment to make the pitch.

2. Research your markets and prospects.

Which we spoke about last week. I know you all now know who your customes are

3. Prepare an opening statement for your cold call.

This lets you organize your thoughts before cold calling, and helps you avoid common mistakes that might give the person you're calling the chance to terminate the conversation. For instance, you should never ask, "Is this a good time to talk?" Don't read your opening statement into the phone, but use it as a framework to get the conversation off to a good start.

4. What should be in the opening statement of your cold call?

"Include a greeting and an introduction, a reference point (something about the prospect), the benefits of your product or service, and a transition to a question or dialogue. For example, 'Good morning Tony (I like to use first names if possible as it puts you at there level) This is Adam Palfrey from Cbi Coaching. Hope you don't mind the quick call but I've just read in the Courier Mail that you recently started ...........It sounds fantastic, Hows that going for you? Tony the reason for the call is to introduce myself and CBI. We're a group of business performance coaches and we're doing a series of free business diagnostics in the area, which I'd love to discuss with you....

5. Prepare a script for the rest of your cold call.

Next lay out the benefits of your product or service and the reasons your prospect should say yes. Write out possible objections and your answer to them. Without a script, it's too easy to leave something out or meander. Once again, it's not that you'll be reading your script word for word when you call, but that you've prepared the framework of the cold call in advance. so...

So Tony, the business diagnostic is a a great session, it takes 90 minutes, no selling I promise just some great value for you in the business. We'll look at all areas of your business, whats working and importantly whats not. I'll leave you with a visual plan of your business, so you have some actions and if we have time I can also show you what your business is currently worth. How does that sound? ...Great

6. Ask for an appointment at a specific time when cold calling.

Say, "Would Wednesday at 11 a.m. be a good time to meet?" instead of saying, "Can I meet with you to discuss this next week?"

7. Remember that gatekeepers are your allies not your foes.
Be pleasant to whoever picks up the phone when cold calling and develop strategies to get the gatekeeper on your side. Try asking, "I wonder if you could help me?" or " You sound like you're having a great day" will help you get them on side and then the information you need, such as the name of the right person to talk to or when the best time to contact the prospect is. Learning the names of gatekeepers and being friendly when cold calling helps immensely.

8. Do your cold calling early in the morning, if possible.

That's the best time to reach the decision maker directly, and for most people, the time that they're most energized.

9. You could also smooth the way for your cold call by sending prospects a small, unique promotional item. Not always necessary, just makes contact easier.

Just think carefully about this and my advice would be to get some professional help. Be clever rather than throwing budget away and don't use this as another excuse not to start in the first place.

10. Be persistent when cold calling.

"Eighty percent of new sales are made after the fifth contact, yet the majority of sales people give up after the second call"

And above all, practice, practice, practice. While cold calling may never be much fun for you, you can get better at it, and the more you practice cold calling, the more effective a sales tactic it will be. So get your script and your call list together and reach for the phone. The people who want to do business with you are out there - but you have to let them know about you first.

Have a great day getting into action...on the phone

Top Tip

I'm forever doing things that really don't serve me. For example I check my email far too much.

Look really carefully at all your daily actions, and ask yourself

"Is this taking me towards my goals or moving me away"

If it isn't taking you forward towards your goal it's taking you away. So don't do it !

Try it this week! I promise it works

Sales Sales Sales

I need to improve my selling skills! My sales team aren't hitting their targets and we're missing opportunities!

Sound familiar?..Well your not alone. These are some of the more common statements I hear from business owners almost daily.

Isn't it strange that although we complain we do so little about it. After all we all know that great sales people have;

A proven strategy that they use over and over, which comes from;

1. They practice,
2. They formulate scripts and processes
3. They measure results
4. They refine the process
5. They work hard until they get it right

Once they have that proven strategy it's simply about numbers. How many calls do I need to make to arrange one meeting. How many meetings do I need to have to close one sale and finally how many sales do i need to earn my bonus!!!!

So Friend, over the coming weeks I'm going to talk you through the different aspects and options for your sales strategy and the sales skills you and your team need to get that sale.

Sound good? Great so..

Step 1 Who are my Customers?

When most people start their own businesses they are so focused on just surviving, that they lose track of their target market. This doesn't become a problem until the business wants to really grow, as only then, and through the use of a sales team and sales strategy does knowing your target market with absolute clarity become essential.

Ask yourself.

• Who do we sell to?
• Where have we sold before?
  
• What do my customers look like?
  
• How old are my customers?
• Where do they work, hangout? What groups do they belong to?
• How do they buy?
  
• What else do they buy?
  
• Are they certain job title?
• Are they from a certain place ,location, community?

Questions like these help you build a very detaiiled visual picture of your customer. Once you know who your customer is, you can find out where they live, work and play. Knowing this gives you power and gives you a plan.

Once you find your customers, you've achieved step 1- you're half way to the sale. Next you have to communicate with them!!

So between now and my next newsletter get into action around really getting to know your customers. Who they are and where they are!

Have a great day getting into action