Your New Year’s Gift
Here we go again. Another year gone as the next year arrives.
Like many others, I use this time to reflect on what happened and what’s about to happen. The New Year provides a clean slate of sorts. We get excited about the possibilities to grow our professional and personal lives.
Things do change. We hope, pray and work for positive change in our lives and for those around us.
I lost a business acquaintance this year. He passed away. I didn’t maintain contact with him for a number of years. He had a very positive effect on me. He was a mentor without the title. He was a living example of how to behave and succeed as a salesman, as a professional and as a trusted associate. His name was Bob. He was of Irish descent which you would figure out immediately upon meeting him.
Bob was the first Manufacturer’s Representative that I ever worked with. I was in my early-20’s selling medical supplies to doctor’s offices. At the time, he was in his mid to late 30’s making him an old guy to me. Bob represented some of the manufacturers on our line card.
He was witty and wise. He had a lot of stories to tell and all were entertaining and most had a lesson weaved in the words he spoke.
His best story, by far, was about his graduation from high school, his graduation party and the gift that his father gave to him.
At some time during the celebration, his dad asked him to get up and go outside to see his graduation present. As they walked to the door his mind raced until he decided that dad got him a car. Once on the porch he saw that there was no car, nothing whatsoever. Where was the present?
Bob’s dad put one arm around his shoulder and stretched the other arm out pointing to the trees, sky moon and clouds. “There it is son. The whole wide world and it’s all yours.” Disappointed? Yes, for a while. As he told me that story, so many years later, that gift had indeed become the greatest a dad could give a child in transition.
So, on this occasion, I would like to share that gift with you. I’ve had the whole wide world for a long, long time. I recognize the value of it and have deeply appreciated the opportunity the world has given me. Take the opportunity given to you by the world we live in and “go for it”. Don’t waste a precious minute while chasing your dream this New Year.
Thank you Bob
Friday, December 30, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
1, 2, 3 Grow
1, 2, 3 Grow
Building your business in 2012 is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Getting back to basics is the easiest way to meet new customers and generate new revenue.
Six Degrees of Separation
From Wikipedia:
Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, "a friend of a friend" statements can be made, on average, to connect any two people in six steps or fewer. It was originally set out by Frigyes Karinthy and popularized by a play written by John Guare.
Old Concept is Reborn
The six degrees of separation concept seems to be at the core of the LinkedIn value proposition. LinkedIn has the ability to let us explore and leverage three degrees of separation. It is an awesome tool that empowers us to reach out.
The Old Way
This powerful concept is an updated twist on a very old and easy prospecting method that everyone can practice with or without technology.
Before we had computers, cell phones, websites, blogs and social media top sales producers practiced asking for referrals from customers, associates and friends. A simple question like: “Do you know anyone who might be interested in and benefit from my product or service?” kept savvy salespeople busy with warm leads and drove new business.
A Numbers Game
Selling always was and always will be a game of numbers. More sales calls equal more sales. Calling on warm referred leads increases the odds of success and makes sales activities easier. Would you rather call a total stranger or a friend or associate of your customer or friend? The answer is always the warm referral.
Why We Don’t Ask?
Asking for referral leads is rarely done by the average salesperson. There are some sales jobs that routinely practice asking for referrals. Some even pay the source for a lead that converts to a sale. Here are four examples.
1. Vacuum Cleaner Sales in the Home. Decades ago, a friend of mine gave my name to a vacuum cleaner salesman. All I had to do is see the demonstration and he would earn a $25 referral fee. I let the guy do the demo. My friend got $25 and I purchased a $300 vacuum cleaner. Then I asked 12 of my friends to see the demo. They did and I had myself a free vacuum cleaner.
2. Life Insurance. My first real sales job was selling life insurance. My days were full of prospecting calls and my nights were dedicated to sales visits. It didn’t take long to learn that the top producers didn’t have to work the phones as hard as I did because they had built a customer base, a network of people who knew others and, when asked, would cough up warm referral leads.
3. Auto Sales. For a very short time (90 days), when I was in between things, I sold cars. I wanted the experience, I wanted to see how hard it was and I was in a “figure things out” period of my life. Many of my peers actually paid people who referred car buyers. The finder fees were $25 or $50. This was a great way to bring in sales that is still being used today.
4. Computer Systems to Doctors. In a ten year period, I sold a lot of computer systems to doctors. These systems were used for patient and insurance billing. My best estimate is that I sold 500 or so of these big ticket items in a decade, or one a week for ten years. Not bad. My prime tactic was to give something of value to a doctor who referred a friend. A free printer or a couple of free months of support would usually do the trick. I always had warm referral leads.
Now You Do It
You can solicit warm leads on LinkedIn or with some other social media tool that I don’t know about (as of yet). Better yet, skip the technology and call three of your customers, business associates or friends and ask them for the names and contact information of someone they know that would appreciate what you have to sell. Make sure that you can use their name as the referrals source and reference. That would result in nine (9) people to call, visit and sell.
When you contact the 9, and at some time in your experience with them, ask them the same question. Ask for the names of three people in their world that might want or need your stuff. Now you have 27 new targets. Ask those 27 for three and you have yourself a lot of work to do processing 81 warm referral leads. Can you see how crazy this can get?
Real World Example
I recently gave a Mentee of mine the names of three people that I figured would be highly interested in his offering. He contacted them and they were. I hope that he asks each of these contacts for three warm leads and so on and so on. His life will get much easier and his business will flourish.
Start Today
Six degrees of separation is a great idea and a concept that all salespeople should be aware of and leverage to develop business. Start asking for referrals today and make it routine. You will be rewarded.
Building your business in 2012 is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Getting back to basics is the easiest way to meet new customers and generate new revenue.
Six Degrees of Separation
From Wikipedia:
Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, "a friend of a friend" statements can be made, on average, to connect any two people in six steps or fewer. It was originally set out by Frigyes Karinthy and popularized by a play written by John Guare.
Old Concept is Reborn
The six degrees of separation concept seems to be at the core of the LinkedIn value proposition. LinkedIn has the ability to let us explore and leverage three degrees of separation. It is an awesome tool that empowers us to reach out.
The Old Way
This powerful concept is an updated twist on a very old and easy prospecting method that everyone can practice with or without technology.
Before we had computers, cell phones, websites, blogs and social media top sales producers practiced asking for referrals from customers, associates and friends. A simple question like: “Do you know anyone who might be interested in and benefit from my product or service?” kept savvy salespeople busy with warm leads and drove new business.
A Numbers Game
Selling always was and always will be a game of numbers. More sales calls equal more sales. Calling on warm referred leads increases the odds of success and makes sales activities easier. Would you rather call a total stranger or a friend or associate of your customer or friend? The answer is always the warm referral.
Why We Don’t Ask?
Asking for referral leads is rarely done by the average salesperson. There are some sales jobs that routinely practice asking for referrals. Some even pay the source for a lead that converts to a sale. Here are four examples.
1. Vacuum Cleaner Sales in the Home. Decades ago, a friend of mine gave my name to a vacuum cleaner salesman. All I had to do is see the demonstration and he would earn a $25 referral fee. I let the guy do the demo. My friend got $25 and I purchased a $300 vacuum cleaner. Then I asked 12 of my friends to see the demo. They did and I had myself a free vacuum cleaner.
2. Life Insurance. My first real sales job was selling life insurance. My days were full of prospecting calls and my nights were dedicated to sales visits. It didn’t take long to learn that the top producers didn’t have to work the phones as hard as I did because they had built a customer base, a network of people who knew others and, when asked, would cough up warm referral leads.
3. Auto Sales. For a very short time (90 days), when I was in between things, I sold cars. I wanted the experience, I wanted to see how hard it was and I was in a “figure things out” period of my life. Many of my peers actually paid people who referred car buyers. The finder fees were $25 or $50. This was a great way to bring in sales that is still being used today.
4. Computer Systems to Doctors. In a ten year period, I sold a lot of computer systems to doctors. These systems were used for patient and insurance billing. My best estimate is that I sold 500 or so of these big ticket items in a decade, or one a week for ten years. Not bad. My prime tactic was to give something of value to a doctor who referred a friend. A free printer or a couple of free months of support would usually do the trick. I always had warm referral leads.
Now You Do It
You can solicit warm leads on LinkedIn or with some other social media tool that I don’t know about (as of yet). Better yet, skip the technology and call three of your customers, business associates or friends and ask them for the names and contact information of someone they know that would appreciate what you have to sell. Make sure that you can use their name as the referrals source and reference. That would result in nine (9) people to call, visit and sell.
When you contact the 9, and at some time in your experience with them, ask them the same question. Ask for the names of three people in their world that might want or need your stuff. Now you have 27 new targets. Ask those 27 for three and you have yourself a lot of work to do processing 81 warm referral leads. Can you see how crazy this can get?
Real World Example
I recently gave a Mentee of mine the names of three people that I figured would be highly interested in his offering. He contacted them and they were. I hope that he asks each of these contacts for three warm leads and so on and so on. His life will get much easier and his business will flourish.
Start Today
Six degrees of separation is a great idea and a concept that all salespeople should be aware of and leverage to develop business. Start asking for referrals today and make it routine. You will be rewarded.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Selling Yourself
People buy from people. Customers deal with whom they have the most confidence. If you do a good job of selling yourself they will be most comfortable when considering dealing with you. When putting your information together, it can be about you personally, about your company or a mix of both. Some salespeople have little to talk about. Others have too much. Everyone has something and it’s important to organize your credentials and use it to your advantage.
Education
Your education is a great start in building a case that you are a good person to do business with. If you have a degree in a field related to your business focus, you will establish an advantage. Certifications are also really good when building your profile.
Achievements
Speak about your business accomplishments. If you have solved some major problems for customers, performed at a high level or have done anything else of note, let people know. Results are what customers are paying you for. If you have had successes they can be used as a great tool for getting your prospective customer to accept your proposal.
Awards
Achievements are great. Awards are better. Getting the word out about your accomplishments is very good. When someone else, a third party, recognizes you for your accomplishments it is much better and carries a lot more weight than when coming from you.
References
Reference letters are a terrific sales tool. They are not as powerful as awards, but very close. You don’t usually get these letters of reference unless you solicit them. When you do get them, make sure you have the source’s permission to use them. Also, check in with your happy campers once in a while and make sure they are still happy.
Community Service
There are times when your community service doesn’t matter to a customer. There are other times when your community service can be a difference between making a sales or losing the deal. You don’t have to go overboard, but a track record as a volunteer says a lot to a buyer about your character.
There you have it. Your credentials matter. Selling yourself as a trusted advisor, a good person to deal with is an important part of the sales process and should not be overlooked.
Education
Your education is a great start in building a case that you are a good person to do business with. If you have a degree in a field related to your business focus, you will establish an advantage. Certifications are also really good when building your profile.
Achievements
Speak about your business accomplishments. If you have solved some major problems for customers, performed at a high level or have done anything else of note, let people know. Results are what customers are paying you for. If you have had successes they can be used as a great tool for getting your prospective customer to accept your proposal.
Awards
Achievements are great. Awards are better. Getting the word out about your accomplishments is very good. When someone else, a third party, recognizes you for your accomplishments it is much better and carries a lot more weight than when coming from you.
References
Reference letters are a terrific sales tool. They are not as powerful as awards, but very close. You don’t usually get these letters of reference unless you solicit them. When you do get them, make sure you have the source’s permission to use them. Also, check in with your happy campers once in a while and make sure they are still happy.
Community Service
There are times when your community service doesn’t matter to a customer. There are other times when your community service can be a difference between making a sales or losing the deal. You don’t have to go overboard, but a track record as a volunteer says a lot to a buyer about your character.
There you have it. Your credentials matter. Selling yourself as a trusted advisor, a good person to deal with is an important part of the sales process and should not be overlooked.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sales Activity
Sales activity is the key to your success. You must be an expert in the subject matter of your business. You have to learn and develop skills required to find prospective customers, tell your story and secure orders. These factors are the foundation for your success. However, without taking positive action, you will under perform or fail.
Activity must be planned, committed to and completed without fail. Persistence is paramount to sustaining a steady flow of revenue.
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are alone omnipotent.” Calvin Coolidge
As you journey through your business and professional life, you owe it to yourself, your loved ones, your friends and associates to do your best. Giving less than your best effort at all times short changes you and your dreams. Don’t forget, skip or ignore proactive tasks to generate revenue and to move your business and career forward. If you don’t do your best you will regret it later.
One way to insure that you will complete sufficient sales activities is to make a commitment to do certain things at a frequency you can manage. Then, if you keep records of completed activities, you will be able to analyze those activities and determine their effectiveness.
Make a commitment to regular sales activity. Do it now. Follow it faithfully. Be persistent.
I will mail ____ brochure or letters per _________.
I will make _____ phone calls per __________.
I will call on ________ prospects per ___________.
I will attend ________ networking meetings per __________.
I will participate in _________ charity events per _________.
I will send out _________ e-mail newsletters per __________.
I will write ___ blog posting per ________.
I will also do __________ and __________ every ______.
Write it down. Sign it. Keep your commitment in front of you. Keep score with your activity report form. Review it, analyze the results. Be faithful. Be persistent. You will prosper.
That’s more like it. Now make some sales calls.
Activity must be planned, committed to and completed without fail. Persistence is paramount to sustaining a steady flow of revenue.
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are alone omnipotent.” Calvin Coolidge
As you journey through your business and professional life, you owe it to yourself, your loved ones, your friends and associates to do your best. Giving less than your best effort at all times short changes you and your dreams. Don’t forget, skip or ignore proactive tasks to generate revenue and to move your business and career forward. If you don’t do your best you will regret it later.
One way to insure that you will complete sufficient sales activities is to make a commitment to do certain things at a frequency you can manage. Then, if you keep records of completed activities, you will be able to analyze those activities and determine their effectiveness.
Make a commitment to regular sales activity. Do it now. Follow it faithfully. Be persistent.
I will mail ____ brochure or letters per _________.
I will make _____ phone calls per __________.
I will call on ________ prospects per ___________.
I will attend ________ networking meetings per __________.
I will participate in _________ charity events per _________.
I will send out _________ e-mail newsletters per __________.
I will write ___ blog posting per ________.
I will also do __________ and __________ every ______.
Write it down. Sign it. Keep your commitment in front of you. Keep score with your activity report form. Review it, analyze the results. Be faithful. Be persistent. You will prosper.
That’s more like it. Now make some sales calls.
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