I get a ton of emails that start out something like, “My sales are off,” or “The market is down,” or “I just can’t get motivated like I used to.”
Times are a bit tough. What’s your point?
Well, as much as I’d love to tell you to quit whining and get to work, I’d rather not sound like your boss.
HOPE: There’s business out there. Just not as much of it.
REALITY: People will still be buying. Even if the quantity is lower. The question is, will they be buying from you?
When things aren’t going well, you have 2.5 options:
1. Do something about it.
2. Do nothing about it.
2.5 Complain about it.
Lack of sales is NOT a problem. People’s indecision is NOT a problem. Lack of motivation is NOT a problem. All three are SYMPTOMS. If you’re looking to cure your ills, you’d better look deeper than complaining.
Here’s where to start – look for the clues:
CLUE ONE: Plan less. Act more.
CLUE TWO: Plan for today the night before.
CLUE THREE: Plan for the week on Sunday.
CLUE FOUR: Plan six valuable or money meetings.
CLUE FIVE: Plan actions and activities that lead to completion.
CLUE SIX: Plan successes, not just actions.
CLUE SIX POINT FIVE: Now is the time. You know the old expression, “There’s no time like the present.” I say, “There is only the present.”
ATTITUDE CLUE: If your drama factor exceeds your sales results, it’s time for an extreme attitude makeover.
When sales are slow, big companies “cut” rather than “invest.” They say, “I’ll advertise after the recovery, I’ll market after the recovery, I’ll train more after the recovery” -- wondering all the while why things aren’t improving, as they whip their salespeople.
They “react” rather than “proact.” Sales drop even further, morale drops, and key people quit. And as a result, recovery takes longer.
As a salesperson, here’s what to do. Look at who you are AND how you engage:
• Help your customers. If your business is down, it means that others are down. Give them business-building ideas or sales leads. Send an idea a week. They will remember your help after they recover.
Read the rest of this article here...
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Just Announced!
Boise, Idaho – June 4th, 2008
Join Jeffrey Gitomer, best selling author of The Little Red Book of Selling, as he presents his book, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers. Got a question that you can't seem to find the sales answer to? Well now is your chance to ask the expert himself while learning other answers to help make you a SALES MASTER!
I attended Jeffrey's seminar in Cincinnati and had a wonderful time. I learned a great deal and contributed to Jeffrey's college fund for his granddaughters. You're Welcome! Thanks for coming to Cincinnati.
-John
Click Here to Register NOW!
www.gitomer.com/boise
If you would like to connect with my public seminar audiences, I recommend you inquire about the exclusive sponsorship opportunities I offer in each city. For details, call Emily or Sara at 800 242-5388 or email publicseminars@gitomer.com.
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Jeffrey,
I started my own business after sitting out for two years due to a non-compete as a recruiter/headhunter. I’m a self-taught salesman. I’ve since been in business two years (successfully), but I’d like to grow my database. The main problem I’ve encountered is that most companies have established, long-term business with other recruiters who have been around for a long time. The sad part is they have the same candidates I do, charge more, and probably don’t have the same passion or customer service that I provide. How can I break into these customers without bashing my competition? I just keep getting “We have several recruiters that we’ve used for years and we’re happy with them.” Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks and have a great day!
Jamie
Jamie,
Begging for business is one avenue of approach, but obviously not the best one. If you are going to take that route, ask for one job order. That way you have a chance to prove yourself one time. Once you have established yourself as a person of value, begin to solicit testimonials so that someone else can prove your worth. And finally, keep your list of prospects emails and send them a value message every week like I do with Sales Caffeine. If you drip on them with valuable information about retention, morale, benefits, communication strategies, and productivity they will gladly take your call. You may even want to feature one of your customers each week and get their input to be included in your weekly email.
Best regards,
Jeffrey
Jeffrey,
I'm improving my sales questions to make the prospect think, consider new information, and respond in terms of me. Some questions focus on making the prospect feel ownership of my product. Others focus on how they'll profit from my product. What flow do your recommend: making the prospect feel ownership first, then discussing how they'll profit? Or vice versa?
Put a shot in my wallet!
Howard
Howard,
Always pick questions that make the prospect feel as though he or she wins. Then pick questions that ask about their experience, their understanding, and their wisdom -- questions that create a dialogue that will lead to their needs.
Best regards,
Jeffrey
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Buy A Saddle
by: Tim Brownson
A few years ago I was working for a rather large blue chip sales organization in the UK. It was my first spell with the company. I was keen to get into management and I believed I had the requisite tools to do a great job. I applied for inclusion on the highly sought after management development program, confident based on my sales figures and experience that it was a mere formality. Unfortunately my area manager was less convinced about my suitability at that time and I was turned down. I was crushed, I mean really knocked back by this. I couldn’t see any reason why they wouldn’t want me leading a sales team.
When I went to receive feedback a few weeks later I was told I was too negative and needed to tow the company line a bit more instead of shooting off on my own agenda. It was recognized I was an excellent team player and good salesperson, but also known that if things weren’t going too well I would moan and whine to the rest of the team and not make it easy for those above me.
Of course I knew that this was all nonsense and for a few months carried on as before. Then one day I was reading Jack Canfield’s book The Success Principles and was struck by an old proverb that he made mention of:
“If somebody tells you you’re a horse, they are insane. If 3 people tell you you’re a horse, there is a conspiracy. If 10 people tell you you’re a horse, you need to buy a saddle.”
I needed to buy a saddle.
This wasn’t the first time that this had happened to me. At my previous job where I had been in management, I had been told the same thing and friends and colleagues whom I respected had also told me I tended to slip over to the dark side a tad too readily.
What stopped me from believing what they said?
It was my own self-representation. The way I saw myself as opposed to the way other people saw me.
If somebody had said to me, “Hey Tim, you’re a witty, intelligent, and sociable guy,” I may have looked slightly embarrassed but inside away from false modesty I would have probably said to myself, “Ain’t that the truth, brother!”
When I was told the negative stuff it contradicted the internal picture that I held of myself. Okay, I put my opinion forward a lot but I was a realist, not a whiner and businesses needed realists to keep people grounded, right? So I did what most people do under such circumstances. I got defensive and saw the criticism as personal attacks instead of valuable feedback and lost the opportunity to use it to develop both as a person and in my sales career.
How we see ourselves is frequently not how others see us and quite often it’s others that have the better handle on reality.
It takes fortitude to listen patiently while somebody is criticizing you and then sincerely thank him or her afterwards. It demonstrates even more strength to then genuinely reflect on and accept their comments, rather than sorting for reasons why they are wrong and you are right. If you can master that one skill, I guarantee that your performance at work will improve. Not only that, but it’s a double whammy, because people will also be commentating on how much you have changed for the better as a person. Now that’s what I call a win/win situation!
So ask yourself: How badly do I want personal and business success? And more important: Do I want it badly enough to treat criticism as an opportunity for self-improvement?
Tim is a UK trained Life Coach and NLP Master Practitioner now based near Orlando, Florida. He specializes in helping people that feel they are stuck in career ruts or looking to take things to the next level. He spent 20 years in sales and sales management prior to moving into coaching. To learn more read his blog, visit his website, or better still, read his book Don't Ask Stupid Questions - There Are No Stupid Questions a self-development book from a sales background.
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Mining For Gold!
You don’t have to be a 49er to need gold -- but you do need to know how to prospect. This week's deal will help you with both. First learn prospecting with Jeffrey's Teleseminar CD Mining For Prospects. Second get the gold with an autographed copy of The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude and a tin of YES! Attitude Mints. All for $39.00 price includes a sample CD of Selling Power Live!
Click here to buy now!!
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A wise man watches his faults more closely than his virtues; fools reverse the order.
We all have within us the potential for greatness or for failure. Both possibilities are an innate part of our character. Whether we reach for the stars or plunge to the depths of despair depends in large measure on how we manage our positive and negative potential. It is doubtful that, if left unchecked, your virtues will rage out of control. Unfortunately, the reverse is not true about your faults. Left unattended, faults have a way of multiplying until they eventually choke out your good qualities. The surest way to control your faults is to attack them the moment they appear.To subscribe to Napoleon Hill Yesterday and Today click here |
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“Questions are the heart of the sale. They earn respect, they gather valuable information, they build trust, and eventually they lead to the prospect buying. All of these elements are true IF you ask the right questions. Ask smart questions, they think you’re smart. Ask dumb questions, they think you’re dumb. This is a book about both. And I recommend you buy it now, read it as soon as you get it, and put it into practice an hour after you read it. Every salesperson wants to make more sales. All you have to do is substitute dumb questions for smart questions and you will achieve your goal.”
-Jeffrey Gitomer, author of The Little Red
Book of Selling
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Jeffrey's Sales Rant is a clip from his online training video library.
watch the rant now
(you need it)
Requires Flash player
www.trainone.com
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“Good fundamental sales skills and solid product knowledge are meaningless unless you meet with, and follow-up with, the proper number of prospects. NUMBERS RULE: Your numbers will reveal why your sales are booming or slumping.”
-From Jeffrey Gitomer’s internationally syndicated column Sales Moves
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Your Success Strategy.
It is with great pleasure that I write to let you know that for 14 years running my own homes offices around the world, I’ve been applying the principles you direct all to follow, and today you gave me a new idea. It was simple really. Set my alarm one hour earlier and make time to think, create, and imagine. It’s my resolution for 2008. One hour earlier. Your my silent mentor.
-Robert
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Each week, we feature a salesperson's success story. Please send your stories to gill@gitomer.com. If your story is published, we'll send you a free Sales Caffeine mug!
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“For 100 years, SUCCESS magazine has been near the right hand of every successful person. If you’re not a subscriber, you should be.”
-Jeffrey Gitomer
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