Get a Hit Everytime You Go To Bat on the Phone

Do you use the phone to connect with potential clients?

Would you like to eliminate fear and rejection from your prospecting and get a win on every call?

You can with Art Sobczak’s Smart Calling method. In Smart Calling – Eliminate the Fear, Failure, and Rejection from Cold Calling, Art gives you the field-tested, practical information you need to make your calls work.

Packed with hundreds of real-world examples, Smart Calling shows you how to:

— Grab your prospect’s interest in critical first 20 seconds;

— Use “social engineering” to get the inside scoop on prospects;

— Have screeners, gatekeepers, and assistants working for you;

— Stay motivated and avoid morale-killing rejection!

Nobody likes cold calling, and for good reason. Most of the time, cold calls don’t work and end up wasting everyone’s time. Smart Calling gives you a better way to approach prospects and win sales. Order today and start Smart Calling.

Order you copy today and you’ll get several hundred dollars worth of bonuses from great thought leaders such as Keith Rosen, Dan Seidman, Jill Konrath, Kelley Robertson, myself and many others.  You get Art’s great book and a ton of other great ebooks and other incentives for only the cost of Art’s book which is less than $15!

Receive instant access to special bonus gifts from leading business experts when you order today.

Check out Smart Calling now.

Salesperson, You Are Needed in a Doctoral Research Project about Sales Behavior

Are you a salesperson?  If so, you can help Richard Killian, a Doctoral candidate in International Marketing at the Marshall Goldsmith School of Management at Alliant International University in San Diego, by completing a questionnaire about sales behaviors.

You can find the questionnaire at http://alliant.qualtrics.com/SE?SID=SV_ekUmJtlTvIzgVlW&SVID=Prod.

Richard needs 250 completed questionnaires, so he needs every salesperson he can find to help him out.  In order to encourage you take the questionnaire and to thank you for your time, at the end of the survey you’ll be able to get a $5 Starbucks gift certificate.

The results of the survey will made available to the public.  Your participation is important and will contribute to advancing the general knowledge and understanding of what makes for a successful seller.

I encourage you to go right now and make your mark on understanding successful selling.

http://alliant.qualtrics.com/SE?SID=SV_ekUmJtlTvIzgVlW&SVID=Prod.

Why Sales Meetings Are Absolutely, Positively, Without a Doubt a Waste of Time—And How to Change It

“Paul,” said one of my coaching clients the other day, “I swear if I have to sit through another Monday morning sales meeting I’ll quit.  They’re supposed to be an hour; they always last at least an hour and a half and often two hours.  It’s nothing but a management bitch session and a bunch of side conversations with salespeople about how crappy their performance is.  I either quit or go postal, and even though going postal would be the more satisfying course of action, I’m not ready to go prison–yet.”

Richard has obviously sat through a great many of the same sales meetings I’ve sat through—and I’m sure that you’ve sat through.  In fact, I’m willing to bet a number of people who read this have never sat through a sales meeting that wasn’t as pointless, obnoxious, and downright insulting as the ones Richard has been sitting through.

I’m also willing to bet that somewhere in the neighborhood of 95% of all weekly sales meetings are absolutely, positively, without a doubt a waste of time.

They don’t have to be.

In fact, regular (regular does not necessarily mean weekly) sales meetings can be the backbone of creating a thriving, high production sales team.

Most often, however, they are the ruination of the sales team.

Weekly sales meetings have killed more manager authority and respect than probably any other activity a manager engages in with the possible exception of the ride along.  They have also driven a great number of high performers to the competition, one of which may be my client Richard who is one of the top 5 sellers in his company’s 300 member sales force.

Sales people generally hate this weekly meandering through sales meeting hell and the accompanying glimpse into the hollow caverns of the sales management brain in stupefying inaction. 

Why?

I believe there are four primary reasons sales meetings are such a waste of time and effort:

1.  No purpose.  A great many sales meetings are held for no other reason other that it’s Monday (or Friday, or Thursday, or whatever day of the week they are normally held on).  Consequently, the meeting is destined to be a time waster.  One time wasting meeting is bad enough, but I know of some companies who have three or even five of these meetings every week (often these mulit meeting companies are seeking to keep control of their salespeople).
2. No preparation.  Whomever is in charge of the meeting (generally the immediate manager of the assembled team) has invested not a single minute in preparing for the meeting.  As they’re sitting down for the meeting, they take out a pen and jot down two or three things to talk about.  Again, the perfect setting for a waste of time.
3. Too many tangents.  Without having prepared for the meeting and knowing exactly what to deal with, it is easy for the manager to veer off onto tangents that ultimately have nothing to do with anything. Yet another factor that guarantees the meeting will be useless.
4.  A haven of negativity.  Especially during times like the present when business is tough, an unprepared manager tends to focus on trying to cajole numbers out of his or her team.  People are put up for ridicule in front of their peers because of poor numbers, they are forced to justify their performance, and the rest sit in silence, knowing their turn is next once the manager has finished “coaching” their current prey.   Now not only is the meeting a waste of time, it is a real morale killer too.

Great, so sales meetings suck.  Everyone already knows that.  What can managers do to make sales meetings valuable?

I’ve found four simple rules seem to work very, very well:

1. No purpose, no meeting.  Only hold meetings when there is a REASON to hold a meeting.  That may be once a month, once every two weeks, once a week, or as needed.  The company no longer paying for coffee is not a reason for a meeting; that’s a memo.  Reviewing the pre-call planning steps is a reason for a meeting.
2. No preparation, no meeting.  If for any reason the person managing the meeting has not had time to thoroughly prepare, the meeting is canceled.  There is no excuse for wasting the team member’s time because the manager didn’t get their job done.
3. A sales meeting is not the place for individual coaching.  A sales meeting is a group activity.  Address the group’s needs and issues, not individual salespeople’s.  There is no excuse for denigrating anyone in front of the group or for wasting the group’s time for individual coaching.  Each team member should have coaching time scheduled outside the sales meeting.  The rule is, if a meeting degenerates into individual coaching, the team members are free to leave (note, however, that answering a specific issue a team member has with the subject matter being discussed is not individual coaching).
4. Set a time limit, stick to it.  Salespeople need to be selling, not attending meetings.  Under normal circumstances, sales meetings should be kept to an hour or less.  Only under extraordinary circumstances should a meeting exceed an hour. 

Your sales meetings should concentrate on helping team members sell.  Reviewing market conditions; presenting new products or services; reviewing sales skills such as prospecting, making presentations, asking questions, pre-call planning, and the other aspects of selling and the sales process; role playing activities; and other core content should be the heart of the meeting. 

Seller recognition and reinforcement should also be an integral aspect of your meetings.  Leave the meeting on a high note, not a downer.

Housekeeping notes and announcements should kept at a minimum—discarded completely and put into memos if at all possible.

Meetings are important, but too many meetings or too much wasted time turns what could be a valuable tool into a wrecking ball plowing through your team, leaving lifeless, dispirited bodies in its wake.  If your meetings are unorganized, are designed to do little more than keep control of your salespeople, or drag on incessantly, you’re killing your team, not building it.

Turn your sales meetings into real strengths, not team killers–both you and your team members will be glad you did—and within short order you’ll actually see some smiles and enthusiasm Monday morning instead of the deadwood that drags itself into the meeting room.

Guest Article: “Using Power Words in Cold Calling–Finding Prospecting Scripts That Work,” by Wendy Weiss

Using Power Words in Cold Calling – Finding Prospecting Scripts That Work
By Wendy Weiss

I conducted a teleconference a few weeks ago with people who were new in sales and new to prospecting. The focus of the call was to help participants get beyond fear and understand their prospecting process.

One of the participants on the call told me that she had been given the telephone prospecting script that her team leader uses to set appointments. The team leader was a highly successful sales professional who had been in the business for many years and made quite a lot of money. The participant, who had been in the business for approximately a week, told me that she was going to work with the script and “make it her own.”

“No!” I cried out. “Don’t do that! Don’t make it your own!”

My reasoning? This participant was a beginner. She knew nothing about sales or prospecting. She had a call script that was crafted by someone who was highly successful on the telephone. This particular participant did not know enough to make it her own. More than likely, in making the sales scripts her own she would eliminate all of the powerful, persuasive and motivating language used by the sales super star who had given her the script.

Some words are better than others. Some words are stronger and more evocative than others. When you are on the phone with a prospect, you have about 10 seconds to grab and hold your prospect’s attention. If you do not do that within that first 10 seconds, your call is more than likely over. If you get through that first 10 seconds, that buys you another 10 seconds. If you get through that 10 seconds it buys you yet another…and so on…10 seconds is not a lot of time. To get through those 10-second increments, you want to use the most powerful words that you have at your disposal.

If you are a beginner it is entirely possible, indeed even likely, that you may not be comfortable with certain powerful words or phrases. They may be very unlike your usual way of speaking. Even if you’ve been in sales for a while you might be set in your ways, accustomed to a certain delivery, and changing that might feel uncomfortable.

I’ve met many people who say they do not want to work with prospecting scripts because then they “cannot be themselves.” Remembering that your prospecting call happens in 10-second increments, you want to be the very best self that you can be, every time. That requires preparation.

One of the things that I’ve always loved about being in sales is that it is crystal clear. You always know exactly where you are. You are either scheduling appointments, or you’re not. You are either closing, or you’re not.

If you are new to sales and a successful professional gives you their sales scripts — don’t

change a word. That script will be your gold mine. If you’ve been in sales for a while and want to try out a new call script, test it first. Your old prospecting script becomes your baseline. For example, make 30 prospecting calls using your usual script and keep track of the number of appointments that you schedule.

Then make 30 more prospecting calls using your new prospecting script exactly as written. Keep track of the number of appointments that you schedule. At the end of those 60 calls you will know which sales scripts work better. Those becomes your new baseline.

Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling, is a sales trainer, sales coach and author specializing in cold calling and new business development. She started her business 15 years ago, representing clients on the telephone and setting new business appointments. While Wendy no longer “dials for dollars” (except for her own business), all of her workshops, seminars, products and individual sales coaching are based on practical, real-life, hands-on experience.  Visit her website.

My Interview on the Referral Masters Telesummit

Want to generate more referrals from yur clients?  Listen to me as I’m interviewed about how to work with your clients to generate high quality referrals.

During this hour you’ll learn:

• Why just asking for referrals doesn’t work
• How to use referrals to establish your expert status
• How to gurantee you get great referrals even if you client says they don’t have any

referral masters interview

You can access all the interviews of other referral masters such as Bill Cates, Bob Burg, and John Jantsch at Referral Masters Telesummit.

Guest Article: “Focus on the Fundamentals,” by Kurt Theriault

Focus on the Fundamentals
By Kurt Theriault

Something I look forward to each year is the new Jack Nicklaus golf calendar.  In the calendar, on a sidebar, Nicklaus shares how he approached every new golf season.  Arguably the best player of all time (Tiger Woods may have something to say about this) – he would return to his teacher to work on the basics of the game – grip, posture, and alignment.  They would drill and practice these fundamentals until once again mastered.  This fundamental approach worked well.  By never letting up on execution of the basics, Nicklaus made big things happen – 18 career major golf championships – the standard measure of success in the golf profession.

What’s the connection to the business world?  The beginning of any year is commonly associated with driving towards new goals or executing a new strategy.  Typically all are renewed and immersed in doing everything possible to make it happen.  However, frequently the outcome is Q1 ends and little of what was intended to happen actually did.  Why is this?  Often it can be traced back to losing focus on the fundamentals to success for the game you are in. 

Here are four steps to help you focus (or in Jack’s case, refocus) on the vital, basic things to make the needed targets become reality.

1- Take a step back and get focused on the ultimate outcome. When the work of the work gets hectic, it is easy to lose focus.  The seduction is to put your attention towards what’s immediately in front of your face – emails, teleconferences, meetings, or whatever happens to be screaming at you the loudest.  Before you know it you’re spread out a “mile wide and an inch deep” and making progress towards nothing.  Challenge yourself to step back, remember the successful outcome you want and use that as the driver of your decision making and priorities.  Try asking yourself two questions.  One, if my successful outcome was printed on the front page of the business section, what would it say?  Two, is what I am working on right now helping me get closer to my successful outcome?   

2- Decide the highest-impact things that must go right for success. This is where you should focus your time and energy.  If it’s one thing, great.  Often it is two or three.  Resist the temptation to try and do more.  This is where most breakdowns occur. When we try to take on too much, moving forward becomes too difficult and the easy out is to change the strategy (move on to something else). 

Let’s say your ultimate outcome is to drive more new business.  Figure out what will make or break success.  Is it referrals?  Is it cold calls?  Is it being more successful at trade events? Decide what is most critical to tackle and go for it. 

3- Determine and begin doing the basic things that make success happen. These are the fundamentals.  You’ve identified the few areas you must focus on.  Now, what are the basic things that must be done often and with excellence for success?  For example, if the focus is generating more quality referrals, you must be great at the fundamentals of communicating with and educating others on what you do, the value that brings, and who you want to meet.  You must be great at putting yourself in the position to meet people who are connected to your target customer base.  You must be clear and consistent in how you communicate ongoing progress with the referral back to the source.  Making sure you are executing these and other fundamentals effectively and spending your time doing so will get you infinitely closer to your goals.   

4- Master the fundamentals before moving on! The key to effectiveness is doing the common things uncommonly well.  Start big and work to small.  You can’t “do” a goal or an outcome only the activities or steps to get you there.  Excel at these and results will follow.

Challenge yourself as the year progresses to focus and stick to executing and mastering the fundamentals required to make your strategies come to life.  I think you will be very pleased with the outcome.

Kurt Theriault is Senior Partner and Chief Marketing Officer of Business Efficacy, a consultancy founded 16 years ago to help companies turn strategies and goals into measurable results.  Kurt has spent the past 13 years in sales, sales management, professional development, marketing and consulting. He is responsible for business and product development and helping spread the word about Business Efficacy’s belief in the importance of sales management’s role in driving sales execution.  Visit Business Efficacy’s website.

Has Your Joy Been Drained?

Two years isn’t a very long time.  On the other hand, the last two years have been a very, very long time.  I know of few companies, big or small, or sellers that haven’t struggled over the last months.  I’ve also noticed that a lot of us have become preoccupied with coming through this recession in one piece; some have even become sullen and fearful.  I know a great many, me included, have become so focused on our business struggles and taking care of the opportunities that arise that we’ve lost sight of why we do what we do.

I can’t speak for others but I don’t do what I do simply for the money or because it’s what I know to do.  I do what I do because I enjoy working with sellers and sales leaders, seeing them grow, seeing their businesses change, helping them increase their skills and changing their behaviors.  I do it because I enjoy the change I see in them as they grow.  I enjoy the positive impact I can have on them.  I enjoy the opportunities I have to learn more about sales, management, human nature, marketing, and business, and to grow. 

For the past months—heck, not months, it’s been two years since business started to dry up and eighteen months since business really crashed, so I guess I shouldn’t be talking about months but rather years—I’ve done nothing but focus and worry about work—where my next contract would come from; will I have to lower my rates; do I need to expand the areas that I specialize in; what else can I do to market; what new markets can I work into;, and a million other concerns.   Talking to prospects, talking to other trainers and consultants, writing, developing training programs, experimenting with new social media, and a whir of other things consume my attention while working 16, 18, 20 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Lots of work. 

A great deal of worry.

In the past, my dogs, Mr. B.J. and Ms. Chloe, have taught me a bit about selling.  Recently they’ve taught me about what I, and many of the men and women I work with, have forgotten—why I do what I do.  

Let me explain.

Whenever I go outside and leave the dogs inside, whether for two minutes, two hours, or two days, when I re-enter B.J. and Chloe are thrilled to see me.  They jump up and down, B.J. sits up, Chloe jumps up on my leg until I get down on the floor where they greet me with kisses and whimpers. 

When we fix their dinner every evening they’re in the kitchen watching.  They sit quietly watching whichever one of us is making their dinner.  They know exactly the steps necessary to fix their food and once we get to the point of heating their dinner up in the microwave, they begin dancing around and playing with each other in anticipation. 

Each evening after dinner we take them for a walk.  As with everything else, we have a routine.  After I’ve eaten and move into the den they begin asking to go out.  B.J. asks by sitting up, begging, and Chloe asks by getting up in my lap and pawing my hand.  If this goes on for longer than they think it should, the begging and pawing becomes more insistent barks and whimpers.  When I begin to get off the couch they know what’s coming and the excitement really begins.  B.J. begins rolling on the floor and stretching.  Chloe jumps up on the chair and stands on her back legs, her little arms pawing the air as she works to keep her balance.  Once they get hooked to the leash they can barely contain themselves as they rush for the door.

Later comes treat time.  It starts with B.J. begging and barking.  He’ll sit up in a begging position and stay there for several minutes if he has to.  Once he has my attention I’ll tell him to “show me what you want.”  He and Chloe run to the laundry room where their treats are kept above the dryer.  Both dance and jump around until the treat is in their mouth.

What does any of this have to do with anything?

Well, for me, a lot.

Mr. B.J. and Ms. Chloe’s day is full of what I’ve lost over the past couple of years—joy. 

B.J. and Chloe find great joy in the smallest things.  Their life isn’t consumed with what’s going to happen tomorrow.  They don’t dwell on their problems and issues.  They live life for today and are thrilled with the simplicity of living such as going for a walk, getting a treat, or just having Debbie or I come home.

Life isn’t perfect for them.  They have their share of doggie problems.  They’re not happy all of the time.  They get on one another’s nerves on occasion; they don’t get all the treats they want; they don’t their way all of the time. But they don’t hold on to their problems and they bounce back quickly.  They spend far more time seeking the good things in their life than dwelling on their problems.

I’m sorry to say that hasn’t been me for many months; seemingly forever.  Worse, that hasn’t been a very large number of my associates, clients, prospects, and acquaintances. 

It took my dogs to remind me that the economy and a tough business environment aren’t the determiners of my joy in life.  I love what I do.  I love working with sellers and sales leaders.  My joy comes from what I do and from my family, friends, clients, prospects, and the great folks I work with, not from the accident of circumstances I find myself in.

If you’ve found like I did that the circumstances of the past couple of years have slowly drained the joy out of you, I encourage you to take a lesson from B.J. and Chloe—there’s more to life than tomorrow.  Love what you do and drain the joy out of everything.  As for me, I think I deserve a treat and a walk.

Guest Article: “Negativity–How to Overcome That Most Deadly Disease,” by Jonathan Farrington

Negativity – How To Overcome That Most Deadly Disease
by Jonathan Farrington

“Experience informs us that the first offence of weak minds is to recriminate”
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Negative people typically suffer from what I call the three “C’s” and are usually found to be: Criticising, Condemning or Complaining.

Here are some tips to help you overcome negativity and to recognise it in others.

Develop and build your own understanding of what is really negative. Do remember that constructive criticism is not negative.

Check your conversation with others, are you being negative? – Check your thoughts and thinking process – remember that if you are thinking negatively the only person you will harm is yourself. Remove those thoughts as you would a faulty slide from a projector, discard them, you have the capacity to do that and your mind will respond if you are strong enough and willing enough to discard a negative thought.

Build a bullet proof screen around you, so that negative comments or behaviour from other people will penetrate. You can do this by instantly recognising negative criticism or conversation.

From time to time, check the company you are keeping. If you have been mixing in the wrong environment, talk to people who are positive. Go out and mix with people you know have positive, constructive ideas. Mix with people who are doing better than you.

If another person’s negativity does get through to you, say to yourself “Why did he or she say that”? You must remember that no positive person becomes so unfeeling that they can’t see life from another person’s point of view. It could happen that someone very close to you says something that can be construed as negative; it may be because they are worried, they are concerned or they have fear. By asking yourself “Why did he or she say that?” You will more than likely be able to understand and by reassurance, conversation and looking at the worry from a different point of view, turn the negative into a positive process.

Have your own negative repellent whenever anyone says anything really negative to you just say “fantastic” – no truly negative person enjoy hearing that word; they really run for cover!!

In Summary:

■  Remember, the negative is always stronger than the positive.

■  Never allow anyone to pollute your thinking

■  As a professional you must take care of your attitude

“The most evil, dangerous and cancerous complaint that humanity inflicts upon itself is to be negative”
Anon

Jonathan Farrington is a globally recognized business coach, mentor, author and sales strategist, who has guided hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals around the world towards optimum performance levels. He is Chairman of The Sales Corporation, CEO of Top Sales Associates and Senior Partner at The JF Consultancy based in London and Paris. Early in 2007, Jonathan formed Top Sales Associates (TSA) to promote the very best sales related solutions and products. TSA is now a subsidiary of The Sales Corporation, based in London and Paris.  Visit his website

100 Cutting Edge Business Blogs–I’m Honored to be Included

The Sociable Blog has compiled a list of what they believe to be 100 cutting edge business blogs divided into several categories.  I’m honored that the Sales and Sales Management Blog is included, especially based on the company that I’m associated with.

Here’s just a taste of the categories and who is on the list:

Cutting Edge Business Blogs for Productivity:
                David Allen, Getting Things Done
                Productivity Cafe

Cutting Edge Business Blogs for Career Development
                Rise Smart Blog
                CareerDoctor.org

Cutting Edge Business Blogs for Social Networking and Media
                Chrisbrogan.com
                Mashable

Cutting Edge Business Blogs for Self Awareness and Improvement
                PIckTheBrain
                Think Simple Now

Cutting Edge Business Blogs for Marketing
                Seth Godin’s Blog
                How to Change the World – Guy Kawasaki

Cutting Edge Business Blogs for Personal Branding
                Personal Branding Blog
                Krishna De’s Biz Growth News

Cutting Edge Business Blogs for Effective Communication and Presentation
                Professionaly Speaking
                The Accidental Communicator

Cutting Edge Business Blogs for Sales, Negotiating, and Critical Thinking
                The Thinker
                Sales Management 2.0

Cutting Edge Business Blogs for Writing
                There Are No Rules
                Query Shark

Cutting Edge Business Blogs for Finances
                Get Rich Slowly
                The Simple Dollar

Each category has anywhere from 9 to 13 entries.  Head over and take a look.  You’ll find some new blogs for your “favorites” and, of course, you’ll find some categories where you’re going to be wondering “why didn’t they include (name your favorite blog).”  Anyway it’s a fun list and whether you agree with their picks or not, you’ll find a bunch of great blogs.

Book Review: Lemonade Stand Selling: Accelerate Your Small Business Growth, by Diane Helbig

Everyday across the globe thousands of men and women start a small business.  Whether a small consultancy out of their home, a retail store, a café, or even a lemonade stand, they all have a common goal—success.  They also have common problems and common needs—they have to find, sell, and retain customers. 

No customers=no sales.  No sales=no income.  No income=out of business.

Diane Helbig’s Lemonade Stand Selling: Accelerate Your Small Business Growth (Sales Gravy Press: 2010) gives small business owners the basic knowledge and direction they need to establish and grow their business successfully.  Unlike most books about selling, Lemonade Stand Selling is designed specifically for the small business owner.

In an easy to read 100 pages, Helbig addresses each of the major selling and marketing issues every business owner must overcome from market identification to identifying, finding and connecting with prospects to account management to planning your company’s growth. 

Each chapter is short, yet packed with content.  And Helbig doesn’t pad the size of the book with filler as so many authors do, but instead concentrates on delivering useable information with a strong focus on immediately applicable guidance. 

Matt, a print broker is the device Helbig uses to illustrate and apply each concept.  Each chapter has a section called “Case in Point” that chronicles Matt’s application of the chapter’s principles and the impact applying the principle has on his business.

You don’t have to wade through a boring marketing  text, learn the sales and marketing buzz words, or try to figure out how to take strategies designed for large companies and apply them to your small business.

If you’re a small business owner—whether you’re just starting your business or have been in business for years—Lemonade Stand Selling will give you the real world information you need to begin growing your business. 

Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, and all fine booksellers.