Blog Archives
The Five Star 5 – Key Phrases For The Sales Industry In The New Year!
As we start a new year, people in the sales profession get to “wipe the slate clean” and start all over again.
Last year’s results are in the rear-view mirror, and it is game on once again!
- Here are five phrases that I focus on each year after “the ball drops” in Times Square
- “What Have You Done For Me Lately? – If you had a great year last year, more will be expected this year! If last year was a struggle, you will need to rebound and get back on track as soon as possible
- Optimism/Positive Outlook – This is the only way to go!
- The first quarter is the key – If you get out of the gate fast, it will set the table for the rest of the year. Don’t you dare drag your feet with the “January blues”; then you will be playing catch up
- Goal Setting – Forget about new year’s resolutions for your territory! Resolutions are made to be broken (just ask the fitness industry!) Right down measurable, achievable goals and track progress throughout the year
- Have fun, keep smiling, and just relax – If you are prepared, eager to learn and stay patient it will all work out!
Have a great day!
Most Popular Have A Laugh Friday of 2012
It blew my mind how many times people landed on my blog because of this topic coming up on search engines this year!
It is very funny, and so true!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone…
Tim
Automatic “Disconnect”!
Twitter has an “unfollow” button which many people use when necessary. Unfortunately LinkedIn does not have a “disconnect” button, where you can “relieve yourself of the burden” of networking with somebody who just does not get it! You can remove a connection, but it takes some work.
I recently had a request to connect from a gentlemen on LinkedIn, which I accepted. I sent a personalized thank you note, and made mention of the other places that he could connect with me.
To my surprise, I was then sent a generic email (with my name inserted) promoting their business and asking me to get involved. There was no acknowledgement of my personalized reply, just them “barfing out” their sales pitch. Usually I let this type of interaction slide, but I had a little “bite in my step” that day, and wanted to give them some friendly advice.
My exact response was:
“I appreciate your connection, but I don’t think that you should be “flogging” your products the moment that we connect.
Just a friendly suggestion to change-up your approach as you attempt to attract partners.
Thank you,
Tim”
I thought this was going to go one of two ways. I would either never hear from them again, or they could come back with some defence of their sales strategy. Instead I received:
“Dear Tim Mushey. Thank you so much for your reply”…
Followed by a canned sales pitch being “barfed” on me a second time, but now TWICE AS LONG!
Did I mention that he also sent me one of those generic LinkedIn invites ? Yuk.
At the end of the day, those who are engaging online, specifically for business purposes, should know better. This is networking 101! Would you try to sell somebody your products and services from the moment that you met them in person? I would hope not! So why should it be ok online?
Network “virtually” like you would “personally”. Show up, be responsive and care about your connections. The last thing you want is for people to “unfollow” or “disconnect” with you soon after accepting your requests.
That would be a huge red flag that you need to adjust your approach.
Paul Castain says “Screw The Water, Go Brand Yourself!”
For those who have followed me for any length of time, will know how much I admire the work that Paul Castain is doing over at YourSalesPlaybook.com
This quick 3 minute video will get your week off to a great start, I guarantee it! If people have made “zillions of dollars” by branding water, why the heck can’t you brand yourself?
Enjoy and have a fantastic Monday…
Have A Laugh Fridays – Yep Need A Really Good One Today!
I had a crazy 38 hours of air travel the past two days due to a snow blizzard in my community.
I thought this would be a good time to pull out an “oldie but a goodie” from the Have A Laugh Friday archives!
Enjoy, keep smiling and have a great weekend!
Have A Laugh Fridays – Excellent Phone Cold Call – NOT!
OUCH! This video is a beauty. If you are picking up the phone to contact potential customers, please do not do this!
Have a great weekend!
DO NOT Be Just A “Professional Visitor”!
It was near month end, and I had just returned from dinner during a product training trip. I opened my email to a note from my boss titled “DO NOT Be Just A Professional Visitor!”
I had never heard this phrase before in the context of a sales role, but I knew exactly what he meant. I forget the exact content of the note, but I am sure it was very colorful based on how he typically corresponded with us.
What he was basically saying was it was close to month end, and we needed to secure orders. A sale rep’s job description did not include going to just visit accounts. Clear goals needed to be made and achieved on each call. I heard him loud and clear.
Going to see accounts just for the sake of seeing them and not moving closer to securing business was rarely, if ever a good idea. Certainly build rapport with customers, and get to know personal details about them, but always have a “moving business forward” component of the call.
You don’t have to complete 10 objectives or something drastic like that on every call, but aspire for at least 2-3. When I had limited time with an account, I may have only had one goal, but I made sure it was a worthwhile one.
The sales profession can seem complex on the surface, but at the end of the day systems can be simplified to insure success long-term. Make achievable goals for each call, and do whatever you can to not stray from the plan. Anyone can go in and just visit people, but the real success stories come from those who plan and organize ahead of time, and are always thinking about closing business!
A Certain Amount Of Arrogance
I enjoyed this post this morning, and I hope you do to! Have an awesome week…
We need a certain amount of arrogance if we want to:
- Make a difference in the world.
- Become an expert in our field.
- Share our brilliant ideas.
- Stand up in front of a group and present with confidence.
- Make that call to sell whatever it is we’re selling.
- Dare to maximise our potential.
I know that arrogance is often an unattractive and unwanted attribute, but it can come in handy sometimes.
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Be Memorable. Because Jeffrey Said So!
For those of you who don’t know, I am a huge Jeffrey Gitomer fan. I listen to his audiobooks and podcasts on a regular basis. I stumbled across this yesterday on YouTube.
This video is short and sweet, and gets right to the point.
Bottom line, be memorable! People will remember the little things that you do for them!
Sell, Lead, Succeed! 