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WEEK 32
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Shadow a Top-Producing Salesperson 131 them to share their strategies and techniques with you. You’re likely to be surprised at just how eager your sales heroes are to become your mentors.
MY SALES MENTORS
Dozens of coaches and mentors have played an instrumental role in helping me to learn my craft and develop the top-producing systems I have relied on throughout my career, including the following:
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Julia Rowland, my grandmother and owner of Fashion Trea- sure Jewelry—an accomplished saleswoman who embodied the joy of selling.r
Tony and Noel Fox of Fox Brothers Real Estate were the real estate brokers who hired me right out of high school and taught me how important it is to introduce myself to everyone.They would drop me off at the local grocery store early in the morn- ing with a stack of business cards and pick me up at night.r
Ira Hayes, the original Ambassador of Enthusiasm, who taught me the power of the word “Great!” A positive mindset is crucial to achieving anything.r
Tom Hopkins, author ofSelling For Dummiesand the guy who wrote the first book of tips for real estate agents.r
Zig Ziglar, the sales superhero, who taught me that if you help enough people get what they want, you will get what you want.r
Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, who revealed to me the life- changing power of people and books. According to Charlie, you are only as good as the people you meet, the books you read, and the audio recordings you listen to.r
Art Fettig, who taught me the difference between a great sales- person and an order taker and who turned me on to the Plat- inum Rule you’ll learn about during Week 44.r
Joe Girard, the top car salesman of all times, who sold cars four miles from where I grew up and took time out of his busy schedule to meet with an up-and-coming salesperson who was willing to learn.r
Floyd Wickman, a real estate agent in my area, who taught me to stay on track and be competent, confident, and natural.c32 JWBT014-Roberts October 15, 2008 4:35 Printer: Courier Westford, Westford, MA
132 52 Weeks of Sales Success
Floyd went on to be and continues to be a successful trainer and speaker.
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Dick Runstatler, my favorite sales manager of all time, who let me be me and taught me how to handle stressful situations.Without Dick’s lessons on life, I would be second-guessing every decision I have ever made and will ever make.
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Tom Desmond, a real estate agent I worked with at Earl Keim Real Estate, who was constantly striving to improve himself.r
Earl Keim, a guy who could sell you the house next door, even if you didn’t want it. He coined the phrase “Keim Sold Mine.”r
Mark Victor Hansen, the “Master of Mindset” and co-creator ofChicken Soup for the Soul,who taught me to deflect rejection and continue to pursue my passion.r
Og Mandino (www.ogmandino.com), a humble, yet remark- able man who spent much of his life striving to overcome his own personal challenges and sharing what he discovered through his writing and teaching.r
Tom Antion, the speaker’s speaker, who taught me that if you can’t talk to people, you can’t sell.r
Les Brown, who taught me the power of living with a purpose and who encouraged me to have the willpower to confront even the most daunting challenge.Tip: If you want to be the best salesperson, hang out with the best salespeople. If you want to be a loving and attentive husband or wife, hang out with loving and attentive husbands or wives.
Extend the power of mentoring by seeking out mentors not only in your profession but also to help you navigate your personal life.
IDENTIFY PROSPECTIVE MENTORS
Chances are pretty good that you already know a top producer or sales coach you admire. This could be someone you work with, someone from whom you purchased a product or service, a sales- person you met at a conference or seminar, or even someone who works for the competition.
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Shadow a Top-Producing Salesperson 133 Unfortunately, most salespeople are reluctant to approach these industry leaders, under the mistaken assumption that these top pro- ducers have little time or desire to meet with “lesser” salespeople and reveal their secrets of success. As explained earlier in this chap- ter, the truth is that the people at the top are often the most generous with their time and with sharing their techniques.
Contact a salesperson you admire and arrange a meeting. Invite the person to lunch or dinner. If you hit it off, ask whether you can shadow the person for a day.
Tip: You can also learn a great deal by mentoring other up-and- coming salespeople who are not as experienced as you. I have discovered that having someone watch me work often motivates me to take my game to the next level. It also forces me to re- think how I do things. In addition, my students often become my teachers, showing me a thing or two.
HIRE A SALES COACH
Another option is to hire a sales coach. Sometimes, you may be too close to your situation to view it objectively. A reputable sales coach can quickly assess the situation, tell you what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong, and offer several suggestions that you can immediately implement.
A good coach may charge you a fee plus expenses for a single day, but if the coach can put you on the path to success, the investment is well worth it.
Ralph’s Rule: Success leaves big footprints. By following the trails that others have blazed for you, you can achieve success much sooner and with less effort. You can then head out on your own trails to take your career beyond those who preceded you and leave some big footprints of your own for others to follow.
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