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Preface
Essentially, this book is the recorded version of a years-long series of seminars I gave to my staff. I have tried to make this book as flexible and useful to you as I would like such a book to be for me and my associates.
Acknowledgments
To learn more about Michael and his multicultural approach, visit his website at www.EthnoConnect.com. Terry's insights into R-Commerce (Relationship Commerce) inspired Week 36, "Nurture Relationships." For more on Terry and his offerings, visit www.terrybrock.com.
S TART N OW
But even if you're selling jet planes or complex software, let everyone know what you're doing. With this system, you can always be sure that you are working on today's business, tomorrow's business and future business.
S TAY P UT
If you are a dissatisfied salesperson, the damage your departure does to the company is obviously not your concern; in fact, losing it can make you feel even better about leaving. Instead, take some of that energy and put it into improving the situation where you are.
C ULTIVATE AN
E NTREPRENEURIAL
M INDSET
Now you are developing a plan to move from point A (where you are now) to point B (where you want to be when you have achieved success). If you're an independent sales agent, or if your manager refuses to invest in your success, get yourself the resources you need.
P ROJECT A P OSITIVE
On the other hand, people who have been encouraged to pursue their dreams tend to encourage others. When your host says, “How are you?” you could be downright honest and say what a day you've had.
S ET G OALS
People who refuse to set goals or deadlines and look down on those who do. Set Goals 21 CHANGE YOUR GOAL INTO MILESTONES A challenging goal can often seem overwhelming at first.
D EVISE A P LAN
Will you implement new technologies to increase productivity? generate the questions that the rest of your business plan must answer. Your business plan should show how much money you need to bring in monthly and annually to get started and stay in business.
D EVELOP S YSTEMS
AND P ROCEDURES
All you have to do is delegate, and the more experience your assistant gets, the less training you have to provide. Tip: If you don't want to spend time writing procedure manuals, consider hiring a technical writer to do it for you.
H IRE AN A SSISTANT
The first hurdle any candidate must pass is the skills and experience hurdle - the person must have the knowledge and skills to do the job. Hire an Assistant 37 helps reduce turnover significantly because they can hire the person who is the right fit right from the start.
P RIORITIZE
After spending some time with Stephen, I discovered that aside from the special VCO (Voice Transfer) phone technology he used, Stephen went about his day just like you or I or any other top producer. VCO technology allows a person to speak to the other party on the phone and read the person's responses on the screen.) He networked. On average,” he says, “all my clients have heard from me at least once a month, either by phone, fax, letter, text or email.
K NOW Y OUR P RODUCT
I don't care what you sell, I am convinced that you must know your product or services. The closer you get to the end user of your product or service, the better.
K NOW Y OUR C LIENTS
The more profitable your customers become, the more products and services they can afford to buy from you. One of the best ways to discover more about your customers is to ask them to provide feedback on everything from the products and services you sell to your customer service.
R ECOGNIZE THE
D IFFERENCE
BETWEEN
C USTOMERS AND
C LIENTS
Order takers do nothing to build their business. They are simply doing business. They rely on their company to deliver high-quality leads, and then they make the sale. Faced with a customer who really cannot afford their product, order takers will do one of two things: They will either turn the customer away or they will sell the product anyway regardless of their financial well-being.
U NDER -P ROMISE , O VER -D ELIVER
You will be interested in who will use the product and under what conditions. Will the person using the bag sleep in sub-zero temperatures.
L EVERAGE THE
P OWER OF Y OUR D ISABILITIES
To make the most of all your skills and talents, you need to know what you're good at and what you're not so good at. In the column on the right, list everything you think is your disability.
T URN
P ROBLEMS INTO
O PPORTUNITIES
ALSO LOOK FOR PROBLEMS IN YOUR OWN BUSINESS In addition to helping your customers solve their problems, you need to keep a close eye on problems in your own business. If you notice a problem in your business, other businesses similar to yours are likely experiencing the same problem.
Then you should drive that image home in every piece of your marketing material, including your websites and blogs. 71 for two things – referrals from friends and family and a testimonial that you can quote in your marketing materials.
E NGAGE IN S HAMELESS
S ELF -P ROMOTION
A single ad does not imprint an image on the collective mind of your audience. One of the first and best places to start any marketing campaign is the Internet, because the Internet is the first place your customers turn when they have problems or need information about products and services.
S EE B USINESS
EXERCISE YOUR MIND TO SPOT OPPORTUNITIES Of course, some people can think of dozens of ways to market a product, but you don't have to be a born visionary. The more exposure you have to all that life has to offer, the more resources your mind acquires to come up with creative new ideas.
B RAINSTORM
P ROBLEM S OLVING
WITH Y OUR S TAFF
Assuming the staff you've assembled is as smart and talented as you think they are, don't neglect this amazing resource you have. Ralph's Rule: Just as you train yourself to make presentations, train yourself to think creatively to solve problems.
F OCUS ON Y OUR C LIENTS ’ S UCCESS
The more successful you can make your customers, the more they will rely on you to provide them with products and services, and the more likely they will refer you to others. When you're on a mission to create success for your customers, that may mean you don't make certain sales.
W RITE N OTES TO Y OUR C LIENTS
Submit a note when you are quoted in the news media. I take a lot of time to organize my press clippings. Send mail as a way to generate different types of income streams. In my office, we have developed a number of products that have proven useful for both my clients and other vendors.
L AUNCH Y OUR
W EEKLY H OUR OF P OWER —100
C ALLS IN 60 M INUTES
The purpose of Power Hour is to grow your referral business – by collecting pearls called referrals. No matter what you're selling, Power Hour is a proven method to increase your return and referral business.
M ASTER THE 10-10-20
T ECHNIQUE
Most neighbors won't want to talk to you for long. At the time of the home show, I had been working on the 10-10-20 for about a month and I was surprised by the recognition I received for it.
H ONE Y OUR N ETWORKING
You will get many ideas from them and you can network with the other members. I firmly believe that if you follow these tips, you will one day be a top networker and salesperson yourself.
M ARKET Y OUR H OME -B ASED
Stella and Pam spent carefully on advertising in a variety of small publications devoted to home decoration. You should give a new marketing technique a few months to work and then evaluate it.
Many people only use a few available features, such as voicemail, and never explore some of the more advanced features, such as call forwarding. Callers can browse a menu or order products, such as my customer guides to buying a home.
E XPLORE
M ARKETING
ON THE I NTERNET
A web hosting service stores your website on a server that allows visitors to access your site. Page rank is often determined by the number of "relevant" sites in your site's category that link to your site.
R EWARD Y OURSELF
Now, like I said, be careful if you're not familiar with shopping this way. Don't go crazy and don't pre-purchase if you're not comfortable with it.
F IND A B ETTER P LACE TO M EET
A sales representative who waits at the counter for customers to bring in their selections is really just an orderer, not a salesperson in the truest sense of the word. At the very least, you can learn why you're not getting the deal right now.
AND A NSWER Q UESTIONS
So I'll ask, "How big do you want it?" And they might say something like, “Not too big because I don't want to have to mow the lawn.” And then I can say, “That's great, because this lot is average for the neighborhood and not too big.” If you can steer the conversation to that point, you'll find both you and your customers happier.
P ERFECT Y OUR
T ELE -S ALES S KILLS
When you're on the phone, you don't have your customer's body language to read, so you have to find another way to judge the situation. By the way, telephone sales are an especially good way to stay in touch after you've made an initial face-to-face contact.
S HADOW A
T OP -P RODUCING S ALESPERSON
Tip: You can also learn a lot by mentoring other up-and-coming sellers who don't have as much experience as you. A reputable sales coach can quickly assess the situation, tell you what you're doing right and what you're doing wrong, and offer some suggestions you can implement immediately.
T EAM U P WITH
A P ERSONAL P ARTNER
Your interim goals allow you and your partner to check your progress so you stay on track. Now is the time for the victory dance, or whatever you and your partner choose to do.
H OOK U P WITH
A M ENTOR
My grandparents came to Detroit from Kentucky in the 1930s so my grandfather could work here in the auto industry. It was warm and we washed and waxed our cars in two rooms at the gas station.
J OT D OWN
I DEAS FOR N EW O PPORTUNITIES
One rule you might want to implement is that all ideas should be constructive. I have a complaint box in my office with a slot taped off to remind everyone on the team that I don't want to hear complaints.
N URTURE
R ELATIONSHIPS
Start thinking about the bottom line - people - and create personal relationships with your customers and business contacts. Follow the old advice of "Make friends before you need them." And make sure everyone you meet gets your business card.
L AUNCH Y OUR O WN B LOG
A blogging platform is the tool you use to create and manage your blog. You can choose from one, two, or three column templates if you want to apply a full layout to your blog.
I NTERNET L EAD G ENERATION
S ERVICE
One of the most important factors in choosing an internet lead generation service is how well the service weeds out bad leads. I was once the official spokesperson for a promising internet lead generation service for real estate agents.
E LSE W ILL
One of the best ways to do this is to add the person to adrip email campaign. To establish a brand presence in the mind of the person receiving the package, each item in your marketing package should have a consistent look and feel.
B UILD T RUST
IN O NLINE
C OMMUNITIES
By far the most popular video sharing site when I was writing this book was Google's YouTube (www.youtube.com). Use Meetup (www.meetup.com) to schedule and promote one-on-one meetings with like-minded professionals.
F IRE Y OUR
W ORST C LIENTS
Sometimes you may not have the product the customer needs, or you may be stretched too thin. To take a simple example, let's say you've sold in the lower price range of your industry.
A TTEND A
C ONVENTION
OR S EMINAR
Here you have the opportunity to not only learn the tricks of the trade from the best of the best, but you actually have a chance to meet some of the heroes of your industry and establish long-term relationships with experts who have proven themselves in the field. Conventions attract the best of the best and give you a chance to establish relationships that continue to pay dividends long after everyone clears out of the conference room.
H OST A S EMINAR
OR W ORKSHOP
