Like you, I LOVE referrals. I'd rather use referrals to get appointments than pick up the phone and cold call any day. Don't get me wrong, I teach cold calling and still believe it's one of the most cost effective and time efficient ways to get an appointment, but if it comes down to a choice I want a referral. A referral is far more likely to get you an appointment (if it's handled well) and in many cases a strong enough referral can take you half way to a sale.
Here are three crucial tips for being more referrable:
1) When someone gives you a referral, follow up right away.
I find it very annoying when I take the time to give someone a referral only to find out later on that they didn't follow up on it. When I give you a referral, it typically means I've contacted the person I'm referring you to on your behalf so that they're expecting your call. If you don't follow up, it makes me look bad. Follow up within a few days at the latest. Then, let me know that you followed up.
2) Conduct yourself professionally and with 100% integrity.
There's nothing that will stop me from giving you referrals quicker than me thinking I can't trust you or that you'll be less than professional. Think about it, when I give you a referral I'm giving you access to my clients and associates. These connections are extremely important to me and if you meet them after I give you a referral, and act with less than 100% honesty and professionalism it reflects back on me. I could lose a client or friend and I'm just not willing to do that.
3) Help others refer you by giving them a "form" letter they can use.
A while back a dear friend, and trusted business associate, offered to refer me into a well- known company I very much wanted to do business with. I was excited to hear she had a connection for me. The same day that she told me about the lead I followed up with her via email to let her know I was excited and how much I appreciated her being willing to refer me. She replied saying, "I'm swamped. Can you please write the referral and I'll forward it?" It never occurred to me to write my own referral letter but then I thought, "Who better than me to write what I want someone to read about me??!!" Put together a letter that others can use to refer you. Here's mine, as an example:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear __________,
I'm writing you to introduce Jeff Goldberg. Jeff is a trusted business associate. He's a sales consultant, trainer and coach as well as an author. He works with companies like yours to help them create, or improve, and nurture their sales culture. This usually results in him working with the top executives and middle managers on sales management strategies as well as training and coaching the salespeople to teach them how to get more appointments, shorten their sales cycle and close more business, more profitably. When he works with companies, they make more money.
I've given Jeff your information and asked him to contact you. I'd appreciate it if you would accept his call. I know you'll thank me after you meet with Jeff.
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This letter resulted in me getting in touch with a huge company that I had wanted to penetrate for quite a while and although it didn't result in business, it did do what it was meant to do, get the conversation going with a solid referral.
Remember to regularly let your network, as well as any business associates, (including customers) know what you're looking for, (you have to know and be able to express what constitutes a good lead for you) ask for the referrals and make it easy for others to refer you. Hey, it beats cold calling.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Qualifying - Are You Talking Yourself Out of Meetings & Sales?
Salespeople need to be masters at using their time effectively. We can’t waste time chasing deals that are dead, attending meetings that are useless, (or don’t apply to us) filling out paperwork that doesn’t truly serve a purpose or anything else that prevents us from seeing more prospects, taking care of our current customers and regularly closing more business.
One of the ways that many salespeople protect their time is by qualifying prospects over the phone before setting an appointment. Is this a good idea? In theory, it absolutely is. Would you want to go to an appointment only to find out the prospect doesn’t fit your customer profile? If the possibility of a sale doesn’t at least exist, you’d be foolish to waste your time (and the other person’s) by meeting with them. How do we find out if a potential customer fits our profile? We ask qualifying questions. So far, so good.
In my experience as a trainer, coach and observer of professional salespeople, however, more often than not salespeople ask too many qualifying questions. Typically salespeople ask lots and lots of questions to determine if they should invest some of their valuable (and irreplaceable) time to meet with a possible new customer. They ask question after question after question, waiting to hear the one reason why they shouldn’t meet. It often seems like they’re trying to ask everything under the sun but, “Will you buy from me?” over the phone. Of course, in a perfect “sales world” you WOULD be able to ask someone if they’ll buy from you before you take a first appointment but so far I haven’t figured out how to do that. So why are salespeople asking so many questions? To protect their valuable time.
Here’s the problem: Good things can potentially happen when you put yourself in front of a prospect but nothing happens if you don’t. (Obviously, inside sales are an exception to this rule) Personally, my goal is to put myself in front of as many people as possible who could potentially do business with me. Do I want to waste my time or want you to waste yours? Of course not. But by asking too many questions I believe you might be talking yourself out of sales visits that could bring you sales and money.
I’ve worked with hundreds of companies over the years, in almost every industry and have yet to find a product or service that needed to ask more than two qualifying questions before setting a first appointment. (The exception to this would be one where you have to travel by air or drive more than 90 minutes) Personally, and I know this doesn’t apply to everyone, I ask NO qualifying questions when setting a first meeting UNLESS I have to travel more than 90 minutes. I clearly let people know who I am and what I do when I set an appointment. If I tell you, on the phone, that I’m a sales consultant and trainer and would like to meet with you to discuss those things, when I get to your office are you going to tell me you don’t have any salespeople? Pretty unlikely, so in my case I don’t need to qualify. But I’m not saying that you shouldn’t. What I’m saying is, boil it down to the one or two questions that make sure the prospect is truly a prospect and then GO MEET THEM!
I once worked with a group of financial representatives from Smith Barney teaching them how to get more appointments. During the session, a rather prosperous looking gentleman raised his hand and said, “Jeff, I’ve been doing this a long time and have been very successful. I ask about time minutes worth of qualifying questions before I’ll set a meeting to make certain I don’t waste my extremely valuable time. In fact, I won’t work with anyone unless they have a half million dollars they can invest with me right now.” He went on to share a laundry list of questions that he asks people before he’s willing to meet with them. Each and every question was designed to give him very valuable information that would help him sell the person on investing with him. Should the rep ask those questions? Absolutely, but he should ask them in-person, after meeting them and establishing rapport. The questions he was asking were crucial to his sales process but not his qualification process. After a brief conversation he realized the one, and only, question he needed to ask was, “If you like what I show you, and of course that decision would be yours and yours alone, are you currently able to invest $500,000 with me?” 6 months later I received a call from him telling me that his already successful career had skyrocketed, as he was taking more meetings, seeing more people and closing more business.
What about you? Are you asking too many questions and talking yourself out of appointments and sales? Figure out what things you absolutely MUST know before you’re willing to set a first meeting and ask those. Save the rest for when you’re in front of your prospects. I’d rather “waste” my time sitting in front of a prospect that might not be a perfect fit than sitting in the office doing paperwork. Even if they’re not right for me, or I’m not right for them, perhaps they might know someone they can refer me to, right now, who has a need for what I offer.
As always, contact me if there’s anything I can help you with.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
One of the ways that many salespeople protect their time is by qualifying prospects over the phone before setting an appointment. Is this a good idea? In theory, it absolutely is. Would you want to go to an appointment only to find out the prospect doesn’t fit your customer profile? If the possibility of a sale doesn’t at least exist, you’d be foolish to waste your time (and the other person’s) by meeting with them. How do we find out if a potential customer fits our profile? We ask qualifying questions. So far, so good.
In my experience as a trainer, coach and observer of professional salespeople, however, more often than not salespeople ask too many qualifying questions. Typically salespeople ask lots and lots of questions to determine if they should invest some of their valuable (and irreplaceable) time to meet with a possible new customer. They ask question after question after question, waiting to hear the one reason why they shouldn’t meet. It often seems like they’re trying to ask everything under the sun but, “Will you buy from me?” over the phone. Of course, in a perfect “sales world” you WOULD be able to ask someone if they’ll buy from you before you take a first appointment but so far I haven’t figured out how to do that. So why are salespeople asking so many questions? To protect their valuable time.
Here’s the problem: Good things can potentially happen when you put yourself in front of a prospect but nothing happens if you don’t. (Obviously, inside sales are an exception to this rule) Personally, my goal is to put myself in front of as many people as possible who could potentially do business with me. Do I want to waste my time or want you to waste yours? Of course not. But by asking too many questions I believe you might be talking yourself out of sales visits that could bring you sales and money.
I’ve worked with hundreds of companies over the years, in almost every industry and have yet to find a product or service that needed to ask more than two qualifying questions before setting a first appointment. (The exception to this would be one where you have to travel by air or drive more than 90 minutes) Personally, and I know this doesn’t apply to everyone, I ask NO qualifying questions when setting a first meeting UNLESS I have to travel more than 90 minutes. I clearly let people know who I am and what I do when I set an appointment. If I tell you, on the phone, that I’m a sales consultant and trainer and would like to meet with you to discuss those things, when I get to your office are you going to tell me you don’t have any salespeople? Pretty unlikely, so in my case I don’t need to qualify. But I’m not saying that you shouldn’t. What I’m saying is, boil it down to the one or two questions that make sure the prospect is truly a prospect and then GO MEET THEM!
I once worked with a group of financial representatives from Smith Barney teaching them how to get more appointments. During the session, a rather prosperous looking gentleman raised his hand and said, “Jeff, I’ve been doing this a long time and have been very successful. I ask about time minutes worth of qualifying questions before I’ll set a meeting to make certain I don’t waste my extremely valuable time. In fact, I won’t work with anyone unless they have a half million dollars they can invest with me right now.” He went on to share a laundry list of questions that he asks people before he’s willing to meet with them. Each and every question was designed to give him very valuable information that would help him sell the person on investing with him. Should the rep ask those questions? Absolutely, but he should ask them in-person, after meeting them and establishing rapport. The questions he was asking were crucial to his sales process but not his qualification process. After a brief conversation he realized the one, and only, question he needed to ask was, “If you like what I show you, and of course that decision would be yours and yours alone, are you currently able to invest $500,000 with me?” 6 months later I received a call from him telling me that his already successful career had skyrocketed, as he was taking more meetings, seeing more people and closing more business.
What about you? Are you asking too many questions and talking yourself out of appointments and sales? Figure out what things you absolutely MUST know before you’re willing to set a first meeting and ask those. Save the rest for when you’re in front of your prospects. I’d rather “waste” my time sitting in front of a prospect that might not be a perfect fit than sitting in the office doing paperwork. Even if they’re not right for me, or I’m not right for them, perhaps they might know someone they can refer me to, right now, who has a need for what I offer.
As always, contact me if there’s anything I can help you with.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
One Crucial Sales Tip!
I get lots of questions. It goes along with the job. When you’re a consultant, coach, trainer, author and professional speaker people seem to think you know what you’re talking about. (And it’s a darned good thing! If I don’t know what I’m talking about when it comes to selling then it’s about time for me to find a new career) The questions come in all shapes, sizes and flavors from how to find a new job, how to make more money in your current job and heck, I even had a guy who came to me for coaching on how to meet the woman of his dreams and get married. (fyi – I did some private coaching with him and he met the girl of his dreams within six months. They were married a year later and still are!)
Of all the questions I get, however, the one that seems to pop up the most is, “Jeff, if you could only offer me one piece of advice with regards to selling, what would it be?” Me only give one piece of advice on selling? That’s like trying to eat one potato chip. Nearly impossible, but here are some that are among my top three things most likely to improve your sales results.
1)Fill your pipeline and keep it filled with new opportunities
If I had to choose just one piece of advice this would be it. Most salespeople dislike prospecting and often avoid it like the plague. Especially when we get busy working on proposals and servicing existing clients we tend to drop the ball on looking for new clients. This is a sure recipe for paycheck disaster. Even in an industry like insurance where, if you do things right, you eventually build up a client base that just needs to be serviced regularly and they’ll keep renewing, you still should prospect (at least a little) each day. In most industries, which do not provide residual income, daily prospecting is the thing most likely to improve your income. We salespeople need a steady stream of people who might be interested in doing business with us. Prospecting, however you choose to do it, helps to provide you with that steady stream. Your sales skills could stink but if you see enough people, some will buy. Improving your skills should improve your closing ratio but you still need to see enough prospects If you intend to meet, and exceed, your quota.
2)Always get an action step
This suggestion is about my favorite way of shortening your sales cycle. Assuming you’re interested in doing business, never, ever, leave a meeting or a phone call without setting up the next meeting or phone call right then and there. When a prospect agrees to another meeting they’re sending you a message and the message is, “I’m interested.” They’re not saying they’ll definitely buy from you but almost no one will give you more of their precious time and attention if they aren’t interested in what you have to offer them. (The exception can sometimes be procurement officers – they sometimes make a buying decision but still need to get competing prices to show their boss they’re doing their job) By setting the next meeting before you leave someone’s office you can usually shave one to three weeks off your sales cycle each time you do it. The longer your sales cycle, the more important this philosophy becomes.
3)Always provide WAY more value the your customer expects
Customers, including us, are used to being treated poorly and not getting what we feel we paid for. It’s a sad state of affairs but, for the most part, its’ just the way things are. This provides us with an amazing opportunity to set ourselves apart. By providing expected service you almost automatically look better to your clients than 90% of the companies in business today. (Because most salespeople and companies overpromise and under-deliver) If you actually go the “extra mile,” and provide more than the customer really expects you become a superstar in their eyes and you are one step closer to not having to worry about them taking their valuable business elsewhere. Customers are extremely precious commodities. THRILL them by delivering sooner than expected, more than expected and better than expected and they’ll pay you back with more business and referrals.
I could go on and on but since you only wanted ONE selling tip, I’ll close here for now!
As always, call or write if there’s any way I can help you. It’s always my pleasure.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
Of all the questions I get, however, the one that seems to pop up the most is, “Jeff, if you could only offer me one piece of advice with regards to selling, what would it be?” Me only give one piece of advice on selling? That’s like trying to eat one potato chip. Nearly impossible, but here are some that are among my top three things most likely to improve your sales results.
1)Fill your pipeline and keep it filled with new opportunities
If I had to choose just one piece of advice this would be it. Most salespeople dislike prospecting and often avoid it like the plague. Especially when we get busy working on proposals and servicing existing clients we tend to drop the ball on looking for new clients. This is a sure recipe for paycheck disaster. Even in an industry like insurance where, if you do things right, you eventually build up a client base that just needs to be serviced regularly and they’ll keep renewing, you still should prospect (at least a little) each day. In most industries, which do not provide residual income, daily prospecting is the thing most likely to improve your income. We salespeople need a steady stream of people who might be interested in doing business with us. Prospecting, however you choose to do it, helps to provide you with that steady stream. Your sales skills could stink but if you see enough people, some will buy. Improving your skills should improve your closing ratio but you still need to see enough prospects If you intend to meet, and exceed, your quota.
2)Always get an action step
This suggestion is about my favorite way of shortening your sales cycle. Assuming you’re interested in doing business, never, ever, leave a meeting or a phone call without setting up the next meeting or phone call right then and there. When a prospect agrees to another meeting they’re sending you a message and the message is, “I’m interested.” They’re not saying they’ll definitely buy from you but almost no one will give you more of their precious time and attention if they aren’t interested in what you have to offer them. (The exception can sometimes be procurement officers – they sometimes make a buying decision but still need to get competing prices to show their boss they’re doing their job) By setting the next meeting before you leave someone’s office you can usually shave one to three weeks off your sales cycle each time you do it. The longer your sales cycle, the more important this philosophy becomes.
3)Always provide WAY more value the your customer expects
Customers, including us, are used to being treated poorly and not getting what we feel we paid for. It’s a sad state of affairs but, for the most part, its’ just the way things are. This provides us with an amazing opportunity to set ourselves apart. By providing expected service you almost automatically look better to your clients than 90% of the companies in business today. (Because most salespeople and companies overpromise and under-deliver) If you actually go the “extra mile,” and provide more than the customer really expects you become a superstar in their eyes and you are one step closer to not having to worry about them taking their valuable business elsewhere. Customers are extremely precious commodities. THRILL them by delivering sooner than expected, more than expected and better than expected and they’ll pay you back with more business and referrals.
I could go on and on but since you only wanted ONE selling tip, I’ll close here for now!
As always, call or write if there’s any way I can help you. It’s always my pleasure.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
Friday, February 5, 2010
Have You Got Your 10,000 Hours?
In his latest book, “Outliers,” Malcolm Gladwell (The author of “Blink” and “The Tipping Point”) takes a look at what makes successful people successful. While there seem to be some factors which we have no control over, that can greatly influence success, there is at least one that we can influence. Gladwell says that highly successful people, in any field, have spent at least 10,000 hours studying and practicing. Want to be a concert violinist? 10,000 hours. Play professional tennis? 10,000 hours. Does this mean that anyone who practices for 10,000 hours will become Serena Williams? Nope. But, to me, it does mean that (If Gladwell is correct) if you want to become an expert in your field it will take 10,000 hours. (If you read the book you'll find the arguments and proofs very compelling)
So how does this affect you? If you're in sales, and want to become an expert, does it mean you need to study and practice selling for 10,000 hours? Perhaps. But in a more day-to-day, useful, way I believe it means that if you want to improve to any degree, you'll have to work at it. (Stop whining, I don't want to work at it either but I do want to constantly improve and there doesn't seem to be any way to do it except work at it. Tony Robbins calls this CANI – Constant And Never- ending Improvement)
When was the last time you picked up a book about your chosen field. (Be it sales or any other) Read a newsletter? Role-played with a partner? Attended a seminar or workshop? When was the last time you went to your manager and said, “Hey boss, I want to improve my negotiating skills. Can you help me? What do you suggest I do?” (You can replace the word “negotiating” with whatever other area you'd like to improve)
The average salesperson invests exactly zero hours each year on their own improvement. No books, no seminars, no workshops. Nothing. Yet, these same salespeople, if asked, would almost definitely say they'd like to see more prospects, put more opportunities in the pipeline, close more business and make more money. Do you see a problem here? They want things to change but don't do anything differently to effect that change. I think, by now, we all know the definition of insanity. (Doing the same thing, over and over, and expecting different results. – Albert Einstein – a pretty bright fella!)
Are you taking advantage of tools like blogs and Twitter to follow experts in your field? As an example, if you're in sales and you don't read Paul Castain's blog and follow him on Twitter you're missing out. (There are many more wonderful pros out there offering great advice on how you can improve – Mr. Castain just happens to be a sales rock star I highly respect)
Are you taking the time to work “on” your business? A fabulous coach I know taught me that there are two things we have to do to be successful but most of us only do one. The first thing is working “in” our business. Working in your business means you do the daily tasks needed to be successful. If you're in sales that typically means you invest time to develop leads, set appointments, go on sales calls, do paperwork, attend meetings and a million-and-one other activities that salespeople need to participate in to get the job done.
The second thing is working “on” your business and this is the one most of us don't do. Working “on” your business involves taking the time to think. (I know, SCARY THOUGHT!) Think about what we're doing and how we can do it better. Think about what processes we can improve. Think about how we can be more efficient, more effective, more productive. Think about anything we might change that could help bring us more business, more quickly. Most of us never take the time to work “on” our business because we're so darned busy working “in” our business that we don't have the time. If that's the case for you I'll share two thoughts.
1) The President of the United States exercises every day. If Mr. Obama has time to fit exercise into his daily schedule I'm pretty sure you can find time to work “on” your business. Yes, you might get a little less sleep, or watch a little less TV, but when was the last time that Dancing With the Stars put any money in your pocket or food on your table?
2) When I was taught this I committed to investing three hours each week doing nothing other than thinking and strategizing. (working “on” my business) Does three hours sound like a lot to you? It did, and does, to me. But I can tell you that making this investment of time business literally transformed my business from plodding along to highly successful.
I'd like you to take note that I said I “invest” the time to work on my business, not “spend” the time. I invest the time to learn, not spend the time. Investments often pay off and while some don't, one rarely succeeds without making some type of investment. Bill Gates invested lots of time studying and practicing programming as did Bill Joy, the man that wrote much of the software code which allows you and I to be able to access the Internet. The Beatles (my favorite band of all time) played in Hamburg, Germany before they got famous. They sometimes played for 8 hours at a time, 7 nights a week. 8 hours of playing in front of drunk kids. Hundreds and thousands of hours that made them better and better as musicians and performers. Bill Gates became fairly successful. (You may have heard of his little software company, Microsoft) The Beatles? Pretty successful. Bill Joy was one of the founders of Sun Microsystems so he became pretty successful too.
How much time have you invested in your chosen field? More importantly, what are you going to do today, and tomorrow, and the next day to make sure you move closer and closer to the success you're looking for?
As always, call or write if I can help you.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
So how does this affect you? If you're in sales, and want to become an expert, does it mean you need to study and practice selling for 10,000 hours? Perhaps. But in a more day-to-day, useful, way I believe it means that if you want to improve to any degree, you'll have to work at it. (Stop whining, I don't want to work at it either but I do want to constantly improve and there doesn't seem to be any way to do it except work at it. Tony Robbins calls this CANI – Constant And Never- ending Improvement)
When was the last time you picked up a book about your chosen field. (Be it sales or any other) Read a newsletter? Role-played with a partner? Attended a seminar or workshop? When was the last time you went to your manager and said, “Hey boss, I want to improve my negotiating skills. Can you help me? What do you suggest I do?” (You can replace the word “negotiating” with whatever other area you'd like to improve)
The average salesperson invests exactly zero hours each year on their own improvement. No books, no seminars, no workshops. Nothing. Yet, these same salespeople, if asked, would almost definitely say they'd like to see more prospects, put more opportunities in the pipeline, close more business and make more money. Do you see a problem here? They want things to change but don't do anything differently to effect that change. I think, by now, we all know the definition of insanity. (Doing the same thing, over and over, and expecting different results. – Albert Einstein – a pretty bright fella!)
Are you taking advantage of tools like blogs and Twitter to follow experts in your field? As an example, if you're in sales and you don't read Paul Castain's blog and follow him on Twitter you're missing out. (There are many more wonderful pros out there offering great advice on how you can improve – Mr. Castain just happens to be a sales rock star I highly respect)
Are you taking the time to work “on” your business? A fabulous coach I know taught me that there are two things we have to do to be successful but most of us only do one. The first thing is working “in” our business. Working in your business means you do the daily tasks needed to be successful. If you're in sales that typically means you invest time to develop leads, set appointments, go on sales calls, do paperwork, attend meetings and a million-and-one other activities that salespeople need to participate in to get the job done.
The second thing is working “on” your business and this is the one most of us don't do. Working “on” your business involves taking the time to think. (I know, SCARY THOUGHT!) Think about what we're doing and how we can do it better. Think about what processes we can improve. Think about how we can be more efficient, more effective, more productive. Think about anything we might change that could help bring us more business, more quickly. Most of us never take the time to work “on” our business because we're so darned busy working “in” our business that we don't have the time. If that's the case for you I'll share two thoughts.
1) The President of the United States exercises every day. If Mr. Obama has time to fit exercise into his daily schedule I'm pretty sure you can find time to work “on” your business. Yes, you might get a little less sleep, or watch a little less TV, but when was the last time that Dancing With the Stars put any money in your pocket or food on your table?
2) When I was taught this I committed to investing three hours each week doing nothing other than thinking and strategizing. (working “on” my business) Does three hours sound like a lot to you? It did, and does, to me. But I can tell you that making this investment of time business literally transformed my business from plodding along to highly successful.
I'd like you to take note that I said I “invest” the time to work on my business, not “spend” the time. I invest the time to learn, not spend the time. Investments often pay off and while some don't, one rarely succeeds without making some type of investment. Bill Gates invested lots of time studying and practicing programming as did Bill Joy, the man that wrote much of the software code which allows you and I to be able to access the Internet. The Beatles (my favorite band of all time) played in Hamburg, Germany before they got famous. They sometimes played for 8 hours at a time, 7 nights a week. 8 hours of playing in front of drunk kids. Hundreds and thousands of hours that made them better and better as musicians and performers. Bill Gates became fairly successful. (You may have heard of his little software company, Microsoft) The Beatles? Pretty successful. Bill Joy was one of the founders of Sun Microsystems so he became pretty successful too.
How much time have you invested in your chosen field? More importantly, what are you going to do today, and tomorrow, and the next day to make sure you move closer and closer to the success you're looking for?
As always, call or write if I can help you.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
It's Mid-January. How Are Those Resolutions Holding Up?
Okay, once again it’s a new year. The gyms are selling memberships like crazy to people who have resolved to become healthier this year. What you may not know, that the gyms do, is that the majority of people who join in January won’t put in an appearance from February on. It’s not because these folks don’t have the very best of intentions (they do) but because they’re resolved but not committed.
How about you? Did you make some resolutions? Are you committed to achieving your goals this year? If so, let me give you some thoughts on how to be more productive in 2010.
1)Plan your day
Each evening, before “calling it a day,” plan tomorrow. As a coach I’ve observed that most people start their day by eating a roll and drinking a cup of coffee (or whatever you like to bring to your desk for breakfast) while they figure out what to do first. Typically they start on that project and continue until they get sidetracked by whatever “fire” happens to develop. While “fires” sometimes need to be put out immediately that’s not always the case. You’re more likely, however, to jump to whatever pops up on your radar if you haven’t planned your day. This is not usually the way to have a productive day. Professionals plan, amateurs “wing it.” By starting the day with a well thought out plan for what you need to do and what you are committed to accomplishing the likelihood of actually doing so increase exponentially.
2)Understand how you spend you time
You’re busy, right? (if not, you need to GET busy!) But are you being as productive as possible? I’m not talking about working at a furious pace every minute of the day without breaks. I’m talking about being as productive as possible when you are working. I use a fairly narrow definition for a productive day if you’re in sales. Did you open up a new opportunity to work on? Did you move a sale forward in your pipeline? Did you close a deal? If not, you might have been busy but you weren’t very productive. If you’re not in sales you’ll need to define a productive day for yourself. It’s important that our efforts are productive but it’s difficult to assess how we invest our time because most of us are acting like robots. We seldom take the time to work ON our businesses because we’re so darned busy working IN our businesses.
I highly recommend the following exercise: For three days track everything you do on a legal pad and include how much time you spent doing it. If your husband called to chat, write it down and how long the conversation lasted. Went to the cafeteria to get a cup of coffee because you needed a boost? How long did it take from the moment you stopped working until the moment you got back to your desk? Making cold calls? Right it down. Whatever activity (and I mean ALL activities) you engage in during these three days write them down. BE HONEST with yourself. You might not be happy with the results but it will be useful information. At the end of the three days take some time to read over what you did and how long it took. Be sure to take a look at:
Was this activity necessary?
Was this activity productive?
Could I have done this quicker?
Could I have had someone else do this?
Was this the best use of my time?
What can I do to prevent myself from spending any more time than is absolutely necessary on non-productive activities? (At some point you probably need to go to the bathroom. Do you really need to read a newspaper while you’re there? It’s fine by me if you want to “multitask” on the toilet but I find that by concentrating on one thing at a time I tend to get more accomplished)
3)Protect your time
If you work in an office with other people it’s likely that at some point during the day someone will want to interact socially with you. While I’m always glad to discuss what happened on last night’s episode of “House” with another fan it doesn’t tend to help me be more productive. When someone wants to take more than a few seconds of your valuable time for non-work related discussions, I suggest you make an appointment to take a break together, have lunch or cocktails with them. (Yes, the cocktails should be AFTER working hours!) I’m not suggesting you be antisocial. I’m suggesting you’ll make more money and be more productive by protecting your time.
4)Make certain that your WILL IS UNSHAKEABLE and your WORD IS LAW.
Want to have happier customers? Make promises and keep them. Better yet, do MORE than you promised. Your customers will be stunned.
While most of us a pretty good at keeping the promises we make to others we stink at keeping the promises we make to ourselves. Did you set goals for 2010? Did you write them down? If so, great! The challenge is, just like for all those people who are joining a gym right now, keeping the promises you made to yourself when the going gets tough. (which it so often does)
I’d rather cut off my own arm then break my word to you. But in the past I’ve been way less stringent about keeping my word to myself. Hey, I love me and I know how much stuff I have to do and how many obstacles life likes to throw at me. I’m very good at giving myself a break when I don’t keep my word to myself. If you’re anything like I’ve been in the past, find people to make your promises to, other than yourself. Make your commitments public. You’re more likely to keep your word when someone else knows about your promises. Even better, keep your word to yourself as if you made your promises to someone else.
I see 2010 as a year filled with opportunities and possibilities! If I can help you achieve your goals in any way, please let me know.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
How about you? Did you make some resolutions? Are you committed to achieving your goals this year? If so, let me give you some thoughts on how to be more productive in 2010.
1)Plan your day
Each evening, before “calling it a day,” plan tomorrow. As a coach I’ve observed that most people start their day by eating a roll and drinking a cup of coffee (or whatever you like to bring to your desk for breakfast) while they figure out what to do first. Typically they start on that project and continue until they get sidetracked by whatever “fire” happens to develop. While “fires” sometimes need to be put out immediately that’s not always the case. You’re more likely, however, to jump to whatever pops up on your radar if you haven’t planned your day. This is not usually the way to have a productive day. Professionals plan, amateurs “wing it.” By starting the day with a well thought out plan for what you need to do and what you are committed to accomplishing the likelihood of actually doing so increase exponentially.
2)Understand how you spend you time
You’re busy, right? (if not, you need to GET busy!) But are you being as productive as possible? I’m not talking about working at a furious pace every minute of the day without breaks. I’m talking about being as productive as possible when you are working. I use a fairly narrow definition for a productive day if you’re in sales. Did you open up a new opportunity to work on? Did you move a sale forward in your pipeline? Did you close a deal? If not, you might have been busy but you weren’t very productive. If you’re not in sales you’ll need to define a productive day for yourself. It’s important that our efforts are productive but it’s difficult to assess how we invest our time because most of us are acting like robots. We seldom take the time to work ON our businesses because we’re so darned busy working IN our businesses.
I highly recommend the following exercise: For three days track everything you do on a legal pad and include how much time you spent doing it. If your husband called to chat, write it down and how long the conversation lasted. Went to the cafeteria to get a cup of coffee because you needed a boost? How long did it take from the moment you stopped working until the moment you got back to your desk? Making cold calls? Right it down. Whatever activity (and I mean ALL activities) you engage in during these three days write them down. BE HONEST with yourself. You might not be happy with the results but it will be useful information. At the end of the three days take some time to read over what you did and how long it took. Be sure to take a look at:
Was this activity necessary?
Was this activity productive?
Could I have done this quicker?
Could I have had someone else do this?
Was this the best use of my time?
What can I do to prevent myself from spending any more time than is absolutely necessary on non-productive activities? (At some point you probably need to go to the bathroom. Do you really need to read a newspaper while you’re there? It’s fine by me if you want to “multitask” on the toilet but I find that by concentrating on one thing at a time I tend to get more accomplished)
3)Protect your time
If you work in an office with other people it’s likely that at some point during the day someone will want to interact socially with you. While I’m always glad to discuss what happened on last night’s episode of “House” with another fan it doesn’t tend to help me be more productive. When someone wants to take more than a few seconds of your valuable time for non-work related discussions, I suggest you make an appointment to take a break together, have lunch or cocktails with them. (Yes, the cocktails should be AFTER working hours!) I’m not suggesting you be antisocial. I’m suggesting you’ll make more money and be more productive by protecting your time.
4)Make certain that your WILL IS UNSHAKEABLE and your WORD IS LAW.
Want to have happier customers? Make promises and keep them. Better yet, do MORE than you promised. Your customers will be stunned.
While most of us a pretty good at keeping the promises we make to others we stink at keeping the promises we make to ourselves. Did you set goals for 2010? Did you write them down? If so, great! The challenge is, just like for all those people who are joining a gym right now, keeping the promises you made to yourself when the going gets tough. (which it so often does)
I’d rather cut off my own arm then break my word to you. But in the past I’ve been way less stringent about keeping my word to myself. Hey, I love me and I know how much stuff I have to do and how many obstacles life likes to throw at me. I’m very good at giving myself a break when I don’t keep my word to myself. If you’re anything like I’ve been in the past, find people to make your promises to, other than yourself. Make your commitments public. You’re more likely to keep your word when someone else knows about your promises. Even better, keep your word to yourself as if you made your promises to someone else.
I see 2010 as a year filled with opportunities and possibilities! If I can help you achieve your goals in any way, please let me know.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Do You HATE YOUR JOB?
It seems like lately I’m getting a lot of requests, from the people I meet, to coach them on how to find and get a new job. I spent five years as a headhunter, prior to becoming a trainer and coach so I suppose people think I have a magic formula for career changers. Maybe it’s a sign of the times and the economy or perhaps it’s simply coincidence (something I don’t believe in) but for whatever reason, people want to know, “How do I figure out what to do next?”
There are two sides to this equation. The first is finding the “job” and the second is “getting” it. Here’s my best advice on the subject of finding a job:
“What?” you might be saying. “I need to make money, Jeff. How am I supposed to do that without a job?”
I didn’t say don’t work. I suggest you don’t want to find a job. I understand that you need money to survive and thrive; I’m just suggesting that one more job isn’t going to be the answer. If you’d like to be more fulfilled and make more money, here’s the question I have people answer when they come to me for advice on this subject. “What would you do if the money didn’t matter?” Don’t get me wrong, I know that the money does matter, but that’s not the point. The “trick” is to find what you love doing and to monetize it. For example, if you like standing in front of an audience and being the center of attention, and you enjoy helping people; perhaps a career as a professional speaker is right for you. (Know anyone like that???) Do you love dancing more than anything else in the world? Maybe if you’re not good enough to make a living as a professional dancer you could still teach others to dance, or offer dance therapy classes, or something else that will help bring you money and allow you to “play” at your job instead of grinding it out, day after day.
How do you figure out what it is you want to do? Take an inventory of who you are and what you truly enjoy. So far no one has been willing to pay me to sit at the beach drinking martinis and eating sushi but I was able to figure out that I love being in front of an audience. I’m self-aware enough to know that I like being the center of attention. Fortunately, through my long experience in the world of sales I’ve found a topic I am able to speak about with expertise so am able to attract people who will pay me to do what I love doing. What is it for you? What do you know about yourself? What are you really good at? What do you really love doing? What would you do if the money didn’t matter?
Once you figure out what it is you want to do you need to find a way to make money doing it. That’s too broad a topic to cover here and even when you figure out what you want to do you still might need some help coming up with a way to make money doing it. A good coach can often help with that. (Feel free to call me if you need help with this. If I can’t help you I can usually recommend someone who can)
As for the second part of the equation, if you have decided that you do want a job how do you get one, I have lots of tips for doing great on an interview and can lead you in the right direction but this article is already too long so we’ll leave it for next time! (I have a document I can send you to help you prepare for an interview if you’re interested) In the meantime, feel free to call or write if you have any questions.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Selling Lessons from Howard Stern!
You either love him or you hate him but either way you've got to admit that "shock-jock" Howard Stern, the self-proclaimed "King of All Media," is amazingly successful. Over the years he's gone from one radio station to another, steadily growing a legion of millions of rabid fans, and finally ending up at Sirius satellite radio with a Five Hundred Million Dollar 5 year contract. That's right, One Hundred Million dollars per year! Is he worth it? I don't know, but I do know one thing, Howard Stern can teach us all a few things about selling so if you want to increase the number and size of the sales that you're currently making, take heed to the lessons from the master!
1) Honesty - Howard has built his career on one main premise, honesty. He's brutally honest, some might say too honest sometimes, with his audience. On a daily basis (okay, four days a week) Howard gets on the radio and shares his innermost thoughts and feelings with his listeners. He tells them the truth of what's happening in his world. He shares stories about his parents, wife, friends and family. Often these are deeply intimate details like the time his (now) ex-wife had a miscarriage, things the average human doesn't share with the rest of the world. Howard has become known for being honest about all aspects of his life with his audience. What about you? Are you honest with your clients? Do you tell them the truth about your products or services? Do you give them realistic expectations or do you tend to over-promise and under-deliver? It's crucial that our prospects and customers view us as completely upfront and honest in all aspects of the relationship we share with them. My personal and professional experience is that people always appreciate it when you set expectations properly rather than promise the world and not be able to deliver. If you expect your customers to answer your questions (the KEY to selling - asking the right questions and getting good answers) honestly, doesn't it make sense that you should be honest with them?
2) Enthusiasm - When Howard reads a commercial it often includes him telling a story about how he used the product and how much he liked it. In fact, I recently heard him tell of a product he discovered that he was enjoying. The manufacturer of this product, a deodorant, is not an advertiser on his show but Howard shared his joy in using this product like it was something spectacular and something that everyone should be using. It's hard to get excited about deodorant but I couldn't wait to get home and check out the company's website after hearing Howard rave on and on about how great it was. The company called his show a couple of days later to say the product was selling out and that retailers were placing huge orders. Enthusiasm is contagious. Do you state the facts about the features and benefits of what you sell or do you share your unbridled enthusiasm? If you're not excited about what you're trying to sell, why would you expect your customer to get excited and do business with you?
3) Rapport - Listening to Howard Stern is a lot like watching the TV show "Seinfeld" for me. Again, you may not have been a "Seinfeld" fan but if you were you know that watching Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine each week was like hanging out with old friends. You learned their personalities, their quirks, their likes and dislikes and what made them tick. You shared in their dating lives, their financial or job situations and everything that happened to them. Same thing with Howard. Listening to his show each day is like hanging out with your best buddies. Howard and Robin, Fred and Artie, Gary (his long-suffering producer) and the rest of the freaks on the show become a family to his listeners. We learn of their triumphs and foibles, their positives and negatives. We come to "know" them in a way that we do not with most "celebrities." I'd bet that almost any of Howard's listeners would jump at the chance to hang out with him in person, even though Howard describes himself as miserable and annoying to be with. We feel like we know and love him, like a best friend. Do you create relationship with the people you do business with? Do you share information about yourself or do you expect them to do so simply because it will help you to sell them? I can tell you from personal experience that my best customers learn about me and my life and I learn about theirs. If it's true, and it is, that people buy from people they like and trust are you doing everything you can to establish and nurture your relationships with your prospects and customers?
4) Humor - While many might disagree, Howard is (if nothing else) funny. You might not appreciate his sense of humor but he is a funny guy. He's vastly intelligent and understands what his audience is looking for and Howard attracts listeners (customers) with the same sense of humor that he has, sophomoric. Howard seems to be stuck at the age of about 16 or 17, when expelling gas was still among the funniest things you could imagine. (Yes, his audience is made up of far more men than women but women love him to!) He's clever and has a quick mind which is augmented by a staff of writers who think much like he does. He also appreciates the humor found is most of life and is often cracked up by what goes on around him. While I'm not suggesting you tell "fart jokes" to your prospects I am suggesting that a smile every now and then goes a long way. Lighten up and have a good time with the people you're trying to sell and there's a good chance that they'll lighten up too. When you make dealing with you an enjoyable experience you dramatically increase the odds of a sale.
I was recently wandering the frozen food aisle in my local grocery store and passing the ice cream I decided to pick up some Klondike bars, a type of ice cream. I got them home, stuck them in the freezer and a few days later I ate one. It was okay but I didn't love it. I remembered having Klondike bars when I was a kid and not liking them then either. "Why did I buy them?" I asked myself and suddenly realized that Howard had recently done a commercial for Klondike bars. Do you have that type of influence with your "audience?" Can you help them choose to buy products or services from you simply because you recommend they do? Whether you like him or not, take some lessons from Howard Stern and watch your sales soar!
Make It Happen,
Jeff
1) Honesty - Howard has built his career on one main premise, honesty. He's brutally honest, some might say too honest sometimes, with his audience. On a daily basis (okay, four days a week) Howard gets on the radio and shares his innermost thoughts and feelings with his listeners. He tells them the truth of what's happening in his world. He shares stories about his parents, wife, friends and family. Often these are deeply intimate details like the time his (now) ex-wife had a miscarriage, things the average human doesn't share with the rest of the world. Howard has become known for being honest about all aspects of his life with his audience. What about you? Are you honest with your clients? Do you tell them the truth about your products or services? Do you give them realistic expectations or do you tend to over-promise and under-deliver? It's crucial that our prospects and customers view us as completely upfront and honest in all aspects of the relationship we share with them. My personal and professional experience is that people always appreciate it when you set expectations properly rather than promise the world and not be able to deliver. If you expect your customers to answer your questions (the KEY to selling - asking the right questions and getting good answers) honestly, doesn't it make sense that you should be honest with them?
2) Enthusiasm - When Howard reads a commercial it often includes him telling a story about how he used the product and how much he liked it. In fact, I recently heard him tell of a product he discovered that he was enjoying. The manufacturer of this product, a deodorant, is not an advertiser on his show but Howard shared his joy in using this product like it was something spectacular and something that everyone should be using. It's hard to get excited about deodorant but I couldn't wait to get home and check out the company's website after hearing Howard rave on and on about how great it was. The company called his show a couple of days later to say the product was selling out and that retailers were placing huge orders. Enthusiasm is contagious. Do you state the facts about the features and benefits of what you sell or do you share your unbridled enthusiasm? If you're not excited about what you're trying to sell, why would you expect your customer to get excited and do business with you?
3) Rapport - Listening to Howard Stern is a lot like watching the TV show "Seinfeld" for me. Again, you may not have been a "Seinfeld" fan but if you were you know that watching Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine each week was like hanging out with old friends. You learned their personalities, their quirks, their likes and dislikes and what made them tick. You shared in their dating lives, their financial or job situations and everything that happened to them. Same thing with Howard. Listening to his show each day is like hanging out with your best buddies. Howard and Robin, Fred and Artie, Gary (his long-suffering producer) and the rest of the freaks on the show become a family to his listeners. We learn of their triumphs and foibles, their positives and negatives. We come to "know" them in a way that we do not with most "celebrities." I'd bet that almost any of Howard's listeners would jump at the chance to hang out with him in person, even though Howard describes himself as miserable and annoying to be with. We feel like we know and love him, like a best friend. Do you create relationship with the people you do business with? Do you share information about yourself or do you expect them to do so simply because it will help you to sell them? I can tell you from personal experience that my best customers learn about me and my life and I learn about theirs. If it's true, and it is, that people buy from people they like and trust are you doing everything you can to establish and nurture your relationships with your prospects and customers?
4) Humor - While many might disagree, Howard is (if nothing else) funny. You might not appreciate his sense of humor but he is a funny guy. He's vastly intelligent and understands what his audience is looking for and Howard attracts listeners (customers) with the same sense of humor that he has, sophomoric. Howard seems to be stuck at the age of about 16 or 17, when expelling gas was still among the funniest things you could imagine. (Yes, his audience is made up of far more men than women but women love him to!) He's clever and has a quick mind which is augmented by a staff of writers who think much like he does. He also appreciates the humor found is most of life and is often cracked up by what goes on around him. While I'm not suggesting you tell "fart jokes" to your prospects I am suggesting that a smile every now and then goes a long way. Lighten up and have a good time with the people you're trying to sell and there's a good chance that they'll lighten up too. When you make dealing with you an enjoyable experience you dramatically increase the odds of a sale.
I was recently wandering the frozen food aisle in my local grocery store and passing the ice cream I decided to pick up some Klondike bars, a type of ice cream. I got them home, stuck them in the freezer and a few days later I ate one. It was okay but I didn't love it. I remembered having Klondike bars when I was a kid and not liking them then either. "Why did I buy them?" I asked myself and suddenly realized that Howard had recently done a commercial for Klondike bars. Do you have that type of influence with your "audience?" Can you help them choose to buy products or services from you simply because you recommend they do? Whether you like him or not, take some lessons from Howard Stern and watch your sales soar!
Make It Happen,
Jeff
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