Archive for the ‘Goal Setting’ Category

Many years ago while participating in track and field my coaches typically spoke of cadence. In fact, many athletic events use cadence in their respective performance. Football players have a cadence before each play, dancers have a cadence in their performance and coincidentally those that sell require a cadence.

To perform at a higher level in selling products and services, one must have a certain cadence in delivery and building relationships with clients. Here are some of the things required to assist with your cadence:

1. Confidence. Consumers invest in those they know and trust. However, they also invest in the conviction from the selling representative. Your cadence will be affected by the highs and lows of your confidence.
2. Presentation Flow. Presentation is where it all begins. Know what you want to say, how you are going to say and but most of all listening is more important then speaking.
3. Preparation. One cannot have cadence if there is a lack of preparation. Understand how your services can assist the buyer. Look at issues from the perspective of the buyer; think output. What can you deliver that can aid the client?
4. Presence. When you look good, you feel good. Sellers need to dress the part. Invest in good clothes, and groom well. Be noticeable when you walk into a room.
5. Poise. Buyers implicitly affect tempo with questions and concerns. Remain neutral during volatile periods with proper research and preparation. The better you plan the less likely impact to your poise.
6. Equality. When you formulate equality with the buyer there is better conversation. Your interaction should be a meeting of peers, anything less is a vendor.
7. Labor Intensity. Relationship building is must easier, and you have more swagger when you meet only with decision makers. Gatekeepers waste time and affect your confidence. Meet and greet only those that understand your value.

The concept of cadence is formulated from continuous learning and practice. Athletes and dancers practice daily to broaden their strengths. They understand the value of self-mastery, learning all they can to heighten their performance. Take the first step and before you know it you will be swaying with the music.

2010. Drew J. Stevens PhD. All rights reserved.

Drew J. Stevens Ph.D. (Dr. Drew) is the author of Split Second Selling and the soon to be released Ultimate Business Bible and six other business books on sales, customer loyalty, self mastery and business development solutions. Drew helps organizations to dramatically accelerate revenue and outstrip the competition. He conducts over 40 international keynotes, seminars and workshops per year. Dr. Drew is the founder of the Sales Leadership Certificate one of only 14 programs in the United States offering an accredited degree in the profession of selling and has a top ranked podcast called Sales Acceleration. To discover how Dr. Drew can assist your organization visit his marketing and sales website or call 877-391-6821.

Popularity: 57% [?]

In recent weeks in working with a number of clients, there is a tendency to see similar issues between them. Much of what I experience concerns the sales force. The larger issue is that many organizations do not invest in their sales teams. Ironic since the notion of every business is to retain and acquire clients.

To assist organizations to operate more efficiently here are a few thoughts to remember:

Selling professionals are in the marketing business. Spend one to two hours per day creating information that increases marketing. Use resources stemming from IMC to assist you and the organization to attract consumers. Creating an array of activity lessens labor and helps to increase brand.
Use testimonials to build brand. Ensure that your customers and alliances can reiterate your value proposition and articulate it to others. Consumers that trust you and enjoy your value will be tickled to inform others.
Maintain customer contact. Those that invest in customer relationships are always top of mind. Consumers not only conduct business with whom they trust- but also remember!
Sellers and their business are dependent on customers. Ensure that all calls are returned timely. I use a 90 minute rule! If not return all calls and emails by day’s end. Additionally, any and all staff should be well versed in customer service culture.
Eschew the folly of trends. Refrain from the bromide trends of “casual day”. Always be prepared to visit a customer. Buy good clothes and resources (i.e. Wallet, brief case and yes a pen) to emulate the part. Have good vocabulary and become well versed to speak with economic buyers.

©2010. Drew Stevens Ph.D All Rights Reserved.

Drew Stevens is one of the world’s leading authorities on Sales Marketing & Business Development Solutions . Drew is the author of the successful sales process book Split Second Selling. He is also the creator of the Sales Leadership Certificate one of only 14 programs in the United States offering an accredited degree in the profession of selling and has a top ranked podcast called Sales Acceleration. To discover how Dr. Drew can assist your organization visit his marketing and sales website.

Popularity: 32% [?]

The odds of your business surviving five years are 50-50 according to David Birch, former head of a research firm specializing in studying small business data. (Isen 2007) There are many reasons why a business will fail. Much research is available to denote which factors are the most important, however, it appears that most business fail because they lack focus on the organization’s most vital asset – customers.

Solo practitioners begin a business for two reasons; money and passion. Business professionals desire to take their passion and make money from it, and there is little harm in this. There is no better way to enjoy your time on earth than to do the thing that you enjoy.

However, with passion there is a need for focus. Presently with the cacophony of noise due to the Internet and social media resources, consumers are overwhelmed with messages. Consumers today require differentiation to denote whom to shop and whom to avoid. Unfortunately the Internet’s ubiquity hinders variety so that only option remaining the builds brand and business success is customer service.

Customer service is simply the organizational culture and processes that entrepreneurs create to ensure allure. Consumer decisions are driven by emotion. Service must be enculturated into the organizations so all staff become dependent on the client. This is an important construct; there is little difference from one retailer to the next or one restaurant to the next with one exception- customer service. When treated correctly, customers inform others of their experience helping to manifest the organizations brand and announce it to others. No marketing tactic in the IMC process is as cost effective as a word of mouth.

When customers believe and trust their vendor they tell others helping to create brand differentiation. Exemplars include Apple whose retail outlets are the busiest of any mall and Zappos.com whose unblemished customer service helps helped to brand to proliferate.

If there is little belief in customer service think again. According to both Dun and Bradstreet and the Small Business Administration, businesses with fewer than 20 employees have only a 37% chance of surviving four years. Customer service can provide the life raft of success if used correctly. In reviewing the success statistics, would you rather be a follower or a leader?

©2010. Drew Stevens PhD. All Rights Reserved.

Drew Stevens is one of the world’s leading authorities on business development and sales. Drew is the author of the successful sales process book Split Second Selling. He is also the creator of the Sales Leadership Certificate one of only 14 programs in the United States offering an accredited degree in the profession of selling and has a top ranked podcast called Sales Fitness. To discover how Dr. Drew can assist your organization to increase their business development skills visit him at www.stevensconsultinggroup.com

Popularity: 34% [?]

My name is Francis Walsh and I want to tell you what my baseline is. My baseline is where you are right now. “Where are you anyways?” I know where you want to be, but right now you’re here. “Where is here?”

Generating relationships online can be summed up in three, easy, steps. They are create, create, and interact with said create, create. It’s easy, but it’s not easy for everyone. Stop what you’re doing, Drop down to the consumer level, and Roll out the information that benefits the company in a positive way.

The intent of internet marketing is to connect with new users who through their normal every day travel of the internet, find information about you. If you increase the amount of information about you by 30% then you have more information about you from which new users are able to find your news.

The intent of internet sales is to generate revenue through the interaction of a company user and a consumer interacting via their computers. Without an increase of content a company user could go out and increase sales by thirty percent through interactions with new consumers. The company user is creating new content and interacting at the same time. Driving sales into the company to generate a 30% increase in sales is different than increasing the amount of content by 30%.

I could take the 30% to the next level and say a goal of receiving 30% growth on investment would, in banker’s terms, mean a return of $4000 on a $3000 investment. Each baseline is a little different and in the end, has a different result.

Consider each baseline as you enter into a new partnership where a provider will be doing the work for you. The best rests come from proper planning and a mutual understanding of the baseline and the goal.

Francis Walsh
77375

“A baseline is a line that is a base for measurement or for construction; What are you trying to construct for your Internet Marketing?”

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Popularity: 50% [?]

One of the worst things that hurt individuals is the inability to grow. We all have skeletons that haunt our past- if we let them. Previous issues, phobias and concerns can be like anchors on boat, they can continually drag you down until you reach the bottom; and they can sink you.

If you feel you are held back, it just might be past ghosts. The focus must be on the present and the future- not the past. You cannot alter the past; you can only impact your future.

I learned this imperative life lesson many years ago as a survivor of child abuse. After many years of physical and mental anguish I was forced to mature quickly while making many life-altering decisions. Now as a professional entrepreneur and more importantly a joyful father and husband I understand the power of focus and future. Life from time to has been volatile but if you remain focused and positive you can create the future you desire. Here is what I have learned along the journey:

1. It is imperative to have goals and to write them down. When the mind views something on paper there is an implicit contract that gets committed to memory. Additionally, focus on time frames so issues you desire remain in reach.
2. Dreams are those visuals that instigate and instill our desires. Never let anyone tell you dreams are folly. Those that do are stuck in their own hubris.
3. Guilt is negative thoughts derived and devoured by self-deprecation. The “pity pot” cements us. Positive thoughts instill better outcomes.
4. Franklin Roosevelt once stated, “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” This is not a trite statement but very true. Fear similar to guilt stops you. Fear derails you. Fear stops growth. The best attitude against fear is risk. Higher risk means a greater opportunity for high returns.
5. Similar to fear, procrastination when manifested will derail future growth. Procrastination is the resultant of both fear and guilt. To stop procrastination, one must create motion. Motion creates energy and with it the more speed to get more accomplished.
6. Stop engaging with negative individuals, they only sink you. You are the summation of the individuals you associate with. If those around you do not love you unconditionally then you need to find new people. Altering your associations will bring significant changes in attitude and behavior.
7. Never lose hope and never lose faith. Life has some hurdles and it is how you operate through and around them not avoiding them. Hurdles are unavoidable but can be speed bumps with the right attitude.
8. No matter what God you believe in, never lose faith. God does not want anyone to fail and is always with us in the shadows walking right behind or beside us.

©2010. Drew Stevens PhD. All Rights Reserved.

Popularity: 39% [?]

That’s right you heard it correctly;

Do you have the desire for results?

Susan can help you accomplish that desire and prove what you’ve always known was inside of you the whole time!

Do you remember her from over at SusanShapesSuccess.com ?(link)

Susan is full of love and compassion to help you and me, and everyone bring their “brains” to a higher awareness. Why? Because having a higher awareness means you’ll be in more control of your own direction in life.

We encourage you to connect with Susan and understand her mission to help you achieve your goals!

We want to send our thank you to Susan, for taking the time she has to participate with The Sales Corner; Get ready for some exciting times to come and watch how we develop our own partnerships and agreements to help you grow even more!

We look forward to working with Susan on a  deeper level and we are very excited to what she is able to offer our members here at The Sales Corner!

“My Mission is to translate desire into results by helping to increase my client’s level of awareness which will lead to a higher level of consciousness..” ~ Susan Yakima

Susan Shapes Success

@SuccessShaper (Twitter)

The Sales Corner: “The One-Stop where everyone is happy with the results we give!”

Popularity: 30% [?]

1. Spending too much time with gatekeepers and others that are not key decision makers. Unless you are using them to gain access to economic buyers.
2. Not using action steps to move the sale forward. Do not expect the client to do your work.
3. Being ready and available for every call. Dress the part and dress professionally daily. Casual dress is a rote excuse for laziness.
4. Procrastination. Use a planner and take time for personal issues. Do not use work as an excuse not to spend time with family. Never use poor planning as an excuse not to return imperative client calls.
5. Not using a small percentage of each day for lead generation. The fuller the pipeline the more available the opportunities.
6. Not spending time in self-development. Learning is a continuous process. Do not use learning as criteria for weakness. Your organization is not responsible for your future development- take responsibility.
7. Using electronic media instead of meeting directly with buyers. Face and voice time are more important than the veil of the Internet.
8. Not using a process. Over 90 percent of sales professionals lack a formal roadmap that helps to efficiently find and close business.
9. Failing in customer service. Over 50% of every client interaction involves customer service. Kill them with kindness to have them return.

10. Responding to proposals not requested by buyers. Responding to blind RFI’s is simply a waste of time.

©2010. Drew Stevens PhD. All Rights Reserved.

Drew Stevens is one of the world’s leading authorities on business development and sales. Drew is the author of the successful sales process book Split Second Selling. He is also the creator of the Sales Leadership Certificate one of only 14 programs in the United States offering an accredited degree in the profession of selling and has a top ranked podcast called Sales Fitness. To discover how Dr. Drew can assist your organization to increase their business development skills visit him at www.stevensconsultinggroup.com

Popularity: 27% [?]

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Popularity: 24% [?]

I went out this past weekend to play golf with my son and I took notice of how the game might be aligned with the world of selling. One of my frequent issues with selling is the lack of a process. This is simply because there is a lack of focus on hecustomer. Selling requires a constant and intense focus on the company’s most vital asset.

Coincidentally, the weekend golfer typically lacks focus in the one area of the game that is most important-the cup. Most golfers will attempt to hit the ball onto the take as far and wide as they can in the hope of being close to the cup. Unfortunately with only 18 chances the statistics do not favor the golfer. The most important and strategic portion of the game is known as the short game. Golfers need to focus on establishing as few strokes as necessary to get the ball into its final destination. It seems at times that golfers become more cognizant at the end rather than the beginning. This gameplan is too erratic and provides for more luck than grace.

Sellers too become most erratic when selling without a process. When focus is maintained on the client there is a better opportunity of closing business. Rather than hacking away at luck the true seller is constantly involved with creating less steps, less labor and more value to the potential client. Unlike golf they do not focus on only the beginning but the entire game plan. Some of the best sellers reach their short game with:

1. Preparation-every call in every visit is carefully planned to ensure a proper beginning and proper closure.

2. Relationship-the true seller is always involved in building and maintaining relationships with proper economic buyers.

3.Questions-sellers always have available questions related to objectives and measurements of success.

4. Risk-good sellers always take prudent risk to move the sale forward.

5. Productivity-good sellers do not waste time with unnecessary items, they optimize their day based upon prioritization.

6. Strategy-those sellers the strategic lead less volatile roads because they prepare for most circumstances.

7. Customer Service-good sellers are always ladies and gentlemen to ladies and gentlemen, 45% of every sale involves customer service.

Before heading out onto the sales golf course is best to have a good strategy so as to lessen labor and focus more on the end game-the customer. Being too tactical only wastes time and strokes. While you’re setting up your next shot your competitor is already on the green.

©2010. Drew Stevens PhD. All Rights Reserved.

There are seven secrets for selling effectiveness. Click here For a Free Report 7 Secrets to Selling Success

Drew Stevens is one of the world’s leading authorities on business development and marketing. Drew is the author of the successful sales process book Split Second Selling. He is also the creator of the Sales Leadership Certificate one of only 14 programs in the United States offering an accredited degree in the profession of selling and has a top ranked podcast called Sales Fitness. To discover how Dr. Drew dramatically accelerate your business development and sales skills visit his sales and marketing website.

Popularity: 14% [?]