How to Create a Year End Sales Blitz

For you and many others the year has been very difficult. Between the lack of spending form clients and the rhetoric of Capital Hill many cannot wait until the end of the year. But can you?

Just yesterday Kathy called me crying that revenues were down that she would not meet her quota. I answer calls like this frequently. Early this week Ron mentioned that he does not understand how he will meet expenses this month!

If this sounds like you then advice is on the way!

One of the largest issues that many sales professionals and entrepreneurs deal with is that when you are busy working, you are too busy not marketing and creating visibility; and when you are not busy, you are busy with everything else but marketing. Procrastination is the order of the day. What you need to realize is that busy or not, client or not, revenue or not, priorities or not, every day is a marketing day! You must be active everyday soliciting business.

Okay you gave me the riot act for the future but what about now?

So by now you are in panic mode and thinking what if anything can I do to salvage the year. Yes there is still time. Here are five things you need to do right now to closer business before year-end.

Get out of the stands and into the field of play. If you ever want to know the difference between the successful individual and those that aren’t simply look at the workload. Successful people are always busy, constantly adhering to their mission and vision. This requires that you get busy being busy. I am not speaking of the inappropriate things that waste time – only those that point to revenue. This requires that you begin to network aggressively meeting new individuals and passing out your business card. There should be a goal in mind such as meeting 4 new people per day or writing out one new proposal this week. The busier you are the more successful you will become. And, when you are busy there is less time to think about issues, ponder depression and waste the day! When you are busy you are working on a better future. As an action step sign up for two new networking events where you know no one and meet four new people!
The Art of the Referral – The sweetest sound anyone can hear about their business is the endorsement from a happy customer. Happy clients are your greatest assets because they tell others. This helps value, brand and future client attraction. Think here about Apple, Facebook and many other organizations that never, and I mean never use advertising. The reason- they have happy clients tell the story. The problem here is twofold 1) you never ask enough and 2) you ask too late. It is important that you remain in constant contact with clients and always seek out useful referrals. As an action item today, solicit four referrals from everyone in your database. You will be surprised by the results.
A Complimentary Offer – Clients today are very persnickety because they have access to a wealth of free information. Clients and consumer behavior have come to expect some complimentary offering. What do you have that have some value that you might provide to clients? Might you provide a free webinar, a one day credit something that creates enough action that makes movement. Remember it is all about value and sometimes this requires a bit more of a push. Giving something away might help prompt the sale.
Third Party Endorsement – While watching the news recently there was a story on the six degrees theory. You know the notion of it’s a small world! However, in recent analysis of 721 million active Facebook users and their over 69 billion friendships found that any two individuals in the world are connected, on average, by just 4.74 acquaintances. With the proliferation of social media we are more connected then ever. Well if that is the case all you need to do is seek within your electronic Rolodex of individuals of who knows who at the account you are attempting to close and ask for help. You do not ask then you do not receive! Therefore it is important that you do not even complete this article and seek immediately within your circles to gain access to people that know of others that can help you close business.
Cut the cord and get with the right person – This hellacious environment altered the individuals you believed to be decision makers and those that think they are. If you really want to close business- and I mean now, then stop conversing with those that are not economic buyers. Only concern yourself with a person that can right a check, sign a contract or letter agreement and has the approval. Stop pondering with budgets, organizational politics and senseless bureaucratic refuse. Ask the right questions, meet the right people and you will notice less time wasted and more responsiveness to your value.

Those that get busy today adopting these principles will notice an increase in activity. The requirement today in this crazy busy world is to be consistently and relentless involved with client activity. Action makes you visible and memorable. Action creates motion, and motion creates revenue.
©Drew Stevens PhD. All rights reserved.

Memories: Are you Making Them With Clients?

Did you ever wonder why the phone does not ring? Do you ever panic when prospective individuals ask you what you do and your struggle with your delivery? There are reasons why many struggle with what to say to prospective clients:

They are uncertain what to say
They have not practiced the proper approach
They try to say something different each time
There is no consistency with the brand

There is a solution to this issue and it is called the MEME (sounds like team). So what is this incredible tool?

A meme is an idea, behavior, style or message else that enters into your community and creates additional community and interest. Different from the way it is spelled a MEME does not create anything about you, however it does create output based messages that illustrate the value and benefits clients get from doing business with you.

If you follow a template I will share with you, you can use it to generate eye opening and memorable methods for clients to become attracted to you.

A meme can be used for:
Introduction to verbal conversations
Developed into a value proposition for your website
Developed into a tagline for marketing collateral
Used to introduce products and services
Incorporated into presentations and articles/tip sheets

Because your MEME illustrates the value you will need to use it to help communicate your brand and create the allure you desire for your business. Yet the best part of this is once it is developed you can use it throughout your integrated marketing communications.

So what does a MEME sound like?

Here is a MEME from one of my clients. “Hi nice to meet you. I am Dr. Ron and I work with men and women aged 37 to 55 who suffer from the ill effects of stress. I provide a unique process that reduces stress and provides increased mobility and flexibility!” Naturally the next statement you will hear is, “My Gosh how do you do that?”

Now how does that sound versus the rote, “Hi I’m Ron, I’m A Doctor.” Or , “Hi I’m Ron, I’m in Insurance.” Or , “Hi I’m Ron. I’m and Electrician.” Not to say there is anything wrong with these professions but there is something wrong in the delivery. One they’re boring. Two you sound like everyone else. Three it is stereotyped so that people instantly dismiss you and four, it is inward focused and says nothing of what you provide to the client.

Here are 7 things you can to do help develop a MEME:

Focus on the clients you want to provide and most importantly your perfect client. Who is the demographic and what do they value and benefit from? What are the solutions that you provide congruent with those desires.
Write down a list of benefits that you provide clients. Think about how you help them. Review your testimonials to help you here. When you come up with the list prioritize it so that you develop the best one.
Think of the three to four issues your clients have to say before you helped them. What do you typically hear before you develop solutions.
When you work with clients what are you processes, methods, steps etc that can be used to explain how you help. For example do you have a 7 step strategy or a 4 step proprietary choke hold, you get the picture.
Now look at your notes and write out your statement using the following, Target Demographic + Issue + Solution. Develop a few drafts so that eventually it rolls of your tongue. And to assist you make it two to three short sentences.
Practice this on friends and family as well as some other clients to see what they have to say.
Once you have this developed then I want you to think about two things 1) what you will say after they say tell me more and 2) develop a call to action.

I like to teach by example, so let me my MEME and others I have created. Contact me for a FREE NO OBLIGATION MEME session and in 30 minutes we will create a message that drops most jaws.

Creating a compelling a MEME is a vital part of the Business Acceleration System. How is yours coming along?

Hear me weekly on my renowned Podcast – Business Acceleration:
http://www.stevensconsultinggroup.com/free-resources/podcasts

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Marketing & Sales Alignment Best Practices

In How Sales Executives Can Improve Marketing and Sales Alignment in 2011, ExecSense examines easy-to-implement strategies and best practices used by leading sales executives to build alignment between their sales and marketing teams. Take the 60 minutes to view this webinar (on your computer, mobile phone, iPad, Kindle or printed out) and learn valuable tips and techniques to improve marketing and sales alignment in order to build a single, integrated revenue pipeline and generate and close more leads this year.

If you cannot call-in to attend the webinar and view the presentation at 4:30 EST, Friday, March 18th, ExecSense will email you the PowerPoint, audio and supplementary files by the next day for viewing at your convenience during your next commute, business trip, flight, lunch, or free hour in your schedule (you simply need to register before the webinar occurs). If you would like to ask an anonymous question or request a specific topic to be covered during the webinar, please email the moderator at lauraj@execsense.com after you have registered to attend and we guarantee your question/topic will be covered.

Find out how to order at:

http://execsense.com/details.asp?id=3364

Sales Techniques – Meeting the Decision Maker

Sales Managers have a difficult task trying to ensure that sales professionals meet with the proper decision makers. Too many sales representatives typically get caught up with gatekeepers. This takes away from customer centric relationships slowing sales.

A recent prospective client indicated the numerous requests for proposals they replied to. When I questioned the closing ratio they indicated zero. Gatekeepers do not buy services- decision makers do.

When meeting with gatekeepers three things become pronounced:

1. Gatekeepers derail the sales process. Gatekeepers speak of methods and cost rather than solutions and results.

2. Gatekeepers think inward. Decision makers concern themselves with betterment to the organization and its shareholders.

3. Gatekeepers’ slow sales hindering opportunities.

If gatekeepers hinder sales then why do so many sales representatives get involved?

There are many reasons but the three most prevalent include:

Procrastination
Fear
Lack of Research

How then can sales people meet more decision makers so that they do not get caught up with gatekeepers?

First and foremost, sales representatives need to network aggressively. There are too many individuals that attend networking events but become wallflowers. Meeting decision makers requires two issues 1) attending events solicited by decision makers and 2) eliminating fear and becoming involved in discussion.

However discussion is not meant to include product and service information. Conversations begin with relationship building techniques that help to create trusted advisory. This is imperative since people conduct business with those they trust. Therefore good discussion begins with sharing information on current events, industry and competitive information. Illustrate you know something of the firm.

Second, by far the best method for meeting decision makers is through referral. The issue here is that many do not ask often enough. Referrals need to be asked with two notions 1) requesting referrals from your top clients once every thirty days and 2) asking for referrals in multiples. Assuming one has 100 clients and you ask once every thirty days for three referrals from each client and they are provided- you have over three hundred new lead sources from those that value your talents!

Third, should the former not pan out, third party sources or strategic alliances are great opportunities for meeting decision makers. Sales professionals need to network frequently to formulate the proper ventures to meet the proper people.

Finally, selling professionals need to also consider themselves marketing professionals. Professionals must conduct numerous activities that must be repeated daily so that discussions are with the right people. This means speaking at industry conferences, engaging in self-development courses and perhaps writing articles. Each helps to increase visibility, illustrate value and meet influential people.

What are your best practices for meeting decision makers? Please provide your thoughts in the space below. We want to share what works for you.

Do you have all the business you want. I don’t think so. I provide a FREE No Obligation Business Acceleration Assessment. Contact me today to put money in your pocket!

Overcoming Sales Hurdles

Through trial and error we understand that the more issues remain the same the more they must change. Research in a myriad of periodicals mentions numerous challenges for organizations especially in the selling process. New issues abound daily impacting how selling professionals meet buyer’s needs.

What we know are the following:

➢ Decision Makers are hard to find. There are so many responsibilities for people that trying to find the time for discussion is difficult. Additionally, since organizations tend to focus on lean, more people are making decisions rather than management. A recent Wall Street Journal Report states that personnel without authority to purchase a laptop can plan a regional meeting with a budget of $500,000!
➢ Competitive Neutrality. The proliferation of the Internet and information is challenging. Buyers comprehend more of your organization than your own sales force!
➢ Organizational labyrinthine. Globalization, rightsizing, mergers and multitudes of organizational transformation are as perplexing as discovering the DaVinci Code. Reporting lines and decision processes are difficult.
➢ Financial Planning. The one constant is decreasing divisional funds. Agreement is reached only to discover the unavailability of funds.
➢ The best defense is unclear. 15 years ago, training your sales force was mandatory. With tightening budgets and productivity issues, selling professionals are sent into battle without armaments.
➢ CRM. The sales tool offered to assist selling professionals is underutilized and mis-understood.
➢ No Teamwork. Sales require more collaboration with the marketing department.

With over 27 years of research and analysis with numerous organizations we constantly hear about sales excuses- no return calls to numerous voice mails. I have made return calls to interested parties only to never hear from them again. The world has become more complex and navigationally difficult.

Read any present newspaper or periodical and you will begin to acquire the phraseology of the “knowledge economy”. This is defined as an economy based on creating, evaluating, and trading knowledge. In a knowledge economy, labor costs become progressively less important as opposed to the amount of knowledge acquired by individuals and organizations to become more effective. Simply put, the more information one has the more knowledge one gains. Content is king! This is the key differentiator.

Selling professionals similar to your clients must be content experts. Clients desire trust and respect and they desire intellectual conversation. Drop the features and benefit discussion- these left when public seminars did. Your clients crave illustrious council. Selling professionals must be advisors, consultants and experts. This is vital to your business success.

There are some rules about sales:

1. There are simply four techniques of selling that are vital. One does not need numerous methods and training. Learn the four simple steps and you will sell more than you realize.
2. There is no basic selling rule or principle that has been discovered in the last hundred years.
3. One needs to take these principles and use them daily. Practicing these rules and making them a habit in your daily life will make you better.
4. Do not rush learning. Rome was not built in a day. You must learn daily and practice daily but without haste and impatience.
5. Evaluate yourself. Be critical and learn by what you are doing and not doing to become better. Be honest in your assessment.

The one issue of selling never expressed in training or research is that it is not event based or linear. Selling is a process, it takes time, it takes effort and it takes patience!

Original sales article published here.

What Holds you Back?

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.

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

Warm Up those Cold Calls

One of the most difficult responsibilities for any selling professional is lead generation. And one of the oldest methods of generating leads is through cold calling. With little preparation and a lot of angst, selling professionals are sent adrift to call countless individuals in pursuit of income.

Click here for more:

http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/sales-selling/14422985-1.html

Overcoming Adversity

Has life been a struggle? Do you continue to either procrastinate or morph on self pity? Listen to Overcome Adversity the new Sales Fitness Podcast and accelerate your successes both on and off the field of play.

Click Here to Play Podcast

Cold Calling Secrets Revealed

http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/sales-selling/14422985-1.html

Creating Sales Luck

I am oftentimes amazed at selling professionals that lament about how others are more lucky or fortunate than they. As John Gough once stated, “If you want to succeed, you must make your own opportunities to do so”. If selling professionals desire to make more money and subsequently close more business then consider the following:

Stop the procrastination, pick up the telephone, and call a client you have not spoken to in a while.
Frequently seek referrals from you clients. There is strength in numbers; the more clients called the more referrals. Alternatively you might ask for one referral per client.
Always seek opportunities; have business cards with you wherever you go and never fear announcing your value proposition to others.
Continually network; being a desk potato does not help to grow business.
Use slow times for self-development and enhanced learning. It is not your company’s responsibility to invest in your educational future.
Defy the law of attraction. Negative people bring on additional negativity. Network with those that strengthen you.
Read voraciously. Reviewing newspapers and other periodicals allow you to discover new methods to service clients.

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