Stevens Consulting Group

The Difference Between Position and Competition #selling skills

 

Watching the recent political fall out of republican candidates conducting a debate on character reminds me of the sales methods used by many that cannot sell. Similar to politicians with their backs against the wall, many untrained sales professionals, even entrepreneurs begin to speak ill of their competition. Not only is this a dereliction of professionalism it is the wrong way to sell. If you cannot find the right words that focus on your value and benefits then don’t sell. Two things attract consumers: a) trust and b) respect. These qualities come from great dialogue focused on strengths and value. All else is wasted banter because there is nothing good to say. Good business professionals are successful from building good relationships that control business. Speaking ill of others only means you have lost all control.

 

© 2011 Drew Stevens PhD. All rights reserved.

What to Watch for in Sales in 2012

It seems like yesterday most sales professionals and sales managers were planning goals and speculating on the year. All might have predicted, perhaps hoped for a vast improved economy. Many are still praying.

Clearly our business landscape has been altered by numerous factors but those most influential while also uncontrollable are political, economic and technical changes. Clients today have curtailed buying in lieu of budgets or making excuses using them. Life for many in sales has altered in a huge way and will continue to do so.

In volatile times it will be necessary for organizations to remain ahead of the curve rather than chasing it. Selling today is more difficult then ever. There are many issues at hand and sales institutions must follow or remain ahead of the curve. Avoiding trends or becoming cocky towards them might mean the difference between surviving and thriving.

Here are some of the top sales trends for 2012 to help keep sales teams ahead of the competition:
Service or Suicide – Clients today are increasing their desire to be treated well by their vendors. Customer service is the ultimate in competitive differentiation. Service clients right or lost the contract. Selling representatives cannot blow off sales calls, forget certain aspects of contracts, try to negotiate to hard and lose contact. Unless customer service is part of the sales culture, do not plan on selling.
It is all about value – Clients have more information at their fingertips then ever since the use of the Internet allows for voluminous information about the firm and its competitors. Selling professionals must then continually formulate value rather than speak of features. Unless the selling professional can articulate value properly, the impatience of customers will have them moving on.
Customization – Prospective clients no longer desire off the shelf solutions but rather products and services that can be customized to immediately aid competitive ground. This will also require different levels of sales support. Organizations must reengineer around customer needs rather than self – profit motivation.
It’s all about results – Sales teams, simply put, show results or get shown the door. Executives are beginning to tire of excuses in sales gaps. Sales teams must illustrate measurable results. This requires sales managers holding individuals accountable or they too will be shown the door. The competition is too fierce as organizations attempt to remain profitable so it is important for everyone on the sales team to produce.
Change the Paradigm. – There are too many organizations that pay high salaries to sales professionals – many in the six-figure range. However the organization carries the risk not the sales representative. As organizations seek to continually cut expenses look to lower base salaries and higher commissions. In fact, look to many firms hiring only on zero salary and commission only.
Cold Calling is for Losers – With the proliferation of caller ID, cold calling continually remains a futile effort. First, decision makers never make choices from a cold call and most important people are too busy. Selling professionals will be required to network more aggressively while doing some new things such as speaking, writing blogs/articles etc. Selling is a relationship business so sellers will be required to build direct relationships that matter and build business.
High T’s – With some many connected today by technology there remains too much noise. Amplification of social media, electronic mail and other platforms only adds more noise not sales. Selling professionals and sales managers will then be required to perform more high touch relationships.
Connectivity is Key – The only way to build solid relationships is with consistent and relentless communication. Direct calls, email, Skype etc are required to ensure clients keep selling professionals top of mind.
Business Intelligence – Selling professionals cannot pick up a phone and believe that buyers will just buy. The Information Age requires selling professionals to use information such as industry, competition and company to position their products/services with the client. Failure to prepare to have articulate conversations will lead to being left out of conversation.
Constant Improvement – Much like athletes, selling professionals must constantly seek methods for improvement. Organizations will stop paying for education so it is up to the individual. Sellers must engage in reading, audios or class instruction for constant improvement. Education will be the difference between surviving and thriving in tomorrow’s economy.

Stay tuned part three where I depict the major changes in, marketing and leadership.

© Drew Stevens PhD. All Rights Reserved.

The New World of Selling

George called me the other day totally frustrated with his sales team and not meeting goals. It was not just the team that angered him but actually that the sales industry is changing. After much discussion he agreed with me that the profession of selling was undergoing a transition- one that has not occurred since the development of the facsimile of even the cell phone.

 

Do you remember when it was easy to simply place a call to visit your client? Do you recall simply making a call and the client actually picks it up? Do you remember when budgets and goals were as easy as finding something on television to watch?

 

Years ago selling required onsite demonstrations and “live” representatives. Today customer conversations are conducted over the Internet and demonstrations are arranged with apps and cloud computing. In fact, to a large extent consumers have full access to vendor information and products. They self- educate due to lack of time unfortunately allowing them to know more about your business.

 

Customers do not want or need to be sold. If they want it they will connect with you. Therefore the role of selling representatives has changed. Today you must work smarter to become more engaged with your prospective clients. Here are five quick things to develop to help you sell in the new world.

 

  1. The Cancellation of Old Practices – There are many like George that will disagree with me but if you want to sell more today and not work so hard then you need to stop cold calling. It does not work. Cold calling is abrasive, inward, and transaction, disruptive and most importantly does not reach decision makers. Rote procedures of yesteryear will not work. It is important to reach decision makers with less abrasive tactics while producing better methods that illustrate a valuable customer centered relationship.
  2. The Value of Customer Relationships – The concept required for every selling professional and sales manager is value. This requires that all selling professionals think about what a client will receive from conducting business with you. Clients already know about features from viewing websites, forums and social media. The intangible is the service differentiation they receive from doing business with your organization. What is different? What is better than they currently have? Finally, what do you provide that others cannot? Think in terms of clients, not units.
  3. Differentiation with Customer Service – Over 60% of every interaction with a client involves customer service. However some selling professionals filter calls with caller ID, some do not return calls when promised because they are too busy. And others might become dismissive in conversation. Jennifer recently attended an event for her daughter. The facilitator spoke for over 65 minutes without interaction. This was a sales promotion. It involved all features, no benefits while patronizing the participants. Surprising nothing was sold. The key differentiator today is customer service.
  4. The Wow Factor – Professional Presence – Rick is the chairman of a financial services firm. Within one week of his new assignment he visited with one of his representatives in Texas. The two were to meet a client for dinner. Rick’s sales representative was dressed in a baseball shirt and jeans. The venue for dinner a sports bar to discuss the acquisition of a $50MM loan. As expected Rick was mortified but surprisingly the representative saw nothing wrong. The new world of selling requires a keener sense of dress. Sales managers today must encourage selling representatives to dress like the proud CEO of their organization. Dress should be business professional with representatives carrying expensive planners, pad folios and pens. Be the representative the client desires to service and see.
  5. 5. Customer Influence at Work – The last aspect of client attraction is the knowledge of customer-to-customer influences. Customers speak to each other about your organizations products and services. The world of social media creates a new world of community conversation. This requires that selling professions are actively and visibly creating community. Aggressive networking is necessary in realizing that selling in the new world is a contact sport.

Selling in the new world requires a different mindset to remain visible to clients. Today it is all about value to offer the differentiation necessary. If you want to sell more than stop sitting on your past by being active in our brave competitive new world.

 

© 2011. Drew Stevens PhD. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

The Killer Sales App

In speaking with my clients recently all sales managers seem to have the same issue on their mind how to gain more production and profits from their sales staff. With audacious goals this is a grave issue.

 

Stunted growth still continues to haunt sales teams as organizations continue to sit on cash. Many continue to seek the magic bullet or in today’s vernacular the “killer app” to aid in sales profits. However, while many question where to discover “the secret”, it might very well be in front of them.

 

During any economic resurgence innovation begins. Such transitions are needed within many sales organizations. The recent recession created a need for organizations to terminate many non-productive selling personnel. Through attrition those that did not meet goals were asked to leave. However this does not decrease the notion that there exist some remaining underachievers.

 

While many managers continue to seek new talents and personnel there is a dire need to look from within to discover sales mechanisms that harm sales teams. Many do not know they exist and many do not know how to identify them so here is a brief look at those applications killing your sales performance.

 

  1. Value – Selling today requires a keener look at the value that organizations provide to clients. While this term tends to get as overused as that of “guerrilla” in the late 1980’s there is a dire need for sales professionals to focus on the value they provide. Organizations must strategize and help selling professionals articulate a message that attracts clients and helps manifest the brand. The use of value propositions and audio logs will be helpful here. Forget the “Elevator Speeches” and assist the team with the articulation of value.
  2. Relationship – Just sitting at my desk writing this post I received two cold calls. These are transactional methods that do not work today. Consumers are simply too busy in this world with too much interference. They lack time and attention and will not reply to a cold call from someone “pitching” products and services. Transition your sales team to become less transactional and motivate them to create customer-centered relationships with true buyers.
  3. True Buyer – We all know the power of negotiating with the decision maker but are your sales professionals really speaking with the proper person? More than 86% of sales representatives spend enormous amounts of time with gatekeepers. Sales Managers must ensure sales agents are spending less time with subordinates. Sales teams must only spend time with economic buyers since they control the budget, understand the objectives and realize how your services integrate with the firm’s strategy.
  4. Knowledge – The single most alarming issue for any sales manager is working with professionals that do not know what to say before hello. Similar to an athlete that must practice prior to the competition selling professionals must conduct research or homework so that they have the right questions, are aware of any objections as well as have a “script” to articulate value.  Content is king and a lack thereof will kill sales performance.
  5. Behavior - Some sales managers are unclear of their talent. I have been asked many times over the years about the proper behavior for a successful representative. Too many today seek gregarious highly persuasive individuals. Behavior is dependent on the clients. When we speak of behavior there are really two issues the ability to be assertive as well as persuasive. Good selling professionals are good communicators that perform well under duress. While persuasiveness is useful it sometimes hinges on ethical boundaries since being too persuasive can equate to “pitching” products. Sales Managers must simply seek talent that understands the products, can articulate value as well as be assertive enough to generate prospective clients. Look at your team to discover whether the right individuals are sitting in the dugout.
  6. Need – Sales professionals harm themselves and future business when they cannot establish need. The only method to ensure discovery of need is with terrific questioning skills. These questions are based on client objectives, the measurements to ensure success and the value to the organization. These questions should be scripted. True buyers will provide the answers. However the path to success is based on the selling professional that can lead the buyer in a clear direction.
  7. Priority – With the crazy world in which we operate both buyers and sellers are extremely busy. The issue then becomes what is a priority. If sellers want to close business then the actual sale must be a priority to the buyer. When buyers do not see a priority the seller has failed to establish value and meet prospective client objectives. It is vital for every seller to establish value and illustrate the priority to buyers otherwise the sales cycle becomes very long as everything else takes precedent.

 

Selling today similar to many technological tools requires more innovative concepts. The notion is working smarter not harder. This requires a relentless focus on customer value so as to shorten the cycle and better performance.

 

Sales Managers what best practices do you teach your selling personnel so that they create value and better performance. Alternatively what ”killer apps” have you experienced in your sales team and how have you overcome them? Please provide comments in the area below.

 

© 2011. Drew Stevens PhD. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

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!

© 2008 Drew Stevens PhD. All Rights Reserved.

Original sales article published here.
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Why Training Investment is a Failure to Most Organizations

Reading a recent Wall Street Journal article I was flabbergasted to learn of organizations that are recently increasing the amount of leadership development training. Ironically, organizations are dropping organizational development in light of budget limitations. With tighter budgets and concerns over the recession, many organizations are attempting work on both leadership and team building skills.

With careful analysis of both value and outcome organizational development is heading in the wrong direction. Developing staff during an economic quagmire sends both the improper message and focus.

Here is the rationale why training fails in organization:
1.    The first area of focus during economic turmoil is sales. Nothing happens without something in the organization getting sold. There must be a solid focus on selling methodology, value orientation and relationship building. Energies must be applied to building sales adjuncts and not leadership.
2.    Every organization exists for one purpose- the customer. Attempting to build narcissistic programs without focus on client retention is wasteful.
3.    Leadership Development is a waste. If the organizational culture does not exemplify empowerment, strategy and client focus I good or bad times, the training is wasteful.
4.    There is a current fear that training aids employee retention. This is farthest from the truth; people leave bad managers not bad companies. Seek to retain talent by ending the infighting, the silos and the bad management.
5.    For years I have watched organizations attempt team building. I enjoy seeking an organization try to mend conversation between Bob and Ted. They take the two on a whitewater rafting trip with a case of beer hoping for cajoling. Believe me if Ted and Bob do not like each other, one is not returning. All of our clients believe that greater teamwork is essential to their efficiency and effectiveness. However clients actually have groups rather than teams. There are those in the group that win while others lose. In addition, there is too much focus on the individual accountable versus what the team can provide.
6.    The training and development industry is self-serving. Over $60 billion is spent on training every year with very little focus on return on investment. It is wasteful to conduct training without any sustainable result. Training is an event that does not change behavior in a six-hour period. In addition, training is a reaction to something gone awry.
7.     Training attempts to throw independent consultants and money at an issue to be resolved. What is required are metrics of accountability both before and after. Managers must hold themselves and employees accountable after an event.
8.    Training must be part of an ongoing process, such as coaching, mentoring and counseling. These techniques not only think through what is before but what goes after. Using these techniques, managers can review the obstacles seeking application on the job.
©2009 Drew J. Stevens Ph.D. All rights reserved.

The Benefits of Sales Accountability for Sales Managers

One of the major reasons why sales managers are having so many issues with their sales teams is there is a general lack of key performance metrics that ensure accountability. As the world becomes more competitive it is imperative that sales professionals reach their targets. Missing targets leads to more cost, higher attrition and increased competitive pressures.

The crazy busy world that we now live leaves very little time for managers to mentor and council individuals on performance. However, dismissing the issue only brings about added stress. Boosting key performance metrics leads to improvement in the bottom line- productivity and profits.

The reasons for implementing a key performance metrics include the following:

It leads to accountability. Unfortunately sales professionals desire independence. As such, there is a tendency to miss target dates and key goals. Much like the conductor in an orchestra, sales managers must harmonize the individual plans with the organizations strategy.

Which passengers are on the bus? Several years ago, Jim Collins wrote a wonderful book called “Good to Great”. In the initial chapters Mr. Collins describes hiring for talent not behavior. When key performance measurements are implemented, a sales manager will immediately identify with who is on the bus and who needs to be placed underneath!

It leads to less stress. The issue with both senior officers and sales managers is that stress flows downhill when goals are not met. Each desires a bit more peace of mind and perhaps some time off should individuals reach their targets and the organization become profitable.

Just to be clear there are numerous issues that surround accountability with key performance metrics only a part of the enigma. Unfortunately too many firms waste good money on bad investments such as hiring the wrong people, training and development, even profile assessments. These bromides do little but waste time, resource, and most importantly never return initial investments.

Recently a client attempted to implement nine sales training sessions to their virtual team via webinars and teleconferences. The goal was to assist them in creating techniques to aid sales closure. However after four months and hours of training there was less than a ten percent return. If your organization fits a similar profile perhaps the following recommendations can assist your organization.

1.     Crucial Confrontation – The inability to confront individuals about performance has undermined organizational performance. It is important when managers confront employees that do not meet expectations. Simply put sales professionals are the key to the bottom line avoidance does little to meet goals.

2. Avoid Narcissism. Performance measurements cannot be implemented if sales managers do not hold themselves accountable. Sales managers must be the icons others emulate. This requires spending less time in the office and more time with representatives mentoring them in best practices.

3.     Wasteful Techniques. Training is an event. Nothing will alter in a training paradigm unless managers hold the team to certain new performance behaviors. Representatives MUST implement new ideas and illustrate progress not have them sit in a three ring binder. Training fails in implementation when it sits in a draw.

4.     The best practices. Simply put the best things to measure are lead management techniques, sales activity and most importantly time with customers. Sales professionals that spend less than 60 percent of their time out of the office and not in front of a client are not worth retaining.

Sales managers that create a foundation for success sleep better at night and have more time with friends and family. Accountability ensures that all individuals are focused on the overall strategy of the organization. More importantly when all representatives work harmoniously to meet objectives, there is less stress, less attrition and better relationships- internally and externally. Those that achieve such success are more profitable.

How does your organization deal with representative accountability? Do you have succinct stories or best practices you can share? Provide a quick comment below.

©2010. Drew j. Stevens Ph.D.

Dr. Drew’s Secrets for Online Marketing


If you seek new ways to capture the attention of any audience and glean more marketing then this the article for you! Owners of small business beware the techniques found will get you new business!

Drew Stevens Ph.D.

Many mentees and clients call me each day seeking methods to increase their marketing success. Eventually, fundamentals contribute to success, yet there are motives that one can take to address concerns in the vast enterprise of the Internet.

Search Engine Optimization – Search engines such as Google and Alta Vista contain numerous methods that discover websites. While there is much banter on the subject and typically much ado about technology, SEO as it is technically named is an organic method based on algorithms created in searches for people to find you on the Internet. Think of this as a technological Hide and Go Seek. The value of SEO is that clients find you easily and hastily. The needed tactics include using typical words and phrases congruent with your industry. If you sell lawn mowers, the technique would be to use the words lawn, green, fertilizer, etc. on your website so that clients can find you. The more often the word the more often it is indexed by a search engine.

Free – Prospects, clients, you and me all love free stuff. Review your web site and decide how you might offer something of value in exchange for an email address that can be used for a future marketing campaign. If you sell paint, yoga, Pilates, stamps, suggest for an email address that you provide “10 Tips for Proper Relaxation”. The more you offer the more traffic you will derive.

Differentiation – Seth Godin in his book “Purple Cow” suggests the use of being remarkable, nothing in marketing is further from the truth. Your website requires difference from competition and difference from the industry. Provide audio, video, downloads, product sheets, “free smells” whatever is necessary to create a buzz. Exemplars of differentiation and buzz are Facebook and YouTube. Believe it or not the more variety the more they speak about you.

Expertise – Prospects and clients are coming to you for your expertise. Provide articles; tip sheets and industry reports when possible. A recent client provided industry reports on the up coming golf season for his industry and gain an additional million dollars in business! Clients will find you for the value that you provide.

Internet marketing is not different from traditional marketing. Internet marketing is simply quicker and more malleable. Nascent ideas today might be next week’s buzz. Yet, Internet marketing requires daily nimbleness and flexibility. Marketing that is hurried, rote or without meaning is useless. Prospects need to find you and you must maintain current on the ideas that bring your business to the next level.

©Drew Stevens Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.

About Drew Stevens PhD
Drew Stevens PhD is known as the Sales Strategist. Dr. Drew creates more revenues in less time. He is the author of seven books including Split Second Selling and Split Second Customer Service and Little Book of Hope and is frequently called on the media for his expertise. Sign up for Dr. Drew’s newsletter The Sales Strategist at (drew3-143901@autocontactor.com) and review his new book Split Second Selling at www.gettingtothefinishline.com/products.asp Also visit Dr. Drew’s Blog located at http://drewjstevens.blogspot.com

Food Fight

I had the opportunity to meet a dear friend for dinner at a local steakhouse near my home. As we were seated, Danny Devito’s twin greeted us. Oscar aka Danny took almost 25 minutes to return to our table taking drinks and our meal order. Mind you this was not a very busy evening, but you could tell from the moment we were seated Oscar did not want to be working.

During our order I desired one of two choices: fish or steak. Naturally I asked Oscar which he believed best. His glib reply, “Well this is a steakhouse”. My friend and I were aghast but continued our meal.

No one needs to be treated disrespectfully whether eating a meal or simply sitting in the waiting room of a physician’s office. The fact is that customer service is a vital aspect for each business; product or service.

Here are some thoughts for sales professionals, managers, and business owners.

1.    Smile – The first thing consumers see when they are getting serviced. Ensure there is a smile on every agents face. When was the last purchase you made from David the Depressed?
2.    Enthusiasm – Smart people like, smart-ass people can live without. If your people do not like what they do, ask them to leave.
3.    Engaging – Service does not have to look similar to Thanksgiving Dinner with the family but it does require being genuinely interested in others. Ensure conversations occur.
4.    People Make a Difference – Hire the right people for the right job. Clearly Oscar had no business waiting tables on a busy Saturday evening.
5.    Check your Baggage – Like you there are good days and bad days, everyone has them, however consumers do not care. Leave the misery and angst at the door; service everyone equally and respectfully.

2009. Drew Stevens PhD. All rights reserved.

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.

©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

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