How clear and concise are you at answering that question? Clarity is power. Once you can answer that question, you will be on your way to writing your unique value proposition.
Discover. Conquer.
Master. Thrive.
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Do It NOW!
My husband is the “do it now” type of business man. Last night we drove by a house that recently sold in our neighborhood. The new neighbor, Christopher, was standing in his driveway. After the niceities, Christopher said to my General Contractor husband — “we want to put some recessed lighting in our living room.” At that time, my husband pulled out his phone, called his electrician Paul, made an introduction and handed his phone to Christopher who gave his phone number to Paul to follow up. The connection was made. Done. How quickly do you take action and just do it now?
Choices people make when in a crisis
Who do you know who has NOT been affected by the current economic situation? Seriously, to succeed in sales right now, I believe salespeople need to double or triple their prospecting activity and focus on improving their skills. When salespeople experience a crisis, we have many choices in order to soothe our psyche:
1) Knuckle down and invest in personal development, skill development, product knowledge, very specific training to improve skills or to learn a new brand new skill. Return to school, take a class, overcome your Sales Call Reluctance, start a mastermind group, join Toastmasters, learn about social media, etc. Constructive educational activities.
2) Return to religious roots.
3) Hire a psychiatrist or psychologist to assist in coping.
4) Retain a business coach in order to get and stay focused on priorities.
5) Start volunteering and being of service.
6) Recommit to exercise and physically health habits.
7) Seek out a spiritual teacher or
8) Rely on alcohol, drugs or destructive/addictive behavior in order to numb the experience.
Share with us what choices you have and are making. Love to hear all the creative ways people soothe their psyche!
Take One, Take Two and Take Three!
Last week I participated in a two-day workshop facilitated by Karroll K. Alexander. With five (5) classmates, I had an opportunity to present nine (9) times before the videotape and get customized feedback immediately. Talk about a powerful experience. The Videotape doesn’t fib! It was a humbling and powerful experience to see myself present and interact with my audience. Yes, the consistent advice I got was “slow down, use more vocal variety and engage with my audience on a deeper level.” What are your plans for self-development this year? I highly recommend Karroll’s workshop. You are always presenting! You are always selling!
Forget about “what to say” and focus on “what strategic questions can I ask?”
Have you sat down and created your 2009 business plan? Does it include proactive prospecting? When I ask that question to salespeople who experience Sales Call Reluctance, they often say “I don’t know what to say…”
What would happen if you didn’t worry about what to say and started thinking about strategic questions you can ask? Conversations start when we engage our prospects — engagement includes two people communicating! What are your top three questions to engage your prospects in a productive conversation?
“If you are not in front of a prospect, you are not selling.”
Those are the words of Lou Sepulveda, sales management consultant, speaker and author! If you want to have some fun, find a true sales professional like Lou and just listen. He is one of those salespeople who was trained by Kirby Vacuum and went on to be wildly successful in different industries. www.lousepulveda.com
I have had several people contact me for interviews of how to sell in a down economy, etc. etc. This is the time to get back to the basics and do not kid yourself. “If you are not in front of a prospect, you are not selling.”
STOP stimulating the fear center of your brain!
Did you know that inside your brain you have what is called an amygdala, which is the fear center of the brain. When animals are in fear, they fight, flee or freeze (interestingly enough some can actually change colors instantaneously). When a human is in “crisis” real or imagined — they have a choice to get angry, gripe and complain; run away and soothe themselves with something that may not be constructive (alcohol, etc.); stop, freeze and stick their “head in the sand” (inertia); or move into healthy options and solutions.
The number one piece of advice is to stop stimulating the fear center of the brain. If looking at the news, checking your stock portfolio, reading the newspaper, talking with your doomsayer relative stimulates your fear. STOP it! Does that mean that you completely withdraw from society? No, just check the news once every other day and scan the headlines. I promise you that if something really “bad” happens, someone will let you know. Every time you stimulate your fear center, you have to soothe it in some way to get moving again. How exhausting is that?
As long as you are in fear, your creativity will cloud all the solutions and options available to you.
Please let me know what you are doing to stay optimistic in these interesting times. In reality we are going through a cycle. I am confident that we will come out on the other side in a much better place, maybe a little skinnier (possibly choosing to forego our second coffee latte’). We all have a choice right now. What choice are you making?
Connie Kadansky, Professional Certified Coach
You want more confidence? You must acknowledge your small achievements.
Why is it so difficult for salespeople to acknowledge the small achievements that lead to the big deal that they are so coveting? Could it be that they have a goal-obstructing habit of diminishing themselves every time they turn around and at the same time deeply wanting more confidence? That is truly a downward spiral that casts people into self doubt. It is an emotional/mental conflict that does not serve well.
“Celebration is more than an emotional release. Done effectively, it involves a deep level of analysis and enhanced awareness. The very best performers do not move on before they have scrutinized and understood thoroughly the factors underpinning their success,” according to Graham Jones, former professor of elite performance psychology at the University of Wales.
It is so interesting that some salespeople think that if they acknowledge their achievements, they will fall into complacency and lose their sense of self. When in reality, if done correctly, it does exactly the opposite. It inspires and develops a stronger sense of self. What I recommend is before your head hits your pillow, that you sit down and list a minimum of three achievements to start off on this glorious journey of self-acknowledgment that will boost your self-confidence. List professional and personal achievements, i.e. “I tracked down and left a message for the new CEO of a prospective company.” “When my spouse needed to talk, I actually slowed down, made eye contact and listened!” “I resisted the second coffee latte’ today.” “I smiled and perked up the receptionist today when she looked a little down.” Get your pen out right now and start writing!
I promise you. Oh, yes, I promise that if you will take on this exercise your confidence will begin to soar within a very short period of time. Confidence breeds confidence. You will be on the royal road to self confidence. All “big” achievements are a series of small achievements.
Please let me know your reflections and observations as to where this takes you.
Connie Kadansky, Professional Certified Coach
“I love cold calling!”
Recently while having breakfast with my friend Kelly, she said, “Connie, I love cold calling.” I was totally shocked because a few years ago when she was a sales person for a technology company she “hated” prospecting and cold calling. So what changed?
Well. . . Kelly is now working with a global company and marketing a product that her target market absolutely needs to hear about. (She is calling on CEOs in the healthcare industry.) She is totally convinced that her product will save them money and make them much more efficient. She uncovered three quality leads in one week in a very competitive market. Granted Kelly is engaging, but most of all she is succeeding at cold calling because she believes 100% in her product. You must be believed to be heard.
Who is the hardest person to sell? YOU! What are you doing to convince yourself of your value and the value of your products and services? What are you doing on a daily basis to protect your confidence?
Selling In Challenging Economic Times
The other day someone asked me “what do you recommend salespeople do during tough economic times?” My instant answer was “double your prospecting time.” Yes, Double it! Buckle down and get strategic. Work closest to the money. No one can argue that the more people you talk to the more people you will sell. There is a definitive correlation between success in sales and prospecting. Prospecting is defined as the proactive steps you take to identify, qualify and get in front of your ideal prospect. Double your prospecting time, doesn’t mean just get busy with activity. Put your qualification hat on. A qualified prospect has five characteristics: 1) they have a need you can solve 2) they have a sense of urgency 3) they are the decision maker and can authorize payment for your product or services 4) they trust you or can develop trust with you and 5) they respect you enough that they will listen to you. The first three are vital. Most objections come because salespeople are not talking with a qualified prospect.
Let’s hear it from other sales professionals. What are you doing in these times to ensure your pipeline stay nice and full of qualified prospects?