Most people are familiar with the old saying, “Easy come. Easy go” In the sales world we often observe that sales people who experience success quickly falsely assume that the sales profession is going to be easy. After a month or two, however, those fortunate few often reach a different conclusion. Without much sweat equity invested, they head off and look for the next rainbow. If only we could teach a new saying, “Easy come. Forget That” We may not have that saying, but we can look at a 19th Century opera composer who expressed it and set the example we may well want to copy.

After experiencing a degree of success with his very first opera, a young and unknown composer, Giuseppe Verdi, hit the big leagues by receiving a contract to compose two more operas for the most famous opera house in Italy. Talk about a winning sales presentation! One could certainly say that his success came quite easily.

Anything But Easy:

Verdi’s next opera was to be an Opera buffa, a form of comedic opera, but the life events that preceded the opening night of that opera were anything but comical. In August 1838 Verdi’s 16-month old daughter died suddenly. Just fourteen months later, his 18-month old son died of bronchial pneumonia. Only eight months after the death of his son, Verdi’s wife died after an illness of just five days. Within twenty-two months, Verdi’s entire family was wiped out. Imagine trying to write a comedy while the family members around you are dying one after another.

Not surprisingly, Verdi’s second opera was a complete flop. Easy come, easy go? Not on your life. Verdi’s first success might have come easy, but the bad reviews he received from his second opera hardly sent him away crying. Instead he dug in his heels and decided never to pine for the approval of his critics. From that disaster he developed an intense emotional independence. Now there’s something all sales professionals can use – emotional independence.

One of the Great Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs:

In the sales business, it’s easy to see our prospects and even our loved ones as the critics that hold our fortune in their hands. If our prospects tell us “No,” or if our loved ones tell us, “You’ll never be a successful entrepreneur,” we think the die is cast.

Time to let the 19th century composer, Giuseppe Verdi, teach you one of the great secrets of successful entrepreneurs! Buck up, spit in the eyes of your critics (figuratively speaking, please!), and decide once and for all that the only opinion that matters is your own.

Verdi cared little about what the critics said and he learned to face failure and success with equanimity. One of his famous letters in its entirety simply said, “La Traviatta last night? a fiasco. Was it my fault or the singers? Only time will tell.”

Just in case you didn’t know, time told all right. Verdi is considered by many to be the greatest of all the Italian opera composers.
Regardless of whether or not the direct sales or the network marketing business has come easy for you, decide right now to face failure and success with equanimity, that is, with poise, with imperturbability, with (dare I say it?) confidence. Let failure be your instructor. Be willing to learn what you need to learn from each failure and then take three more giant steps forward.

It’s not the approval of the critics that you need to succeed; it’s the approval of one infinitely more precious. It’s the approval of someone who’s been with you for every moment of every day of your entire life.

End each day by giving yourself the critique you long for. It goes something like this: “You did the best job you knew how to do today. Well done!”

Author, Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker, Tammy Stanley founded and directs The Sales Refinery, a sales training firm that assists independent sales professionals generate more business through powerful marketing, selling and leadership strategies. She offers several free reports, “7 Steps to Easier Prospecting,” and “3 Simple Secrets to Attracting More Prospects in Your Sales Business” and a free weekly ezine, The Sales Refinery Insights, at her websites: www.tammystanley.com and www.carpephonum.com

Tammy is also a member of the Top Sales Experts team and you can read more about her here

Today’s News: It just feels as if everywhere you turn, there is another upcoming tele-seminar or webinar or podcast? I have listened in on some pretty banal and mundane offerings recently but there are a handful of sales experts that I will always find time to tune into – earlier in the week, I alerted you to Paul McCord’s event with Landslide Technologies and my very good friend Jill Konrath has one up and coming on January 24th – Changing the Game: The new rules of sales engagement – you will find full details here

Tomorrow: To finish off the week in style, some thoughts on how to brainstorm your way to success!

The one term that sets top performers apart is customer focus and truly outstanding sales results depend on:

- The ability to think from the customer’s point of view

- Understanding the customer’s agenda, buying cycle and best interests

Beyond a superficial reading of immediate customer needs, salespeople must gain a deeper understanding of both the buyer’s long-term goals and the overall business climate because at the heart of customer focus is the art of listening constructively – the best salespeople are masters at capturing information

Customer focus means taking the customer seriously – to-day the salesperson who clings to the product orientation of a decade ago is losing ground. As client companies branch into new markets and unfamiliar territories, they are demanding unique, flexible solutions from their vendors – customised to support specific goals

Another myth which can be exploded is that whilst customers value flexibility, being too flexible can undermine the sales relationship. On the whole salespeople imagine that customers value a vendor’s responsiveness above all. However recent research shows that their primary concern is reliability.
 
In order to maintain customer focus the best salespeople become facilitators, creating a partnership that extends the selling relationship within the customer’s company. The motivation to achieve this should be strong – it costs five times as much to attract and sell to a new customer as it does to an existing one! 
 
The right to do business has to be earned and never assumed:

Rather than doggedly asking for the business, the very best sales people work to keep the relationship moving towards a sale. They realise the need to identify how to turn their company’s products into real solutions, which must meet specific needs.
Unfortunately, our surveys confirm that the average salesperson drags the customer over old ground as much as 52% of the time – they are unable to provide continuous stimulation and never know when to treat an existing customer like a new one.

Conversely, exceptional salespeople only make such ‘return’ calls for 10% of the time. Above all, earning the right to proceed requires gaining the customer’s trust and top salespeople work diligently to establish a climate in which the customer is willing to share information and feels comfortable doing so. The key here is integrity. 

Today’s News: Last week’s winner over at Top 10 Sales Articles was an excellent piece by Paul Cherry and published on the Sideroad - if you haven’t visited their site, I urge you to do so without further delay, it is one of my favourites, which is why it recieved a nomination in The JF Article Community Awards recently. You can read Paul’s article, “Sales Techniques For The New Year: Asking Your Customers Tough Questions” here 

Tomorrow: On the JF Guest Author Spot – Tamster, aka Tammy Stanley, good friend and original author, so expect something zany but wholly relevant.

The JF Guest Author Spot

Many people spend some time at the end of the year working on the New Year. These people typically fall into two groups: those who use the end of the year as a way to be introspective and look back on the past year, and those who spend time looking forward; setting goals and planning the coming year.

Actually, there is a much larger third group – the group that intends to do one or the other of these things but ends up doing neither. Why this third group exists is the topic for another article, but reading this article can provide a path to help you if find yourself stuck in inactivity each December!

Each of the first two groups is doing something positive and helpful, but both are missing something. They are each doing half of the two step process for accelerating your success. Here are those two steps:

• Reflect
• Project

Either of these steps can be useful, however when you place both of them together, you create a powerful synergy. Let’s look at each individually.

Reflection

Reflection is key to capitalizing on your past experiences. Have you ever met someone who seems to make the same mistake repeatedly? This person isn’t taking time to reflect on what worked (and what didn’t) in their past experiences. Reflection allows us to learn and grow from our past experiences. You can see why people like to do this at the end of the year – it gives them time to take stock of their year and look for the things they learned.

Doing this reflection successfully though is about more than collecting lessons; it is also about growing from those lessons. Effective reflection leads to an outcome – an intention for applying those lessons in the future, which leads to the second step.

Projection

Projection is a process of looking forward. When people take time at the end of the year to look ahead and set some goals they are projecting. Projection is planning; thinking about the future, deciding what you want and then expecting success. When we plan from a perspective of expected success, we plan more thoroughly. And when we plan more thoroughly, we improve our ability to execute on those plans.

As you can see this is a more engaging process than just creating a New Year’s Resolution. The good news is that this more integrated approach gives you a much better chance of making your “resolutions” real.

How To Do It

Now that you know the steps, you may be looking for more guidance on how to do them. While books could be written on specific details and tools, you’d likely rather be reflecting and projecting than reading an in-depth treatise on approaches. So let me make it simple.

Ask yourself questions.

Ask yourself questions to reflect on the past year, on the lessons you learned and more.

Ask yourself questions to think about the coming year, what you want to achieve and how you can use the lessons of the past to reach those plans more rapidly.

Asking questions and answering them is one of the most powerful ways to help you reach any new goal or objective.

Only at the End of the Year?

I’m writing this in mid-December and this is definitely a time of year when this two-step approach is helpful. But you can use this approach any time you wish, or any time you are looking for a kick start on success.

Maybe . . .

• Once a quarter
• At your birthday
• At the start (or end) of a new job
• At the start (or end) of a big project

You can reflect and project anytime you want – in fact the more you think in terms of learning from your past and applying it to your future goals and plans, the more you accelerate your progress!

Like many other things in life, the more time you put into these processes the more valuable they will be, and yet simply working on a daily basis with this dual focus of reflection and projection can be helpful as well.

______________________________________
Potential Pointer: The best way to succeed includes knowing where we have been and using that knowledge to as a foundation for planning the future. Using a process of reflection and projection provides a two step process to accelerate our success in any endeavor.
________________________________________
Copyright © 2008 – All Rights Reserved, Kevin Eikenberry and The Kevin Eikenberry Group.

  Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. To receive your free special report on Unleashing Your Potential go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/index.asp

Today’s News:

 You also have a second opportunity to download Kevin’s superb personal planning tool – just click on the image.

I am utilising it myself and I cannot recommend it highly enough

Tomorrow: When the playing fields are getting ever flatter in most sectors, what is it that really creates competitive advantage? Find out tomorrow.

Sales success to-day demands a radical shift from the ‘peddler’ mentality of merely demonstrating products and expanding on their features. It requires treating the customer as a participant. More often than not, a ‘flashy’ sales presentation alone alienates rather than persuades.

The best salespeople regard the sales call as a two-way conversation – not a one sided pitch. They have developed active listening skills and although average salespeople score fairly well in their ability to provide customers with facts and figures, top performers dramatically outscore the rest when it comes to gathering information. In addition, how a salesperson collects information still distinguishes exceptional achievers from the rest of the pack. Top performers ask better questions and as a result gain much better information. Essentially, they aim to engage customers in the buying process with questions that require thoughtful answers, that stimulate curiosity and that reveal the customers underlying needs.

Businesses need to re-define selling and what constitutes basic selling skills:

In to-day’s world of selling, there is less and less room for apprenticeship. Selling has become an exclusive club of highly skilled professionals where product knowledge and time management skills, for instance, are the cost of membership not leadership.
Ongoing research demonstrates that to-day’s ‘average’ salesperson is just as effective as the high performer in explaining features and benefits effectively, relating a service or product to customer needs and closing a sale. But, above this Level 1 plateau of competence, the exceptional salesperson is busy defining the “basic skills of tomorrow”

Building an up-to-date foundation in sales competence does mean sacrificing some old notions of what it takes to succeed in a competitive marketplace. For example, a salesperson can no longer just “win by knowing”. Every company needs to test their assumptions about what skills really contribute to sales success. Too often operating on old sales theories means training and rewarding people to do the wrong things.

When The Buyer And Seller Act As Partners, They Are Building A Bridge To Profitability:

Successful selling is definitely not about the “hit and run” sale. Sales achievers regard their relationships with key customers as a partnership and cultivate it as such. When customers face tough business challenges and complex technological choice, they rely on sales people who can assist them in making the right decisions.

The primary objective of a sales partnership has to be, to create and sustain a mutually productive relationship, which serves the needs of both parties, now and in the future. The key word here is symbiotic. Partnership does not mean eliminating the tension between buyer and seller; it means that top-performing salespeople know how to strike a balance between achieving immediate results and developing the relationship fully.

In Summary: Why Do We Need A Fresh Approach To Selling?

Many organisations have developed without objective analysis of their purpose and structure. The buying power in many industries is no longer evenly distributed – in a large number of markets a few big firms control the majority of purchases.

The development of new marketing techniques has meant that some tasks traditionally performed by the sales team can be more effectively handled by other methods. The prime objective of all sales staff is to gain business. From an organisational point of view, however, how they all achieve their goals must be defined in order to identify what kind and the quality of skills that are required.

Today’s News:  Free Online Sales Webinar!
Mark your calendars to join Razi Imam, CEO, Landslide Technologies Inc. and his guest Paul McCord of McCord and Associates at 1PM EST on January 16, 2008, as they discuss why mega-sales producers don’t spend a fortune on direct mail or advertising and countless hours cold calling or networking at the Chamber of Commerce. View the Full Webinar Description and Register Now!

I am often complimented on the quality of graphics on our sites, which is all down to the pure artistic genius of Bill Jeckells who has just launched his new website – now you can share our genius here www.topgraphicsguy.com

Tomorrow: On the JF Guest Author Spot – a welcome return for my good buddy, best-selling author and leadership guru, Kevin Eikenberry.

Much of our communication is unconscious. We don’t actively decide what quality of eye contact we should use or consider the impact of our words on other people and the consequences.

When you watch someone’s facial expression change or sense a shift in mood it becomes obvious that there has been a deep reaction to the communication ‘stimuli.

The study of such responses is called Transactional Analysis, developed by Dr. Eric Berne, an American psychiatrist in the 1950s.

Transactional Analysis:

• Is an analytical thinking process

• Provides insight

• Gives control over actions and reactions

Knowing the basics about Transactional Analysis will give you a better understanding of why people communicate in a certain way. For example, why they feel the need to be aggressive or manipulative to get their point across when they are unhappy about something.

A child who has had to shout to make his parents listen to him will often take this communication pattern into adult life. He will shout at you because he is conditioned to think you won’t listen either.

It will also help you choose a more appropriate style of communication with which to respond.

Ego States:

Berne became aware that within each individual there exists three personalities or ego states which have their own ways of communicating and behaving. He also discovered that we shift from one state to another subconsciously. These states are not ‘roles’ but psychological realities which are activated by feelings.

He identified them as Parent, Adult and Child ego states. This is why Transactional Analysis is sometimes called PAC communication.

These personalities develop in the first few years of life and will be shaped according to background, experiences and upbringing.

Parent:

Imagine a tape recorder being switched on at birth and all thoughts, feelings, events and behaviours recorded in an unedited version.

The Parent ego state develops by recording all the ‘rules and laws’ of the household, characterised by ‘No’, ‘Don’t, frowning, finger wagging, routines, attitudes, value laden standards, prejudices, criticisms.

There is also another side to the Parent: the nurturing, caring, gentle controlling side.

In later life memories of these behaviours are triggered and parent responses copied.

Think of all the behaviours, body language, facial expressions, attitudes you have taken from your parent (substitute). Has anyone said, ‘You’re just like your mother’ or ‘Like father, like son?”

Child:

At the same time another recording is being made which is the internalising of the response to the Parent behaviours (how the Child feels about them). Cross looks, sharp words, a smack, neglect, sarcasm, can only be recorded as feelings in the child.

Negative Parent Behaviours = Negative Response = Low Self Esteem.

Soon the child either learns to seek parent approval, giving up pleasurable exploration of the world and becoming the Adapted Child, or rebels. The child also stores much positive data: fun times, discovery, creativity, and carefree activity, e.g. puddle jumping. Think of behaviours you still use from your childhood when bad feelings are triggered; door slamming, sulking, temper tantrums, not speaking. Our child state can take over inappropriately if we let it. Think about the complainers you have dealt with recently. Have you noticed similar behaviours?

Adult:

Once a child learns to move about he or she acquires some independence and control. He/she finds out things independently and collects data and learns to work out his/her own understanding of life. This is the Adult ego state beginning to form.

The Adult is described as a data-processing computer which makes decisions based on logic and factual information and is not influenced by feelings. It analyses the data in the Parent and accepts it or rejects it, and considers the feelings stirred in the Child for appropriateness. It carries out probability estimating, e.g. in a complaint situation ‘How likely is it that I am going to get this sorted out?’.

It can also devise solutions, develop contingency plans and accept the inevitable with equanimity.

Parent Complainer:

How are these ego states activated when people are dissatisfied customers?

Customers who complain from their Parent draw on criticism, challenging attitudes and an authoritative position (from their personal database). They will use a range of verbal, vocal and non-verbal behaviours.

Their non-verbal and verbal indicators will be:

• Head shaking, arms folded, tongue clicking

• “I paid good money for this”

• “It’s a disgrace”

• “I’m going to report you to …”

They approach the situation from a position of “How dare they …’

Child Complainer:

The Child is activated when strong feelings of being ignored, cheated or controlled are triggered. In this ego state we often feel either powerless or rebellious.

Many of the clues to show someone is operating from their Child include: temper tantrums, sulking, nail-biting, no eye contact, nervous laughter, throat clearing.

Indicators will be:

• “It’s not fair”

• “Why should I?”

• “I’m not moving from here until I get a replacement”

Adult Complainer:

The Adult will be activated once the attitudes and feelings of the Parent and Child have been analysed for their usefulness and put aside.

It will ask questions, make comparisons, stay objective, not be opinionated, and seek out the facts. It does not send subliminal messages, has no hidden agenda and does not play mind games.

The customer who complains from the Adult will acknowledge feelings of anger but has not allowed them to take over. He/she wants a practical solution to the problem and not to indulge in psychological warfare in order to feel better (i.e. a replay of a childhood battle)

Ego States – Summary:

When you are in your Parent ego state you use words, behaviours and actions of your parent (substitute). – we all carry our Parent inside.

When your Child is showing you are replaying behaviours and reactions you would have used as a small child. – our Child can always be activated under certain conditions.

Operating from your Adult means you have made an objective, logical, autonomous appraisal of the situation. – we are all capable of objectivity.

We don’t have to be the victims of our childhood behaviour patterns. We have a choice. In business communication we can only safely operate from our Adult.

Today’s News: We are all continuing to develop the Top Sales Experts site and it really is the only place to visit if you are seeking world class sales coaching, training, consultancy and sales process tools – be sure to bookmark the site for future reference.

Tomorrow: We are working on the new JF Consultancy site all weekend. but I do post every Sunday on the BlogZone Wherever you are have a great w/e and I will be back here on Monday with you - JF

The JF Guest Author Spot

What does it take to be successful in sales? Certainly effort, hard work and dedication is important. An excellent understanding of the sales process is also essential. But it’s more than that. The most successful people I know have a slightly different outlook than their coworkers and associates.

I recently worked with a group of people who, collectively, had an extensive amount of sales experience. And, for the most part, they all boasted a pretty successful career. Even though they expressed some frustration that they didn’t close as many sales as they would like to, or that prospects didn’t always return their calls, they didn’t bitch, moan, whine or complain about it. In fact, I didn’t hear a single complaint during the entire session. After more than a decade of conducting sales training workshops and programs, I can say that this mentality is rare.

It was evident that this group of people possessed a winners attitude. And I believe that this attitude contributed to their success. So, just what is a winner’s attitude?

A winner’s attitude is the ability to focus on your long- term goals even though your short-term results are not on track. This is more difficult than it seems. Too many people take their eyes off their long-term goal when they experience a slow month or two and end up focusing on their lack of results. As a result, they get sidetracked and their sales continue to suffer. In the words of Earl Nightingale, “You become what you think about.”

A winner’s attitude means resisting the temptation to blame the economy, competition, or current market conditions when sales are soft. Winners focus on what they can control unlike the average sales person who redirects the blame to take the heat off himself.

A winner’s attitude means exploring different options and approaches to selling. The best sales people constantly hone their skills. They read books and articles. They listen to CDs or Podcasts. They take advantage of every training program they can including webinars and tele-seminars. Winners know that business gets more competitive every day and they take action to improve their knowledge and skill. They work at incorporating new techniques into their existing style.

A winner’s attitude means focusing on showing the value of your product or service. Unlike average sales people, winners don’t focus on price. They know that most buyers and customers are more concerned with solving their problems and getting a complete solution rather than getting the cheapest or lowest price. While average sales people are quick to offer a discount, winners concentrate on showing customers how their product is different than their competitors.

A winner’s attitude is accepting the fact that you won’t close every sale. Winners recognize that a series of ‘no’s’ brings them that much closer to a ‘yes’. Winners may not enjoy losing a sale to a competitor but they’re not going to beat themselves up when it happens, providing, of course, they can say that they did everything in their power to capture that business.

A winner’s attitude means learning from every sales interaction to improve your future results. Winners take every opportunity to learn. A sales manager once told me that he evaluated every single sale when he first took on a new territory many years earlier. This brief analysis and self-critique helped him improve his performance so he didn’t repeat his mistakes. Plus, in each subsequent sales call, he modified his approach slightly, and in a few short years, sales in his territory increased many times over.

A winner’s attitude is one of optimism and enthusiasm. The most successful people I know all have a great outlook. They know that every cloud has a silver lining, and when ‘stuff’ happens, they recover quickly. They look for ways to prevent ‘stuff’ from occurring because they learn from every situation (see above point). Winners don’t dwell on the past-they focus on the future because they realize that they can’t change what has already happened. However, they do know that they CAN influence what happens from that point forward.

Sales managers who possess a winner’s attitude work with their sales reps instead of chastising them for a lost sales opportunity. Winning sales managers coach their team, go on sales calls with their reps, and provide on-going training for their sales people. They also go to bat for their team and support help in every way possible. Sales managers with a winner’s attitude celebrate individual and team results and they foster a strong sense of pride within the organization. Ultimately, they lead by example and create a team of winners.

What are you doing to develop a winner’s attitude?

© 2008 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.

  Kelley Robertson, author of The Secrets of Power Selling helps sales professionals and businesses pinpoint what they need to do differently to improve their sales. Receive a FREE copy of “100 Ways to Increase Your Sales” by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www. kelleyrobertson.com. Kelley conducts workshops and speaks regularly at sales meetings and conferences. For information on his programs contact him at Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com

Today’s News: One of the services we will be providing when we launch The JF Consultancy shortly, is an online sales team assessment to accurately identify current development needs and forecast future ones. Why? It is our opinion that millions of dollars are wasted every year on uneccessary or ineffective sales training because the assessment of needs is abdicated to the training companies themselves, most of whom only have their interests at heart.

We will provide unbiased, independent advice and we will not be recommending training providers, unless specifically asked to do so.

Utilising a brand new, highly sophisticated assessment tool called X-Sell, we believe this service will revolutionise the way forward thinking organisations develop their sales teams and in the process, save themselves a great deal of money – more soon.

One of my favourite locations for submitting my work is Eyes On Sales and they recently published one of my articles, which highlights how the very best companies develop their sales teams. You can read it in full here

Tomorrow: “Transactional Analysis And It’s Effect On Customer Interactions”

Assertiveness skills are very important in many situations; by being assertive you are letting people know what you want, need or prefer, in a way which is acceptable to both you and them. Put simply; assertiveness is about getting what you want without upsetting anyone.

Let’s start by defining assertiveness.

Definition Of Assertion

“Expressing opinions, thoughts and feelings in a non-defensive manner clearly and openly. It is being able to make requests and to refuse requests that are unacceptable”

Indicators Of Non-Verbal Assertive, Aggressive & Passive Behaviour

If you want to become more assertive, pay particular attention to your non-verbal behaviour as this needs to be in line with your verbal behaviour. If they are at odds it is the non-verbal behaviour that is usually believed  The following are indicators, and only that. Just because someone does not have good eye contact and looks away a lot, does not mean to say that they are passive. It is their whole demeanour that is important

Assertive Non-Verbal Behaviour

- Firm eye contact, not staring

- Expresses anger and pleasure in face when appropriate, sincere reaction

- Features are steady, not set or changing frequently

- Stands and sits upright

- Open hand movements – relaxed posture, head held up

Aggressive Non-Verbal Behaviour

- Tries to dominate by staring

- Finger pointing

- Gives very knowing smile and set face when angry

- Arms crossed

- Stands and sits upright, head ‘in air’, leaning forward

- Raised eyebrows in disbelief

- Jabbing movements with hands, banging desk, clenched fists

- Paces impatiently

- Sits forward or steps forward

Passive Non-Verbal Behaviour

 - Hesitant eye contact

 - Looks away often and down

 - Over smiles, gives ghost smile, even if angry

 - Quick changing features

 - Slouches, head down
 
 - Fluttering hand movement, or playing with fingers or wringing hands

 - Sits back or steps back

 - Eyes raised in anticipation

Now let’s take a look at verbal behaviour.

Indicators Of Verbal Assertive, Aggressive & Passive Behaviour

Assertive
 
- Questions to find out thoughts, requirements, etc. of others

- Offers suggestions and ideas, not advice

- Never blames others

- Distinguishes fact from fiction (assumption, opinion)

- Steady voice, clear, well pitched, warm and sincere

- ‘I’ statements. ‘I prefer’, ‘I’d like’

- Clear concise statements, to the point. ‘I’d like to introduce this into the department within three months’, instead of wrapping up what you want with so much waffle it is unclear what you actually want

- Focusing on what can be done, not what can’t be done

- Problem solving statements

- Ability to give and receive feedback, both developmental and motivational

Aggressive

- Hard, brusque, over firm, voice rises at the end of sentences

- Too many ‘I’ statements

- Abrupt statements, often containing ‘My’ said in a superior fashion

- Hostile, threatening questions

- Blame put on anyone but self

- Gives feedback in the form of ‘Well, what you should do is…’ Does not solicit or accept feedback easily

- Doesn’t ask questions to find out facts, makes assumptions

- Sarcastic, point scoring

- Assumptions and opinions are put over as facts – uses statements like: ‘Well you probably wouldn’t remember’, and “ Not that you’d understand”

Passive

- Often lifeless voice, too quiet, monotone, over warm, voice drops away at the end of the sentence

- Waffle, long-winded statements

- Uses lots of “fill-in” words e.g. ‘Um’, ‘Yes’, ‘Well’

- Continually apologises and asks permission

- Few ‘I’ statements

- Puts self down, ‘Well I never could do it as well as you’

- Feels the need to justify a great deal

- Agrees with people, often with people of opposing views (Just to keep the peace)

In Summary: We All Have Assertive Rights

• The right to be assertive

• The right to choose not to be assertive

• The right to have and to express our views

• The right to be listened to

• The right to make decisions

• The right to admit we don’t know

• The right to say ‘no’ without feeling guilty

• The right to be consulted about decisions affecting us

• The right to change our mind

• The right to be treated with respect

In fact, the right to do anything that does not violate the rights of others.

Today’s News: Someone asked me the other day if, having established a great resource for sales leaders, were we considering developing one for salesmen and women. The short answer is “Yes” it is something we are contemplating but I pointed out that the hundreds of resources on Sales Leadership Zone are not exclusively for managers, they are also equally useful for front-line sales professionals – and they are free!

We will be adding several new sections shortly and launching a newsletter, so if you have not enrolled yet, why not do so today?

Tomorrow: On the JF Guest Author spot, Kelley Robertson, good chum and fellow Top Sales Expert with: “A Winner’s Attitude” which identifies what it takes to be really successful in sales.

The JF Guest Author Spot 

Customers buy from effective sales people. Customers trust effective sales people. Customers are loyal to effective sales people.

Colleagues admire effective sales people. Colleagues seek help and mentoring from effective sales people. Senior managers trust and rely on effective sales people to get the job done.

Effective sales people are always looking for new ways to help customers. Effective sales people grow business relationships and hence sales volume.

To be an effective sales person requires an exceptional blend of behaviour, skills and knowledge. The requirements are:

Behaviour

Accountability for achievement of bottom line results is a must. It is not acceptable to fail because of external events. Successful sales people find a way to succeed despite external events. They have a determined attitude to achieving results.

Working alone is not an option for a sales person. They rely on individuals and teams within their own organisation and within the customer’s organisation to be successful. They work in and build teams, inspiring others to excel so that they might achieve their desired sales results.

Being a successful sales person means being disciplined, so that over-promising and under-delivering are the rare exception. Further, self development and learning is the norm. For example, they learn about their customer’s industry and business as a matter of course. If they have supervisory responsibilities they address performance issues directly and fairly.

Successful sales people find ways of improving the business by making their customers business more efficient or effective. They are prepared to try out new approaches and take well balanced risks.

Skills

The skills of building relationships are vital to success in selling. Sales people must value and work at developing interpersonal relationships in all interactions they have across the customer’s organisation, as well as their own. For example, the importance of a good relationship with the personal assistant of the general manager is no more evident than when trying to access the general manager at a busy time.

Negotiating to achieve outcomes considered valuable to customers and to their organisation is necessary for building profitable relationships. Likewise, ensuring the supply chain fulfils the needs of the contract or agreement often requires subtle negotiating skill.

Managing the financial aspects of the contract is where the real value is locked in. Sales people must be able to ensure that bills are paid on time.

Successful sales people raise the capability of the sales organisation through the development of others. They will coach and train those who need it to deliver a better overall outcome for the organisation.

Identifying the critical issues or opportunities using all relevant and available information is crucial to sales success. Successful sales people determine the causes and possible solutions of problems in a manner that enhances customer relationships.

Knowledge

Product, service and logistics knowledge are the base of knowledge that successful sales people use to help solve customers’ problems.

Understanding the customer’s operations, services and products and their value chain is the knowledge that successful sales people use to define customers’ problems.

Having a deep understanding of customers’ structure and process is the knowledge by which successful sales people determine the most pressing customer problem to solve and for whom to solve it.

Planning sales calls so that they are efficient and effective requires knowledge in detail of the geography customers and prospects reside in and their daily schedules.

A successful sales person is a professional. The behaviour, knowledge and skills required to be a successful sales person are unusual to find in one person. That is why successful sales people stand out.

©2007 Change Factory

 Kevin Dwyer is a pragmatic change management advisor and founder of Change Factory. He comes from an old school that experienced and led change first and learnt the theory later.

Kevin’s interest in sales is in developing the reinforcing loops of corporate goal, strategy, marketing and sales tactics, KPIs, recruitment, career and competence development, coaching and counselling that influences more customers to move through their buying process with the selling organisation. You can learn more about Kevin and the Change Factory here

Today’s News: You may well be aware that the culmination of the 2007 Top Sales Article Of The Year competition resulted in a win for Keith Rosen with “Why Should I Talk To You?“ Our congratulations to Keith and of course to the other eight finalists for producing such superb work.

The 2008 contest is under way and the first ten nominees of the year have been posted over at Top 10 Sales Articles

Tomorrow:”We All Have The Right To Do Anything That Does Not Violate The Rights Of Others”

I am back! I cannot believe how quickly the festive period flashed by and then into 2008, but I am revived, refreshed and raring to go again -it is going to be a fantastic year and I am so looking forward to it.  

It is that time of year when all professional and dedicated sales professionals should be focusing on what they want to achieve next year. Having said that, most people, and I would estimate 80%, because Pareto’s principle is always pretty accurate, will not set objectives and in failing to plan will in effect, be planning to fail.

The greatest difficulty most people have is knowing where to begin, so here are some thoughts that will hopefully assist you in constructing an achievable plan for the next twelve months and beyond.

You have to set yourself goals, become goal orientated and a goal achiever – otherwise you will drift through life like a ship without a rudder hoping to be swept into a “harbour of opportunity” Unfortunately, without a rudder, you are more likely to end up on the rocks and in later life look back in frustration: “I could have” “If only I had” etc, but by then it will be too late.

Do You Have A Life Map? – If Not, Think Of The Pilot:

Before a pilot takes off he knows the distance and the payload; he has assessed the weather conditions at departure and arrival points and he has contingency plans should those conditions dramatically change in any way.

He is the manager of his crew, he is prepared at all times for the unexpected and he is capable of making instant decisions. He is also able to psychologically accept the mundane

What Have You Been In The Past? Making An Honest Appraisal:

The objective of appraising your past performance, whether that is last year or your entire life is to improve and capitalise on your strengths and eliminate your weaknesses or limitations. Completing a SLOT analysis regularly will help you enormously.

The SLOT analysis can be an extremely useful technique for you to think about what you can offer relative to your external environment and helps you to take stock of your position so that you can plan your future development.

S = Strengths:

What can I do well? What are my best skills and attributes? Where do I have the greatest talent? (Try to illustrate your ideas with concrete examples.)

L = Limitations:

What am I less good at? (In which aspects of your work and personal life do you need improvement? Is the improvement needed large or small?)

O = Opportunities:

What is currently happening that can give me the opportunity for personal growth and improved performance? As technology changes and society advances what new opportunities will occur that I can take advantage of?

T = Threats:

What changes or forces may affect my current situation or act as a barrier to future development? Which people might get in the way? How could I sabotage my own development?

The Strengths and Limitations elements are personal to you. Opportunities and Threats lie in the external environment.

Use Your SLOT Analysis To:

• Identify how you can maximise the use of your strengths

• See how you can compensate for your limitations

• Identify opportunities, particularly ones that may not be immediately obvious

• If at all possible, see if threats can be turned into opportunities

What you have been in the past can only have two influences on the present – positive or negative. I believe that successful people have invisible plastic wings on their shoulders and this prevents them continually looking back: They only take good experiences forward with them, casting off disappointments, errors of judgement and unhappy times. Negative people on the other hand, do look back over their shoulder often and carry all the bad experiences forward with them in a large sack on their back. They expect the future to be very much the same as the past and it usually is – this is of course, the “Phenomenon Of Fulfilled Expectation”

And yet, ask a group of divorcees who have since re-married, if they are happier now with their new partners and you can be sure that they will be. Ask anyone who has gone through the stressful experience of redundancy and then found another job, if they are not now happier and more secure – they will be. So you see, the future really is better than the past if we choose to make it so, we have to attack the future fearlessly to achieve a better tomorrow

“The winners in life constantly think in terms of I can, I will and I am. Losers on the other hand concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have done or what they don’t do”  Dennis Waitley.

My good friend Kevin Eikenberry has produced a fantastic free tool to help you with your planning and you can download it here.

Today’s News: I received a wonderful surprise early in January: Clayton Shold of Salesopedia e-mailed me to say “I wanted to let you know you have the honour of being the third most popular article on Salesopedia in 2007!  Your article “How To Gain A Thirteenth Month Each Year” was viewed 3303 times.” 

It is quite strange that often, the articles which I think are fairly mundane and factual, get read the most. However, if you haven’t read it yet, you can do so here.

Tomorrow:On the JF Guest Author Spot I welcome back my good buddy from down under, Kevin Dwyer of the Change Factory.

Just to say………….

Back on January 7th