I must take this late opportunity to wish you all a wonderful festive break, and I really do hope you’ll be back with me on January 1st… although do look out for an exciting post right after Christmas!!

I wanted to send you something personal, so this is actually the view from my balcony, and it’s a photo I took one night a couple of years ago. Obviously the old guy wasn’t in it, neither was the younger guy trying to get over the moon -  it looks like he isn’t going to make it!!

Thanks to the genius that is “Bill the Graphic” – hope you like it.

Yes, this post was due yesterday, but you may have read from Monday’s post, we set off from Paris at lunchtime that day, and as a result of Eurostar’s continuing issues, we arrived in the UK fourteen hours later!!!

Certainly the most horrific journey I have ever endured, and I may share it with you, once we have been appropriately compensated.

I managed to muster sufficient energy to co-host last night’s TSE Christmas Party, which was so much fun that it overran by almost an hour. My thanks to all the great guests, and if you missed it, we’ll try and arrange a recording to be available.

Congratulations once again to Steven Rosen, who won the Top Sales Article Of The Year final. He beat a great field.

OK, I know that you are eagerly awaiting the results of this year’s JF Awards, so here we go:

What I do need to repeat again,  is that mine, as ever, is a very personal and subjective view based on my experiences through 2009, and this my opportunity to thank so many wonderful sites and communities which have supported me and my initiatives.

Miscellaneous Article Communities – sites who do not specialise, but rather accept articles on a wide range of subjects.

The nominees are:

Ezine Articles

Buzzle

Idea Marketers

And the winner is…Ezine Articles. Chris Knight continues to do a terrific job, and 200K authors cannot all be wrong!!

Business Article Communities – sites who promote business specific articles or services

AllBusiness

Best Business Webinars

The Sideroad

Rain Today

And the winner is…. AllBusiness. I have developed an excellent relationship with AB, and I am honored to be part of their Sales Star contest.

Sales Article Communities – sites that specialise in promoting sales and marketing articles and services.

Sales Gravy

Sales HQ

Eyes On Sales

Salesopedia

And the winner is …… for the third successive year, Salesopedia. I think that Clayton Shold continues to do a brilliant job, and continues to exceed expectation. But, I do really like and recommend the other nominees here.

“Blog Grabbers“  These are sites who syndicate and promote blog posts, and this year I have worked with three very good ones, so they deserve their own “JF Gong”

Blogowogo

The Customer Collective

Best Sales Blogs In The World

AllTop

And the winner is….. I was tempted with an incestuous thought, and give the award to Best Blogs In The World, maybe next year, when it is housed within Top Sales World!

So I am going to give it to… The Customer Collective  because Robin and Jerry have come through a tough year, and they have created something special, which is growing in its appeal year on year.

Plus Highly Commended – Here are sites which do not fit into any of the above categories, and yet offer tremendous support to front-line sales and business professionals.

Smart Selling Tools - Nancy Nardin’s superb site, which certainly offers loads of fantastic sales tools.

Sales 2.0 -Nigel Edelshain’s take on all things Sales 2.0

One Degree Connected - a brilliant place to connect with like-minded professionals.

Sharpenz – Nancy Bleeke’s original sales boosters.

Get Back To Work Faster - Jill Konrath dedicated a large chunk of her year helping people get back to work faster – here is the result of her generous work.

CanDoGo - Michael Norton and his team have gathered together the sales “big-guns” here.

Sales Posse - Jerry Hocutt has collected a huge amount of great sales tips here.

Lots more, but I need to keep a few back for 2010.

That’s it. Congratulations to all the winners and also the nominees..but most of all a very big thank you from me, great job guys.

Final Christmas message tomorrow…

Yes, I know, I was due to review 2009 today, but unfortunately my post is not quite completed as my son and I have been plotting how to get from Paris to London today – we are booked on Eurostar, but they may continue to be out of action. Flights are overbooked as a result, so we will have to find alternatives – and we will!!

So today I can bring forward notification of the 2009 JF Awards

What I do need to repeat is that mine, as ever, will be a very personal and subjective view based on my experiences through 2009, and this my opportunity to thank so many wonderful sites and communities which have supported me and my initiatives.

Miscellaneous Article Communities – sites who do not specialise, but rather accept articles on a wide range of subjects.

Ezine Articles

Buzzle

Idea Marketers

Business Article Communities – sites who promote business specific articles or services

AllBusiness

Best Business Webinars

The Sideroad

Rain Today

Sales Article Communities – sites that specialise in promoting sales and marketing articles and services.

Sales Gravy

Sales HQ

Eyes On Sales

Salesopedia

“Blog Grabbers“  These are sites who syndicate and promote blog posts, and this year I have worked with three very good ones, so they deserve their own “JF Gong”

Blogowogo

The Customer Collective

Best Sales Blogs In The World

AllTop

Plus Highly Commended - Here I will highlight sites which do not fit into any of the above categories, and yet offer tremendous support to front-line sales and business professionals.

Results tomorrow – then 2009 review on Wednesday. On Thursday, my penultimate post of the year, and I will share with you what we have in store in 2010.

Come and join me and my co-host, Nancy D. Solomon  at the TSE online Christmas party.

Lots of  guests including:

Jill Konrath who will be talking about her new book, which is due out in the Spring.

Dave Stein of ESR Research, who will share with us what lessons the sales training industry has learnt in 2009.

Mr. Sales 2.0, Nigel Edelshain will be discussing where Sales 2.0 is right now, and telling us if we can anticipate Sales 3.0 in the near future.

Diane Helbig will reveal why her latest book, which was published and originally called Lemonade Stand Simple, is now called something different.

Nancy Nardin talks about the top Smart Selling Tools of 2009, and looks ahead to 2010.

Daniel Waldschmidt extends the Gen X versus Gen Y versus Baby Boomer debate, and shares his favourite Social Media sites.

Ghislaine Maze, Senior Editor at AllBusiness discusses the creation of the superb AllBusiness Sales Star contest.

Niall Devitt joins us from Dublin, and gives us the background on his latest project, Bloggertone.

Clayton Shold of Salesopedia, going for his third straight JF Gong, shares his secrets of why Salesopedia is so successful.

And Craig Klein, CEO of SalesNexus, not only announces the Top Sales Article of 2009, but also looks ahead to a very exciting year for his company.

In addition, there will be quizzes, loads of prizes and of course, humor and fun by the bucket load

And best of all, it’s FREE.

Where else would you possibly want to be on Tuesday December 22nd from 1:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm GMT)?

Grab your place now, and register HERE

Today’s News: Tomorrow, JF Review- 2009 in perspective

The greatest compliment a customer can pay you is to describe you as “professional”.

Don’t worry about being liked — be respected!

Customers do not buy from you because they like you, but rather because they are prepared to trust you.

Being professional is not one thing, it is three – It is what you do, what you say and how you present yourself.

I believe that selling is the most wonderfully exhilarating, satisfying and fulfilling career in the world – but only if you are selling successfully.

Someone has to be the best – why not you?

I very much hope you have enjoyed reading my “Twelve Golden Principles Of Selling” over the past couple of weeks – now if you wish, you can download the entire EBook, with my compliments – just click on the banner below.

Today’s News: Tomorrow, I take the opportunity to look back over the past twelve months with the “JF 2009 Review”

Everyone needs some form of motivation to get them to do anything. This really means “sufficient reason” for doing it. It can take very little to motivate someone to do something pleasurable. It can take quite extreme circumstances to get that same person to do something objectionable.

The key point is that what constitutes sufficient motivation can be judged only by the person being motivated. Circumstances that would motivate one person will leave another unmoved.

Everyone is constantly subjected to a variety of motivating factors. The more basic the factor, the stronger it is in determining the course of action which will be taken.

As sales people, if we continually look to find motivation from outside of ourselves, then we are placing ourselves in a risky situation, because it may not always be possible to have a drip-feed of motivation feeding us when we need it most. That’s why, the more we can understand about what motivates us personally, the more it helps us to tap into our internal motivational power.

We are all unique individuals and are motivated by what is important to us personally. The factors that are important to us can be described as our values and are the fuel that drives our behavior. Our values are unique to us and we each have a different set of values based on different aspects of our lives.

Always accept total responsibility for your own motivation levels, and work with the maxim: “If it’s to be, it’s up to me”.

“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.

● Recommended reading:
“Motivation – Moving Beyond the Carrot and Big Stick Theory”

Today’s News: Here is a message from that very good chap, Paul Castain, and he has a FREE gift for you:

Paul Castain has sent you a message.
Date: 12/17/2009
Subject: Could Use Some Help From My Network!

I hope this finds you all well and knee deep in holiday spirit!

I created a free, no strings attached 15 page E-Book with over 100 sales tips that I want to get out to my network.

As you all know by now, I don’t sell anything, its simply an opportunity for me to give back to a profession that has been very kind to me and my family.

Here’s a link with instructions on how to get the free E Book. If you find value in it, please pass it along.

http://salesplaybook.blogspot.com/2009/12/100-totally-random-sales-tips.html

Thanks in advance for allowing me to help others and give back!

Respectfully,
Paul Castain

First of all, my apologies for no post yesterday, gremlins in the system and today, here in Paris we have 10cms of snow, which apprently caused severe online disruption. To compensate, you have a double helping today!

Selling on price is simply a cop out. You must value your expertise, your products and your services, and price accordingly.

Remember the definition of negotiation: “To arrange forms of business by means of discussion, conference or meetings, to transact business, to bargain, to exchange security for cash”. It doesn’t mention giving anything away for less than its real value!

So here are a few quick, but extremely valuable tips:

● Aim high – you will achieve more. Salespeople who think big get big results, and never let your prospect lower your sights.
● Don’t give it away -good negotiators defend their price
● Never give away concessions – nothing should be given away free – so trade
● Always negotiate the variables – know your variables
● Constantly erode the value of the prospect’s concessions – reduce the buyer’s perception
● Be a miser – never say yes too quickly
● Be alive to the danger of deadlines – deadlines weaken your position
● Look at the “Big Picture” – always keep the whole deal in mind
● Negotiate through deadlocks – patience is the key
● Understand your weaknesses – negotiator know thyself!

Remember, anyone can give business away. Selling merely on price means we do not need sales people!

Just because we might be selling in tough economic times, doesn’t mean “dropping your pants” at every request to do so!

Let me leave you with a thought: Do you know the total value of the products/services/solutions you have sold this year? Add just one per cent of profit/gross margin to every deal – it’s a lot of $ that you have left on the table, isn’t it? Or rather, given away!

● Recommended reading:
A selection of “How to” negotiation articles

Today’s News: OK, so the categories for this year’s JF Awards are:

Miscellaneous Article Communities – sites who do not specialise, but rather accept articles on a wide range of subjects.

Business Article Communities – sites who promote business specific articles.

Sales Article Communities – sites that specialise in promoting sales and marketing articles and services.

“Blog Grabbers“  These are sites who syndicate and promote blog posts, and this year I have worked with three very good ones, so they deserve their own “JF Gong”

Finally, I have a special category for new sites that have launched this year and who provide very valuable tools, advice, and services.

What I do need to repeat is that mine, as ever, will be a very personal and subjective view based on my experiences through 2009.

All will be revealed on the 22nd!

When we present our proposals, rather than mailing, faxing or e-mailing, we increase the likelihood of a sale by a factor of 10, if we do so in person.

 This is your opportunity to impress every member of the DMU (Decision Making Unit) and to do your job, which is to sell you, your solution and your company – so grab it with both hands! Why rely on someone else to do the selling for you, which is what you do when you simply mail your proposal?

When it comes to the enthusiasm that sales professionals have for making a presentation, they broadly fall into four categories:

The Avoider: An Avoider does everything possible to escape from having to stand in front of an audience. In some drastic cases, salespeople may seek positions that do not involve making presentations.

The Register: A Register is also extremely hesitant of speaking in public. However, Registers may not be able to avoid speaking as part of their job, but they never encourage it. When they do speak, they do so very reluctantly.

The Acceptor: The Acceptor will give presentations as part of their job, but does not seek opportunities to do so. Acceptors occasionally give a presentation and feel they did a good job. They even find that, once in a while, they are quite persuasive and enjoy the experience.

The Seeker: A Seeker looks for opportunities to speak. They understand that anxiety can be a stimulant which fuels enthusiasm during a presentation. Seekers work at building their professional communication skills and self- confidence by speaking often.

Becoming a “Seeker” is a pre-requisite for success!
● Recommended reading:
“How to Deliver a Professional Presentation”

Today’s News: Those of you with a degree in Applied Mathematics, will have calculated that as to day was Principle Eleven, tomorrow will be the last of this series and in fact you will be correct. I will be summarizing on Saturday and offering you the opportunity to download the entire EBook.

You want to convey to your customers an attitude of “me first”, rather than “me too”. Every business, every company, every product has something that is unique – and this is what you need to stress. Look outside the square and identify the uniqueness of your product, your service, your company— and yourself. Learn to create real value propositions that pass the “so what” test!

At first you may find it difficult, because I understand that companies can no longer rely on:

● Product Superiority
● Price Performance Measures
● Industry Presence

In fact, one of the very first exercises I work through, with any new client, is to have the sales team try to sell me on the “unique selling points (USP’s)” that they believe they have.

Typically, the initial responses include “superior products” or “highly qualified technical support staff” or “our customers like us”. But when I ask them what their competitors would say if I posed the same question to their sales team, after a moment’s pause the lights come on and they agree that I would most likely receive exactly the same responses. So…

Question: What is the one asset a company has which is difficult, if not virtually impossible, to imitate?

Answer: Its people. Their superior selling skills, better attitude, greater knowledge and their commitment to the full use of process. If you aim to be unique, you will be.

● Recommended reading:
“What Are The Characteristics Of The Very Best Sales Performers?”

Today’s News:

In response to several enquiries, yes, I most certainly am going to be handing out the “JF Gongs” again this year. It is my chance to show appreciation to sites that have supported our endeavours during 2009, and it has become something of an end of season tradition.

I’ll announce the categories tomorrow, and then I’ll be announcing the winners during the TSE Christmas Show.

I work with a very simple formula:

Attitude + Skills + Process + Knowledge = Success

Each is equally important, and it would be unwise to remove any of them from the equation, or to devalue their significance, when compared with the others.

Most people when they think about “Knowledge” immediately think about product knowledge.

This is not surprising because even today, research suggests that 80% of training budgets are still spent on “product familiarization”.

But what about all the other kinds of knowledge?

What about industry knowledge, or more specifically, sector knowledge? What about competitive knowledge or commercial business knowledge? Let’s not forget knowledge of our own company/organization.

Finally, there is self-knowledge – that means how well do we know ourselves, our strengths, our limitations, our motivators, etc. The very best sales professionals have an intimate knowledge of themselves, which is why they are able to continually improve.

That is not to suggest that product knowledge is not important – it is extremely important. But a good salesperson realizes that buyers buy solutions and results – they do not buy products or services. You must know the specific aspects of your product or service that will create your client’s desired result.

● Recommended reading:
“The Four Component Parts of Professional Selling – Part Two”

Today’s News: If you were otherwise engaged over the w/e, with exciting activities like Christmas shopping, putting up decorations, or even partying, you will not have heard that the twelve finalists for this years” Top Sales Article of the Year have now been announced, and the poll is open – you can catch up and vote by simply clicking on the incredibly attractive banner below …