Thursday, 02 September 2010 08:30
Victoria MacGregor
Good morning and welcome to Thursday.
Adversity - it's how we handle it that becomes our mark. We've all certainly been through some adversity with the now famous GFC - Made (not born) in the USA.
Why? The Gordon Gecko motto - greed is good. Divisions of major financial institutions pushing up their share prices by any means so the senior executives could get rich on their bonus payments, share options and live a luxury lifestyle.
And how did the 'normal people' react? - well we just tightened our belts, 'sucked it up' and got on with it. A former colleague of mine probably said it better than most in the 'recession we had to have' - no depression, more aggression.
Most of us didn't get the government hand outs, but we did get a benefit from it.
Those that did, mostly spent it on items they really didn't need and now have their hand out for more.
The article below from Waldo 'The Wingman' Waldman (Yep that's his name) spells it out - take the step and show everyone around you that you have the character to continue to defy adversity.
How to Become a Winning Sales ACE -- and avoid getting shot down!
by Waldo Waldman, The Wingman
If you want to test the true character of a person, see how they respond to adversity.
Watch how they handle the pressure of a lost sale, an angry client, or a difficult boss. What do they say? How do they act? What is their emotional state? Do they freeze up and get angry, or do they buckle down and increase their focus and commitment?
The same holds true for those who would assume the mantle of leadership in business. When adversity hits, how they respond in the market will determine their ability to stay in business and win. Leadership – both on a personal and organizational level – ultimately drives the actions taken amidst crisis and change.
Today's economy is full of adversity. I call them "missiles of business and life." It seems we are being fired at every day. Rising costs of fuel, shrinking budgets, demanding clients, and a lack of qualified (and loyal) employees all create an intense and constantly changing environment. As soon as we think we defeated one missile...BAM! Another one is fired. As soon as profits start coming in...BAM, another competitor enters the fight.
The missiles will come and you will be fired upon. It's not a matter of if, but when and how often. The key is NOT to get shot down!
In fighter combat, the best pilots who are able to adapt to adversity and change are called ACES. They prepare relentlessly and are the most focused and committed under pressure. They are the respected and accomplished leaders in their squadrons because they don't run away when fear knocks on their door. They buckle down and ultimately take action.
The right action.
Here are a few tips that can turn you into an ACE and help you avoid getting shot down on your next mission:
A: Attitude + Action: Attitude does not determine altitude. Attitude plus Action does. Being positive and enthusiastic is a critical component of success, but your customer ultimately rewards your actions, not your positive attitude! An attitude that breeds confidence is a by-product of disciplined preparation and mission rehearsal. When dealing with a price objection, last minute competitor, or late product shipment, it's the commitment, focus and sense of urgency you have to fix the problem, provide value, and deliver results that counts.
C: Customer: Success in business is not about you, your company, or your product. It's about your customer. Prior to each meeting, gather the latest, up to date intelligence (from multiple sources) and commit yourself to meeting the needs of your customer. Be original. Come prepared with questions. Learn about the person you're meeting. If you're not focused 100% on your customer – your target – you shouldn't strap on your jet to fly. (By the way, it can't hurt to learn about your competition too ...but only after learning about your customer.
E Environment: Every mission is unique. What works with one client or industry, may not work with another. The environment in which you and your customer operate will ultimately determine your tactics. Was there a recent merger or perhaps some lay-offs at the company you're meeting? How's their stock price? What's the nature of the industry you're operating in? Who are you meeting? Who is the decision maker? What resources (wingmen) do you have that can help you prepare for your meeting? Never sell by the seat of your pants!
Take it from somebody who's been shot at in real combat, the winning ACE's in business and life prepare for the worst, but then expect the best. They acknowledge adversity and develop the confidence to overcome it by hard work and focus. But being an ACE is not easy. You can either "push it up" on your throttle and defeat the missile, or pull it back and risk getting shot down. It's your choice.
I hope you'll push it up!
Waldo Waldman, The Wingman, builds team unity within organizations as a high-energy leadership and inspirational speaker. A former combat-decorated fighter pilot with corporate sales experience, he is the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller of Never Fly Solo. To download Waldo’s Top Gun Motivation mission briefing, visit www.YourWingman.com
Last Updated ( Thursday, 02 September 2010 08:31 )
Wednesday, 25 August 2010 09:37
Victoria MacGregor
- Trams ran on the city streets in Brisbane
- Electricity was cheap and you didn't pay for water
- North Queensland was really far away
- Green was the colour of the grass and not a political party
- Global warming was just a hot day
- 'Cheap' was made in Japan and not China
- Ram and Hard Drive were Golf related
- A Queen lived in London not in the city
Way before I had a computer on my desk (and I was one of the first at least in the motor industry) as salespeople we communicated with our customers with the written or oral word. We sent our customers letters thanking them for buying a car from us, we rang them on their birthday or anniversary - it was personal and professional.
Computers, but more particularly email and text have taken that personal contact away from us all. We're more inclined to have an automated system take care of this for us, but the smarter ones still make those calls - Happy Birthday, said or sung, still gets the emotions going and until the computer gurus invent this sort of personal interaction, then it still sends a tingle up my spine.
I commend Tim Wackel's 'Five Handwritten Notes' to you - I implore you to re-introduce it into the communication process with your customer. I know it will get outstanding results, but only if you give it a try
Five Handwritten Notes To Engage Your Buyers
by Tim Wackel
Remember the last time you received a personal note? Did the handwritten envelope catch your eye and pique your interest? It's probably a safe bet that you opened and read that piece of mail almost immediately. Doesn't matter who the note is from - people are just more easily engaged by this personalized approach and level of attention.
Handwritten notes are one of the least expensive, most effective and largely ignored tools in your sales and marketing arsenal today. For less than a dollar and some change you can find your way to the top of someone's in-box.
If you use professional quality stationary and know how to craft a tight message, odds are great that your note will be read. Can you say that about the last email you pushed into cyberspace?
Very few people take the time to send handwritten notes because they believe it's boring - especially in today's age of high tech (and low touch) communication. There's nothing new or exciting about putting pen to paper. Writing a personal note takes a little more time and can actually bring back painful memories for some of you. This is the stuff Mum used to make you do...UGHHH!
But this is where the simple brilliance lies. Here is a communication vehicle that doesn't cost much, it grabs the attention of the recipient and is incredibly underutilized. People who send personal notes are thought to be considerate, creative, gracious, well mannered, mindful and a "cut above the rest." Not a bad return on stationary, a stamp and five minutes of writing!
Want to make handwritten notes one of your personal success habits? Here are five quick but powerful ideas to get you kick started today!
1. Have some personal note cards professionally printed and keep a stack on your desk. Challenge yourself to write one note every day thanking a client, prospect, business partner, colleague or co-worker. This will force you to start looking at life through a "glass half full" lens...an exercise in itself that will pay dividends to you and those you come in contact with.
2. Do you have a valuable idea (not a sales pitch) that someone needs to know about? Send a handful of personal notes inviting people to breakfast or lunch and let them know you have an idea that you believe could have value for them. Not everyone will take you up on your offer but the ones who do could turn out to be tomorrow's best client. This also forces you to start communicating value (not features) in a very concise manner - a skill that most sales reps never seem to master.
3. How many birthday cards do you receive from people outside of your family? Sending a personal note on a birthday communicates that you care enough to know AND remember that person's birthday. Find a card that reflects your personality and that you enjoy sending. Take time to write a short personal message and then watch as you begin to light up your contact database one birthday at a time.
4. Send an article or newspaper clipping to someone about an interest of theirs and attach a personal note. Internet search tools like Google Alerts provide an endless supply of new and relevant information that you can quickly print and mail. Figure out what is important to others and then show them that you care. People like to work with people who are willing to do the little things. If you do the little things well, others will believe that you can handle the big things (projects, commitments, orders, deadlines, promises) just as easily.
5. Send something to make someone smile. A funny news story, witty cartoon or amusing personal experience with your note can help transform relationships and break down icy barriers.
Sending a handwritten note is one of the simplest and most underutilized tools in today's busy world. Every sales professional claims that they want to be different than everyone else. Here is a great opportunity to do just that. Find some time to slow down, take a deep breath, pick up pen and paper and watch the magic begin.
Tim Wackel, founder and president of The Wackel Group, delivers sales workshops for technology companies that are insightful, engaging and focused on providing real world success strategies that audiences can (and will!) implement right away.
Friday, 20 August 2010 08:38
Victoria MacGregor
by Michael Dalton Johnson
The best salespeople have a solid understanding of human nature and what motivates prospects buy. It's always good to revisit some of their winning sales strategies and touch on behaviors the pros avoid.
• Do get emotional. When presenting your product or service, do not attempt to appeal strictly to the buyer's rational mind with a list of perfectly logical reasons to buy. Instead, fire their imaginations, and appeal to their emotions. Stress the benefits and rewards of owning your product or using your services. Use colorful verbal illustrations that stress benefits. Sprinkle in some brief case histories. Be likeable. Have some fun. Smile. Above all, let the customer do most of the talking. Take the pressure to buy out of the experience, and the successful close will come naturally.
• Don't interrogate buyers. A recent article in a leading sales publication advised "intense questioning" of prospects to determine their needs. The writer included a laundry list of questions that were both intrusive and transparent. Sophisticated buyers perceive too many probing questions, especially in the first stages of a meeting, as a pitch-tailoring sales tactic—which, of course, is exactly what it is. If you get prospects talking and follow the 80/20 Rule—you listen 80% of the time and talk only 20% of the time, many of your questions will be answered before you even ask them. Sure, you will still have to ask questions and seek clarification. But your fact-finding process should flow naturally in response to buyers' comments and conversational pauses. Do not put them on the hot seat.
• Do have the answer. In most business-to-business sales situations, the central question on buyers' minds is, "What's in it for me?" Take note: the question is, "What's in it for me?" not, "What's in it for my company?" Let prospects know how your product or service will help them to:
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Make their jobs easier
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Look good to management
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Gain respect and prestige
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Advance their careers
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Be appreciated
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Save time
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Have some fun and excitement
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Minimize their personal risk
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Remember, the central question you must answer for the prospect is, "What's in it for me?"
• Don't answer a question with a question. Contrary to conventional sales training wisdom, never answer a question with a question. This tactic is usually perceived as evasive. For example, if your buyer asks, "When can you ship?" do not respond, "When do you need it?" This strategy diminishes your credibility. Simply tell him your average shipping time, and ask if that works for him. If not, go to bat for him, and if possible, get it for him when he wants it. • Do respect your buyer's intelligence. Speak to your potential customer as if you were talking with an intelligent, yet uninformed friend. Do not insult your prospect's intelligence with inane leading questions such as, "We all want to save time and money, right?" Instead, simply state, "Our product will save you both time and money," and immediately follow this statement with a brief example or two. Allow the prospect to respond to your time and money-savings premise. A high-pressure "What's there to think about?" approach doesn't work in today's business environment. Your buyers are smart, and deserve your respect. • Do personalize your pitch. There is no sweeter music than the sound of one's own name. Try to use your prospect's name a couple of times during your sales presentation. However, don't overdo it, or you'll sound insincere and patronizing. If your buyer's name is difficult to pronounce, get the correct pronunciation from the receptionist or secretary. Write it out phonetically, and say it aloud a few times before your meeting. • Do look sharp. The old cliché about dressing for success especially holds true in sales. Your clothes and personal grooming speak volumes about you to buyers, co-workers, and management. If you are looking good, you are undoubtedly feeling good, and you will close more sales. Take a critical look at your appearance, keeping in mind that shoes are one of the first things noticed. Your working wardrobe should be made up entirely of the following materials: cotton, wool, silk, linen and leather. That's it. For men, facial hair is generally a negative. (Name the last politician elected to the presidency who had a moustache or beard.) There are several good books on sharp dressing and good grooming. John T. Molloy's New Dress for Success is an update of the classic. • Don't thank anyone for taking your call. This seemingly polite gesture immediately puts you in a subordinate role—and subordinates are easily dismissed. For the same reason, when you finally make contact with a difficult-to-reach prospect, never open with, "You're a hard person to get hold of!" • Do let the buyer lead. While you always want to maintain subtle control of your conversations with prospective buyers or clients, modify your pace and style to match theirs-sort of like dancing. If your customer likes to chat, by all means indulge in a little small talk. Conversely, do not ask Mr. Down-To-Business about his weekend plans. If a client has a breezy, big-picture personality, do not bog him down with details. This personality type loves to hear, "I'll take care of everything for you." However, if a prospect has questions about every detail, take the time to carefully review the nuts and bolts with him. Reading your buyer's personality and conversational style will pay big dividends in increased sales. • Don't chase the sale. Buyers are like cats (and you're probably a dog!) Just like our feline friends, buyers can be a difficult lot: suspicious, wary, finicky, independent, aloof. If you chase after one, it always runs. If you attempt to coax it, it invariably ignores you. However, if you sit quietly, letting the cat take its time and make up its own mind, before you know it, it's purring on your lap.. Michael Dalton Johnson is the Editor & Publisher of " Top Dog Recession-Busting Sales Secrets" , the best-selling sales book featuring; advice from 50 renowned sales experts. He is the Founder and Publisher of SalesDog.com, an education resource for sales professionals.
Monday, 16 August 2010 16:08
Victoria MacGregor
by Zig Ziglar
Are goals important? Well, I'll let you be the judge. Several years ago, a study by UCLA School of Medicine was conducted at a series of seminars I was conducting. The audience was divided into two groups: those who set goals and developed a plan of action to reach them, and those who took no specific action to reach their goals.
Results: The goal setters earned an average of $7,401 each month. The non-action group earned an average of $3,397 each month. Not surprisingly, the action group tended to be more enthusiastic, more satisfied with life and work, happier in marriage, and their overall health was better. As the experts stated in the study findings, "These results also confirm the academic literature on goals that, over the past 20 years, has shown unequivocally that those who set goals perform better in a variety of tasks." Some may shy away from setting goals because the obstacles are too big. Let me encourage you to not let you stand in your way!
He got better, not bitter
One of my favourite people, and certainly one of America's finest communicators, is Neal Jeffrey. Neal, as quarterback, led the Baylor Bears football team to the Southwest Conference Championship in 1974. Today, he addresses many youth groups as well as adult business people. He is truly one of the most humorous, sincere and capable speakers I've ever heard. The interesting thing is that Neal is a stutterer. He has, however, chosen to make stuttering an asset, not a problem.
Now think about what you just read. A very successful quarterback and public speaker who stutters doesn't compute in the minds of most people. Neal Jeffrey has taken a negative and turned it into a positive. After speaking a few minutes, he tells audiences that in case they hadn't noticed, he stutters. Then with a big smile, he says, "Sometimes I do get hung up a little bit. But don't worry, I guarantee you something's coming!" The audience invariably responds enthusiastically.
Neal is the classic example of an outstanding individual who chose to make an "obstacle" an asset. The "obstacle" has forced Neal to be more creative and to do more reading, research and studying so he can most effectively turn that "liability" into an asset. Result: He got better, not bitter. He's better not in spite of his stutter, but because of his stutter. Neal has reached and is reaching goal after goal in all areas of his life. I believe that you can do the same thing.
The reality is that all of us have liabilities which can hold us back or propel us forward. In most cases, the choice is ours. So, take your "obstacles" or "liabilities," recognize and evaluate them, and then find a way to turn them into assets. Set your goals high and then go about reaching them.
K.I.S.S.
When I started my sales career, one of the first things we were taught was to "Keep It Simple, Salesman." Communicate in such a way that your message is unmistakably clear. If the message is not clear, the prospect ends up confused and confused people seldom take action.
This advice can be followed in any field of endeavour. For example, in marathon running today we utilize sports psychologists, computerized training regimens, and running shoes that are "state-of-the-art." Perhaps all of that is necessary if you want to win the big race. I'm not denying that these things help, but Toshihiko Seko didn't need them to win the Boston Marathon.
I was tremendously impressed when Toshihiko Seko won the Boston Marathon. His training program was simplicity itself and Toshihiko explained it with twelve words: "I run ten kilometres in the morning and twenty in the evening." At this point you probably think, "There's a catch!" But this plan enabled him to outrun the world's greatest, fastest, most gifted runners. When Seko was told that his plan seemed too simple compared to that of other marathoners, he replied, "The plan is simple, but I do it every single day, 365 days a year."
It is my conviction that most people fail to reach their goals not because their plans are too simple or too complicated. Most people don't reach their goals because they're not committed and willing to follow their own plans.
Many of our goals do not require detailed plans, but all of them require that we must follow the plan we have. Seko's plan was effective because he followed it every day. You can't get more simple than that! Follow Seko's example, make certain your plan to reach your goal is simple and then get busy taking the action steps.
Does talent always prevail?
Champions invariably have fervent philosophical beliefs. Philosophy, in its simplest terms, means "the love of wisdom." Peter Vidmar is a lover of wisdom. His philosophy is "There is always fear. The trick is not to eliminate it, but to overcome it."
As a youngster in Los Angeles, Peter grew up loving sports but feeling very frustrated because of his small size. He said it was hard for him to be an asset to a team because of his size and, in reality, he felt more like a liability. When he was eleven years old, Peter wisely decided to pursue a career in gymnastics where his small size was not a negative. As a matter of fact, based on who had been winning the gold medals, small people had some advantages.
Peter was inspired by watching video tapes and television spots of Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci. He became convinced that if they could succeed, so could he. He worked very hard in gymnastics throughout high school and won a scholarship to U.C.L.A. At one point Peter was the top-ranking American in world class gymnastic competition. He captured the prestigious America Cup with an incredible 59 out of 60 points in six events, which was the highest American score ever.
Peter's coach made a strong - and to some people, surprising - statement to People Magazine when he said that "Peter is not particularly talented. I've had boys who were more gifted physically, with more kinetic awareness, strength and flexibility. But Peter surpassed them all because of his singular determination." Peter was so determined, his coach recalls, that he practiced one move for four years before he could successfully perform it.
Message: Whatever your goal, if you have singular determination and persistently press towards your objective, your chances of succeeding go up dramatically. Easy? No. Worth it? Yes. I believe that if you'll go after your goal with the determination and commitment of a Peter Vidmar, you can accomplish all that you set before you.
It's never too late to set goals, to dream, to learn, or to change. Unfortunately, many people come up with excuses for not reaching their goals. They don't live in the right place, are too old or too young, or a host of other excuses. I'm not saying that it's going to be easy because life is tough, but it can be rewarding! It's true that you can't stop the calendar or turn back the clock, but you can still dream, set those positive goals, and use your unique abilities. Buy into that idea and I'll see you at the top!
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