Bilbrey On Selling

Your New Year's Gift

2011-12-30T07:17:00.000-08:00

Your New Year’s Gift

Here we go again. Another year gone as the next year arrives.

Like many others, I use this time to reflect on what happened and what’s about to happen. The New Year provides a clean slate of sorts. We get excited about the possibilities to grow our professional and personal lives.

Things do change. We hope, pray and work for positive change in our lives and for those around us.

I lost a business acquaintance this year. He passed away. I didn’t maintain contact with him for a number of years. He had a very positive effect on me. He was a mentor without the title. He was a living example of how to behave and succeed as a salesman, as a professional and as a trusted associate. His name was Bob. He was of Irish descent which you would figure out immediately upon meeting him.

Bob was the first Manufacturer’s Representative that I ever worked with. I was in my early-20’s selling medical supplies to doctor’s offices. At the time, he was in his mid to late 30’s making him an old guy to me. Bob represented some of the manufacturers on our line card.
He was witty and wise. He had a lot of stories to tell and all were entertaining and most had a lesson weaved in the words he spoke.

His best story, by far, was about his graduation from high school, his graduation party and the gift that his father gave to him.

At some time during the celebration, his dad asked him to get up and go outside to see his graduation present. As they walked to the door his mind raced until he decided that dad got him a car. Once on the porch he saw that there was no car, nothing whatsoever. Where was the present?

Bob’s dad put one arm around his shoulder and stretched the other arm out pointing to the trees, sky moon and clouds. “There it is son. The whole wide world and it’s all yours.” Disappointed? Yes, for a while. As he told me that story, so many years later, that gift had indeed become the greatest a dad could give a child in transition.

So, on this occasion, I would like to share that gift with you. I’ve had the whole wide world for a long, long time. I recognize the value of it and have deeply appreciated the opportunity the world has given me. Take the opportunity given to you by the world we live in and “go for it”. Don’t waste a precious minute while chasing your dream this New Year.

Thank you Bob

1, 2, 3 Grow

2011-12-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

1, 2, 3 Grow

Building your business in 2012 is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Getting back to basics is the easiest way to meet new customers and generate new revenue.

Six Degrees of Separation

From Wikipedia:
Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, "a friend of a friend" statements can be made, on average, to connect any two people in six steps or fewer. It was originally set out by Frigyes Karinthy and popularized by a play written by John Guare.

Old Concept is Reborn

The six degrees of separation concept seems to be at the core of the LinkedIn value proposition. LinkedIn has the ability to let us explore and leverage three degrees of separation. It is an awesome tool that empowers us to reach out.

The Old Way

This powerful concept is an updated twist on a very old and easy prospecting method that everyone can practice with or without technology.

Before we had computers, cell phones, websites, blogs and social media top sales producers practiced asking for referrals from customers, associates and friends. A simple question like: “Do you know anyone who might be interested in and benefit from my product or service?” kept savvy salespeople busy with warm leads and drove new business.

A Numbers Game

Selling always was and always will be a game of numbers. More sales calls equal more sales. Calling on warm referred leads increases the odds of success and makes sales activities easier. Would you rather call a total stranger or a friend or associate of your customer or friend? The answer is always the warm referral.

Why We Don’t Ask?

Asking for referral leads is rarely done by the average salesperson. There are some sales jobs that routinely practice asking for referrals. Some even pay the source for a lead that converts to a sale. Here are four examples.

1. Vacuum Cleaner Sales in the Home. Decades ago, a friend of mine gave my name to a vacuum cleaner salesman. All I had to do is see the demonstration and he would earn a $25 referral fee. I let the guy do the demo. My friend got $25 and I purchased a $300 vacuum cleaner. Then I asked 12 of my friends to see the demo. They did and I had myself a free vacuum cleaner.

2. Life Insurance. My first real sales job was selling life insurance. My days were full of prospecting calls and my nights were dedicated to sales visits. It didn’t take long to learn that the top producers didn’t have to work the phones as hard as I did because they had built a customer base, a network of people who knew others and, when asked, would cough up warm referral leads.

3. Auto Sales. For a very short time (90 days), when I was in between things, I sold cars. I wanted the experience, I wanted to see how hard it was and I was in a “figure things out” period of my life. Many of my peers actually paid people who referred car buyers. The finder fees were $25 or $50. This was a great way to bring in sales that is still being used today.

4. Computer Systems to Doctors. In a ten year period, I sold a lot of computer systems to doctors. These systems were used for patient and insurance billing. My best estimate is that I sold 500 or so of these big ticket items in a decade, or one a week for ten years. Not bad. My prime tactic was to give something of value to a doctor who referred a friend. A free printer or a couple of free months of support would usually do the trick. I always had warm referral leads.

Now You Do It

You can solicit warm leads on LinkedIn or with some other social media tool that I don’t know about (as of yet). Better yet, skip the technology and call three of your customers, business associates or friends and ask them for the names and contact information of someone they know that would appreciate what you have to sell. Make sure that you can use their name as the referrals source and reference. That would result in nine (9) people to call, visit and sell.
When you contact the 9, and at some time in your experience with them, ask them the same question. Ask for the names of three people in their world that might want or need your stuff. Now you have 27 new targets. Ask those 27 for three and you have yourself a lot of work to do processing 81 warm referral leads. Can you see how crazy this can get?

Real World Example

I recently gave a Mentee of mine the names of three people that I figured would be highly interested in his offering. He contacted them and they were. I hope that he asks each of these contacts for three warm leads and so on and so on. His life will get much easier and his business will flourish.

Start Today

Six degrees of separation is a great idea and a concept that all salespeople should be aware of and leverage to develop business. Start asking for referrals today and make it routine. You will be rewarded.

Selling Yourself

2011-12-16T13:48:00.000-08:00

People buy from people. Customers deal with whom they have the most confidence. If you do a good job of selling yourself they will be most comfortable when considering dealing with you. When putting your information together, it can be about you personally, about your company or a mix of both. Some salespeople have little to talk about. Others have too much. Everyone has something and it’s important to organize your credentials and use it to your advantage.

Education

Your education is a great start in building a case that you are a good person to do business with. If you have a degree in a field related to your business focus, you will establish an advantage. Certifications are also really good when building your profile.

Achievements

Speak about your business accomplishments. If you have solved some major problems for customers, performed at a high level or have done anything else of note, let people know. Results are what customers are paying you for. If you have had successes they can be used as a great tool for getting your prospective customer to accept your proposal.

Awards

Achievements are great. Awards are better. Getting the word out about your accomplishments is very good. When someone else, a third party, recognizes you for your accomplishments it is much better and carries a lot more weight than when coming from you.

References

Reference letters are a terrific sales tool. They are not as powerful as awards, but very close. You don’t usually get these letters of reference unless you solicit them. When you do get them, make sure you have the source’s permission to use them. Also, check in with your happy campers once in a while and make sure they are still happy.

Community Service

There are times when your community service doesn’t matter to a customer. There are other times when your community service can be a difference between making a sales or losing the deal. You don’t have to go overboard, but a track record as a volunteer says a lot to a buyer about your character.

There you have it. Your credentials matter. Selling yourself as a trusted advisor, a good person to deal with is an important part of the sales process and should not be overlooked.

Sales Activity

2011-12-12T12:57:00.000-08:00

Sales activity is the key to your success. You must be an expert in the subject matter of your business. You have to learn and develop skills required to find prospective customers, tell your story and secure orders. These factors are the foundation for your success. However, without taking positive action, you will under perform or fail.

Activity must be planned, committed to and completed without fail. Persistence is paramount to sustaining a steady flow of revenue.

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are alone omnipotent.” Calvin Coolidge

As you journey through your business and professional life, you owe it to yourself, your loved ones, your friends and associates to do your best. Giving less than your best effort at all times short changes you and your dreams. Don’t forget, skip or ignore proactive tasks to generate revenue and to move your business and career forward. If you don’t do your best you will regret it later.

One way to insure that you will complete sufficient sales activities is to make a commitment to do certain things at a frequency you can manage. Then, if you keep records of completed activities, you will be able to analyze those activities and determine their effectiveness.
Make a commitment to regular sales activity. Do it now. Follow it faithfully. Be persistent.

I will mail ____ brochure or letters per _________.
I will make _____ phone calls per __________.
I will call on ________ prospects per ___________.
I will attend ________ networking meetings per __________.
I will participate in _________ charity events per _________.
I will send out _________ e-mail newsletters per __________.
I will write ___ blog posting per ________.
I will also do __________ and __________ every ______.

Write it down. Sign it. Keep your commitment in front of you. Keep score with your activity report form. Review it, analyze the results. Be faithful. Be persistent. You will prosper.

That’s more like it. Now make some sales calls.

Sales Conundrum

2011-11-22T15:36:00.000-08:00

Small companies and consultants have something in common that is a real and difficult business issue. That is, keeping a sales pipeline full while delivering products and services to existing customers.

We Deliver

Consulting delivers professional fees for the consultant in return for professional services, wisdom, expertise and results. As a consultant, I savor the opportunity to bring my services to a customer in need and to help them solve their problems. There is nothing more satisfying than getting involved with a client and delivering results.

The consultant’s business problem rears its ugly head when the consulting engagement is over and there is no “next” project waiting.

A Predictable Problem

This conundrum is understandable. As much as we try to beat it, more often than not, it is a reality that we are faced with over and over again. Because we don’t have the next engagement lined up the revenue from a successful engagement is consumed during the down time. As much as we try to hustle the next gig, there are revenue gaps and they should and could be avoided.

You Can Fix it

The answer to solving down time and the subsequent frantic rush to the next project is to make a commitment to regular sales or prospecting activities. It doesn’t take much time to send a letter, an e-mail, to make a phone call or to attend a mixer. When we are absorbed by our projects and our customers, we naturally want to keep the billing meter moving. In the big picture, that is wrong thinking.

Bigger Guys Don't Have to Deal With This

If your firm is big enough, you can afford the luxury of employing a Business Development Manager (a more refined title for salespeople). So, this issue is not a problem…that is if you have a productive business developer.

Take Control

My advice is to put aside some time every day or week to meet new friends, establish relationships, tell your story and ask for work. If you can send out a few letters each morning, send some e-mails each week, a newsletter each month, make a few phone calls to prospects and old customers each week and then show up at relevant networking meetings, your new business pipeline will fill with opportunity. Then, when your current engagement ends, there will be other clients waiting for your services.

Why Not An Ongoing Campaign?

Regular marketing campaigning/prospect development just makes sense. No more sales conundrums please.

Why Complicate Things?

2011-11-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

I gave my “Sales Advice for Start-ups” presentation to a group of budding Entrepreneurs recently at a local business incubator. I enjoy doing meetings like this. The people who attend are desperate for knowledge. They want to know how to make the bell ring and start earning a living from the business of their passion. Was it all happiness? Not really.

Practical Advice

On a scale of ten, I believe that my material is very close, if not a ten. I have taken a very difficult challenge (selling) and distilled it down and made the key points easy to understand. These ideas, tips, strategies, tools and tactics have served me well over the years. They are the truth.

Bad Grade?

At the end of the evening, my contact at the incubator solicits feedback for the class. Last night she had gone home early, so I had to pass out and collect the forms myself. I would rather not be faced with critique one minute after delivering a presentation, but I had to do it. One thing I didn’t want to do was to read any of the grades, but I did. The very first one had my presentation and material rated a three out of five.

The ordinary grade instantly bothered me. At the bottom of the page the comment was that the presentation and material was too elementary and not challenging enough. I have now mulled that over and have decided that this person got it wrong. He or she didn’t get it.
The reality of selling is that it is a very easy and simple activity when done correctly. It isn’t hard when salespeople or Entrepreneurs (same thing) do the right things and avoid the wrong things. I laid out a road map for success for the class. If one of the participants thought my advice was too simple he or she was right on. My advice is simple and has proven effective over and over again.

Why so Difficult?

My question to this unnamed person would have been “Why do you want to complicate something as simple as engaging in activity based on a fair exchange of value (selling)?”

Reality Check

I looked at a few more reviews before going home. They rated the speaker and material five out of five stars. That was more like it. I guess that I shouldn't be so sensitive.

Experts Have an Edge

2011-10-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

The three elements of a successful sales career are activity, skill and knowledge. My feeling is that if one of these conditions is lagging behind, the other two can become more robust and keep us in the game while waiting for the lagging element to improve.

All things being equal, subject matter experts have an advantage over their competitors. Any buyer will prefer to deal with someone who exhibits a cold, spot on, understanding of the topic of the sale.

My advice to all salespeople, at any level of their careers, is to continue to learn as much as they can about their product or service and the industry they serve. A good starting point is a degree in the field choice. However, that advantage can be met and eclipsed by someone who really wants to become an expert.

Information is everywhere these days. You don’t have to go any further than the Internet to fill your head with relevant facts and figures that will develop your product knowledge. You can subscribe to trade journals and attend national, regional and local conventions. These events always have an array of industry seminars that can fill your head and push you ahead.

Finding time to invest in your ongoing education is not always easy. That is exactly why prioritizing your tasks and optimizing your time are so critical. You will never raise your knowledge level to expert status without a commitment to learning and staying informed.

One final suggestion…do not ever wing it with a prospect or customer. If you don’t have an answer, always say that you are unsure and will get back to them with the correct answer. If you misinform people you will go to the back of the sales line quickly. Tell them you will find out and then do it. Not following up on a question is almost as bad as getting it wrong.

An investment in becoming an expert in your product or service and industry is an investment that will pay off in future sales victories and increased income. I promise.

Play The Game

2011-10-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

It is a cliché, but a truth that if you don’t play the game you can’t win. Winners not only play well and win; they take chances and calculated risks to achieve results.

In the world of sales and business, the unsure, reluctant or lazy are lapped by the fearless hard working competitors that prepare and compete. They are in the arena, on the playing field, in the game and in play.

The funny thing about doing extra, taking chances, being creative and out of the box, is that you don’t often get credit for it. People that place, show or worse tend to explain your success as luck or Divine providence. There is no luck. God gave us all gifts that some of us use to their fullest while others don’t.

The irony in my life is that I did some volunteer work the other day and the guy next to me turned out to be a very important person for my business. We struck up conversation and he invited me to visit him at his office to see if we can do business. I really was reluctant to go to the function and was debating if it was a waste of my time. I went anyway. I was visible, in play and on duty and I got my reward.

Get in the game, play the game, win the game. It’s up to you.

You Have to Want It

2011-09-16T08:32:00.000-07:00

Before taking a deep dive into sales careers and sales excellence, I would like to bring up the obvious. You have to really want to sell to be a success. The reason is because selling is challenging.

Competition

You have competition. Anything worthwhile to you is most likely worthwhile to others. If you are in a sales situation alone, without competition, there might be something wrong. Your prospect might be a bad person or company to deal with because of the way they do business. Others might have disqualified the opportunity for a variety of reasons. The reality of selling is that you have to compete to win.

The Sales Environment

Selling is an environment of constant rejection and failure. That’s the world we live in. We do our best, using every bit of energy, skill and product knowledge to win every order. The reality of selling is that you lose most of the time and win some of the time. Top producers learn to live with rejections and setbacks. The good news is by getting your share of the business you can do well enough to move your career along.

Stepping Out

You can grow your market share. There is a way to get a bigger piece of the business pie. That way is to invest in yourself and your career growth. There are a lot of ways to accomplish personal and professional growth. In doing so, you will naturally develop a competitive edge and begin to win more and lose less.

Commitment

You have to want it. The intangible ingredient in the mix is you. Are you dedicated to becoming the best that you can be? Do you want to become a top producer and earn top dollars for your effort? If you do, you are on the path to success, because a whole lot of people in sales are content and do just what they need to do to get by. If you want to be the best salesperson ever, you can. It’s up to you.

Welcome to the Future

2011-07-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Future

I met with a young man yesterday over coffee and a bagel. He is a terrific young man and an emerging Entrepreneur with a great start-up business. His product is a search engine like platform that integrates, optimizes and leverages all current and future online technologies, including social media. I sat there and watched the next level of technology arrive and I was just amazed and somewhat dumbfounded by what I was looking at.

Technology Laggard

I sat there like a big stupid. I didn’t totally understand how the product worked, but what I did immediately understand was that there is a technology train heading down the track that left me behind a few stops ago. How could that happen? I have been on the leading edge of technology over a forty year career. I received a “Technology Pacesetter” award (top 100 in America) four years in a row in the mid-2000’s. What happened? I have a website, a Blackberry and a blog. I’m LinkedIn. Isn’t that enough? Apparently technology is moving faster than I am. I suspect that technology is moving faster than most of us understand.

What does it mean?

Looking back objectively, there is no doubt that technology has revolutionized business, sales and my day-to-day life over time. In the 1980’s I invested in a bag phone for my car and paid $1.00 a minute for my mobile telephone. Having that phone actually paid off in many ways. Now I have unlimited text and can search the Internet from my smart phone. Fortunes have been and are being made in technology. Smart people are still staying up nights working out the next thing that will change how we live.

Can we still sell?

Of course we will still sell stuff. The technology world will never replace a smile, eye contact, a handshake and a relevant conversation.

My Advice

Do not ignore emerging technology and the value it delivers. All of our lives are better off because the great entrepreneurs, visionaries and risk takers who made it happen.

Best Wishes

Good luck my young friend. You are what America is about. I’m going to keep my eye on you and will attempt to catch up.

Business Development - Your Database

2011-05-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

My First Database Management System

Years ago, my customer and prospect database was a very large loose leaf binder or two that had plastic sheet protectors. Each sheet held ten slots for business cards, front and back. These binders were my prospect and customer database. The business cards were my link to business. I could find the prospect and call them on the phone. Their cards had their address, so I was able to write or type an envelope and send them something. It seems like a very inefficient way to catalog prospects and customers, but it worked. It was very labor intensive.

Manual Automation?

In the early 1970’s I had a 3” x 5” card system. Each customer or prospect had their very own dedicated card. The card holder (a metal box) organized the cards by alphabet, day of the month and month of the year. I moved the cards around, based on my activity with the lead. If I had an appointment on the 20th of the month, I slid their card behind the 20th tab. If they said call them in September the card was filed behind the September tab. Every morning I had the cards for the day and knew what to do. This primitive system was called a “tickler file”. It worked just fine.s

Changes

Things have changed in the customer and prospect data base world. Now, everything is electronic. Spreadsheets, text files and databases containing vital demographic information have become the mainstream. Now, you can buy or search for prospective customers on the Internet. There are list provider services that you can use to download everything you need to know about prospective customers.

CRM Gets it Done For Me

I use a popular CRM software system to host and manage my customer and prospect database. You have a lot of options for a home for your database. These days, software can automate a lot of the tasks that were formerly tediously and time consuming.

All said, you need to clearly know who your prospective customers are. Who are they and why will they give you money. If you know, you can find them and build and maintain a data base.

An Important Tool

Your customer and prospect database is a most important business development tool. It is just about as important as your time. If you don’t have a robust and targeted database, you are wasting your time.

Business Development - Trade Shows

2011-05-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

Trade Shows are a great venue for opportunity and business development.

Over the years I have found that participating in trade shows is a very effective business development strategy.

The simple proposition is that a lot of prospective customers, vendors, alliances or people of interest are assembled in one location at a point in time. To an Entrepreneur or Salesperson (same thing), having access to this type of group is a gift that they (we) know what to do with. Think, “kid in candy store”.

There are trade groups, user groups and events for virtually every industry or specialty. Some of the regional events are put on by local chapters of organizations to serve their memberships. state organizations typically host annual meetings, as do their national affiliates.

Your opportunities to participate in these meetings are many and varied. Your industry group might be so important to the viability of your business that you become a member. If you serve the members of the organization, you can participate in the shows as a vendor. As a vendor you can pay to attend, sponsor something or display your goods or services at a display booth. If you are a subject matter expert of interest, you may even have a chance to make a presentation to an audience of potential customers. It will give you a leg up on your competition.

At first glance, you might think that these shows are cost prohibitive, but the reality is that they are one of the best investments in business development. What other ways are there for you to meet and talk to dozens, hundreds or even thousands of prospects in one or two days at one location? There aren’t many.

When I sold medical supplies and equipment, the Hospital Purchasing Show was mandatory. When I sold billing software systems to physicians, the Michigan State Medical Society annual event was the place to be seen by thousands of doctors. For a couple of thousand dollars rental for display space I had access to thousands of doctors. Using simple math the investment is just a dollar or so per prospect. It just made (makes) sense.

Your investment in trade shows is scalable. Small shows cost less than big shows. It’s that simple. There is an industry event for every budget. If you are a distributor, many suppliers/vendors have co-operative marketing programs and display materials to help offset the cost to attend.

If you need to find relevant meetings, ask around to your peers or customers. Look up industry organizations and events on the Internet. They will be delighted for your participation.

Getting the most out of a trade event is up to you. Trade shows put you in front of target clients, but your results are directly tied to how you perform. This means that you are in control of your message, materials, delivery and in your overall professionalism. Bring your “A” game and win new customers and grow your business.

Do it in Dog Years

2011-01-31T05:59:00.000-08:00

At a recent event at a local business incubator, my host told me that his marching orders from higher up are to get things done in “Dog Years”.
After my initial amusement, using dog years as a metaphor resonated with me.

A dog year is defined as seven human years. A ten year old dog is thought to have lived the equivalent of about seventy human years. A dog has to get a lot done in one human year to keep up. As silly as this analogy is, there is a lesson to be learned by all of us about how we spend our time.

For the sake of moving this forward, I will assume that you, the reader, are ambitious and have personal and business goals that require a sense of urgency. Unfortunately, there are a lot of our peers who don’t have fire in their belly to succeed. They won’t pay the price. It’s just too high.

There is nothing wrong with people who are content to just get by. If making an effort, doing more, working harder, taking risks is not in the cards for a person that’s OK.

That said…some of us want more. Some of us have dedicated ourselves to doing everything in our power to succeed. We go all out all of the time and might not even be aware of it because it has become second nature. Being focused, disciplined and relentless is a way of life that is a common denominator of winners.

The good news is that becoming a winner is easily within the grasp of all of us. A great start to positive change and ramping up to relentlessness is to establish and maintain a sense of urgency. You can do it. Just remember to “Do it in Dog Years”.

Success Isn't Free

2010-12-13T11:41:00.000-08:00

Success Has a Price

Why are some people successful while most struggle? Are they lucky? Are they just at the right place at the right time? Is it because they are highly educated? Or, is it because they just learn how to perform better and are faithful to their practices?

Ben Feldman was arguably the best salesman ever. He was a High School dropout. Scratch higher education as a key requirement to success. That said, most successful people are subject matter experts. Product and industry knowledge are essential to succeed.

No matter how it looks, successful people are neither lucky nor just at the right place at the right time. Winners make their own luck. They are at the right place at the right time because of careful planning and execution. No surprises for peak performers. They knew the results going in.

This is a good time to take a step back and invest some time and thought into your business, your career and your life. What I do is go to a quiet place and reflect on what happened and decide what I need to do in the future. Not a complicated exercise. It’s not perfect, but without a serious personal assessment, how can you improve your outcomes?

I offer seven tips to tune up your business, your career and your life. There are more, but these seven are a good start.

Become a Peak Performer in 2011

Seven tips to tune-up your business, career and life in 2011

1. Renew your vows
2. Confirm your destination
3. Analyze results
4. Create a plan, welcome change
5. Optimize your time
6. Measure outcomes, make adjustments
7. Work relentlessly

Renew Your Vows

You were sincere and focused when you started on your journey. If you are like most people you have not reached your goals. That’s normal. Things, life seem to get in the way of the best laid plans. The good news is that you have made progress. The future is still ahead. Put yesterday behind, clean the slate, renew your commitments and focus like a laser beam on your tomorrows.

Confirm Your Destination

Are your goals defined well enough that you will know success when you get there? Is the desired outcome clear? Is it happiness? Is it personal freedom? Is it financial freedom? Or, is it all of the above and more? What is your end game? Is it written? If not, write it down. Keep it handy. Look at it often. Never lose track of your destination. If you do you will be unable to get there.

Analyze Results

How have things been going lately? What happened as a result of your efforts in the last twelve month? Can you identify things that worked? What didn’t work? Where did you succeed and where did you fail? Going forward, it is important to look back and draw conclusions. This exercise will result in the obvious. Continue to do what works, just do them better. Stop what doesn’t work.

Create a Plan…Welcome Change

Create a plan for success in 2011. Build on past successes. Review emerging strategies, tactics and tools to get ahead and stay ahead of your competition. Everything changes all of the time. If you don’t welcome change you will have no hope to grow or to even maintain your current status. Put it in writing. Read it often. Make changes when necessary. Your plan is a living document. Your plan is your blueprint for your success. It is your road map to the future.

Optimize Your Time

Is time optimization hard to do? Not really. If you do not prioritize your tasks and manage your time, you will have no chance to be a peak performer. Time is a valuable asset, possible the most valuable asset you have. Squandered time is lost forever. It can’t be recovered. How do you spend your time? Do you put aside important things to do menial, easy stuff? If so, you are impairing your ability to perform. Keep a diary for a few days. You will quickly see where you can improve your time management.

Measure Outcomes, Make Adjustments

Don’t wait until the end of the year to figure out the shortcomings of your efforts. Be accountable to yourself. Know your milestones. Review them often. If you miss a goal, figure out why not and fix it. It might be a simple as calling a lost customer and asking “why?” The answer might be as simple as doing more. If you optimized your time you can use the time saved for more activities. If things are going wrong figure it out and adjust.

Work Relentlessly

More than anything you can do to become a peak performer in 2011 is to work relentlessly toward your goals. This is by far the most essential tip I can offer. The truth is as simple as “more sales calls equal more sales”. If you do your best at all times you will notch a lot of victories and eclipse your competition. Those that have gone before us are a testimony to this truth.

2011’s Peak Performers

I would say good luck, but there is no luck involved. You make your own luck. You will be in the right place at the right time because you planned it.

The Best Salesman Ever

2010-11-23T12:47:00.000-08:00

I recently came across an old issue of Selling Magazine (June 1994). The featured story was about Ben Feldman, arguably the greatest salesman that ever lived. The article was titled “The Best Salesman Ever”. Ben died in 1993, but left behind an incredible legacy. He sold over $1.6 billion dollars of life insurance in his career. He represented New York Life. His annual sales were greater than the sales of many life insurance companies. After he learned his products and the essentials of the sales profession he ramped up a fabulous career and made over $1 million per year. Not bad for a son of Russian immigrants from rural Ohio.

All Things are Essentially Equal

The beauty of the sales profession is that Ben Feldman or anyone else has the same opportunity to rise to the top. There is nothing standing in the way of success that can’t be learned, mastered and conquered. Everyone’s sales career starts out about the same, little revenue with unlimited potential. Where it ends up is totally the responsibility of each individual salesperson. Ben Feldman got in the game, learned how to play and was driven to win, posting results unheard of in his industry. He was referred to as the “Babe Ruth” of insurance sales.

Get Your Game On

Another year is coming to an end. How did you do? My challenge to you is to reflect on your performance and figure out what worked and what didn’t. Make a list. Improve what worked and eliminate what did not work. Do some things different. Ask around, seek out top performers. Get motivated, get moving and dedicate yourself to making 2011 your best ever year in sales and income. Ben Feldman did it and so can you.

Buying and Selling on Price

2010-10-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

The lowest price is not always the best deal. I suggest it is rarely a good deal for buyers or sellers.

A Good Deal?

When all things are equal, buying on price is a good decision. The problem I have with price shopping is determining if the playing field is level. Are all things equal? Is the lowest price item an apple for apple comparable product to the higher priced product? I guess if you are buying a brand named product in a box with a model number the low price wins. In that case, I have concern about the vendor who makes the least money on the sale. Will they be around to stand behind my purchase?

If I am selling on price, particularly if I am the lowest price, I am probably not making enough money to justify making the sale. I might be able to get away with it once in a while, but in the long run, consistently being the lowest bidder is a threat to my company and my livelihood.

My Experiences

I have had to deal with pricing pressures over my career.

Start with the premise that a sale or purchase is made up by a blend of three factors, price, quality and service. If one of the factors moves, it causes the others to change. If I can’t get my price, how can I maintain top quality and responsive services? They cost money. This is just reality. If I give low prices and lousy service the customer will quit. Likewise if the quality is low, the low price doesn’t matter to the customer.

When I was much younger and dumber, I sold prepared culture media to local hospitals. These biological agar dishes were fragile, sterile and had a shelf life of a few weeks. If a shipment were broken, contaminated or out of date, I actually reminded the complaining Microbiologists that they got a great price (the consolation). In other words, they got what they paid for. Needless to say, I quickly stopped using that line.

When I sold computer systems to doctors, many would howl about the price. I held my ground, noting that someone had a Mercedes Benz (insert your favorite luxury car name) in the parking lot. “I think it’s you!” The message was clear. “If you want quality you have to pay for it and you obviously appreciate quality.”

Recently, when I sold computer consulting and programming services, I ran into the same objection. My hourly fee was $150 per hour. They would object.
“My last consultant only charged $85 per hour.”
“Were is he and why am I here?”
The answer was simple; the discount consultant took more hours to work on projects and didn’t deliver satisfactory results. $85 per hour was a bad deal for the customer.

Value is the Key

Real selling and buying is a blend of value. The seller needs to make money to provide value and the buyer is almost always disappointed at some level after the discounted sale. The best transactions are always based on a fair exchange of value.

Why Daddy?

2010-08-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

Kids Can Sell

Kids are natural at selling. When a child wants or does not want something to happen they can be formidable opposition that sometimes only gets subdued by threats. If you are a parent or close to parents raising children you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Kids dig in on topics that matter to them. They become highly motivated, extremely focused and ready to give you a run for your money. They don’t take no for an answer and will pepper you with endless questions until you give in or go away.

My daughter Amy was the queen of getting her way. She never stopped asking questions and never gave up. She was a relentless toddler and child. More often than not her first response to anything I asked her to do was “Why Daddy?”

Game On

Here is how a typical exchange would go:

Me: “Amy, please get your pajamas on.”
Amy: “Why Daddy?”
Me: “Because you have to go to bed.”
Amy: “Why Daddy?”
Me: “Because you have to get to sleep.”
Amy: “Why Daddy?”
Me: “Because you have to get up and go to school.”
Amy: “Why Daddy?”

You get my point. No matter what the topic, night or day, if Amy had a vested interest in something, I was immediately engaged, like it or not.

Act Like A Child

This brings me to adults who sell for a living.

I know a lot of salespeople who would do a lot better and make more money if they would ask more questions and not concede to prospects too early in the sales process.

Asking probing questions is a fundamental skill of a consultative salesperson. If you are trying to fill a need, solve a problem or fix something, you have to know what the problem is. You get there by asking questions and listening for answers.

If you have a good solution, present it and are rejected, you can say thanks and leave or you can start asking more questions. Why? Why not? I don’t understand? Can I clarify a point? etc. You owe it to yourself to hang in with your prospect, probe for answers and keep probing until you get what you want or are asked to leave.

Software is the Answer

2010-07-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

Thirty or so years ago the emergence of the micro processor and the disc operating system brought computing to small business and to ordinary people. I remember my first IBM-PC like it was yesterday. Computers and software applications have come a long way since then. I now have more computing power in my Blackberry than it took to send Neil Armstrong to the moon.
For three decades I made a career of selling computer systems and application software to small businesses. It was a great career.

Software is Good Business

The way I figure it, I sold well over one thousand systems in a thirty year run. The reason businesses gave me money was that I showed them how buying software from me would solve business problems for them. Buy software from me (the computer hardware came with it most of the time) and solve a business problem, gain efficiency and save money. Nice.

An Easy Sale...Every Time

In the early 80’s I sold a lot of systems because accounting software modules were integrated. It went down something like this: The scene is a business office. A handful of accountants were at their desks with columnar pads, adding machines, desk lamps, pocket protectors, pencil sharpeners and green shaded visors on their heads. Their job was doing the “books”. The process was labor intense and mistake prone (thus the pencils).

Me: “If you write checks using my software they will print on a computer printer.”
Her: “Huh…what about my typewriter? I just got a case of ribbons.”
Me: “And, the check will automatically post to the General Ledger.”
Her: “What? Get out. You are kidding. No way. Louise, come over here and see this. You won’t believe it. What will they think of next? How can we get this? When can we have it?”

And so I did my part to extinguish the use of typewriters, columnar pads, desk lamps, shaded visors, and pocket protectors and made a great living while doing so.

No Looking Back

Software revolutionized the accounting profession and a lot of others. There was some thought in 1999 that we would have to go back to the old manual systems because of the millennium and two digit dates, but we made it through that scare and haven't looked back since. Those of you that know me will remember that I stocked up on food, water, wood and ammo. I just wasn’t sure. I didn’t want to take the chance that the power grid or other essential systems would fail. Anyway, except for the ammo, everything got consumed eventually. It’s really hard to use up bullets and shells.

What Did We Miss?

You would think that after all of these years and all of the applications that were developed that the software revolution would slow down. After all, every possible software application has been created and deployed. There is nothing left to automate. Not true. Not even close to being true.

And Then Came the Clouds

A while ago we added the Internet to the mix (thanks Al) and a whole new world of software applications from way up there in the clouds arrived to keep solving problems for us and to continue to make us happier.

Buy Software - Save Money

For instance, I have a friend who has software that can monitor your UPS and Federal Express bill to find out when and how you were overcharged. He saves his customers about 5% on their bill every week. There is some real tangible value in that code.

Buy Software - Save Time (Which is Also Money)

Another associate provides software as a service that scans the Internet for information on topics of great interest to you, packages it up in concise e-mail format and delivers it to you at pre-determined intervals. This software does a better job of searching for relevant content than you can and, of course, then you don’t have to spend your time searching endlessly for haystack needles of information in the big old world wide web. That software delivers value.

Problem Fixer

What business problem is bothering you? Is there some process that just isn’t working right at your place? If so, I can say with certainty that there is some software out there that will solve your problem(s).

Software is Good For You

I know that we’re in a recession. I know that you aren’t in a spending mood, but consider my proposition. A strategic software purchase can make things better, shrink processes and deliver efficiencies. Now as much as ever, software can make your organization stronger and better equipped to beat back the effects of the current economic climate. Think it over.

Software is the Answer.

Closing The Revenue Gap

2010-06-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

Consultants, particularly independent ones, face the same issues a start-up Entrepreneur has to deal with. They get work, they bill their client and at some point the engagement ends. They then have to hustle up another job. Sometimes it takes a while to get billable again. The gap in revenue is a scary and dangerous place to be.

Apply Pressure

I am against start-ups hiring salespeople too soon for a bunch of reasons already noted. The answer to keeping the revenue gap closed is for small business owners and consultants to continue prospecting for business at all times, including, and most importantly, during the billable periods.

Get Control

It takes discipline, great time management skills and a priority system to juggle your week, wear numerous hats and keep a sales pipeline full.

Be Faithful

My suggestion is to reserve some time to hunt for new business each week. Do it without fail and you will keep your income wheel turning. Specifically, make a commitment to do a number of business development activities each week, without fail.

Try Everything

Try writing a newsletter, writing a blog, sending out some mail, making some phone calls, attend relevant networking events, work a trade show, host a lunch and learn or even host a weekly Webinar. And, always speak to groups whenever possible.

Gap Closed

Once you get this system tuned up, you can make adjustments, depending on what is working for you. The most important thing is to spend some time each week on business development. If you faithfully continue prospecting, the next job will start when the last one ends.

Good Hunting!

Start-Ups: Don't Hire Salespeople

2010-06-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

Salespeople are the heart and soul of business. No sales calls = no sales. It’s hard to imagine a business growing and thriving without a competent sales force. More salespeople, making more sales calls, landing more orders is a formula for success. That is unless you are an Entrepreneur getting a start-up business off the ground.

Wait

My advice is to wait until your company is off the ground and running before entertaining the idea of building a sales force. There are a handful of reasons to be careful beefing up your sales department.

They Don’t Understand

First of all, most businesses are founded on a great idea. The great business idea is typically a byproduct of the founder’s subject matter expertise. Most start-ups know something that others don’t. They solve problems and are then paid to deliver their products or services. Over the last few years, I have worked with dozens and dozens of new businesses and most of the founders, owners, entrepreneurs do not understand the ins and outs of employing salespeople. They shouldn’t hire salespeople because they don’t know what they are getting into.

Risk

The risk facing a company when hiring salespeople early in the life of the enterprise is great. First of all, like other employees, they want to be paid. Unlike other employees, there is no guarantee that a salesperson will deliver a return on investment. An investment in recruiting, hiring, and training, equipping and managing a salesperson is a one that can backfire on a start-up company. The setback in money, time and lost opportunity could be fatal.

Disruption

When a salesperson is hired the first thing an entrepreneur will find out (the hard way) is that salespeople are needy. They will make work for their bosses. That’s just how it is. So, instead of relieving some of the workload burden they become extra burden on their time and checkbook. Again, not only will the entrepreneur be answering questions, asking questions, helping with proposals and running sales meeting with their new salesperson, i.e. doing it all themselves anyway, but there is still no guarantee that he or she will sell their products or services anytime soon, if at all.

Message

Unless a salesperson is schooled in the subject matter being sold, it is unlikely that they will be able to correctly tell the story or the value proposition. They won’t likely be able to answer questions and could probable get some facts distorted. Again a start-up business doesn’t need problems like this.

Later Than Sooner

Make some sales, get some traction, get off the ground and then hire salespeople.

Home Grown Tomatoes

2010-05-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

I took Friday off and planted my vegetable and flower garden.

Gardening Joy

There is something very special about taking a handful of seeds and watching them grow to become a robust crop of vegetable goodness that everyone enjoys and remembers. Guy Clark’s song “Homegrown Tomatoes” says it well. There is nothing as good as homegrown tomatoes. “There are only two things that money can’t buy…true love and homegrown tomatoes”. Yes, there is magic in a vegetable and flower garden.

Tradition

I am very grateful that my dad taught me how to grow a garden. I’m carrying on the tradition, but I am also passing it on to my children and grandchildren so that they can enjoy the experience and yummy fresh vegetable harvest. I’m hoping that they will continue the garden tradition with their children and grandchildren.

It's a Process

So, let’s see. You start with seeds, cultivate the ground, plant, fertilize, water, weed and watch the seeds grow into a plentiful harvest. If you do the right things at the right time your garden will be a success.

Just Like Sales

This story could easily be about selling. If you take a step back, you will see a lot of similarities between growing a garden and building a sales pipeline. If you follow a process, work hard and stay focused, you will be rewarded with a harvest of business.

Any Road

2010-05-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there” George Harrison.

I’ve gotten real tired of talk radio lately. I am even tried of music on the radio. It seems like they say or play the same old stuff over and over again. Garrison Keiller, where are you when I need you?

For my sanity, I started to dig out old CD’s from my cabinet. I have a stack of music that I haven’t heard in a while. Since I purchased this music, every CD represents something or someone I enjoyed hearing. I am delighted to have a cabinet full of happiness to help me on my way from stop to stop, now day-to-day.

Last week, I traveled with George Harrison’s “Brainwashed” in my car's CD player. The title of the first song was “Any Road”.

The message hit a nerve. The reason is simple. I continue to meet business people who really don’t have a handle on where they are going or how they are going to get there. The importance of a simple question that I ask, “When you arrive at your destination, where will you be?” was bolstered by George’s clever lyrics.

What bothers me is that too many people that I speak with don’t really have a workable game plan or even clear thoughts about what they really need to do, how they are going to do it and what the destination looks like. It’s sad.

If you really don’t know where you are going, please stop everything and get that question answered. When you do, you can get on a road that will take you there.

Your e-Mail Address

2010-04-17T05:36:00.000-07:00

The Equalizer

Everyone that has a website has a home page. They have one home page, just one. General Motors has one home page, I have one home page, and every website has one homepage, just one. That fact creates a default level playing field. Now, what we do with the rest of our websites can tilt the scales one way or another, but we all start out equal with one home page each.

I like the dynamics. I can be working at a table at my favorite Internet cafe sipping coffee, gazing out the window wearing shorts, a sweatshirt and tennis shoes and still be in the game with anyone because of my website and Home Page. That is cool.

An Active Community

I work with a lot of Entrepreneurs. I also work with many well established operations looking to scale up sales. I speak at public meetings, and have had the pleasure of speaking at Ann Arbor Spark, TechTown SmartStart and Kauffman FastTrac classes. I get around. I meet a lot of great people with great ideas and the energy and means to reach their business goals. It’s a great place to be.

The Problem

This is a real business image killer. More often than not, when I gather business cards at meetings, the Entrepreneurs have e-mail accounts at gmail.com, yahoo.com, Comcast.net and other public services. When I see e-mail addresses other than those from their business websites, I think “small time”. If you are working on your corporate image but still receive e-mail at a public e-mail service, you are working against yourself.

Change it Immediately

If you have a website and home page, I guarantee that your vendor can set up e-mail using your website address. If you have a website, get an e-mail address up and operational as soon as possible. If you don’t have a URL and website, you can get one up and running in minutes for as little as $10 a month.

Don’t Give Back

Please, your website creates and even playing field, don’t give it back by using a public e-mail service for your business.

Sales Burgers

2010-04-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in the mid-1980’s I was enlightened to learn about the consultative sales process. Someone gave me a Brian Tracy cassette tape and the message opened my eyes to something better. The beauty of consultative selling is that your prospect does the talking. You lead them along with probing questions and they will tell you what, why and when they are going to buy. This style is brilliant. I became a consultative salesperson at that moment and have never looked back.

The Way it Used to Be

I formally learned to sell based on an old fashion method of product demonstration, value building and a subsequent close. I learned this method in 1970 at a series of Dale Carnegie Sales Training classes. This method worked well when done right. The key to the success of the product demonstration system is to build a number of small cases for your product or service during your presentation to get your prospect saying yes. After a few yeses, you get to ask for the order. If they say no, overcome their objection(s) and start again. We refer to the key tool of this sales method as “Sales Burgers”.

Sales Burgers?

OK, a burger has three parts. A burger is two parts bread and one part meat. When making a sales presentation the three parts of the Sales Burger represent 1.) Feature 2.) Benefit 3.) Trial Close.

Here’s how it Works

Let’s assume you have cornered some innocent, unsuspecting victim who has no idea of what you are about to do to him (or her). For the sake of this posting let’s do a man-to-man event.

“Bob, I’m Dave from Acme Sales.”
Bob: “What? Who? Why?”
“If you have a moment I would like to talk to you about our new security device, a personal money protector, or PMP.”
Bob: “What?”

Get Ready, Get Set, Sell

Sales Burger # 1:

Feature: “Bob, have you ever carried a large sum of money on your body and worried that your pocket might be picked or you would lose your wallet and your money?”
Benefit: “That type of theft or loss can easily be stopped.”
Trial Close: “Wouldn’t that be a great relief?”
Bob: “Yes” (If he says, no, ask “why not” and bring out news articles and statistics to scare him)

Sales Burger # 2:

Feature:”Crooks are everywhere Bob.”
Benefit:”They can pick your wallet clean and you would never know until it was too late.”
Trial Close:”If I could show you and easy, inexpensive way to protect yourself from that kind of loss would you be interested in learning more?”
Bob: “Yes” (If he says no, you answer with “Why not” and let him defend his position. He’ll talk himself back into yes eventually)

Sales Burger # 3:

Feature:”Bob, our product is a money belt that you wear on your pants just like an ordinary belt. It has a zippered pocket on the inside that you put your valuables in.”
Benefit:”It would be next to impossible for a crook to know where your valuables are and even if they did, they would not be able to steal them.”
Trial Close:”Would a product like that put your mind at rest and give you peace of mind and security?”
Bob: “Yes”

The “For Real” Close

“OK Bob, what size waist do you have?”
Bob: “40 inches.”
“Would you prefer black, brown or one of each?”
Bob: “I would like one of each.”
“Will you pay with cash or credit?”
Bob “I’ll pay with cash.”
“Great I’ll write it up and from this moment forward your money and valuables will be a lot safer. You’ve made a great decision. Thanks. By the way, could I have the names of a few of your friends and associates that might be interested in speaking to me? Thanks again.”

My Challenge

Those sure were simpler times. The beauty of the “Sale Burger” process is that it really worked and still works. Have some fun, give it a try and find out for yourself how sales were made in the old days.

No Tricks Allowed

By the way, there is still no tricking or lying to people allowed in sales. The money belt or whatever your prospect buys from you represents real, tangible value and when they do buy they are better off. Remember, real salespeople solve problems and help others.

Don't Look Back

2010-03-06T09:58:00.000-08:00

All The Good Times Are Past and Gone

There is a song I heard years ago on Prairie Home Companion titled “All the good times have passed and gone” I liked the song. Great melody, great harmony, bad message.

Based on what happened in 2009, it would be easy to think that the best times are behind us. I’m just not buying it.

Incubating Recover

Between Wayne State University’s TechTown, Smart Start and FastTrack and Ann Arbor’s SPARK, I have met some terrific entrepreneurs with great ideas and real business potential. We are really lucky to have these organizations and their programs in our community. They are pumping out small businesses that are our future and are the basis for our recovery. These new businesses solve real problems and have tremendous growth and earnings potential.

My Personal Recovery

According to my business calendar, my personal recovery is in full swing. I am measurably busier in 2010 than I was in 2009. It’s just how it is.

We'll Be OK!

The message is clear to me. Things are getting better. Good times are still ahead of us. Just don’t look back.

Sales Tools to Consider in 2010

2010-01-27T08:18:00.000-08:00

It is the second decade of the 21st century. The economy is slow and business is a challenge. As we search for solutions, I suggest that we take another look at technology.

Technology, when optimized, can make our lives easier, more efficient and can deliver positive results. Most of us have computers, software, web sites and are technically hooked up. Or, are we? In reality, most of us are not getting the full benefit from our investment in technology.

The answer is to evaluate your existing systems and determine how you can improve usage, performance and results. I have been a CRM user for years, but continue to be amazed at features and functionality that I didn’t know about or did not use. I continue to press the envelope with my CRM, but have a feeling that there is a lot more that I can do with it.

An investment in technology that isn’t fully understood is not properly configured and improperly used is equivalent to leaving money on the table. I am fortunate to have a support system to keep my business technologies current and optimized. If you need a referral, contact me.

Cool Things to Consider in 2010

Video

An infomercial video could positively change things for your business. Of course, that is if it is well done. You would be surprised at how affordable a professionally produced short video can be. Once completed, it can be viewed from your website, can be burned to DVD and distributed and can even be a hyper link on your e-mail signature line. If you have a great message, a professional video infomercial can put you over the top in 2010.

Audio

The next best thing to video is an audio commercial that can also run from your website, can be distributed on disc and can be hyperlinked to your e-mail signature. A professionally written and produced audio commercial will make your phone ring.

CRM

You may currently use a form of CRM software to manage your database and your business, but I can assure you that few salespeople or businesses are getting the maximum benefit from CRM. Ramping up the use of your current CRM or moving to a more powerful CRM platform will pay big rewards. I suggest a CRM assessment. This is clearly a “you don’t know what you don’t know” issue.

The Internet

Like CRM, most salespeople or businesses are not getting the most from the Internet, although they have made some type of investment. The World Wide Web is a terrific business tool that needs to be optimized for your business.

Websites

A great website, full of features and functionality provides a competitive advantage to sales and business. A poorly engineered, dated, website (or no website) can and will work against you. This isn’t about spending the most money; it is about getting the best website and outcomes for you and your company.

Internet Marketing Tools

Internet marketing tools, like the one I use to deliver this newsletter to you, are powerful outreach systems that can be used and managed by ordinary people and produce extraordinary results, including analytic reports that help you determine who responds to your message. An important consideration is ease of use and its ability to work with your CRM. This is a very important consideration.

Web Analytics

Web Analytics provide you with valuable information, business intelligence about who, when and why people visit your website. Analytics are your Internet website’s eyes and ears. There is some skill required to set up analytics. Once in place, analytics are easy to use and deliver valuable business intelligence.

E-Commerce

If you sell products, e-commerce is a good move. Selling things on the Internet is a main stream thing to do in 2010. There isn’t any down side. The Internet is always open for business and has no practical limits. If linked to your accounting and inventory control software e-commerce is a powerful, optimized business tool to increase sales and grow your business. This option will work best with the guidance of a trusted advisor.

Inventory Control Software

If selling products, the three things that most companies have in common are lack of tight inventory control, disparate business systems and are unsure of their cost of doing business. Get help to evaluate and fix these three prevalent business problems. An investment here can potentially deliver big returns. Making money is about selling more, but it is also about running a better operation.

Ad Words, Pay-Per-Click

This will take more than a paragraph to explain, but there is a way to attract buyers to your website by bidding and paying when Internet surfers click on your words and visit your website. This is very tricky and can be a disaster, but when correctly implemented “Ad Words” can drive a lot of business.

Social Media Sites

Last, but not least…social media is quickly emerging as an important tool for personal and business communication and promotion. Surveys tell us that LinkedIn is the best tool for business development. It’s a business to business tool to meet new people and leverage your existing relationships. It’s free and easy to use.

In Summary

I could go on, but won’t. If you are determined to make 2010 your best business year in memory, consider upgrading your technology tools and systems. And by all means don’t try to do it on your own. There a lot of educated and experienced professionals who are ready, willing and able to help you. Take advantage of the help.

What is Your Problem?

2009-12-03T06:22:00.000-08:00

You have problems. I have problems. We all have problems.

The Best Problems

There are a lot of problems we face that can be collectively solved if we focus on one or two problems.

Become a Problem Solver

OK, no fooling, if you solve problems for others you will be compensated. The compensation is usually money. Money is often the solution to many of our personal problems and can make many of yours go away.

How it Works

There are things that you know about, can do or deliverables that others will give you money for. Once you determine who needs your product or service, you can contact them and explain to them how they will be better off for dealing with you. If you both agree to work together and after this fair exchange of value occurs, both of you will be better off. You have solved a problem and your client gave you money. You use the money to solve problems of your own.

Become a Professional Problem Solver

Solving other people’s problems is what selling is really about.

Basic Sales Truths Work in Real Life

2009-11-23T11:45:00.000-08:00

I flew to Iowa last Thursday

I spent a long week-end in the Quad cities.

I went to see my daughter and her family. Her husband was transferred last year. He was told to move or lose his job. Nice. They have three beautiful children that I haven’t seen in months. Boy 9, girl 7, girl 4. They are precious cargo and I am greatly blessed for the chance to spend quality time with them.

No Surprises

We had a happy and loving reunion. The kids have grown and had a lot to show and tell me.

Until...

As we settled down for the evening it was me and the three children on the big couch hugging and watching television. I was in a good place to be. That is until they put the “Veggie Tales” in the DVD player.

If you aren’t familiar with “Veggie Tales, The Dance of the Cucumber”, it is an animate movie about a Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato who sing and play with other vegetables. Not my idea of how to spend an evening.

I had to make a quick decision. Should I watch the singing vegetables and have my grand kids hug my neck for two hours or leave and watch the History Channel in the other room. The decision was not even close. Hugs and vegetables won, hands down.

The Lesson

This is a sales classic. According to Zig Ziglar, “You can get anything you want if you give others what they want”. I wanted hugs and kisses and paid a very small price to get a big return. They wanted hugs and kisses and the Veggie Tales. That was a win-win. It is a great example of the truth we face daily as professional salespeople.

Thanks to Larry and Bob

Passion for Selling

2009-09-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

Fuel For Success

One thing the great ones have in common is a passion for selling. Passion for selling provides extra energy, focus, durability and the will to win.

We all have extra interest in the things we really care about. That includes the people we love, the fun things we do and, hopefully, how we spend our time earning a living. That extra interest fuels our passion for the things that makes us happy. It generates the drive and the focus we need to chase our dreams, accomplish our goals and live happy lives.

In sales, there are a few elements that generate the passion required to win.

We Like It

First of all we must like being in sales. We are problem solvers who like to engage, learn, understand and deliver solutions to our prospects and customers. While doing so, we have to fight off our competitors. We struggle to outwit, outplay and outlast our rivals. If this is fun you, you’ve got some passion.

We Believe

Next, we can build and maintain passion for selling if we sell a product or service that we believe in for a company that we are proud to represent. It’s difficult to be selective these days, but picking the right environment matters. If you are in a bad place with a bad product and a company that you don’t believe in it is difficult to keep the passion for selling meter in the right place.

Our Rewards

Finally, the rewards for success in sales are worth the effort and can generate and maintain a passion for selling. In sales, when you do well you are highly compensated, awarded and admired by many. There is nothing that will fuel passion for selling more than getting results and making money.

The Lesson

If you have passion for selling you are or will soon become a force to be reckoned with.

Careers in Sales - You Can Sell

2009-08-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

Selling is Essential

Our economy is and has forever been driven by sales. All commerce involves sales transactions being made. If sales were suspended the day-to-day business world as we know it would grind to a halt. All employment, in any category, is created and supported by sales revenue. No sales = no jobs for anyone. That makes salespeople pretty important and absolutely necessary to business and industry.

Workers in the blue and white collar workforce deliver the products and services sold to end users by salespeople. These people work for companies and fill positions for the purpose of fulfilling sales contracts. All workers are trained either formally or on the job to do their part to get the job done.

There is Another World Out There

Many workers are unaware of the parallel universe, an army of others, who sell what they produce or sell products or services to them in support of their jobs. Accountants buy accounting software, computer hardware, business forms, and books, attend classes, and require support services for their systems. There are dozens of different jobs that support accounting and accountants. On the other hand, public accountants sell their services to other businesses. Likewise, there are many similar opportunities in health care, engineering, government, manufacturing, distribution and in all other categories of business and industry. There is no end to opportunities for employment in sales.

It's a Very Big Space

For example, there are a large number of sales transactions that are made, in the manufacture of an automobile…before cars leave the showroom. The actual sale of an automobile is the climax of a string of sales that can be traced back to the real estate salesperson who sold the land to the mine that dug up the iron ore that eventually became steel for the car’s frame. Think it over. Every raw material, transportation, tool, process, facility, every sales transaction that happened in the process of manufacturing an automobile could number many hundreds. There are probably more sales made than can be documented. The great news is that as part of every sale a salesperson was involved and compensated.

Just Talk the Talk

So, there are hundreds of thousands of sales jobs that sell to people like you, companies like yours. Who fills those jobs? People like you, with the knowledge and skill set like yours, sell to people like you. If you are a medical laboratory technologist, there are dozens of people who sell to you. Salespeople in this space know their customer’s job…they can talk the talk. They can easily discuss reagents, photometers, culture media, and the hundreds of other categories of supplies and equipment that support a medical laboratory. Guess what? Every product or service has multiple vendors for each and they all employ dedicated salespeople.

Sales Jobs Go Begging

You can sell. Sales jobs are out there looking for people. Companies are hiring ambitious people who understand their products or services and are willing and able to learn their sales processes. There are many different types of sales jobs and different ways to conduct day-to-day business, but in every case the high level goal is to call on customers and prospective customers, uncover their needs, fill their needs, and while doing so, make sales transactions.

Top Earnings Potential

Successful salespeople are highly compensated. Because selling is a career that offers no practical limits salespeople can advance to “professional” status by learning how to behave and by working hard. Think about people you know who are in sales. The good ones do pretty well financially. The great ones earn great money and live like other professionals…doctors, lawyers and business owners and executives.

Not Too Hard...In Theory

Selling is not too complicated. In a very basic way sales jobs require you to meet new friends and get to know them and their needs. Salespeople fill the needs of their customers. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale said: “Find a need and fill it.” That is simple enough. Another great definition of the sales process came from Mark Thelen. Mark noted that “Selling is activity based on a fair exchange of value. After the transaction, both parties are better off.” What could be a better way to spend a career than fairly exchanging value with nice people who need your products or services?

Consider A Sales Career

Anyone who is out of work, displaced and searching for a new career should consider a career is sales. There are many types of sales positions in various categories, but they all offer opportunities for unemployed or under employed to get a fresh start and earn a good to great living.

Salespeople Need Courage

2009-08-08T12:42:00.000-07:00

Long ago I learned that courage is a key element of a successful sales career.

What is there to be afraid of in sales?

Other than the potential for an angry prospect or customer to give you a tough time, there doesn’t seem to be much to be afraid of. Then why is courage an attribute of success? Salespeople need courage to address and overcome more subtle challenges that we all face on a continuing basis.

Rejection

Rejection was my biggest personal hurdle. I was afraid of failure for the first few years of my career. I was afraid to be turned down by prospects or customers. Rejection was embarrassing and humiliating. It became such a problem for me that I stopped calling on busy customers so that if I was turned away or told no that others would not witness the humiliation. Once I recognized that my career would be over if I couldn’t overcome fear, I became determined to suck it up and make those calls anyway, under any circumstances. I was still nervous, but I did what I had to do anyway. Having courage to fight through my fear saved my sales career.

Competition

If something is worthwhile, a good product or service to sell, a money maker, you can be sure that there will be serious competition. Competition used to make me nervous. It was hard to sit in a waiting room staring down the guy or girl who wanted to beat me. At some point I decided that I was going to stand up to competition and fight to win every time, always. I studied my competition. I learned about them, their strengths and weaknesses. I worked at being better than the competition. My funniest incident happened one day when a strong competitor drove in the customer’s parking lot behind me. No kidding, I actually ran from the car to the door and was seen first. First come first served. I got over worrying about competitors and decided to win baby win.

Change

Just about the time you get control of your career and get in a groove, things seem to change. No, things always change. Change can be our friend if we understand and adapt to it. We need courage to step into unknown territory, away from the security of what we know, our comfort zones. Winners don’t worry about change and winners don’t procrastinate when change arrives. They continue to learn about, adapt to and master changes that others withdraw from or ignore. The reality is that those who aren’t courageous enough to change will fail.

Security

Have you ever worried about your job, your security? Sure you have. We all have. With house payments, car payments, kids to raise and a lifestyle to maintain I used to worry about my future constantly. What if my industry changed? (It did), what if my employer faltered? (It did) What if? What if? What if? If you can’t live in the insecure world of sales, you won’t make it. When I began to realize that my career security was based on the skills and work habits I developed, I stopped worrying. I started to believe in myself. Our reality is that as producing sales professional we are totally employable. All companies need sales and that requires talented salespeople. Need a job? Get the word out and the phone will ring. The good news is that you provide your own career security and are immune from outside factors. Stop worrying.

The Lesson

Over time, I have conditioned myself to overcome my fears to deal with rejection, competition and change. “No” became “Non-Yes”. Competitors were left behind in the dust and change became my friend…a welcome opportunity to establish a competitive advantage. I stopped worrying about career security. It stopped being a problem.

Practical Application

A few weeks ago I was kicked out of a building by a big guy who decided he didn’t want to talk to me after all and wanted me out of his office immediately. He was a former Marine Staff Sergeant (evidenced by lots of stuff on his office walls), so I willingly left right away. Once in the parking lot I checked and did not have any visible bumps or bruises. My feelings were not even hurt. As a forty year veteran salesperson in the field, and at sixty-two years of age, I had again been severely rejected by a prospective customer. My attitude was “So what, next?”

In Hindsight

I should have qualified that guy a little better.

Mind Over Matter

2009-07-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

A Favorite Song of Mine

“Mind over Matter” was one of my favorite songs when I was a teenager. Nolan Strong and the Diablos made it a hit. It was an early Motown sound. The song wasn’t about selling, but the message is still relevant.

Looking for Answers

I continue to interview business owners, sales managers and salespeople who are looking for answers. Our economy has collapsed, particularly in Michigan. The sales pie is smaller and selling has never been more competitive.

The Dots Don’t Connect

One thing that many of my clients and prospective clients have in common is that they don’t have much structure in their professional lives. By structure, I mean there are few or no formal sales processes or procedures in place. A lot of people out there are winging it. This is a bad economy to be “winging it” in.

Structure Rules

I teach sales strategies, tools and tactics. There is a lot of best practices information available for salespeople and managers these days. Books, magazines, tapes, DVD’s, seminars, webinars, and private consultations tell the story of what to do and how to do it. If you don’t have a budget for training materials, go to the library. The library is free. Getting things right and keeping them that way is a real case of “Mind over Matter”.

Will You or Won’t You?

Will you? Will you seek out answers to gain a competitive advantage by bringing structure to your careers? And, once enlightened, will you do it? Will you consistently work on maintaining structure in your day-to-day sales world? Can you maintain the level of self discipline required to tighten up and focus on getting the most out of your time and effort? Maybe you can and maybe you can’t.

Is The Answer...Hypnotism?

OK, keep reading. Don’t leave me quite yet.

A year or so ago I attended a networking luncheon. It is a regular event that I enjoy. The luncheon features good food, good fellowship and interesting speakers (for the most part). The speaker that day was a Hypnotist. After lunch and during her lecture, she proceeded to hypnotize most of the people in the room. I cheated and watched everyone else in the room from a slightly opened eye. The imaginary balloon on their right hand lifted most right hands in the room. The imaginary heavy rock in their left hand had many breathing hard and struggling to keep their hand level. It caused me to ask a few questions.

I asked the Hypnotist if her services would be useful to sales organizations. Could she condition salespeople to do the right things and avoid doing the wrong things? She said it was possible. Hmmmmm! That would also be an example of “Mind over Matter”.

No Brain Games

The concept fascinates me. It is out of the box. It makes me chuckle. Will I recommend it? No…I don’t thing so.

Your Second Most Valuable Career Asset

2009-06-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

Time...Your Most Valuable Asset

If you optimize your time you will increase your productivity and make more sales and more money. If you don’t respect your time it will work against you. Other than your time, there are a couple of other important assets that salespeople need to manage.

Your Database

Your second most important asset is your database. A clean, updated database of your customers, prospects, vendors and colleagues is a most valuable tool of the sales professional.
In the “old days” we maintained and accessed our database by using business card holders in loose leaf binders, Rolodex or 3 x 5 card boxes with tabs for dates, month, the alphabet, or address books. These systems worked reasonably well but did leave a lot to be desired. The data could not interact, it was not relational and could not produce reports of any kind.
Computer software has replaced these manual systems.

Database Management Software

The current acronym for database management software is CRM. CRM stands for Client Relationship Management. CRM not only hosts your database but manages database activities. Letters, labels, e-mails, calendars, meetings, phone calls, tasks and many other functions are organized and streamlined by CRM. CRM is a one-stop productivity tool that puts your database to work for you.

Here’s the Rub

You have to use the software and keep your database current to get the most value out of this important asset. Salespeople are notorious for not keeping their database management systems and data fresh. A well maintained database housed in a powerful CRM software system is a big advantage when used correctly and faithfully.

The Irony

The irony is that a database management system is the best tool to optimize your time. Go figure.

Time is Your Most Valuable Asset

2009-06-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

A lot of elements factor into a successful sales career. In my opinion, the most important factor, by far, is management of your time.

Time Never Stops

The clock is constantly running and can’t be turned back. Time spent is gone forever. Time wasted is opportunity lost. In sales, time optimization is a skill understood and employed by top producers.

Manage Your Time

Here are a few tips to get control of your time and set the stage for increase sales, income, and status and career success.

Document

Keep a diary of your time. It doesn’t matter what you use to document how you spend your time. It is most important to get as detailed as possible. The more you document over the longest period, the better you will be able to get an accurate picture of how you spend your time. If you are like most salespeople, you will be taken back by all of the wasted time. Wasted time is opportunity lost.

Categorize

After you complete your diary, one or more days of activities, the first thing you should do is to categorize the things you did. Make a list. Put things in categories, by type. Prioritize each category and sort them in order from most important to least important. Hint: My most important activity is receiving deposits for signed sales orders. If you can do it in an Excel spreadsheet it will be easier to manipulate the list.

Prioritize

Begin to schedule your time according to you priority list. As a sales professional, any opportunity you have to be in front of a qualified prospect making a sale takes priority over everything else in your day. As a rule of thumb, if you can choose between checking your e-mail and making a sales call, in person, you know what to do. More often than not, the e-mail will not produce revenue, the sales presentation can.

Prime Selling Hours

Prime selling hours are the hours your prospective customer is available to meet with you and buy your products or services. Honor prime selling hours by doing non-selling tasks during non-prime selling time. When I called on hospital purchasing departments, prime selling hours were 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM. Hospital purchasing agents and buyers were available to meet and buy things during those hours. At 3:31 PM they went home. So, prime selling hours were easy to understand and honor. What amazed me was the number of empty seats in the purchasing waiting room in the early morning. What are prime selling hours in your business?

Geography

Long drives, between sales calls, used to be completely dead time. When cassette tape players became available we gained the option of listening to training or motivational tapes. It let us learn something while driving. When cell phones were introduced, the car became an extension of the office. I make most of my business calls in the car, on my cell phone, while driving from call to call, meeting to meeting. If I could keep only one tool of the trade it would be my cell phone. Still, in spite of the improvements in the tools of the trade, it is imperative to schedule your appointments with drive times in mind. Sometimes it isn’t possible to do, but I recommend that your make an effort to clump your calls together for drive time efficiency. Since you are the one asking for the appointments, ask for a day and time that is most convenient for you. More often than not, your prospect or customer will accommodate you.

Take Charge

Conquer and control your time and optimize this essential tool of success. As a professional salesperson, effective time management is your most valuable personal asset.

Next Time:

Another high value professional asset…

America is Still Standing Tough and Proud

2009-06-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

Anyone who doesn’t acknowledge that we are having difficult times is out of touch or in denial. Or, they could be tough, experienced sales bangers who don’t give up and continue to compete in spite of the conditions around them and the barriers that they face.

Bull Dogs

Hard working, hard charging, relentless sales professionals are slow to give in to prevailing conditions. Some of my most revered sales brothers and sisters are like punch drunk fighters who continue to throw punches and land blows while enduring furious punishment and setbacks.

We Can Handle It

Rejection, failure and setbacks are part and parcel of the day-to-day world of selling. We get it, we deal with it. Sometimes I think we (the career sales guys and girls) have some wires crossed. Someone once said that “What doesn’t kill you will make you strong”. I tend to agree.

Am I Wrong?

Am I wrong to think that there has never been a better opportunity for salespeople to take the economy on and beat it back into shape? Am I wrong? I believe we can do it. This is personal for me.

Do Good, Feel Good

I have dedicated a big portion of my life training, coaching and mentoring salespeople. I am helping them get back on track. It seems like its happening one person at a time. That’s OK. At the end of the day, if one person is better equipped to earn a living and “make it”, I am deeply satisfied.

Self Promotion

Calling myself “The Sales Mechanic” seems to be self-promoting. Sales Mechanics is a term I use. My material, my training, is based on what I refer to as the “Nuts and Bolts of Selling”…“What to do and how to do it”. The reality of being “The Sales Mechanic”, when the dust clears, is the incredible rush I get from giving others ideas and tips that help them make sales and secure their lives. In reality, helping people is a very humbling experience. A mission?

Competitive Feedback

I get a lot of negative energy from competitive sales training and sales support organizations. One well known player in the field refered to me and my material as junk. My partner, Judd Seida, loves it. He sees the backlash from competitors as the highest level of endorsement and validation. I never thought that I needed validation, but I see his point. I try to never talk bad about competitors…or anyone, for that matter.

It’s My Book

I walk the walk. Unlike most of my peers in the sales training, coaching and mentoring space, my material is my material. I lived the life. The strategies, tools and tactics I teach are a result of my life’s experiences. I’m not reading someone else’s book.

Say What You Do, Do As You Say

I contacted over 500 new friends today…organizations, both public and private. I offered my programs and services to help them, their members and clients. Since there is only one me, and one Judd, I’m confident that I (we) will fill our docket and will help people survive and thrive, one person at a time. That is good. Life is good.

Part Time Sales Manager

2009-06-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

I was hired earlier this year to serve as a part time sales manager for a computer systems integrator in a vertical market. They sell turn key Point-of-Sale systems to specialty retailers. I have known my client, Randy, for decades. He and his company are very successful and have been in the business for over twenty-five years.

Raw Material

The sales team consisted of two young men who were eager to sell computer systems and make good money. One had been on the job for six months, or so, while the other had only been on board for a few weeks. They were still both pretty green, but seemed to have the right stuff to become successful. They were intelligent, motivated and willing to learn what it took to become a sales professional.

A Success Formula

My belief, acquired over a lifetime of managing salespeople, is that a balanced blend of activity, skill and knowledge is a formula for success in sales. My job was to work closely with these young men to assess, evaluate, train, mentor and manage them. I was asked to make sure they had a clear understanding of what was expected of them; provide clear instructions on what to do and how to do it, and then manage them and measure their progress, making correction along the way.

Part Time Sales Management

My job was well defined. I was asked to work with the men once a week. I arrived every Monday morning and met with them individually and collectively. At the end of the morning the owner joined us for a summary and update session. This was a terrific engagement for me and allowed my client to offload the job of sales management so he could run his company. My goal was to help a friend and client, teach ambitious young people how to sell and succeed, to earn some personal income and have the rest of the day and week to work on other things.

Unintended Outcome

This engagement resulted in an unintended outcome that surprised me. After a few weeks the newest hire abruptly quit. He decided that he did not want to be in sales anymore. I was surprised. Looking back, I guess the certainty of having to interact with me every Monday morning was more than he could deal with. I held his feet to the fire. He had to report on his activity from the previous week, in detail. He had to provide me with his plan for the upcoming week, along with names of prospects, the value of sales proposals and the probability and timeline for booking sales. Being accountable was apparently too much for him. Waaaah.

It Was OK

Randy was taken back by the resignation. After a short and rational discussion it was clear that sales guy number one did not have what it took to succeed and that he did the company a favor by leaving. The good news was that there still was a great kid on the job who I could focus my mentoring on and show how to become a top producer.

The Second Shoe

No kidding, within a month or so, the remaining guy resigned. This left the company without a dedicated sales resource. That ended my sales management engagement. It was good while it lasted…I guess. I mean, from the surface, it looks like I was hired to help and then ultimately wiped out the department. Can I paint in a positive way?

The Outcome

Well, surprisingly, Randy is very happy. He is saving a lot of money on salespeople who did not sell. He is relieved from the anxiety associated with having to write checks to employees without a payback and with the uncertainty of if and when the return on investment will happen. His bottom line quickly got a lot better along with his peace of mind.

The New Way

When the dust settled we implemented some cool lead generating programs that don’t require a lot of his time. He has personally taken over the duties of meeting with and selling highly qualified leads. I spoke with him this afternoon. He couldn’t be happier.

The Cleaner

I had cleaned out the sales team. I wasn’t mean or mad. I did exactly what my client asked me to do which was to evaluate, train, coach, mentor and manage his sales team. I did hold their feet to the fire, but it was just tough love.

A New Service

One of my associates thinks that I should offer a new service. The service will be referred to as “Cleaning”. The object would be to go to work for companies doing exactly what I did for Randy. The outcome would be to “clean” or “purge” those who don’t care, aren’t working or are not suited for selling. The cleaning or purging would happen organically when non-producers become accountable. They will just quit.

Don’t Worry

If you are a salesperson and someone like me shows up to evaluate, coach and manage you, don’t worry. You have nothing to worry about if you are working hard and smart getting measurable results and feeding back good information to management. My most sincere desire is that you succeed. Failure is not a feather for anyone’s cap.

Beat the Bear

2009-06-08T07:24:00.000-07:00

Old School and New School

My friend, Judd Seida, and I are traveling around Michigan hosting marketing and sales events. We are an interesting team. I am at the end of a long and rewarding career in sales and he is a young Internet marketing wizard out on the edge of technology. Judd helps sales people master and leverage the Internet to gain and maintain a competitive advantage. I’m not selling myself or my input short. Its one thing to build a massive pipeline of qualified sales leads. It is a different story turning leads into business. Converting qualified leads into sales is where I come in.

Empty Seats

We have yet to have a crowd at our events. We seem to fill a small conference room everywhere we go, but we have yet to sell out and have never turned people away. Why not? Times are tough. The business “pie” is smaller than ever. Competition has stiffened up. We have ideas. We have tips. We have answers. Our programs are very affordable. Why don’t we draw crowds?

The Answer

The answer is no different that it was during good times. In the sales profession some people do well, most don’t. Those that don’t are either uninformed, don’t care or aren’t suited for sales. Either way, spending a few hours and dollars for an informative and motivational marketing and sales event doesn’t seem like a valuable investment to them. Of course, I disagree.

Who Attends Our Events?

Winners attend. Am I surprised? No, I am not surprised at all. When we put a sales event together the sales people who attend are almost always at the top of their game or on the way up and looking for something to grab onto to lift them to the next plateau. When I ask my students if they have had sales training, either formal or informal, just about all have been formally trained. They know much of what we teach, but universally appreciate the review and the fresh information about how to leverage the new and emerging strategies, tools and tactics to their advantage. They also appreciate the opportunity to spend time and share information with like minded sales professionals in the audience.

The Bear

You don’t have to outrun the bear. All you have to do is outrun the guy or girl running next to you. Get an edge. Learn strategies, tools and tactics to beat your competition and beat the Bear.

Converting Sales Leads into Sales

2009-05-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Judd Seida is one of my closest business associates. His company, http://www.biz-hive.net/ provides online marketing services to business and industry. Judd and I partner in the 2009 Success Express series of sales and marketing seminars and workshops. (http://www.successexpressmi.com/) My topic, material and presentation is all about selling. Judd teaches online and emerging marketing tools and tactics. We’re a good team where marketing and sales “old school meets new school”.

New School Tools

Most of us have been exposed to new, emerging web prospecting tools like Ad-Words, Ad-Sense, Analytics, Blogs, organic search engine optimization and social networks like Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter and others. Some of us are using these tools to meet people, develop relationships and to do business.

Using the Tools

What I have learned from Judd, as we roll the Success Express around Michigan, is that, like anything else we do, there is a wrong way, a right way and a better way to use Internet tools to generate business. The Success Express is all about employing the best marketing and sales practices.

We Deliver

In the real world, Judd’s customers are getting more bang for their marketing dollars. Their web tools are properly set-up, tuned up, working as designed and delivering results. More traffic is attracted to their websites (more hits) and more prospective customers are being identified and qualified. This is a great story. Company hires Biz-Hive, Company increases Internet traffic. Company qualifies more sales leads. Big sales pipeline is being managed and growing.

We Have a Problem

Back to the real world: Not all of these clients are able to convert these quality leads into sales. Incredibly, many of them just don’t know how to sell. They don’t have sales processes and procedures defined and in place. No sales strategies, tools or tactics exist. They don’t understand or employ essential sales skills. Some don’t even have dedicated salespeople on staff.

Marketing and Sales are Different

I’m sorry that I have to do this. Marketing activities are about lead generation and qualification. Selling is the art and science of converting sales leads into sales.

The Answer?

Sales skills, like marketing tools and tactics can be taught and can be learned. If you find yourself in a similar situation…leads but no sales, get some help. Call a good salesperson and talk to them. Share your story. Ask for advice. Or, go to the library and check out books and tapes on selling. Tom Hopkins is my favorite. Or, rent Glengarry Glen Ross. Unconverted leads were an issue discussed in the movie.

Commercial Break

Or…attend an upcoming 2009 Success Express seminar and workshop. Judd and I present proven strategies, tools and tactics for both marketing and sales. Fill your sales pipeline and close sales.

Our Places or Yours

The venues, dates and details of the 2009 Success Express are listed on my website, http://www.davebilbrey.com/ and at http://www.successexpressmi.com/. If you can’t attend our public meetings, call us and we will bring the Success Express to you.

Good Hunting!

You Are A Tool

2009-05-18T07:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, if you are in sales, you are a tool. You are the most important tool of all.

Tools Of The Trade

We spend a lot of time acquiring, learning and using various tools that help us in our day-to-day activities. These are helpful things that maintain prospect and customer lists, create and manage outbound sales and marketing activities and other related tasks. These tools of the trade include an array of electronic gadgets, software and the power of the Internet.

Tools From The Good Old Days

What sales tools did we use in the “good old days”? We didn’t have many tools to rely on other than ourselves. Let’s see…We didn’t have computers. We didn’t have cell phones. What did we have? Well, we had business cards and change in our pockets for phone booths. If we were at our desk we had a phone and the Yellow pages. We had a yellow pad and a file or a plastic three ring holder to collect and business cards.

My First Tickler File

My first sales tool that mattered was a neat 3 x 5 card holder that helped organize my day, week, month and year. The box had tabs for the days, 1 – 31, and months, January through December. It also had A-Z tabs. By moving the cards around, I knew who to call on and when. This manual system worked great. It made sure that I never missed an appointment or phone follow-up. The best thing is that it cost about $5 and it didn’t need to be power or Internet access.

Why We Load Up On Sales Tools

We equip ourselves with a variety of sales tools to help us sell more and to make more money. But, what is the outcome of a successful e-mail campaign or a blog posting that rocks? How do Ad words, a landing page and a white paper advance our bottom line? That’s easy. The tools of the trade are good at getting your prospect’s attention and for qualifying opportunities. They help you generate, qualify and manage prospects, but they don’t make the sale, unless you are selling commodities on a web store. You have to convert the leads into sales. You. In person.

The Sales Tool You Can’t Do Without

It’s you. You are the ultimate sales tool. You are the boss of your sales career. Bottom line: You close the business. Everything else you use is in support of helping you get in front of prospects and converting them into customers.

The One And Only You

There isn’t much out there in the form of sales tools that are exclusive to anyone. As things change, and they always seem to, you can’t and won’t have an exclusive on any sales gadget or system. If you do, it won’t be for long. No, the real advantage that you have in the sales game is you. You can be better than your competitors and can maintain an advantage by being the best sales tool you can be. Really.

Go Straight...Straight Commission

2009-05-14T07:09:00.000-07:00

Sales Jobs in Tough Times

A lot of good salespeople are on the street these days, looking for employment during the tough economic times we are experiencing. Under normal conditions, it would be hard to accept the economy as a reason for seasoned sales men and women to be unemployed. Excuses have never been acceptable in the tough competitive world of selling.

Things are Different

It seems that I hear from someone who has been let go from their sales job just about every day. It continues to amaze me. There seems to be a large segment of the corporate world that is contracting as fast as they can get it done. They are rushing to or are already in survival mode. Once a decision is made that there are no buyers buying, the sales team becomes most vulnerable and most expendable. I, like a minority of others, believe that now is the most critical time for companies to push for new sales, possibly in new industries or segments, but the current rule seems to be to cut overhead by shrinking the sales department.

A Ton of Talent

There are a lot of educated, experienced and talented sales professionals looking for work because of our once in a lifetime economic slowdown. I can’t hold someone at fault for failing to produce sales in an industry or segment that is in free fall. When I think of how far our domestic automobile industry has fallen and will continue to fall and the resulting cascading effect of thousands and thousands of suppliers, and the services and support resources that rely on them, it makes me very concerned.

We’ve Been Spoiled

As productive sales professionals we’ve had it good over the decades. We really made a lot of money and benefits and have been living high. We have enjoyed salaries, bonuses, incentives of every type and have consistently been among the highest earners at our companies. We earned it.

Things Changed

On the subject of sales compensation, things have changed and may never be the same again. I suspect that the days of substantial salaries and other “up front” or front loaded sales compensation plans have gone away and will stay away. A lot of companies are hurting and are financially fragile. That is the reality of business today. They would love to have a strong sales team on the street fighting for business in the smaller market available today, but they just can’t underwrite the cost of maintaining a sales department that is not making numbers or is non-productive.

Need a Sales Job?

My friends and colleagues, who have lost their sales jobs, are competing in a very tough job market for the positions that are hiring. Some of the jobs are positions beneath what they were doing and offer much less in compensation. It’s a problem. Many of them are not getting hired because their requirements are high and they aren’t budging.

Earn What You Earn

I’m helping coach a Little League Baseball Team. My grandson is playing and I enjoy being there and helping coach the kids. One of the dads who help coach the team has been with a medical device manufacturer for twenty-six years…on straight commission. I was a medical supply salesman for twelve years and forget that I was indeed on straight commission. I was paid a percentage of what I sold. The job was great, I made money. The pay plan was equitable and had no effective limits on earnings. My coach friend confirmed that, for the most part, health care sales compensation is still performance based. Sell more, make more.

Job Hunters: Change Your Thinking

My advice is a little bit tricky. If you are looking for a sales position, it’s a good idea to look in an industry that isn’t distressed. America is still open for business. Commerce still happens every day. If you really anxious to get back to work and if you are confident in you ability to sell, why not change your thinking? Why not consider applying for a commission based position? A position where pay is based on results? The fact is that if you hold out for big salaries and perks you might be holding out for a very long time.

Sales...A Great Profession

2009-05-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

What’s Not to Like About Selling?

After almost 40 years in the field I can say without a doubt that selling is the greatest profession of them all. I've talked about a lot of negatives associated with sales. They include challenges like hard work, competition, rejection, change and instability that face salespeople on a daily basis. But on the other hand, there is a tremendous upside to the sales profession that puts it in a class of its own.

Skills are Industry Transferable.

Sales skills are industry transferable. Technology changes and companies come and go, but the fundamentals of selling remain the same. Sure, there are new tactics tools strategies that modify behavior and results of sales activities, but in my opinion, if you can sell widgets, you can sell do-dads. Productive salespeople are always employable.

No Limits

What excites most productive salespeople and motivates them to excellence is the fact that there are no practical limits on their earnings. Sure, some sales jobs are salary based in with bonus, quotas and other rules of compensation, but when the dust settles, salespeople are paid what they're worth. If not, the move on or are terminated. I have yet to hear an owner, manager or an executive ever tell a salesperson to slowdown. Salespeople exist to generate business and revenue and no rationally thinking business executive would ever slow down a productive salesperson.

Freedom

Most salespeople enjoy freedom that is not shared by others in the workforce. Something as simple as being able to drive to the bank or stop for coffee or to plan your day is taken for granted by salespeople. That freedom would be very precious factor to most working people. Arriving at the same office or cubicle or desk or shipping counter and doing the same exact thing every day for 40 years would have not made me happy. I have always valued the freedoms inherent with my outside sales jobs.

New Friends

An attribute of most successful salespeople, is their eagerness and ability to meet and deal with strangers. Over time, and if things go right, those strangers become friends. I once employed, a young salesman, who had never sold before. He asked me what he should do. I told him to go out and meet people. He came back and told me that there is a problem, because many of the new people he met wanted to talk about our products and services. I pointed out that what he was really doing was cold calling for new business. Meeting new friends is a great way to advance your career.

Change and Challenge

One thing about sales careers is that there is always change and challenge to deal with. Change and challenge are two of the reasons why people do not like to sell. But for those that are up for change and challenge, they are motivating factors. Selling isn't for everybody. In fact, most people would never, ever consider it. However, there are some hearty souls who thrive in this environment.

Doing Good

Mark Thelen defined selling as activity based on a fair exchange of value. After the sale is made both sides are better off. To be more specific, professional salespeople are problem solvers. Salespeople offer and deliver solutions to problems and are compensated with money. In my mind problem-solving is a do good activity.

Your Company and Your Colleagues

Another rewarding side effect for successful salespeople is the benefit they share with their company and their colleagues. Revenue generated by sales, keeps the lights on and keeps the company working. So, selling is essential for business and industry to survive and thrive. To a sales professional, that fact alone is a reward far beyond financial.

What's Not to Like?

Other than the obvious world of hard work, competition, severe rejection, constant change, and insecurity, what's not to like about selling?

Sales Jobs Are Secure...Part II

2009-04-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

When noting the reasons why people don’t like to sell, I mentioned that selling isn’t secure. In reality, salespeople are very secure if they understand and practice their profession. I believe that sales skills are industry transferable. If a salesperson changes companies or industries, they do need to learn their new environment, but they will not have forgotten the principles of selling.

Outside Factors

Things go wrong in business and industry. There are a variety of outside factors that can upset sales careers. In April of 2009, if your job is selling capital equipment to General Motors, you are probably having a tough time making quota. Does that mean that you don’t understand or have forgotten how to sell? Not exactly. How are typewriter ribbon sales these days? Carbon paper salespeople are non-existent. They moved on.

Good Salespeople Adapt to Change.

In the mid-1980’s I sold computer systems to doctors. The first few systems we delivered did not have hard drives. They had a floppy drive for programs and one for data. As time went on, bigger capacity hard drives were introduced to computers for more data storage. These were exciting times. First there was a 5 mega-byte hard drive, then 10, 20, 40 and 80 mega-byte drives. One day we were introduced to the new 190 mega-byte hard drive. It was incredible. The retail price was $9,750 each. We sold them as fast as we could get them in stock and made a bundle. Over the years the prices of computer hardware fell to a point where there wasn’t enough profit in them to even sell hardware anymore. The irony of it all is that I can buy a 4 giga-byte thumb drive at the check out counter at my local drug store for about $20. One day they will be free. What did the evolution of computer hardware pricing have to do with sales skills? Nothing.

Bad Company

When things go wrong salespeople are the first to get flashlights shined into their faces. They get blamed for just about everything. In reality a bad economy, an evolving industry, a weak company or bad leadership can torpedo the progress of the best salespeople. Job security depends as much on the sales environment as on the person.

Who Needs Security?

If you can sell, you are employable. What business can you think of that doesn’t want or need revenue? Revenue occurs when sales are made. Salespeople are indispensable to business.

The Answer

If you are a skilled and hard working salesperson who is underachieving or displaced, step back and evaluate the lay of the land. Are you working for the wrong company in the wrong industry? Healthcare, government and energy are running on all cylinders these days. There are other segments that are thriving. Pick one and go there. Sometimes the problem is not you.

Sales Jobs Are Secure

2009-04-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

I watched a television news show that featured a man who lost his job as a salesman and is having problems making ends meet. In the spirit of kind understanding, I still have a tough time comprehending why salespeople are unemployed. I understand that the economy is soft and there are a lot of factors in play, but there is always opportunity for salespeople who can sell. America hasn’t shut down and people are still buying and selling.

Selling During The Good Times

In the 1980’s and early 1990’s I was a partner in a technology company that sold patient and insurance billing systems to physicians. The market was strong. There was a real need and we were the leading provider in the space.

Growing My Company

I followed a simple plan to grow the company. I hired a new salesperson every ninety days. They received a guaranteed salary and expenses for a 90 day period. At the end of 90 days, the guarantee became a draw versus commission pay plan, freeing up the guarantee budget for the next hire’s ramp-up. Salespeople who sold systems at my company made a lot of money under this program. There was no cap on earnings. The sky was the limit. Because of the open ended earnings opportunity, I attracted hard working, ambitious men and women. Our sales force was the best in the business, hands down.

Hands on Sales Management

As a Sales Manager, I stayed very close to my sales team. We were in constant communication. Everyone was a required to attend a weekly sales meeting followed by a short private meeting with me to go over their sales report. The report was a simple pipeline report that gave me the information I needed to evaluate the person’s performance. Of course, the ultimate metric was a sales contract and deposit check.

Ramping–up a Newbie

One of my new sales hires was inexperienced. He had never sold before I hired him. It didn’t bother me because he was well educated, a good communicator and presented well. When I hired him it was understood that he was inexperienced in sales, but was very interested in learning and would give it his best shot. I did not think it was too much of a risk because of his background and the straightforward nature of our products and services.

Extra Attention

New sales hires were required to meet with me every day, in addition to the weekly meetings. I wanted to make sure that the person succeeded and was determined to do whatever it took to make that happen.

Sales is a Hard Job

OK, not everyone is cut out to sell. Remember, selling is hard work, it’s competitive, you mostly get rejected, things are always changing and there isn’t job security for those who don’t perform.

Code Red Alert

It took about eight weeks for me to question if I was getting the kind of effort I needed out of this fellow. He was saying the right things and produced all required reports and information on time. Early in his tenure he reported a handful of doctors who will be placing their orders anytime. That’s was great news. What eventually got my attention, and put me on alert, as the weeks went by, was that these same names continued to show up on reports with no movement. There were no new names. Red flag!

Check the Facts

As the ninety day ramp-up started to wind down, it was clear that if he didn’t close one of the deals on his report he would fail. He didn’t have anything else in his pipeline. I decided to find out the truth for myself. I called each prospect on the list. I introduced myself as the salesman’s supervisor and inquired about their pending purchase. “I there anything I can do to help your purchase decision along?” Very sadly none of them intended to buy a computer system from us, at least not anytime soon.

Tough Love

I had to fire him. It was tough love. He squandered his opportunity either by not working or not working smart. Either way, he had to go. He cried, I cried and then I walked him out. I wasted time and money, but moved on to the next hire and continued to build my sales staff and my company.

Lack of Work

A few weeks later, I opened a letter from our local unemployment office. This fellow had applied for unemployment insurance. The reason was lack of work. Lack of work? That upset me. Salespeople make work. Incredibly, I fought the claim and won.

Sales Jobs Are Secure

The lesson for aspiring salespeople is that you are measured, and will always be measured, by your production. If you sell your products and services and earn money for yourself and your employer you are very, very secure.

Get Help...Get it Now. Don't Wait.

2009-04-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

Get Answers. Get Them Now

The answer to slipping sales during tough economic times is to work harder, work smarter and to leverage any and all available strategies, tools and tactics to fight for and land a bigger piece of the smaller pie that is our current economy.

I See it Everyday

I spend a lot of my time working with small and mid-sized Michigan based manufacturers, distributors and allied businesses. They are hurting.

Grim Realities

My clients share similar profiles and find themselves in one or more of the following categories…

“I purchased the business. My industry and my customers are hurting. My business volume is way down. I don’t know how to sell. I don’t know what to do.”

“I have come to realize that my sales staff are account managers and order takers. They are terrific with existing customers but can’t seem to land new clients. Now what?”

“We have better products, services and pricing than our competitors. Why aren’t our customers calling and placing orders? It doesn’t make sense. I hope business gets better soon.”

“I inherited my business and my customers. My industry and my customers are hurting. Sales have disappeared. What can I do?”

“All of my business was generated by manufacturer’s representatives. They have stopped selling. Now what should I do?”

“I built up my customer base years ago. I used to know how to sell but have spent the last decade or two providing service to my existing customer base and have lost my selling edge. I don’t have answers.”

Help is Everywhere

There is hope for any struggling business. Help is everywhere. If you need to turn things around, start by checking in with your Chamber of Commerce. Next, ask around and visit your local business networking groups. In Michigan there are County and State departments that provide free counseling for struggling businesses. Sometimes there is grant money available to help turn things around. Organizations like SPARK in Ann Arbor, Automation Alley in Oakland County, PTAC and TechTown at Wayne State University offer programs, networking and support services dedicated to helping business and industry. Wow! Help is everywhere.

Tools of Change

Next, check out the incredible tools that can help you get your message out to potential new customers, possibly in new industries. SwiftPage or Constant Contact are inexpensive and powerful tools that allow you to create, launch and manage e-mail campaigns. Blogger.com is a free tool to create and publish your message and will establish you as a subject matter expert. Linkedin is a free social network dedicated to business and industry. Microsoft Shared View is a free software tool that empowers you to make presentation on the Internet. Get the picture?

Plan

Creating a plan to take advantage of available help and tools is essential to making positive change happen. You must have a plan. No plan – no go.

Do

Execute. By all means, execute on your plan. Meet people, tell your story, ask for help, ask for referrals, broadcast information, make phone calls, ask for appointments, ask what it will take to do business with you and, by all means, ask for orders. Do it. Do a lot of everything.

Get Ideas…Get Positive and Stay Positive

Finally, buy a magazine, buy a book, buy a CD, attend a sales conference, and get marketing and sales training. Like my upcoming 2009 Success Express seminar and workshop events. There is a wealth of great information that will fill your head with useful, positive and happy information that will get you through your ordeal. Personally, I recommend Tom Hopkins material. He gets it and is interesting and funny. You can find him on Amazon.com

Can’t Do It? No Problem!

If you can’t do it yourself, there are people like myself who are available to help and guide you as you take control of your circumstances and turn things around. We are here to help. Just write or call.

It's All About You...Or Is It?

2009-04-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

A Star Was Born

In 1970, after three miserable months in Life Insurance sales and after attending Dale Carnegie sales training, I landed my first career opportunity. My job was selling medical supplies to doctors in their offices. My sales manager, Earl Howie (think Dick Van Dyke), was the best sales manager I have ever had the privilege to work for or work with.

You Don't Know What You Don't Know

My territory was the East Side of the City of Detroit. I was unaware that the territory had never produced for the firm. I was grateful for the chance to work and support my young family. I received a salary for my first 90 days and then was paid with a draw against commission earnings. I also didn’t really understand or appreciate the path I was on. Was I a green bean, a cupcake or just plain naive? I was probably all three.

Real Leadership

Earl was dedicated to my success, his success and in the welfare of the company. During my first 90 days, I had a daily early morning appointment with Earl in his office for 30 – 60 minutes of personal training. He taught me everything I needed to know about the products, our customers and how to sell. His commitment to me went way beyond my expectations. Because of his training, I was able to sit for a test and earned my “Certified Consultancy” from the Health Industries Manufacturers Association.

Me, Me, Me

My commission earnings immediately exceeded my draw and I never looked back. I was a star at my company, with our vendors and in the local medical supply circles. I was the kid that did what others couldn’t do...make money selling in the city. I deserved a lot of the credit. After all, I studied and worked hard. I learned what I needed to do and performed.

Selling is a Team Sport

What I did not totally appreciate was the leadership, support and company infrastructure that was as important to my success as my newly developed skills and execution. My company represented the best product lines in the industry. They kept stock levels high and could fulfil the orders I entered. Our prices were competitive and my colleagues were the most professional group in the business. In other words…a perfect environment in which to succeed.

In Memoriam

There was something else I had never considered as a factor in my success. Many before me attempted to conquer the Detroit territory and had failed. In reality, the failure of those that had preceded me set the stage for me to reach the top. Their failures contributed to my success. The irony is that the last occupant of my desk was really close to making it. He was close. If he would have stuck it out a little longer he very well may have enjoyed what I inherited. He gave up.

The Lesson

Who you work for, who you work with, what you sell and who went before you are as important to your success as you are.

Food For Thought

2009-03-25T06:28:00.000-07:00

Things are moving quickly in the world of promotion, marketing and sales. I have barely recovered from learning about Google ad words, RSS feeds and Linkedin and now I have to figure out Twitter and Tweets. Technology is spinning fast. Hang on and enjoy the ride.

Is Technology the Answer?

Technology is a big part of the puzzle, but if we hang our hat on and rely exclusively on high tech tools and toys to drive our business we may be disappointed.

Seminar Selling…an Old Friend

I have always liked seminar selling. There is nothing high tech about it. You target some new friends, tune up your message, book a room, send an invitation, follow-up with a phone call and talk to the group at the appointed day and time. If you feed them, your response will be even better.

My Biggest Sale

In the mid-1980’s I hosted a seminar on a snowy Friday at the Holiday Inn in Grand Rapids. At the time I was selling Medical Billing Systems. The turnout was poor. Three attended. One Doctor slept through the entire presentation. I had lots of donuts left when the meeting was over. The results? The two that stayed awake were part of a computer software search team for the Michigan State University Department of Human Medicine. Friends, they purchased a medical billing system for every clinic in their network. Their referral caused the University of Wisconsin to make a similar purchase. These sales were responsible for my best year ever. The irony of the story is that I probably would not have met these people any other way.

My Biggest Save

A few years ago, a good friend of mine asked me to help him sell his Internet services to C-Level Executives at Fortune 500 Companies. I’m not sure if you have every tried to make a sales call on these men and women, but take my word for it, it is very difficult to get them on the phone, let alone book an audience with them. My friend was running out of money while being hard pressed by his board of directors to make a sale. The curtain was falling. My answer was simple. We would make the “C’s” an offer they might accept. I went on the road and hosted luncheons in most major cities at the best restaurants in town. The luncheons were reasonably well attended and because of it I landed a major contract that helped the company secure a million dollars in funding. The travel was grueling, but seminar selling was the answer for my friend and client.

Breakfast at the Coney Island Restaurant

Another good friend of mine sells point of sale (POS) computer systems to specialty retail stores. He is one of the brightest guys I know. He recently hired me to train and coach his sales staff and design programs to uncover opportunities, qualify leads and make sales. Really, who doesn’t want that? Among the problems we faced is that the retailers are hurting in this economy like everyone else. They are also hard to sell because they are busy working long hours at their stores during the day and evenings. A retail store is not an ideal venue for a sales call or a software presentation. I suggested that he host a breakfast seminar to attract prospects and to qualify leads. My idea was accepted. A venue was secured, a hard hitting message was created, and an invitation was mailed to 150 specialty retailers, followed by a phone call. To my delight, 15 retailers attended the breakfast. My friend delivered a terrific presentation and he certainly will sell point-of-sales computer systems to a handful of the attendees. Wow.

Old School Still Works

Seminar selling remains a solid tactic to attract and qualify prospects. Seminars are time tested. They do require careful strategic planning and execution and must deliver value to succeed. I strongly suggest that you consider seminars to build your business.

Tweet!

Qualifying Leads

2009-03-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

Qualifying leads is a very important part of the sales process.

The concept is straightforward. Do not spend your valuable time attempting to sell to people who are not qualified to be your customer. Your time should be spent with prospects that you have a fair shot at selling.

Before you can qualify leads as those who meet your requirements, determine what “qualified” means to you. For years, I would not spend time with any prospect unless they clearly had a need, a budget and could make a decision. Without investing too much time you can ask a few questions to your prospect to determine if they are qualified and to what degree they are qualified to do business with you.

Here are some common sense ideas to consider when qualifying prospects.

Need

From your experience, you already know the profile of a good customer. They may really need what you are selling but don’t see the value. The chance you take by spending time with an “unaware of their needs” prospect is that they may never understand and you will have wasted your time. The solution is to invest a few minutes in a great consultative sales call by phone or in person to get them to acknowledge their needs. You accomplish this by asking probing questions and getting them to agree that they need what you have to sell.

Budget

There are business cycles where prospects are not inclined to spend money. Just like prospects that don’t see a need for your product or service; they may not see any value in buying from you. Assuming you are offering something of value that streamlines operations, cuts costs or creates revenue, it is up to you to engage in a consultative conversation to get the prospect thinking right about the value they will enjoy by working with you. Qualifying the budget might be as simple as offering terms or waiting until next month when they will have the money.

Decision Making

Decision making is a formidable roadblock to the sales process. If you spend time working a non-decision maker you are probably wasting your time. The non-decision maker, at best, will tell your story to the decision maker if they are convinced that you have something of value to consider. I don’t want to rely on a non-decision maker to tell my story to their boss. The facts will surely be mixed up or omitted and questions will go unanswered. A good strategy here is to ask your contact who the decision maker is and insist that they participate in your process.

It’s Your Call

Who you chase and under what circumstances you launch your campaigns is your call. I have successfully pursued opportunities that were less than qualified based on a sense or feeling that I could make the sale.

I guess the rule of thumb is that if you’re flush with highly qualified leads you can enforce strict rules. Common sense says that if your sales funnel is empty, you should work less than qualified leads.

More Leads

The best strategy to increase the number of qualified leads in your sales funnel is to prospect for more leads. (Duh!) There are some powerful emerging tools and tactics that will help you to increase your volume of sales opportunities.

More to Come…

Hang in There

2009-02-18T04:43:00.000-08:00

A Dartnell study from a while ago determined that the average business to business sale is made on the fifth sales call. They also learned that forty-eight percent of salespeople don’t make the second call. Almost half of sales people are statistically out of the competition after the first call. I’m not going to dispute their numbers. They are close enough for me.

We all know that a minority of salespeople make most of the sales. There are a number of reasons why some thrive while others just survive.

Some of the success factors are within the power of individuals to manage. Other factors are out of our control. Is there a market for your product or service? If so who are the buyers and why do they buy from you? If you are selling carbon paper you are out of luck no matter how good you are.

Part of a successful sales career is the ability to accept rejection. It goes with the landscape. We mostly lose and win once in a while. That happens to be enough to make a good to great living.

Good to great

What separates the good from the great? If you’ve been with me for a while you know that I believe that a slight edge wins the day in sales and every other competitive activity.

Don’t give up too soon

Let’s go back to the forty-eight percent of salespeople who don’t make the second call. I believe that these people gave up on their lead too soon. OK, sometimes there is no hope, but most of the time they give up too soon. For those that give up because they are going through the motions and don’t really care, I can’t help you. If you aren’t getting the results you need and care, here is some good advice that will help you break through barriers and land the second encounter.

Ask another question or two…

If your prospect tells you “no” or “not interested” and if you terminate the call, you are selling yourself short. You must ask the next question and then another question. By doing so, you’ll find out what it will take to move the sales forward or really confirm that there is no opportunity.

Let’s role play

Here are some examples of the right and wrong way to handle a prospect for your product or service.

This is the wrong way:
“I’m not interested”
“OK, good bye”

This is a much better tactic:
“I’m not interested”
“Why not?”
“I can’t afford your product”
“What if we offered twelve easy payments?”
“Now I’m interested. Tell me more”

It’s just that simple

The message is clear. If you give up too easily and bail out too early you will squander a lot of opportunities and leave them for others to close. If you will just condition yourself to ask one or two more questions when on the phone or in front of your prospect, some prospects will open up and give you what you need to develop your sales opportunity. Now...step over the line into the fifty percent of salespeople who earn the chance to make the second call and develop new business by not giving up too soon.

Be the Answer

2009-01-27T10:34:00.000-08:00

It is no secret that the business climate has toughened up for everyone. Commerce has slowed down, particularly in the Detroit area, but it has not stopped. Transactions are still happening, money is still changing hands, and value is still being exchanged. Let’s say that the glass is half full.

A lot of local firms are struggling with slumping sales and don’t quite know what to do about it. Some have been so busy servicing their customers during good times that they forgot how to hunt for new business. Others, who purchased or inherited existing companies, never really knew how to develop new clients.

Helping Hands

Sales consultants, sales coaches, business development programs, seminars and other sales information sources are doing a land office business. Events are sold out. Companies are looking for answers.

I recently wrote about the value of developing and maintaining a slight competitive edge as a tactic for winning business. I also have noted that you have to want to sell to be successful. And, that sales activities count toward success. More sales calls equal more sales. There is a more important truth. The path to recovering and rebuilding your business is based on problem solving.

Solving Problems

At the very core of the sales elite are problem solvers. They understand that buyers will invest in solutions to their problems. As a problem solver, you immediately separate yourself from the pack of order takers and underachievers.

Your product or service has value to someone. Do you have a clear understanding of who is served by and why they are better off for dealing with you? Figure it out. It’s the first step to business recovery. Problem solving is the essential factor in getting back in the hunt.

Be the Ball

“Be the ball” is a saying in sports that when roughly translated means to be focused on task like a laser beam. In the sport of sales you don’t need to be the ball but you do need to be the answer.

Why Most People Don't Like Selling

2009-01-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

Why Don’t They Like to Sell?

After decades on the job I have been conditioned to deal with the negatives associated with selling. There are some things about selling that ordinary people don’t want to or can’t deal with.

Before going there, let’s review what real selling is. Mark Thelen said it best. “Selling is activity based on a fair exchange of value. After the transaction, both parties are better off.” Now what is wrong with that?

One other thing…top producing salespeople are well compensated. They are always among the top earners at their company. It’s a fact.

So why isn’t their a line to sign up for sales jobs? Why do most salespeople fail?

A couple of weeks ago, I was in the car listening to the Jim Rome radio show. Jim is a sports commentator and a funny guy. The day I tuned in he was rambling on about when he sold office machines. It was hilarious. He really hated the job and his rational was right on.

Why They Hate Selling

Selling is a competitive activity. If you don’t like fighting for business you probably aren’t fit for sales.

Selling is hard work. Successful salespeople not only have to work hard and long but they also have to work smart. More sales calls equal more sales. A lot of people don’t have the appetite to do what it takes to sell.

Salespeople take a beating. It’s continual. If you work the phones to book appointments it isn’t unusual to hear “no” a lot before getting to “yes”. The cold hard reality of selling is that you lose most of the time and win once in a while. It can wear on you. It can wear you out.

Business, markets, the economy, sales strategies, tactics and tools and the rules of conduct are constantly changing. I have just recently been introduced to blogcasts. Blogcasts? Really? What next? You can’t sit still in sales. You must be forward thinking or you will be left behind.

Selling jobs offer no security. Sales Executives want to know what you have done for them lately and what is pending. Selling is about results. Have a couple of bad months in a row and your popularity meter will fade.

Born to Sell?

No. Conditioning yourself to deal with the many negatives that constantly confront you is essential to a long and successful sales career.

Dealing with the Negatives

After just short of 40 years in the field, being in the trenches, fighting for every sales opportunity and doing my best to win every deal, I can speak with authority on how to live with the negative issues.

Start by understanding the sales landscape. Things happen. Circumstances set you back. There are hurdles that get in the way. Deal with them.

Rejection is the rule, acceptance is the exception. Don’t take rejection personal. If you care to take rejection personal, blame yourself, not your prospective client. Mark Thelen correctly pointed out that no is not no. No is non-yes. If you believe Mark, when no is the answer it is your fault. If you had done your job better the no would have been yes. If you believe this, as I do, you can fix what caused the no and try again.

This leads to taking responsibility for yourself and your outcomes. In a recent posting I discussed the concept of the slight edge. You earn a slight edge by knowing more about your market, products or services and the art and science of your profession. You also get the edge by working harder and smarter than your competition.

You Can Do It

The answer to why people aren’t attracted to selling or fail at sales is simple. Selling is very hard and there are lots of built in hurdles. You can become a top producing salesperson. The answer to enjoying a successful sales career is that you have to want to do it. If you want to sell you will. Face the negatives...deal with them. Things will become easier over time, you'll be happier and make a great living.

Born to Sell?

2009-01-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

A Pretty Good Book

I wrote a book titled “Born to Sell”. The book was both autobiographical and instructional. I wrote the book in the early 90’s. It was a fun project. At the time, I thought I knew everything about selling and had a very high opinion of myself and my thoughts on the topic. Although the fundamental principles and truths about sales endure, I have learned a lot more about selling since then.

A Great Question from George

After my recent speech to the Wayne State University's Entrepreneur’s Breakfast, a WSU Program Director, George Azrak, asked me if people are born to sell. He explained that his father and brothers are salespeople and had encouraged him for years to join them in the profession. George’s problem with the idea was that selling just didn’t interest him.

George asked me if there is such a thing as natural born salespeople.

Natural Born Salespeople

There is no such thing as a natural born salesperson. No one is born to sell. In reality, all salespeople are different. A better characterization of the journey sales professionals follow is “learn to sell”. Salespeople learn to sell…it’s a process. When people enter the profession they bring different attributes to the table. Our sales brethren are young and old, big and small, happy and sad, educated or not, excited or indifferent. Hey, the profile of sales people is just like that of any other trade or profession.

The Answer

I think the best answer to George’s question is that salespeople must want to sell. If there is a desire to join the sales team and have a great career, it can be accomplished by anyone. No kidding.

Keep an Open Mind in 2009

2009-01-01T18:15:00.000-08:00

Looking For Some Fun

One of my softball buddies, Joe Patti, worked for the Ilitch family on the side. They own Little Caesars Pizza, The Detroit Tigers, The Detroit Red Wings, The Fox Theater and much more. A telephone installer by trade, he and his brother minded the elevator systems at Joe Louis Arena for all Detroit Red Wing games, concerts, etc. Their compensation was season tickets. Joe sold the seats to the games and concerts for cash.

Joe and I, and our best gals, got together one night and the girls decided that it would be fun if we could go to a concert together. There were a lot of major acts scheduled at The Fox. After studying the list of shows, the girls decided that that they wanted to see Johnny Mathis. Johnny Mathis? No way.

There Was a Time

There was a time for Johnny Mathis. I recall that when young and in love, Johnny Mathis music was a value add. I am now old and in love and I can tolerate Johnny. When I was middle aged and in love, and a man’s man softball junkie, the farthest thing from my mind, the absolute worst use of my time and the last place in the world I wanted to be, let alone seen, was at a Johnny Mathis concert.

There was no way we could talk the girls out of seeing Johnny. We were going, no matter what. Joe and I were beside ourselves.

The Long Drive

It was a long drive, on a cold winter night, to The Fox Theater. The place was packed. As luck had it, we had great seats. Up front and in the middle. Joe and I were praying that we wouldn’t be seen by anyone we knew. I had my collar up and did not look up. Once in the seat, I slid down for cover.

Out Came Johnny

Well, here’s why we should all keep an open mind in 2009. The concert was spectacular. Johnny Mathis was extremely entertaining. He sang great songs, had a great voice and was terrific. It was an evening to remember. Joe and I stood up at the end, arms in the air, yelling “Johnny, Johnny, Johnny”. We left the event better off than when we arrived.

I don’t know about Joe, but the lesson I’ve carried over is to keep an open mind in 2009.

How to Sell More in 2009

2008-12-15T07:41:00.000-08:00

Here comes 2009. I’m ready, are you? The end of the year is a time to reflect on the past year and plan for the New Year. The economy has made things a little rougher for all of us, but as I have said before, commerce is still happening in America. America is still open for business. As we look forward I would like to point out that the difference between winning and losing in 2009 is a matter of doing things just a little bit better than your competition.

A slight edge matters.

I played a lot of softball over the years. It was my preferred form of recreation. Some people golf, others bowl, I played softball. One measure of success in softball is a 300 foot fence around the perimeter of the playing field. A softball hit over the fence is a home run. A fly ball that lands short of the fence is generally caught for a fly out. No kidding…hit the ball 295 feet and you are out, and probably discouraged. But hit the ball 305 feet and you hit a home run, score a run, possibly win the game and feel pretty darn good. The difference between victory and defeat is 10 feet or less on a 300 foot field, or plus or minus 3%. I would say that the player who hits the softball 305 feet only has a slight edge over the ones who fell short.

This lesson plays well when applied to the selling profession. What can we do to improve our chances of beating our competition and winning more sales? There are a whole lot of things to do that can help you win more often by establishing a sight competitive edge.

Here are a few things to do…

Upgrade your image. This means clothing, grooming…the works.
Upgrade your attitude. Always be positive, always be pleasant.
Upgrade your listening skills. Ask probing questions and then listen. Buyers will tell you what you need to know to make the sale.
Upgrade your product knowledge. Devote regular time to establishing and maintaining expert status on your product or service and your industry.
Keep your sales skills honed with books, tapes and seminars.
Hang out with top producers, winners. Learn how they do things.
Upgrade your sales tools. Software, prospect lists, website, new lead generating methods.
Prioritize your work. Know what is most important and what is less important.
Observe prime selling hours. Don’t waste any prime time. Do other non-selling things during non-prime hours.
Always ask for the order. That’s why you have a job.
Don’t give up if prospects say no. No means non-yes. Keep trying.
Always ask for a referral. If you are good customers will be happy to help you.

These are a handful of ways to be a better salesperson than your competition. There are more, but following my advice will be a great start to separate you from the competition and will give you the edge you need to win in 2009.

Hunters and Farmers

2008-11-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

Some time ago someone unknown to me coined the term hunter and farmer to classify types of salespeople. In terms less kind, Scott Alexander, in his classic sales book “Rhinoceros Success”, separated salespeople into two categories, farm yard animals and jungle animals.

Rhinoceroses are formidable

Alexander noted that farm yard animals are fenced in and are content. They enjoy the security of the farm. While jungle animals are out in the wild, on the prey, moving quickly, trying to win the day by being faster, stronger and cleverer than their opposition. He paints a picture of a 3,000 pound animal with thick skin on the run that is just about impossible to stop.

There really are hunters and farmers

In the real world, my world, there are farmers and hunters. I see them every day. There is nothing wrong with being either, or a mix of both, until bad times arrive.

What happened?

In the beginning of their journeys, all entrepreneurs were hunters. They prowled the jungle for new business and, more often than not, bagged the big ones. As they established their businesses, they had less time to hunt and were required to spend more time farming their customer base for the next repeat order.

Automotive suppliers and their dilemma

The farming phenomenon is amplified when doing business in Detroit. In the automotive supplier category companies are required to pay close attention to their existing customers in order to keep orders flowing and customers satisfied. A handful of very big and profitable customers are hard to land and easy to lose. Smart entrepreneurs changed their ways once their hunting days were over. Farmers they became. Relationships and customer service drove and maintained business. They also prospered.

Nothing wrong with farming until the bottom drops out

Something happened to the domestic automotive business over time. There is nothing good to report. The bottom of the business, particularly in the Detroit region, has officially dropped. Not quite out of site, but dropped nonetheless. The industry is in a pickle. Automotive suppliers and everyone benefiting from their legacy of success (read my last post) are trimming, cutting and closing. It is ugly.

The cheese has moved (another favorite book of mine)

There is a core of automotive suppliers that are strong and tough enough to keep their doors open while making the changes required to continue their operations. Specifically, they will regroup, retool, plan and move forward. There is going to be a new economy and they understand that they will have to work their way back for the chance to play in new industries and return to prosperity.

They don’t know how or forgot how to hunt

These struggling companies need help with change. They understand that they need to change. Change means finding new customers in different industries, to replace their lost automotive business. The domestic automotive industry will never be the same and it may go away for ever. In order to land new business they need to get back in the proverbial jungle and hunt for new opportunities. It is sad to say, but most of them don’t know how or forgot how to hunt for new business.

Help is here

I’m happy to report that our federal, state, county and local governments, coordinating with our network of colleges, universities and service organizations are doing everything they can to help individual companies survive. They have programs, training, hands on and self-help initiatives and sometimes financial aid to help struggling companies, particularly those harmed by unfair trade or the decline of the domestic automotive industry.

Is it you?

If I have just described you, and if you need a helping hand, contact me. I can help.

dave@davebilbrey.com

Save A Salesman - Save Our Economy

2008-11-20T10:42:00.000-08:00

There is a business slowdown in America. Blame whoever you may. I sure have some well formed thoughts about what happened and why, but I think that we should be looking for answers, searching for solutions.

We’re still open for business

How bad is the economy? Well, in some niches, things are bleak, but, for the most part, commerce is happening all around us. People are buying and selling things. Business has not stopped. America is still open for business.

The solution to the slow economy is more sales

When a sale is made there is a substantial trickle down effect on the economy. For example: Tracing the money distribution trail of an automobile sale can get complicated in a hurry. How many companies, how many people get a piece of the pie when a car is sold? Yes, the salesman (saleswoman) earns a commission, as does the dealership and all employed. The car maker earns revenue, as do all of the suppliers, their employees, raw materials distributors, shipping companies, packagers, miners, grocers, barbers, dog groomers, and the financiers that loan everyone in the food chain money. (Forgive me if I missed you in my example)

A salesman is a terrible thing to waste

It might sound silly, but I’m convinced that salespeople are the answer to the economy and have the potential to turn things around in a hurry.

There is no such thing as a bad salesman

As in any other professional category, there are good ones and some not so good ones. Those who sell less typically earn less, so there is a natural balance to the system. We need salespeople performing at any level now more than ever.

Support your local salesman

If you are considering investing in your future, think about investing in your sales team. Give them training, support and the tools needed to open up new accounts in new markets to jump start growth that will turn things around. This strategy is the only rational fundamental self-help answer for business to boot strap back to success.

No salesman left behind

If you employ salespeople and if they are willing to get out there and fight for business, you are on the right track. They need leadership and your support. If they need encouragement or a kick in the duff, it is your duty.

Good luck and good selling

Let me know if you need my help. www.davebilbrey.com

Price, Quality and Service

2008-11-02T17:48:00.000-08:00

Artie Goldstein

In the early 80’s my company was acquired by Scott Laboratories. Scott Laboratories manufactured and distributed biological supplies to hospitals and clinical laboratories. I traveled to West Warwick, Rhode Island to meet my sales manager, Artie Goldstein. Artie was a tough guy with a sense of humor. He was from New York, The Bronx. He reminded me of Don Rickles, but was much younger and well built. My initial impression was that before he fired anyone he beat them up.

A Wise Man

Artie reminded me of something I already knew, that selling on low price is a loser. Artie did a great job of framing his message…the best ever. Artie told me that Scott Laboratories offered customers three things: price, quality and service. Not bad, I thought, until he said that customers could pick any two of the three, but not all three. In the real world, our world, nothing could be truer. If you low ball price it is very hard to maintain quality products and services.

Educate Your Buyers

The answer to price competition is to educate buyers. If you have a good relationship with your customer, ask them what they drive or where they live. Not surprisingly, you’ll probably learn that they drive a nice car and live in a nice neighborhood. They don’t drive a Yugo or live in a Motel. If they did they would certainly be paying less, but they choose not to. Rice and two day old bread is a really cheap meal, but who is on that diet? Get the point? So, why do you have to be the lowest priced vendor to earn business? The answer is that you don’t! Talk to your customers about value. Transactions based on the lowest price are rarely in the best interest of buyers or sellers. Real value is a nice mix of price, quality and service.

Thanks Artie…Wherever You Are

Learn to Sell

2008-09-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

Been There, Done That

This year marks my 38th year in sales. I have had a great career. Selling afforded me an opportunity to, as has been said, to be what I could be”. A lot of these years I was off on entrepreneurial journeys, reaching for the gold ring. I grabbed it once in a while, lost it a few times.

Earn Baby Earn

There is nothing purer to me as a salesperson than to be compensated fairly for performance. No matter the details of the pay plan, selling more means earning more.

When my enlistment expired, I came home to Michigan and entered the workforce. There were more Aviation Electronics Technicians than available jobs. I had a young wife and baby girl to support, so I had to go to work. I took my first sales job…small salary with a nice commission plan. I was off on my excellent adventure.

Learn Baby Learn

My Sales Manager and Branch Manager, Joe Pessendorfer and George Gianacopolis, encouraged me to enroll in the Dale Carnegie Sales Training program. What good advice that was. If you’re fixing cars, a Motors Repair Manual is essential. If you are in sales, the “Five Great Rules of Selling” will show you the way. I attended Dale Carnegie and learned how to sell. Since 1970 I have participated in just about every other sales class, seminar, conference or event that came to town.

Take What You Need, Leave the Rest

Mark Thelen, Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, Tom Hopkins and Max Sachs are some of the great teachers of selling over my career. I have seen all of them and others. I have studied, absorbed and applied the best of their material. These great sales teachers speak to the spectrum of strategies, tactics and motivational issues that face salespeople on a real time basis. After all, how do endure a career where failure is the norm and success is an exception? To sustain and succeed as a professional salesperson you need to understand the lay of the land and you need to study and apply the lessons offered by those that have gone before. In my opinion, there is no bad sales training. There is good, better and best sales training. You don’t have to accept or agree with everything taught, just be sensitive to good ideas and advice and make them yours. Leave the rest behind.

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

I was at a meeting recently with the executives of a local automotive supplier. Others attending the meeting were representatives of the state and county. I was there as an independent sales “turn around” consultant. The company is in a free fall. Sales have disappeared. Many of their customers have gone bankrupt or have just closed their doors. The phone isn’t ringing and the clock is running. Their sales force needed a sales “tune up”, some strategic planning and intense hands-on support.

I just happened to be sitting at the end of the big conference table looking directly at the CEO who stared at me and declared that “You can’t teach selling”. The comment was directed at me. My initial thought was that people learn how to make biscuits and gravy, how to tune a guitar, how to throw a curve ball, how to grow tomatoes…and how to sell.

I wish the gentleman well. He was very successful in the old days. The old ways worked then, why not now? Pick up the phone…pound the rock. Reflecting on the moment, I had a vision of a Japanese Army Officer, in World War II, charging a Marine machine gun with a sword.

Shameless Self Promotion

In the spirit and in honor of all sales trainers and coaches that have gone before me, I am going to host sales training events on Tuesday morning’s beginning on October 14th. The material is about strategies, tactics and tools to sell more and win in a difficult economy. The first four Tuesdays will focus on salespeople and the sales process. The last two Tuesdays will focus on all of the issues related to employing salespeople, Building and managing a sales staff is a very difficult job, based on the reality that most sales people under perform or outright fail. The details are posted on www.davebilbrey.com

Zero Comments

Some of you have pointed out that I don’t have any comments posted to my blog. I know that you are “out there”. To comment, please register, or send me an e-mail dave@davebilbrey.com

Change and Reality

2008-09-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

There are a couple of things I always try to stay in touch with. These two are change and reality. I can’t say that I really like either one, but they are real, they are formidable and can cause us lots of problems if we ignore them.

Change

Things are changing rapidly in the business world. In Michigan, the automotive industry has changed over time…not for the better. The trickle down effect of the domestic automotive decline has touched the lives of everyone from auto workers to my barber, Mike. Things have changed and will never be the same.

I remember a friend telling me how difficult it was to sell copy machines in the early days. More often than not, he was confronted with objections like “What do we do with all of this carbon paper?” We've fought change forever.

In 1982 my company sold computer hardware and software to doctors. When 190 megabyte hard drives became available they retailed for $9,750. We made $3,000 on each sale and could not keep up with the demand. Those were the good old days for computer hardware (happy dreams material). Now I can buy a 4 gigabyte thumb drive for about $20 at the drug store. Somewhere along the line we stopped selling hardware. Things changed.

Ten years ago, my software vendor sold to a bigger company who dumped a bunch of rules on the reseller channel. The changes were not well received. There was a lot of complaining by the resellers. Matt Lefkowitz, a colleague from San Francisco, suggested that we all read “Who Moved My Cheese”. It was a small and expensive book that pointed out that the “cheese” was gone…get over it and move on.

Reality

I have sold and supported software for small manufacturers in Michigan for over a decade. My “cheese” is gone, at least for the foreseeable future. That is reality.

Software is just about the last thing on the mind of most Michigan manufacturers. Many are struggling to deal with the changes forced upon them by the downturn in the domestic automotive industry and because of other slow economy issues.

Change and Reality Create Opportunity

I love the sales profession. “The nuts and bolts of selling” is the tag line for my Sales Mechanics seminars, speeches and books that have been my hobby over the years. Selling is a science and an art that requires “blocking and tackling” skills. Selling can be taught and can be learned. I enjoy helping people analyze and solve sales problems. My clients and prospective software clients need sales support a lot more than software.

The Problem

My manufacturing software prospects can’t buy software because of slumping sales. Most are in survival mode.

My Solution

Help local manufacturers enter new markets, meet new customers and build their sales back to profitable levels.

The New Me

So, there you go. I’m making a difference, day-to-day, one company at a time. It is sure fun helping people understand, deal with and overcome the changes and the realities facing small manufacturers in Michigan. If you know a company that needs this type of help, please send them my way. dave@davebilbrey.com

Create New Business by Going A.P.E.

2008-09-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

An Astute Observation

I got a haircut last week. Mike, my Barber, is certain that Michigan is in a recession. Mike is a pretty smart guy, so I always consider his opinion.

Regional manufacturers and suppliers, particularly those tied closely to the automotive industry, are struggling due to the slowdown in automotive sales and because of general economic conditions. In order to survive, many have downsized their operations leaving expensive machines and skilled workers idle. The trickle down effect on the community has been devastating

Most of these manufacturers acutely understand that they have to fight to secure new business in order to keep their doors open and to return to prosperity; and they must move quickly.

The obvious answer to the problem is to continue working with their remaining existing customer bases while searching for new customers in other industries where their products and services are needed. This is a tall order for any organization, regardless of industry sector.

For most, business has been secured over the years by referral, entertaining and through formal RFP processes. Often the business development for any manufacturing orders was often a long and time consuming process. The processes by which manufacturing services are sold and bought have changed; and they may never be quite the same again.

The business development challenge for most small to mid-sized manufacturers is crafting and implementing focused, hard hitting outreach programs and the time required to locate new markets and develop new customers. Most need to hire a professional talent to turn things around, while some are up to the challenge.

Proven Plans for Recovery

Sales recovery plans are based on the application of sound principles and the use of powerful sales and marketing tools that facilitate locating, approaching, engaging and closing new business from new customers.

Going “A.P.E.” and Getting Results

The “A.P.E.” process is a straightforward assault on what’s bothering Mike the Barber and everyone else in the region. The steps in the process are analysis, planning and execution.

1. Analysis

The process to develop new customers in new markets starts with analysis. The analysis includes an clear understanding of everything about a company’s history, their products and services, their customer base, their value proposition and any differential advantages. This information is fundamental to developing meaningful outreach programs and hard hitting messages for those programs.

2. Planning

After a clear understanding of the existing “environment” is established, specific business information can be used to identify new markets, potential customer profiles, compelling messages and a “connect the dots” plan to execute.

3. Execution

The final step to go “A.P.E.” is in the execution of the plan, including the acquisition of lists and tools, staff training and management of the staff and activities. This means sales calls, trade shows and other activities at the request of the manufacturer.

If you decide to go “A.P.E.”, focus on the process, work at breaking out of your current situation. You will see results and be on your way to turning things around permanently.

No is Non-Yes

2008-08-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

Selling is a tough game. Successful selling requires a lot of activities that result in a lot of rejection sprinkled with some success. It takes a lot of grit and faith to stick with it and keep selling under these difficult circumstances. It is never easy.

The numbers work out something like this: You lose most of the time and once in a while you get a cookie. Fortunately for us, if you hang in there you can earn a lot of cookies and some of them are pretty big cookies.

I have been on the sales firing line for almost forty years. I can tell you that the first decade wasn’t as good as it could have been because of my sensitivity to rejection. I wanted to make every sale; I wanted everyone to like me. When I got a severe rejection I took it personal (Who wouldn’t?).

The good news, for me, was that I never gave up, I never quit, and I worked hard to keep a positive mental attitude and to throw the rejections aside.

The thing that really positively changed my attitude and hardened me to rejection was something my favorite sales trainer taught me in the mid 80’s. Mark Thelen’s taught me to modify my attitude about the word no. Mark taught me and others that a no answer is not no is simply non-yes. In Mark’s opinion, a no answer was the result of a salesperson not doing a good enough job of getting to yes. So, I quickly learned to stop taking no and the associated rejection personal anymore. If the prospect said no, I convinced myself that the rejection was my fault not theirs. I just didn’t do my job well enough somewhere in the sales process to win the business. The lesson (Mark's spin) on the word no was refreshing and put things in perspective. I learned to handle rejection and the negativity associated with it..

My wife is convinced that I actually stopped hearing the word no decades ago. When I hear no it just fires me up to do a better job.

What happens in your world when you hear the word no? Most salespeople are stopped in their tracks by the word no. I deeply believe that dealing with the rejection of no getting from no to yes is one of the most important skills in selling.

An important truth in the no game is to understand that selling is a numbers game and that the burden of negative outcomes can affect you…if you let it. Failing most of the time and winning once in a while is something that you have to understand and deal with if you want to be a peak performer. It's normal. It goes along with the territory.

You will prosper it if you keep working hard, do the right things, don’t do the wrong things and never give up. Keep selling baby. And, don’t take no for an answer!

No Practical Limits

2008-07-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

Sales careers are attractive for a variety of reasons.

Early along my journey as an adult I recognized that the sales profession would suit me just fine. Trained as an electronics technician, the lack of employment opportunities after leaving the military caused me to explore and consider other options. What I learned made my decision to pursue selling as a career. And what a terrific career it has been.

No Practical Limits

Over almost four decades in the field, I have yet to hear a sales manager or business owner say “Slow down, you are selling too much”. It just never and should never happen. As a salesperson, you can work hard while applying the sales skills and product expertise you’ve acquired to sell a lot and make a great living.

A Great Living

Productive salespeople make a lot of money. Check out the top earners and you’ll find that productive sales professionals’ compensation is on par with Physicians, Attorneys and Accountants…the good ones. Physicians, Attorneys, Accountants…those are my neighbors.

Freedom

Having no practical limits and making a great living are excellent reasons to pursue a career in sales. Another terrific attribute of selling is the freedom enjoyed by most salespeople, the outside variety. Sitting at a desk for a career would have been torture. Traveling from prospect to customer to wherever is a blessing that I’ve been aware of and appreciated all of these years.

Challenge

Did I forget to say that selling is a challenge? That is somewhat of an understatement. Real selling requires the will to engage with customers while outworking and outwitting competitors. While doing so understanding that failure is normal and success is an exception. For example, make 100 sales phone calls; connect with 10 prospects, book 3 appointments and make one sale. These numbers aren’t unusual. Any way you want to cut it failure and rejection are common outcomes for salespeople.

Rewards

The obvious rewards successful salespeople enjoy are financial. There are other important rewards earned by sales professionals, including respect and recognition from employers, peers, clients and within their industry. But, in my opinion, an equally important reward is the satisfaction gained by helping clients solves business problems as a result of purchasing your products or services. Providing value causes lots of good career things to happen and delivers real satisfaction.

A Winning Formula for Sales Career Success

2008-07-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

Sometimes simple truths evade us.

I recently wrote about effort. It is an absolute truth that lack of effort will prevent a sales person from achieving their potential for success. Remember, no sales calls equals no sales.

Twenty years ago, or so, I became interested in learning if there was indeed a simple formula for sales success.

As a student of selling I have tried to learn as much as possible about my profession. I have been hungry to learn secrets that give me a competitive edge. I attend seminars, reads books, listens to tapes and learns lessons from the winners and losers around me. Many of the ideas and practices taught are complex, quirky and not for me, but much of what I know and how I practice the art and science of selling is the sum of ideas and practices gleaned from these lessons and from the lessons of a career in the field, on the street, fighting for business day in and day out.

On a nutty side bar: I am fascinated by a Doctor who claims to be able to create sales stars through hypnotism. That concept is a little too edgy for me. If I endorse it I may earn “kook” status with my peers. We’ll save hypnotizing salespeople for a later date.

Back to the basics…I employed a young man who came to me with little product knowledge and limited sales skills. I instructed him to engage in a lot of sales activities ever day, without fail, while learning the ropes in our industry. He quickly began to sell more information systems than the other more experienced members on my sales team. It didn’t take long to recognize that his advantage was simply that he outworked everyone else. He made dozens of phone calls every morning, sent out dozens of letters every day, made a dozen, or so, cold calls (in person) daily, scheduled 2 – 4 product demonstrations per week and sold 2 -4 information systems a month. In reality, he neither had much product knowledge nor was he a smooth operator. He was a selling machine anyway because of his relentless effort.

Just A.S.K.

After much observation and thought. I became convinced that the following is the absolute and simple truth about the sales profession. As much as I believe that effort or "sales activity" is a key sales success element, sales skills and product knowledge are equally important elements in a successful selling career.

If all three elements are equal in value, things are probably going well for the seller. In reality, most salespeople, particularly the new bee’s have less product knowledge or selling skills than their more experienced peers. This is a normal, recurring situation that has an answer.

Just A.S.K. Dave…the simple truth

Picture a circle (or pie) with three equal pieces. These pieces are Activity, Skill and Knowledge. Let’s call this a sales career circle. If one piece is smaller than the other there is a gap that represents potential job or career failure. Not good.

The great news and hope for new, upcoming or struggling salespeople is that any area of the formula that is impeding your success can be fixed by filling the gap with another element.

If your product knowledge is limited, you can compensate for it (while you are learning the product, of course) by increasing your sales activities. What is even more encouraging is that as your product knowledge or sales skills increase, and if you maintain a high and steady number of sales activities, your theoretical career circle will expand and you will be on your way to a very successful and profitable career.

Effort

2008-07-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

You would think that I wouldn’t have to start with a topic that we assume is covered. Effort is a non topic. Effort is a default check off. It’s not…really. I’m not sure that there is an element of selling that is more important than effort…trying.

I’m not a trained mental health provider nor am I a mind reader, but I am acutely aware that there are a lot of salespeople who don’t give their best effort. Their “try” meter is floating somewhere between zeros and unacceptable.

I’ll give you that there are circumstances that get in the way of doing one’s best. A salesperson could be overmatched by their subject, the market, the competition, or by a bad environment at work or home. I am inclined to be sympathetic to salespeople who can’t perform because circumstances out of their control.

The good news for salespeople with out of control issues that interfere with selling is that they can get in control of their circumstances. Identify, isolate and fix the problems. If it means changing employers or industry focus, just do it. It’s probably best to go easy on the personal side, but to still identify, isolate and fix what’s hurting your career and interfering with your ability to give your best effort.

I can’t be too easy on salespeople who don’t try. I don’t understand them. They almost certainly have a laundry list of excuses.

There is an 80/20 rule in this world. If you take a good look at your organization, you’ll see that a minority of your staff are delivering the best results. In the sales world, some of the people are making most of the money, awards and recognition. The others wonder why. Many of them are aware of their own barriers to success.

A salesperson doesn’t have to be a racehorse to win. A calm deliberate execution of a sales plan and process with a sufficient number of sales activities using acquired knowledge and skills and the tools of the trade will produce excellent results for anyone in the business. They just need to care. They need to try.

Mark Thelen was one of my favorite sales trainers. I went to see Mark quite a few times. He reduced the lessons of selling to the lowest common denominators. On effort his take was simple…”No sales calls equal no sales, some sales calls equal some sales, lots of sales calls equal lots of sales”. Thank you for your wisdom Mark. I couldn’t have said it better.

My first blog

2008-07-08T07:51:00.000-07:00

My first blog. Isn't it a hoot?

It was just a few years ago that Ned Barnett introduced me to blogging, He has been very successful blogging. Ned knows a lot about a lot of things and has done a terrific job of not only getting his thoughts out to his followers but while doing so has established himself as a noted expert on a variety of topics.

So, four years later I start my own blog. My thanks to Ned for his leadership, and to Brian Austin for introducing me to Ned. I also would like to tip my hat to Dana Cadman for giving me the nudge I needed to begin my blogging journey and for Steven Graff's support of the idea. I guess I can't be accused of being spontaneous.

My topic is everything related to selling. I have ideas and opinions on everything having to do with the sales profession and am looking forward to sharing my thoughts with those who are interested, over time. Thus the title BilbreyOnSelling.

Tune in once in a while for some good stuff.