The Doorbell of Doom

3 rings for selling kings under the sky...

9 rings for mortal men destined to fly...

one ring to rule them all,one ring to find them,

one ring to bring them all,and in prosperity bind them

in the land of Selling... with the secret within,

start your pitch...and reel them in,

keep to the track...look for the sign,

pull out the contract...sign on the line...

Say it clearly or get what you ask for...

Having run a training session in the office here with four of my guys so that they can co-train with me on the seminars one of them (and he will remain anonymous, as I don't want to embarass Jeff) asked me.

"Dave, what's it like to train lots of people?"

So I told him.

Then I said, "Don't just take my word for it. Put it in google and get some feedback from others."

So he did.

He put;
'train lots of people' into google and got this:









That's called, getting exactly what you asked for. You can't beat clear and precise language.

Success!

One of the things I enjoy most about what I do, is that I get to meet a lot of successful people. I love speaking with them about how they got to be successful and I love hearing their stories of how they started and eventually got to where they are now.

I've learned two very important lessons from all of these successful people:

1) There was no one "by the book" way of doing it. Each one of these successful people had their own way of achieving success. They followed a path that suited them best, by determining what was most important in their lives. Looking at what other successful people do and doing the same thing is not always going to work for you. Especially if the person you're copying doesn't have similar values, priorities and goals. And also if the person you are modeling is a complete maniac. There are some very successful people who are sick, twisted, dangerous individuals so be careful. Look for successful people who are doing what you want to do, in the same way you want to do it.

2) They all "Love what they do." If there is one common thread that runs through all the successful people I've met, it's that they absolutely, positively, love what they do. The single, biggest reason they do it, is they love it. Successful people believe that what they do helps the people they do it for. For example, successful salespeople really, truly believe they don't sell, they believe they help. Their attitude is; "I can't help you unless you see me, and once you see me, I certainly can't help you unless you buy something from me."

Successful salespeople believe their products and services are the best. They are convinced that if they allow a customer to buy from the competition, they have allowed them to buy second best and, therefore, have done them a terrible disservice. If you really believe what you do is the best, then it is your obligation to make sure people buy from you.

Fact 1. A salesperson is only as good as the product they have to sell. A great salesperson cannot consistently sell a dogshit product. Now, if it’s high class, state of the art, dogshit? That’s another matter. Remember; you can’t polish a turd. It’s got to be a product that is good, there is a need for, and it works.

Fact 2. If it is a great product, sell it but don’t fall in love with it. There will be another along in a minute!

Successful people don't do what they do for the money. They do it because they love it and that is why they earn a lot of money. The money is a by-product of their attitude and action.

I remember many years ago watching a TV talk show whose guests were famous female entrepreneurs. One of the women was asked the following question: "I want to start my own business. How do I decide what kind of business to go into?"

She replied, "The best way to do it is to find something you love doing and just do it all the time: even if you have to give it away for nothing."

When starting a new career or a new business, the money is always the last thing to show up. If you don't love what you're doing, what's going to get you through the tough days before it arrives? Belief! And that, my friend, comes from enjoying what you do.

Now, go and sell something!

Howdy Pah-da-na...Birdy Num num!

Who's the guy on the right of the picture? That's right. The Lone Ranger.

The LONE Ranger?

Who the hell's that on the left then?
Even the Lone Ranger couldn't go it alone.


As Yoda would say...








"In selling, TWO of you there are ".


It's a partnership. A sale is a partnership between you and the customer.

But never forget this...

"Who is the most important person in the sale, you or your customer?"
How many of you answer 'My customer' like you have been trained, told, brainwashed to do by people who should know better?

Let me ask the question in a different way.
"You and your customer crash land on a desert island. One of you is going to die first. Who is it going to be?"
Yep, you got it, the customer.

What's that mean shylock?
It means you just got promoted to 'most important person in the sale'.

YOU are the most important person in the sale.
YOU are the most fundamental part of the whole thing.

The customer doesn't know what he wants.
He doesn't know how to get what he doesn't know that he wants.
And, he doesn't know what to do with, or how to use, what it is that he doesn't know that he wants when he gets it!


That's where you come in pal. You are the most important person in the whole situation.

You have control...always! You have the knowledge, the skill, the attitude and the technique. The customer doesn't have that. Do you know what else you have that the customer doesn't? The product!

Your job is to sell the product for as much as you can. The customers job is to get the product for as little as possible. If I rang your customer and said, "I am going to help you turn the saleperson over and rip him off" they would LOVE it.
Why should you feel guilty about being better at your job than the customer is at theirs?
Always be in control, always have the result and your own position in mind, and never EVER, forget how important you are.

29 TELESALES TIPS YOU CAN USE RIGHT NOW

Get out your notepad. We're going to travel through every part of the professional sales call, in order, discussing proven tips that can help you right now. Let's go!

Pre-Call Planning
1. Have a primary objective for every call, defined as, "What do I want them to DO as a result of this call, and what do I want to do?"
2. Prepare questions for your call using your call objective. Ask yourself, "How can I persuade them to take this action as a result of asking questions, as opposed to talking?" Remember, people believe more of their ideas than yours.

Before Reaching the Decision Maker
3. Treat the screener as you would the customer. This person determines whether or not you'll even have a chance to speak with the buyer.
4. Gather as much information as you can from whomever you are able, prior to speaking with your prospect; busy decision makers get bored when they answer basic factual questions. Say to screeners, "I hope you can help me. So I'm better prepared when I speak with Ms. Big, there's probably some information you could provide me . . ."
5. Have a reason for needing to speak with the decision maker, and be prepared to sell this to the screener. What they're thinking about you: "Does this person have anything of interest, or of value for the boss?"
6. If leaving a message on voice mail, or with a screener, be certain it offers a hint of a benefit/result that sparks curiosity, but doesn't talk about products/services.

Opening Statements
7. The objective of your opening is to pique curiosity and interest so that they will willingly and enthusiastically move to the questioning. You must answer, "What's in it forme?" for the listener, or they will immediately begin the getting-rid-of-you process.
8. When prospecting, don't start the call with, "I was just calling people in your area . . ." People want to feel like they're the only person you're calling . . . not just one of the masses from a list of compiled names.
9. Use what I call "weasel words" when opening prospecting calls: "depending on," "might," "maybe," "perhaps," and "possibly." These are non-threatening words that intimate you might have something of value for them, but you really need to ask questions first. For example, "Depending on what you're now doing in the area of employee benefits, I might have something that could potentially increase the number of options you offer, while possibly decreasing your overall contribution. I'd like to ask you a few questions to see if this is something you'd like moreinformation on."

Questioning
10. Get information before you give it. How could you make an effective presentation otherwise?
11. Don't use a "benefit list" to present from. Instead, use it to create questions to determine if those "benefits" truly are of value to your prospects and customers. Some "benefits" could actually be liabilities
12. Ask one question at a time. That's how many they'll answer at a time.
13. After asking, be quiet. Resist the urge to jump in if they don't answer immediately. Don't be intimidated by silence. They're likely thinking about what they're going to say.
14. After they've finished, count to two (silently, of course). This ensures they're done, plus they might continue with even better information.
15. Be confident in your questioning. One reason reps ramble with questions is that they're not prepared or confident. Prepare your questions. Role play them with yourself if necessary.
16. Always know where you'll go with answers. Regardless of the answer.
17. Quantify the problem whenever possible.
"How often does that happen?"
"How much do you think that is costing you?"
"How much time does that take?"
18. Resist the tendency to present too soon. Some reps get so excited when they hear the slightest hint of an opportunity, that they turn on the spigot of benefits. Hold off, ask a few more questions, get better information, and you're able to craft an even harder-hitting description of benefits, tailored precisely to what they're interested in.

Sales Recommendations
19. Again, you should only talk about your product/service after knowing specifically how it will solve the problem, meet their need, etc. Then you can tailor your remarks specifically and personally for the listener.
20. Avoid the question, "Anything else?" when attempting to upsell. Just like when a salesperson in a store asks the same question, the answer is usually, "No." Instead, give them a suggestion, and help them answer. For example, after they agree to buy an item, or a service, say, "Many of our customers who get _____ from us, also find that ____ is also very beneficial for them. What are you now doing/using/buying in that area?"

Getting Commitment (Closing)
21. This is not the major event in a sales call. It's the natural, logical, validation of the professional sales process up to this point. But you still must ask. Commitment must be gained on every contact in order to move the process forward. If there is to be a follow-up contact, andinformation is to be sent or faxed, there must be commitment on behalf of the prospect regarding that material.
22. Ask large. Think big. Buyers will often move down from a large recommendation, but they rarely move up from a small one. Those who ask the biggest have the largest average order size. Never suggest more than is in the best interest of the customer, but not making a large enough suggestion when appropriate is actually hurting the customer.
23. If you're going to schedule a follow up call, get a commitment of some type. Why would you call back otherwise. If they won't commit to doing anything, reviewing your literature and preparing questions, surveying their existing inventory, etc., they likely have no interest.

Addressing Resistance (Objections)
24. Objections can be avoided by doing everything else correctly up to this point in the call. When they do occur, resist the tendency to attack in defense. You must back up and revisit the questioning stage of the call. The voiced objection is simply a symptom of the real problem. Start by saying, "Let's talk about that."
25. Most price objections start in the mind of the salesperson. Many sales reps aren't 100% sold on the value of their product, therefore they're apt to offer price concessions even when the prospect doesn't flat-out ask, or they present price with a shaky tone of voice. Ask the right questions, present the results of what your product/service can do, and state the price boldly.

Wrapping Up, and Setting Up the Next Action
26. When sending information, samples, demos, etc., know precisely how they'll evaluate the material. How will they know if they like it? What criteria will they use? This way, you'll both be clear as to what would need to happen in order for them to buy.

Your Attitude and Self Motivation
27. You never have to experience rejection again. After all, what is rejection? It's not an experience, it's your definition of the experience. So, ensure that you accomplish something on each call, and you can hold your head high with a sense of achievement. Remember, a decision of any type is better than shadow-chasing someone who will waste your time with wimpy or misleading statements that cause you to believe there's a chance, when, in fact, there's not.
28. A good way to end a call where you don't accomplish your primary objective (and to never experience rejection) is to plant a seed for the future. Give them something to look for, based upon what you uncovered during the call . . . something that might just cause them to call you back. For example, "Pat, it looks like we don't have a fit here, today, but I suggest that if you ever find yourself needing an emergency job finished, and don't have the staff to handle it, give us a call. We specialize in those type of projects, and would love to talk to you."Everyone has been surprised by those written-off prospects who later called to order. This is a way to proactively make it happen more often.
29. As a sales professional using the phone as your main method of communication, you perform a function that very few people in the world could do well, or would even want to try. And that's persuading someone to take action and make a decision, based almost solely on the words and ideas that come from your mouth. It's quite an awesome feat when you think about it. And do think about it. It takes a talented individual to be able to do that well. You are that person. Feel proud of what you do, and always strive to get better!

Onassis v Clinton...no competition...

Perhaps you saw the interview on Fox News. Or, maybe you have heard or seen the fuss about it since on radio and TV news shows. I'm talking about former President Bill Clinton being interviewed by Chris Wallace.
The rules for the interview were that Wallace could spend 15 minutes talking about Mr. Clinton's recent Clinton Global Initiative where he raised over 7 billion dollars, and 15 minutes on anything else he wanted to. Wallace had planned on mixing up the questions and his third question was about Clinton possibly not doing more to put Al-Qaeda out of business in 1993.

Well, that set Bill off into impassioned, rambling response that at times included finger-wagging, a conspiracy theory, and personal accusations, including one about how Wallace was doing a "conservative hit job." Clearly he was flustered, and did not portray the cool, slick, charismatic personality that is known for. I'm not here to talk about the politics of this encounter. There is a sales lesson here.
Bill had never been on Fox News Sunday in its 10-year history. I don't blame him. Fox of course is known for its conservative point of view.
But, after agreeing to this interview, and knowing that 15 minutes was fair game for anything, he of all people should have been prepared to field some missiles tossed at him.
After all, here's a guy who probably has been in more potentially-adversarial interview situations than anyone in history. And he usually pulled them off pretty well.Yet, this time, he let a legitimate question send him off on a rant.

Of course he should have been better-prepared to handle that question in his typically-smiling manner. And we should be prepared to handle what is thrown at us on our sales calls.
If you're new to sales and using the phone in the process, you'll encounter situations that will turn your tongue to warm jelly. Some prospects might say things to you that would reduce mere mortals (non-salespeople) to topsoil.

If you're experienced, you've been there, like I have. Maybe you still visit there occasionally, but hopefully not often.

The keys to success are,
1. learning from each experience, and then DOING something to ensure you correct what went wrong, and,

2. preparing, so as to prevent possible negative scenarios

Let's focus on the preparedness.

"Winging it" on the phone and generally being unprepared usually yields horrible results. It's quite simple, in theory, to get to the point where you sound smooth on calls. It is work, though. It's preparing for what you'll say, editing, practicing, fine-tuning. But yet, why do some salespeople insist on diving blindly into a call, and puking all over themselves with the first words that come to mind?

Would a surgeon walk into an operating room, slap on the gloves and say, "OK, give me the knife. By the way, what are we doing with this guy?"

Would a lawyer dash into a trial, pop open a briefcase, begin an opening argument, then turn and whisper to the client, "What are we working on here again?"

Would an ex-president, go into a potentially tough interview situation on national TV and...oh, never mind that one.

Yet I see, hear, and experience sales calls every day where the callers do something similar.




My all-time hero is Aristotle Onassis. Anyone who knows me knows I have a big Onassis collection. I don’t think there is a book, tape or picture I haven’t got. One of the most fascinating things I read about him came from the Captain of Onassis’ yacht, The Christina.

He said that many nights, Onassis would pace around the decks and in his study arguing and talking and shouting... at himself.

He was rehearsing a Q&A session in a meeting he was going to have next day and he answered the questions he knew they would ask him. Whats more he did it in various styles, passive, angry, funny, violently...just to condition himself against the onslaught.

Then he answered them in various ways and when, and only when, he was certain he had covered all the angles, he went into battle.

People used to go to the meetings with a retinue of assistants. Onassis went alone. He held his ground on his own. He was the business. The business was him. He was prepared. He had the world in his hands and didn’t let go...or drop it.

Do it, don’t try it, do it! And people will be saying about you, "You sound so smooth! You sound so confident. You're a natural."

BT'ing BT

One thing that has always bugged me, and I'm sure it does most of you, is to sit down at the dinner table only to be interrupted by a phone call from a telemarketer. And I am a sales trainer!!! What about the man or woman in the street with no experience of these...they must hate it even more! I decided, on one such occasion, to try to be as irritating as they were to me. The call was from BT and it went something like this:
Me: Hello
BT: Hello, this is BT...
Me: Is this BT?
BT: Yes, this is BT...
Me: This is BT?
BT: Yes This is BT...
Me: Is this BT?
BT: YES! This is BT, may I speak to Mr. Moore please?
Me: May I ask who is calling?
BT: This is BT.
Me: OK, hold on.
At this point I put the phone down for a solid 5 minutes thinking that, surely, this person would have hung up the phone. I ate my salad. Much to my surprise, when I picked up the receiver, they were still waiting.
Me: Hello?
BT: Is this Mr. Moore?
Me: May I ask who is calling please?
BT: Yes this is BT...
Me: Is this BT?
BT: Yes this is BT...
Me: This is BT?
BT: Yes, is this Mr. Moore?
Me: Yes, is this BT?
BT: Yes sir.
Me: The phone company?
BT: Yes sir.
Me: I thought you said this was BT.
BT: Yes sir, we are a phone company.
Me: I already have a phone.
BT: We aren't selling phones today Mr. Moore.
Me: Well whatever it is, I'm really not interested but thanks for calling.

When you are not interested in something, I don't think you can express yourself any plainer than by saying "I'm really not interested," but this lady was persistent.

BT: Mr. Moore, we would like to offer you 10 pence a minute, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Now, I am sure she meant she was offering a "rate" of 10 pence a minute, but she at no time used the word "rate." I could clearly see that it was time to whip out the old calculator and do a little creative accounting.

Me: Now, that's 10 pence a minute 24 hours a day?
BT: (getting a little excited at this point by my interest) Yes sir, that's right! 24 hours a day!
Me: 7 days a week?
BT: That's right.
Me: 365 days a year?
BT: Yes sir.
Me: I am definitely interested in that! Wow!!! That's amazing!
BT: We think so!
Me: That's quite a sum of money!
BT: Yes sir, it's amazing how it adds up.
Me: OK, so will you send me cheques weekly, monthly or just one big one at the end of the year for the full £52,560, and if you send an annual cheque, can I get a cash advance?
BT: Excuse me?
Me: You know, the 10 pence a minute.
BT: What are you talking about?
Me: You said you'd give me 10 pence a minute, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. That comes to £144 per day, £1,008 per week and £52,560 per year. I'm just interested in knowing how you will be making payment.
BT: Oh no, sir, I didn't mean we'd be paying you. You pay us 10 pence a minute.
Me: Wait a minute here!!! Didn't you say you'd give me 10 pence a minute? Are you sure this is BT?
BT: Well, yes this is BT sir but......
Me: But nothing, how do you figure that by saying that you'll give me 10 pence a minute that I'll give you 10 pence a minute? Is this some kind of subliminal telemarketing scheme? I've read about things like this in the papers. Don't use your alien brainwashing techniques on me.
BT: No sir, we are offering 10 pence a minute for.....
Me: THERE YOU GO AGAIN! Can I speak to a supervisor please!
BT: Sir, I don't think that is necessary.
Me: I insist on speaking to a supervisor!
BT: Yes Mr. Moore. Please hold.

So now BT has me on hold and my supper is getting cold. I begin to eat while I'm waiting for a supervisor. After a wait of a few minutes and while I have a mouth full of food:

Supervisor: Mr. Moore?
Me: Yes?
Supervisor: I understand you are not quite understanding our 10 pence a minute program.
Me: Is this BT?
Supervisor: Yes sir, it sure is.

I had to swallow before I choked on my food. It was all I could do to suppress my laughter and I had to be careful not to laugh out loud.

Me: No, actually, I was just waiting for someone to get back to me so that I could sign up for the plan where you give me 10 pence a minute.
Supervisor: OK, no problem, I'll transfer you back to the person who was helping you.
Me: Thank you.

I was on hold once again and managed a few more mouthfuls. I needed to end this conversation. Suddenly, there was an aggravated but polite voice at the other end of the phone.

BT: Hello Mr. Moore, I understand that you are interested in signing up for our plan?
Me: Do you have that friends and family thing because you can never have enough friends and I'm an only child and I'd really like to have a little brother...
BT: (click)

CRECHE TEST DUMMIES

Call me old fashioned.
Call me boring.
Hey, call me a typical man…but;

Why the hell do women feel the need to bring their new babies into work?

Sometimes I walk into receptions and they are littered with ankle biters. Some women who have just had the sprog feel compelled to bring it in and show it off to everyone, as if the others had never seen a baby before! We all know what they are, lady! They leak at both ends, screech the place down for no reason and look like mini versions of Winston Churchill. I sometimes stop in my tracks because I feel like I have walked into a crèche. The place is full of them. Looking at some of them, the parents would be better off pitching a tent and charging admission than bringing them in to show off!

The place is full of lots of people, mainly women, gazing at it and going ‘ooh’ and ‘aaah’ and then, and you will not want to agree with me on this but this is absolutely bang on…when the woman crashes out of the door with the buggy, having taken a layer of paint off of the door frames, and everyone is wondering just what did make those stains on the sofas, the women who were giving it ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ all now look at each other and say ‘did you notice it's eyes, yeeek’ and ‘that baby doesn’t look right to me’ and ‘no way is that her old man’s’…or some other low blow.

Ladies, remember, and this is the real fact of life. If you have a baby it’s your choice. No one else really cares. Any affection it receives is fake as it’s from people who have other things to do and are only being polite. It’s not the first one to be born and you ain’t the first one to have one.

All we want to know as an employer who is still paying your wages is….when are you coming back to EARN your money??

When is 'Eternity' Leave OVER???

www.woops.cockup

You always have to step back and look at things the way your customer would when you're in business or sales.

Case in point, these websites for real companies.

Note the unintended titles that an otherwise innocent business name creates:

Holiday in Lake Tahoe?: www.gotahoe.com

Art Design: www.speedofart.com

The First Cumming Methodist Church: www.cummingfirst.com

Wales Moles Sanctuary: www.molestationnursery.com

Italian Power Generator company: www.powergenitalia.com

Looking for a pen? Try Pen Island at www.penisland.net

Experts Exchange: www.expertsexchange.com

And finally, a site to find celebrities' agents: www.whorepresents.com

You have to be careful when it comes to creating your online business image.
Are these big blunders?
Probably not.
But it does demonstrate how easy it is to lose your customer's focus with a poorly designed URL, brochure or sales letter.

Sales Glossary

Sales Glossary

ABC sales acronym... always be closing... historic and present day sales tip.
AIDA sales process acronym... attention, interest, decision, action... "get the prospect's attention, gain their interest, get them to make a decision and encourage them to act by moving forward with the purchase."
advocate revenue sales influenced by word-of-mouth advertising.
agent a person who acts on behalf of a company or individual to sell its products or services... an agent is typically compensated on a commission only basis
ambush marketing the act of marketing a product or service in conjunction with an event or other brand without paying for the right... typically used when an official sponsorship opportunity is available but a company doesn't wish to pay the fee for the sponsorship or another company has already purchased the sponsorship.
ASP acronym... application service provider... a software solution used by the customer where the solution itself is developed, hosted and managed by an outside company... generally implies a lower implementation cost.
assumptive close old school closing approach where the salesperson assumes the prospect is buying and moves directly to a request for a signed contract and/ or payment.
barter a non-monetary exchange... an exchange of products and/ or services for other products and/ or services... sometimes used to minimize cash outlays or to maximize the value of sunk costs.
base salary or "base" the guaranteed portion of a salesperson's monetary compensation... not always a part of a salesperson's compensation.
benefit the value experienced by the customer.
Black Friday a retail sales term used to describe the Friday after Thanksgiving... traditionally a big selling day for the retail world... originated as a description of the day in the year when a retailer begins to profit or "be in the black".
broker a person who acts on behalf of a company to sell its products or services... a broker is typically compensated on a commission only basis.
budget the amount of money available for use to a salesperson or purchasing agent for a particular time period or a particular project... can also be used to describe a sales target (in revenue and/ or units) for a specified time period... also referred to as a quota, goal or forecast.
buying signal a communication from a prospect or customer that indicates s/he is or is strongly considering making a purchase... typically delivered in the form of a question (i.e., can i have it delivered before the end of the month?)
CRM acronym... customer relationship management... term generally used to describe a comprehensive software solution that helps companies manage their relationships with their prospects and customers.
canvas another word for the activity of prospecting... typically used when referring to prospecting that involves prospecting that's done in person rather than over the phone.
channel the means used by companies to make their products and services available to their target market... examples include direct channel (sold by the company's sales force), distributors, retail stores, reps and value added resellers.
close part of the sales process..
as a noun... the point at which the prospect makes a commitment to purchase a particular product or service.
as a verb... the point at which the salesperson asks or encourages the prospect to make a commitment to purchase a particular product or service.
cold call a sales call where the salesperson doesn't personally know the company and/ or contact s/he is calling on and/ or a sales call where no known need, by the prospect or salesperson, exists.
comfort zone challenge an activity in which one engages in order to push one’s envelope where one has relatively little experience and/ or comfort.
commission compensation paid to a salesperson following the successful completion of a sale to a customer... typically a percentage of the gross sales revenue but can be linked to units or margin as well.
contact manager a method or system for managing contact information, priorities and checklists... typically used to describe a software solution that partially automates contact management functions.
cross sell to sell a prospect/ customer a product or service that complements or adds value to another purchase... can also be used to refer to selling an existing customer another product or service (regardless of its connection with another purchase)
differentiate to communicate specific and valuable benefits of a product or service that a prospect or customer cannot experience elsewhere.
distributor an organization or individual that sells a product made by someone else... sometimes used interchangeably with the words "wholesaler", "reseller", and "VAR"
disqualifyto determine the purchasing potential of a prospect or customer as unlikely and therefore a poor use of sales time (see qualify)
draw a form of monetary compensation paid in advance of commissions earned and then applied against the balance of future commissions earned-- can be recoverable or non-recoverable... generally used to guarantee personal cash flow to an individual who does not earn a salary.
e-commerce the activity of buying and selling over an electronic data interchange... typically referred to when describing the activity of buying and selling over the Internet and a web interface...
elephant sales slang... used to refer to a prospect who, if brought in as a customer, would have a tremendously positive impact on revenue generated. (see also-- whale)
farmer a sales professional responsible for growing sales from existing accounts.
forecast a predicted amount of revenue generation for a particular time period and/ or area of geography and/ or industry... can also be used to describe a sales target (in revenue and/ or units) for a specified time period... also referred to as a quota, budget or goal.
GBS sales acronym... general benefit statement... an opening statement of the benefit(s) a customer will receive by purchasing a product or service.
gatekeeper an individual within an organization who is responsible for evaluating the potential value of a salesperson's product or service for a particular decision maker and taking action accordingly (e.g., passing them along to the appropriate person, asking them to send something in the mail, etc.)... also called a screener.
goal a sales target (in revenue and/ or units) for a specified time period... also referred to as a quota, budget or forecast.
hunter a front line sales professional responsible for finding and bringing in new business.
ISO sales acronym... independent sales organization... term used to describe field sales forces that are not employees of the companies which provide the products or services they sell.
inbound inquiry an inquiry about your product or service that's initiated (usually by phone, email or in person) by a prospect or customer... no prospecting needed... a gift from the sales angels...
inside sales usually refers to those who sell by phone and/ or do not leave the premises physically
lead a person or organization that has shown an interest in a particular product or service... can also be used to describe a person or organization that sales or marketing staff feel may have a need for a particular product or service.
lock-out revenue the dollars generated from a customer over time because of the customer's perceived hassles associated with switching to a competitor.
manufacturers' rep independent sales representatives that are not employed by the companies which provide the products and services they sell... manufacturers' reps typically represent multiple manufacturers in complementary industries and sometimes represent competing lines within industries.
margin the difference between the selling price of a product or service and the cost of producing, delivering or acquiring the product or service.
marketing a set of activities that assist in driving sales of a product and/ or service
money hours the hours in a sales professional's day where s/he can talk with prospects and/ or customers... the most valuable hours of a salesperson's day.
non-recoverable draw a draw that cannot be recovered or retrieved by an employer regardless of employment status of the individual who received the draw and whether or not the draw paid exceeds commissions earned.
OEM acronym... original equipment manufacturer... an acronym that originally defined a manufacturer who produced a product to be sold under other company's brands... now used in the sales world to describe when a company makes a product and sells it to other companies so that they can sell it under their label.
objection a statement of challenge or rejection by a prospect or customer of a feature, benefit, product or service... can be helpful to the sales process in that it can indicate about what a prospect or customer is concerned-- allowing for a stronger sales discussion... objections can include a lack of perceived value in a product or service offering, a perception of an inferiority to a competitive offering, a lack of perceived urgency in purchasing the offering, an unknown internal political issue between departments, an unknown corporate initiative with an external party, a lack of funds to purchase the offering, an unknown personal issue with the decision maker(s) and an "it's safer to do nothing" perception by the prospect or customer... see also smoke screen objections
open-ended questions questions that cannot be answered with a "yes" or a "no", generally begin with the words, what, how or why and usually encourage a prospect or customer to expand on a response ... as a result, open-ended questions usually help the salesperson learn much more about the prospect or customer than a close-ended question.
outside sales usually refers to those who sell by visiting others in-person
permission-based failure a negative result that occurs because one does not fully attempt to achieve an outcome because of a message sent by influential individuals that is perceived as a "permission to fail" or implied acceptance of the reduced attempt... common statements prompting implied acceptance include-- "What happens… happens." or "The important thing is that you tried."
prospect as a noun... an individual or organization with a need for a particular product or service, the potential for or existence of an understanding of that need and the potential to ultimately purchase the product or service... sometimes confused with a suspect.
as a verb... to proactively seek out potential buyers of a product or service and approach them through personal contact (in person, over the phone, one-to-one email or fax) with the intent to sell should a need exist.
quota a sales target (in revenue and/ or units) for a specified time period... also referred to as a goal, budget or forecast.
qualify to determine the purchasing potential of a suspect, prospect or customer.
ROI sales proposal acronym... return on investment... a term used in the financial world and by management to define the monetary value created or expected to be gained by an investment of capital... typically used as a hard value measurement during the decision making process of the sales process or to measure the success of a purchase after implementation and use.
recoverable draw a draw that can be recovered or retrieved by an employer regardless of employment status of the individual who received the draw... the recoverable amount is equal to any draw paid to the individual that exceeds commissions earned.
referral the strongest form of advertising and/ or one of the best forms of a lead... used to describe a prospect that is given to a salesperson by a current customer or prospect... requests for referrals are often forgotten by even the best salespeople.
reseller an organization or individual that sells a product made (and sometimes serviced) by someone else... sometimes used interchangeably with the words "distributor" and "VAR"
SFA sales acronym... sales force automation... term generally used to describe a software solution that assists an organization in managing the sales process... also see CRM.
SLA sales contract acronym... service level agreement... a sales contract's clause that defines a guaranteed level of service and any penalties or adjustments should the level of guaranteed service not be met by the providing organization... generally used to make the customer more confident about the purchase.
SME Small to Mid-Sized Enterprise
sales the top line of the income statement and the driving force of all organizations, ideas and progress... also used to describe the greatest profession in history and greatest skill one can ever have... (did you expect something less?)
screener an individual within an organization who is responsible for evaluating the potential value of a salesperson's product or service to a particular decision maker and taking action accordingly (i.e., passing them along to the appropriate person, asking them to send something in the mail, etc.)... also called a gatekeeper.
smoke screen (objection) an objection given by a prospect or customer that's not the primary objection to moving forward... it's usually given to divert the salesperson from addressing the primary objection of the prospect or customer and/ or simply because the prospect or customer feels they must object at least once or twice to strengthen their position in a negotiation or sales process... (primary objections can include a lack of perceived value in a product or service offering, a perception of an inferiority to a competitive offering, a lack of perceived urgency in purchasing the offering, an unknown internal political issue between departments, an unknown corporate initiative with an external party, a lack of funds to purchase the offering, an unknown personal issue with the decision maker(s) and an "it's safer to do nothing" perception by the prospect or customer)...
suspect an individual or organization with the potential of need for a particular product or service... sometimes confused with a prospect.
trial close a closing effort typically made early in the sales process... commonly used to qualify interest or attempt to close after a buying signal is given by the prospect.
USP sales acronym... unique selling proposition... your product's and/ or service's differentiating factor(s) within the competitive environment.
up-sell to sell a prospect/ customer a product or service of higher value
VAR sales acronym... value added reseller... term generally used to describe an organization that sells another organization's product after adding features to it.
value proposition the specific and definitive offer of value from one organization to another.
viral marketing the act of marketing a product or service using tactics that encourage individuals to pass along a marketing message to other individuals in order to have the message delivered at an exponential rate and at very little to no cost to the marketer... a successful viral marketing campaign encourages prospects and customers to market a product or service for the marketing company or individual.
WIIFM or WIIFem sales factor acronym... what's in it for me or what's in it for them... used to describe what should be the focus of any communication with a prospect or customer... a sales manager might say, "make sure you focus on the WIIFM factor" or "make sure you WIIFem".
weight-out a legal practice used to maintain the price points of consumer goods (typically, packaged foods or beverages)... the size or weight of a package is lowered in order to maintain the company's margin on that particular product without raising the price and potentially affecting sales levels for "price" sensitive consumers.
whale sales slang... used to refer to a prospect who, if brought in as a customer, would have a tremendously positive impact on revenue generated. (see also-- elephant)
wholesaler an organization or individual that sells a product made by someone else... usually refers to one who sells to others for resale (e.g., wholesaler to retailer)
windscreen time the amount of time in the car driving between accounts
yes the favorite sales word of all-time (when used in conjunction with a paying prospect who can make a decision... and does)

Underground or Underwater?

Hey look, I know the Jubilee line goes under the Thames a couple of times but this is ridiculous. I took this pic with my cameraphone on Saturday

My mate laughing in the background didn't help either, thanks Rob!
She then walked through Bond Street Tube station like this.
Have they left the gates open again?
Is it comic relief?

Here is the Top Ten List of things heard on the Underground this week.

1. Pete Doherty has the same face as Myra Hindley.
2. He turns and BANG! Top corner. No chance.
3. He starts trouble, but he doesn't get it. I have to live here and deal with it.
4. That's not sushi, it's just a starfish.
5. These are those glasses made out of memory plastic that you can't bend out of – oh shit!
6. Russell Square? I know that. Who's that named after?
7. He was shaving his head when it fell off.
8. I asked for an Americano. I think this is a latte.
9. Did you understand any of that? It would help if these people spoke English.
10. Everyone had left the office, so we raided the fridge and found three cans of Stella.

Our man in Cairo!

After a thrilling keynote speech in Cairo we have decided to open up a Cairo office.

Say hello to...Kasbah Mick!

I Refuse To Understand What The Problem Was

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs...You probably haven't grasped the situation!

When working with a client, always try hard to not understand their problem, as they present the facts as they see them. Of course listen to them (for a very brief moment) and watch out for the things that they don't see. However it's important to remember that all clients will lie to you and that most of the conscious communications, "the facts", are lies and that the really useful information, the truth, is contained in the unconscious communication; the solutions to client's problems lie in what's missing.

I have heard Richard Bandler say on many occasions,

"People say… you don't understand and I say …you're right… I don't understand. And I'm good at it".

It is good not to understand; because if a client's problem is understood and treated as being serious then it will be serious. What is needed is to stand over a problem, and at other times its good to stand to the side of a problem, and to begin to enable your client to see it from a new perspective.

It doesn't mean that by refusing to understand their story that you don't care about your clients well being. In fact I think it is important to care enough about a clients successful outcomes that you will do more and go further to help them then they often will to help themselves and that includes not believing them. To believe their story would be doing them a great disservice.

Never, ever, ever, allow yourself to congruently hear the seriousness of a client's problems. Never, ever, ever, listen to their history or acknowledge their limiting beliefs with understanding. Never, ever, ever, listen to their tales of sadness and woe with pity no matter how tragic and remember to remove any boxes of tissues when working as it only encourages them to cry.

Be aware that all clients, as well as being liars, are very accomplished hypnotists. They have been practicing self-hypnosis for a lifetime (they just don't know it) and no one has yet awarded them a certificate or diploma for their hypnotic efforts. Unfortunately many have only ever practiced giving themselves negative post hypnotic suggestions. Beware their hypnosis, after all, the last thing you would want is for the two of you to be in the same ‘problem trance’ and end up doing therapy together for years.

I have had many people approach me at seminars or just turn up to an appointment with briefcases containing notes and medical records from doctors, specialists and experts verifying the importance and therefore the seriousness of their problems and listing all of the things that have been "tried" but haven't worked. Sometimes it is important for a client to have the hard work they have put into their problem acknowledged. Their brief case history represents a massive investment in time, effort and money and it would be churlish to help them to change quickly, easily and effortlessly without at least appearing to be interested in their history. It is acceptable to listen whilst offering incongruent head nods and grunts so as to signify to their unconscious that we don't accept or believe a word of the lies they or the specialists are telling us, because we see miracles happen every day.

On a recent Master Practitioner training Richard Bandler was asked the question "You make it look so easy how do you do it?" (‘It’ being helping someone to change quickly and apparently effortlessly). Richard's answer was simple "I make it look easy… because it is easy".

And it is easy just as long as you keep out of your clients' trances. Don't buy into their story whether it’s His-story or Her-story.

It is easy; just smile inside secure in the knowledge that if you keep out of your head, shut the fuck up, shut the fuck up, shut the fuck up or if you prefer shhh, shhh, shhh. If you control your state and begin to open up all of your senses while you calibrate to the information being presented to you and keep your map of the world out of the way so that with your strong beliefs, boundless confidence, focused determination, your behavioral flexibility and a lot of light heartedness and a good heart. Your clients will not only be looking back at their problems and laughing but will be laughing at them in the present moments ahead of them and way, way off into the future.

Both you and they will find that change is easy. No problem!

An example:

Client. I keep having the same recurring dream. I get in my car and drive to Manchester every night. I then turn around and drive home. I wake up completely worn out from the drive.

Me. Wow. That must be costing you a fortune in petrol!!