News Flash — Barry Bonds is indicted by a federal grand jury on perjury charges; and A-Rod resigns with the Yankees after opting out of his contract despite the Yankees swearing they will not resign him.  How do these events relate to sales? 

In Bonds’ case, he violated one of the common traits you will see in all millionaires (The Millionaire Mind); the ability to get along with people.  Besides lying to a federal grand jury, Barry’s problems go back much farther than that.  He always carried himself with a great deal of arrogance. He was consistently rude to people and seemingly did not care about his fans.  While there are exceptions out there,  most people you speak with do not have something nice to say about Mr. Bonds. 

On the other hand you have Jason Giambi, who was implicated in the same steroids scandal. Jason is free of any court action and is still performing with the support of baseball fans.  He acknowledged and apologized for his role in the scandal.   He knew he was neither above the law nor the court of public opinion.  He knew he had to address the issues with the public and get along with the public in order to move forward. 

All of us have to get along with our customers.  Yes, we may still succeed if we are arrogant and not listening to our customers.  But remember, when you do not get along with others, they just can’t wait for you to slip up. 

As for A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez), his situation brings out two key points.  First, whenever you hear someone say this deal can never happen, remember that everything is negotiable.  When A-Rod opted out, the Yankees said they would never sign him again.  There were other financial implications involved which we will not get into now.  So the question is, what brought the Yankees back to the negotiating table?  That’s where point two comes in….NOTHING REPLACES PERSONAL CONTACT DURING A NEGOTIATION!!!

A short time after opting out of his agreement, A-Rod and his wife decided that they really wanted to remain in New York after all.  So, A-Rod reached out to Warren Buffet, considered by many to be the savviest investor of all time, and one of the richest people in the world.

Buffet’s simple piece of advice to A-Rod was to call the Yankees directly and go meet with them in person.  Once contact was made with the Yankees through an intermediary, the Yankees agreed to meet with him on one condition…that A-Rod’s agent, Scott Boras, who is known for his ruthless negotiating style, may not be present during the meeting.  So, A-Rod gets on a plane with his wife Cynthia and goes down to Tampa to meet with the Steinbrenner brothers. In one day, they nailed out the parameters of the deal!!! The Yankees felt convinced about A-Rod’s genuine desire to play for the team,and yes, they did offer him a boat load of money.  But wait!  The final offer was the same as the original offer they were going to give him, but never had the chance.  A-Rod was lucky to get a second chance.

You want to increase your success?  Then learn to get along with people.  Remember that nothing is more valuable than a personal relationship and a face- to-face visit.  And finally, never put your needs ahead of your customers.  It will always be received as pure arrogance on your part and create a perception of not caring. 

This morning (Monday, September 24, 2007) I started my day as I always do; going straight to the sports section of the NY Times. Attached to the front page was a flap the length of the paper and about 1/3 wide. It had the NBC logo with the words “Tonight 9pm”. Pulling the flap to the side, you saw the entire line-up for the first night of the new season for NBC.

What a great idea! NBC decided to hit its target market, sports fans, in a way they have never been hit before; being forced to view their line-up before reading the information they were after. It was great positioning. They found a way to get through the clutter. They have differentiated themselves. Don’t you as a sales executive struggle with this on a daily basis?

But wait, it gets better! After finishing the Sports section, I now turned to the second section I read on a daily basis, the Business Section. It too had the same flap. Then I looked at all the sections and realized they all had the flap. NBC was targeting everyone. Every area of interest had the line-up for tonight’s shows. They have blanketed their market with the message to ensure no matter where you went in the NY Times, you saw their line-up.

What I don´t know is if NBC did this with all the newspapers in NY; or any where else in the nation. But listen, it got my attention. It worked. And now I am telling you about it so if you did not see the same thing in your newspaper where you live, you now know about it.

How would you like to have this word of mouth advertising? Well, it too can happen to you. All you have to do is follow these 7 simple steps:

1. Make It Unique—sales people are always doing the same things to the same people. Everyone is talking about the same features. What can you do to spice up your message and make it different? How can you create a flap that will get your customer´s attention? The answer lies not in your features, but the outcomes you offer. Tell people what they will get in terms of results from working with you. Differentiate yourself from the same old tired remarks on why you are so good. What is it going to do for me, the customer? You want to make it so unique that people like me will shout out to the world what you are doing. That’s how you get word of mouth advertising.
2. Make It Simple—sales people tend to get cutesy about how they describe what it is they do. Simplicity sells. Complexity stiffens. Make it easy for people to understand and buy. NBC made it simple—pull the flap, see the schedule and move on.
3. Blanket Your Market—sales people in general do not have enough activity supporting their sales goals. The magic is in the mix. You need to make enough phone calls and on-site visits to support your percentage in terms of closed deals. You need to constantly be in contact with your market via newsletters and other venues to keep them up to speed on what’s happening in the market. Sales are all about timing. You want to be top of mind when the need arises for your customer. NBC was top of mind throughout the entire readership of the NY Times. Are you blanketing your market with your sales coverage?
4. Break Through The Clutter—Besides being unique, you need to change the way you think. A sales executive I was coaching could not get through to the president of a company he was trying to sell. I told him to look up the web site. Make a color copy of the home page. Overnight it to the customer with a letter as to why you are the one who is going to help him keep his advertised promise to his customers. The letter was read, he got the appointment and today he is the leading supplier. This approach was different from making a call or sending out a brochure. What are you doing to break through the clutter?
5. Make It Visually Exciting—NBC’s flap was colorful. It was striking. How striking and colorful are your conversations with your customers? Are you talking about them (which is of more interest to the customer) or are you talking about yourself? Are you using action words to paint a visual picture of how things are going to be better by using your products and services? Are you creating an exciting picture with your words and written materials that stops people in their tracks and make them look and say WOW!!!
6. Less Is More—There was a lot of empty space on both sides of the Flap. You saw NBC, the logo, and Tonight’s Line-up on the front. On the back, you simply saw the line-up. There were no added words that took away from the simple message NBC was trying to communicate. Are you keeping your message to the point?
7. What Is Your Point?—Many times I hear sales people going off on tangents or telling stories that have no point. You need to take your customers down a road that is logical and leads to a point you are trying to make. Obviously, the ultimate destination is the sale. But you won’t reach that destination if you don’t clearly communicate your points. Expecting the customers to understand your points through their own translation is a dangerous game to play.

Kudos´s to NBC Marketing. While marketing and sales are not the same discipline, sales people can always gain valuable lessons from other disciplines.  

Do you know when to hold ‘Em and when to fold ‘Em? Poker players of all skill levels are flocking to Poker Boot Camps to make sure they have the upper hand when they are gambling with their hard earned money. These 2-3 day boot camps are held in groups of 60 or less by two academies, including one run by the World Series of Poker. The cost ranges from $1,695 to $4,300.

What does this have to do with you? Everything! Like poker players, you are playing with your earnings when it comes to sales. You need to stay on top of your game and make sure you take advantage of every move possible to beat out the competition. You want to make sure you are the one taking the chips off the table.

Whether you have been in sales a long time and simply want to hone your skills or you want to acquire new skills, come to the Titan Sales Boot Camp . It is cheaper than a poker boot camp And it produces results faster, helps you make more money and is less risky. A few seats remain for our last Titan Sales Boot Camp in 2007 – Oct 29/30. Sign up today !!!

Making mistakes are part of life. Learning from mistakes and not repeating them is what separates successful people from wannabe´s. Take Tom Coughlin, head coach of the NY Giants football team. Known as a stern and harsh coach, he decided to change his ways. While his previous approach served him well in the past, it has led to failure in the present. Most players today will not respond to stern discipline alone. Ask Tiki Barber, NY Giants star running back who retired last year in his prime. While a budding television career and lack of passion were part of his reason for quitting, so was his relationship with Coach Coughlin.

Tim Mara, co-owner of the Giants, urged Coughlin to allow more of his “real self” to show; an approachable person with a good sense of humor. He was urged not to lead so much with an iron fist. In training camp, he did this. Players no longer had to wear pads for both practices each day. One day, he put them all on a bus and went bowling. He no longer snipes at reporters. You may ask if this going to pay off with better results? That is still to be determined as the season is about to start. However, Coach Coughlin knew something different had to be done. As he said, “It is not about saving one´s job. It is about learning from your mistakes and trying new things to achieve different results”.

In managing sales people, I always looked for the ones who were making mistakes. I valued them more than the ones who never made mistakes. Those who never made mistakes tended to be the one’s who weren´t willing to try new things. They stayed within their comfort zone. For the one’s who did make mistakes, what I looked for was to see if they learned from their mistakes. They typically out performed those who did not learn from their mistakes or never made any.

Most bosses will accept errors of commission. It shows your willingness to do things “outside of the box”. It is errors of omission that could put you in hot water with them. What type of mistakes are you making? Take the time to reflect on this. Doing the same thing over and over will only produce the same results. Analyzing what is working and not working, and coming up with different strategies will turn your mistakes into gold.

There are certain phrases you have heard in your life that have stuck in the forefront of your consciousness. One such phrase for me is “Staying In Communication”. It is a phrase that a colleague Paul Dominguez has drilled into my mind over and over again. Communication is the single, most important attribute one can refer to as the reason for any success or failure in business. Increasing sales and revenues is a direct result of staying in communication. Here are 3 situations in which staying in communication is critical:

1. Timing: Nido Qubein, Chairman, Great Harvest Bread Co. and President of Highpoint University, claims communication is the key to success. Everyday he reaches out to 4 people whom he wishes to keep in contact with. Usually, it is with hand written notes. It can be with a phone call. Either way, he is always communicating and staying in touch with dozens of people every month.Whether you are sending a thank you note or an article of interest, you need to stay in front of your customers, colleagues and people of influence. Timing is everything in sales. Staying in front of your market allows them to think of you when the time comes to make a purchase for products and services you sell.
2. Breaking a Slump: When things go wrong there is a natural tendency to withdraw. Problems are very often overblown by your own mind. By reaching out and talking to others, you may well realize that things are not as bad as you think. You could also gain insight on potential solutions to your problems. Either way, staying in touch with others is essential to breaking a slump.
3. Rewards and Recognition: There is no greater feeling than when someone hears positive comments about their performance. Recognition is the number 1 motivational tool out there. It even trumps money. While money is important to many people, it is purely a form of recognition. Reach out and tell people how well they are doing. You can even congratulate your customers when they do business with you. Imagine receiving a note that says “congratulations on your decision to….”.

The more you stay in communication, the more successful you will be.

Have you been victimized by a Sample Bandit lately? Sample bandits are the prospects that are always asking for demonstrations, samples and quotes yet never buy from you. The important thing to remember is: you cannot be victimized by these bandits if you are not a willing participant. You can control who wastes your time and who doesn´t.

Not every request for a quote, sample and demonstration will result in a sale. On the other hand, not everyone is a sample bandit. How do you figure out who is wasting your time and who isn´t?

The secret is in your ability to qualify the prospect.

There are several issues that need to be qualified before you agree to generate a quote, sample, etc. When you consider how much time it takes you to generate a quote, send a sample or give a demonstration and multiply this time by the number that did not result in business, you will be amazed at how much time you have wasted over the period of a year. Giving samples, generating quotes and providing demonstrations are not bad for business, just only do this for qualified prospects and not with everyone you meet. Time is a precious commodity. The more time you spend with qualified prospects, the more you can expect to sell and earn.

What qualifies a prospect to receive a sample, quote and/or demonstration?

• Timing—You have heard the famous expression that timing is everything in life. It is so true in sales. No matter how good your product/service is, even if the price is great, if the timing is not right, the sale is not happening.

  Sometimes, pricing or a good argument can nudge the time frame up a little bit. Find out when the sale is expected to happen. If the deal is not expected to happen for a couple of months, wait to generate a quote.

  If you feel there is a chance to motivate the buyer to do the dealer sooner, make sure your value proposition is strong enough to motivate the change in timing.

• Disqualification— Often customers will use your samples, quotes and demonstrations as a method of disqualification. Make sure your samples, quotes and demonstrations are being used for the right purposes and not as a tactic for knocking you out of the game.
• Justification—Customers will sometimes request quotes from a certain number of vendors just to show they have looked at several choices, even when they know who they want to work with. Don´t allow yourself to be a justification! Some sales execs go forward in the belief that any quote allows them to get a foot in the door. You get a foot in the door by doing the right qualification and needs analysis followed by a strong value proposition. The concept of handing in quotes, samples and doing demonstrations does very little to strengthen your position without a properly qualified customer.
• Positioning—Many sales execs go out of their way to time their presentation. They try to be the last demonstration so they can have the final word and last source of impact. This is a good strategy. However, you still need to do the proper due diligence to succeed in your positioning.
• Numbers Game—-Some sales reps act like a high speed quote and sample machine because they are followers of the old maxim that sales is a numbers game. Sales is a numbers game—-the more qualified accounts you deal with, the more sales you will generate. Quotes and samples do not constitute a justifiable numbers strategy without the proper due diligence.

If a customer does not have a qualified situation that will justify your investment of time and resources, move on to the next prospect. Every minute and dollar you spend is not retrievable, once spent it is lost forever. Only you have control over your time and money. Don´t let anyone else spend it. Protect it and only give it to the people who deserve it. Self discipline in this area is crucial to your sales success. Otherwise, the Sample Bandits are waiting and will pounce on you the moment you show up. They will bleed you of all the time and money you have.

It’s time to say “NO” to the Sample Bandits!!!

Do you want to avoid being a victim of the Sample Bandits? Learn how to qualify accounts better and close more sales. Reserve your seat today in the next Titan Sales Boot Camp.

If you don´t know your Points of Power, how can you stay strong in a negotiation? Points of Power are defined as the strengths you have in a certain negotiation and using that power provides the ability to negotiate a deal that is favorable to both parties

Points of Power include:

• Timing—If the customer needs to conclude a deal now and you have the ability to meet all deadlines, that is a Point of Power in your favor.
• Demand vs. Supply—The more demand there is for your product, the stronger your position.
• Ability to Take Risk—-If you can’t afford to lose the deal, even if it is not favorable, you are dealing from weakness. You must have a strong pipeline so you can afford to walk away from deals that do not make sense. The ability to risk losing the deal is probably one of the strongest Points of Power you can bring to any negotiation.
• Expertise— Customers are always looking for up-to-date information on trends, market conditions and product/service knowledge. If you possess expertise that your customers rely on, that is a Point of Power.

These are just four of the Points of Power that will strengthen your hand in a negotiation. To learn the rest, order your copy of Power Negotiations or reserve your seat at the next Titan Sales Boot Camp

Sales forecasting is probably one of the most difficult and distasteful topics for sales executives. After 30 years of selling, managing, consulting and coaching some of the top sales executives in the world, I can you tell you it is one of the most powerful tool you can use to guarantee your success. You probably have heard the famous expression, “if you don´t know where you are going, all roads will lead you there”. Question: Do you have a sales revenue goal in mind for this year? You probably are answering yes. Second question: Are your actions supporting your goal? Again, you probably are answering yes. Think again!!!

All too often sales executives have a goal in mind and think their actions are going to help them achieve that goal. Yet, when they look deeply into their business, often they will see holes that need to be plugged. A forecast tells you in advance where the holes are and allows you to make the necessary repairs and prevent the ship from sinking. When you create a forecast, you are not only looking at the projected results, you are also analyzing why you think those results are going to happen. Often, you will find the deals are not as solid as they seem on the surface.

When creating a forecast, here are 4 simple steps you should take to ensure your success each and every year.

1. Start with the end in Sight- What is the revenue goal you need to achieve this year? I am not asking what you think you can do or what your company wants you to do. I am asking what it will take to support your desired lifestyle. This includes the vacations you want to take, the level of education you desire for your children, affording the mortgage and taxes for the type of house and community you want to live in, saving money for your retirement and having a little extra to spend on other items like the car of your choice. How much do you need to make in order to live a fulfilling life? Before you write telling me money is not the only fulfilling thing in life, I agree. If you are into charity work and giving, how much do you need to make to support your favorite causes? In some cases, the number may be more than you think you can do. Still, put it down. You need to see what you are after so you can build the appropriate forecast and plan. If you shy away from thinking it is not doable, guess what? It isn’t.
2. Make Sure Your Strategies and Actions Support Your Goal. Assume you are selling life insurance and you want to earn $50k more this year. The average income of the clients you have been serving is $100k per year. How would you do it? The common answer is to sell more insurance policies to more people. This is a good but limiting answer. Yes, you want more clients. But how many clients can you realistically work with at a given time? Instead of putting all of your eggs into one basket, you may want to also change your target market. What if you changed your target market to include clients with an average income of $200k? It is likely this target market would buy bigger policies (they have more to protect) and pay larger premiums which allow you to earn higher commissions. Look at your overall strategy and see if it supports your goal.
3. Make Sure Your Actions Support Your Goal. This is where the forecast comes into play. First, you need to list the opportunities to see if the total matches your goal. If not, you need to find new opportunities. Second, you need to qualify the opportunities you have listed. There are a number of realizations you may come to uncover, such as:
   1. a. You may not be dealing with the decision maker
   2. b. You may be asking the wrong questions
   3. c. You may be falling short in your value proposition
   4. d. The time may not be right for a deal
   5. e. You should be closing the deal
   6. f. You should cut your losses and move on

   Identify the steps of your sales cycle. See what is necessary to move each deal to the next step. If you can’t reach the next step, find out why and overcome the hurdles. Often, deals are not as solid as they appear. It is best you find this out sooner than later. Only then can you plug up the holes and ensure you safely reach your goal. These realizations only come after you look at your projected opportunities and dig really deep into how well they have been qualified and what needs to be done to get the business.

4. Measure Your Results. Break that yearly goal down into the smallest time measurements possible so you can gage your results and make appropriate changes. In some cases this is a monthly sales number, in other cases it can be weekly. You can even break it down into the sales cycle steps you have identified above and see if your pipeline at each level is strong enough to support your goal.

Today is August 1st. With five months left in the year, there is plenty of time to build a forecast and see where you stand. If your results are above your stated goal, don’t stop there. Raise your goal and take advantage of the strong market. Downturns occur and you always should maximize your opportunities.

If your number is below your goal, don’t be too quick to lower your expectations. Many times you can look at the forecast, identify the holes and make the necessary changes in time to ensure your success. If you have a complex sale or a long sales cycle with time running out this year, then at least start planning and forecasting your success for 2008.

One thing is for certain…there is no overnight success. Everything is planned for in life. That includes both failure and success. The top performers all plan for their success.

For tools that will help you realize your forecasted revenues click here.

Athletes and sales executives have one thing in common: They all go through streaks. They have their moments when they are in the zone and can do no wrong. They are full of confidence knowing they are going to “hit a home run” the next time at bat. And then, for some unexplained reason, the hits stop coming and they fall into a rut. The confidence disappears and they wonder if they will ever hit again.

This has happened to every sales executive. The question is how you handle this situation and reverse the slump. The first thing you need to do is to take yourself back to a moment where you were successful. Replay that event in slow motion, be honest with your self, and identify all of the actions you took and the mindset from which you operated. Now compare that picture to what you are currently doing. Often you will see there is at least one difference in your approach. Sometimes, all it takes is one minor tweak to reverse a trend. In most cases you will be to identify the tweak if you allow yourself to revisit those moments in which you owned the world and could do no wrong.

Slumps happen for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is just bad timing and market fluctuations. While you may not be able to control those situations, you can control your actions. Remember this; if you did it once, you have proven your capabilities in doing the task. All you have to do is keep in game shape and remember that championship form. While slumps may be unavoidable, the severity of the slump and how long you stay in it is for the most part controlled by you. It’s all in the mind.

Okay, here is another golf anecdote. For all you non-golfers, I promise to make this relevant to your sales success. Golfer Phil Mickelson fired his long time coach last weekend. Yesterday, Mickelson won the US Players Championship. Phil will be the first one to tell you he got a lot out of his old coach, yet he either learned everything the coach had to offer or he needed to learn other things the coach wasn’t covering. Either way, the impact was not the same so a change was required.

As a sales executive, did you ever look at yourself as a coach to your customers?  If not, you may want to reconsider that.  Coaches find out the goals of their clients and the obstacles they face.  They act as confidantes and provide a learning experience that enables the client to explore new ways of doing things and getting better results.  Isn’t that what sales is all about?  Helping your customers learn new ways of achieving better results and showing them how to do it.

If you ever lose business again from an existing customer, ask yourself where did the relationship start to lose its value for the customer?  Did the customer feel they have maximized their results with you and that the competition offered better results?  Did you take the customer for granted and stop doing the things you did to get the business in the first place?  Often, when a customer goes to the competition, it is usually for reasons that a coach on top of things could handle and prevent.

Has your customer fired their coach lately?