About 25 years ago, I read my first book on selling. It was, The Secrets of Closing the Sale. Like many sales and business professionals, this was the first book that I was ever exposed to which focused on the subject and the art of selling. 25 years later, I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down and meeting with the master of selling and personal development, the often imitated but never duplicated, Zig Ziglar.

Now, if you’re in sales or a self help junkie, you know who Zig Ziglar is. (If not, you’re either someone who hasn’t truly invested in your career and embraced lifelong learning by continually investing in your development, you’re fairly new to the selling profession or are just starting out, or you’ve been living under a rock for far too long.) Zig (he prefers to be called Zig over Mr. Ziglar) is truly an American Legend, an icon in the world of personal and professional growth and one of my personal heroes. (The conversation I had with him further cemented why this is still true today). Zig has shared the platform with many distinguished Americans such as Presidents Ford, Reagan and Bush and has authored over two dozen books on personal growth and success, family, sales and leadership that have touched the lives of millions of people across the world.

Zig has an appeal that transcends barriers of age, culture, industry and occupation. Since 1970, he has traveled over five million miles across the world delivering powerful life improvement messages, cultivating the energy of change.

Zig Ziglar’s corporation is built upon the same philosophy he expounds to his audiences – hard work, common sense, fairness, commitment and integrity.

In his autobiography, Zig offers a candid and inspiring account of his transformation from a “too small, poor boy from Yazoo City, Mississippi,” to one of the world’s most highly regarded motivational experts. At the heart of his story are his many heroes who modeled solid values such as faith in God, commitment to hard work, compassion for others, common sense, integrity, and a sense of humor.

“Wow! What an amazing experience. What did he teach you that was new?” This is the first reaction I would typically hear from people when first telling them I had spent an afternoon with Zig and time at his headquarters. So, what impact did Zig leave on me that I have taken to heart? What profound, new and valuable message was I able to walk away with from my meeting with this highly acclaimed guru and though leader?

Before I answer that, (no, I won’t make you wait until my next blog post) here are just a few of the things that Zig and I casually chatted about. (Our conversation was videoed and I will be posting the video to share with you in the very near future.)

• How the selling profession and the profile of a salesperson changed and evolved since the time he authored, The Secrets of Closing the Sale, 25 years ago.
• What salespeople need to do today to ensure their success in this new marketplace.
• What leaders need to be more mindful of if they want to ensure the success of their organization.
• The people who have impacted his life the most.
• Zig’s definition of integrity.
• A message for the younger generation out there, who are working hard at trying to build a successful career and a family.
• His legacy.
• What parents need to do to be more accountable around raising children with stronger, more meaningful values.
• How people actually go about developing or upgrading their attitude.

I was fortunate to gain the perspective of such a worldly man grounded in the values that matter. You would even think that it would be a bit of a challenge to retain all of the gems Zig shared with me. Conversely it wasn’t. It was surprisingly, yet reassuringly very simple. You see, the ultimate epiphany I had, the priceless message that Zig delivered, was grounded in the core principles that are and have always been right in front of us.

Zig reinforced what really mattered most; the basics. Yes, that’s right. The basics that we so often gloss over, neglect, take for granted and assume we already have in place. The very basics that are paradoxically, still the undeniable and timeless secret to success and designing a life worth living.

The basics of truth, being your word, living a life of integrity, honoring your core values and your commitments, honesty, family, faith in yourself and helping your fellow man and woman selflessly and graciously. Yes, the basics that our society seems to have an unyielding tendency to put aside and dismiss in search of the latest and greatest, the next “Big Thing” or the flavor of the month. We have fooled ourselves into thinking there is some other secret out there that would help us get what we want most and propel us to where we want to be, both in our home life and at our work life.

We are hiding behind the guise of “What’s next” without honoring the core, fundamental beliefs and values that make us all worthwhile human beings. As we immerse ourselves in our own thinking, as we get distracted and challenged by the upsets and problems at work, as we continue to allow the media to erode our thinking and our heart-centered priorities as well as sensationalize our deepest fears and insecurities, we move farther and farther away from the person we truly want to be, and then with a shock, we turn around and notice that the person we have become, is not the person we want to model, especially for our children.

Our integrity has now been compromised, and we wonder why we continually feel, “off,” out of sorts, or out of balance with ourselves, regardless of how much more money we make or what other possessions or successes we amass. We can’t understand why personal satisfaction, our self worth, sense of fulfillment and our peace of mind continually escapes us and our grasp, and becomes more and more elusive.

To reinforce Zig’s message, I’m reminded of a conversation I had with his son. When talking with Tom Ziglar, the CEO of Ziglar, Inc., he shared with me so many wonderful stories about his dad. During one of our conversations, he shared with me one of his dad’s quotes which was, “How much better would world be if people cared as much about their responsibilities as they do their rights.” With the level of greed and American Entitlement that has plagued our society, which has only come into our direct line of vision due to our challenging marketplace and the media continually reporting on the failure of so many large institutions and organizations, this message is so timely today, more than ever before.

Zig’s message touches the heart, soul and spirit of everyone he interacts with, especially those who work with him. It was during my video shoot later that day, as I was filming some new training and coaching insights, when someone else in Zig’s office shared another story that is yet another testament to Zig’s character and being a man who lives by his word and walks his talk. I was told that, throughout all of the years Zig has traveled the word, before every seminar or presentation he ever delivered, even as they’re introducing him and calling him on to the stage, he would always make it a point to pick up the phone and call his wife, just to tell her he loves her.

What a better place our world would be if every man and woman would call their spouse or significant other on their way to work, just to say, “I love you.” To this day, Zig cherishes his wife and the relationship he has with her (the Redhead, as he lovingly refers to her in his books). He keeps her on the pedestal that she so rightfully deserves to be on. Again, what would our world be like if we followed in Zig’s footprints, doing the things that really matter most.

When it was time to conclude our conversation, one of the final questions I asked Zig was, “I’m not sure if you’ve been following the numbers on your book sales and where they rank in terms of popularity. So I took the liberty of seeing how The Secrets of Closing the Sale has been doing on Amazon. Currently, your book holds the following rankings regarding how popular they are in specific categories. In the category of sales and selling, your book is rated number 15. Now, here’s what I found interesting. Under the category of spirituality, your book is holding strong at number 3. Now, I know you’re a very spiritual man. And regardless of your faith, how do you explain this? What’s the connection between success at selling and spirituality?”

To that question, Zig smiled and responded with a resonating message that reinforced why the holistic approach to professional development will always be the most effective and long lasting. That was, while skill, talent and what you do is important, it is the essence of a person, your character and who you are that matters most.

At 82 years of age, he still has that spark, that twinkle in his eye, that presence he naturally exudes from a man who we can all use as a model of what it means to be not just remarkable, but to be human; that’s the Zig we know and love.

I don’t know if there are too many authentic heroes like Zig left in the world, and I know he’s still one of mine. And as I look on my desk at the gift that my children had given me just the other day (an early Fathers Day present), I’m reminded why I do what I do and what gets me out of bed each day. My five year olds (twins) came back from school and in their youthful exuberance, handed me a picture frame they had made with the cutest picture of each of them wearing a suit and tie that their teaches had dressed them in. On the top of the frame it said, “When I grow Up I want To Be Just Like My Daddy.” How important our role is as parents, our most significant role we will ever have. That message was a happy reminder of how important it is for me to follow in the footprints of success that my hero has left behind for all of us to travel on.

I am profoundly and deeply appreciative of my time with Zig and of the gifts that he has shared with the world.

And to Mr. Zig Ziglar I say, I am grateful for the contribution you have made to me, as well as the impact that you have had on all of us throughout the years. Keep shining.

Here’s one of the photos that was taken at Ziglar headquarters in Plano, Texas in the studio after my conversation with Zig last week that I’m fortunate to say we captured on video. So, keep your eyes out for those clips which I hope to post soon!

The result is the process. A timely paradox and critical mind shift that every salesperson and manager must make if they want to transcend the mediocre performance they may be experiencing today.

Even before you can engage in the type of sales benchmarking activities that I wrote about the other day, (you can find that blog post here) or even take the time to refine your selling skills, you will come head to head with resistance to selling by the numbers if this change in attitude around how we approach selling is not fully embraced beforehand.

I was reminded how important this was during a seminar I delivered last week in NYC. At the end of the seminar, one manager raised his hand and posed this question to me. He said, “Our sales cycle has changed dramatically. Our salespeople can no longer make a call and take an order. Our product offering has been modified and as a result, the average cost of our product has increased, which has all contributed to a longer sales cycle. However, my salespeople are still reluctant to change. They’re still stuck in that transactional way of selling. They’re getting more frustrated and discouraged because sales aren’t happening fast enough, all because they’re unsure how to manage this longer selling cycle. I’ve told them many times over, that our sales cycle is no longer the way it used to be, and we need to be more patient with the process and more consultative with our customers. I’ve explained to them over and over again, that we need to modify and re-engineer our selling process in response to these new challenges, the changes we’re up against and how our customers make a purchasing decision and buy from us. What else can I do?”

As this sales manager was explaining his challenge, I was thinking to myself how important it is today, more than ever, to become process driven. Without this change in our thinking, salespeople will be unable to honor the process needed to convert more conversations into sales, let alone build out a more robust process and selling strategy that will enable them to do so. As such, the eternal conflict between our tactical strategy and our thinking will continue to rage on.
I have a detailed article on this very subject that you can find here. The original title of this article was WARNING! Goals May Be Hazardous To Your Success. Are They Sabotaging Your Selling Efforts?

As my colleague Dr. Tony Alessandra explains in the following statistics, “It’s amazing how many times success can be assured by attending to the basics of the job.” For example, in a study of 257 Fortune 500 companies, the following was found:

17% do not determine an approximate duration for each sales call.
23% do not use a computer to assist in time and territory management.
28% do not set profit objectives for their accounts.
37% do not use prescribed routing patterns in covering territories.
46% do not look at their use of time in any organized way.
49% do not determine the economical number of calls for each account.
49% do not use prepared sales presentations.
70% do not use call schedules.
75% do not have a system for classifying customers according to sales potential.
76% do not set sales objectives for their accounts.
81% do not use a call report system.

So, the question is: How can you assure your future success by eliminating these oversights?”

The fact is, companies will fail to invest the time in order to eliminate these process oriented oversights and embed these necessary changes into their process if the sales culture is too focused on getting to the result by forging ahead in an attempt to close more sales. Managers can continually push their people to become more mindful of these numbers, however, it’s the process driven questions managers need to be more sensitive to rather than the result driven questions that managers obsess over that continue to perpetuate this toxic way of thinking. Those questions sound like, “Are you hitting your numbers? How many follow-up calls did you make today? How much good volume did you book this month? How many leads did you run this week?” While important, these questions only focus on half of the equation. What is missing is the “How,” that is, the questions that focus on the process the salesperson needs to engage in to achieve the desired end result.

Managers need to stop coaching to the result and start coaching to the process, instead.

Become more mindful of the process that will drive the results you seek. Without the change in your result driven attitude that’s keeping you stuck in the first place, all efforts to better manage your selling strategy by a numeric formula are certain to be short lived.

For salespeople and sales leaders, the fundamental shift in our attitude that needs to occur is this; move away from being so result driven and instead, become more process driven.

We must honor this paradox and break free of the limiting thinking that confines us to the current level of performance we’re experiencing. If we truly want to excel today, realize the result is truly the process.

Here’s more on this paradox.

Dr. Marvin Jolson was very dear mentor of mine and a true business leader; a trailblazing pioneer and innovator when it came to the areas of sales and marketing. Here was the guy who practically invented the way encyclopedias were sold door to door and the force and genius that enabled companies like Encyclopedia Britannica where he was Senior Vice President and, back in their hay day, MCI enjoy years double digit sales growth and greater profitability. In 1990, he received the Distinguished Doctoral Graduate Award from the University of Maryland. In 1999, Dr. Marvin Jolson was the first person ever to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the American Marketing Association to a scholar who has made a career of furthering the academic advancement of selling and sales management.

He’s written a library of books and has authored dozens of ground breaking articles, many of which have appeared in venerable publications and journals such as the Harvard Business Review, The Journal of Marketing, The New York Times and Sales and Marketing Management. Dr. Jolson was also the Editor of the Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. The legacy Dr. Jolson left behind also consisted of one of the most successful home security companies in Baltimore called CRIMPCO Security, which is currently being run by his son, and his two grandsons; leaving a strong and well entrenched empire for his family to continue to grow and nurture.

Dr. Jolson’s risk-taking tendencies, assertiveness, charismatic style is what won the admiration, respect and trust of his colleagues as well as his students. I remember, driving from my house in Potomac, Maryland about 30 minutes to the University of Maryland where I would visit with Dr. J (that’s what his student’s called him) at his office. He was the Professor of Marketing at that point, still teaching a few classes even well into his seventies. Dr. J’s open door policy transcend beyond his classroom or office. Occasionally, a student would even stop over at his house to get advice or to just say a quick hello. Dr. J made everyone feel comfortable, even his students who knew very well that the door at the home on Ridge Terrace, Pikesville, Maryland was always open.

I vividly recall enjoying the hours of debating the principles of selling and marketing with him. Dr. J would site his articles and case studies that appeared in the myriad of journals he was published in and I would share the most recent experience I had during the sales call I went on earlier that morning.

Dr. Jolson was the first person I reluctantly let review the very first manuscript I wrote; my first book on selling. Given the amount of red comments I received in my manuscript, in hindsight, I was probably better off giving him the manuscript on a day that either we agreed on a certain topic or philosophy or he ‘won’ the debate.

One of our favorite debates dealt with the level of accountability of a manager. We were both in agreement that in business, as in life you are fully accountable for everything that shows up in your life. It’s one of what I refer to as the universal principles I personally adhere to; one of the principles of attraction. As you can imagine, we also agreed that every person, every manager, is fully accountable for their communication, and that includes the message being heard by the other person.

Since we can control our communication and what we say, and we can’t control the other person’s communication and how they hear us, then we must learn to uncover and speak in a way that the other person listens and likes to be spoken to. Besides, who we are is created in how others hear us. Therefore, we must own the responsibility of the entire communication process and adjust our communication style accordingly.

While both of us agreed in this sound principle, there was always an interesting conversation that transpired when it came to discussing what factors determine the success and failure of a salesperson. That is, if a salesperson that you are managing fails, whose fault is it?

Whether your team consists of one thousand salespeople or just one, the simple fact stands; you are 100% accountable for the success and failure of your team.

Over the last several years, the media has focused our attention on some of the most devastating business failures of our time. People lost their life savings and were financially crippled by the fall of some of these business empires such as Enron, which was run by unethical, greed driven, sub-human, bottom feeders that thrived off the misfortune of others. In the wake of these ethical disasters of mind numbing proportion, the integrity of business leaders has been forced back in the limelight.

Yet, clearly not enough policing nor policy has been put in place to avoid these catastrophes from happening again, given the current state of our economy and the crisis that has crippled our financial institutions and again, the lives of millions of people. Which poses the question, have we actually learned anything from these lessons? We talk about them, and write about them but what changes have actually been made to prevent these disasters from happening again? What changes have you made as a result? Our society cannot be destined to continually be the victim of other people’s greed and their ability to shed accountability like a snake sheds its skin. Pointing the finger at the ones who profit the most from these crimes clearly has not served us well. The fact is, we all play a role.

Instead, we opt to stick our other hand in the fire by bailing them out with billions of dollars. And why not? After all, they’re too big to fail. According to Wikipedia.org, The “Too Big to Fail” policy is the idea that in American banking regulation the largest and most powerful banks are “too big to (let) fail.” Generally speaking, when a corporation, an organization, or an industry sector is considered by the government to be too important to the overall health of the economy, it will not be allowed to fail. This means that it might encourage recklessness since the government would pick up the pieces in the event it was about to go out of business. The phrase has also been more broadly applied to refer to a government’s policy to bail out any corporation. It raises the issue of moral hazard in business operations. (Gee, ya think?) The real definition of this policy is, “Once you get to a certain size in your business, you don’t have to be accountable anymore.”

It wasn’t too long ago when some noteworthy companies rose to the occasion or at least have made an attempt to do so, starting with taking full responsibility for their failures. Two companies that I’m referring to specifically are Jet Blue and Southwest Airlines. During the winter of 2007, devastating weather conditions combined with dreadful mismanagement and the poor deployment of resources caused the delays and cancellations of hundreds of flights, which left thousands of passengers stranded.

Here were two companies, who clearly screwed up – big time. But here’s what they didn’t do. They didn’t run and hide. They didn’t spin their story. They didn’t blame everything on the weather, as bad as it may have been. Conversely, here’s what they did do. They took responsibility, they apologized to their passengers, families and to the general public. They did their best to lay their cards on the table and let us know they made a big error. And in the spirit of good business practice and taking care of their customers, Jet blue offered their passengers refunds on their tickets, and in some cases, Southwest Airlines actually gave their passengers their flight for free. While it may not have been their entire fault, these companies still took 100% accountability for this debacle. They took full ownership of the problem even if the cause of the problem was outside of their control.

I guess the leaders of the growing list of failed banks, mortgage companies, investment houses and lending institutions didn’t get this lesson. The last time I checked, avalanches still roll down hill. It always starts from the top. (Here’s a chuckle. One of the banks that shut down operations was actually named, “First Integrity.”)

This is the type of mindset; one of full accountability; that a leader needs to adopt. For those ever-evolving cultures that embrace change and are strong advocates of personal development and lifelong learning, taking full accountability is a prerequisite for leadership in tomorrow’s companies, as well as for the customers that they serve. For today’s companies, how unfortunate it is that you can still survive and thrive without it. But the question is, for how much longer?

“What is that guy doing now?” It was just an odd maneuver. Something out of the ordinary from what would have typically been an everyday experience at the drive through of a Burger King. (Hey, my kids love it and no, they don’t eat this ever day; just a treat!) I was on my way back home after spending the day with the family, unaware that within the next several minutes I’d be having a breakthrough which led to the development of many of the concepts and strategies you’re going to read about in my book, Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions.

I watched the customer in front of me drive from the first to the third window of the drive through which happened to have been closed. “What an odd maneuver,” I thought, as I noticed that the typical handoff through the drive through window was not in play. Instead, the cashier came outside, headset in tact and bags of food in hand, to deliver it directly to the window. The customer, happy to receive his order, drove off.

As I pulled up, I wondered if I too would suffer the same fate as the customer before me. Then it happened. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a digital timer mounted above the cashier’s head near the window. At that moment, the manager at the drive in window waved me forward, without my food. “We will bring it out to you. Just pull up, please,” he requested.

The manager sent a young man out to my car and handed me my food. Wanting to understand this odd tactic, I couldn’t let it go. “I’m curious, why did we have to pull up, especially when there was no one behind me?”

“The timer,” he replied. “That’s how the manager is rated in performance. We’re supposed to serve each customer under a certain period of time.”

As a manager, is this truly a feat you’d want to be known for? This manager actually succeeded at beating the clock, yet at a greater expense and one that most managers are blind to. Then, with a puzzled look of disbelief, these managers are mystified when their staff doesn’t meet expectations of performance. This manager unknowingly or worse, consciously did his company, every customer, as well as every person on his team, a major disservice.

Is there really any wonder why there is such a shallow pool of real talent in the workforce? At some level, across every business unit, industry or profession, this is what our managers are teaching the workforce – how to skirt and dodge full accountability! And then they sit and wonder why they can’t attract better people into their organization who are fully accountable for their performance and success. Hmmmmmm.

For those managers and executives out there with a struggling sales force, here’s something you can do about it. Tap into this rich opportunity to get immediate solutions to your most pressing sales and leadership challenges from the experts.

Next Monday, October 6, 2008 I’ll be speaking at the Selling Power Sales Leadership Conference at the Four Seasons, Chicago. Below is the agenda. Click here for more information.

Agenda
7:30 AM REGISTRATION AND CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

8:30 AM WELCOME KEYNOTE

9:15 AM TOTAL LEADERSHIP: BE A BETTER LEADER, HAVE A RICHER LIFE

Total Leadership is a proven method for producing sustainable change in all parts of life that can be learned and practiced by individuals, groups, or organizations. It is informed by decades of research and practical application by Stew Friedman, a veteran Wharton School faculty member.

Speaker: Stewart Friedman, Founding Director, Wharton Leadership Program

10:25 AM MORNING BREAK

10:45 AM HOW TO BUILD AN EXECUTION-ORIENTED SALES CULTURE

A sales-driven organization is one where the activities of the sales force are aligned with a company’s mission, vision and values and where salespeople deliver value every day with every customer. Each of the panelists has excelled in managing a sales-driven organization. Learn the winning strategies and tactics from these experts so you can get your entire executive team to support your guiding vision.

Moderator: Gerhard Gschwandtner, Founder and Publisher, Selling Power
Panelists: Sanford Brown, CSO, Heartland Payment Systems

12:15 PM LUNCHEON

1:15 PM HOW TO SKYROCKET YOUR SALES TEAMS’ PERFORMANCE - CASE STUDY: DHL

Sales force success is driven by a continuous management system that links business objectives, benchmarking, focused planning, individual assessment, and hands-on coaching. In this in-depth case study, you will learn exactly how DHL uses a scientific Sales Improvement Process to maintain peak levels of sales performance. This approach was pioneered with DHL’s 1,500-person sales force in the Asia-Pacific region; however, it can be easily tailored to sales forces in any industry, of any size, and with missions ranging from making small ticket, transactional sales to much larger, relationship-based sales. At DHL, this Sales Improvement Process was employed with a 150-person sales force in China, as well as the 15-person sales force in the Philippines.

Speaker: Malcolm Rees, Global Head of Sales, DHL Express Global Management

2:30 PM BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Breakout A: Coaching Salespeople into Champions
Technology has not only changed the way companies sell but the way managers build and advance their team. There’s less face to face time between your customers and your salespeople. To maintain your competitive edge, sales leaders must know how to quickly and efficiently coach, develop, motivate and retain their top performers in order to drive positive, measurable change. You can create a world class team by developing your own coaching skills; the missing discipline among today’s leaders. Learn how a tactical coaching system can empower your sales force to realize their fullest potential.

Moderator: Mary Delaney, CSO, CareerBuilder.com
Panelists: Dave DiStefano, CEO, RIchardson

Breakout B: Reviving Sales with Creative Incentives During a Slow Economy
Many industries are suffering from a slowdown. To stimulate sales, sales leaders often resort to price-cutting, or offer special incentives to their customers and their sales force. What strategies work best when it comes to planning, promoting and executing a successful incentive program? What incentives motivate customers to buy and what incentives motivate salespeople to deploy the extra effort needed to drive up sales? Learn how industry leaders deploy Incentives to achieve a strategic competitive advantage.

Moderator: Matt Harris, Vice President, Marketing, American Express Incentive Services
Panelists: Richard Blabolil, President, Marketing Innovators

3:30 PM AFTERNOON BREAK

3:50 PM THE FUTURE OF THE SALES PROFESSION

With many baby boomers retiring, US companies are beginning to suffer from a shortage of sales talent. Every year over 1.5 million College graduates enter the field of sales, starting their careers with inadequate training, burdening their employers with a high business ramp up investment. There is a silver lining on the horizon with 35 visionary Colleges that offer a complete sales curriculum. Every year, these colleges graduate 1,600 sales professionals who know how to cold call, write a sales letter, handle objections, close a sale and ask for referrals. Engage in this session to help advance your profession. Together we can transform selling into a respectable and predictable science.

Speaker: Howard P. Stevens, Chairman and CEO, The HR Chally Group
Panelists: Pete Peterson, Director, Program for Sales Excellence, University of Connecticut

4:50 PM CONCLUDING REMARKS

Speaker: Gerhard Gschwandtner, Founder and Publisher, Selling Power

5:00 PM NETWORKING COCKTAIL RECEPTION

Post-Conference Workshop – Tuesday, October 7, 2008
This optional workshop will run from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon in Ballroom A (8th floor) of the Four Seasons Chicago Hotel.

8:00 AM MANAGING THROUGH CURIOSITY

Click here for more information.

A great partnership is like a great marriage – precious and rare. And like any marriage, after the honeymoon period ends and the realities of life kick in, a good partnership is always worth saving. Here are a few things you can do to ensure you’ve done everything to salvage your partnership.

1. Revisit the Company Goals: Are all partners still bought in?

2. Revisit Job Descriptions: is each person doing their best in the role that’s been designed for them? Or worse, is the lack of clarity around each person’s job position causing the dissention and conflict in the first place?

3. Revisit your Vision: Are all partners still in agreement regarding the end game and where they ultimately want to company to be?

4. Get a Coach. a coach can facilitate the difficult conversations that partners are reluctant to have. Whether it’s due to avoidance behavior (avoiding conflict and controversy) or a lack of skill in communicating a coach can uncover resentments be an unconditional third party and help facilitate solutions that the partners were unable to do or even see on their own.

5. What Has Changed? Life changes, people change, priorities change. Has there been any changes in the lives of the partners, either personally or professionally? Sometimes partners grow out of their roles or simply lose interest. Sometimes changes in a person’s personal life affect their decisions that relate to their business. So, is there still a fit?

6. Over-Communicate: Rather than talk honestly and openly quite often people seem to do the opposite; they shut down their communication, making the costly assumption that “This is a dead end. My partner doesn’t understand me.”

7. Facts or Assumptions? I can’t begin to count the number of times that the very problems that have destroyed the partnership were based more in assumptions rather than on the facts. Don’t react to what you think is happening but really isn’t. Instead, focus on getting the evidence that supports your feelings to avoid making decisions you may later regret.

8. Take the High Road. Like a good marriage no partnership is ever going to be an even 50-50 split of responsibility and effort all the time. If you’re playing the “That’s not fair, I’m working harder than my partner” game, this will only lead to greater resentment and ultimately a toxic relationship. Are you standing on your Ego Pedestal and your principles, or can you let some things go that really don’t make a difference in the long run. Stop majoring in the minor things that you can overlook, especially if your partner’s natural skills, talents and the value they bring to the company exceeds their minor hang ups or idiosyncrasies.

9. Regular Partner Meetings focused on You. I’ll never forget the first time going to the doctor after my first child was born. After the initial check up, the doctor turned to my wife and I and asked a question I have yet to hear from any doctor since. She actually asked, “So, how are the both of YOU doing?” When parents only focus on their children, they lose sight of focusing on each others personal needs which they need to continue to focus on in order to maintain the integrity and strength of their relationship. Schedule partner meetings more frequently. A partner meeting is different from a strategy meeting or a meeting to discuss employees or goals. This meeting is about YOU and making sure all your needs are being met and how the partners can work better together and support each other.

Here’s an article long over due, pointing the finger to the companies who can hold their heads high as the worst at customer service.

Here’s the article.

To me, it all comes down to corporate accountability, and in most cases, there is none. And all roads go back to management! So if management isn’t being accountable, how can we expect their customer support to be?

How Companies Can Secure Their Spot on the Customer Service Hall of Shame

1. Skirt Accountability: Continue to give concepts like, ‘coaching,’ ‘integrity,’ and especially ‘personal accountability’ lip service rather than actually weaving it into the culture and mindset of each employee. It all comes down to corporate accountability, and in most cases, there is none. The fact is, there are long distance customers of companies such as AT&T that are still paying astronomical fees whether it’s local calls or long distance. And do you think these companies would reach out to their customers and let them know they’re overpaying and can be enrolled in some more cost effective monthly phone services? Of course not. Instead, they keep pocketing the millions and millions of dollars from overcharging and gouging, responding with the highly effective customer service strategy, “Woops! sorry about that” to those customers, and in many cases the elderly population, who actually catch these charges.

2. Become Hyper-Hypocritical: Due to the lack of monitoring and flagrant irresponsible leniency that has resulted in a major setback in our economy as well as for banks and lending institutions, the mortgage business is in the toilet. But wait, do you hear, “It’s 100% our fault. What were we thinking giving loans out to these people who could never afford them in the first place? Our greed got the best of us.” Instead, what my entire zip code got was a frieze on all of our lines of credit until each person in our community got a new appraisal. My expense of time and money, due to their error. A reimbursement check? Yeah, right…

3. The Customer Is Never Right: I noticed an additional charge on my Verizon bill that seems to have been accumulating for over 12 months. When I called and discussed this with them, they reluctantly gave me a credit for 3 months. After all, why would I be paying for caller ID Separately when it’s included in my overall package….. “Why only a three month credit?” I asked. “Well, that’s only as far as we can go in your records.” What a convenient excuses to avoid accountability as well as creating a better experience for your customer.

4. Blame, Blame, Blame: “It’s the weather, the economy, the timing, your computer, your users, your people – but sure, we’ll help you fix it.” And all roads go back to management! So if management isn’t being accountable, how can we expect their customer support to be?

5. Embrace the Oxymoron’s, “Customer Service” and “Technical Support.” I’ve been having problems with my shopping cart so I employed the services of a very ‘specialized’ company to remedy the problem, that in the end I knew was an easy fix that required some basic code. Two weeks later, and many a dropped ball on their end, I reached out to the programmer who told me he was waiting for a response to the question he posted on the help message board. Are you kidding me? Hey, if all you’re going to do is read a manual from your computer, or go to a message board to find the answer, then why do I need to hold on for over an hour for support or pay you when I can do this myself?”

With all the talk about the economy heading towards a recession, I’m busier than ever. And so are my clients. So, what gives? How much of this is fact and how much hype? Either way, I’m certainly not disputing that it’s affecting how some business owners and companies are spending lately.

So, what tips do I offer to companies, salespeople and, more specifically retailers on how to weather the recession? The same coaching I deliver to my clients, which is keeping their recession blues at pay, enabling them to drive and close new sales, and most important keeping their mental edge.

‘Weathering a recession’ sounds like surviving a storm and waiting until it passes. The “wait and see” or “lets hope things get better soon” is putting retailers out of business every day. I see it in my community. Stores that were opened one week are closed the next. Sure, you can ‘batten down the hatches’ when the eye of the storm lands but keep in mind when you open them up, there won’t be any customers sitting there waiting around for you. Instead, here’s what you need to do.

1. First, get out of your own head.
Businesses are closing their doors not due to a lack of effort but because they are still attempting to sell, manage or run their business the way it was, not the way it is today. If your marketplace has changed, then you need to change with it. Friendly reminder, don’t get sucked up into what you’re hearing on the news every day. Turn it off if you have to! What is real for you in your business in your local economy? Get out of the type of mindset that keeps you stuck in obsessing on what you need to do to survive and focus on how you can thrive. Remember all those great business ideas you were going to implement; the training your wanted to take, the marketing you wanted to do, the team building you felt would surely to make a measurable impact on your growth and success but daily business responsibilities always seemed to take precedent? Now is the time to blow the dust of those ideas and start executing on them. This begins with a change of thinking, accompanied by a change of strategy and topped off with a strong dose of reality.

2. Get back to basics.
Do you remember when you first opened your doors and achieved some measurable success? Why were you successful in the first place? What did you do then that you may not be doing now or unwilling to do now? Get on the floor of your store, cold call, prospect, do some grunt work? You need to turn around your business, fast, so time is not a luxury. Therefore, if you think there are any activities which are beneath you, then you already have one leg of your business in the grave.

3. Actually learn how to sell.
No, selling for 30 years is not what I’m suggesting as a training platform. Experience is important but experiences doesn’t equate to engaging in the healthiest of sales techniques. I’d be willing to bet (and I’m not a gambling man) the majority of retailers out there have not been coached and trained to be a sales champion, do not have a defined sales process they consistently engage in and as such, don’t know how to truly sell. And by no means consider this an attack on the retail sector. However, given that the majority of daily purchases we make are at a retail level, this is what I’m experiencing both as an executive coach and as a consumer. The “I’ve been successful in spite of myself” theory would apply here.

4. Work your leads and earn a sale.
Just a short time ago, in many sales driven companies, your salesperson can have a pulse and still get a sale simply by your customers showing up and having the money to spend. We were fooled into thinking that, “Hey, since I’m bringing in the business, I must be a great salesperson.” In today’s business climate, the same people are now struggling to generate the results they were, realizing that the marketplace has duped them into thinking they were better then the really are when it comes to professional selling. It has been the economic climate that made many salespeople seemingly productive, rather than their skill set or the core competencies needed to truly become a high performance sales professional, regardless of economic or market conditions. With today’s ever evolving market, if you are selling, managing or running your business the same way you’ve been running it for the last several years, you’re overdue to reevaluate your philosophy.

If you sell consumer products or services that is a more substantial purchase than going to the supermarket (home electronics, furniture, bridal/wedding venders, travel, boutique stores, computers, home appliances, home furnishings, clothing/shoe stores, etc.) don’t let a potential customer walk out the door without collecting some data points and permission to check in. Learn to position yourself as your customer’s trusted adviser throughout their decision making process. Abandon toxic thinking and get beyond the fact that you can afford to let any potential customer walk away from a conversation, thinking they will actually call you back on their own accord. Earn the right to call each person who buys from you – a customer. It’s during times like these where you literally have to earn their business rather than simply be an order taker.

5. Get into action. Work with a coach.

Keith on Fox Business News: Commentary on Corporate Training, Starbucks and Pouring the Perfect Cup of Coffee

“Media Opportunity with Fox Business News at 6pm tonight. Call me asap to discuss.” That’s what the email read and what you can expect when working with a publicist; often having to throw best laid plans out the window in return for the exposure they generate for you.

So, I dropped everything, rescheduled some meetings and found myself quickly suited up and on my way to the television station.

The commentary they were looking for had to do with the decision made by the Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks to close up the 7,100 stores for some ‘necessary’ training for all Starbucks employees. Here’s how the story read:

“Starbucks Closing All Stores for 3 Hours Tuesday Afternoon for Barista Re-training
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
SEATTLE — Starbucks is closing the doors at its 7,100 stores across America for a brief barista re-education. CEO Howard Schultz announced the 3-hour closure starting at 5:30 p.m. local time Tuesday to energize 135,000 employees. He wants baristas to share their passion for making espresso, or as he says, “to pull the perfect shot, steam milk to order and customize their favorite beverage.” Schultz says it’s part of his refocusing on the coffee customer experience. Since the chairman returned as CEO in January he has been making changes to revive Starbucks’ growth.”

I was interviewed by Neil Cavuto Senior VP, Anchor & Managing Editor, Business News on FOX Business Network. They wanted to hear a few different commentaries on the story and whether or not this was a good decision. Here’s what I said, and a little more.

At first glance, it could be viewed as a strategically positioned publicity move, given the media attention this attracted. It’s not like this is the only platform a company uses to develop their people. They could have spread this training out over time. They could have done this before or after hours, in smaller teams and one to one with their mangers. It would have certainly been less of a disruption to their business and my coffee consumption.

And sure, this re-education effort portrays Starbucks as a consumer conscientious company driven to maintain the highest of standards regarding their people and their product, as well as the consumer experience they strive to create for their customers, who have grown accustomed to expecting the same experience each time they purchase a cup of coffee at Starbucks. And there’s no question that Starbucks has very much pioneered many of the changes in the way we purchase and enjoy our coffee today.

Conversely, this can also be viewed as a highly reactionary move from Starbucks. This move could be perceived as a hole in their system to maintain certain high performance standards; an inability to continuously train and coach their employees properly and reinforce best practices. After all, if there was ongoing training or coaching to maintain performance and best barista practices, there wouldn’t be a need to close up shop and pull out 135,000 employees for three hours. I can’t imagine this move becoming part of any long term training and development initiative.

Besides, who they really need to bring in for some coach the coach training would be the mangers rather than their staff. At the end of the day, isn’t it manager’s responsibility in each location to ensure the customer experience and maintain the level of performance that’s expected from each employee?

The kicker is, without consistent follow through and ongoing training, coaching and development for the top down, (avalanches roll downhill, it starts with the managers) this training initiative not only hurt their sales but it will simply not be as effective as they had hoped. A three hour, one shot (no pun intended) training event is the same as, in an effort to improve the overall health of your employees, you pull them out for one day to go to the gym and exercise. Just like it takes more than one day to get in great shape, the same rules hold true for getting your employees’ careers in shape. Without continuous reinforcement, it just doesn’t become long lasting.

This is another example as to why so many companies desperately need to transform their corporate culture into a true coaching culture.

Beyond the internal question of how they will now maintain their level of quality without disrupting their customers and their business, the fact is, most customers never had a problem with the quality of the coffee at Starbucks. With the media drawing now drawing attention to the Starbucks experience, are consumers now going to re-think their perception and that this move may now be a cause for concern?

If anything, customers will now have an even higher expectation of their coffee as a result of this training. If the coffee is not measurably better than it was yesterday, will Starbucks lose customers to their competitors?

Dunkin’ Donuts already leveraged the opportunity with the Starbucks closing, countering with a brilliant move to compete and seize more market share by offering specialty coffee drinks at a fraction of their normal price; 99 cent coffee until 10pm. This is certainly an opportunity for Dunkin’ Donuts to win over a new population’s customer loyalty and the business of many of the Starbucks customers.

Sure, training is important. Sure, this move can demonstrate good will and the commitment Starbucks has to maintaining the highest quality control. However, any PR effort can also backfire and generating some publicity at the expense of disrupting the lives of your customers is not the best way to go. “Yes, we’re going to improve the experience you have with us, but first you must experience being inconvenienced by our closing.”

Back in the 80s I wanted my MTV. Now I want my coffee. Don’t get me wrong, I love Starbucks. I drink it every day of my life. However, if I can’t get it when I want it, then I’m going to go somewhere else. Bottom line; if there’s a problem that needs fixing or an issue that needs to be addressed, do so, but not at the expense of your customers.

While how much this move has negatively impacted their customers and their sales may still be uncertain, one thing’s for sure; with the collateral damage we’ve discussed, this training initiative may be the most expensive training ever known.

Here’s the link to the video news segment. Please note, for some reason, you might have to click on ‘low’ on the player for this segment to play after the commercial is done. So, when you click on the link below and the commercial starts playing, under the screen where it says ‘high’ – ‘low’ click on ‘low.’ The commercial will start again but it should then continue into the segment.

Watch news segment here.

Note: When the video player loads, under the screen where it says ‘high’ – ‘low’ click on ‘low’ to avoid loading problems.

Positive reviews are appreciated

If you ever wonder how much technology to integrate into your business that promises greater efficiency, more productivity or that you’ll make/save more money, Gene Marks, has succinctly pointed out some candid truths about what works and what doesn’t in his article that appeared in Business Week, “Tech ‘Solutions’ Your Small Biz Can’t Use.”

Gene states that many of the software or web solutions that claim to help drive the growth of your company are simply not suited for a small business environment.

Here’s a brief excerpt:

“My life as a small business owner has been littered with stuff that doesn’t work as billed, particularly technology. We business owners are subjected to an endless array of tools that never fail to disappoint. We’re promised. We pay. And we’re let down. The list of overhyped and underwhelming technology changes constantly. So here’s a quick snapshot of 10, in no particular order, that don’t work. At least this week.

Bob, an electrical contractor, knows what RSS stands for, and I feel sorry for him. He had the misfortune of signing up for an RSS feed. This misnomer is designed to make us feel like we’re getting a “feed” of data just like all the really, really important media people do. When he first tried RSS, he thought, “Wow, I can get immediate updates on product and industry developments, important news from Yahoo! (YHOO), and even get a new joke from The Onion, all as soon as they’re published!” Instead, he was “fed” an endless stream of meaningless items displayed in an overly large browser window that winds up distracting more than informing. Like Bob, most of the business owners I know have abandoned RSS and gone back to controlling when they get their information. Still don’t know what RSS stands for? Trust me, it’s just not that important.

I get this question at just about every presentation I give to business owners: “What spam filters do you recommend?” My answer: “None.” They all suck. Let’s face it: You’re not going to eliminate spam in your business. Instead you’re going to waste money on the latest filtering technology, which does nothing more than block that key e-mail you were awaiting from a prospective customer. Or you’ll require a sender to complete a Sudoku puzzle before “allowing” their e-mail to reach your in-box. In the end, it’s cheaper for your employees to just sort and delete spam as it comes in.

Betsy was looking for just the right technology to slow down her employees’ computers and significantly degrade the performance of her business applications. Well, she found it, and it’s called antivirus software. As an added bonus, this software prevents her from installing or upgrading applications without a team of NASA-trained IT consultants. Betsy’s spent more money with her IT firm trying to work around antivirus software than she probably would’ve spent if she received an actual virus. What should a business owner do to avoid viruses, worms, and other evil applications that can wreak havoc in our systems? Our tools are still too limited. Even telling your employees, for the 900th time, not to open up suspicious files doesn’t seem to work. I don’t have a very good answer for Betsy’s dilemma. But I do know the current group of antivirus software applications don’t do the job for small businesses.

Jamie! You started a blog for your business? That’s dope! Now go out and get some accessories, like a pair of black-rimmed rectangular glasses and a Starbucks card. And oh, by the way, you’ll need to set aside about 17 hours each day to keep it fresh. Dude, it’ll be so viral. What’s that, Jamie? You’re not in the media business? You don’t work for a software company? You just own a hardware store? Dude, that’s a drag! If you don’t have something new to say each day, no one’s going to bother to stop by and check out your blog. It’ll be, like, so lame.

You can read the full article here.

Excerpt from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Closing the Sale by Keith Rosen. Reprinted with permission by Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Release Date, January, 2007. Visit www.guidetoclosingthesale.com.

“It’s ironic,” I began. Denise and I were half way through our weekly coaching call when the topic of controlling the sales process came up.

“Salespeople echo all the time how they create solutions for their clients. Yet what they really are attempting to do is control the sales process through the end, thinking this would move the sale forward.

“Said another way, we try to control as many things as possible to reduce risk. And by definition, risk is synonymous with “danger, hazard or threat.” What is fear; a sense of apprehension or panic. So by default, if we reduce risk, we reduce our fear.

“As such, we believe that the more we attempt to control our risks in any situation, whether is the risk of losing a sale or the risk of having our children grow up without the right guidance, ethics or values, we would be able to then keep that which we fear happening most at bay.

“Consider the paradox of control. The myth is, the more we attempt to control things, the more we can eliminate our greatest fears from coming to fruition.

“Unfortunately, this paradigm and philosophy comes at a cost. You see, if you are trying to control, for example, a sales call and the outcome you desire, there is one thing that you cannot be doing. And that is, you cannot be creating. And the ability to be creative is one of the most important attributes of a sales professional. After all, it is your job to create new and better solutions for your prospects!

“Said another way, control and creation are polar opposites. Here’s why:

• Control is an attempt to generate predictable, expected results. Creation is open to new possibilities and generating unpredictable results.
• Control is rigid. Creation is fluid and evolving.
• Control is based on achieving a certain outcome in the future. Creation can only happen in the present moment.
• Control is focusing on a known outcome. Creation has no agenda to the final outcome.

As you can see, if you are attempting to control the outcome or the sales call, then you cannot be creating new possibilities in the moment. As such, if you are focused on what you want to control, then you will miss out on uncovering or recognizing a new and better opportunity to turn a prospect into a client. Conversely, if you are in a constant state of creation, then you are going to allow new possibilities and solutions to surface naturally.
Tip From Your Executive Sales Coach:
Selling is the art of creating new possibilities and solutions. Salespeople are responsible for the creation rather than the controlling of solutions for their prospects. As such if you are a highly creative salesperson, then there is no need for you to attempt to control the outcome.
“But Keith,” Denise responded, “If I’m in a constant state of creativity, don’t I need some structure to support it? I mean, should I toss out my entire sales process, routine and goals?”

“Not at all,” I stated. “However, I can see where the confusion is. Remember, just like any belief or process, the proverbial pendulum can swing to either side as an extreme, rather than a balance. You certainly want to honor your daily routine, your sales process as well as your goals. However, you are not going to do so to the point where they have your gripped and are controlling you. Said a different way, when things change (whether it’s the market, your career, your prospects, your product or service and so on), that’s when you want to be flexible and adaptable to this change so that you can adjust your processes and strategies accordingly.

“After all, if you were working for a company that sold pagers, and you had a great presentation that allowed you to continually attain your sales goals, would you still be using the same approach when selling mobile phones? In essence, your marketplace has changed along with the needs of your clients.”

At this point, Denise was evolving at light speed. I could here her getting it.

“Well this has certainly been a productive and enlightening call!” She exclaimed. “Thanks a million, coach! I feel better already.”

“Wonderful!” I declared. “I’m looking forward to our call next week and the success that follow from today. Good bye Denise.”
 

Excerpt from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Closing the Sale by Keith Rosen. Reprinted with permission by Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Release Date, January, 2007. Visit www.guidetoclosingthesale.com.

Your sales mojo is the energy or presence you show up with during every meeting with a prospect. It’s that allure, charisma, or vibe you radiate that every one of your prospect’s feel from you.

Your sales mojo encapsulates the inner game of selling, which is who you are and how you come across when speaking with others. Developing your sales mojo goes beyond the basics of learning a presentation, selling strategy or pitch, which is what superficial sales training is only capable of teaching you.

While an experienced, certified sales coach can assist you in uncovering and developing your authentic sales mojo, the consequences of not doing so can be severe. Just take a look at some of these limiting beliefs that prevent the natural flow of your mojo.

• “You can’t close someone in our business. They have to be ready to buy. And when they’re ready, they’ll call me.”
• “I’m not good at closing. I hate putting pressure on people.”
•  “I’ve tried some closing tools before and they didn’t work for me.”
•  “I had a horrible experience when I attempted to get the prospect to make a decision.”
 “I hate when people try to close me.”

Whatever the reason, whatever the story, every salesperson, manager and business owner has their own opinion on what it means to close a sale and why they can or cannot do so successfully.

A little personal history about your author. It was shortly after I decided to become a coach. Now, at this point, I’ve been coaching for about 16 years now. Yup, I was one of the first sales and business coaches to hang my shingle, a true pioneer in the coaching profession, if you will and one of the first Master Certified Coaches to get credentialized. (Okay, enough shameless plugs; for now.)

As you can imagine, I was certainly ahead of the curve. Being an innovator and a leader in this now rapidly growing profession of life and business coaching, I had to create my own road to achieve success, as there was no other proven path to follow. Being a leader in such a young industry certainly had its advantages. However, it also came with some tall challenges that needed to be eliminated.

At this point, I had sold my business (of course, with the unwavering support of my wife, as nervous as she may have been.) So, here I was, with no income stream coming in as I launched full steam into an unproven and unknown profession with only my experience in managing and owning several other businesses to help guide me.

One thing was for certain. I had a very strong sales and marketing background. After all, when I owned my other businesses, I was the one responsible for the recruiting, hiring, training, managing and coaching of all our employees.

In an attempt to apply my wisdom, I came up with some best practices and developed what was to be my first of several attempts to put my new selling strategy together.

I started doing what I knew how to do, that was to pick up the phone and start making cold calls. And to my surprise, I was very successful at getting through the door and into an appointment with the decision maker. Without minimizing my efforts and results, what I had encountered when meeting with these prospects was that most of the time they wanted to meet with me out of sheer curiosity. After all, at this point, no one had ever heard of coaching outside athletic or sport coaching. So, I had the advantage of positioning business and life coaching as something new and unique.

A month later, I wasn’t even making enough money to stay broke. Pitch after pitch, presentation after presentation, I kept hearing the same thing. “It sounds really interesting Keith but I just can’t see how we can apply this to what we’re doing right now. Lets stay in touch and maybe some time in the future we can look at this again. But hey, it sounds real cool what you’re doing now. Good luck!”

Give Value

With all of the prospects that I had generated over the last month and the results I’ve experienced from my lackluster selling efforts, it was time to re-evaluate. So, I did what any new, intelligent, humble and highly evolved coach would do. I called my coach for help.

And after I shared with her what I’ve gone through, do you know what she told me in all of her years of wisdom? “Keith, you have to stop presenting and just give value.”

“What the heck does that mean?” I thought. I had no clue what she was talking about. Give value? Well, I took her coaching and put forth my best effort in deciphering what I thought she meant. I started thinking about how I could, as my omnipotent coach said, “give value.”

A funny thing happened. I stopped talking and started listening more. I stopped pitching and presenting and started asking better questions. Since my coach didn’t share with me a strategy to give value, by default, I had to figure out and uncover what value meant to each prospect I spoke with. And the only way to uncover each prospect’s perception and definition of value, I needed to ask more questions.

Talk about one of those “Aha!” moments! My coach knew exactly what she was doing. Rather than deliver the same presentation or a revised presentation to every prospect, she opened up a new possibility for me to find out what value looked like from the eyes of every prospect rather than from my own. What evolved was a process of inquiry and a defined set of questions I used when meeting with each prospect.
 
You see, the gem I discovered very quickly when it came to selling my training and coaching services was totally counterintuitive. That is, you can’t sell coaching. Or at least not in the traditional sense of selling. Talk about your paradoxes.

Let me say this another way. Because coaching is about the investment in yourself and your own personal or professional development, the client has to be ready and willing to be coached.

Either you are ready to generate substantial unprecedented results both in your life and your career and are willing to be accountable, honest and do what is necessary (in your integrity of course) to achieve your goals or you are not.

Luckily, none of my early closing techniques worked on any of the prospects I saw thus far. Because if they did, then you can bet I would not only be working with less clients but clients that I would probably be much better off without. (If I didn’t ask questions, then how would I know if there’s a good fit?) Discovering this inspired me to develop an entirely different model that went against traditional selling.

I stopped trying to close and I started opening. The point I want to drive home is this; I’ve never had to close another sale again.
 

Excerpt from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Closing the Sale by Keith Rosen. Reprinted with permission by Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Release Date, January, 2007. Visit www.guidetoclosingthesale.com.

When asking a prospect questions, be sure that your questions succeed in achieving the following objectives.

1. Be direct and candid with your questioning and communication. Do not be vague or tiptoe around the subject or question. Make the question clear, focused, direct and concise.

2. Make sure that your questions open up new possibilities, ideas and opportunities in the mind of the prospect that they never considered. Do they enable the prospect to see a new and better solution and envision more measurable worthwhile results, based on the information that you have provided?

3. Have the prospect draw from previous purchasing experiences to determine their buying habits, wants, priorities, and needs.

4. Learn to question what is said and what is not said. Never prejudge a prospect until you have the evidence to support your assumptions. Utilize questions until you are satisfied with the response.

5. Use questions to achieve mindshare and agreement as well as to gracefully uncover and correct the inaccuracies and misperceptions which they my have about your product or service.

Excerpt from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Closing the Sale by Keith Rosen. Reprinted with permission by Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Release Date, January, 2007. Visit www.guidetoclosingthesale.com. 

To permanently eliminate any confusion, lets draw a distinction between what it means to pre-qualify and pre-judge someone such as a prospect. If you read my cold calling book, you know that I’m a strong advocate of pre-qualifying anyone before you invest your very limited and precious time in meeting with or speaking with them. Conversely, pre-judging someone is something you do that shows up in the filter or barrier you have in your listening.

Here’s another way to distinguish between the two. When you are pre-qualifying someone you are arriving at a conclusion that determines whether or not there’s a fit worth pursuing based on a defined set of criteria you uncover through the use of well crafted questions.

Pre-judging said simply, is all about you. Here, you are relying on your faulty and costly assumptions, thoughts and beliefs to determine their needs and whether or not this prospect will potentially buy from you.

When you pre-judge someone you’re making assumptions about them before you ask any questions or uncover any facts.

When you pre-qualify someone, you’re asking questions to uncover their unique and specific needs without making any assumptions so that you can determine very quickly if there is in fact, an authentic fit worth pursuing.

People Do What Makes Them Comfortable 

When it comes to making a purchase, people do what makes them comfortable, rather than what makes the salesperson comfortable. Now, that doesn’t mean they are comfortable with the solution or even want to spend the money and make the purchase. (Just ask anyone who had a flood in their basement and needed to spend thousands of dollars investing in a waterproofing system for their home.) However, it does mean they have a level of trust and comfort in the salesperson, the sales process and the solution.

I remember something that my daughter did one day when she was five years old. We were getting ready to leave the playground on a chilly fall afternoon. She stood next to me, as I opened the car door.

Suddenly, she said, “Dad, I don’t feel well. My tummy hurts.” A few seconds later, she put her head in the car and puked all over her car seat and the car floor. Of course, my first reaction was, “Honey, are you okay?” She responded, “Yes, dad, much better. I think it was something I ate.”

Once I knew she was fine, I then had to ask her, curiously, “Baby, why didn’t you just put your head down and puke right in the street outside the car rather than inside it? Her response; “Oh daddy, it’s too cold outside. It’s much warmer in the car.” Starting at a very early age, people do what makes them comfortable.

Just put the final touches on the site for my next book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Closing the Sale.

www.GuidetoClosingtheSale.com

Talk about taking one subject many people struggle with and levitating it with what always seems to be a controvertial title (the “Idiot’s” portion of the title, at least). Lighten up. Your customers and prospects are.

I hope you enjoy Chapter One as well as the Introduction, which I’ve currently posted on this site  and will be available only for a limited time. Wait until you get your hands on some of the techniques in this book. It doesn’t matter if you’re a sales veteran, top producer, new salesperson, manager or business owner, this book is packed with step by step and line by line Permission Based Selling and Presentation Strategies which I guarantee will bring in more sales for you.

So, feel free to visit the site. I’d also love to hear your comments as well! And if you haven’t already make sure you get my monthly ezine which will also keep you posted on other resources available only to those who know.

Be Creative
    
It is three p.m. in the afternoon on a lovely fall day. You are on your way to work. As you walk by a school, you notice all of the children playing outside. You pause and watch them for a second. A flood of emotions and memories intoxicate your mind, as you  remember yourself as a child. You admire their youthful exuberance, their unlimited supply of energy, their fervor for freedom, their passion for knowledge, their desire to learn and their boundless creativity.
 

Become a create freak rather than a control freak.
 

You listen to their conversations as they play. Some are talking about the planets they are visiting. Others are envisioning the castle in which they are playing in. They see this vividly, down to every detail, including the moat around the castle. Some pretend to be presidents, firemen, astronauts even doctors.
    
How creative children are! How powerful their minds are. Full of ideas with no inhibitions or limitations to restrain them. Children have the ability to visualize or imagine their true dreams. They bring their dreams into their reality and making them real.
 

The most creative time in a person’s life is from birth to the age of around eleven years old. This is the time when they are not constrained by rules or regulations. Children are not concerned with what is supposedly acceptable in thought or behavior and what is not, what is practically right or wrong, proper or improper, fact or fiction.
    
In a child’s eyes, there exists no boundaries. There is nothing to regulate them or inhibit their level of creativity. Everything that children see is new and exiting. They are constantly absorbing information and expanding on their ideas. The more they learn, the more children want to express themselves. They want to share what they have learned. They have no fear of rejection, of being wrong or of the unknown. Why? Because they have not experienced it yet!
    
The years begin to pass. The people in a child’s life, such as teachers and parents, begin to instill their values and ideals in the minds of their children.
 

As a child gets older, they begin to experience embarrassment, being wrong, having people put down their ideas and dreams and punishment for doing the, “wrong thing.”
    
The creative boy now becomes a man. His eyes no longer see the dreams and visions he had as a boy. He becomes serious; more focused on the perceived role to play in society and the pressures from his family. He concentrates on what he thinks he wants and needs. His thoughts and desires that he had as a child become clouded with every passing day, only to be replaced with more and more responsibilities. A mortgage, a job, a family.
    
He begins to lose sight of what was especially important in his life. The simple things. Freedom of expression, having fun, peace of mind, living simply, appreciating his surroundings, treating every day as a new adventure and not getting caught up in the manutia that blinds us from appreciating the beauty around us. All of the visions and dreams are put on a shelf where they begin to collect dust.
 

The man begins to forget what it was like to be creative, to dream and to imagine. Lack of creativity breeds complacency. He now becomes just like everyone else; another face, another number.
    
Imagine if we never lost our creative edge. Imagine what would be possible if we didn’t feel compelled to have to change, due to other people’s beliefs, perceptions or rules.  Now imagine if you had the ability to share your visions and dreams with those around you.
      
Before you assist a customer in opening up their mind, you must first open up your own. Know what it is like to sit on a cloud. Can you see yourself sitting way up in the sky? Do you smell the crisp air?  As you look down, do you see the whole world? Imagine there is nothing to restrain you. Look at the root of the word creative. Create. Take action to create your own destiny. Now, take the customer with you.
    
Anyone can study and memorize a presentation. Ask someone why they actually purchased from you. Will they say it was because you had the most beneficial package? They might. However, most of the time they will say it was because of you.

Tune In To The Most Powerful Time Management Tips

Listen in on Selling Power Live as I’m being interviewed by Jeffrey Gitomer.

This is a solid value rich, 15 minutes of an infusion of the most powerful time management techniques you’ve ever heard.

Be prepared to change the way you think about how you manage your time, and your life, forever. We’re talking breakthrough results here.

Click here to listen now to this interview! Get more tips and master your day. Download my time management book now!

I was talking to Jan, a client of mine about building her practice through more referral business. We worked on building her referral engine; (you can find out more about my ebook on generating more referrals here) developing an approach that she was comfortable with.

We fine tuned the language she felt confident using when approaching and talking to her clients about building her business through referrals. She then practiced her approach until it felt natural for her.

The day finally came for Jan to use the new skills she’s developed. She felt prepared, actually a bit excited, although naturally nervous to use her new approach when speaking with a client, should the opportunity arise.

During her third appointment of the day, it did. Like a graceful dancer, Jan elegantly asked a few questions that evoked permission from her client to have that conversation with her.

The conversation went wonderfully well. Her client was happy, even eager to help Jan. Before her customer left the office, Jan already considered this a success. Just the mere fact of asking for referrals, something she’s feared for years was an incredible achievement for her. Regardless of the outcome today, Jan knew this would make a huge difference in her practice.

As Jan’s client was leaving her office she turned to Jan and said, “Jan, you know, I was a bit surprised to hear that you were looking for more business and of course, I am happy to help you any way I can. As I’ve always told you, I know lots of people who would love to work with you.

I was just surprised that you even needed referrals, as I thought your practice was entirely full! If only I’d known, I would have sent you all the people I’ve been sending the other person I know who does what you do.”

What dangerous assumptions are your customers making about your business? How much business has Jan lost over the years simply because she didn’t ask a few simple questions? Stop leaving free business on the table that your competition it taking from you.

Generate more referrals without hounding people or sounding pushy. Click here to develop a referral system that you can put on autopilot.

Any self proclaimed guru, if they were being truly honest, would admit that at some point in their career, in the spirit of lifelong development and continued evolution, (as well as walking your talk) they would reach out to someone else, another expert, a colleague in their respected field for assistance in an area of their life or business in which they, themselves, are not. Take selling, for example. As a professional presenter who makes their living delivering keynotes, seminars, and training events; one core competency they need to master is How To Sell and position themselves effectively.

How to market, sell and package themselves, how to get organized, how to utilize technology to stay ahead and streamline their business operations are just some of the areas that any wise and insightful business leader would reach out in search of that guru who could assist them in developing, mastering or delegating these critical components of their business.

For me, 2005 was the year of fine tuning the positioning, technology, structure and future of my business. 2006 is the year of execution and abundance. The year of getting ahead of the future. With my oldest daughter in kindergarten, the twins turning 2 in January and the house completed, it was the first time in 2 years that I managed to position myself ahead of the game; something I’ve always done in the past. With 3 new projects launched online, new programs, new technology, new books, happy clients that are a blast to work with, it made sense to continue this path of refinement, enlightenment and evolution by looking under the hood when it comes to perfecting my public speaking skills so that every person in every audience that I’m speaking in front of has a powerful, enjoyable experience that becomes the foundation for measurable, long lasting results.

After some Googling online, I came across one self-proclaimed expert on public speaking. A “presentation coach or public speaking coach” is what he suggested he was. According to his website, he only works with the top speakers in their profession. His website spoke of a system he developed to make any presentation pop, engaging and entertaining.

It peaked my curiosity. After all, if someone knows more about something than I do, it only makes sense to tap into the wisdom of others.

I see he’s written a few books, so I had my assistant schedule a one to one call with this presentation guru. Now, you would think, anyone who touts themselves as an expert in a specific area or topic, they would be a model of what they preach. That is, walk their talk. I must say, I would expect this person to have a strong presence, even on the phone and be a master of communication. That’s what I’d be paying him to teach me, right? To take me somewhere I have not been myself.

Well, not exactly.

I called him one afternoon for our scheduled appointment. “Hello, Jon?” I asked.

“Yes, how can I help you?” A soft, monotone, lethargic voice responded.

“My name is Keith Rosen. You may have heard of me?” I said jokingly.

Silence…...

I continued. “I’m an executive sales coach, corporate trainer and professional speaker. Since I’m always on the lookout for ways to do things better, I came across your website and was curious to know how you may be able to help me.”

“Sure,” he responded…... Empowering…..

“Let me tell you how this works. Are you going to be in the LA area next month during the week of March 14? I’m conducting my next live workshop that you still have time to register for.”

I paused, taken aback. Was I having a flashback to my first Dead show in the early 80’s and blacked out the last 30 minutes of our conversation? Did I fall through a crack in the space-time continuum and landed at the point in time we refer to as the future where we were wrapping up our conversation? Possibly. Or could it truly be that this artist of the spoken word began the conversation without any regard to the sanctity of the consultative sales process; the very basic foundation upon which any great sale opportunity is built upon.

This master presenter didn’t ask me any questions about who I was. He didn’t ask about what I did or why I was even calling him. (Kind of makes you look at those people who consider themselves “strong closers” in a different light.) Considering that a very large portion of my practice consists of executive coaching and sales training over the phone, you would think it would behoove him to find out at least some basic information about my business. His approach to attracting me to hiring him and the way he demonstrated his illuminating presence and years of refining his skills as a presenter in a way that would connect with your audience, hold their interest and feel empowered at the end of every speaking event was by telling me when he is speaking next and asking me to register. Brilliant.

“No,” I replied almost a bit bewildered and taken back from This Diva of Delivery’s approach. Maybe I’m underestimating his powers of enrollment. Maybe this is a carefully planned and executed approach to blind side any potential client and baffle them into the sale. Maybe.

“Well then,” Diva Dan continued, “We can work together on the phone. I can offer guidance on your approach. You can also send me the manuscripts of your presentations as well as a live demonstration of a presentation you delivered, even an audio presentation would be fine. I would then review them and offer my suggestions. I charge $575.00 per hour. However, you can buy a package of 10 calls for $5500.00.

“Okay,” I said. “Well, would you want to know a little about me and what I’m doing to see if you can even help me and there’s a fit between us in terms of what I’m looking for?” I figured, I would try and salvage his fragile sale.

Silence. Again. Hmmm, an elusive fellow. More Jedi mind tricks?

I threw him another bone. I voluntarily shared with him what I do and what I’ve been doing, writing, creating.

When I concluded, more silence.

“Well, thanks for your time.” I decided to end this unique experience. “Let me consider what you can do for me and I’ll get back to you if I’m ready.”

“You can also attend the next program which we’re now taking reservations for that will take place in August. What part of the country do you live?” Was this his confusion close?

Oy. 20 minutes into the conversation and this is when he is interested in finding out about me and where I live?

If this is the impression he leaves with people and how he performs on the phone, what would he be like in person? I don’t know what I’m more concerned about; him or the companies he claims hire him for corporate work.

I have to say, I was also a little perturbed by this experience. I felt a bit deceived and lied to. So, for those people who are looking to hire a speaker or coach; whether it’s a life coach, sales coach, executive coach or trainer for your sales and management team, remember this. You’ll be able to recognize the really great trainers and coaches by the ones who focus on delivering value to you immediately and are tuned into your objectives, your personal and unique needs and the measurable results you can and want to expect. (“And by the way, here’s a list of all my clients that you can call at any time.”)

The first experience you have with them and the way you feel after talking with them is typically the way they will present, train and coach your staff because they masterfully model what they teach. The other stuff, (the things I’m guilty of as well but recognize them for what they are); the sharp websites, good looking pictures and strong value proposition is still, at the end of the day, fluff.

If this guy with the golden tongue is the guru, then we desperately need to re-evaluate the standards and perceptions which we have of these self proclaimed gurus. Are we buying into them a bit too much? Do we believe their marketing message over the core value they can actually deliver on in a measurably positive way?

Hmmm, note to self: Find out what companies he’s trained and sell your stocks in them-immediately.

My wife and I were finalizing the kitchen design in our new home, when my phone rang. “Keith Rosen?” A strong, resonating voice on the other end of the phone asked.

“Who’s calling?” I responded.

“Joe Connolly withThe Wall Street Journal and WCBS Radio,” he announced. No wonder why he’s on the radio.

“Hi, Joe!” I replied. How can I help you?”

“Keith, I just finished reading an article in the Wall Street Journal about you and your approach to prospecting and cold calling. It seems this article originally ran in Inc. magazine. Is that correct?”

“Yes, Joe, that’s right.”

“Very interesting stuff you’re doing. We’re hosting our next Small Business Breakfast in Connecticut next month and wanted to see if you would be interested in sitting on our panel of experts.”

“Thanks for the invitation, Joe. What are the details?”

“We’d like for you to sit on our panel and answer some questions on the topics of your two books on time management and cold calling. This event would be Wednesday morning, May 18 at the Hyatt Regency in Greenwich, Connecticut. We would need you there at 7:30am. There will be about 600-700 people in attendance, all local professionals as well as our sponsors. One more thing, Keith, would you mind if I asked you a few questions, right now [on the record].”

“Sure. Feel free to ask me anything you’d like.”

After about 20 minutes, we concluded our conversation.

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“Keith, you’d really be a perfect fit for this event. I hope you can make it.”

“Thanks, Joe. It sounds like it would be fun! I hope I can make it as well.” I told Joe that I would confirm with him within the next day whether or not I would be available.

Step one, good news. The date was opened. After confirming my availability with Joe, we discussed some additional details of this event.

Fortunately, I asked my dad if he was available to come along and he joined me for the ride. Like any other successful business event, the venders were set up outside of the ballroom, doing their best to mine for prospects in this qualified crowd of professionals. People were chatting and networking themselves through the crowd, as they made their way to a seat in the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency.

The next time Joe and I spoke was the day of the event. The panelists took their position and Joe began the job of moderating and facilitating. He introduced the panelists. When it came to me, he added, “After speaking with Keith, I knew he was the real deal, especially when I asked him if he could commit to the date. Instead of saying, “Yes” on the spot which, according to Keith can mean you’re a “Yesaholic” he responded with, “Thanks Joe, let me check my schedule and I’ll call you back.” So, not only did he write the book on time management, here’s a guy who practices what he preaches.”

A question came my way. It was on how to best manage your time. “Hi Keith,” the gentleman in the audience began. “What strategies would you suggest to better manage your time?” Given the reason why I was seated on this panel, an appropriate question.

My first response was to say this, “Stop. Stop trying to manage something that you cannot manage in the first place.”

Blank stares. “Let me explain, I continued.”

“But first, let me tee it up with a question I have for all of you.”

“How many of you are familiar with the expression, time is money?”

About everyone raise their hand.

I then asked, “By a show of hands, how many of you manage your money in some way? Whether you use a stock broker, financial advisor, accountant, bank or just do it yourself, raise your hand if you manage your money ins some way.”

A few seconds later, several hundred people raised their hand; a good 90% of the audience.

Finally the point blank coaching question; “How many of you manage your time as diligently as you manage your money? In other words, raise your hand if you have a consistent, weekly routine that you follow from the time you wake up in the morning up until the time you end your day, [whether that’s when you end your work day or go to sleep] that contains the specific, measurable activities and tasks you engage in that move you closer to your goals, while keeping your life in a happy balance?”

A few seconds later, I thought I might have to repeat the question. Not a hand went up. I’m not surprised. After all, it was my clients who inspired me to write a book on time management in the first place.

In a room filled with highly successful professionals, there wasn’t one person in the room who could confidently raise their hand and say, “Yes! I have that!”

And yet these people are still successful (however you define what “successful” is).

“Is that some irony,” I continued after my question. “Here we are, on the surface believing that time is money, yet when it comes down to it, we’re not managing our time and ourselves the way we manage our money. We don’t give our time the same respect, diligence and planning it deserves the way we do money.”

“And the kicker is, once you invest your time, you don’t get it back. You can’t double it, invest it or save it for a rainy day or slow it down. That’s why it’s important to shift the focus from trying to manage your ‘time’ to managing what you can control, which is yourself and the actions you take each day. You can control where you invest your time, rather than other people or situations doing it for you. That’s why the foundation to living your potential is to first upgrade your relationship with time so that time becomes your ally not your adversary or something you try to beat out each day. Then you can begin the process of developing a routine.”

The universal law certainly applies; we resist what we need to learn the most.

“Cold calling doesn’t work in our business.”
“I’m not good at cold calling.”
“I’ve tried it and it didn’t work for me.”
“I had a horrible experience cold calling.”
“I hate when telemarketers call me.”

Whatever the reason, whatever the story, it’s a common belief amongst business owners and salespeople that prospecting; more specifically, cold calling is not the first thing people happily jump to do when starting their day.

When I interview clients who want to hire me as their sales coach to assist them in developing or refining their prospecting and cold calling strategy to generate more prospects, I ask them to ‘pitch’ me on the spot. Here’s how the conversation typically flows.

“Right now?” they reply surprisingly.

“Sure,” I say. “After all, you have a choice. You can either practice on me or practice on your prospects.”

“Well, okay. But I never really liked to role play.” (A salesperson who doesn’t like to role play? I’m shocked…)

A few minutes later, they give me their cold calling ‘pitch’, a few examples of the types of voice mails they leave and what it sounds like when they introduce themselves at a networking event.

“So, what do you think, Keith?”

“I think I have great news for you.” I reply confidently.

“The good news is, we’re going to change your approach around. We’re going to fine tune some of the things you’re doing and develop more compelling language in your opening statement, which will eliminate the initial objections you’re hearing and get you in front of more qualified prospects faster. Here’s where we create some new possibilities for you. So if you’re ready, I’d be happy to share with you in more detail what I’m hearing and some areas I see that we can work on. Ready?”

“Sure.”

“Great. Now, you said earlier that you feel as if cold calling doesn’t work for you.”

“Yes, that’s right. It doesn’t seem to be effective in my business. I’m certainly not getting any results or should I say, I’m not getting the results I used to get.”

“Oh, so there was a time when you did generate some results from cold calling?”

“Oh, yes.”

“So, what’s changed?”

“I’m not sure. That’s why I’m calling you.”

“Have you ever been trained or coached in how to cold call effectively?”

“No.”

“So, how did you learn?”

“I picked up the phone and started dialing. I’ve seen some other people do it, some co-workers, my manager, but that’s it.”

“Did you ever consider that it’s not the cold calling doesn’t work but the way you’re cold calling that doesn’t work? In other words, consider that it’s more about your approach; what you say and how you say it. Let me explain,” I continued.

“For example, if I asked you to go outside and dig a ten foot deep hole with a spoon, do you learn the lesson, “Well, I guess I can’t dig holes very well” or is the real lesson; “If I had the right tools I would have been able to accomplish this goal faster, with less effort.” You see, it’s all about the tools you’re using when cold calling. Even if you handed Tiger Wood, the greatest golfer in the world a pair of lefty clubs, while he still may outperform most golfers he would not be able to operate at his best, at the pinnacle of his potential, simply because he’s using the wrong tools. The same philosophy applies to your career and to cold calling.”

“Wow, Keith, that makes perfect sense. I really never thought of it that way.”

“Well, as you mentioned, that’s the reason why you called me, right?”

“Absolutely!”

#

When managers call me looking to see how they can boost their sales numbers by getting in front of more qualified prospects, I ask them if they have ever provided their sales team with any specific training and coaching regarding cold calling and prospecting. Most say “No” yet still expect their sales team to continually produce better results in less time. That’s the same thing as expecting to shoot a 75 your first month as a new golfer without any lessons or coaching.

Ask yourself, are you using the right tools or are you still trying to drive your cold calling process or new business development strategy forward using four square wheels?

In other words, there ain’t no cheese down that tunnel.

It’s taken years to master but the formula is actually quite simple. It’s executing and acting on the formula that people struggle with most.

drive/desire + competencies/mastery of skills needed (selling/leadership skills and characteristics, time management, etc.) + positive mindset/attitude/confidence + right product/service/audience + action plan (vision/goals) + resources (people/training) + ability + fearlessness = Extreme Success

If there’s a breakdown in any of these components or if any are missing, it will have a very strong impact on your results and will dramatically slow down your progress.

So, what’s there left to sell? Either you are the type of person who wants more out of your life or career and are willing and ready to do something about it or you’re not. That’s why success really is a choice.

Selling is The Art of Creating Possibility

I came into the office one morning and noticed the light on my telephone flashing. So, like any other day, I retrieved my messages from the day before to find one voice mail from a gentleman looking for a Michael N. Now, there’s no Michael N. working in my office, so I figured it was a wrong number.

Regardless, I wanted to honor the commitment I make to people who call me, which is to return their call within 24 hours, even if it means returning a call to someone letting them know there’s no Michael N. in my company.

So, I called and left a message.

Two days later, I was left another voice mail from the same person. This time, they sounded a bit frustrated, even irate. They said they left several messages for Mike N. (now it’s ‘Mike’) with no return call from him.

So, now I’m getting more curious about who this elusive mystery man is. I called back and nicely left another message, explaining the situation.

The gentleman called me back, this time sounding angrier than before. I was available to answer the phone.

I let him know there was no Michael N.

He started laughing, first realizing that he had obviously had the wrong number and then secondly, after reflecting on his behavior, laughed more, this time more of a nervous laugh you would hear if you were a bit ashamed of your behavior.

Supposedly, one of the 800 numbers I own belonged to another business years ago. That had to be one old business, since I’ve owned this number for over 15 years.

My innate curiously enticed me to ask him who he was, what he was looking for and who is this Michael N. person?

He told me his name was Alan, and he was a financial planner. Mike N. works for a marketing firm and supposedly offers a service that Alan was looking for. It seems, after several more questions, that Alan was struggling generating enough qualified prospects to help grow his business and was looking for a company to provide him with qualified leads.

I asked more questions, this time about what he’s done over the years to generate leads; what’s worked for him, what’ hasn’t and what he has not tried yet. I asked him to pitch me. He did as he mentioned he spends a few hours each day on the phone, attempting to generate business through cold calling.

It seems that Alan has relied heavily on using the phone to generate new business.

He finally stopped and asked, “So, what was your name again? What do you do?”

I then shared with him who I was and what I did. The next thing that happened; we were in a full coaching call, evaluating his business, and him.

Exactly one hour after my phone rang with the wrong number, Alan gave me his credit card number and hired me as his coach.

Those people who you consider a master of networking, selling or at generating referrals, consider one common denominator that makes them so great at what they do.

They have adopted a concept that I illustrated in the story I just shared. That is, they realize that selling is the art of creating possibility; possibilities and opportunities that didn’t exist before.

After all, when you network or ask for a referral, isn’t that what you are doing, creating something out of nothing? A new relationship, a new contact, a new prospect, a new business acquaintance, a new friend.

The greatest salespeople on the planet realize this and as such, do so consistently. What possibilities are you going to create today?

For years, I’ve managed salespeople. And over two decades later, now as an author and Executive Sales Coach, the one constant I still hear when speaking with managers is that the 80 – 20 rule is still alive and well.

For those who may not be aware of what the 80-20 Rule implies, it is this: 20% of your (sales) team will be responsible for roughly 80% of your volume/making quota or achieving productivity goals within a collaborative team environment.

Considering the resources and outsourced professional coaching available to assist in developing a high performance team, this culture seems a bit antiquated in this day and age; one that should have gone by the wayside like pagers did once mobile phones became easily accessible to anyone.

Why does this rule still have to be in existence today? Granted, I know many companies where this doesn’t apply. But what about the population of companies that still breed this culture?

And what does this say about the manager managing the team he or she has? Can we surmise or look past the fact that if the manager is the one responsible for hiring, then the problem at it’s core is that managers are simply making poor hiring decisions.

The 80-20 Rule now takes on a new meaning: 80% of the time, management will make a costly hiring mistake.

Unfortunately, this statistic isn’t far from true. So, it’s not a wonder that managers are only getting it right 20% of the time. If you don’t have an HR department or at least someone strictly dedicated to this function in your organization where it would demand this type of position, then the burden typically falls on management, the same managers who are responsible for other people’s production, and quite often along with their own personal productivity/quota.

If you’re still a victim of this philosophy, lets take a look at your recruiting and retention system. Do you have a step by step recruiting process that you follow which reduces the costly mistake of mishires, while continually offering your people the coaching and training they need on a consistent basis? (That means more than 4 times a year or once at the annual conference.)

A depiction of insanity; managing a team of (sales)people who shouldn’t be there in the first place. Oy. Corporate America still has a ways to go. I certainly have my work cut out for me. In the meantime, I’ll keep hunting for those companies suffering from this philosophy.

Priorities vs. Goals- What’s the Difference?

Definition:
Priorities: What is most important and meaningful in your life today (activities, values, beliefs, lifestyle, principles, standards, hobbies, integrity, etc.) that you are not willing to compromise or sacrifice in pursuit of something else (a goal).

Goals: A future based anticipated expectation, possibility, end result or experience you are working towards creating, achieving or bringing to fruition that has not yet been realized in the present.

Comparisons:
Present Focused vs. Future Focused
What Is Happening vs. What Will/May Be
In The Present vs. In The Future

Example:

John had a goal of being a top producer in his company. As such, he looked at the other top producers and the activities they engage in which make them successful. The top salespeople are working twelve hour days, sometimes even seven days a week. Thinking, “It worked for them, so I guess I should do that too,” he decided to give up a chunk of his family/personal time and other enjoyable activities/hobbies in his quest to become financially successful.

Although John’s priority was spending time with his family, he didn’t understand why he felt miserable and encountered resistance while attempting to achieve this goal.

Once he created a personal strategy and a routine for achieving his own bigger goals that supported his lifestyle and priorities without having to sacrifice what matters most to him, he was able to reach his goals with less effort and enjoyed the process even more.

Key Points:

If you are encountering resistance while attempting to reach certain goals or performing certain tasks, chances are it’s either something you really don’t want to be doing, an old goal that may not serve you anymore (a should) or you are operating from someone else’s agenda (also a should)! The bottom line is, these goals don’t support your priorities and you’ll continue to feel “off” throughout your pursuit of these misaligned goals.

Take the time to align your goals with your priorities. Otherwise, you’ll feel confined or powerless to make changes, allowing situations, circumstances or other people to influence or control you. Discover what YOU truly want by aligning your goals with the priorities in your life rather than the “shoulds.”

The fact is, “Should-based goals” do not support your priorities or personal vision. So, if you are unsure whether the goal, activity or task classifies as a should, take a look at your lifestyle, values and priorities and see if they are all in alignment. If the goal doesn’t support them, it’s a “should.”

Benefit of Getting This Distinction:

At the end of the day, your goals need to be aligned with your priorities. Honor the priorities in your life by making them non-negotiable. Before you map out your goals, determine the priorities in your life that you’re not willing to sacrifice. This way, you can identify the activities you need to engage in and what you are willing to give up today (maybe even a conscious, short – term sacrifice of certain priorities) in pursuit of a bigger dream tomorrow.

When your goals are aligned and balanced with your priorities, natural strengths and talents, you’ll maintain your integrity, feel calmer and will experience greater peace of mind and fulfillment while traveling on your path to achieving bigger goals and meaningful, long lasting results.

Once you can orient your life around your priorities, you’ll have fewer goals that you’ll feel compelled to attain or be driven (consumed) by. If you design your life and career around what is most important to you on a daily basis, you’ll avoid becoming hooked or attached to creating something ‘better’ at a future point in time, which can rob you of the quality of your life today.

A master coach telling you to quit? To give up? Read on…

“The most rain we’ve had in about 80 years!” That’s what the news reported, fully expediting my lesson regarding the downside of having a fully finished basement.

Home after home in the New York area began the arduous task of pumping hundreds, sometimes thousands of gallons of water out of their basements. Streets were like rivers, running with water from all the hoses that were used to drain the basements. And then there was the damage, not only the structural or cosmetic damage to each home but to all the possessions that got destroyed by the flooding; miles of carpeting, furniture and other possessions that once warmed up and made a house a home.

Now, I’m only in my new home for about five months now. (15 month project, but that’s a whole other book.) When we first moved in and the movers arrived with our life that was in storage for over a year, I couldn’t believe how much ‘stuff’ we had accumulated! Stuff that I’ve lived without for 13 months. At one point, I asked Eddie, my mover, to bring it back. He said, “You’ll probably wind up throwing most of this out.”

Well, dozens of boxes later, we found a home for everything that Eddie was kind enough to bring back to me; in the garage, the attic and the basement.

Now here’s some irony. Not five months after moving in, this flood came and forced me to throw out at least 80% of these boxes stored in my basement; the same boxes that I paid to have in storage for 13 months, the same boxes I paid to have moved out of my old house and into my new one; the same boxes that were taking up precious real estate in my new home. The kicker is, for the most part I had no idea what was even in them!

So, after 5 sleepless days of pumping and dumping water, doing demo work, cleaning the damage and hauling mounds of newly generated garbage to the curb, we were close to having a dry and functioning basement again. (BTW, my 6 year old daughter thought having a foot of water in the basement was cool. As she said, “Dad, can we leave it like this down here? I always wanted a pool in my house! Can I go swimming? PLEASE?!”)

Being the eternal optimist, I knew there had to be some jewel, some treasure, some A.F.G.O. (Another Freakin’ Growth Opportunity) that I can walk away with from this experience. It was right around the 25th box of stuff that we had stored in the basement and the 40th construction bag filled with debris ranging from toys, clothes, artwork and the drenched sheetrock from the basement walls when the lesson started becoming evident.

I needed to give up. That’s right, I needed to quit. Without the flood, it would have been safe to say that these boxes would have remained quiet and undisturbed for years, simply taking up space and adding to household clutter. Yet, because of this natural disaster I was forced to clear out this clutter; the things that I did not use or no longer served me anymore.

Master the Art of Abandonment

Doesn’t the same philosophy apply to our business, our career and our life? The fact is, there are things you are doing right now which are creating the very results you want to avoid. The kicker is, you may already know this! Yet we still hold on to things that are not working: the toxic people or relationships that we’re better off without, the strategies we keep thinking will eventually work, the philosophies about selling, serving our customers as well as developing and retaining our staff.

The most productive people on the planet have mastered the art of abandonment. That is, the ability to let go of the stuff that no longer works. This is not only limited to what you do but also how you think; the limiting beliefs that keep you prisoner and stall your progress, preventing you from moving ahead.

Here I am, spending time, money and energy on protecting, saving or holding on to things that simply do not work for me or I no longer use; valuing possessions that have little or no worth. But we still hold on thinking, “Well, maybe one day I’ll use that again.”

We all have a place in our home, whether it’s the garage, a closet or a cabinet that is packed with stuff; so packed in fact, that you can’t fit another item in there. Consider that our lives are often set up this way; overflowing with chaos, to-do lists, appointments, projects, the wrong goals, or trying to keep up with overloaded schedules that keep us buried in trivial tasks.

If our lives are cluttered or packed with these things, then how can we make the room what we want most? You can’t add the things you really want into your business and your life if it’s already cluttered with old baggage that should no longer be there in the first place. There’s no space left to fill our lives with what is most important. As such, the ability to attain what we want is compromised.

We spend so much time identifying what we need to get or bring more of into our lives and our careers; more training, more technology, more planning, more systems that we often forget to identify what we need to let go of and give up that would propel us forward faster than any new technique or strategy would.

So, before you run out in search of the next best thing; the next greatest sales or marketing tool, the newest ‘secret’ to attracting top talent or bringing in more new business, see what you can give up first. Make a list of the things you’ve been holding onto, physically or mentally, that are dragging you down and just not working for you. Determine what you have in storage that needs to be let go. What is it costing you to hold on and not let go; not only in your business or career but in your life and the quality of it? (I spent thousands of dollars and hours of my precious time moving and storing garbage! )

In order to attract new and better people, experiences, results and more of what you want, first let go of the things that are clogging up your life in order to create the space for the better stuff to show up. Space creates choice. Learn to let go. What can you give up on today?

Mental constipation keeps us stuck in the same place. To change how you sell , manage or how you operate your business often means first changing how you think.

Start by opening up to a new possibility called the truth based on facts not perception. Give yourself permission to stop playing the waiting game, embrace what is rather than what was and ask yourself: “What’s the new opportunity here?” The quicker you embrace the truth in every situation, such as what to do after realizing you made a bad hiring decision, the better you’ll be able to respond to it.

Consider what the automotive industry did to respond to these new economic times – 0% financing, employee pricing, employee discounts. An unprecedented move in this industry. The results have been banner years for car sales.

Harsh words I know. But it’s not too late! Hey, I strive to save many of the retailers out there. But c’mon folks, you managers and business owners gotta start looking at what your people on the floor are saying to your prospects.

The very prospects that you may be spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars in advertising every month trying to bring them into your store! The only sales that they are making are the ones that they blindly run into. (So if I need a new mobile number, I’m going to go into the store and tolerate the service and lack of knowledge that comes with this experience. It’s not changing the fact that I still want one and that may still be the easiest route for me to take.) To corporate, they may feel, “Sales are there so why change. Why spend money on developing our people ?” I love the numbers folks.

Let me give you an example.

I recently purchased some advertising space in a national magazine. I have been a subscriber for years and knew everything I needed to know to select them as an advertising vehicle. I called them with one intention, to place an order.

When I called their office, the salesperson began doing what she felt was appropriate; to start selling me. She began with the history of the magazine, then moved into a discussion about her subscriber base, how effective an advertising campaign can be and ended with information about her ad design team. She was unaware that I already knew all the information that she decided to share with me.

She never took the time to ask what my intention was in running the ad or what information I might be interested in hearing more about. While she was speaking at me, I could only think about how many selling opportunities this must have cost her when dealing with prospective clients who didn’t have the time or patience to listen to information that didn’t fit for them.

This is not an unusual problem. Many salespeople spend much of their time during a sales call attempting to educate the prospect about their product, service and industry. They think it will stimulate interest and increase the odds of earning a new client. In many cases, this is the same strategy that compromises their opportunity to create a relationship with that prospect.

Unfortunately, this is the easiest way to lose their attention. Once a person hears something they aren’t interested in or if they feel you are providing information that doesn’t apply to them, their interest is lost and they stop listening.

A sales call is not the time prove how much you know. It’s the time to find out what you don’t know about the prospect and what the prospect doesn’t know about you. It is not your knowledge that sells, but how effectively you customize your knowledge to meet each of your prospects’ specific needs.

Before you can uncover a prospect’s individual needs and educate them on how your product will meet those needs, you must first uncover what your prospect already knows.

Your company’s presentation materials are designed to assist you in educating your prospects. However, it’s your job to determine and provide the appropriate information that will fit their specific situation.

Start your conversation by asking certain questions. Questions will enable you to uncover the relevant information to provide and identify the prospect’s objective and expectation of the meeting. Begin your meeting with the following questions. “What are your expectations of our meeting today?” “What information can I provide that would assist you in making the right decision when choosing a (new vender, service provider, contractor, etc.)? “Just so I don’t sound repetitive, what do you already know about…?” Then, based on the information you receive, you can craft your presentation.

Caution: When listening to what your prospect already knows, some of the information you receive about your product or industry may be inaccurate. Address this carefully. Instead of correcting them, simply add another truth to their statement by asking another question or adding to what they had said. Otherwise, while making yourself look right, you run the risk of making the prospect wrong, thus putting them on the defensive.

Most importantly, learn to put your ego aside and let go of your need to “sell.” The most effective presentation is going to be judged by the outcome that you produce. This begins with finding the right balance of information that your prospects want to hear.

Are You Playing The Victim?

“I can’t believe I wasn’t able to schedule an appointment with Mr. Prospect today! I feel so dejected and frustrated, too frustrated to do anything else productive today.”

C’mon.

Do you allow one bad experience to snowball and affect the rest of your day?

Rather than moving on and forging ahead, this allows you to go into a negative tailspin and destroy the chance of doing anything else productive for the remainder of your day.

Another example of playing the victim would sound like, “With the type of manager I have and the lack of support I get, I’m never going to be successful at this job.”

Hit the reset button.

Regardless of what you do, whether you’re a manager, telemarketer, salesperson, business owner or coach, remember:

one bad call doesn’t make a bad day,
one bad day doesn’t make a bad week,
one bad week doesn’t make a bad month,
one bad month doesn’t make a bad year.

While you may find that one or two (or more) of these behaviors resemble some of your diversionary tactics, this is actually good news!

Yes, you have some, we all do and if you don’t think so, then consider that the very fact you deny or resist having on is, in fact, your diversionary tactic, or what I like to call, perfectionism. Sorry for the ramble but hey, this is my blog, and if I choose to write insignificant dribble while adding some value then I hope it makes you smile. After all, my webmaster practically twisted my arm and made me do the forum and this blog. I trust him but my wrists are beginning to get sore from typing. I truly hope you’re enjoying this out there!

Hey, I never said that you would actually like bringing this truth to the surface. After all, it takes a lot of courage to admit our foibles. However, now that you have a greater understanding and awareness about them you can do something about it. When you notice yourself falling into this trap, you can make the choice to either continue engaging in your diversionary tactic or make a better choice that will generate the results you really want.

Have you ever done something that you know is not in your best interest? Have you ever avoided doing something that is in your best interest? In either of these scenarios you were probably able to justify your behavior as well as your line of thinking and most of all; avoid being accountable.

While that may sting a little bit, allow me to introduce to you a new definition for this type of behavior. A diversionary tactic is an action, excuse, or belief you hide behind that justifies your behavior and performance, providing you with the out so you do not have to be accountable for your performance, responsibilities, goals or the situations you put yourself in.

Other examples of diversionary tactics are as follows:

• An excuse for the behavior you really don’t want anymore.
• An action, a lack of action or a belief that keeps you from being

Some non-negotiable tasks, activities, and priorities in your life may be obvious, such as your commute, showing up for work, engaging in your favorite hobby or pastime, and spending time with family. However, some may not be so visible, such as prospecting, practicing self-care, one-to-one time with your employees, planning, goal setting, or putting time aside for professional development.

If there are activities you need to engage in that support your lifestyle and will truly determine whether or not you will reach your personal and professional goals, it’s essential that you make these tasks non-negotiable rather than optional. Otherwise, you’ll find that they have tendency to take a back seat to other activities that may need to get done and have some degree of importance.

You know, the activities or tasks that you may be more comfortable doing (such as cleaning your office, doing paperwork, responding to e-mails, helping other people, compiling data, customer service, working on making your marketing material perfect) but don’t significantly move you forward. Instead, they keep you stuck in maintenance mode, allowing you to do just enough to stay afloat.

Then, you may have conversations with yourself that sound like, “That’s okay, I was busy today. I’ll do that tomorrow.” Or, “I just wasn’t able to find the time to get to prospecting today.” And wouldn’t you know it, something else always seems to come up! I don’t suppose this has ever happened to you.

This busy work will disguise the truth, creating the illusion that you’re working hard, simply because you feel busy. These diversionary tactics enable you to do everything else but the activities that would dramatically accelerate your success.

Just ask any salesperson who has to prospect to build their business. They can justify practically any and every activity that will take them away from prospecting, allowing them to major in the minor activities that act as a diversion to doing what’s truly needed to build their business.

If you, “Can’t seem to “find the time,” for these activities, I have yet to stumble across time that I just happen to “find.” It becomes a never-ending search, an exercise in futility. Consider that these non-negotiable activities that you may be avoiding must become as habitual as waking up in the morning, taking a shower, brushing your teeth, and breathing. These are the activities you do, (hopefully) without a second thought.

Uncover your diversionary tactics. Once you do, you’ll then be able to make the choice whether or not to continue to take part in them or the activities that serve you best. To further illustrate the importance of uncovering and eliminating your diversionary tactics, consider the cost you incur by not making certain activities non-negotiable. For example, what does it cost you if you don’t prospect; professional satisfaction, selling opportunities, peace of mind, income, your career?

The fact is, there are things you are doing right now which are creating what you want to avoid. And the kicker is some of you already know this!

The most productive people master the art of abandonment. That means, the ability to let go of old stuff that no longer works.

We all want better results but in order to do so, what precedes those results?

Change. We have to change something first.

There was a great quote I recently heard:

Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better. -Sydney J. Harris

In my experience, generating extraordinary results requires changing two things:

That is to:

• Change what you do and
• Change how you think.

The fact is, successful people not only do things differently they also think differently. They are wired differently.

Ironically, most people focus on the doing side. Without focusing on how to best manage their mindset

The result? YOU ARE ONLY DEVELOPING HALF OF THE PERSON THAT YOU CAN BE. Take a salesperson who only focuses on following a certain step by step selling process. Now, if success in selling was only dependant upon what you did, then every salesperson who followed this process should perform at the exact same level and from what I see, especially speaking with thousands of salespeople and sales managers every year, this is certainly not the case.

The good news is, you haven’t even begun to tap into your fullest potential.

It’s like upgrading a computer. When you get coached by an expert, part of the process is similar to taking and old processor, such as an old 386 computer and upgrading it to a Pentium 5. Only difference here, we’re upgrading your operating system, how you think, how you’re wired so you can think better, remove any corrupt files or thinking, and operate at maximum efficiency.

We’ve all changed our mind at one point or another regarding how we feel about someone, something, or an experience we’ve had. Depending on the complexity of the situation, there’s a good chance that you change your mind on a daily basis regarding certain preferences, (favorite food, color, store, restaurant, leisurely pastime, TV show, hobby, sport), activities, experiences, and even certain people.

You may have changed your mind regarding a certain experience you had. For example, Mary, a client of mine, shared an experience she had regarding a sales call she went on. When Mary left the meeting with a prospect, she called me sounding very upset. After presenting her product to this prospect and following up with them a week later, the prospect decided to use another vender. She felt frustrated, upset, and dejected. She was ready to leave her sales position, feeling as if she failed and this wasn’t the career for her.

After talking with her about this sales call in more detail, it sounded as if there were some holes in Mary’s selling strategy that may have cost her the sale. I suggested that she look at this experience not as a failure but as an opportunity to learn and grow. As such, she changed her outlook. Mary felt better using this experience as an opportunity for continuous improvement. Together, we identified the areas that needed refinement and changed her approach when presenting to a prospect.

As a result of what she had learned, she became the number one salesperson in her company. Now, Mary has adopted a new belief; there is no such thing as failure, only unexpected results that you can then learn from. The only way Mary can fail is if she doesn’t embrace the lesson. I love that!

If you are focused solely on making a pitch or are pushing for the appointment or the sale rather than conducting a process of inquiry, then consider whom you’re making the sales process about. And that would be you!

Create Possibilities, Not Expectations

A possibility that goes unfulfilled is still a possibility. An expectation that goes unfulfilled is a disappointment.

I remember talking with one of my clients. His name was John and he was a great salesperson. After working with John for a few months, I noticed that his mood or state of mind fluctuated during each meeting I had with him.

It seemed that, like many salespeople, John was allowing himself to be a victim of circumstance. He set high goals and expected nothing but exemplary performance from himself. When he experienced success from his prospecting efforts, he was in a great mood. However, on the days that he felt he wasn’t producing up to his expectations, he really took it to heart and it threw him right into a bad mood. Feelings of disappointment, anxiety, and frustration overcame him. This lasted until he had another productive day cold calling. John was allowing external situations, more specifically, his daily productivity to influence or dictate his internal condition or attitude, swinging the “mood” pendulum from one extreme to another.

It’s one thing to experience good days and bad days. We all have them. However, it’s another thing to allow your prospecting efforts to dictate whether or not you’re going to be smiling at the end of the day. After coaching him around this, we soon realized that he had some unrealistic expectations regarding his performance.

I explained to John that it was wonderful to have a very clear vision of what he was looking to achieve. After all, defining your goals is a great exercise, one that I certainly endorse. However, when your goals begin to consume you and diminish the quality of your life, it’s time to re-evaluate your strategy.

I then suggested to him, instead of being hooked on the expectation of having to generate the result he was seeking during every cold call, what if it was only a possibility that he would generate the desired result? I saw the confusion in his face. I then shared with John the distinction between a possibility and an expectation.

A possibility is something that may exist or what could happen, where an expectation is a hope or an attachment to a specific outcome. A subtle, yet powerful distinction. When you are open to possibility, you are inspired to innovate and create something new while being present in a conversation or with the activity you are engaged in. You feel a sense of choice in the pursuit of your goal. In other words, you can either be gripped with a certain expectation about something; in this case having to sell, or you can simply enjoy the possibility of creating a relationship with that prospect, determining whether there’s a fit and providing value to them, without being attached to whether or not you will sell.

Some people have an attachment to certain outcomes during a conversation. They are so focused on having the other person see their point of view or attached to creating a specific result that they miss out on the ability to create a new and better outcome simply by listening openly to what the other person was actually saying.

Sometimes we get so attached to having others see our point of view that we exhaust all our energy just to prove a point. We might do this with our prospects, co-workers, boss, family, or friends. The problem is, if you are so attached to your own agenda inside a conversation then how can a new or better possibility ever surface? How can you listen to your prospect’s wants and needs or create solutions to their initial concerns that might get in the way of the sale? It just can’t happen.

A congested mind does not allow for the space to create the best solutions for your prospects during a cold call. Consider for a moment that the person you are speaking with may have a better solution or voice an initial objection, yet you can’t hear it because of your attachment to the outcome.

Think about the sales you have made in your career. Picture your state of mind at the time. Were you relaxed, centered, and connected with your prospects or were you concerned, anxious, and biting at the bit while calculating how much money you would make if you sold?

Most salespeople are more inclined to generate the desired result they seek during a cold call when they aren’t concerned about whether or not they will sell. And this feeling; according to them, usually surfaces right after they had a successful cold call or reached their monthly sales quota. In other words, these salespeople weren’t attached to the expectation of having to sell the client because it was no longer a “have to” for them. Since they already reached their daily or monthly goal, in their mind the rest was gravy. The pressure to produce was lifted off of their shoulders and they had nothing left to lose.

Many of us suffer from unfulfilled expectations. If you are attached to the expectation of having to generate certain results when cold calling and you don’t produce them, , think about how you feel? Lousy, discouraged, frustrated, dejected, upset, maybe even a bit drained. Not only can this destroy your productivity for the remainder of your day, but you’re also less likely to want to engage in this activity again or call on other people. Setting yourself up to have unfulfilled expectations is a formula that continually reinforces negative feelings, which creates negative experiences.
Now, imagine what would be possible if you believed that every conversation you had with a prospect provided you with the possibility to earn their business? This way, if you don’t generate your desired result, then the possibility is still just a possibility!

When something is possible for you, the process is actually enjoyable. After all, if you’re going to cold call, you might as well enjoy the process. The alternative is being let down or crushed from having unfulfilled expectations.
Consider this truth. What if a surgeon in the ER expected to save every life that he operated on? Chances are, this person wouldn’t be a surgeon for long, even with the best of intentions.

You know it’s a possibility when you’re having fun and you can’t lose. It’s an expectation when you are upset if it doesn’t work out.

Selling is the art of creating possibility. That’s selling at it’s core.

If you were ever in a situation where you’ve walked away from a conversation feeling drained or exhausted, chances are there was something you were attached to in the conversation. Where you attempting to control the outcome?

When cold calling, prospecting, networking or presenting, here are some attachments to be aware of that can grip you and limit your potential.

The need to be right or look good.
The need to make the sale (appointment, demo, proposal)
The need to be understood or prove your point.
The need to have people agree with you.
The avoidance of being wrong, looking bad, and hearing “No.”

If you find that you are repeating yourself, pushing to get someone to see it your way, or creating evidence to strengthen your side, you may be caught up in the ego of the situation. The conversation then turns into a struggle for power and control. When prospecting, who do you think is going to win that battle most of the time? The prospect.

Being attached to the outcome during a prospecting conversation:

Focus on the Present

In order to let go of your expectations or attachments during the cold calling process, focus on the present.

Consider the three points in time; the past, present, and the future. Sure we live in the present, but is that where you are truly living and responding to moment to moment? Consider that almost 85 percent of your time is spent either living in the past or in the future. (For example, reacting from a past experience or an expectation of the future. Remember the conversation on fear in Chapter 1?) Where is the focus of your energy and thoughts?

If you are living in or reacting from the past, that would sound like:

“If only I (woulda, coulda, shoulda)[el] I would be much happier/successful today.”
“I should have done that years ago because I would have reached my financial goal by now ”
“I remember the last time something like this occurred. I’m sure it will happen again.”

These examples illustrate how you are responding to and “living in the past.”
If you are living in or reacting to the expectations of the future, that would sound like:

When I (once I, if only I) buy a house (make more money, find my spouse, lose ten pounds, discover my ideal career, become a master at cold calling) then I will be truly happy and fulfilled.

If you are hooked on the future, then you are attempting to get somewhere other than where you are now. Where you are today and what you’ve achieved thus far doesn’t seem to be enough for you or provide you with a sense of satisfaction or accomplishment. As such, you’re attached to an end result that hasn’t happened yet.

We often live, listen, and react from the past or are pushing for something to happen in the future. Top producers respond to and are fully living in the present. To be fully present means you are able to focus on a single person, idea, or topic. It means not having any preoccupations with the past or future. The past is gone, and unless you have a crystal ball you have no control over the future.

Expectations are based in the point of time we refer to as the future. Possibilities are happening at any moment in the present. Look at a possibility as a choice where an expectation is a rigid need that must be met in order for you to feel fulfilled and complete.

Jim was a client of mine who believed that he did not think well on his feet. Jim felt that he wasn’t able to respond quickly or intelligently to certain objections or concerns that his prospects presented to him. Interestingly, Jim informed me that this only occurred in a selling situation. During other conversations, Jim stated this was never an issue.

What was it that made Jim freeze in a cold calling conversation but was quick witted and engaging during normal conversation? As we explored this phenomenon in more depth, the reason became evident.

I asked him, “When you engage in daily conversation, is there some specific result that you are looking to achieve in each conversation?” “Not really,” Jim replied. He then added, “If anything, I certainly like to help people.”

“How about when you are cold calling?” I then asked. “Most definitely! I need to sell.” Jim declared.

Jim had an attachment to the outcome. His focus and intentions changed depending upon the type of conversation and whom he was speaking with. When cold calling, Jim was attempting to have a conversation with his focus on a future outcome (the sale), while his prospects are speaking to him in the present moment. Jim was unable to create new solutions or respond effectively to his prospects’ concerns because his mind’s eye was focused more on what he wanted to happen rather than what was occurring in the moment.

Being fully present takes practice, effort, focus, and a willingness to exclude all that is not directly relevant to what you are currently engaged in, especially while speaking with someone. Living in, responding to, and thinking in the moment is both healthy and more productive. If you can practice this, the quality of your communication as well as your cold calling efforts will greatly increase.

Here’s a key point.
What was and what will be never takes precedent over what is.

An attachment is never about what is happening in the present. If you’re hooked on a future, anticipated result, you can’t create any new possibilities in the moment, since creation only occurs in the present. Any attachment is based in the future or the past, with the focus on a specific expectation or result that you are looking to achieve.

Ask yourself, “Am I responding to and living in the present?” (During a conversation, am I focused on an anticipated future outcome or stuck in the past with regrets, beliefs, or events that are really not relevant to creating something new in the present?)

Once you open up your thinking and detach yourself from the outcome during your cold calling efforts or a conversation with a prospect:

You will notice your energy level will naturally increase.
You will experience less stress.
You will uncover new and greater possibilities, solutions and selling opportunities naturally that you would otherwise miss without having to push for them.

Detaching from the outcome frees you to embrace the truth in any situation in order to create new opportunities in the moment rather than being hooked on what you really want, what you think you want or need, or what you expect to happen.

Lets keep rooting for the good guys. The honorable remodelers. The companies that actually follow through and honor their commitments. You guys deserve much success and praise.

They are, unfortunately, the underdogs in many situations. The remodeling industry is plagued with poor workmanship and horror stories from homeowners, ranking remodeling as the number 1 or 2 industry with the highest consumer complaints. With a scarce labor pool, an increasingly high demand for remodeling, as well as recent natural disasters, we find ourselves in a desperate situation, often going against what we may know is best and putting up, tolerating the less than the best company to do the work; because there’s no on else!

My wife and I were about to undertake our last remodeling project. Being a consummate consumer, I wanted several qualified companies to bid on our next project. After calling ten contractors, I scheduled an appointment with the five that called back.

Following our meetings, one gave me a price on the spot and two never responded with an estimate. Two contractors mailed an estimate, and one of them followed up a week later.

Guess who got the job. Just by making a five-minute phone call! What fascinated me most was that only one contractor called back to discuss his proposal and ask for my business.

How can these salespeople afford not to follow up? Conducting my own research, each one said they needed more business, yet didn’t know the status of the majority of proposals they sent. I sensed that following up regarding their proposal was not their typical M.O. Instead, here’s what they said.

• I thought you were using someone else.
• I didn’t think you were ready to buy.
• I thought you felt the price was too high.
• I didn’t want to bother or pressure you.

While these contractors formulated their own conclusion, they never bothered to confirm if their assumptions were, in fact, true! They were operating under the costly assumption, “The prospect will call when they’re ready.”

I asked Bill, one of the contractors, “If you’re sacrificing valuable time to drive to an appointment, deliver a presentation, write a proposal and then don’t follow up and ask for a prospect’s business after taking all of the steps that earned you the opportunity to do so, who are you really helping?” Then it hit him between the eyes. “My competition!”

Bill realized something that only a select few have. While prospects need his remodeling knowledge and skills, they also need his help in making their purchasing decision.

Bill recently called me with some exciting results. After making thirty phone calls to past prospects, he spoke with ten prospects he had met with. Bill sold three more deals ($78,000) in one week that he never would have sold.

In many businesses, especially the ones that sell directly to consumers such as home remodeling, cold calling consumers via the phone is no longer an option to generate new leads. Aside from canvassing door to door, networking, asking for referrals, posting job signs or traditional (and sometimes costly) marketing/advertising campaigns, what else brings in more business? Follow up calls.

How many prospects are waiting for your phone call so they can send you a deposit? How many people are out there waiting to begin working with you?

Bill and I sat down to crunch the numbers. I shared this observation with him. “Consider that you can make about fifteen calls per hour (one hour per week). Assume that out of fifteen contacts, you make one more sale. (Average sale $10,000.) Four hours a month equates to four more sales. Over a year, that’s $480,000 in volume. This exceeds the yearly volume of most contractors just by making one hour of follow up calls each week!”

If you take a moment and look at your call back list, how much business does that equate to? Now ask yourself, “How much of it am I willing to give to my competition?”

Since your competitors aren’t paying you commission, here’s your opportunity to utilize a simple, efficient three-step follow up system that will bring in more (free) sales.

Tip from The Coach: There is an exception to this rule. If part of your selling strategy requires drafting a proposal for a prospect, rather than sending your proposal and then scheduling a time to meet after they’ve received it, if possible, it’s always better to schedule a time to hand deliver your proposal. This way, you can review it face to face (or computer to computer) with the prospect and immediately address any concerns or barriers to the sale. Reviewing the proposal upon delivery provides you with the luxury of handling all possible objections immediately so that you can then ask for the prospect’s business, thus reducing the chance of your proposal becoming another item on the prospect’s lengthy ‘to-do’ list. In many cases, the longer it takes to reconnect with a prospect, the closer your proposal gets to the bottom of their priority list.

Instead of thinking about how many calls you need to make, consider how many sales you’ll be giving to your competition if you don’t. If something as simple as following up provides you with a competitive edge, then your next sale is just a phone call away.

About Keith Rosen, MCC – The Executive Sales Coach™