Find out more here.

There were two books I read very early on during my college years that had a huge impact on me and on my career path. One of them was written by Tom Hopkins.

Today, Tom is offering something so valuable that I needed to share it with you. He’s holding a special event next month on November 15 and again on November 20 in Southern California for:

Hopkins says, “We’ve listened to what our students are telling us. In the current marketplace, they can’t take a full day out of the field to attend seminars. So, we’ve condensed these programs to offer just the top strategies that are working now. And the Saturday program is aimed at people who are in sales part-time like many of our clients in the network marketing industry.”

While many programs of this caliber run anywhere from $300 to $1,000 per attendee, Tom Hopkins International is being sensitive to the pocketbooks of today’s Southern California sales forces. These two programs are being offered for only $99.00 per ticket. Both the offer and seating for these events are limited.

Get all the information you need here, as I’m sure this will sell out fast.

Here’s what you can expect to walk away with:

Get all the information you need or register here.

Now here’s an example of a presentation that grabs attention. It has all the elements of success. The right person, (Tom Ziglar, CEO of Ziglar, Inc.), the right intention, focus, the visuals and measurable results.

Take a look and watch him, um, strip? And for the record, Tom lost, what, 71 lbs! No kidding.

Here’s the link to watch the video presentation!

And congratulations again, Tom, on an extraordinary achievement.

Here we are, in the third week of Hoover’s Customer Appreciation Month. This week’s focus: Presentation Skills and Closing the Sale.

So, I thought this story was apropos. My wife and I attended open school night last week. It was the first time we had an opportunity to sit down and listen to the plan that my daughter’s third grade teacher had for her students.

As an illustration of the importance of reading comprehension, she asked us to do the following exercise. “Read the following excerpt of this book and tell me what you think the story is all about,” she directed. She also informed us that 85% of the words would remain in the story and only 15% of the works in this excerpt would be removed.

After reading the story, she made her point. As parents, we may think that an 85% comprehension of a story would be fine for our children when reading a story, right? I mean, it’s practically 100%. However, the fact is, the omission of just 15% of a story greatly affects someone’s comprehension of that story. I’ve included the story below for your to read and judge for yourself.

Now, consider how this ties into the importance of a successful presentation. Think about how critical it is for you to not only develop and refine your compelling message and Most Valuable Proposition but to position and communicate it to your customer in a way that they truly hear and understand it. There’s a big difference between being heard and being understood. It’s your job to ensure you are communicating to your customers and prospects in the way they communicate and process information, then confirm that the message you sent was the message that was received.

The most effective presentations are going to be evaluated by the result, not the vast amount of information you can disseminate to a prospect. Keep your PowerPoint at bay until you’ve determined exactly what it is your prospects wants to hear and needs to learn. And remember, if you want to increase the impact of your communication and presentations, it’s your responsibility to make sure that 100% of your message is truly understood by every person you speak with.

2-5 Advanced Section 24

Pickle Puss by Pat Reilly Giff (Guided Reading M) (85% accuracy: 58 errors)

Emily XXXX jumped down the XXXX. She XXXX across the XXXX. “Wait for me,” her little XXXX, Stacy, yelled. Emily looked back.

“Stacy XXXX the XXXX door. She was XXXX a XXXX on her head. She had her mother’s high XXXX on her feet.

“You can’t go like that,” Emily said.

“I’ll take off my XXXX,” Stacy said. She dropped the XXXX. It XXXX on the grass. Emily closed her eyes. “XXXX.”

Stacy clicked down the XXXX. “Mrs. Baker will love my red XXXX.” Emily started XXXX the street. “Walk XXXX,” Stacy said. “It’s hard to XXXX up.”

Emily took Stacy’s hand. “Try. We’re XXXX XXXX.” At the next corner they saw Richard XXXX. He was XXX X under a bush.

“XXXX, Beast,” Emily called. “Where are you going?” he yelled.

“To the XXXX,” Emily said. “Today’s the day Fish for a Good XXXX starts. We can do it all XXXX.”

“Not me,” Beast said. “I XXXX enough in summer XXXX. Too much.” He sat back. “Besides, it’s XXXX. XXXX starts soon.”

“Emily’s going to fish,” Stacy said. “Right Emily?” Emily XXXX. “I’m going to get a pile of them.”

“So is Dawn,” said Beast. “And Jill, and Timothy XXXX.” He shook his head. “Too bad Matthew moved away. He’d like to fish too.”

“Did you hear from him?” Emily asked.

Beast held up one XXXX. “I got a XXXX. A skinny little XXXX. Matthew’s a terrible XXXX. I couldn’t XXXX it.”

“Come on, Emily,” Stacy said. “It’s too hot to XXXX XXXX.” Emily and Stacy went down the street. They turned in at the XXXX.

“XXXX,” said Stacy. “Lots of kids are here today.” Emily waved at Jill and Dawn. Then she looked up. There was a new XXXX on the wall. It was a picture of a boy fishing. He was fishing in blue XXXX water. Red and blue and tan XXXX fish swam in the water. Up on top said FISH FOR A GOOD XXXX.

“I’m going to get lots of fish,” Stacy said.

Emily shook her head. “You don’t have a XXXX.” “Mrs. XXXX will give me one,” Stacy said.

“No,” said Emily. “Not until you can XXXX your name. That’s the XXXX.”

Stacy stuck her lip out. She looked as if she were going to cry. “How can I learn to XXXX? Nobody will let me go to XXXX.”

Emily XXXX her XXXX (397 words).

Quite often when we think of qualifying a prospect, we believe this process to occur earlier on in the relationship. However, the qualifying process can take on many forms. Here are three different strategies you can incorporate into your prospecting efforts as it relates to qualifying your prospects at a much deeper and more rewarding level. You’ll notice new selling opportunities right in front of you that you never knew existed before.

#1 – Learn from Each Call – Conduct Valuable Research

For those calls where you feel you’ve given it your best effort and you’re just not getting anywhere:

“I do apologize for the intrusion as well as my approach. I can understand how people are a bit skeptical of a cold call. Quite frankly, so would I. May I ask, when making a decision on what [venders to choose, products to buy, services to use], how do you go about gathering your information? This way, if I ever get a second chance to speak with you, I can honor your decision making process and hopefully connect with you in a way that you are more comfortable.”

OR

“What would have made you more receptive to my call today?”

#2 – Prospect Your Prospects

For those prospects who may simply not be a fit, yet may know people who are:

“Mr. Prospect, thanks again for taking the time to speak with me today. I’ve certainly enjoyed our conversation. Based on what you are currently doing, it seems that our product is not a good fit for you. However, I hope our conversation reinforced what a great job your current vender is doing for you.

While there may not be anything I can provide you that would make a measurable difference in comparison to what you are doing now, maybe there’s another way we can work together. In your line of work, I’m sure you run across other people who have shared similar challenges that you had and might be looking for a better solution. If you know someone who is always looking out for ways to do things better and who you feel could benefit from our product, would you be comfortable referring them to me?”

Then, continue with: “That sounds great. Then may I ask who you know that would be a good candidate for our service?”

3 – Get Permission to Follow Up and Prospect Them

For those prospects who may now be in your pipeline and need follow up to insulate them from your competition, while keeping your finger on their buying cycle and when they may be ready to buy:

“Mr. Prospect, thanks again for your time today. Before we rap up this conversation, I’ve noticed that in the past, when I have attempted to reconnect with someone months after our first contact, many things have transpired. Changes in their position, in their company, or in their life often have tendency to divert even the best-laid plans. Since there are so many things that can happen in two months, I was hoping that I could stay in contact with you without stepping over the line and being annoying about it. With your permission, can I contact you from time to time with updates about our product or valuable information that you may find of interest as it relates to your business?”

A monthly newsletter, a free trial, an article of interest, a great new product feature or being a resource for additional needs they may have are just a few ways to deliver value during this “down time” and keep your finger on the pulse of every prospect you speak with.

September is Customer Appreciation Month is for Hoover’s. In support of this, Hoover’s has identified a theme for each of the four weeks of the month which I’ll be blogging about. Here’s the schedule.

Wk 1: Prospecting (9/8-9/12)
Wk 2: Qualifying (9/15-9/19)
Wk 3: Presentation Skills and Closing the Sale (9-22-9/26)
Wk 4: Overcoming Objectives (9/29-10/3)

Now that we’re in week two, below are some qualifying questions you can use during the next conversation you have with a prospect. Remember, it’s not just any question but defined, well crafted questions that are going to act as the conduit to more qualified prospects and more sales.

While many salespeople would use questions that qualify their prospects to determine whether or not they are a viable candidate for their product or service, uncovering a true fit between you and your prospects goes much deeper.

There are actually two distinct types of questions: First, there are fact finding questions. These questions relate specifically to your industry and product or service. These fundamental questions provide you with the information you need to uncover whether this prospect is even someone who would purchase what you sell. These questions would uncover the following information. Do they currently have a similar solution you offer. Is your solution a complement or replacement to what they are currently doing? Is the company the right size, offers the right product or service, is the right industry, has the right type and number of employees?

Second, there are those decision oriented questions that move the sales process forward and motivate your prospect to make a decision or want to buy from you. These discovery questions will enable you to uncover how they go about making a purchasing decision, the cost of not making any changes as well as create the urgency for the prospect to make a decision.

Keep in mind when executed correctly, these questions will facilitate a natural conversation, rather than a “pitch.” As you read the questions that follow, remember, it’s a give and take. You’re not interrogating them, but having a conversation to learn how you can best assist them based on their goals and objectives, uncover the process they honor when making a decision and whether or not there’s even a fit.

Finally, look at these questions like a big buffet. Take what you like and what works for you and leave what you don’t.

1. Tell me about your goals and what you are looking for. What would make this relationship successful for you?


2. What are some of the benefits you are looking to gain as a result of (changing venders/providers, equipment, etc.)?


3. What is the most important factor to you in making this decision?


4. Since all of my customers have their own unique needs I want to make sure I tailor the information that I will share with you around what is appropriate for you. Just so I don’t sound repetitive, what do you already know about our company? OR How familiar are you with the types of products and options that are out there in the industry?


5. Is what you are currently doing/using generating the results you’re looking for? How is it working for you?


6. What else are you looking to accomplish if you were to change venders/providers?


7. What would you need to know about us that would confidently make us your first choice? What are you looking for in the company you choose to work with? What is important to you? How do you decide on who to use? Based on what criteria?


8. What information can I provide that would give you the peace of mind in knowing that we are the right company for you?


9. Did you have a good experience with (your current service provider, etc.)? Any bad ones?


10. Is that the only other option you’re still considering?


11. I want you to know that whether or not you choose us, I want to make sure that you have all of the information you need to make the best decision. So how this decision is typically made?


12. Who else is typically involved in this decision?


13. When are you planning on making this decision?


14. How long have you been thinking about making this change?


15. How do you normally go about making a decision like this? What’s the process?

Decision Oriented Questions

1. If you could eliminate three of your biggest problems, headaches, or stresses as they relate to [STATE SERVICE/TASK] what would they be? (If there were three problems that you would want to see resolved with your current service provider what would they be?) (Ineffective solution, frustration, stress, etc.)


2. How does this (current problem, headache) affect you and your life? (Tie in the challenges they are experiencing to their position. What’s their personal cost as a result of these challenges?)


3. If you don’t make any changes, then what do you think it’s going to cost you over time? (What is it going to cost you by not changing? What additional opportunities do you think you’re letting pass by? How will this affect your bottom line?


4. Do you think there are opportunities you may miss out on by not changing? What cost do you incur by keeping things the way they are?)

I received this question from someone regarding yesterday’s blog and thought it important enough to share as it may be on your mind as well.
The question was, “How much time do I put aside for pre call planning?” Here is my response:

Since pre-call planning occurs before you begin to prospect, this is the time you put aside to recondition and realign your thinking to achieve a healthier outlook regarding this activity.

The amount of time you should spend on new business development is more of a function of how long it would take you to get into the proper mindset. While some salespeople may need fifteen or twenty minutes, others may need only a few minutes to get focused enough to begin prospecting or cold calling on the phone.

I’d suggest timing each degree of pre-call planning so that you will know exactly how much time you need to put aside before you actually prospect. As mentioned earlier, pre-call planning requires a distinct amount of time that you are carving into your schedule, which is separate from the actual time you are putting aside for cold calling or other prospecting activities.

Don’t Strain Yourself

When talking with salespeople who have prospected for a while, it seems that they remember how challenging it was to take that first prospecting step. This is still a common theme amongst salespeople who have to learn how to prospect to build their business. They tell me that taking the first step and making that first cold call is exactly where they freeze or get stuck.

Many salespeople define the first step as the first cold call they make. That is, the first time they are picking up the phone and attempting to connect with a prospect. However, the first step isn’t what you may think.

If you’ve ever honored a workout regimen, getting on the treadmill or hitting the weights probably isn’t the first thing you do. Instead, you ease into your workout by first stretching and warming up your body. Why? To avoid injury. Warming up lets your tight muscles know that they are about to be torn down, exercised, and challenged. Stretching and warming up your muscles makes you more limber and your body more responsive and open to what you’re about to put it through. It’s a great way to ensure you’ll get a good workout and most important, avoid an injury that can lay you up in bed for weeks.

The same holds true for prospecting and cold calling. Imagine that your pre-call planning phase is when you take the time to warm yourself up before the big game. View pre-call planning as your warm up for cold calling or other prospecting activities. The only difference is, the primary muscle that you are stretching and preparing for prospecting is your brain; that is, your mindset and the activities that require your focus and attention.

Pre-call planning encompasses the activities you engage in before you begin prospecting that involve action and intellect in order to achieve the maximum return on your prospecting efforts.

Pre-call planning is an essential step in your prospecting system that will enable you to plan effectively, get into the prospecting mindset, eliminate any fear or reluctance, boost your confidence, learn about your prospects, tap into your drive and motivation, and target who you are calling. Finally, pre-call planning will enable you to become limber and hyper focused on your objective. All of these activities are the preliminary steps you take to avoid injury or challenges during your cold calling, I mean, warm calling efforts.

The Five Degrees of Pre-Call Planning

Ken, a client of mine, called me the other day and told me that during the one-hour timeline he allocated each day for cold calling over the phone, he was only able to make a few calls. When I asked him to break down exactly what he attempted to accomplish in that hour, he shared with me the following tasks:

1. Getting into the prospecting mindset.


2. Reviewing his action plan and approach.


3. Compiling, reviewing, updating, and developing his prospecting target list.


4. Calling back customers, prospects or other people that returned his call.


5. Making calls to new prospects.

Without realizing it, Ken identified the five degrees of pre-call planning. Ken then shared with me that during the one hour he put aside for prospecting, it was taking him forty-five minutes just to prepare his targeted list of prospects to call, not leaving him much time for actual prospecting.

In other words, Ken was collapsing several other activities into one and calling that “cold calling.” In actuality, he listed five distinct activities that need to be managed independently.

The jewel here is be sure that each task or activity you engage in is broken down into its most simplistic and measurable form. In other words, if prospecting is one of the activities you engage in, it is not enough to simply list “prospecting” as an activity. As we’ve discussed, prospecting involves a variety of distinct activities. Therefore, prospecting, as defined by Ken, needs to be broken down even further.

Mapping your prospecting strategy, getting into the prospecting mindset, compiling your call list, returning or taking phone calls, and cold calling for new customers are five distinct and measurable activities that need to be managed separately when creating your schedule. If you find that you need to handle some of these activities at the same time, then make sure you have allocated enough time for each activity.

Additionally, each one of these activities calls for a different mindset. You’ll know if the activity you are engaging in needs to be broken down into other activities if it requires a different level of thought, skill, and focus.
You’ll know if the task is broken down into the absolute smallest denominator when asking yourself, the following questions. “How am I going to achieve that?” “What steps do I need to take to finish that task?” “What specific outcome will be produced?” If the answers to these questions open up another task, process, or strategy that would generate a unique end result then you’ll need to narrow down that activity even further. For example, compiling your target-prospecting list not only produces a different outcome than when you pick up the phone and make cold calls but it requires a different thought process, strategy, and skill set.

Another symptom that will let you know whether or not you can narrow down the task into a smaller denominator is this: If you block out a certain amount of time for an activity and you find that you are not completing it, there’s a chance that you have collapsed more than one activity into that block of time. Identifying each distinct activity that you engage in will enable you to be more realistic with the time lines that you allocate for each activity, making your prospecting efforts highly effective and more easily manageable.
In addition, this exercise will strengthen your ability to think in terms of detailed, measurable activities and tasks, rather than in vague, broad strokes. So, if you’ve ever been in a position where you have underestimated how much time a certain task or project would take, this process will also assist you in establishing more realistic timelines around your daily activities so that you can “get it all done” rather than constantly leaving tasks incomplete or overbooking and overcommitting yourself.

One of the first sales books I’ve ever read was Tom Hopkins, How to Master the Art of Selling. Now, it’s my pleasure to share with you an exclusive event that happens only once a year.

Tom Hopkins is the nation’s number one how-to sales trainer and author of fourteen books on the subjects of selling and success. He has helped over four million salespeople on five continents to increase their selling skills and their sales volumes.

BOOT CAMP SALES MASTERY is Tom’s premiere sales training event—offered only once a year in Tom’s hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona. In challenging times, it’s critical that you continue to sharpen your skills. Come learn the strategies you need to become one of today’s top producers from Tom and his incredible guest speakers. Click here for details.

This year’s program is at the fabulous Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort on August 21, 22 & 23.

In addition to Tom’s powerful sales training, you’ll learn from specially selected experts in the arenas of professional telephone communication, relationship selling and how to make the most of self-promotion. This year’s guest speakers include Jim Cathcart, author of Relationship Selling, and The Eight Competencies of Relationship Selling; and other well known experts. All are phenomenal presenters with incredible ideas and strategies to help you succeed.

EXCHANGE IDEAS WITH YOUR PEERS

In addition to our amazing guest speakers, you’ll benefit from the knowledge of your peers. Picture it—hundreds of sales professionals from around the world in one place for three days. Exciting new connections are there, waiting to be made. The person sitting next to you might be your next best client or be in your same industry with incredible ideas to share. Those you meet at lunch might have fabulous products that your company needs to stay competitive.

More information.

Here’s an event that’s happening tonight that I wanted to share with you and the copy describing this event. Hope you can make it as I’ve gotten special permission to invite all of my guests, including you to this exclusive event today.

Let Keith Rosen show you how to build sales and profits by becoming a master sales coach

Wednesday, June 11, 2008
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
404-920-6610
PIN 192304#

On the next Guerrilla Marketing Association expert interview call, hosted by Roger C. Parker, our guest will be Keith Rosen, author of Coaching Sales People Into Sales Champions: A Tactical Playbook for Managers and Executives. Whether you are your firm’s entire sales force, you manage a dedicated sales staff, or you work with a group of affiliates, you’ll want to learn about Keith Rosen’s proven, systematic process to create a world class team by developing your own coaching skills.

Master the missing discipline

For many, coaching skills are the missing discipline among today’s leaders. But, during this interview, Keith will describe an easy-to-deploy tactical coaching system that makes it easy for you to empower your sales force to realize their fullest potential.

This interview is a “must” event for marketing and sales managers, as well as those who supervise them, as well as owners of sales-oriented businesses of all types.

The story behind the book

In addition, during this interview, Keith and I will be discussing how he planned, wrote, promoted, and is profiting from Coaching Sales People Into Sales Champions. You’ll hear what it was like to conceive and create a book published by John Wiley & Sons, one of the world’s foremost publishers.

If you’ve ever thought about writing a book for a major New York publisher, you’ll want to attend this call and hear, firsthand, what the process was like. The call takes place:

Wednesday, June 11, 2008
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
404-920-6610
PIN 192304#

For more information, visit this page here.

FREE WEBINAR

7 Strategies for Successful Sales Leaders

The Pressure Paradox in Sales: Uncover the Pressure Points of Sales and How to Leverage Them Into a Competitive Advantage

WHEN:
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
10:00 AM PDT | 11:00 AM MDT
12:00 PM CDT | 1:00 PM EDT

PRESENTERS:
Tom Atkinson, Director of Customer Research & Vice President, The Forum Corporation
Razi Imam, CEO, Landslide Technologies Inc.

Please join Razi Imam, CEO, Landslide Technologies Inc. and his guest Tom Atkinson Director of Customer Research at The Forum Corporation as they discuss the findings of Forum’s groundbreaking research conducted with 111 executives from 96 of the world’s leading companies. Using this research with some of the top sales organizations in existence, look at ways how sales organizations like your own can thrive in an uncertain business environment.

In this webinar you will:

<li>Get an in-depth look at Forum's sales effectiveness research.</li>


<li>Uncover the pressure points of sales and how they effect performance.</li>


<li>Use Forum's diagnostic tool to uncover pressure points in your own sales organization and discover ways to address these challenges and turn them into strengths.</li>

Attend and Win! 10 random attendees will win a complimentary copy of “The First 90 Days” published by Harvard Business School Press. “The First 90 Days” lays out a “standard framework” for leadership transitions. The book targets leaders at all levels that are making the transition from one rung of the ladder to the next. Also, all attendees will be given access to Forum’s brand new whitepaper on how to sell in a volatile economy.

Click here for more information or to register.