Tag: sales training

Categories
Success Attitude

Goals are Dreams with Deadlines: How Goal Clarity Will Get You Where You Want

Article Contributed by Sharpenz

Recently, many of my “students” have told me they CAN’T set goals because everything is changing and they aren’t sure what tomorrow holds. Changing economies is exactly WHY we should set goals!

To start thinking about goals, reflect for a moment on this quote by Diane Scharf Hunt…“Goals are dreams with deadlines.”

Who couldn’t use a little dreaming today? And once we know our dreams, we need to capture them into specific, written and measurable goals. That is what goal clarity is…having specific, written and measurable outcomes that we are working toward. And we can make this easier by following a 5-step process to make it efficient and successful.

The following is a goal clarity strengthening process to implement right now…really, RIGHT now. Take out a piece of paper and pen and make 5 columns on the page for your own Goal Planner.

1. In the left column write at least 5 things you want to happen in the next 60 days. These are outcomes like “Make one new sales appointment each work day.” or “Close $___ in business each week.” These are your goal statements.

A caution: Review the outcomes for measurability and specificity to see whether you can identify whether it is accomplished or not. For example, if your goal is “More time with my family,” be specific about what that looks/feels like. Does it mean a certain amount of time each night or weekend? Certain activities completed together? “I will eat dinner with my family 3 times each week,” allows me to know whether I have achieved this or not.

2. Look at each statement and identify the actions needed to take to get there. Write 2-3 actions that will move you toward each outcome in the 2nd column.

3. Write a specific time/date when you will take that action in the 3rd column. Is it each day? Week? How often? A date is another checkpoint on the road to success.

4. Next, identify your reward for completing those actions or the goal. Think through the BENEFIT of completing the action that leads you to the goal or outcome. Will you sleep better? Will there be self-satisfaction? Will it be a treat like a special coffee or candy? Be prepared to “reward” yourself when you have completed the action/outcome. Write these in the 4th column.

5. And in the 5th column write the name of a stakeholder for this goal or outcome. A  stakeholder is someone who will care about this outcome – it might be a manager, a spouse, a colleague, a friend. You may have different stakeholders for each goal.

Finished? Congratulations! Look at this paper – you have at least 5 goals and a plan of action for the next 60 days to get there!

What’s next? Take action! Share each goal with your stakeholder for that goal. Your stakeholders may be able to:
•    Clarify the outcome with you to make sure it is specific enough for you to know whether you reach it or not.
•    Identify other actions that can get you there quicker or easier.
•    Help you in some way to achieve the goal.
•    Celebrate your progress and ultimate success!
•    Add accountability.

After your stakeholder is ready to stand by your side, it’s all up to you. The 5 steps to goal clarity will allow you to progress where you want – regardless of changing market conditions. It starts today with the action you take!

What are some of the goals you’ve set for yourself? Let us know in the Comments section.

About the Author:

Sharpenz is dedicated to providing sales managers the resources and tools they need to motivate and equip their sales team to sell more each week. Our 30-minute power sales booster programs help companies increase sales by providing the right tools and training – fast. Designed with the busy manager in mind, Sharpenz’ ready-to-go sales training kits will give your sales team the opportunity to grow and earn more – all in a half hour of power.  To learn more, visit www.sharpenz.com and sign up for your free sales training kit today!

Goals are Dreams with Deadlines: How Goal Clarity Will Get You Where You Want

Categories
Sales & Marketing

Expand Your Precious Time with Sales Meetings

Article Contributed by Sharpenz

Time. Such a fleeting thing for most of us. Busy sales managers are on a merry-go-round as they try to keep up with long To Do lists, fewer resources and constantly changing economies, technology and processes. We can’t add a 25th hour in our day, so the question becomes, how do we get more time?

The answer is by being more timely.

A survey by the Sales Management Association (SMA) found a disparity between how sales managers actually spend their time compared to how they WANT to spend their time. The largest difference is in how much time they want to spend with their sellers. It seems the demands of corporate outweigh their best efforts to accomplish the real goal of a sales manager: Make sales numbers through salespeople!

This isn’t anything you don’t know. You know you are stretched thin. So, wouldn’t it be great if you could e-x-p-a-n-d your time? You can, while helping your sellers prepare to beat the competition, capturing more market share and selling more — when you are timely with your sales team!

The time you spend developing your sellers to be more competent and confident pays huge dividends with increased sales and gives you precious time! There are several ways to be timely with your team:
• Field Rides and Partner Selling
• Individual Coaching
• Sales Meetings

All of these actions are necessary and important ways to develop your sellers and meet sales quotas. But which one will expand your time most quickly? Your sales meetings. An effective sales meeting makes a HUGE difference for your WHOLE team.

How much time do most sales managers spend with their sellers? The SMA survey found most spend just 45 minutes a week with each seller. A 60-minute sales meeting can quickly double that!

It’s really easy to brush off bringing the team together. After all, isn’t EVERY minute in the field the most important use of everyone’s time? Probably not. The benefits of consistent and timely connections outside the “front line” include improvement in:
•   Readiness – Prepare to maximize every sales opportunity by strengthening their skills, mindset and knowledge.
•    Recharging – It’s tough out there. Sellers need time to be re-energized to give it their all back in the field. Better with you and their colleagues rather than the local coffee shop.
•    Repeatability – The team needs time to review and learn from each other so all can repeat what goes well (and stop what isn’t working as soon as possible). Sellers like to know they’re not alone “out there.” The other sellers have the same frustrations, challenges and home-runs. Now they can stop wasting time trying to figure out what they should/should not be doing or calling each other.
•    Retention – Turnover decreases when there are regular touch-backs with you and the rest of team.

How do you capture more of that elusive time? Let us know in the Comments section.

About the Author:

Sharpenz is dedicated to providing sales managers the resources and tools they need to motivate and equip their sales team to sell each week. Our 30-minute power sales booster programs help companies increase sales by providing the right tools and training – fast. Designed with the busy manager in mind, Sharpenz’ ready-to-go sales training kits will give your sales team the opportunity to grow and earn more – all in a half hour of power.  To learn more, visit www.Sharpenz.com and sign up for your free sales training kit today!

Categories
Sales & Marketing

Timely Tips for Unlocking Great Sales

Article Contributed by Sharpenz

Whether it’s the first of the week, the first of the month or the first of the year, it’s a new beginning! And we don’t have to let the economy dictate OUR success. Selling in a tough economy seems more challenging, doesn’t it? And yet many people are not feeling the pinch as much as others. How can you ensure you prosper during these times? With action!

Here are a few key tips for actions that will help you unlock the potential of your sales activities in the next 90 days. The actions you take now are the ones that will set you up for GREAT success.

1.  Set Goals. You can only get where you want to be if you clearly know where you want to go. And you can only get there if you have a clearly outlined route. So put pen to paper and follow a process to write your goals and then outline a plan to achieve them. Think through the next 30-60 days. What do you WANT to happen? Write that down and  then identify the actions you need to take daily and weekly to get there.

2. Overhaul your value proposition. Think beyond the WHAT of your specific product and service to the value you offer to THIS person, company, and situation. Think about the clients you currently serve and the ones you hope to serve. Your value proposition may need to sound a bit different each time. It’s not just about product features and facts – it’s about how your product or service will enhance/benefit/make life easier for the person you are selling to.

3. Prepare strategically. Research industry trends. Use Google alerts to know what is going on with THIS person, company, situation. Use the information to plan great questions, your value proposition, who you should meet with, and the timing of your contact. Being armed with knowledge can pay off exponentially.

4. Maximize every sales contact. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Not only with research on what is going on with them, prepare for communicating value to them. Use a focus on What’s in it for THEM (WiifT) and follow a process within the discussion to connect with the person, ask awesome and thoughtful questions, facilitate their understanding of what you do and what it means to them, work through objections and ASK for a decision.

5. Identify alternative prospect streams. Think creatively about who might use your product or service who currently isn’t. There are some industries that are positively impacted by a slow economy. Look for companies that are performing well in the markets and research their vertical channels. You might have a whole new market to explore.

What have been your successes in selling in today’s tough economy?

About the Author:

Sharpenz is dedicated to providing sales managers the resources and tools they need to motivate and equip their sales team to sell each week. Our 30-minute power sales booster programs help companies increase sales by providing the right tools and training – fast. Designed with the busy manager in mind, Sharpenz’ ready-to-go sales training kits will give your sales team the opportunity to grow and earn more – all in a half hour of power.  To learn more, visit www.Sharpenz.com and sign up for your free sales training kit today!

Categories
Networking

Networking Like It’s Your Party

Article Contributed by Sharpenz

We all do it. We all go to a variety of networking functions: mixers, meetings, seminars, conferences. Just showing up certainly doesn’t guarantee getting connected or meeting people who are your buyers or can get you closer to your decision maker. Just showing up certainly doesn’t guarantee that you will increase your sales. And how often do you end up talking to the first person you encounter and never have a chance meet anyone else? That certainly doesn’t help you achieve filling the pipeline to grow your business.

What if you treated the next networking function like it was your party? You are the host. That means it’s your responsibility to meet and greet everyone in the room.  Introduce people who don’t know each other to each other. Basically, be in charge of everyone else having a good time.

It’s an interesting concept and it does work. I was tired of getting “stuck” talking to the first person I met. And quite often they weren’t anyone who could be a potential client or put me closer to one. I got tired of feeling like I had wasted my evening, because these networking events were not helping me to increase my sales.

Then I began treating each networking function as if it was my own party.  I would meet the first person, talk to them and find out as much as I could in a few minutes.  With the right questions they’ll gladly talk about themselves. I knew I wanted to meet more people, so I’d invite them to go with me to meet others. I’d introduce myself and my new acquaintance, ask a few questions to get them talking and most of the time left them to each other as I went on to meet the next person.

I’d repeat the process throughout the evening. Before we were sitting down to dinner or whatever was next on the agenda, I had met a significant amount of people, given – and taken – business cards, and more importantly made everyone feel good about themselves. That, in turn, made me memorable. There were plenty of people who now wanted to “sit” with me.

The host and party format has worked well for me. My follow-up phone calls are taken and requests for other connections are well received. I’m making the connections to increase my sales and I’m having a ‘ball’ at someone else’s party.

What are some networking tips and tricks you use to make the most of a networking event? Let us know in the Comments section.

About the Author:

Sharpenz is dedicated to providing sales managers the resources and tools they need to motivate and equip their sales team to sell each week. Our 30-minute power sales booster programs help companies increase sales by providing the right tools and training – fast. Designed with the busy manager in mind, Sharpenz’ ready-to-go sales training kits will give your sales team the opportunity to grow and earn more – all in a half hour of power.  To learn more, visit www.Sharpenz.com and sign up for your free sales training kit today!

Categories
Sales & Marketing

More Timely Tips for Unlocking Great Sales in Today’s Tough Economy

Article Contributed by Sharpenz

We all know selling in a tough economy can be challenging, but there ARE things you can do to ensure you prosper during these trying times. Here are five more tips for actions you can take to help unlock the potential of your sales activities over the next 90 days.

1. Give something of value today. When we talk about value, we don’t necessarily mean you have to give something of huge monetary away. It also doesn’t have to be your product or service given away. Information is free. Find an article, a reprint, a cartoon that you can share so that you can stay in front of a prospect. Give a cup of coffee, a lottery ticket or give them a call to ask about their daughter’s wedding. Just find something positive to contact them about that doesn’t involve selling. Giving away something today can build a relationship and trust level for tomorrow and the future. It’s a worthwhile investment.

2. Use the power of one. One more action each day can make a difference later. One more phone call, one more email, one more note sent, one more plan, one more question…you get the idea. Before lunch, after lunch, and before you leave at the end of the day are all great times to add ONE more action.

3. Reevaluate your prospect list. Categorize and find out where you are spending your time. And then align your energies and actions to the most likely prospects. What can you do to move them to the next step in your sales process? This may mean you need to adjust your energies and spend less time/effort on your unlikely prospects.

4. Reintroduce yourself to customers you’ve “lost” over the years. You might find a hidden treasure in this group. They were customers once, but aren’t now, only maybe they are ready to return if they were asked. Research what is going on with their company and then reconnect. Remember to focus on the value your product and company can bring to them.

5. Ask for referrals. Tap into reciprocity generosity. As you provide something of value to someone, why not ask, “Who do you know who might benefit from what I do?”  Help the referrer identify prospects by being as specific as possible about the value you provide: “Who do you know who might benefit from increasing xyz or decreasing abc?”   It’s amazing what contacts you might make.

Taking action in tough times is key.

“You cannot change anything in your life with intention alone, which can become a watered-down, occasional hope that you’ll get to tomorrow. Intention without action is useless.” Caroline Myss

Winners find a way to succeed in all economies. With some upfront effort to ensure your actions are effective and efficient, the door to success is wide open!

Let us know about your recent successes and tips you can share to succeed in today’s tough economy.

About the Author:

Sharpenz is dedicated to providing sales managers the resources and tools they need to motivate and equip their sales team to sell each week. Our 30-minute power sales booster programs help companies increase sales by providing the right tools and training – fast. Designed with the busy manager in mind, Sharpenz’ ready-to-go sales training kits will give your sales team the opportunity to grow and earn more – all in a half hour of power.  To learn more, visit www.Sharpenz.com and sign up for your free sales training kit today!