Author: mike

Why the ‘will to win’ isn’t enough…

by mike

“It’s not the will to win that matters – everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.”  –Paul “Bear” Bryant, football coach

It took a long time for me, as a struggling sales rep, to understand the difference in attitude and action this quote speaks to. But once I did, my sales results (and my life) changed.

I used to be an inside sales rep, a financial broker selling LLC partnerships, in a company with 25 other reps. The company had the top 20% reps doing 80% of the sales. I wasn’t in that group, rather, I was bringing up the rear. Sales were hard to get, and as a result, my life as a sales rep was hard as well.

I wanted to do better; I had the will to win, but what I lacked was the will to prepare to win. I was one of the reps who came in right before my shift began, and I went for the coffee and donuts first. I hung around there talking about the latest sports scores with the other bottom producers. I couldn’t wait for lunch time, and by Friday, I didn’t work too hard.

After a series of events, I finally got sick and tired of being sick and tired, so I made a commitment to give my profession as a broker all I could. I decided to do what was necessary for me to move into the top 20% of the producers at the company. And that’s when I learned what the ‘will to prepare to win’ meant.

To start with, I started showing up an hour before work began, and I headed straight to my desk to begin making calls. This began to pay off as some days I’d have a deal on the board before other reps headed for their coffee and donuts.

I spent my lunch hours listening to my calls and critiquing them. Yes, I was horrible in the beginning, but I was committed to finding ways to make them better. And I did.

At night before I went home, I took an extra half hour to lay out all my leads and call backs for the next day so I could hit the ground running when I got in. And then I’d listen to my calls in the car on the way home and make adjustments to the scripts during the evening.

Before I went to sleep, I focused my subconscious on closing the leads I had laid out, and I dreamt of ways to close them. I visualized how I would feel once I became a top closer, what I’d do with my first bonus check and how good that would feel as well.

After 90 days of doing this, I became the top producer in the company. Suddenly I knew the difference between the will to win and the will to prepare to win. I also found that I wasn’t alone. There with me in the mornings and in the evenings were the other top producers.

Today, I find that I can do just about anything if I’m willing to put in the time to prepare to win. You can too – if you’re willing to put in the time.

The question is, are you?

The Five Second Rule

by mike

Thoughts are things. As true as the law of gravity, this is one of the fundamental laws in the universe. Whatever you believe with feeling, you bring into your life.

And like gravity, you don’t have to believe in it for it to always be working in your life. Take gravity for example. If you were to step off a ten-story building, the law of gravity would take over and you would fall ten stories to the ground. Again, whether you believed in gravity or not.

And it is the same with the law of thought. Take your sales career, for example. Isn’t it true that what you think about your company, about the leads, about the market, and especially about your income is exactly how you find it to be in your life? Now you may say that you think about everything the way it is because, well, that’s the way it is at your job.

But what if it was that way because that’s the way you think about it?

My experience has been (and thousands of others I have worked with over the years), that when I decided to make more money, and was committed to putting in the time and effort required for me to achieve that goal, then I started thinking about things (and seeing them) entirely differently.

And as soon as I started thinking and believing differently, my results automatically changed to reflect my new way of thinking.

Suddenly the leads weren’t as bad as I thought they were; instead, I just worked them smarter and qualified better. Suddenly the market wasn’t the problem (there were still top producers outperforming all others in our company, after all), it actually was the way I had been closing. And once I visualized myself earning a higher income, I achieved it.

The key to my success and to using my thoughts to bring something new into my life, was to stay focused on the feeling of having already achieved it. The more I could consistently do this, the faster I manifested it in my life.

And that’s when I learned about the five second rule. I found that it was natural for me to fall back on my old thought patterns. But when I did, I gave myself five seconds to refocus on my new income goal. I kept returning, time and again, to my new goal and my new thoughts and feelings of having already achieved my goal.

By doing this, I was (and still am) able to bring new results into my life. And it’s because thoughts are things. Whatever you believe with feeling, you bring into your life.

If you want to change any result or circumstance in your life, then first decide how you want it to be different (get a specific goal), and then surround yourself with all the thoughts and feelings of what it will be like to achieve it. The moment you find yourself thinking of something negative or not in alignment with your goal, get back to that image within five seconds.

It will take some practice, but the more consistently you can change your thoughts, the sooner you will turn those thoughts into the things in your life.

We Can Do It!

by mike

Once you realize that you CAN do nearly anything anyone else is doing, and that you can succeed at a very high level doing it if you choose to make it a priority and decide to invest the time and effort to do so, your world of possibility opens up for you.

When I committed to becoming the number one sales producer in my company of 25 other sales reps, I achieved it in 90 days. Within 9 months, I was the number one producer out of five branch offices. And you CAN do it, too, if you choose to…

The exciting thing, though, is that a “can do” attitude is contagious. When you infect a whole team, a whole company, a whole family with a “can do” attitude, a lot of exciting things begin to happen. I always think of the impact one runner had on the world’s performance once he changed everyone’s attitude with his own accomplishment.

Many of you may have heard of Roger Bannister. He was the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. This may not seem so remarkable now, but before May 6th, 1954, it was an acknowledged and accepted fact that the human body was physically incapable of running a mile in under four minutes. Everyone knew it was impossible to even try. But Roger didn’t believe it.

He knew he could do it, and he was determined to keep trying until he did. He failed at the 1952 Olympics (he came in fourth), but he didn’t give up trying. A few years later, on an unlikely day and track (poor weather conditions, cold day and a wet track), Roger shattered the world record, and the world belief, as he flew down the last straight and finished the course with the incredible time of 3:59.4.

He had done the impossible and broke through the 4 minute mile.

As amazing as this was, what was even more amazing for the world of running was that just 46 days later, a runner named John Landy beat his time. And over the next few years, even more people broke through the four-minute mark. Suddenly, people realized that it could be done and they believed they, they did it as well.

The world is filled with stories like this, and in business, it is also true. I remember when our team of inside sales reps were given new customized scripts and offered a huge monthly bonus for the rep who used them to capture the most new clients. The previous record was seven in a month. Marty, an average rep before the new scripts and contest, rigorously adhered to them, worked hard, and by the end of the month, he hit 21 new clients! We were all floored.

But once that new record was set, we began believing that perhaps we could do it, too. And some of us did.

If you are a leader of a sales team, athletic team or head of a family or cause, start believing that you can. Then transfer that belief to your team. If you do, then soon you will amazed by what your team can and will accomplish.

You Can Do It

by mike

Can you become a top sales producer?

We all know who the top sales producers are. Every company has them. If you look at all the producers in your company, I’m sure they are ranked in production from top to bottom. If your company is like most, there are probably even monthly or quarterly bonuses for the top revenue earners. Sales reps often ask me if I think they have what it takes to become a top sales producer, and I always answer that question with another question.

I’ll ask you that same question right now: Can you run a marathon? You know, a 26 mile marathon race? Just listen to what your mental answer was: yes or no. Some of you may be very athletic and some of you may even be runners, so that answer may be clear. But what about you? Can you run a marathon?

When I ask that question at a sales conference, the majority say no, they can’t. They think about the effort and endurance it takes; they think about the last time they tried to run; they consider their current physical shape and often their lack of an exercise routine. Once they consider all these things, it is easy for them to admit they just can’t do it.

After I ask this question, I then surprise everyone by telling them that they absolutely CAN run a marathon if they choose to. I tell them that they all have the ability to run a marathon and that the word “can” refers to the ability to do something. And you who are reading this right now can run a marathon, in other words, you have the ability to run one if you choose to.

The reason I know you can is because of the amazing people who are competing and finishing marathons right now. There is Fauja Singh who, at 100 years old, completed the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. It took him more than eight hours, but he did it. Then there is Patrick Finney’s accomplishment. In 1998, this Texas software engineer woke up with numbness in his legs. Doctors diagnosed him with multiple sclerosis. In 2004, he couldn’t walk any longer.

But Patrick didn’t give up. He committed to getting better, and with the help of medications and physical therapy, he learned to balance again, and after two years he entered and completed a marathon. He went on to finish 50 marathons in 50 different states – the first person with multiple sclerosis to do so. These are just two of thousands of other inspiring stories.

Now let me ask you a different way: If I told you that I would give you 1 million dollars to complete my favorite marathon – the December Honolulu, HI Marathon – and I’m talking 1 million dollars cash, after taxes, do you think you could do it? I’ll bet you’d start practicing tonight, wouldn’t you!

You see, the important thing is that can is an ability. You have the ability to run a marathon, even though you may choose not to right now. But you CAN. And you can do a lot of other things as well – like become a top sales producer at your company and in your industry. But you first have to believe that you can first.

Many people limit themselves, in every area of their lives, with a “can’t do” attitude. It doesn’t matter if you’re interested or not, what is important is that you can. Once your potential and ability is properly reframed in this way, your life becomes a choice. It is okay if you choose not to do something – I am not into playing cards, but I know I “can” play championship bridge; I just haven’t learned how yet because I’m not interested in cards. But I can!

Once you recognize and acknowledge your ability – and we all have a lot more ability and potential than we are using – that’s when your life becomes an awesome opportunity. You can achieve superstar performance in sales – others have, and you have the ability to as well.

You just have to decide if you’re willing to put in the time and effort it takes.

But you can do it.

Tom Brady and Lessons for Sales

by mike

Whether you’re a fan of Tom Brady or not, you’ve got to agree he’s a winner. In fact, if he and the Patriots win this week’s Super Bowl, he will break the tie with Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana of winning four Super Bowls. Tom Brady will have five, and he will be the best of the best.

There are lots of articles written about both Tom and coach Belichick, and the Patriots, and I read one last week that, yet again, provides a big lesson for all of us in sales.

The article talks about how, after a good practice, coach Belichick came down hard on Tom and admonished him to stop throwing so many times to his best receiver. Tom didn’t agree and pointed out that he was simply polishing his timing, but Belichick was adamant.

“Throw the ball to somebody else!” he said, in not so polite terms.

Just when Tom was about to object and let his ego take over, he stopped and took it in. “I’m the player and he is the coach,” was his attitude. And this is what makes Tom so great: He is willing to keep learning and keep growing.

The article said it best: “The Patriots’ best player likes to be coached the hardest.”

The reason this is such a good lesson for sales is that I coach and work with “players” – sales reps – all the time. And what I find is that the ones who make the most growth (and the most money) are the ones who are open to being coaching.

This contrasts sharply with those who insist on doing it their own way; those who remain stubborn and think they have it all figured out. While many of these sales reps are talented, smart, intuitive, and even motivated, what they lack is a willingness to take a step back and consider possibly better way.

Unfortunately, many professional football teams and elite athletes are resistant to coaching as well. In the article, coach Eric Mangini points this out by saying: “There is almost this stigma to being coached.” And:

“The head coach of another AFC club tried a similar tactic with his team this season, showing the entire team clips of mistakes by a handful of his best players. One recently paid veteran responded by standing up in front of the room and screaming at the coach.”

I used to be resistant to coaching as well. Years ago, I thought I knew it all and was resentful when my manager – who wasn’t on the phones and didn’t have to make the calls – tried to teach me a better way. It wasn’t until I became committed to performing better that I became willing to be coached.

But when I did, my sales and my career took off.

The lesson I hope you all take from this is that you can and will benefit from advice, suggestions, and coaching from other people who have been there and done that. It’s when you think you know it all that you stop growing.

Just like when Tony Robbins was starting out, he read and listened to and absorbed everyone else’s ideas in his field. He said that if he got just one good idea from them (and he got a lot more), that would help make his motivational training and career better.

And it worked out for Tony. And for Tom. And for me and countless other top professionals.

So my suggestion for you is: Who can you learn from today? What piece of advice or which technique, or which suggestion can you try to make yourself better? How open are you to being coached?

The moment you become willing, that is the moment you will begin improving.

(See the full article here.)

Sales Advice from Pablo Picasso

by mike

I read a great quote from Picasso (yes, the famous painter) the other day, and it really resonated with my sales philosophy. Here it is:

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”

You’re probably wondering what that has to do with sales, and it’s simple: Most sales rep’s instincts are to adlib when they get an objection or when they get into a sales situation that isn’t going their way.

The problem with this is they haven’t first learned the rules of proper objection handling – like questioning an objection first, or isolating an objection, etc. – so instead they just wing it. And if you are doing this now, then you know how that turns out.

For years, I’ve been preaching, teaching, and training sales teams to put in the time and effort to learn the proper sales techniques first, and then after they understand and have mastered the fundamentals, then they can “adapt” them to each particular prospect or situation.

Here is a quick example:

A common objection in sales is the, “I have to show this to my (boss, manager, partner, etc.).” How does your sales team handle this?

The “rule” a pro follows is to isolate this objection to make sure it isn’t a smokescreen hiding other objections like, “It’s too much money,” or “I can get a better deal elsewhere,” etc.

Because pros know the rule above, they can then “break it like an artist,” by adapting their rebuttal to each prospect. This can include:

“I understand, just out of curiosity, what is your take on this now?”

OR

“I’m with you, let me ask you this, though: If your partner says ‘do whatever you think is best’, what would you tend to do?”

OR

“If your partner could go either way, which way are you leaning now?”

OR

“That’s fine and we talked about this earlier. But given what we’ve just gone over, what is your opinion on this?”

OR

“And if your partner asked you what you thought he should do, what would your answer be?”

This is the “art” of handling objections. Unfortunately, most sales reps and sales teams have never been taught the rules or fundamentals of proper selling, so they adlib, lose sales, and get discouraged. And your company misses its revenue numbers.

It’s also the reason my business grows each year.

The solution to this is to invest the time, money, and effort to learn and master core inside sales techniques.

One easy and fast way to do this is to check out a brand new video training course called, “Essential Cold Calling Skills for Confidence and Success,” I created for Viddler Online Sales Acadamy.

You can see it here.

This course is made up of five video modules (about 5 minutes each), and each module teaches an essential prospecting skill which builds on the one before it.

Each module also comes with specific, scripted sales materials you can download to help you, and your inside sales team, master the essential cold calling skills they need for success.

So if you are ready to master the rules so you can work like an artist and attain top sales performance, then start here.

Remember, each and every investment you make in your sales team, pays for itself each and every month.

The One Important Buy-In Question (You better be asking)

by mike

Back in the office after two weeks on the road training in CA (shout out to my clients there!), and during both weeks – in L.A. and Oakland – it rained! My wife tells me I can no longer say it doesn’t rain in CA. It does, and I was there!

While preparing their training programs, there was one important similarity that I think applies to any sale. And that is identifying and asking the most important (value statement) question to get buy-in from your prospect up front. Let me explain.

Regardless of what you are selling, there is usually one buy in question that determines how interested and engaged your prospect is going to be.

For my sales training and consulting services, it’s simply: “How important do you think sales training is to your overall sales development and the performance of your sales team?”

If my prospect thinks it’s very important, then I have a strong basis for closing the sale, and I can leverage that buy in throughout my presentation. And it’s the same for you as well.

If you are selling, for example, pre-need funeral arrangements, then the obvious question is: “How important is it to you to have all your arrangements completed ahead of time so it’s that much easier on your family should something happen to you?”

If you are selling franchises, the question is: “How valuable do you think owning a franchise is to you or to your business?”

These “core buy-in” questions form the basis for your sale. They establish the core interest level of your prospect, and if the answer is positive, then you can refer back to this buy in throughout your presentation.

What’s interesting is that many sales reps, and companies, haven’t taken the time to identify this question, and even fewer ask it and leverage the buy in throughout their presentation.

So the natural question is: “What is your unique buy-in question?” In other words, what one question can you ask that establish the core suitability and the core interest of your prospect?

Once you identify what it is, start asking it during the prospecting call and at the beginning of your presentation. If you get buy-in, then refer back to it to leverage and reinforce their buying motive.

If they aren’t sold on your basic value proposition, then you have more digging (qualifying) to do to establish common ground (and buying motive).

How to Sell A Pencil – Or Any Product or Service

by mike

NOTE: While this article talks about using this technique as an interview question to determine what kind of sales rep you’re about to hire, it’s also a great technique for managers to use to diagnose what is wrong with reps who may not be hitting quote consistently. Call them in, one by one, and see how they do…

If I gave you a pencil and asked you to sell it, how would you go about it?

This is one of the most basic of interview questions I use for prospective sales reps, and the answer reveals so much about their previous training, their understanding of the sales process, and ultimately about what kind of sales rep they are going to be.

So, what is the most effective way to sell a pencil?

Let’s first look at how most sales reps go about doing it. When I’m interviewing sales reps this is my favorite question. After letting a rep tell me how good of a closer they are, I pull out a pencil, hand it to them, and tell them to sell it to me. And off they go!

80% of sales reps start the same way – they start pitching. “This pencil is brand new, never used. It has grade “2” lead and a bright yellow color so it’s easy to find. It comes with a built in eraser,” etc.

Some reps can (and do!) talk about it for 5 minutes or more before they ask a question or ask for an order (more rare). As the sales rep rambles on, I begin to yawn, roll my eyes, etc. Amazingly, this just makes them talk even more! “What’s wrong with these people?” I think.

Now let’s look at how the Top 20% go about selling a pencil. As soon as I give a top rep the pencil, they pause, and then they begin asking me questions:

“So how often do you use pencils?”
“How many do you go through in a month?”
“What other locations does your company have that use pencils, and how often do they order them?”
“What quantity do you usually order them in?”
“Where are you getting them from now?”
“Besides yourself, who’s involved in the buying decision?”

Quite a difference, isn’t it? I’ll tell you right now, I listen to hundreds of sales reps in a month and they can easily be separated into these two groups: Those who pitch, pitch, pitch, and those who take the time to understand their prospect’s buying motives and properly qualify to understand the entire selling process.

Now let’s see which category you fit in. When you speak with a prospect for the first time, how much of your script is focused on describing and pitching your product or service as opposed to questioning and uncovering buying motives?

If yours is like most scripts I review, then it’s filled with descriptions of what you do and how your product or service helps people. Most scripts attack the prospect with a barrage of “value statements” that turn people off and make them want to get you off the phone as quickly as possible.

Want a better way? Then take a tip from some of the best “pencil sales reps,” and change your script and your opening so it focuses more on questioning and qualifying. Seek to discover whether or not you are actually speaking with someone who is a good fit for what you offer.

Without knowing this, you will just end up with a lot of frustration and a lot of unsold pencils at the end of the month.

My Favorite (Brian Tracy) Goal Setting Technique

by mike

Happy New Year!

How is the goal setting going?

If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed with setting goals in each area of your life, or if you are overwhelmed now that you have set goals in every area of your life and you are already wondering where you’re going to get the time to do it all, then you’re not alone.

I’ve been goal setting for years, and while I (and the rest of the world) may get pumped up by all the wonderful things I’m going to accomplish and all the changes I’m going to make, what I’ve learned is that there is only so much time.

It’s an old story, but if you want to know how much of the goal setting (and accomplishing) really goes, just drive by your local gym’s parking lot during the first week of January and compare it to the first week in March.

I once heard Brian Tracy talk about setting goals, and he recommended a technique that not only made a lot of sense, but that turns out to be so powerful, it is life changing…

He said what you do is make a list of your top ten goals for the year. Think about what’s most important to you in the different areas of your life, and write down ten things.

Next, prioritize that list so that the most important goal is number one. The way to determine which goal is number one is to ask yourself which of the ten would have the most impact on your life if you actually reached it.

Once you have your list prioritized, throw away the other nine goals and make a commitment to making that number one goal a reality in the coming twelve months.

And once you’ve made that commitment, ask yourself what one action you can take today, right now, to begin reaching that goal. And once you have identified that, do it.

Before you go to sleep tonight, identify the one action you’re going to take tomorrow, and then commit to taking it.

And then do this each and every day until you have accomplished that one most important goal.

When I heard this, my first thought was, “Yeah, but what about the other nine goals? What about balance and all that?”

And that’s when he explained that despite our best intentions, most goal setting starts strong, but by March we’ve given up on half of them, and by the summer most – if not all – have been abandoned.

That’s why identifying one goal, the most important and most impactful goal, is a better way to go.

Think about how much your life will change (and the lives of your family members) if you reach your number one, most important goal.

If your goal is to become a top producer in your industry and double or triple your income, think about the impact that will have on your family! Think about buying that new home, or providing for your parents, or allowing your wife or spouse to stay home.

If your goal is to finally write that novel, think about how your life will change when you finally accomplish that this year! Think about the weight off your shoulders now that it is a reality rather than just another dream.

If your goal is to lose weight, get in shape, and get off your medication and live a longer, healthier life for yourself and your family, think about the long term rewards achieving that goal will bring you! (And think of the consequence if you don’t.)

Whether or not you agree with Brian, I’m here to tell you that it’s more impactful for you to hit the most important goal in your life than it is to set ten and not hit any of them…

And, hey, if you reach your number one goal by July, you can get to number two!

If you’ve set goals for years and not been very successful at following through, then why not take the pressure off yourself and try Brian’s method?

How bad would it be if you actually reached your most important goal in 2017?

Most Popular Article of 2016

by mike

If you are a subscriber to my weekly ezine, then you know I publish a new article every week. That’s fifty-two new tips, scripts, strategies, and current techniques to help you succeed selling over the phone.

It’s not surprise, then, that the most popular article I wrote in 2016 is one that gives you, the front line sales rep, a proven way to overcome some of the resistance you face each and every time you pick up the phone to make a cold call.

If you happened to miss this, then you have another opportunity today to learn and begin using a proven way to deal with the common brush off: “We are all set.”

Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Most Popular Article of 2016:

I receive emails from my readers all the time asking me how to handle various objections and resistance statements. A common request I get is how to handle the initial resistance statement “We are all set.” A variation of this is anything along the lines of:

“We are okay with our present system.”

OR

“We’ve already got a company that handles that.”

OR

“We’re fine for right now.”

As you can see, these are all basically the same, and, more importantly, they aren’t objections – rather, they are initial resistance statements or blow offs. Essentially they are saying something along the lines of: “I’m not interested in being pitched right now, please go away.”

Now here’s the thing: Because this is simply resistance and not an objection (it’s not an objection because you haven’t pitched your product or service yet. It’s like when you walk into a department store and the sales rep asks if they can help you and you blow them off with, “I’m just looking.”) Again, “We’re all set” is not an objection, just sales resistance.

And the key to handling resistance is NOT to try to overcome it (remember it’s not an objection), but rather you simply want to bypass it and engage and qualify.

So, with that in mind, here’s how you handle the “We’re all set” blow off or/and any of its variations:

“We’re all set”

Response One:

“That’s great, and I’d just like to see if we could get on your vendor list for the next time you’re in the market. Let me ask you…”

Now get into your qualifying questions…

Response Two:

“Most companies I speak with are ‘all set’ and that’s why I’m reaching out to you now – I want to give you an option for the next time you’re in need of this. Let me ask you…”

Back to qualifying…

Response Three:

“No problem. Let me ask you: the next time you’re in need of this, what’s number one on your wish list?”

Response Four:

“I understand – I didn’t expect to catch you in the market right now. Instead, let me get an idea of your perfect profile, and then I’ll send you some information you can keep on file next time you need this…”

Now re-engage by asking a qualifying question.

Response Five:

“Got it. Let me ask you: the next time you are in need of this, are you the right person to speak to about it?”

If yes, then qualify them for that next time – especially asking about timeframe, budget, etc.

Response Six:

“Understand, and let me ask you: When is your next buying season for this?”

Then keep the conversation going by asking additional qualifying questions.

Response Seven:

“That’s fine; I totally understand. And let me ask you – the next time you are in the market for this, how many companies are you going to reach out to?”

And then ask how you can become one of them, what their budget is, who the decision makers are, etc.

Response Eight:

“No problem. What you might find helpful is to know about our special pricing and the additional services we provide. Did you know that….”

Then pitch one or two things you do that others don’t – and use a tie down!

Response Nine:

“I’m glad you said that. What I’ve found is that those companies who are already using a vendor for this are surprised to learn that….”

Give them a shocking statement about how you’ve just been rated number one, or that you give free delivery, etc. Something that will peak their interest…

Response Ten:

“No problem. Could I be the “next in line” company you call the next time you’re in the market for this?”

If yes,

“Great, let me get your email and send you my info…”

Then:

“And just out of curiosity, what would have to change for you to even begin looking at someone else?”

Look for an in here…

So there you have it – ten new ways of handling this age old blow off. Just remember, your goal isn’t to try to overcome this – rather, it’s to sidestep this resistance statement and get information you can use to create value and continue the conversation.