Category: Goal Setting

Avoid this “Ghost” of Christmas Future

by mike

When was the last time you read the classic book: “A Christmas Carol,” by Charles Dickens? If it’s been a while, I highly recommend it. Dickens is a superb storyteller, and there is a reason this is a “classic.”

While reading this, it reminded me of an encounter I had that was a chilling reminder of the bad “Ghost of Christmas Future” I narrowly avoided all those years ago. Here’s what happened:

I was on my way to work with a new client one day when I stopped at my local Starbucks for a cup of coffee.

As I stood in line, I saw a city bus stop and a bunch of people get off. One guy—mid 40’s, tall and lanky—started walking towards the Starbucks, and there was something about the way he was walking that was familiar to me.

When he entered the store, I recognized him from many years before when we were both struggling inside sales reps trying to sell investments over the phone.

His name was John. After I got my coffee, and he got his, he came up to me and said, “You’re Mike Brooks, right?” “Yes” I said. “Hey, we used to work together!” he said. “I remember,” I said. 

He asked me what I was up to these days, and I told him I had become a consultant in inside sales, and that I was off to work with a new client. I asked him what he was up to and this is when the chill hit me.

He said he was starting a new sales job today, and then he rolled his eyes as if to say, “And this one will suck, too.” I gave him my card and offered to help with any scripting he may need, but he rolled his eyes again as if to say: “Scripts don’t work.” I had heard him say this before…

We walked out of the store together and said goodbye and went our separate ways. He went to wait at the next bus bench, and I got into my Mercedes and drove away. 

As I sipped my coffee and listened to the tunes in my plush car, I thought about how different our lives had turned out and wondered what happened to make them so different. As I did, I knew exactly what it was. 

During our time together, the owners of the company brought in a sales trainer to motivate us. He spoke to us for an hour about what makes the difference between the top money earners in sales versus all the other sales reps. 

He said that you have a choice to either commit to learning and using proven scripts and sales techniques that would double or triple your income, or you could just keep doing what you were doing (ad-libbing), and then you’d just keep getting what you had been getting. 

He said: “If you are willing to do what most sales reps aren’t willing to do, then soon you’ll be able to enjoy the things, the lifestyle, and the future that most sales reps will never be able to enjoy.”

I was sold. John wasn’t. 

I invested in this sales trainer’s cassette series, “Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone.” I committed to learning, practicing, and doing what he suggested.

Soon afterwards, my sales and income soared. 

John thought what the trainer taught was just a bunch of old sales techniques that wouldn’t work.

John thought he knew better.

John didn’t believe in using scripts.

“I’ll sound like a telemarketer,” he said. “I have to go with the flow because each prospect is different,” he persisted.

John didn’t believe in putting in the time, energy, or money to get better.

So, he didn’t.

Fast forward to our Starbucks encounter. Over 20 years had passed between that sales trainer’s talk, and I realized, that seminar was the moment I made the decision to change my life.

When John showed up that day, he was the Ghost of Christmas Past that could have become my Ghost of Christmas Future. 

My life has changed because of other sales trainer’s material, and my commitment to consistently learning and using it.

My life is infinitely better because I did, and I have no doubt that had I not invested, learned, and used proven selling techniques, it would have been me that was taking a bus to my next job.

It sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it.

The moral here is that you, too, can avoid the Ghost of Christmas Past from becoming your future. There are a lot of great sales training books, CD’s, and courses you and your team can take advantage of to get better.

One of the best (in my humble opinion) is my book “Power Phone Scripts.” Over 500 word-for-word phrases, questions, and scripts that will make you better in just about any situation you find yourself in.

So why not give yourself (and your sales team) a gift this season?

Get it here

If you don’t want to invest in my material, no problem. Find someone else you respect and invest in theirs.

Make this best holiday season you’ve ever had and give yourself a gift that will repay you for the rest of your career.

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Upcoming Schedule

How do You React to Adversity?

by mike
Frontline Reps, Motivation, Sales Tips, Vision, Goals, Overcoming, Problem Solving, Commitment

Sales—and life—can be hard at times. In sales, you face a lot of rejection, daily, and yet you need to persevere and overcome in you want to succeed.

In life, too, there is adversity and things don’t always go your way. The question it: What is the secret to dealing with life—and sales—when situations don’t go your way?

The answer is to have a vision or goal that will keep you moving forward and on track no matter what. Some people call it a ‘burning desire’ to succeed, and it is this vision that enables you to work through the inevitable circumstances that can and do block your way.

What do I mean by vision?

A good example is a guy named Ray Kroc. When Ray was 52 years old, he was broke, had diabetes, just had his gallbladder and part of his thyroid removed. Ray’s circumstances weren’t very encouraging, but he had a vision to open a fast serve style hamburger restaurant and believed that if he served fresh food, prepared quickly and inexpensively, that people would come.

This was a big vision given it was in the late 50’s when eating at home was a family tradition. But again, Ray had a burning vision. So, each morning Ray woke up and took action out of his vision rather than his circumstances. After much hard work and perseverance, Ray’s vision resulted in his burger stand being slightly successful, and they now call it McDonald’s…

Same thing with a surfer in Hawaii named Bethany Hamilton. Surfing since she was five, Bethany had a vision to become a world champion surfer, but circumstances intervened. 

When she was thirteen, she was attacked by a tiger shark that bit off her left arm from the shoulder. She nearly died. Yet just six months later, she choose to take action out of her vision, and she overcame this traumatic event (and disability) and was soon surfing competitively again—and winning.

In fact, in 2004 ESPN named her “Comeback Athlete of the Year.”

Think about the circumstances in your own life. How is your company doing? How are your leads and your territory? What are your bills like? Other personal challenges? When you wake up in the morning, are you choosing to take action based on the temporary circumstances in your life, or do you have a burning vision for your success and where you’re ultimately going?

Another word for vision is goals. Do you have a specific production number you’re committed to by the end of this year? How about for 2020? How about five years from now? 

In other words, what is driving you?

The bottom line is that only a solid vision will keep you motivated. If you don’t have one, then circumstances will always distract and deflate you. Remember: It’s not what happens to you that determine your results—it’s what you decide to do next that does.

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Upcoming Schedule

It’s Fall! Do You Know What That Means?

by mike
Frontline Reps, Motivation, Goal setting, Sales Tips, discipline, Fourth quarter, close sale, Crushing, performance

It means the magic selling season has begun.

It means that regardless of how your year has gone so far, the perfect time to turn it around, to make and exceed your yearly quotas, is here.

Now. Fall.

It means that this is the time to recommit yourself, to dedicate yourself, to dream goals as big as you can—because you can make them all come true over the next three months.

During the special time known as “the fourth quarter.”

The way I do this is to start with the end in mind. Think about where you want to be on Monday, December 23rd—the week of Hanukkah and Christmas.

Think of how exciting that week is: Family, time off, gifts, holiday music and the general feeling of an accomplished year. This is the week you put your feet up and enjoy yourself. This is the week when it all comes together. This is the magic time of year.

Now, ask yourself: How much money would you like to have made? What do your presents look like? Where are you vacationing? What does your bonus check look like? Did you earn so much that you took the prior week off, too?

Now do this in all areas of your life. Do you want to be in great shape? You can, in three months.

Do you have a creative project you want to make progress on? Or finish? You can, in three months.

Just about anything you’d like to accomplish, you can, during the fourth quarter.

And it all starts today. The beginning of Fall.

So set some time aside today and dream away. Picture where you’ll be on the 23rd of December and work back and take action today to make that dream become a reality. That week will come whether you do this or not. And if you do, you’ll be so much happier…  

And remember: Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Upcoming Schedule

Do This to Develop the Attitude of Top Producers

by mike
Cold Calling, Frontline Reps, Motivation, Phone Sales, Sales Tips, Activity, Best Practices, Building a Pipeline, Call to Action, Confidence, Identifying, Overcoming, attitude, top producers

Legendary basketball player and coach John Wooden said something years ago that I have adopted as a life philosophy:

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

Living by this philosophy has enabled me to accomplish much in my life, and it was the spring board to transitioning to top performance in sales.

For example, I used to complain about leads. “The top closers get all the good leads,” I use to moan.

Then my sales manager pointed out that the top closers started with the same pool of leads I had; they had just put in the time to cull through them, diligently, and after months of extensive work, they discovered, converted, and cultivated a great list of prospects and clients.

What I found out is that I couldn’t call their “great leads” but I could develop a list of my own—by working more hours, making more calls, and diligent hard work of my own.

And I did.

When I learned that the secret of getting better was listening to my calls, I found that my company didn’t record calls. So, I couldn’t do it through my company.

What I could do was go to Radio Shack (this was years ago—any of you remember Radio Shack?), and I could buy a black, rubber suction cup with a wire that connected into a cassette tape recorder. When I made a call, I pressed the “play / record” buttons.

So, I did. I tripled my income in 90 days.

When, as a busy consultant years later, I wanted to write my first book, I didn’t have the time I wanted to write (mornings).

What I could do, however, was diligently write a weekly blog and organize it so I would write a little bit of the book each week.

Two years later, I had enough material for my first book: “The Real Secrets of the Top 20%.”

We all have limitations in our lives. But we can all do something right now to work toward and achieve our goals.

Want to get into shape but don’t have 2 ½ hours a day to work out in the gym?

What can you do today?

Eat better (less calories), walk or jog or ride your bike home? Go to the gym for ½ hour today and an hour on the weekend?

You see, all top producers—in any area of life—don’t think about what they cannot do. They focus on what they can do.

And then they do it.

And you can, too.

Write today’s quote on a 3X5 card and post in on your cubical at work, on your bathroom mirror at home, and on the dash board of your car.

And live with the attitude of, “What can I do today?”

And then do it.

If you do that, you’ll achieve anything you set your mind to.

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Upcoming Schedule

The Power of Thinking BIG

by mike
Cold Calling, Frontline Reps, Motivation, Phone Sales, Sales Tips, Sales Training, Best Practices, Call to Action, Confidence, Vision, Dream Big, Think Big

“Ask yourself this question: ‘How big can I dream?’”

Conrad Hilton

“Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, ‘The world is all gates, all opportunities, strings of tension waiting to be struck.’ Emerson was a keenly gifted philosopher, but he spoke like a seasoned sales manager: He understood the power of big thoughts.

“All of us are surrounded by a swirl of great opportunities, but we’re usually too busy to notice. So we continue to do what we’ve always done, wondering why we get what we’ve always gotten.

“If you’re tired of the same old results, try a new approach: Make big plans; dream big dreams; and reach for the opportunities that surround you. In selling, big dreams do come true, but not until you dream them.”

From: The Saleman’s Book of Wisdom, by Dr. Criswell Freeman

In my sales career, everything changed when I started asking for bigger orders. At first I was scared that I would frighten away buyers, but, to my amazement, prospects began saying “Yes”!

Suddenly, I was doubling and even tripling my monthly sales all because I had the courage to ask for more. Life really is a ‘self-fulfilling’ prophesy: you get what you ask for…

Here are some of my favorite quotes to help you get into the mindset of thinking BIG:

“Imagine better than the best you know.” Venice Bloodworth (One of my all-time favorites)

“Think big. Act big. Dream big.” Conrad Hilton

“Do it big or stay in bed.” Larry Kelly

“If you want a quality, act as if you already have it.” William James

“The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible.” Rick Devos

“Impossibility is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools.” Napoleon I

“I have learned to use the word impossible with the greatest caution.” Wernher von Braun

“Don’t be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.” David Lloyd George

“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” Goethe

So this week, step outside of your comfort zone and ask for the bigger deal, the top option, or the highest priced package you offer. Your results may just surprise you…

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Upcoming Schedule

The Power of Optimism in Sales

by mike
Coaching, Frontline Reps, Motivation, Attitude, Optimism in sales, Sales tips, Sales training, Best Practices, Confidence, Performance,

“It is never too late to be What you might have been.”

George Eliot

“Leo Tolstoy observed, ‘Faith is the force of life.’ Faith is also the force behind successful selling. The optimistic salesperson conveys an attitude of confidence to the buyer. The result? Lots of closings. But the pessimist talks himself—and the customer—out of the sale. The result? Lots of frustrations.

“If you’re looking for a proven prescription to improve your closing ratios, try a healthy dose of optimism. Because if you think the sale will close—or think it won’t—you’re right.”

From: The Saleman’s Book of Wisdom, by Dr. Criswell Freeman

Here are some quotes to help you get into an “optimistic mindset”:

“We see things as we are, not as they are.” Leo Rosten

“The sun shines not on us, but in us.” John Muir

“Sometimes success is due less to ability than to zeal.” Charles Buxton

“Whenever a negative thought concerning your personal power comes to mind, deliberately voice a positive thought to cancel it out.” Norman Vincent Peale

“We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.” C. Malesherbes

“They are able because they think they are able.” Virgil

“The greatest discovery is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.” William James

“There is one thing which gives radiance to everything. It is the idea of something around the corner.” C. K. Chesterton

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” William Arthur Ward

“A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities. An optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.” Harry S. Truman

“I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else.” Sir Winston Churchill

“Make optimism a way of life.” Lucille Ball

“It is often hard to distinguish between the hard knocks in life and those of opportunity.” Frederick Phillips

“When a man is willing and eager, the gods join in.” Aeschylus

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Upcoming Schedule

Rejection in Sales: What to Do About It

by mike
Coaching, Frontline Reps, Motivation, Phone Sales, Sales Tips, Goals, Effective, Examples, Performance, perseverance

“Rejection is an inevitable consequence of selling. Ironically, this fact is good news for the disciplined salesperson. If personal rejection were not an integral component of the sales process, anyone could sell; superior sale people would be commonplace. But the reality is this: Superior sale people are quite uncommon and thus demand a high premium in the marketplace.

“If you are looking for a dependable way to build an uncommon sales career, understand this fact: Rejection is an unavoidable part of the sales process. It is never to be taken personal.

“An old adage reminds us that the sale doesn’t really begin until the customers says ‘no.’ It’s worth adding that your sales career doesn’t really begin until you learn to accept ‘no’—and keep on selling.”

From: The Salesman’s Book of Wisdom, Dr. Criswell Freeman

Another great quote from this book which I’ve been featuring the last couple of weeks. I especially like the part about rejection not being personal. This was important for me to learn all those years ago.

When I realized that, I came to understand the saying: “Some will, some won’t, who’s next?”

Here are some other sayings, related to rejection, you might enjoy:

“Eighty-five percent of our customers say ‘no’ at least once before buying.” Ross Perot

“The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.” Robert Ingersoll

“What is defeat? Nothing but education, nothing but the first step to something better.” Wendell Phillips

“Don’t believe in defeat.” Norman Vincent Peale

“To be successful, you’ve got to be willing to fail.” Frank Tyger

“Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” Babe Ruth

“There is no failure except in no longer trying.” Elbert Hubbard

“To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.” Bertrand Russell

“Despair is the conclusion of fools.” Benjamin Disraeli

“Man is troubled not by things but by the view he takes of them.” Epictetus

“The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it.” C. C. Scott

So get out there and just keep selling…

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Upcoming Schedule

The Harder You Work, The Luckier You’ll Get

by mike
Phone sales, sales motivation, sales tips, working hard, top salesperson, persistence,

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”

Vidal Sassoon

“The world remembers Thomas Edison as an inventor, but he was also a spectacular salesman. Edison understood that simply inventing a product, no matter how useful, was not enough. He knew that he also had to sell his product to the public. And he did.

“Like any good salesman, Edison was an energetic worker. In fact, he attributed his success not to intellect but to diligence. He once said, ‘Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.’ The same ratio applies in sales…”

From: The Salesman’s Book of Wisdom, by Dr. Criswell Freeman

In my 35 years of selling, managing, and coaching inside sales, there is one thing that has remained constant: The top producers in any company or industry are also the hardest workers. And if you’re in sales, then I know that you see this relation as well.

Here are some quotes to keep you focused on working hard:

“Selling is the easiest job in the world if you work it hard, but it’s the hardest job in the world if you work it easy.” – Frank Bettger

“If there is no wind, row.” – Latin Proverb (And great advice during summer!)

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” – Thomas Jefferson

“If you believe in the Lord, He will do half the work: the last half.” – Cyrus Curtis

“Doubt, of whatever kind, can be ended by action alone.” – Thomas Carlyle

“It’s the job that’s never started that takes the longest to finish.” – J. R. R. Tolkien

“Action is worry’s worst enemy.” – Old-Time Saying

“The shortest answer is doing.” – George Herbert

So, bottom line? Get busy…

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Upcoming Schedule

If You Love Sales—Then Pass This On

by mike
B2B Sales, B2C sales, Cold Calling, Frontline Reps, Motivation, Phone Sales, Sales Tips, Best Practices, Call to Action, Performance,

“We are all salesmen every day of our lives.”

Charles M. Schwab

Whenever I’m at a used bookstore, I always browse the business section. There is gold in those isles. I found a short book called, The Salesman’s Book of Wisdom, by Dr. Chriswell Freeman, and the introduction on “The Joy of Selling” was so awesome, that I wanted to share the three paragraphs with you. Share this with others if you resonate with it as well:

“Selling has been called the greatest profession in the world and with good cause. Few experiences in business can match the excitement of a big sale. But the thrill of the close is always preceded by mundane activities such as training, prospecting and preparation. For the successful salesman, there is no dozing before the closing.

“What keeps top sales professionals motivated? In part, it is the love of selling. Effective salespeople love to make calls. Ineffective salespeople love the idea of selling, but they dislike the act of making the call. The results are predictable.

“Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi warned, ‘If you aren’t fired with enthusiasm, you’ll be fired with enthusiasm.’ His words apply not only to professional football players but also to professionals in all fields. So, if you wish to become an exceptional salesman, remember that sales calls should be savored, not endured. Once you learn to love your work, your work will love you back.”

I especially like the, “…no dozing before the closing.” Classic.

If you’re a sales manager or business owner, send this to your team members. If you’re an individual producer, then share it with your teammates.

Share the love of sales….

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Upcoming Schedule

Summer Sales Slow? Five Things to do NOW!

by mike
B2B Sales, Cold Calling, Frontline Reps, Motivation, Phone Sales, Prospecting, Sales Tips, Sales Training, Goals, Relationship, Sales Skills,

I don’t know about you, but right after July the 4th business seems to slow down and then it limps along until September. There is business to be had, of course, but the excitement and urgency of the first half of the year seems to have evaporated in the heat of the days.

What happened?

Summer happened, that’s what! As I speak to clients and colleagues (who aren’t on their family vacations) they tell me the same thing—many of their bosses, co-workers, suppliers or business partners are either on vacation, just coming back from a vacation, or just about to take a vacation. 

In fact, many people I know are taking as much as three to four weeks off! (I just spoke with a potential coaching client, and when I asked him when he was thinking of starting our coaching relationship, he told me it would be after his month-long vacation in August. He and his wife will be back right before Labor Day. 

So there you have it. Business is seasonal. Kids get out of school. The weather changes. People have worked hard and are now ready to take some time off. Business changes and people seem to relax. 

Does this mean companies aren’t buying or planning for the fall? Of course not. It just means that they are going to begin doing things on their timetable, not yours.

So here’s what you can do to not only make sales now, but also set yourself up for the best finish of any year you’ve ever had:

  1. Don’t let up. Keep working hard—if not harder. Make more calls. Send more emails; stay later and come in earlier. The time you put in now may not seem to pay off right away, but in the fall you’ll see the fruits of your labor.

It reminds me of the “dog days of summer” in NFL training camps. I still remember what Bill Parcells told his players in late December when they were about to begin a drive that would determine whether they got into the playoffs or not. He looked at his exhausted linemen and said: “This is why you lift all those damn weights!” 

The effort you put in now will make the difference at the end of this year…

  • Connect with established clients. This is the perfect time to send a card, to make a call, and to talk with clients about things other than business. For example, where are they going for summer vacation? 

Face it, if things are slow for you, they are probably slow in their business as well. How about asking what they are doing to deal with this period and what they are doing to get ready for the fall. And how about asking how you can help them do that?  Can anyone out there say “up sales”?

  • Work on improving your skill set, new product development or other part of your business that will make a difference in the second half of the year. If any of you have thought about developing a greeting card campaign to stay in front of your customers and prospects, this is the perfect time to do it!

Some of you know that I use Send Out Cards to keep in front of my clients and prospects, and did you know that you can now use that same system without a sign up fee?  Click Here to find out how.

Why not design a card with a picture of yourself and family on YOUR vacation and send it to all your clients and prospects? That’ll give you something to talk about.

  • Make goals for September through December and develop a plan of action to accomplish them. Develop an affirmation card and goal sheet of exactly how much you’re going to earn, what it’s going to feel like over the holidays to have accomplished that and begin smiling each day as you feel the feelings of having done it. 

Remember, “Fear Pushes, but Vision Pulls.” Use this time to create a compelling vision of the rest of the year for yourself and let that vision pull you through the summer…

  • Feed your mind a positive diet. This is the time to feed your mind every single day (and many times during the day as well). My favorite book to re-read during each summer is: “Beyond Positive Thinking” by Dr. Robert Anthony. You can get it on Amazon.com. 

I’ll bet you have your own list of positive reading material you’d like to finally read. Pick one book tonight, put it on your desk and commit to reading it before the next holiday.

That alone will make a huge difference for you.

The most important thing to remember during the summer is that “This too shall pass.” If business has slowed down, that will change. And if you take advantage of any of the five suggestions above, you’ll be the most prepared to prosper when it does…

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

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Any sales reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
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