Tag: Sales Tips

The Top Characteristic of Top Sales Producers

by mike

If you’re reading this article right now, then chances are you want to perform better in your sales career. It shows that you’re willing to take the time to search out tips and techniques that will give you an edge over your competition. That’s a good thing.

But are you ready to really commit to doing the things that will catapult you into that rarified air of top sales producers?

And chance are, you know who these top producers are. They’re the ones who are always at or near the top of the sales production list every month, always winning the sales contests, and who always seem to be in a good mood. They’re positive, confident, and they have that feeling that no matter what happens to the leads or the economy or the company, they’ll find a way to succeed.

Years ago I heard a sales motivator say that if you are willing to the do the things that most sales reps aren’t willing to do, then soon you’ll be able to do and have and enjoy the things that most sales reps will never be able to.

When I heard that statement, I was a struggling sales rep, and I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I was at a crossroads in my career, and I was either going to find a different way of making a living, or I was going to go back to school and get out of sales altogether.

What I chose to do was commit to being one of the top producers. I heard another motivator say that if the grass looks greener on the other side, then you need to fertilize your lawn. He said that you don’t have to change where you are to succeed, but rather you can bloom where you’re planted.

And I had many examples of that in the company where I worked. There were 25 sales reps, and while most of them had varying levels of inconsistent success (I call those the 80% of the any sales team), there were also the top producers who consistently were at the top of the sales charts. They were the ones who made the most commissions, drove the nice cars, went on the fun vacations.

These top producers were also the ones who made it look easy. They never seemed to struggle; instead, they seemed to intuitively know what to do. It was inspiring and intimidating at the same time. It wasn’t until I finally made a commitment to be one of them that I saw how much time and discipline and effort they put into being the best.

While it did take time, money and lots of effort for me to go from where I was as a struggling sales rep, with commitment and determination I became the number one sales rep at the company in 90 days. And the habits I developed allowed me to be the number one rep out of five branch offices just nine months later.

And you can do it, too. The good news is that success leaves clues, and if you’re willing to invest the time, money and effort into completely changing your results, your life and your family’s life, then you can. You can bloom where you’re planted, and you can start enjoying the things that top producers take for granted – the things that most sales reps will never get to enjoy.

I guarantee that if you adopt this one characteristic, then nothing will stop you from succeeding….

Top Characteristic of Top Sales Producers: Make a commitment to doing whatever is required of you to be a top producer.

Let me illustrate this with a story. Earlier this year, I was asked to give a keynote speech for a company of a little over 100 sales reps. Before I do any of these kinds of talks, I always ask to do a phone interview with their top producers. I reached out to their top sales rep, a woman working in Canada who had been with the company for just 15 months.

What was interesting about this sales rep was that she had come from a completely different industry – not sales – and yet in the course of about a year, she had become the top sales rep for all of the U.S. and Canada. As you can imagine, I was anxious to speak to her.

What I found out is what I always find out about top producers. When she joined the company, the first thing she did was make a commitment to work harder than another any person there, and to learn and practice the top principles of qualifying and closing sales.

I asked her how long she worked and she told me she regularly worked ten to twelve hours a day. I asked her about her family and kids and she said that’s what weekends were for.

When asked how many cold calls she made in a day, she told me about 100. The average sales rep in the company made about 25. I asked how she could make so many calls and still run appointments, and she said she began early, and made calls throughout the day – while waiting for an appointment in the field, after and between appointments, and then she made some more in the evening when others have long left the office.

When we talked about the specifics of the sale and how she qualified, she told me she gave her pitch on the first appointment call, told the prospect that she would then show them exactly what she just described and that at the end she would ask for a yes or no. “Will you be able to make a decision at that time?” was her last question on the appointment call.

Once on site, if the prospect tried to delay making a decision, she reminded him/her that they promised to commit at that time – yes or no – and she then began closing for the sale using proven, scripted (memorized and delivered naturally) closes that worked the majority of the time.

If the prospect simply wouldn’t commit, then she asked them to have a decision made by the end of the day (or next morning if an evening appointment), and she then called back for the yes or no. If it’s a no, she moved on.

When you break down what this number one rep did (and continues to do) to be so successful, you’ll find that she does “what most sales reps are not willing to do.” First, she’s made a commitment to working harder and smarter than all of the other reps in the company. When most sales reps are still at home drinking coffee, she is making calls. When most sales reps are shuffling their leads or thinking about lunch, she’s still making calls.

When other sales reps are semi-qualifying their prospects and then showing up and hoping and praying someone will buy, she’s already asked for a buying decision before she even gets there. And when many sales reps are put off with a stall at the end, she begins closing when she gets an objection.

Because of this commitment to be the best, she closes more sales than any other rep in the company (again, of 100+ sales reps). And this enables her to make double what the average sales rep makes, and triple what a third of the struggling reps make.

When I was at this annual sales conference, the company was giving out the awards, the bonus checks, and the family vacations and other perks. This top producer got all of these rewards, accolades and pats on the back. The other top producers (nine of them) got various awards as well. The other 90 sales reps? They got increased quotas, increased pressure and after three days at the conference, they went back to their jobs to struggle along for another year….

The bottom line in any career or profession is that the top performers are committed to putting in the time and effort to be the best. They are willing to pay the price for success by staying after practice to keep working, by putting in the time for film study or playbook study, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to perform at the top of their game. This is true of top athletes like Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, etc., and for top concert musicians, professional dancers, and virtually any other professional.

As someone once said, “The extra mile is never crowded.”

If you will commit this one characteristic, then you will be able to live, have, enjoy and do the things that most sales people will never be able to have, enjoy and do.

Expert Interview Series: Mike Brooks of Mr. Inside Sales on Improving Sales Performance

by mike

Tell us about your leadership philosophy?

Lead by example has always been my guiding philosophy. If you want your team to arrive early and stay late, then you’d better be doing the same thing. If you want your team to follow a sales script, then you’d better lead the way. In fact, if you want your sales team to sell using a defined sales process, then pick up the phone and demonstrate how to do that.

People will always follow what they see. A great coach once said to his players: “I don’t hear what you say – I hear what you do.”

What leaders have taught you the most important lesson/lessons so far in your career?

My first sales manager, my brother Peter Brooks, taught me some of the most important lessons in sales, such as: Listen and Think B-4 Responding. He taught me to use my MUTE button so I didn’t talk over others. He taught me to treat others just as they are – as people.

My next mentor, Stan Billue, taught me to put in the time to be the best. To always do what others were not willing to do so I could enjoy the things that others would not be able to enjoy because they weren’t willing to work for it.

Finally, Bob Mowad, of The Edge Learning Institute, taught me to visualize the end result of what I wanted in any situation. He taught me the power of imagination and of the law of attraction. And it works!

Click here to read the rest of this article.

 

How to Build Instant Rapport with “C” Level Executives

by mike

I was asked by a client to make some cold calls into an upper “C” level suite to set appointments for his outside sales team, to show the inside team how it’s done. His inside team first of all had trouble getting these busy people on the phone, and then getting past the first paragraph of their script before getting cut off.

I had listened to these calls and immediately recognized the problem: the reps weren’t taking the time to immediately assess the prospect’s mood and connect with them, therefore they were coming off like sales reps — and the executives who they did reach weren’t having any of that…

If you call into the upper “C” suites, here is what I did (and you should be doing) to connect with and give yourself a chance to have a conversation with them.

1) First of all, before you leave a voice mail, try calling three to five times to try and reach them first. Vary the times of your calls, and on same day and on different days, to see if you can reach them.

I have done this for many years and it’s amazing how lucky you’ll get if you just persevere.

2) When you do get them on the phone, immediately assess their style of communication by how they answer the phone. Are they in a hurry? Are they a driver? Or, are they laid back? Relaxed and at lunch?

It’s crucial that you match their pacing and their energy or else you’ll just telegraph that you’re a sales rep who is going to waste their time.

For example: When one COO answered the phone, he was short and somewhat demanding. I immediately said: “John, thanks for picking up the phone, I’ll make this brief…” Then I went into a two sentence value statement and asked him a question. He was appreciative that I didn’t begin reading a sales pitch at him and gave me a considered answer to my question.

3) This is important: If you find someone who seems somewhat laid back or at least not in a hurry to bite your head off, then connect with him by talking about something else – briefly – before you pitch him.

For example, I called into a company and the hold music was the rock song, “Sweet Home Alabama.” When the prospect picked up the phone, I immediately complimented him on the hold music and asked him if that was his personal choice. He said it came with the phone system and we talked about the song briefly. Only after that did I tell him who I was and begin my pitch.

This technique also works well with subjects like the weather (is it hailing there, too?), and the day of the week “I hope Monday is treating you O.K.” or “I don’t know about you, but I’m happy it’s Friday…”

By the way, it’s always best to lead off with these kinds of rapport building techniques before you announce your name and company name. If you announce first, then you’ve put the “salesman” target on your forehead and it’s too late. But the key is you must have the right personality to do this with. If you try this with a driver, your call will end right there…

4) Be absolutely prepared to overcome the “I wouldn’t be interested,” blow off. You must have an effective comeback to that blow off memorized and be ready to rapid fire it off, because if you get that from a “C” level exec, then you’ve got a nano-second to recover.

I like something along the lines of: “That’s fine and I’m not trying to sell you something today. Instead, I think I have an alternative solution for you r (XYZ), and just want to find the best way to show it to you – believe me, you’ll be happy you learned about it…”

5) “Briefly” is a word that gives you the best shot of giving your next couple of sentences. Try: “_________, thanks for taking the call, briefly, what I’m calling you about is….” And then make it BRIEF. Get to a question quickly to either engage your prospect or give him the chance to tell you he’s still not interested or he’s not the right guy/gal, etc..

The point is to engage your prospect – not talk at them.

6) Let your prospect talk! After you’ve got your two sentences in (better make them good!), it’s time to let your “C” level executive talk. DON’T interrupt. Hit your Mute button. These guys and gals are used to talking and to having people listen. If you do that, you’ll gain their respect and they’ll give you a chance to speak when it’s your turn (usually).

The point of all these tips is that you have to connect with your “C” level exec and meet them on their level. You can’t just go into your pitch at your own speed and expect them to politely listen. They won’t.

But if you follow the above techniques, you’ll at least separate yourself from all your competition who is calling them, and you’ll have the best chance of actually connecting with them and having a chance to get your value statement across.

In Sales The Most Important Thing to Say is….

by mike

I know, it’s a catchy and kind of a trick title, isn’t it?

And when I ask audiences what they think it is, they guess things like:

“Asking for the sale!”

“When would the customer like delivery?”

“How many units do they want?”

Things like that. All these are good guesses – they are all closing questions and these are arguably the most important things to say, but the number one most important thing to say is…

Nothing.

That’s right, remaining silent after asking a qualifying question or using a tie down or a trial close, or – and this is especially difficult for most sales reps – when the prospect gives an objection (because a prospect will often explain his or her reasoning), and so remaining silent at these moments actually is your most powerful tool.

The reason for this is that your prospect or customer has all the answers as to why they’ll buy or not buy, as to what you need to say to steer them towards the close, and to what objections or obstacles you need to overcome – and how to overcome them.

The problem for 90%+ of sales people is that they want to talk instead of suffer through what they interpret as an uncomfortable silence. But it is just this silence that will always encourage your prospect to reveal more, and the more they reveal the more insight and leverage you’ll have to close the sale.

So how can you get good at not saying anything? Simple: use your mute button. For most reps, the mute button is something they seldom use (do you even know where yours is?), and if they do occasionally use it, it’s to put a prospect on hold to get some information or look something up.

But for top sales producers, the mute button is the most powerful button on the phone. Here’s how to use it:

#1: First of all, locate it, start practicing using it – you know, get comfortable with the time delay (if any) between when you turn it on and turn it off. Reassure yourself that there is no ‘clicking’ noise and that it is absolutely seamless.

#2: Know when to use it. This is simple, actually. Whenever you ask a question of a prospect, hit your mute button. DO NOT unmute yourself until your prospect is done with his/her thought and done speaking.

In fact, put a two to three second delay between when you think they are done and when you unmute. This is crucial…

Special Tip Here: Contrary to what you think, your prospect does not need to hear your ‘um’s’ and ‘uh’s’ to evidence you’re listening. The more absolute quiet there is, the more comfortable they’ll feel – and the more they will talk.

#3: Get in the habit of encouraging them to talk even more by unmuting yourself (after they are done) and asking, “Oh?” or “What else?” or “What do you mean exactly?” Then mute yourself again and let them answer.

#4: Take notes while they talk. Write down any words or phrases they say and make it a point to feed these back to them later in the conversation. This will show them you are actively listening, and they will be more receptive to common words and phrases they use often.

#5: The mute button is good for prospecting calls as well! Don’t just use it during the close. In fact, your tip is that whenever your prospect is talking, you need to be on mute.

The treasure of information you’ll get by listening and not interrupting is beyond valuable. Not only will you get the exact reasons and motives needed to close the sale (or objections to avoid or overcome), but you’ll get something else just as valuable: You’ll gain trust and confidence.

Everyone loves to be heard; loves to be listened to. Most sales people are distrusted and disliked because they are pushy and make it seem as if it’s all about them. You can immediately reverse this by becoming a great listener.

Quick last story: Just the other day I was speaking with a new prospect and, employing the mute button, the call went for an hour and forty minutes. The prospect probably talked for an hour and fifteen minutes of that time.

When the call finally ended, he told me how much he enjoyed the conversation and how much he was looking forward to the next call. And all I did was ask pointed questions and then listened while on mute…

So there you have it: the most important thing to say in sales is…..nothing!

NEXT – The Most Important Word In Sales

by mike

I was talking to a real estate agent the other day about the importance of disqualifying leads, and he told me an interesting story about their office’s top producer. He was talking to her one day and asking her what she did that made her so successful. She said her secret could be summed up with one word. When he asked what it was she said:

NEXT.

The moment I heard him tell me that I was in total agreement. I told him that was what I was trying to teach him with my disqualifying method. The majority of people you speak with, I told him, are never going to be a deal. The problem 80% of sales reps make is they spend time with them anyway, sending information, making multiple appointments, and begging and chasing the deal.

The Top 20% producers? Their attitude is – NEXT. And that’s when he said something interesting. He said he was afraid to let go because he didn’t want to chance losing a sale.

“If you don’t know after qualifying and listening to your prospect what it’s going to take to get the sale, or who isn’t a real buyer, then you’ve got problems — big problems.” I told him.

“I guess I kind of know but you can never be sure,” he said.

I’m here to tell you that it’s that attitude that separates the bottom 80% of sales reps from the Top 20%! The Top 20% know when to say, and aren’t afraid of saying, NEXT.

If you’d like to learn the Secrets of Top 20% and how to identify buyers and stop wasting time with non-buyers, here are a couple of things you should do:

#1) Go to https://mrinsidesales.com/ultimatescripts.htm and get the book of proven, word for word scripts that will help you qualify real buyers and teach you how to disqualify out the time wasters – so you can say NEXT sooner and save your energy….

#2) If you want even more Top 20% techniques, then watch these free webinars: https://mrinsidesales.com/webinartraining.htm

The sooner you learn to identify and spend time with qualified buyers, the easier it will be for you to say NEXT…..

Positive Statements that Help You Sell

by mike

When I began my sales career all those years ago, I was told that at the bottom of all successful sales was a transfer of emotion – my manager told me that I was either transferring my positive feelings about my product onto my buyer, or he/she was transferring their negative feelings about it to me. Whoever was able to transfer more of their emotion and feeling won.

Now that may seem a bit simplistic to you now, but if you look at the essence of it, there is a lot of truth to it. You’ve probably heard some of the sayings like, “Enthusiasm sells!” or, “Whoever has the strongest reasons to buy or not buy usually wins,” and things like that. My question to you is: “Are you enthusiastically presenting your product or service on every call?”

I’m sure you know the difference between having a good day and having a bad day, right? Have you ever noticed how on fire you are right after a big sale? You’re positive, on top of the world, unstoppable, right? This is why good sales managers tell their reps to “get back on the phone while you’re hot.” Have you ever noticed how objections aren’t quite so bad when you’re in such a positive mood?

And the converse is true as well, isn’t it? Have you ever noticed how, when you’re having a bad day, it’s easy to be put off when cold calling and how you don’t pitch with quite the same level of power? Have you even given up after being put off or after an objection, only to then say something like this to yourself: “Well, this just isn’t my day. Maybe I should just stop calling today and try again tomorrow?”

If you’re in sales, then I bet you can relate to both of those scenarios, can’t you?

What I’ve found over the years is that most sales people let their prospect’s mood affect and lead theirs rather than the other way around. After listening to thousands of calls over the years, I can hear how a sales rep’s voice drops or slumps as soon as a prospect cuts them off or tells them they don’t have much time, or worse, that they don’t really see the value in their product or service.

Top reps, on the other hand, have a different approach. They know that it is their job to transfer their belief and attitude to their prospects, and they stand ready with a list of “Power Statements” that help get their prospect into the proper mindset. They then overwhelm them with their positive attitude and don’t give up until they get the sale.

Here are a few statements you should have ready at all times when you’re closing or cold calling. Any one of these can mean the difference between who catches whose attitude and who sells who:

Positive Statement #1
“________ once you truly understand how this works, you’ll be as impressed as I was during my interview here. Let me take just a moment to fill you in…”

Positive Statement #2
“_________, I guarantee you’ll be 100% happy you took just a moment with me to show you what this can do for you….”

Positive Statement #3
“Are you ready to be amazed today? – because after I show you the changes we’ve made to this (product or service), you’ll be more than surprised. Go ahead and open that…”

Positive Statement #4
“________, virtually nothing that you know about this (product or service) has remained the same – in fact, we’ve made every part of it better and added some features that you’ll soon never be able to live without. For example…”

Positive Statement #5
“I’m sure you wouldn’t mind learning why we’re the best selling (your product or service) in the marketplace, so let’s do this – go ahead and open that email and let me point out just two things that make us number one…”

Positive Statement #6
“_________, you do want to go with the best company you can for this with the best customer support and loyalty program, don’t you?”

Positive Statement #7
“________, I couldn’t wait to speak with you today. I’ve just had an update that will knock your socks off! Do me a favor and grab that brochure…”

Positive Statement #8
“_________, I couldn’t wait to speak with you today! So much good news has happened since we spoke last that I don’t even know where to begin. Tell you what, let’s start by reviewing that email I sent you…”

Positive Statement #9
“_________, there are three things that make me excited to come to work every day, and they also make all my clients excited to sign up with us. The first is….”

Positive Statement #10
“_________, are you ready to finally get the best (your product or service) on the market today? If so, then grab a pen and get ready to take some notes: I’ve got some exciting things to tell you today…”

If Prospect is Negative:

Positive Statement #11
“If that were true I wouldn’t be representing this… The fact is, most people don’t fully understand how this works, but once they do, they understand why we’re the number one product on the market. Let’s do this…”

Positive Statement #12
“Let me tell you just three reasons why we’re the number one brand in this industry, and if you still aren’t interested after that, then we’ll part friends. The first is our world class customer support…”

As you can see, by using these kinds of statements you are the one setting the tone of the call. Never forget that enthusiasm does sell, and always check your attitude before you pick up the phone – and have these statements ready!

How to Stay Organized (and Efficient!)

by mike

Time-Management-Tips-4How are you at organizing your day? Do you find that the “small things” like organizing your office, organizing your laptop, checking in with old customers just to see how they’re doing, distract you from what you know you need to be doing to make more money – i.e., cold call, follow up on leads, call prospects back who are on the fence, etc.?

If you’re like most inside sales reps, then there are many distractions which seem to scream out for your time and attention. There’s checking and responding to emails, organizing your calling campaign and leads, keeping your leads and notes together and up to date in Salesforce, calling on existing customers to follow up on sales, there’s meetings, social network research, etc. And on top of all that, when it’s finally time to prospect for new business, there’s that dang organizing again!

And on top of all of that (or perhaps at the bottom of it all), there’s the real dread of making those outbound prospecting calls, you know, call reluctance. So what are you going to do?

You’re going to use the proven time management technique known as “The Top Three Priorities.” Here’s how it works: First, before you go home for the day, make a list and identify the three most important things you need to do the next day to accomplish your most important goal: Making sales. These things might be:

1)   Call the hottest prospects in your pipeline – those most likely to buy that day.
2)   Make a definite number of cold calls to keep your pipeline full.
3)   Follow up with recent orders to upsell them.
4)   Reach a certain number of existing clients to look for upsell opportunities.
5)   Put together proposals or quotes.
6)   Follow up on proposals or quotes.
7)   Check in with prospects or leads in your pipeline
8)   Etc…

Once you’ve picked out the THREE most important things that you can do the next day, again, the three most important things that are going to lead to sales that day, then write these down in order of importance and leave them on your desk for the next morning…

By the way, making this list the night before is crucial as it allows your subconscious mind to begin to devise ways of accomplishing them for you. Whether you know it or believe it or not, what you write down and intend to do sends a powerful message to your subconscious mind, and it will work hard during the evening and night, preparing you to accomplish your goals the next day.

Now here’s the key to the whole process of identifying your “Top Three Priorities”: when you get in the next day, start working on one priority at a time and work it through to completion before you move on to the next one. In other words, resist the temptation to multi-task these three items. As you know, if you begin doing too many things at once, you end up not completing any of them.

The key to this powerful time-management technique is to pick out the most important priority you’ve identified, then complete it and then move on the next one, complete that one, and then move on to the next one and complete that as well. If something comes up – like an inbound customer call, or an urgent email you need to address – then certainly handle that, but then get back to the priority you are working on.

While I know that many other things will vie for your attention, and some of them might even need to be done, sticking with and accomplishing your “Three Top Priorities” will not only make you ultra-efficient, but it will relieve a lot of anxiety for you as well. Let me give you a brief example:

Years ago when I decided to become a full time consultant, I had a lot or work to do on my business. I had to create the website, write all the copy for the pages, create downloadable ebooks for my initial product, find hosting sites, shopping carts, write ezines and create opt in pages and links, deal with my webmaster several times a day, proof all the pages endlessly, and much, much more. While all these projects were crucial for me to begin my consulting practice (and I enjoyed doing them), what I found after a while was that I had stopped doing the things that brought me the capital (money) I needed to pay my mortgage and my webmaster, etc.. In other words, I had stopped cold calling and selling.

The solution to this was to create my “Top Three Priorities” and make sure that I worked through them, one by one, before I responded to my webmaster, before I began proofing pages or writing copy, before I created another web page, etc…

I started by making 35 cold calls each day. I took all the time I needed to make these calls, and only when I was done did I then follow up with any leads I had (priority number two). When I finished that, then I moved on to my next priority – which was to call five people in my network to prospect for work or to get other leads from. Only after I completed all three of these priorities did I dive into my work on the business. And what I found reinforced the importance and effectiveness of this time management technique.

The first benefit was that as I took care of the important and difficult things – like cold calling – I felt a great relief because a big pressure was lifted from me. Second, as I completed the next priority, I gained confidence and hope as I scheduled meetings and moved closer to closing deals. Finally, as I worked through the last priority, I felt a tremendous sense of freedom and accomplishment because I knew that the things that would have nagged at me all day were finally complete. I was now free to handle the other important things guilt free!

Another benefit started showing up as well: I started closing deals and making money. As the saying goes: “Sales solves everything,” and it did indeed make all the work on the business and website so much easier. As I continued to set three priorities and complete them one by one each day, I made significant progress both on my career and on my website. And the rest, as they say, is history.

But it all started by setting and working through each of my three priorities, one by one, before I moved on to all the other important things in my day. If you’re struggling to take back control of your day, then pull out a piece of paper and start writing down your “Top Three Priorities” right now. Remember to organize them around your most important goal for each day: making sales. This one technique is the most important time management strategy I’ve learned, and I guarantee that once you begin using it, you, too, will feel more confident, become more efficient and make more sales.

5 Things I learned from Stan Billue

by mike

Stan Billue, AKA, “Mr. Fantastic,” is a legend in the world of inside sales and telemarketing. A high school dropout and self-described failure at sales and life, Stan made one of the most dramatic turnarounds ever heard of. He did this by getting a mentor, committing to master sales and deciding to do whatever it took to be the best. And he did. Stan went on to become a top sales producer, international telemarketing sales trainer and consultant, and he’s mentored and trained more millionaire sales professionals than anyone I’ve ever met – including making me one, too.

In February this year (2015), Stan sent me an email letting me know of some terrible news: he had just received results from his internist that showed he has advanced pancreatic and liver cancer, and that he’s been given 3 to 6 short months to live. I’m in touch with Stan often, and as you might expect he has good days and bad days, good hours and not so good hours. He’s really living in the moment right now, and we wish him all the best.

In talking to him early during his diagnosis, I asked if there was a way I could help him, and asked if he would be willing to do one last webinar, and he graciously agreed. Because of his health, we recorded it and you can see it here. Stan gives some great tips from a lifetime of inside sales, and I highly recommend you watch and absorb it.

In today’s ezine, I wanted to list 5 things I learned from Stan that helped me become the absolute top of my profession. I hope you, too, find them useful:

1) In 1985, a financial services firm I worked for flew Stan in for a two-hour keynote in a swank Beverly Hills hotel. All the reps from 5 branch offices crammed into the meeting room, and Stan delivered one of his signature speeches that was packed with gold. The one thing I remember the most was when he gave the following advice on what it takes to separate yourself from the majority of mediocre sales reps to become the best:

He said, “If you’re willing to do the things that most sales reps will never do, then soon you’ll be able to enjoy the things that most sales reps will never be able to have or do.”

I took that advice to heart and vowed, then and there, to do the things that I knew I wasn’t doing (and that I knew 80% of the sales reps in the office weren’t doing), and within 90 days I was the top rep out of 25 in my office. Nine months later, I was the top rep out of all 5 branch offices. I’ve never looked back since…

2) Stan said that you could become an expert at any subject in the world, and that people would pay you for your knowledge in 1 year if you just committed to studying and learning a subject for one hour a day.

Boy is that still true today. I decided that I would study the craft and skill of sales for several hours a day (and more on the weekend), and I did become an expert that people pay a lot of money to. And it’s the same for anything you want to be today in your life: a real estate professional; an iPhonography expert; a therapist, the list goes on and on. If you’re willing to commit to something, you can become an expert and be highly paid doing what you love.

3) Record your sales presentations. Stan said there was just one thing you needed to do to double your income in 90 days – record, listen and critique your calls every day. I thought he was exaggerating, but I was willing to try it and guess what? I did double my income in 90 days! This is still the advice I pass on today, and I spend about 45% of my time as an inside sales consultant listening to and correcting sales team’s skills and techniques by listening to their calls. If you aren’t doing this now, no problem. Just start doing it and you, too, will make unbelievable strides in your career.

4) Learn to listen. While this may sound like a no brainer, it’s truly shocking at how bad I was at it. And, by the way, how bad 95% of sales people that I listen to are as well. Once I made a commitment to using my mute button, though, and as I listened to my recordings to see where I talked over someone or where I needed to improve, that’s when sales began to get easy and enjoyable for me.

5) Commit to lifelong learning in your chosen field or career. This is true in any professional field, but it’s amazing how sales people think they know it all and are resistant to investing the time, money and energy needed to get better. Stan said that if you were willing to become a sponge and were willing to continually improve yourself and your skills, then soon you would be one of the highest paid sales professionals in your industry.

And when you do become one of the best, you will enjoy the best homes, the best cars, the finer vacations and the peace of mind that most sales reps will never enjoy. And it will be yours for life. I’ve found this to be true in my life, and I can’t tell you how much it’s worth it. So many sales people struggle through life and wonder what’s wrong, while a select few enjoy the riches available to them through a career in sales. You can too – “If you’re willing to do the things that most sales reps will never do…”

I will never forget the things that Stan taught me years ago, nor the things he taught me just last week during his farewell webinar. Stan still has a ton of solid sales tips that are relevant, effective and very powerful. If you’d like to hear him discuss these things, or invest in his sales material, you can do so here.

Stan, thanks for time, effort and commitment you’ve invested in your life to helping sales professionals become superstars. I, for one, am grateful.

A Bit of Wisdom for You for the New Year

by mike

One of my favorite essays by the master of motivation, Emmet Fox:

Take It Easy
By Emmet Fox, Find and Use Your Inner Power

Don’t hurry. You are going to live forever—somewhere. In fact, you are in eternity now; so why rush?

Don’t worry. What will this thing matter in twenty years’ time? You belong to God, and God is Love; so why fret?

Don’t condemn. As you cannot get under the other fellow’s skin, you cannot possibly know what difficulties he has had to meet—how much temptation, or misunderstanding, or stupidity within himself he has had to overcome. You are not perfect yourself and might be much worse in his shoes. Judge not!

Don’t resent. If wrong has been done, the Great Law will surely take care of it. Rise up in consciousness and set both yourself and the delinquent free. Forgiveness is the strongest medicine.

Don’t grumble. Consume your own smoke. Your own concept is what you see; so treat and change that.

Don’t grab. You cannot hold what does not belong to you by right of consciousness anyway. Grabbing postposes your good.

Don’t shove. You are always in your right place at the moment. If you don’t like it, change it scientifically by rising in consciousness. This will be permanent.

Happy New Year, 2015, everyone!

How to Get into the Holiday Spirit

by mike

This is going to be a short article because I’ve found there is an easy and sure way to develop a positive and giving attitude. I call it, “Get into gratitude.” If you will just take 10 minutes to follow this suggestion, then regardless of how you feel about the holidays, a transformation will take place for you. After you complete a gratitude list, you will find yourself in the holiday spirit.

Here’s how it works:

Whenever you’re not feeling particularly in the holiday mood, or if you’re in fear (any kind of fear – financial, emotional, professional, etc.), all you have to do is make a list of 25 things you’re grateful for. I like to use a notebook myself, but I suppose a computer or smart phone would do. The point is to write down 25 things you are grateful for today.

Your gratitude list can contain many different kinds of items. Here are some of the things you may be grateful for:

Having a loving family
Having a job
Making money yesterday or last month
Having your health
Having access to fresh water
Being in a position to help others through your work
Going on a vacation or just coming back from one
Being able to spend time with your kids
Having your kids be healthy
Your ability to enjoy a good meal today
Your ability to be able to afford a meal today
Working for a company that creates or sells a great product that helps so many people
Being able to walk without pain
Being able to sleep without pain
Having a home to go to
Having access to all the technology we have
Knowing that the NFL playoffs are right around the corner!
Having faith in God
Being blessed with good friends
Living in a country where you can do and become anything you want
Having options to completely change your life
Having access to great books, CD’s and other material to help you accomplish your goals
Having money in the bank today
Being able to read
Being free to act, think and do as you please

And so many more things. I’m sure you could add some really great things to be grateful for in your life, couldn’t you?

By acknowledging all the things you DO have, rather than the things you DON’T have – or are afraid you’re not going to get – you’ll realize that you are already blessed. In fact, the biggest blessing you have is that you’re alive. If you’re healthy, alive, and able to write a gratitude list, then the sky is the limit as far as what you can accomplish. And that in itself is something to be grateful for.

And if you’re not healthy right now, or if you’re in fear about something, or if some situation isn’t to your liking, just remember that it will change. Just try and think back to something you were worried about last year, or five years ago. What does that thing mean to you now?

The quickest way to get into the Holiday Spirit, or to develop a positive, healthy attitude about anything is to write a gratitude list. Start yours now and see for yourself.