How To Get a Job, Grow Your Business, or Improve Personal Positioning

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The numbers of Unemployment are staggering….over 9,000,000 working age Americans. Most are choosing to opt out of the labor force, (which I fail to grasp).

And Underemployment is also staggering…as high as 7,000,000 by some estimates. The definition of underemployment: Workers that are highly skilled but working in low-paying, low-skilled jobs or part time workers that would like to be full time.

Consequently, this article is design to solve a bit of this problem. I can hear your reaction: “Bill, you’re nuts. You can’t solve this in a blog post.” Oh yeah? Watch me.

Caveats. This will be apolitical so you trolls step back. This is about personal responsibility of the worker. And I consider that politically neutral.  This also is not about macro-economic trends. I’ll leave that to people smarter than moi.

In order to get a job, you have to have a System.

And that’s what I will teach you here: A systematic approach to job improvement is essential. If you have no system, you’ll be at the whims of the market. You will lose control. You will be powerless.

If you’re OK with powerlessness, stop reading this IMMEDIATELY. This will not help. Get to therapy now, where you can lay on the couch and discover your self-imposed limitations.

But for others, here we go. Read more

Attention Presidential Candidates: Give Me Some Sexy Process

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A non-process guy like me rarely gets excited about the sexy topic of “process.”

But just once, I’d love it if I heard a candidate forget the lazy platitudes and opinions and get into some lovely process talk.

Process

Here’s what I mean:

Almost every candidate running for President loves the promises, platitudes and opinions. They love to tell you how they’re going to Make America Great, or how they’ll guarantee free college for all, or how they’ll stop illegal immigration, or my favorite, how they’ll create 7 million jobs.

I don’t want to hear them say they’ll “fight for me.” They won’t.

I want to hear HOW you solve problems.

Not how you’ll accomplish the goal from a policy or strategy standpoint.

There’s no disagreement that the country faces many problems. Therefore, I want to hear HOW you solve problems. 

Give Me Some Method to Your Madness  Read more

Episode #375: Balance in the Sales Process

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advancedsellinpodcastgraphicbootHow do you know when to be assertive and when to sit back? In today’s Mailbag Monday: Thursday edition, veteran sales trainers Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale answer a question from Jason about finding the right balance in a deal.

Are you violating the principles of abundance and detachment if you are assertive with your prospects?

How do you monitor your own self awareness each step of the way to keep yourself in check?

In this episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, Bill and Bryan will help you ask the right questions to better understand your buying groups. Only then will you be able to know when to push forward or pull back, giving you the best chance to build a true relationship with your prospect.

Also mentioned in this podcast:

Episode #374: Preventing the “Hijacked” Sales Call

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advancedsellinpodcastgraphicbootHow do you avoid the awkwardness of a lopsided meeting?  We’ve all been there— you and three people from your team show up to meet with one buyer. The vibe at the table feels clunky and unbalanced.

In today’s episode, veteran sales trainers Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale help you structure a successful “three-headed meeting.”

What roles do you, the VP of Sales and anyone else play to help the meeting go smoothly?

How do you avoid losing control of your own sales call to technical jargon or poorly-timed data?

In this episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, Bill and Bryan will teach you how to maintain your status as the ringleader. You’ll learn language to help everyone at the table know and communicate their role. Best of all, they will share best practices around using technicians in your sales call to your advantage. Don’t lose control of your meeting— this episode can help.

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Episode #373: Auto Sales: Lessons from the Car Lot

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advancedsellinpodcastgraphicbootIt’s more than just a cliché— selling cars is big business. In today’s episode, veteran sales trainers Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale explore what we all can learn from the world of auto sales.

What strategies can you use to help your buyer feel like they actually WANT your help?

Are you exerting pressure on your buyer without realizing it?

In this episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, Bill and Bryan share real life lessons from buying and selling cars (Bryan really did his research and spent time a local auto dealer to learn this stuff). If you have elements of your sales process— credit apps, evaluations, qualifications— that may make your buyer uncomfortable, this is a must-listen episode for you.

You’ll learn how to evaluate your process and modify to create a better experience for your customers and prospects. Then we all win, right?

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Episode #372: Pain Selling… Still the Best Approach?

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advancedsellinpodcastgraphicbootPain-finding is one of the oldest sales techniques in the book. Are you still selling that way?

In today’s Mailbag Monday episode, veteran sales trainers Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale respond to a question from a listener about selling opportunity vs. selling pain.

Do you quiz your prospects with questions to identify where they’re struggling the most?

Are you looking for things in their answers that will lead you to a deal?

In this episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, Bill and Bryan focus on the new school way of selling— asking questions to determine if you and your prospect should work together. A whole new approach to a very old tactic can help you focus on what your prospect is moving toward, instead of what they’re running from. Do you think pain-finding is on the outs? We’d love to hear what you think too.

Also mentioned in this podcast:

Episode #371: Master Your Messaging

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advancedsellinpodcastgraphicbootStorytelling isn’t a new idea. But have you truly mastered your messaging? In today’s episode, veteran sales trainers Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale help you learn to blend your company’s story with your own to create your personal messaging.

How do you know what things to say and not say when sharing your story?

What elements of your story will help your customer better understand what you do?

In this episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, Bill and Bryan walk you through how to improve your messaging around the edges by using their storytelling formula. Your story and your messaging can work for you or against you— listen in today to learn how mastering your messaging will allow you to stand out and differentiate yourself against your competition.

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Are You a Dinosaur?

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We see them all around us. Maybe in our own office. Maybe in our family. Maybe in our vendors.

Or, maybe it’s us.

In this post, I will give you 5 areas that you can test yourself for dinosaur-ism. As I always say, this isn’t meant to shame…only to help. As a coach/consultant, I get asked to come into companies and help them grow, sometimes exponentially. And to do that, they MUST let go of old behaviors that prohibit that growth. I call it “dinosaurism.”

Example of Company Dinosaurism

I went in to a chiropractor’s office last week to order orthotics. Have been having some real foot problems and my chiro assured me that they have the best orthotics around. But what I found was ‘dinosaurism.’

1. When I got there during office hours, no one at the front desk to help. So I waited (20 minutes).

2. When someone finally arrived, I was told that she had no idea where the doctor was. Oh, that’s reassuring.

3. In 15 minutes, in he walks, no greeting. No acknowledgement for wait. Boy, do I feel good about this decision. Read more

Episode #370: How to Handle a Closing Slump

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advancedsellinpodcastgraphicbootIn today’s episode, sales coaches Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale take a question from a listener who just went 0-7 in the last week.

Her question underscored the element of ‘upstream actions.’ In other words, what happens in the beginning of the sales process (upstream), determines what happens at the end. If you’re 0-7, you’re doing something wrong upfront.

Listen as Bill and Bryan walk through how they might remedy a serious slump, both mechanically, and mentally.

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