The Hidden Power of a Sales Mastermind Group

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In his book, Think & Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill describes what a mastermind group is:

Nice, isn’t it? “A friendly alliance.” “Plan and purpose.”

Alliance 3

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The Truth Emerged

Last month, in the mastermind group that I’m in, a guy broke down into tears. He was struggling. His business was not doing well. And, this was the first time he actually admitted it to another human being.

While it was awkward, I’ve never seen 9 people jump into service so quickly. Isn’t it interesting that when the truth comes out – when we become “real,” people are always there to help?

Later, he emailed the group, sharing what a massive relief it was to know he had people on his ‘team’ that were in total support. You could feel the relief in his tone.

Below, I’ve listed 5 reasons that you MUST consider joining a mastermind group if you’re truly serious about your professional growth. Read more

Episode #403: Mid-Year Prospecting Checklist

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advancedsellinpodcastgraphicbootAre you feeling a mid-year sales slump?

Are you looking for ways to modify your prospecting techniques for Q3-Q4?

In this episode, veteran sales trainers Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale give you an assessment to grade your prospecting behaviors in the first half of the year.

Are you using a true referral system to generate leads? Do you employ behavioral KPI’s (and stick to them)?

In today’s episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, you will learn the elements of healthy prospecting strategies and give yourself a mid-year grade.  If you’re in the market to up your game for the second half of the year, don’t miss this episode.

Be sure to download the Mid Year Prospecting Checklist!

Also mentioned in this podcast:

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Episode #402: Commission Detachment

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advancedsellinpodcastgraphicbootDo you feel like you have to win every deal?  In this episode, veteran sales trainers Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale explore a listener question from Lauren in St. Louis.

Are you (or people on your team) motivated most by money?

Do you have an unhealthy balance between your base salary and commission structure?

In today’s episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, Bill and Bryan will help you identify what you’re attached to and why.  You’ll be able to analyze if you are more interested in solving the problem than your customer is and what to do when it happens.

Also mentioned in this podcast:

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Episode #396: Attributes of High Performing Sales People

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advancedsellinpodcastgraphicbootWhat are the attributes of a high performing sales person?

In this episode, veteran sales trainers Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale talk about developing a personal ethos that involves continuous self improvement.

To what degree do you carry a commitment to bettering yourself?

When things don’t go your way, do you look inward first or look around you to assess what others did wrong?

In today’s episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, Bill and Bryan share questions to ask and ideas to consider as you’re evaluating your own commitment to self improvement. They give you a list of common obstacles that prevent people from succeeding and share strategies you can use to ensure you show up with the attributes of a high performing sales pro.

Also mentioned in this podcast:

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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

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 #368: Mailbag Monday: Stories We Tell Ourselves

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advancedsellinpodcastgraphicbootAre you eager to find more ways to offer the next product to your client?

Do you have a generation gap in your company?

Do you have customers who take your relationship for granted?

In today’s episode, veteran sales trainers Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale magnify Mailbag Monday by three. You will hear strategies to get out of a “product mentality” mindset. You will learn how to break down stereotypes about generations before and after you. You will learn to examine the movie you’re playing in your head and what to do about it.

In this episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, you will walk away with answers to questions most sales people have been challenged by for years. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn from fellow listeners and dive into coaching from Bill and Bryan on how to improve your sales game.

Also mentioned in this podcast:

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Episode #367: Increasing Prospect Conversations

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advancedsellinpodcastgraphicbootAre you looking for ways to increase the number of prospects you talk to? Are you struggling with gatekeepers who prevent you from reaching the right person?

In today’s episode, veteran sales trainers Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale field a question from Blake to help him rethink an approach to getting in front of more prospects.

Do you feel like the front desk person’s job is to fend you off?

Does it frustrate you to know your product or service is better than a competitor and you can’t get more meetings?

In this episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, Bill and Bryan break down elements of the Thinking bucket to help you master this challenge. By examining your inner game, you will be able to determine how your energy and language are helping — or hurting — your success and what you can do to change your approach.

Also mentioned in this podcast:

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