General Tips Archives | Page 29 of 40

One Deadly Sin of Poor Listening…

February 10, 2012/in General Tips /by Bill Caskey

*The following tip is from the magazine Going Bonkers – Edition: “Are You Listening To Me

Finishing The Other Person’s Sentences

This may seem like a harmless behavior, but it conveys another message that hurts relationships: “I know how to complete your thoughts better than you do.”

When you commit this sin, you most likely do so with good intent. You may think you’re showing the other person that you’re on the same wavelength, that you think alike. In fact, finishing a sentence is even worse than interrupting. It’s one thing to stop someone from speaking. It’s something else to speak for him.

If this sounds like you, next time you finish someone’s sentence, watch the person carefully. They may not say anything, but see if their eyes or body language reveal their true feelings. Do you see a slight grimace? Does the person’s eyes narrow or glare?

Once you witness a negative reaction, you’re less likely to make the same mistake.

Sales Discovery – Not Interrogation

February 3, 2012/1 Comment/in General Tips /by Bill Caskey

Leave some breathing space. When we do role-plays in our training class, it’s amazing to us how often the discovery part of the sales process becomes an “interrogation.” When you ask the prospect a question, give him or her a chance to answer and follow up that answer with subsequent answers that probably get you closer to the theme. Stop getting in the way of the sale.

Are You Bringing ‘Presence’ to Your Prospects?

January 25, 2012/in General Tips /by Bill Caskey

Not donuts…or lunch…or coffee mugs. But are you bringing your ‘full self’ when you meet with people?

In this video, Bill tells you a story of how he and his team are brought in to interview sales people upfront before an offer is made. What they see is not good. And it all gets back to the little word with big implications: Presence.

He tells you what he looks for in those interviews and how you can think about what you bring to prospect meetings.

Aristotle Taught Us But We Weren’t Listening – 3 Ways To Improve Your Sales Strategy

January 17, 2012/in General Tips /by Bill Caskey

OK, sales folks. You got some advice from your friend Aristotle in 350 BC and I don’t think you were listening. It was while he was being taught by Plato and just before he hooked up with Alex the Great.

His advice was very simple. In order to be a great sales person, you have to have 3 parts to your strategy.

In this video, Bill calls up some Aristotle wisdom and shares what those are.

Are Your Best Years Behind You or Ahead of You?

January 12, 2012/in General Tips /by Bill Caskey

It seems like an obvious question doesn’t it? If I were to ask a hundred people on the street they would all say their best years are ahead of them. But would they really feel that way or would that just be the politically correct thing to say?

The best years of your life by Albert Ellis I was doing my annual New Year’s cards for my daughters. One daughter is 18 while the other is low 30’s. I believe the future is so bright for that generation that they should feel blessed — they have some many great years in front of them.

I actually believe that although most people do not.

And as I wrote their cards, I wondered aloud whether I felt that way about myself at 55 years old. Can I honestly look in the mirror and say that my best days are ahead of me when I’ve had 55 years of a great life?

I have some rather long lifelines in my family (my dad lived to be ninety-seven and his mother ninety-five) and when people ask me when I’m going to retire I tell them retirement for me would be certain death.

So, for those of us that are in our 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, how do we ensure that in fact the best days are in front of us?

Here is a list:

Stay current. As we get older it becomes harder to stay current with the new technology/social media/web world but we must. I know several people who have not been able to figure it out on their own but they have hired technology coaches. Great idea. Read more

The Placid But Dangerous Comfort Zone

January 6, 2012/in General Tips /by Bill Caskey

Comfort zones everywhere. Isn’t it interesting that with something that sounds so placid – comfort zone – that we’d take offense when someone says we’re in one. The fact is we’re all in one – all the time. It’s only with deliberate action that we can force ourselves to the warning track of those zones and thereby grow.

The Wrong Way to Look At Holding People Accountable

January 5, 2012/in General Tips /by Bill Caskey

There’s probably not one topic that spurs as much conversation in our work of executive coaching or sales leadership than the topic of accountability.

Few of us like to be held accountable, yet we all like to hold others accountable for their behavior. So when ever I hear a sales leader (VP Sales, Sales Manager), go down the “we need more accountability” path, I always wonder why.

Did you hire people who were not accountable to themselves?
Do you create an atmosphere somehow in the company that tolerates mediocrity?
Is it just a secret method of control or a power play?

Our Recommendation

Why do we believe we can do a better job of holding people accountable than they can do holding themselves accountable? Forget about holding others accountable. Read more

How To Avoid Sales Mediocrity – If You’re New In the Profession

December 22, 2011/in General Tips /by Bill Caskey

We get a lot of emails and requests from our Advanced Selling Podcast listeners about how to break into the profession of selling.

There is no shortage of tips and techniques out there, but here are five things that we believe you really need to “get” for you to be successful out of the gate. As a new salesperson in 2012, you have platforms and technology available to you that older people like us would kill for when we were starting. So one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to not take advantage of what’s been handed to you.

1. Get clear. This could pertain to many things like your personal goals, your income goals, the number of new clients you want in a 12-month period etc. But I think the biggest thing you can get clear about is “the problems you solve.” Clarity in that area will help you communicate your value and your intentions to your customer in a much more savvy way.

2. Get a method. 90% of sales people don’t have or don’t use any kind of a selling system or method to help prospects walk through the process. My contention is that most methods are just manipulative enough that sales people don’t like to use them. A great method should be less about convincing someone to buy from you and more about a process of sorting those who are tire-kickers and curious only, to those who are serious buyers. Sorting is the thing. Amateur sales people close 15% of their proposals; professionals close 80.

3. Get a coach. I know what you’re saying, “How can I afford a coach when I just started in sales?” My reaction to that is “It doesn’t matter. You must have a coach.” You must have someone there that you can confide in, whose shoulder you can cry on and who you can party with when things go well. But don’t make the coach your sales manager. They have too much skin invested in your success. Find someone, pay them if you like, who is unconditional about your success and doesn’t benefit in any way from it other than just the sharing of feeling of success, other than the feeling of knowing the coach contributed to your success in some small way. Read more

Setting Your Goal

December 16, 2011/in General Tips /by Bill Caskey

Set the goal and work backwards. Ask the question:

What will have to happen for me to accomplish that?

Or, you can do what others do… “what are the roadblocks?”

That list of roadblocks evolves into your ‘strategy’.