Study after study has told us that only about 20% of all sales people are top performers, meaning they regularly close at least half of their qualified prospects. Similarly, about 20% of the sales force are either underperformers, brand new or on their way out. This means that the considerable majority of sales people - roughly 60% - can be classified as simply average. If you find yourself falling into that category, here are three quick fixes that can help you move up into the top 20%, and help turn your career from average to outstanding.

Quick Fix #1: Attitude

95% of all the top performers I interview tell me that the number one contributor to their success is Attitude.

I know you've heard that before. But take a moment and actually think about it. Are you so certain of your ability to hide a sour mood or personal annoyance, that you're willing to risk losing a sale if you're wrong?

The fact of the matter is, unless your last name is Streep, Brando or De Niro, your thoughts will affect your behaviour. In other words, we always move toward our most dominant thought. So make sure you play that positive tape in your mind, and don't let yourself get caught up in any negativity around you.

If you do find yourself slipping into a negative frame of mind, try some of these tried-and-true ideas to help you snap out of it, and put your best foot forward:

• Listen to music (though your favourite Death Metal CD may not be appropriate at this time).
• Exercise.
• Have a quick meeting or phone call with a positive person (moods are contagious).
• Read something inspiring, like Earl Nightingale's The Strangest Secret, or even Scott Adam's Dilbert cartoons to give yourself a good laugh.
• Eat (my husband can tell you how quickly my mood can turn negative when I skip lunch!).
• Call your favorite customer.
• Sit quietly on your own, close your eyes and visualize yourself doing something successfully. Then repeat the "movie" over and over again in your mind.
  

In short, show your customer how you feel by being at the top of your mental game. Close business by projecting a sincerely happy persona, not hiding a negative attitude behind a facade. And above all else, either love what you do, or get out!

1. Colleen – “I want to start my own business. Any suggestions?”

Congratulations. There is nothing better than joining the rank of the unemployable by creating your own destiny and rules! I am very excited for you. Chose a business that is close to your passion for the greatest success. If that fails….here are 12 new business ideas from recent editions of Springwise:

1. For a modest annual fee, residents of New York City can now have copies of their house, car or business keys safely stored by NewYourKey (www.newyourkey.com). Then, if the customer loses their keys, NewYourKey will deliver a spare within an hour, any time of day or night.

2. Two British companies are now offering certified halal meat-based baby foods (www.halalbabyfoods.com) to Muslim mothers who, because of the lack of such products in the past, often delayed the switch from milk to solids, leading to babies developing iron and protein deficiencies. The offerings include ten varieties of baby food suitable for infants from 4 to 7+ months old.

3. Following the trend to sophisticated and leisurely pursuits for an affluent population, entrepreneur and cheese expert, Sara Vivenzio, has opened the Cheese School of San Francisco (www.cheeseschoolsf.com) which offers beginner to advanced courses in cheese selection, storage and wine pairing as well as courses in cheese making. Sara also offers private and corporate events.

4. CloakVRoom (www.cloakVRoom.com) provides portable coat and small-package checking services at music festivals and other large outdoor events using large, customer-fitted trucks. Customers are given a numbered wristband with cloakVRoom's telephone # and Website so that if anyone leaves an item behind, they can reclaim it and have it mailed to them.

5. A British company (www.specialbike.co.uk), recycles old or abandoned bicycles into custom tailored, one-of-a-kind bikes in eye-popping colours and finishes.

6. Women entrepreneurs in the UK, Moscow, Dubai and Teheran have started "pink" taxi companies with female passengers for female drivers. The intent is to create a safer environment for women passengers and drivers. In Moscow, the original fleet, consisting of two pink taxis, has grown to 20 cars and 27 drivers.

7. Umbrolly, a British umbrella company now places umbrella vending machines in public spaces.

8. 3.5 billion wire hangers are tossed into landfills every year in the United States. Hanger Network (www.hangernetwork.com) has developed a sturdy and cheap alternative...a dry cleaner's hanger made entirely from recycled paper. Because they're paper, they can be completely covered in full-colour advertising and the advertisers pay for the hangers.

9. Since newborns grow out of their clothing every month or so, a German company, Lütte-Leihen (www.luette-leihen.de) has come up with a solution...for a fixed monthly fee they provide parents of newborns with a range of bodysuits, pajamas, sox and hats that have been cleaned and can be exchanged for a larger size every month as the baby grows. Besides saving parents the expense of clothes that are worn only briefly, Lütte-Leihen's service spares them the hassle of shopping for new items during a period in their lives when time is at a premium.

10. Pascal Riffaud, former concierge at hotels like the St. Regis in New York and the Ritz in Paris, has created a restaurant booking service in New York called PrimeTime Tables, specializing in impossible to get reservations. For an annual membership fee of $450 per year and a per-reservation fee, Pascal will get you a prime table at the most exclusive restaurants...guaranteed.

11. Avis Car Rental now offers fully insured and qualified chauffeurs to drive your Avis rental car for an additional $30 per hour. The drivers pick up customers in their rental cars from the baggage claim area or passenger loading zone, then chauffeur them around town. Finally, the driver will drop them off back at the airport and return the rental car at the end of their trip. The saving from hiring a driver and a car from a limo company is about 35%.

12. Thanks to a Canadian company, Allergy Translation Card (www.allergytranslations.com), international travelers with food allergies or dietary restrictions can now get customized cards printed out in any one of 22 languages to show to restaurants, grocers or hosts overseas. Customers simply log onto Allergy Translation's website and enter information about their particular food allergies or sensitivities. Then, they select the language of their destination and for $8 they print out the information they need. It's an easy way to ensure that dietary restrictions are accurately communicated, without having to fumble through a foreign language dictionary.

The point here is that the world is still full of possibilities. You just have to see them and know what to do with them. Don't forget to sign up to receive the free, weekly Springwise (www.springwise.com) E- Newsletter. It's a great "possibilities" idea generator. Again I emphasis…who could make this stuff up!

Get Sales Closed Now!

Seeing as this is the end of the year - I suspect many of you may be feeling what I like to call the “end-of-year blues.” It’s a positive time to be a consumer, especially if you are planning to buy a car, as you can often use this end of quarter or end of year blues to secure larger than normal discount from desperate and starving sales reps. On the one side, you’ve got pressure from your manager to close deals NOW!

On the other, you’re getting the brush off from clients who want to call you back next month or next quarter instead. Stuck right in the middle? Yup, you guessed it – it’s lucky old you! The end of a period is a time when your prospects have other fires burning bright. Often, they use those other priorities as an excuse to put buying decisions on hold – especially if you’re selling to publicly traded companies. “I need some more time,” “let me think about it” and “call me back next (month, quarter or year)” are three of the most frustrating phrases you’ll ever hear in sales.

The worst part is, these aren’t even valid objections you can deal with. They’re stalls. And stalling is twice as frustrating because it almost always masks a real objection. When you get a stall, you have to figure out how to dance around it, find the real objection, handle it – and then get the deal back on track. So what can you do to stop your prospects from stalling – and put an end to the end-of-quarter blues?

The best solution if you suspect a stall may be coming is to do something about it BEFORE it happens. Preventing stalls and objections is the single most powerful – and least used – sales technique I know. If you have a client who regularly seems to get cold feet around this time every three months, try some of the following patented stall prevention cures: Bring up the stall first and have an answer ready. Say: “Mr. Customer, you may be thinking that it’s best to wait until after the year-end to buy. I’m concerned that if you do that, we won’t be able to guarantee you these prices.”

Other ideas from Engage clients include: Keep your pipeline full. If you have a pipeline with at least 3-4 times as many prospects as you need in order to meet your goals, you (and your manager!) will feel far less pressure. When you feel less pressure, you’ll close more deals. Ironic? Yes. True? You bet. Start calling customers early on in the period to create a greater sense of urgency.

Set price increases in September to take effect January 1st. This four-month window of opportunity will encourage your customers to buy now. Create a unique holiday special. Hold a sale at the beginning of December or on Labor Day to boost sales in Q3. Have a “closing blitz day” at the office or, better yet, arrange a longer contest to see who can close the most deals.

Hold a series of seminars on issues that are important to your prospects and customers. Start it first thing in the morning at a desirable location, schedule the best session just before the end of the period – and make sure to serve great food!

Build relationships all year long by staying in touch with your customers on at least a monthly basis. Send them a “thank you” or “thinking of you” card, take them out for coffee, or just give them a call. Try to stay away from email, as it’s not the most effective relationship-building tool.

If you’ve done everything you can think of to be proactive and are still getting stalled, try these 7 great ideas to help overcome any unwarranted delays:

1. Make the customer be specific. "Thanks for letting me know that next month is better for you. What date would you want to place the order?” Or: “I would be happy to call you back next month. Would Tuesday, July 11th at 10:00 a.m. work for you?"

2. Control the call back. Don’t take “don’t worry – I’ll call you!” as an answer. You need to stay in control of the follow-up. I suggest you say: “Thanks for wanting to stay on top of this, Bob. How about, if I don’t hear from you by the 15th, I’ll call you on the 16th at 10:00 a.m.?”

3. Offer alternatives. Once when I was selling software, we offered to split an invoice in two, charging the customer for the software in March and the maintenance in April. Because the payments were split, the order fit better into her quarterly budgets and the customer as able to make the deal right away. Can you think of a creative way to help your customers say yes right now?

4. Question them into a corner – and close them when they get there. Tell your clients: "I would be happy to call you back next month. Do you mind if I ask, what will have to be different in May to make you want to buy from me then?" Or take the opposite approach, and ask: “Will anything change over the next few weeks that will cause you not to buy?" Once the prospect assures you that they do want to do business with you, you can respond with: "Great! Let's get your order into production now so your project won’t be delayed, and we'll deliver it after July 1st.”One Engage client offers to ship his product in advance and the invoice later, so that his customers can benefit from having the product on site while paying for it later. Of course, he only does this with clients who have excellent credit. But it works great – and he never has to discount his prices!


5. “Use the “F” word. Agree with your clients, and then disagree, by offering an alternative: “I know how you feel. Other clients of mine have told me that they felt the same way. What they have found is that they can save up to 20% if they buy now. Are you sure you don’t want to save this money now?”


6. Get a testimonial letter. Testimonials are the most powerful tool in your arsenal. They’re also a sales person’s best friend (next to my dog Conrad, of course!). Ask someone who bought before the quarter end, or any client who accelerated their purchase and was glad they did so, to write you a two-paragraph letter. The first paragraph should state how they originally wanted to wait, and the value they received by not putting it off – for example, did they save money? Time? The second paragraph should detail how happy they are with your after-sales service.

7. Get scarce! Remind your customers (if it’s true!) that the price will be going up after a specified date or that there might be a product or delivery back-up after the 1st of the month, and advise them to schedule delivery now. If your business tends to be seasonal, encourage clients to buy during off-peak periods in order to get priority shipping and production.

The success with which you handle stalls is directly related to the quality of the relationship you’ve built with your prospect or customer. A good relationship gives you more freedom to press for immediate action. A weak relationship may mean you end up having to wait until the next quarter to make the sale – or longer. One last thing – under the considerable pressure the end of a quarter can bring, many sales people give in to the temptation to hold a “slash and burn” sale to get their prospects to buy. I urge you to avoid this at all costs. In the long term, slash and burn sales are rarely effective, because all they do is set a precedent that your prices will drop whenever you’re desperate. Once word gets around, who will ever buy from you at full price again?

Dedicated to increasing your sales,

Colleen

Ensure 2008 is More Profitable than 2007

Everyone feels renewed on the day they set goals for the upcoming year (or quarter). They’ve got a plan and all signs lead to them achieving great things. Our optimism kicks in! And considering we are only 57 days away from the start of a new calendar year now is the time to start thinking about what you want to accomplish in 2008.

It's amazing to me that as each year marches on, many salespeople have a way of letting goals fade into obscurity. Its so sad, because I know that you are capable of achieving your goals, you just need a plan! The key is to create a goal setting model that works. And it’s not that difficult to do, provided you employ these four steps:

1. Make each goal quantifiable. It’s simple to say, "I want to triple my sales this year," but how realistic is a goal like that? To make goals stick, you need a breakdown of exactly how you plan to succeed. How many more cold calls will it require? How many presentations?

2. Execute on a daily basis. Once your goals are quantified, make a daily chart that includes the number of cold calls made, presentations scheduled, sales closed, etc. It’s the only way to chart your progress and adjust on a week-to-week basis.

3. Create a "To-Do List." Successful salespeople know goals are more than words on paper. Each week, make a list of the top five things you need to adjust in order to achieve them. The following week, they replace the ones they’ve accomplished and continue to work on the others.

4. Create constant rewards along the way. You are the ultimate manager of you! Lasting success comes from when your motivation comes from within - not an outside source. To help along the way, provide yourself an incentive at key milestones. Try setting up small bonuses for meeting benchmarks along the way. Treat yourself to a purchase, a trip a day off or coffee with a friend. One way to achieve long-term goals is by focusing on short-term ones. I believe that what gets rewarded gets repeated.

Cheers, Colleen
Toll Free at 1-877-364-2438

"Colleen, one of our reps went from one or two conversations out of 10 cold-call connects and no prospects (previous week average), to 6 prospects from of his 10 cold-calls on the day immediately following your training. That is a pretty dramatic and immediate result!" – Thanks, Lewis Prochnau Corporate Sales Manager Protus IP