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Who makes great leaders? Discoverers. Pathfinders who shoot for the moon. The great thing about discovery is that you have no expectations because you don’t know what you’ll find. Discovery is about action and freedom and choice. It’s about being in the present and not burdened down by the past. Exploration of the unknown is challenging and difficult. Discovery is a mission directly related to our needs. Like Columbus, we may start in search of what we think we want, only to discover something even greater. The surprise of discoveries changes our behaviors, widens our perspectives, and increases our knowledge. How do you apply this to sales? Make every cold call, sales interview, and negotiation a discovery. Don’t go in with preconceived ideas. See where they lead. Above all, keep an open mind, adapt, learn, and have fun with what you find. You’ll never go this way again. Mon, 24 May 2010 13:00:56 +0000 Sales Posse Blog |
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Kids are great teachers. My grandson’s friend was trying out for the premier soccer team. However, he didn’t have the athleticism of the other players. But he had the passion. Through the years of playing rec ball, the friend never missed a practice, never missed a game. His parents drove him 25 miles each way from their small town to meet his schedule. The friend, on the bubble, made the team. The coaches cut some of the more athletic players because of their history of missed practices, giving up when behind, and half-hearted efforts in practices and games. Their decision to keep the boy came down to his passion for the game. “Passion,” one coach told me, “is a skill you can’t teach. Skills are teachable. His intangibles saved his spot on the team.” In sales you don’t have to be the best – but the best have the passion. Fri, 21 May 2010 13:00:44 +0000 Sales Posse Blog |
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Street magician David Blaine adds physical feats to his repertoire to test his endurance and overcome his fears. After encasing himself in a block of ice on Times Square for 63 hours, he was asked how he can attempt stunts that terrify most and push him to his limits. He said it’s a matter of changing your perspective. “Some people have a deathly fear of water. The fear is important to them. But if they were to suddenly find themselves thrown from a life raft into the middle of the Atlantic, the fear of water is no longer important to them. That fear is replaced by something much more important. Survival.” What is your sales fear? Rejection? Cold calling? Giving a large group presentation? Asking for the order? Make the fear less important by finding something more important to be achieved by doing the event. Fri, 07 May 2010 13:01:03 +0000 Sales Posse Blog |
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Projects are delayed because people don’t know how to make them work. For example, you want to start a new business or invent the next must-have product. But you hesitate because you don’t know how you’ll make it work. At some point you’ll be at the crossroads: forget your dreams or take a leap of faith. And faith is subtly different than belief. Belief is knowing you can do something because you’ve done it before. For example, breaking 90 in golf. Faith is doing something that’s never been done before. Edison’s invention of the lightbulb. Roger Bannister’s sub-four minute mile. The Wright brothers’ airplane. With faith you don’t know how it can be done. You just have faith that it will be done. What’s the purpose of faith? Faith doesn’t make things happen. Faith gets you to take actions. Actions lead to the how. Nothing new happens without faith. Thu, 06 May 2010 13:00:41 +0000 Sales Posse Blog |
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Michael Oher’s adopted father Sean Tuohy (The Blind Side) was interviewed by Seattle Times sportswriter Steve Kelley. Asked how Oher became such a dominant player to be taken in the first round, Tuohy responded that “His talent didn’t change. His confidence changed.” If you’ve been in sales and business for several years treading water and not making the breakthrough you feel you’re capable of, it may not be lack of talent. Maybe it’s just the lack of confidence. There are hundreds of ways to increase your confidence. In Oher’s case, he needed someone to believe in him so he could believe in himself. Hang around with people who believe in you. Doing little things you know you can do instills confidence. If you know you can make one cold call, make two. If you know you can ask for the business once, ask twice. Confidence grows with each small success. Thu, 06 May 2010 13:00:41 +0000 Sales Posse Blog |
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The authors of Improvise This! think you may not be having enough fun at work. They have a few suggestions.
Seriously. ? Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:01:07 +0000 Sales Posse Blog |
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Alan, the national sales manager and my client, said the reason his salespeople exceed their goals is because he takes away their excuses. If they say they’re uncomfortable when cold calling, his response is, “Work when you’re uncomfortable. What’s your next excuse?” “We need more products.” “No you don’t,” Alan says. “Your competitors are making a good living in your territory with what they have which is less than us. Not buying it. What’s your next excuse?” “Our prices are too high.” “No they’re not. Our other customers are paying the same price. Qualify your prospects better. Show them the benefits and justify the price. What’s your next excuse?” The salespeople quickly learn there aren’t any excuses that can’t be overcome or eliminated. Alan’s philosophy is simple. Find a way. Fix it. Think. Change. Try something different. But never give up and never give excuses. He’s not buying. Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:00:22 +0000 Sales Posse Blog |
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Do You Feel Lucky? Well...Do You? Psychologist Dr. Richard Wiseman (Quirkology) did some research into luck. He wanted to find out if some people considered themselves lucky, while others considered themselves unlucky. In one experiment he gave volunteers copies of newspapers and asked them to count the number of photographs in them. What he didn’t tell them is he had a page printed that said “Win £100 by Telling the Experimenter You Have Seen This.” The unlucky people were so focused on counting the pictures they never saw it. The lucky people were more relaxed and spotted the chance to win £100. Wiseman said it was “a simple demonstration of how lucky people can create their good fortune by making the most of an unexpected opportunity.” The moral? Set your goals, but keep your eyes open for the unexpected. The unexpected can happen at any time and will often be more rewarding. Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:00:53 +0000 Sales Posse Blog |
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That’s the working title of regional manager Michael Scott’s book (The Office). The title is an observation of all our lives. Whether you own a business, sell, or you’re a parent, you can identify with getting through the day by the skin of your teeth. Steve Carell’s character is Dilbert’s perfect foil. (I can say this because I’m a manager, salesperson, and parent.) Some days you just have to close your eyes and hope for the best. You’ll say stupid things, do stupid things, and make stupid decisions. But somehow you have to find a way to go on. I’ve found being oblivious helps. Being deaf doesn’t hurt. And having a short memory is a definite asset to being able to get up the next day and start all over again. Do I do things perfectly? No. Is every day a good day? Are you crazy? Yet, somehow I manage. Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:01:09 +0000 Sales Posse Blog |
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H.A. Dorfman (The Mental ABC’s of Pitching) points out that whatever job you have, you got there because of your capacity to handle that job. But your success depends upon your determination to get the job done, not your capacity to get it done. What he calls relentless behavior. He quotes Goethe: “Without haste, but also without rest. Under control; slowly but surely. Relentlessly.” Dorfman is all about the process – not the outcome. You can only have the latter when you have the former. Relentless behavior – whether it’s cold calling, asking for the order, or following-up on the sale – is its own reward he says. It doesn’t matter what the situation is, your responsibility is to get the job done. Find a way. “Relentlessness is the antithesis of quitting. It is an aggressive, persistent, attack-mode attitude. It defines warrior.” You have it in you. Do you have the will? ? Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:00:29 +0000 Sales Posse Blog |
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Celebrities go to other countries and put on sunglasses and hats to disguise themselves so no one will recognize them. They want the peace and quite the rest of unknowns have. Have, not necessarily enjoy. Salespeople want to be known. Business owners want to be discovered. It’s easier to sell to someone who knows you and your reputation. That’s why referrals are so important. A customer introducing you to her friend has already made 50% of the sale for you. You’re to be trusted. You could be the most renown authority on website development on the West coast, but if no one knows you, you’re an authority without portfolio. At least that’s a great advantage of being in sales. Unlike the professionals (CPAs, doctors, dentists, attorneys), we can at least beat our own drums. Unlike other professions, salespeople can create their own opportunities. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:00:33 +0000 Sales Posse Blog |
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Pardon Me While I Extract My Foot from My Mouth
We’ve all done it. Called someone by the wrong name. Slipped and fell on the ice when entering the building. Lost our train of thought when talking with a customer. What do you do in an embarrassing situation? You can pretend it never happened and take no responsibility for it. Psychologists have found observers expressed dislike for the individual who does this. You can confidently try to remedy the situation. Observers are unfavorable to anyone who maintains their aura of self-confidence. Or you can express your embarrassment and try to fix the situation. Observers best like those who show their embarrassment and find those people endearing. They’ve seen themselves in similar situations and feel the pain. When it happens, use embarrassment to your advantage. Maybe get a laugh out of it. People will see you as vulnerable and human and quickly bond with you. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:00:43 +0000 Sales Posse Blog |
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