In The Sales Arena

This is a reprise of one of our most popular episodes! We trust you will enjoy it ...  4 Keys To Bouncing Back From Adversity  What is the #1 core skill all top sales people possess? What separates them from the average and below average? Their ability to bounce back from adversity, setbacks and disappointment! 20+ years of benchmarking, assessment and comparative analysis work confirms over and over that top sales professionals posses 5 key elements that make them more successful, at an internal core level, than their peers. Of those 5 core competencies the #1 core skill is that of resilience! In this podcast we are going to cover 4 ways we can all grow in our ability to handle the inevitable adversity that is a part of selling! How well we master this core skill is going to have "absolutely everything" to do with how successful we are going to be. The faster we bounce back when things go wrong the faster we are back in the game and growing our business again! The 4 Things We Cover In This Podcast Are: Iden

This is a reprise of one of our most popular episodes! We trust you will enjoy it ...  Walking Away From Bad Business ...  “You're Not A Pro Until You Do!”  Welcome – this is another podcast on the mindset top sales pro’s have. Last week we talked about dealing with “NO” and the feedback was awesome so keep it coming!    Just this past week, I said NO to what would have been bad business for me, my company, and the client.  It involved a rather large car dealership in my area needing help with sales training.  I set up a meeting with them to let them tell me their needs and for me to tell them what I had to offer them based on those needs.  My approach to their needs would have been to benchmark their top performers, identify others that could quickly get to that caliber, and then work with the others to get them to that level.  They had another vendor option that was less expensive that would have delivered a large number of unqualified sales people to the floor, and would not have increased their busin

This is a reprise of one of our most popular episodes. We trust you will enjoy it ...  The 4 Mindsets & Attitudes ALL Top Sales People Have In Common!  Welcome to In The Sales Arena (ITSA) #026.  I have always been fascinated by top performers – Athletes, Sales reps, Leaders, etc.  This fascination led to our benchmarking process we discussed back in #023. In the process of benchmarking top sales performers we have learned a lot about what they all have in common! 4 Mindsets/Attitudes All Top Sales People Share So, with all of that in mind, I wanted to share with you 4 Mindsets/Attitudes all top sales people have in common: So, I wanted to share with you 4 Mindsets/Attitudes all top sales people share: Attitude #1 – if better is possible, then good is not enough!  Another way of putting it is “good is the enemy of great”.  -Who sits in the front row? The best! -Who is always measuring and doing gap analysis? The Best! -Who devours our content? The best! -Who hires coaches? The best! Attitude #2 –

This is a reprise of one of our most popular episodes. We trust you will enjoy it ...  Dealing With “NO”!!!  Welcome – we have wrapped up our series on what it will take to be a sales master in 2015. Today we are going to take a step back from the strategic and tactical and discuss an important mindset! How do we handle the word NO!!! It will dictate how far we can go in our sales careers!!! To deal with “no” effectively there is an important continuum to understand … beliefs, thoughts, actions, habits, character and legacy! To change how “no” effects you we have to look at what you believe and think! We have to see it in a new light! First we have to understand that this is something every sales rep goes through to some degree. Too often we conjure up the most negative connotations of “no” …     ·      Not now, not ever   ·      I hate your company!   ·      I hate your product/service!   ·      I hate you!   ·      You are incapable, stupid, ugly, an idiot!   ·      You are unworthy of anyone

This is a reprise of one of our most popular In the Sales Arena episodes. We trust you will enjoy it ... “Gladiators Only” ITSA #023 Who We Need To “Be” To Get To the Top! Welcome – We are wrapping up our 4 part series on what it takes to be a sales master. So far, we have covered The Sales Process, Value Based Selling, and Intentionally Building Level 5 & 6 Relationships.  In this podcast, we are going to talk about who we need to "BE" to get to the top! We will explore the "be"+ "do" = "have" equation.  How have we determined who we need to "BE"?  This ITSA session will give you all the details!   Today you will learn all about The Big Five - Resiliency, Personal Accountability, Self Management, Continuous Learning, and Interpersonal Skills.  Get these 5 right, and everything else will take care of itself! Sales Tool of the Week - Outlook Calendar … keep track of your busy schedule, professionally and personally, make sure you don’t double book, particularly pay attention to send meeting notices!!! L

Hey, Gang!  Welcome to a reprise of one of our most popular shows from the past! I trust you will enjoy this timeless content ...  Our topic today is “4 Things We Can All Learn  from a Learning Experience.”  By learning experience, I’m referring to a convention, conference, or training program.  I just returned from the National Speakers’ Association Conference in Washington, DC: Influence 2015.  I’ve been in the professional speaking business for 23 years, and this was my 15th convention.  Is it time wasted?  Absolutely not!  There are nuggets to take away from each of these gatherings and ways that they make me better at what I do.  Next weekend I’ll be in Fort Worth for the Podcast Movement 15 conference, and I’ll be looking to learn more! Here are some things we can learn from these experiences: It’s good to be around “the best of the best.”  Being influenced by these top people from various fields gives inspiration and affirmation to what we do. There is ALWAYS something new to learn.  I’m even learni

Welcome! Today we are in the fourth week of our Four-Part Series of questions to use individually and collectively, personally and professionally, to make 2016 the BEST YEAR EVER!  Let’s review the Four Questions: What is working in our lives/business, and how can we do more of it? *By “work,” I mean giving you a great ROI for the amount of time you spend. Remember, to know WHAT is working, you have to know WHY it’s working.   What is NOT working, and how do we get rid of it or make it work? *This is the most powerful and most valuable question to consider.   What do we want to do that’s NEW? *There are many options both personally and professionally for doing NEW things!   What am I going to do in 2016 that’s BIG? *This podcast and our Your Marriage Matters podcast were a product of this question from several years ago. Your BIG things can include long term plans for the future, but usually not more than 1-2 items. Dream BIG! Think of GAMECHANGING CONCEPTS! You can get away for a weekend with your sa

Welcome gang!  We are in the 3rd part of the 4 part series of 4 questions you should ask yourself to make 2016 your best year yet. So far we have asked ourselves: What’s working and how do I do more of it? What’s not working and how do I get rid of it, or make it work?   Today’s question is question number 3: What do I want to do this year that is new? “In times of change, Learners will inherit the earth.  While the learned will find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that does not exist.”   Professionally: Take a training class, be a better presenter, develop a new product, work in a new market.  In other words what do I want to do in my business that will make it better.   Personally: Take a cooking class or learning new hobbies, or even become more proficient at a skill you already have.   I personally want to become a more skilled marksman.  I want to take a self-defense class, and become better at using the guns that I own.   What are you going to do this year to become a vibrant, growi

Welcome! Today is Part 2 in a series that will run through mid-December. We are discussing the Four Questions to ask ourselves personally and professionally to prepare ourselves for a successful 2016.  Last week’s question was: What is working right now and how do we do more of it? Today’s question is my favorite one, and it has provided more value to me than any other: What is not working, and how do I get rid of it (or make it work)?   What does it mean for something NOT to be working? It may have value, but you may not be getting a great ROI from it.  Jim shares three examples from his own life to illustrate the action steps that follow this question:   Selling a guitar that he just could not find the time to play as he initially intended Selling some personal possessions and property to fulfill a mutual commitment to become debt-free Using Team Podcast for post-production work on both In the Sales Arena and Your Marriage Matters podcasts You can even have this conversation and ask this question at diff

Welcome! As we look toward the end of the year, we will be going through a series of questions over the next few weeks. These questions have been pivotal in our family to help plan for beginning a new year. These questions can be answered personally, professionally, and collectively—in a family or as part of a company. Each question should be addressed in each category. Question #1: What is working RIGHT NOW, and how do I do more of that? This question helps me think about things that are going well, like securing new clients, managing existing clients, selling a specific product, executing the process, value-based selling, or being intentional about growing. You have to know WHY it works. Remember, as we’ve discussed before, there are three kinds of salespeople: UI—the unconscious incompetent UC—the unconscious competent CC—the conscious competent The goal is to be in the third group, to be good at what you do, and know why you are good at what you do. Your homework assignment? Ask yourself the question an

Welcome! We have had great feedback from our listeners about our Master Sales Interviews, and we have another great one for you today.  My guest is Kyle Lednicky, who works in sales for Emerson Process Management as their Global Key Account Director. Kyle is a graduate of Texas A&M, where he played football, and he is married with two young daughters.  He started out selling steel, but wasn’t thrilled with the long hours that sales required. He then spent eight years working in sales for Grainger, and then transitioned to Emerson, where he has been for the past three years. Kyle shares the following about his sales career: Kyle identifies his two main struggles in sales: getting over the fact that you DON’T have to know everything, and being “too nice.” Kyle moved past these struggles in the following ways: By becoming good at utilizing any and all resources By knowing where to turn to find the answers By being intentional about creating relationships By gaining a “tough love” perspective on where other

Welcome!  November is here, and that means we are heading down the back stretch of 2015. This makes a perfect time to begin planning for 2016. Over the next four weeks, we will cover a topic that we have used in my family for many years and that I still use. I use this in teaching Annual Webinars for my clients as well. We will ask Four Questions you should ask yourself to make 2016 the best year ever. Question 1: What is working in our lives right now and how do we get more of it? Are you focusing on a particular product? Are you adding a new product? Are you focusing on a particular kind of client? Do you plan to expand your business? Do you need to be more focused on the sales process? Find out why it worked and then duplicate it in 2016! Listener Question of the Week:  I have a client who just reached out to me via email. We sell software products, and they are referencing a purchase they made seven months ago, and they’re telling us they can’t find the order. Quite frankly, I don’t buy into this; I thi

The Power of Asking Great Questions We have looked at two tactical strategies: 1. The Columbo Approach 2. How To Ask the Tough Questions.   This week we are going to look at Questions to Keep You Out of the Price Trap!   If we were to work together and I brought you a proposal how would you go about evaluating price?   Would it simply be the cheapest price? Do added features and benefits matter? How would delivery time and service figure in? Would you look to us to create ideas and solutions that may be new to the mix? 2.  POWER Question – If I were to bring you a solution that was at a higher price but could show you better/higher ROI for using that product/service would that be a business case you are open to listening to? What if they say – "All I care about is price”?   “Typically that isn’t our strong suit but I would love to get involved and see where we are price-wise. How does that process work for you? How would we get involved? Gather the information and prepare to leave like a good little sales

Hey, Gang!  My topic today is What All Top Sales People have in Common.  Over the past 20 years, we have helped our clients select, develop, and retain top salespeople.  We benchmark the top sales performers in these organizations by choosing 4-8 of them and collecting data from them.  We ask questions about how they wish they did their jobs. Through this assessment, we measure three things: Behaviors Motivators Core Skills and Competencies—There are 23 of these skills, but we narrow them down to the top and most important, called The Big Five. The Big Five Core Skills and Competencies are as follows: Resiliency—The ability to bounce back from adversity Personal Accountability—Do what you say you will do Self-Management—These people run their sales career as a business with an entrepreneurial mentality. Influencing Others—This can be a learned or innate ability. Continuous Learning—THE MOST IMPORTANT MUST-HAVE! Why is Continuous Learning so important?  No two days are ever the same.  Management, products,

Welcome to another Master Sales Series Interview!  My guest is Robert Rice, who is a VP with Buckley Oil, which sells chemicals, solvents, and lubricants.  Rob is a young sales rep who is a friend and co-worker of my son.  I have hunted and fished with Rob and watched him get married and build his family.  I’m excited to have him on the show and share his sales knowledge with us today! Rob shares the following about his successful career: Rob likes to focus on the small customers and mid-level customers, selling HIMSELF to them, and not just selling another commodity. Early in his career, Rob struggled with realizing that the success  that he desired is a process and takes time.   He admits that he struggles today with multitasking and keeping focused on the task at hand. Rob believes that even as a company VP, he should devote time each day to cold-calling on potential customers to maintain his skills and help grow the business. Rob identifies his biggest strength as his “You” attitude.  He always asks cust

Welcome!  Hey, Gang!  We are kicking off the 2nd year of the podcast here in October.  My topic today is one that all successful people will face and struggle to overcome. Three Things to do When you Get Overwhelmed: Ask yourself: What is NOT working? And how do I get rid of it or make it work?  Your time is your inventory.  What is not giving you the return on investment in your time?  Sometimes tough decisions are required about how you spend (and waste) time. Learn to use the leverage of other people.  Use virtual assistants and part-time help.  Use tools and online resources to help. Say thanks.  Be thankful for the fact that you ARE busy.  Many people would love to have that problem! Listener Question of the Week:  I’ve noticed that your social media engagement on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter has gone through the roof.  How in the world are you able to take care of all the social media needs in such a consistent fashion? Quote of the Week:  “Saying there’s not enough time is like saying there’s not

Welcome!  Hey—it’s the One Year Anniversary of the podcast!  It’s been a fast year and we’ve covered a lot of great sales information.  Thanks to all our loyal listeners!  I am committed to bringing you value with each episode, so I look forward to giving you more great tips and bringing you more great interviews.   As we wrap up this first year, I want to share with you the #1 thing I’ve learned in the past year about successful selling, and it comes from my consulting work with Keller-Williams.  It’s database, database, database!  What I mean by that is that sales revolve around your contacts and the “touches” you make with your clients. Consider the Four C’s: Capture the information from the client. Connect with others to show that you like them. Cultivate the relationship with the client. Email them, send them offers, and use mail and phone calls to “touch” them with value. Close that customer at their pace. Statistics show that if you use the Four C’s on 12 customers in your database, you will close

Welcome!  I’m recording the show today from a road trip.  I’m also battling a cold and losing my voice, so bear with me!  My topic is a question I’m frequently asked:  What do I listen to and read that helps me stay on top of my game day in and day out?  I’m categorizing the answer into podcasts that I listen to and books that I read and listen to: Podcasts are a great medium for learning and growth.  Here are some of my favorites: Donald Kelly-The Sales Evangelist Michael Hyatt- This is Your Life (he has a great blog, too) Amy Porterfield-Online Marketing Made Easy Ray Edwards-The Ray Edwards Show Jay Baer-Jay Today TV Jim & Christy Jacobus-Your Marriage Matters  Books can be read, but my favorite way to read them is to listen to audible.com. Some recent favorites are as follows: Gary Keller—The One Thing Len Cioni—The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Greg McKeown—Essentialism David Newman—Do It! Marketing David Horsager—The Trust Edge Rory Vaden—Take the Stairs Brian Tracy—The Psychology of Selling Dr. J

Today we are going to talk about why we can’t get them to respond to our e-mails. So … here are the 4 primary reasons why no one reads your e-mails! 4 Reasons Why No One Reads Your Emails (And What To Do About It!) #1 Reason Why No One Reads Your Emails – it is all about us! Let me tell you about! Here is our newest! Guess what we just did! Market, market, market! Sell, sell, sell!!! I, I, I, We, We, We!!! #2 Reason Why No One Reads Your Emails – we have a brand that says we don’t consistently deliver “value” But wait … a lot of my customers read my e-mails so they are perceiving value! Are they? Are we communicating the things they value? Is the value consistently communicated? With their best interests always at heart? #3 Reason Why No One Reads Your Emails – no thought put into the subject line! It is boring and can’t compete with all of their other e-mails! #4 Reason Why No One Reads Your Emails – the e-mail itself isn’t written to make it easy to read! They see the e-mail is from you and set it aside u

Welcome!  Today’s Master Sales Interview guest is Donald Kelly, host of “The Sales Evangelist” podcast.  Donald grew up in Jamaica, watching his Dad be an entrepreneur. The family moved to the US when Donald was nine years old. He was always the kid who loved talking about the things he was interested in most.  He started selling and found that he was good at it and could make money doing it!  Donald went into corporate sales and sold various products after college.  He is primarily in software sales now.  You will learn much from Donald’s experience.  I hope this is the first of many conversations we have on the podcast with Donald! Donald shares the following in our conversation: He uses social media for sales coaching and mentoring. Pride and admitting that he needed help were the biggest struggles. It was necessary to fall in his face and learn how to function in a new arena. Donald shares tips for success in sales: Go to everyone and ask for help. Go to the experts who were the top performers in your