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Remember
What Made You Great
by
Dave Anderson
Think
for a moment about the most significant accomplishments you've
attained professionally or personally, your own personal best.
Perhaps it was a record month, the heroic turnaround of a
failing business, winning a major contest, spearheading a
successful fundraiser, coaching a winning team, climbing a
mountain or running a marathon. Don't go any farther until
you've determined what you consider as your personal best
accomplishment, or even your top two to three accomplishments.
I don't know you or your circumstances, but my bet is that
you did not attain your personal best while you kept things
the same. My guess is you achieved your personal best when
you changed something, challenged something; when you attacked
the status quo, not when you nurtured it. The most significant
accomplishments we rack up in our lives are when we step out
and step up, not when we sit still.
Yet, oftentimes we forget what got us there: that it was the
changes, the challenges, the walking into the unknown that
brings our greatest accomplishments. And as a result we become
more immersed in routine than risk, more comfortable with
inertia than initiative. Before you know it, we're in our
'maintenance mode', keeping things humming along, hoping nothing
comes along to rock the boat or thaw out the frozen status
quo. After some time in this mode we're not as excited about
what we're doing any more, grow bored easily, lack passion
and energy and we're not even sure why.
The status quo never holds its own; it's just one step removed
from sliding backward. Coasting is a dangerous state to be
in since the only direction you can coast is downhill. You
can tell you're making progress and pushing hard enough when
it feels like it's a struggle, when it's hard, when it's an
uphill climb because the next level is always higher than
where you are.
Don't forget what brought you your most significant moments
of personal or organizational greatness. It wasn't when you
played it safe and tried to just 'get by.' It was when you
stepped up and stepped out. Remember how alert and alive you
felt when you were climbing, risking, changing and making
an impact. You had a cause, not a job and it made all the
difference. You'll never recapture that feeling or have that
impact while you're watching what happens or wondering 'what
happened?' You've got to make it happen and keep making it
happen. And all the while you're on the journey, if things
ever seem too calm and under control then you're just not
going fast enough.
Dave Anderson is president of Dave Anderson Corporation
and LearntoLead. www.learntolead.com
Smart
Selling in Scary Times
by
Jill Harrington
In
a weak economy three things are certain:
1. Priorities shift.
2. Sales opportunities we've worked on for months may shrink,
be put on hold, or simply disappear.
3. New opportunities will surface.
The current market is a paradox. Some sales professionals
will shift their approach and come through this period with
bigger opportunities and stronger business relationships.
Others will do more of what they've done in the past, or hunker
down to ride it out and ultimately lose.
Here are two ways to make the most of the current economic
climate.
Get out of your own way. Sellers must get
out of their own heads and get into those of their customers.
Simple for me to say. Extraordinarily tough for you to do
when you are under pressure to close deals and achieve monthly
quotas.
Right now the "non-product" sales call is king.
What do I mean? Don't go in preaching about your product or
service. Plan calls to deepen your understanding of your customers.
Take the time to find out how the current economic conditions
are impacting them and their customers. Find out what their
strategy is to get through this period. Ask, "How can
I help?" rather than, "How can I sell you something?"
Then shut up. If you really listen with a customer's mindset
you will discover opportunity in their answer.
Smarten up your new business development calls.
Most sales reps I know dislike prospecting at the best of
times. Usually it's because they are unknowingly approaching
it just one notch above a telemarketer. In tough times many
sellers, in their desire to make a quick sale, become less
disciplined in their business development activity. This opens
the door of opportunity to the rest of us.
Remember: Set aside regular blocks of time and let nothing
intrude on your business development regimen. Prioritize your
calls so you are calling on opportunities that are winnable
under current conditions. It is no longer a numbers game,
it's a focus game. Do your homework. Ensure that your message
is all about the prospect's situation, and not about you.
Aligning with your customers is always important to sales
success. In tough times it is crucial. So get out of your
own head. Stop trying to simply close the deal on the table,
instead focus on opening a dialogue that clearly identifies
the shifting interests and priorities of your customer. The
sale is much more likely to come.
Jill Harrington is president of salesSHIFT. www.salesSHIFT.ca
Notes,
Plugs and Pitches
The
purpose of the SalesDog newsletter is to inform, inspire and
challenge you.
If you found this week's advice helpful, please forward
it to your friends and co-workers. They'll appreciate
it and so will we.
Wendy Weiss, our business partner, is giving away sales training
bonuses with (of course) your purchase. Check out the deal
here.
Got a comment, suggestion, or idea? I'd like to hear from
you. My email address is Michael@SalesDog.com.
I read and respond to every email I receive. Important: Please
send your email to my address rather than hitting the reply
button so your email doesn't end up in our big company inbox
where I will never see it.
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