Yesterday I felt compelled to write about “Strategic Selling,” — Strategic Selling — Remember That? - a term which seems to have been lost amongst more familiar terms such as “Consultative Selling” or “Collaborative Selling” and “Relationship Selling” even “Sales 2.0″ The fact remains that whatever label we choose to hang on our preferred style of selling, there are now considerable implications for sales management.

It is my view that for companies to remain competitive now, their sales organization must be able to respond positively to changing economic tides.

As businesses strive to establish customer orientation, sales partnerships and a strategic approach to selling, they are demanding more and more from their salespeople, but ensuring that these new methods are widely practiced and smoothly implemented falls to sales management.

Building Productivity:

Sales productivity is a strategic issue. That’s why problems in this area stem from salespeople being unclear about their company’s priorities – i.e. what their message should be and what they should be selling.

The trend in industry - post economic meltdown - of removing layers of management between the sale force and the general manager presents a challenge to those sales managers who remain.

To begin with, the sales manager becomes an essential link between company strategy and what takes place in the customer’s office. He or she must not only grasp the corporate vision, but be able to communicate it to the sales force in terms of the real effects on sales practices.

Creating Direction:

Sales managers with an intimate feel for the selling process succeed, because their staff regard them as part of the sales team. But coaching the team is as important as playing in it. In other words, sales managers must be prepared to provide training, feedback and support to every individual within the team.

Once committed to the training process, they must routinely reinforce new ways of behaving in real sales situations. They must provide a clear sense of direction on a daily basis, not just at the monthly sales meeting / quarterly review / annual appraisal.

The very best sales managers engage in frequent coaching and feedback, even when their sales people work in remote locations. While encouraging salespeople to air their problems openly and discuss their concerns, sales managers must be able to offer clear and specific feedback for improving sales performance.

Rewarding Change:

The sales manager is charged with translating the company’s reward system into specific improvements in sales performance. Both salespeople and corporate managers count on the sales manager to recognize and reward outstanding achievement – formally and informally.

The process of promoting new attitudes about the customer and the role of the salesperson can be frustrating and slow. Reverting back to recent research there is compelling evidence to suggest that companies will see results sooner if they recognize and reward salespeople – “you get more of the behavior and results that you reward”

The trend in sales compensation appears to be away from commission to guaranteed salary; from compensation based on orders to compensation based on delivery and sign-off.

Interestingly, some of our clients base their ‘salesperson of the year’ award on the basis of customer satisfaction or customer retention, rather than sheer volume of orders or activity.

Summary — And Now the Good News

It is now a given fact, in any sales-related seminar or conference you may attend, that traditional sales methods are being relegated to the annals of history. The new, more discerning customers of today have seen to that. They now wield greater bargaining power, demand more value for money and have become more knowledgeable and professional when it comes to decision-making.

Suppliers are now faced with rising customer expectations and the need to become more flexible to the requirements of each individual client.

Yet, the key to differentiation lies within these expectations since more complex buying decisions lead customers to value closer links with their suppliers.

News: What makes a successful sales team? You can discover what I think HERE

Source: Jonathan Farrington’s Blog

Let me acknowledge something:
It can be tough out there!

Every day we’re bombarded with scary, ugly, scandalous and tragic news.

Being an election year, the political rhetoric is at epic levels, with repeated messages of how broken, corrupt and terrible everything and everyone is.

Even your own friends, family and colleagues are parroting these sentiments around water coolers, in hallway conversations and at cocktail parties.

Over time you might even find these  attitudes echoed in the voice in your own head. It can become maddening.

What do you do? Where do you turn?
How do you break this self-perpetuating cycle of fear, worry and negativity?

THAT is why we’re here. That’s the purpose of SUCCESS.

Through the fog of all the negative, fearful and worrisome messages that continually swirl around us, we are here to be your beacon of light and hope—a resource you can turn to for inspiration, optimism and to find out what’s right with the world.

We also show you what’s possible for you; if you take the wheel of your ship and captain your own destiny, we will be the wind in your sails. We will provide you the map needed to chart a course toward your long-held goals, dreams and ambitions, and to finally make them real.

These are times of the greatest opportunities in all human history. Don’t let anyone or anything convince you otherwise. There has never been a better time for the individual—the entrepreneur—to take control of his or her financial future.

Unlike any other time in history, you now have the entire globe as your marketplace literally right at your fingertips. And at SUCCESS magazine we are here to support, encourage and help you accomplish your entrepreneurial dreams.

Our empowering message is one thing that sets SUCCESS apart from other publications. Another thing that distinguishes SUCCESS is the CD enclosed in each issue, which has become the heart and soul of our experience together.

This is a feature not available in any other national newsstand publication today or at anytime in publishing past. This is done at great expense and considerable additional effort. We think it’s worth it.

Why do we do it?… CLICK HERE TO READ REST OF POST

Source: Darren Hardy, Publisher of SUCCESS Magazine

Welcome to Week 7 of our group study of The 5 Levels of Leadership. This week we’re studying Level 5, The Pinnacle. The difficulty with teaching this level is that Level 5 leaders are just not very common. Until now, you’ve spent your time nudging group members to reach for the level being discussed. But [...]

Originally posted at: John Maxwell on Leadership
Copyright 2009-2011. All rights reserved.

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Level Up, Week 7: The Pinnacle

Source: John Maxwell on Leadership

The most recent New York Times Sunday magazine included an article on the popular PBS drama, “Downton Abbey.” Titled “The Upside-Down Appeal of ‘Downton Abbey,’” the author was clearly attempting to suss out the attraction to the show. Along the way, she explains that she found the leadership style of lord of the manor an unexpected twist. Apparently he engaged in leadership techniques that would make Tom proud, including Managing by Wandering Around. She went so far as to call the lord a “devotee of Tom Peters.” Although we joke with Tom about the length of his career, we’re fairly certain In Search of Excellence cannot be found on a feudal lord’s bookshelf. Regardless, it’s fascinating to find leadership lessons so far from the typical corporate office, and we hope the article provides plenty of food for thought.

Source: The Tom Peters Weblog

In most industries today, a handful of ideal customers have become universal targets – fact.

Nearly every industrial salesperson dreams of calling on the CEO of those top companies, which logically means that there are maybe 500 customers for a million sellers?

With such intense competition, conventional approaches are not equal to the challenge. Salespeople need to develop strategies that distinguish their products, services and their organizations in the mind of the customer.

Making a sale has always involved an element of systematic planning, but strategic selling – a term which appears to have gone out of vogue – means more than rehearsing product information and timing the close. Strategic selling begins with understanding your company’s strategy, vision and distinctiveness and then selecting high profile customers.

The next step, logically, is anticipating each stage of the buying process – from analyzing the competition to identifying the influencers and decision-makers and being switched in to the buyer’s political issues.

In other words, there is a need for a comprehensive strategic profile and rigorous opportunity assessment process.

Most important of all, strategic selling means stratagizing from the customer’s point of view.

Top achievers see strategic selling as a routine part of their work – not a final resort.

Whatever comes next, strategically minded sales professionals will always be at the front of the queue, and will survive.

Selling at the “top end” should be likened to playing chess – not checkers!

News: Have you checked out this month’s Top 10 Sales Articles which are now selected and published? Some really good thought-provoking writing.

Source: Jonathan Farrington’s Blog

Image by notsogoodphotography (license).

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
Confucius

“The aspects of things that are most important for us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein

I love simplifying my life.

It makes me more effective and life less stressful. It makes me calmer, more energetic and happier.

So today I’d like to share 42 ways to make your life simpler. I hope you’ll find something inspiring and helpful among these tips.

1. Mix things up. Try the opposite. Have the vegetarian dish if you always go for the meat. Walk away from a stupid conflict instead of making it worse. Let one thing go if you often cling to things. Make a habit of mixing things up to grow your life in small or bigger ways. And to make it easier and simpler to step out of your comfort zone in general when you really need to.

2. Get up 20 minutes earlier. This will help you to reduce stress in the morning and during the rest of the day.

3. Be 10 minutes early for meetings and appointments. This will help you to make your time of travel a time of rest and relaxation instead of stressful. And you will not be late.

4. Single-task. You be more focused, less stressed and get to done more quickly. So do one thing at a time and do it with your full attention.

5. Ask yourself: am I keeping things extremely simple? If not, figure out how you can do that in the situation you are in.

6. Ask yourself: will this matter 5 years from now? Or even 5 weeks from now? Do this to avoid making mountains out of molehills.

7. Buy things with the money you have earned and saved. Avoid getting into debt.

8. Learn a few recipes and cook. You’ll save money and probably eat healthier.

9. When you cook, cook more than you’ll eat. This will help you to spend less time on cooking and washing dishes. And you’ll have an extra dinner or two to just reheat when you don’t have time or energy to cook.

10. Write things down. Pretty much everyone’s memory is leaky. So help yourself. Write down what you need to do or shop for today. Write down what your top 4 priorities in life are and post that note where you can see it every day.

11. Remember that life is larger than you may think it is. You do not know everything and you are not always right. Remembering this makes it easier for me to learn things, to accept other viewpoints, to create changes and to stay more open.

12. Risk making mistakes. Learn from them. Then do again with that helpful new experience and knowledge in mind.

13. Do what YOU really, really, really want to do. Do not get stuck in trying to live someone else’s dream.

14. Go grocery shopping once a week. You’ll save money and time if you make the effort to plan for a week and to shop for it all at once.

15. Go grocery shopping when you not hungry. You’ll buy more healthy food instead of impulse buying yourself through the store.

16. Enjoy the simple pleasures. An apple, the latest episode of your favorite show, fresh and clean bed sheets, a hug and kiss, holding hands, the sun and blossoming nature after a long and cold winter.

17. Have a glass of water. Instead of eating when you are bored or when are having a craving have 1-2 glasses of water. This will help you to keep to those cravings away until the next meal and to maintain your health and weight.

18. Eat slower. Make your lunch time a time of relaxation rather than a time to just add to the stress of your morning. Try putting down the fork between bites to slow down the eating.

19. Be kind. Be kind to other people and especially to yourself.

20. Write shorter emails. 1-5 sentences is often enough.

21. Write emails only once a day. Batch and process them all at once all the way to an empty inbox.

22. Learn about ways to keep stress down and try them out. Examples would be mindfulness, setting human standards for yourself and saying no. A few such habits can help you to drastically cut down on the stress in your life.

23. Give everything its home. Then you know where to put the item when you have used it. You’ll know where to find it when you need it again. And you’ll reduce the clutter in your home or work space.

24. Slow down and enjoy and pay attention what is actually happening today. Instead of just rushing through the day and always on to the next thing.

25. Spend more time with people who make life simpler. And less time with people who make life unnecessarily complicated.

26. Exercise every week. This will reduce stress, up your energy levels and in my experience reduces negative thoughts.

27. Declutter. Declutter your life of the things that aren’t really that useful or meaningful for you anymore. Give that stuff away to someone who needs it. Or throw it out. A question that can help you to know if it is time to declutter something out of your life is: have I used this item in the last year?

28. Look for advice from people who have been where you are. Learn from people who have been in the situation you are in and had the challenge you are having.

29. Stop trying to please everyone. There will always be people who you don’t get along with or that do not like you for some reason.

30. Break a task down into smaller and actionable pieces. Single-task that first piece until it is done. Then do the same with the next piece. And so on.

31. Stop trying to do things perfectly. Go for good enough instead and when you are there you are done. Get things all the way to done this way and then move on to the next thing.

32. Take a minute and just breathe a couple of times a day. This will help you to reduce the stress and overwhelm of your day. It will help you to reconnect with the present moment, to create a habit of living more mindfully and to focus all your attention on what is happening right now.

33. Spend just 20% of your time on dwelling on a problem and 80% of your time focusing on a solution. Instead of the other way around.

34. Focus on a few priorities in your life. Keep things simple to be able to put enough effort, attention and energy into those most important things. Rather than becoming spread too thin, rarely finishing things and being distracted by all those many other things you want to do or that feel you need to do too.

35. Keep a journal. By writing the facts and your thoughts and feelings down in a journal it becomes easier to work through a challenge and to find a good solution. You can also use a journal to track your actual results instead of guesstimating how your life is going. And to better remember all the things that you did well or that went well if you worry often or have quite a bit of negative thoughts.

36. Stop doing what you don’t like doing anymore. Life changes and so do you. If you you don’t like doing something anymore then perhaps it is time to stop doing that (even if it may take some time before you can do so by for example switching jobs).

37. Use a very simple workspace. My work space is just a laptop on a small black desk made out of wood. I use a comfy chair and there is room for my glass of water beside the computer. That’s it. There are no distractions here. Just me, the computer and the water.

38. Spend 15 minutes each Sunday to plan the next week. Write down your plans for the week, organize your prioritized to-do list and get ready for the week before you are in the middle of it all. This will help you to find more clarity, get more of the most important things done next week and minimize stress.

39. Cancel subscriptions for TV-channels, newsletters and magazines you rarely get around to watching or reading anyway.

40. Ask instead of guessing. Reading minds is hard. So, instead ask questions and communicate. This will help you to minimize unnecessary conflicts, misunderstandings, negativity and waste or time and energy.

41. Make one change at a time and start small. Focus on one habit or area at a time. If you want to start running or decluttering, start with doing just a few minutes of that activity a day or week. Then gradually increase the amount of time you spend on that activity to make it easier to adopt the new habit.

42. Be lazy. By using the tips in this article you’ll be able to get things done more quickly and in a simpler way. This will give more time in a regular week to simply be lazy. To just take it easy alone or with family or a friend, to not do much at all. I highly recommend spending time with being lazy every week to relax, to mindfully enjoy the small pleasures of life and to recharge yourself so that you can be effective and focused again later on.

If you found this article helpful, then please share it with someone else by using the buttons below. Thank you! =)

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Want to learn much more about living a simpler, happier and less stressful life where you dare to follow and achieve your dreams in 2012? Then have a look at my four premium courses and guides:

- Stop feeling lousy about yourself and start living a life of self-happiness where you live up to your potential and dare to follow your dreams today – with The Self-Esteem Course.

- Get rid off the inner and outer clutter and start living a simpler, more focused and meaningful life – with the Simplicity Course.

- How to triple your productivity, minimize stress and free up more time for yourself starting today – with The Art of Relaxed Productivity.

- How to become a more mindful, motivated, action-taking optimist – with The Power of Positivity.

Copyright 2006-2012 Henrik Edberg.

——————————————————————————-

Source: The Positivity Blog

If you’re faced with a client who doesn’t want to make a decision about your product, service, or idea, you can tell a competitive-edge story to help them along. These stories don’t need to be elaborate, and they’re not meant to talk your clients into anything they don’t want or need. The stories just remind [...] Related posts:

1. The Gaining vs Losing Close
2. “If you say yes” Close
3. The Reduction to the Ridiculous Close

Source: Tom Hopkins’ Sales Training Blog

Welcome to Week 6 of our group study of The 5 Levels of Leadership. This week we’re studying Level 4, People Development. As I wrote in the chapter, people development enables a leader to lead larger. In other words, when you have leaders working with you, they accomplish much more than non-leaders do. However, developing [...]

Originally posted at: John Maxwell on Leadership
Copyright 2009-2011. All rights reserved.

Follow JohnCMaxwell on Twitter.
Or visit John’s Facebook page.
Introducing a new daily video program, A Minute with Maxwell. Sign up here. It’s free!
Level Up, Week 6: People Development

Source: John Maxwell on Leadership

The reality is that we are constantly looking for an edge — to steal a march on the competition – and whilst it is true that professional selling is becoming de-personalized, our ability to quickly get on the same “wave length” as our buyer/prospect/customer, will always provide us with a  significant advantage.

For example, there are four personality types or social styles — Analyticals, Drivers, Expressives and Amiables — and all four have their own unique approach to business, their own language and thought processes, etc.

As a consequence, the very best sales professionals have become adept at recognizing which personality type they are dealing with and adapt their approach and communication style accordingly.

In every boardroom, you will always find three of the four personality types – occasionally, all four. I have discovered over the years which personality is likely to fill which position on the board, but more on that laterâ€|

The Driver

Let’s begin by looking at the characteristics of the Driver: Drivers are action and goal oriented, need to see results and have a quick reaction time. They are decisive, independent, disciplined, practical and efficient. They typically use facts and data, speak and act quickly, lean forward, point and make direct eye contact. Their body posture is often rigid and they have controlled facial expressions.

They rarely want to waste time on personal talk or preliminaries and can be perceived by other styles as dominating or harsh and severe in pursuit of a goal. They are comfortable in positions of power and control and they have businesslike offices with certificates and commendations on the wall. In times of stress, drivers may become autocratic.

The Analytical

Analyticals are concerned with being organized, having all the facts and being careful before taking action. Their need is to be accurate, to be right, precise, orderly, methodical and conform to standard operating procedures, organizational rules and historical ways of doing things. They typically have a slow reaction time and work more slowly and carefully than Drivers. They are perceived as serious, industrious, persistent and exacting.

Usually, they are task oriented, use facts and data, and tend to speak slowly, lean back and use their hands frequently. They do not make direct eye contact and control their facial expressions. Others may see them as stuffy, indecisive, critical, picky and moralistic. They are comfortable in positions in which they can check facts and figures and be sure they are right. They have neat, well organized offices and in times of stress, Analyticals tend to avoid conflict.

The Expressive

Expressives enjoy involvement, excitement, and interpersonal action. They are sociable, stimulating, and enthusiastic and are good at involving and motivating others. They are also ideas oriented, have little concern for routine, are future oriented and usually they have a quick reaction time. They need to be accepted by others, tend to be spontaneous, outgoing, energetic and friendly. They are focused on people, rather than on tasks. Typically, they use opinions and stories, rather than facts and data. They speak and act quickly, vary vocal inflection, lean forward, and point and make direct eye contact.

They use their hands when talking; have a relaxed body posture and an animated expression. Their feelings often show in their faces and they are perceived by others as excitable, impulsive, undisciplined, dramatic, manipulative, ambitious, overly reactive and egotistical. They usually have disorganized offices and may have leisure equipment like golf clubs or tennis racquets. Under stressful conditions, Expressives tend to resort to personal attack.

And Finally — The Amiable

Amiables need co-operation, personal security and acceptance. They are uncomfortable with and will avoid conflict at all costs. They value personal relationships, helping others and being liked. Some Amiables will sacrifice their own desires to win approval from others. They prefer to work with other people in a team effort, rather than individually and they have an unhurried reaction time and little concern with effecting change. Typically, they are friendly, supportive, respectful, willing, dependable and agreeable. They are also people-oriented.

They use opinions, rather than facts and data, speak slowly and softly, use more vocal inflection than Drivers or Analyticals. They lean back while talking and do not make direct eye contact; they also have a casual posture and an animated expression. They are perceived by other styles as conforming, unsure, pliable, dependent and awkward. They have homely offices — family photographs, plants etc. An Amiable’s reaction to stress is to comply with others.

Most people’s first reaction after reading the four profiles is to believe that they fit into more than one category and this is absolutely right. However, everyone has a dominant style and no-one should believe that they fit into more than two because they don’t. Let me explain why:

The Social Styles Model

It is not possible to illustrate with a diagram here, so imagine two boxes on top of two other boxes or if you prefer, a window with four panes. In the top left is the Analytical, top right the Driver, directly below them in the bottom right hand corner is the Expressive. Finally, directly below the Analytical, sitting in the bottom left hand corner is the Amiable.

Note where each style is placed, because this is important. The people, with whom you probably find it most difficult to relate to naturally, are your diagonal opposites on the matrix. So you do need to study the characteristics of your diagonally opposite Social Style.

Now, what I can share with you is that the majority of professional salespeople are Expressives – so clearly, they are going to find it most difficult to relate to and communicate with, Analyticals. That is a challenge in itself, because there will always be at least one Analytical within the formal DMU!

What is even more interesting is that Top 5% achievers (yes, a favorite term I know) are Drivers! So you see, they have no difficulty getting onto the same wavelength as Analyticals, because they are side by side and of course they have total synergy with other Drivers, plus, they relate well to Expressives. But, they have little in common with Amiables.  Why is that so significant? Well, quite simply, the Social Style that you are least likely to find in a boardroom isâ€|â€|.. yes, it’s an Amiable!

So, which Social Style do the various residents of the boardroom typically have?

Managing Directors are typically Drivers, as you might expect.

Finance Directors are usually Analyticals

Sales Directors are nearly always Expressives

Marketing Directors are also Expressives

Technical Directors are almost always Analyticals

And Finallyâ€|

In Sales:

Level 3 Top 5% Achievers are normally Drivers

Level 2 Sales Professionals are typically Expressives

Level One Emerging salesmen/women are almost always Amiables

It is of course dangerous to generalize and there will always be exceptions. However, based on my experience, I have very rarely been mistaken using this concept of personality identification.

News: Of course it is “change-over” day at Top Sales Management today, and that means a brand new “How to” guide; the latest sales team development session; another sales management coaching article, plus new tips – all designed to help you become the very best sales leader you can possibly be!

Source: Jonathan Farrington’s Blog

Quotes Concerning “A Bias for Action”

“Attribute No. 1,” In Search of Excellence

Messing around with my favorite topic—the primacy of action over blah blah blah. Put together two attachments. One is a PowerPoint. The other is a set of quotes—the first ten of which are offered up below.

The “Big 10″:

“We have a ‘strategic plan.’ It’s called doing things.”—Herb Kelleher

“This is so simple it sounds stupid, but it is amazing how few oil people really understand that you only find oil if you drill wells. You may think you’re finding it when you’re drawing maps and studying logs, but you have to drill.”—John Masters, Canadian oil and gas wildcatter, The Hunters

“Can do!”—Motto, U.S. Navy Seabees (U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalions)

“Execution is the job of the business leader.”—Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

“Ready. FIRE! Aim.”—H. Ross Perot (versus, he said, the far more common “Aim! Aim! Aim! …”)

“BLAME NO ONE. EXPECT NOTHING. DO SOMETHING.”—Locker room sign
posted by NFL football coach Bill Parcells

“Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious and anything self-conscious is lousy. You simply must … Do things.”—Ray Bradbury

“To Be somebody or to Do something.”—John Boyd

“Fall seven times, stand up eight.”—Japanese proverb

“You miss 100% of the shots you never take.”—Wayne Gretzky

Source: The Tom Peters Weblog