Determine your most productive time of the day and dedicate it to I time. I time is for you to do whatever you have to do that will bring you closer to achieving your goals. It may be as simple as visualizing the accomplishment of your goals or doing what you have to do just for you. The point is to dedicate the most productive time to the most important person in the world.

You have already set your goals and action plans; and have prioritized the actions. Take your annual goals and break them down into months, weeks, and finally days. Prepare in the same way for each day’s activities. Separate the large tasks into small, manageable pieces. Try to accomplish some of these smaller tasks each day. Before long, you will have accomplished a large task.

I recommend you end each day by writing a prioritized “to-do” list for the next day. Similarly, at the end of each week and each month, prepare a list for the following week and month. Plainly speaking, get organized. Learn to utilize a daily planner. You will be better organized if you write everything in your planner.

Another piece of advice, clear your mind of clutter. Solve all problems while they are small. Whatever you do, do it only once and to the best of your ability. Then, move on. Question all tasks to make sure they are worthwhile. Do the most unfavorable or hardest jobs first.

Be decisive and remove time wasters, such as interruptions, from all of your activities. Remember to take care of yourself by exercising, by watching your diet, and by maintaining a balance in your life. When evening arrives and your next day’s “to-do” list is written, then it is time to celebrate. Action that gets rewarded gets repeated. Follow these steps for 30 days and you will be transformed into an action-oriented, do-it-now person.

An action-oriented person is proactive. When you are proactive, you have initiative. You are able to see a need, to figure out how to best satisfy that need, to determine the appropriate time to take the right action, and to proceed. When you are proactive, you lead. When you lead, you take control of yourself and get the things you want out of life.

Try using the visualization technique to help yourself become action oriented. When you set your goals, you picture something that you want to have, to be or to do. Everything we have or do is preceded by an image in our mind. Visualization is seeing the end result. It is a form of mental rehearsal. Through the use of imagination, what you see is what you will get.

You must have a clear vision of your goals. There is a difference between ‘dreaming about having something in the future’ and ‘visualizing having it in the future.’ The power of believing makes all the difference. Visualizing implies a structured and disciplined view of what you are trying to accomplish. Through visualization, you picture yourself already in possession of your goal. By visualizing, you look at your goal from many different viewpoints. By examining your goal from all of the viewpoints, you see the situation clearly and can act on those aspects that will result in the greatest payback.

Go put your creed into your deed.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Make this a daily discipline. Visualize in order to actualize your goals. Forget all your inhibitions. See things as you want them to be, not as they are. Take time to sit back, close your eyes, and see yourself accomplishing your goal. You are watching a movie based on your personal success. Focus your attention on the results. See yourself at that moment. Feel the emotions. See the colors and the details, and hear the sounds.

If you form a clear and detailed picture of your future, the ways and means of getting there will be revealed to you. Keep focusing on what you want, not on how you will do it. The laws of nature will take over. The more you visualize the more resources you will attract. Your vision will act as a magnet. It will attract people, events and circumstances to it like a flame. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

And when you’re having a difficult moment during the day, take the time to visualize the accomplishment of your goal. It will help you to refocus and to relax, and the issue of the moment will matter less. The major incident of today will probably be insignificant in the future. Don’t trip over molehills.

Try visualizing right now. Project yourself six months into the future. Select one of your short-range goals. Now get comfortable and close your eyes. See yourself accomplishing your goal. You are now successfully there. You made it; you’re living and breathing it. Use your imagination. See all the details, hear the sounds, feel the emotions, and celebrate. Visualize this for the next five minutes. Focus on the success.

I recommend that you get into the habit of doing this daily. Your enthusiasm concerning your vision will not only keep you motivated, it will get others excited about your dream too.

Just as thoughts can control feelings and feelings control behavior, the reverse is also true. If you change your behavior, you can change your feelings and ultimately your thoughts. It is not how you feel that determines how you act; it is how you act that determines how you feel. For example, if you pull your shoulders back, lift your head high, force yourself to smile and greet others cheerfully, you will find your mood changing.

The same process applies to self-talk. Feed your mind negative thoughts and it will produce negative actions. Feed your mind positive, confident information and your mind will react in kind. You cannot completely control the circumstances around you, but you can control what you say to yourself and how you think.

These techniques, all easy to do, are the daily steps that will lead you to success. All success breeds success. There will be obstacles along the way, and when they get in your way, be ready for them. You must persist. You will get things done and you will meet your objectives and reach your goals. Keep in mind that often when we are ready to quit, success lies just around the corner. Don’t ever relinquish taking action. Make your dreams come true!

Tags: increase sales, marketing and sales strategies, sales techniques, sales coaching

Attitude originates from our beliefs. Whatever our beliefs are in ourselves, our organization, our team effectiveness and the general market place, ultimately they are reflected in our attitude. Thusly, our attitude determines how we feel. Our overall feelings lead to actions and it is those actions that achieve results.

If you are not achieving the results you want, you need to get the team involved, and deal with the underlying issues surrounding team effectiveness.

Begin by getting your entire team together, give everyone a post-it pad and ask them to write down a percentage, anywhere between 1-100%, which reflects the team effectiveness. Encourage each member of the team to answer honestly and to keep all responses confidential. Once each percentage is recorded on a post-it, fold the paper and place it in the centre of the table.

Next, gather all the papers and post them on a flip chart. Add them up and calculate the average percentage of team effectiveness. This is valuable information as it reflects how your team views their effectiveness in today’s market. If the percentage is below 60%, you have some challenges ahead but allow your team to brainstorm and discover ways to improve.

On a new flip chart page, draw a line down the centre of the page from top to bottom. Draw another line from left to right near the top of the page. On the upper left side above the line, write the average % of team effectiveness (let’s use 65%) and a + sign (which represents all the positive factors of team effectiveness).

On the upper right side above the line, write the difference between the Average % of team effectiveness and 100%. For example: 65% + 35% A (delta) = 100%

Note the delta sign represents the areas of improvement necessary to achieve 100% team effectiveness.

Divide the team into small groups and provide each group with a flip chart page. Each group must list all the positive factors that contribute to their level of team effectiveness. In other words, what exactly have they contributed to justify 65% team effectiveness?

The groups should take approximately ten minutes to list the positive factors; then, each group will share their own list with the others. As a facilitator of team building, encourage frequent applauding. By doing so, the team is demonstrating support and creating an attitude of appreciation; therefore, changing their focus.

Next, have the groups do the same exercise on the right hand side under the delta. What can the team do to improve by 35% in order to strive for 100% team effectiveness?

After approximately ten minutes of listing areas of improvement, each group will read the list to the others, and applaud accordingly.

The next important step is to discuss the factors that are within your control and those that are not. For example, we cannot control the weather, the traffic or what people say about us. However, we can control the manner in which we react, our thoughts, our attitudes and our self talk. Let’s take a look at this list and place brackets around the factors that are not within our control. From that point forward, ignore all uncontrollable factors.

The time has arrived to gather all the categories from the original list and choose only the areas of improvement within our control. You may notice these categories are usually classified under communications, technology, policies, etc. It is the team’s responsibility to identify and then, place each area of improvement under the relevant category. Your end result will identify three to five categories that require improvement. Without a doubt, one of them will be attitude.

If time allows, have the team identify which category will impact team effectiveness the most. This area of improvement should take priority. Each group must brainstorm and draft a solution. You may allot 20 minutes for this exercise and have a member of each group present back to the rest of the team allowing for general input to the solution.

What you will find is that attitude will rank the highest return in team effectiveness. Save attitude for a final review. I suggest you create a buzz word incorporating your company, department, or team name with the word attitude.

Here is an example: to the outside world we are known as Microsoft, but there is no sense working on the outside until we fix the inside. Why not create MicroTude, and formulate a list of attitudes related to how we treat each other within the team environment. This list will inevitably focus on factors within our control.

Take this exercise one step further. Involve the groups in a discussion on how those positive attitudes will improve team effectiveness if they are implemented by all members of the team.

What is preventing your team from said implementation? Record all findings. Finally, acquire a signed commitment from each member of the team. Their signature assures their determination to implement positive change. A team of volunteers will also ensure the tasks are followed to fruition.

Don’t stop there. Take the category lists from this exercise and have them typed and documented. Then, circulate it throughout the organization along with a request to add new areas of improvement and to include a signature. It is very important to support the implementation team and to keep the buzz word alive.

As a result of the foregoing exercise, dramatic improvements in both morale and team effectiveness will be apparent.

Tags: sales strategies, how to sell, goal setting worksheet, free sales training

As you know, this is not the case with some team leaders. Many team leaders are not in control of their own lives. They are not motivated or inspiring or more importantly, results oriented. They may not be aware of the importance of said qualities in a leader. It is virtually impossible to give to others, if you don’t have it to give.

If you are this type of team leaders, you must to take an inside-out approach toward self improvement. Begin by taking stock of your personal attributes. Find out what inspires you and use it to motivate yourself in a positive direction. Make every effort to achieve the results you desire.

A leader no longer directs people but develops self-motivated individuals. A leader doesn’t micro manage; instead he/she builds a team that can manage on its own and one that has influential work ethics.

A leader wears many hats. He/she can play an administrative role or function as a part-time psychologist. A leader is the “guardian” of the bottom-line, an enthusiast, a team builder, and a good listener. A leader credits others for a job well done; and offers praise and recognition for outstanding effort and solid results.

An effective team consists of many characteristics. A team must have a purpose and that purpose is defined by the mission. The team mission is a summary of the team’s objectives. It is a statement that serves to direct and motivate the team in pursuit of its goals.

The team’s mission is driven by the organization’s vision. The organization’s vision provides a “big picture” perspective that serves to align people, ideas, and attitudes. It must, however, be communicated to team members in such a way that they are inspired to be part of it. To be successful, the team must align its purpose or mission with the organization’s vision.

Each team member must participate in the development of effective team goals. By doing so, team members will know exactly what is expected of them; and can commit to working closely with one another in pursuit of the team’s overall goals.

Within the team, members must establish a high degree of communication, trust, support and cohesiveness. The team must be flexible and choose effective problem solving methods that will facilitate sound decision-making. It is no longer effective for a team leader to use authority in the decision making process. It has been proven that a consultative or consensus approach to decision making is much more effective and allows for greater freedom for team members.

However, there must be more than just freedom. There should always be an element of fun as part of the team culture. There are many ways to do this. Give your team a name that will echo the team’s mission. The name may also, reflect the characteristics of the members.

Team members must know how to conduct effective meetings by:

• having an agenda
• setting the ground rules
• stipulating the objectives
• following appropriate procedures
• allocating individual roles and responsibilities

Review and establish effective methods for action planning, monitoring, communication, evaluation and follow up. Each member should also demonstrate appropriate personal, interpersonal and group task behaviors.

Team members must be empowered and trusted so they will perform their job to the best of their ability. They will be more action-oriented and committed to implementing the plan. A leader is there to coach the members, not to direct them. There will be failures; however, with each failure one learns a valuable lesson.

A good leader must demonstrate the appropriate behaviors that stimulate team morale, encourage individual participation, and offer a chance to lead. In the end, you will move forward with confidence along side your strong results oriented and self motivated team.

Tags: marketing and sales strategies, increase sales, sales coaching, sales strategies

If this is true, you must appreciate that sales revenue is the life line to your bottom line. Without buyers, there are no sales. Without sales, there are no revenues. The world revolves around sales, but more importantly, it now needs to revolve around buyers. Buyers are everywhere. What are you doing to help them buy?

The economy brought on a shift from selling during the boom times to attracting, engaging and empowering the new economy of buyers to buy.

Traditional and consultative sales methods no longer work. The sales cycle is longer than need be and the margins are dropping.

Buyers have been educated by sales people regarding all imaginable sales techniques. Unfortunately, salespeople don’t even realize they have lost control.

Sales people also need to change the way they are selling. The traditional dog-and-pony show, or feature and benefit dump will no longer work.

Clients, in today’s new economy, are looking for salespeople who bring them value. They want sales people who take the time to truly understand a client’s business and needs.

Clients appreciate salespeople who ask pertinent questions and listen intently, at the same time as demonstrating genuine concern for the client instead of themselves. Clients respect salespeople who are in it for the long term relationship and not simply for the money.

To succeed in the new economy of buyers, you need to do the opposite of selling. You need to attract, engage and empower buyers to buy.

“Keep doing what you have always done and you will get what you have always gotten.”

Most strategic planning emphasizes a target to increase sales and to up the bottom line. Sales skill sets must keep pace with the new economy of buyers in this high-tech, global society.

This is probably one reason why sales training is so prevalent on the Internet, at public seminars, and including in-house customized programs.

Another reason is sales training offers Management and individual sales professionals a high return on investment. For example, where else could you invest $1 with a realistic expectation of a $10 or more return in revenue?

If you, as a Corporate Executive, entrepreneur or professional salesperson are considering sales training, ensure it is a “buyer focused” sales training system supporting today‘s new economy of buyers.

Once you understand how buyers buy and how they control the sales process, you will want to change how you conduct your sales. Buyers follow a system, and salespeople must do the same. You must integrate a selling system that attracts, engages, and empowers the buyer to buy, not one that sells to the buyer.

A buyer focused selling system will maximize time and provide measurable results. You will enable buyer attraction, engagement, and qualification. Once the prospect is qualified, you will have the control to empower the buyer to buy, increase the velocity of your selling cycle, increase your margins and revenues, and ultimately, up your bottom line.

It is crucial to your overall success to begin with a strong foundation that will adequately support the productive behaviours within the Selling System.

A brand new positive and proactive attitude will certainly attract more buyers.
Changing your ineffective behaviours or habits into defined daily disciplines and efficient habits will provide you with more focused targeting. The result will be a better return on time invested (R.O.T.I.).

A buyer focused selling system requires organizations to be committed to doing what is “right” and demonstrating the appropriate behaviours on an ongoing basis. This includes tracking and analyzing behaviours to increase call-to-close ratios, or if necessary, turning away business. It also means being ethical and acting with integrity even when it’s easy or tempting not to.

Buyer Focused Sales training in today’s new economy will contribute more to your bottom line than any other activity.

All sales professionals, entrepreneurs or Corporate Executives must remember that sales revenue is the life line to up your bottom line. Without buyers, there are no sales. Without sales, there are no revenues. The world revolves around sales, but more importantly, it now needs to revolve around buyers. Buyers are everywhere. What are you doing to help them buy?

Tags: sales coaching, marketing and sales strategies, goal setting worksheet, free sales training

How do you secure trust in your sales approach today?

Do you talk about yourself; your products and services; and your company?
Do you look around for something of interest to the prospect, such as a golf trophy on the office shelf? Do you offer a firm handshake?

If you use any of these traditional sales techniques, you should stop immediately. In today’s new economy of buyers, you will not secure trust or respect in the field of professional sales by using out dated techniques.

Trust comes from building rapport which is the first step in the “Buyer Focused” Velocity Selling System.

Rapport is derived from the French word meaning “to bring back”. Nero Linguistic Programming (NLP) states that our body speaks louder than our words, especially when referring to building a rapport with a customer. Body language attributes to 70% of rapport building while tonality falls in second place at 23% and words are a mere 7%.

What must you do when building a rapport, if your body speaks louder than words?

The technique is known as mirror and matching. It is a sales technique that comes naturally to some sales professionals, but not easily to most.

You automatically build rapport with people who remind you of yourself. This is called commonality. You want the customer to think you remind him or her of himself or herself. Mirror and matching the manner in which people shake hands, walk, stand, sit or gesture is complimentary and shows the customer that you are in sync. This works with tonality and by using the same words.

However, be careful with mirror and matching. Don’t ever mimic! If you mirror or match a prospect, do so gradually. Take your time and allow the change in your body language to evolve naturally.

An additional sales tip on building rapport and trust to increase your Velocity Selling Cycle is to ask open ended questions on topics of interest to the prospects. Involve them in a discussion about themselves, their family, their job, their hobbies, etc. Your objective is to get them to relax and enjoy simple conversation. . The more they talk, the more you listen and learn. You will inevitably gain their trust and amity while adding velocity to your selling cycle.

Hence, sales is no longer about you or what you have to offer. It is about the buyer and meeting their needs. You must view the sales approach as a new and interesting relationship. It is a significant communication for today and in the future as we move into a new economy of buyers.

Execute the disciplines of attracting, engaging and empowering the Velocity Selling Cycle to Up Your Bottom Line.

Tags: sales coaching, goal setting worksheet, increase sales, sales strategies

In the Velocity Selling System, you must first establish rapport with the client in order to build a lasting relationship. You need to know the components of the NLP rapport pie and how to build rapport in the first 30 seconds of meeting.

You must learn how to identify an individual’s predominant sense and how to use that sense to your benefit, especially during the presentation phase. When these techniques are applied, you enter into the Velocity Selling Cycle.

Once rapport has been established, questions can then be asked. However, when using the Velocity Selling System, you need to know why questions are so important. It is imperative to know the type of questions that should be asked, and how to deal with questions from the prospect or client without giving free consulting. There are a series of questioning techniques available to salespeople that will enhance the selling relationship and increase the velocity of your selling cycle.

In the Velocity Selling System, asking questions is like taking the prospect through a self-discovery tunnel lined with their needs, desires and expectations. You are helping them to discover it for themselves. You are building a relationship step by step while improving your velocity selling cycle.

Step one is asking questions and step two is listening intently. There are several active listening techniques outlined in the Velocity Selling System which you should apply. The foremost question is, “Do you really want to service the buyer or are you there for your own reasons?”

In today’s new economy of buyers, traditional and consultative selling methods no longer work. To increase the Velocity of your Selling Cycle you have to accept that your encounter with the buyer is not about you, your products or services. It is entirely about the buyers’ needs and desires, and their budget and time frame.

Good questioning and listening techniques will help your Velocity Selling Cycle engage and empower the buyer to buy while establishing a lasting relationship for additional business, referrals and introductions.

Tags: sales coaching, sales strategies, how to sell, marketing and sales strategies

It is essential that sales professionals clearly define their target prospects by criteria. This criteria is based on the best return on time invested (R.O.T.I.) and confirmed in the fastest way possible. I refer to the Velocity Selling Cycle which will unquestionably acquire positive sales results.

Begin affecting sales velocity results by dissecting your data base of customers based on predetermined criteria. This should be criteria that will identify your best customers. It may be volume, margins, profits, loyalty, etc, but it must be specific and then, utilized to distinguish between different levels of clients.

The Plato rule states that 80% of your clients give you 20% of your business. The problem begins when most sales professionals invest up to 80% of their time with these low producing clients. This format is a road block for effective sales velocity results.

The opposite of the above is also true. Statistics show that only 20% of your customers give you 80% of your business and unfortunately sales professionals tend to focus 20% of their time here. This is an ineffective way to get those concrete sales velocity results.

What if sales professionals were to do the opposite and focus 80% of their time on the 20% of the clients who give them 80% of their revenues? Do you think they would get better sales velocity results while better managing their time?

By clearly defining the criteria on your best customers and making use of your existing data base, you will be able to profile what we call your “A” or Absolute customers. They are absolute customers because without them and their progressive sales velocity results, you would be out of business.

What is the criterion which reflects an “A” client in your business?

Follow the same sales results procedure with the next level of clients, the “B” or Beneficial clients. What is the criterion which reflects a “B” client in your business?

Next, profile your “A” and “B” clients based on the information you have in your data base; such as the company, the size, the decision maker’s age, the gender, the association / club memberships, the magazines they subscribed to, etc.

Finally, map that profile out into the marketplace and identify prospects that have the same or similar profile. The “A” and “B” prospects are the ones to target and to invest your time in order to achieve the sales velocity results you need in this new economy. It will also be your best Return on Time Invested (R.O.T.I.). Now is the time for velocity thinking, effective planning and profound sales velocity results.

Does Your Sales Cycle Lack Velocity and Are You Missing These Ingredients?

Learn How to Execute the Disciplines of Attracting, Engaging and Empowering the “Buyer Focused” Velocity SellingTM System, to Up Your Bottom Line in Weeks, not Months. For more information, contact the author here.

Tags: goal setting worksheet, sales techniques, marketing and sales strategies, sales tips

What evolves on the inside is usually reflected on the outside. Your internal self worth which consists of your self-esteem, self confidence and self respect will become your external net worth. It’s a matter of pride in who you are and the mentor you can be.

Compare an individual with a high net worth to another with a low net worth. What are the obvious differences? Does self esteem play a major role?

Is it possible that a positive viewpoint is the basis for a celebrated mindset? A mindset is an attitude. Each individual attitude is the result of particular beliefs. What you believe to be true about yourself usually generates equivalent self esteem, self confidence and self respect.

On a scale of 0 – 10 (low to high), how would you rate your level of self esteem,
self confidence and self respect? Calculate the average level of the three senses of worth? The conclusion is your self worth which ultimately determines your level of net worth.

Please note there is a way to increase your level of self worth. I believe we all came into this world at a level ten. We were equal human beings regardless of race, religion, colour, nationality, sex, title or role. However, our exposure to the outside world - family, religion, education, politics, etc. permits outside influences to over shadow our true inner beliefs.

We have fashioned our own fears, limitations and boundaries on what we experience, see and hear. Overtime our personal perceptions have been altered. Our worth suddenly has limitations.

We are smart, educated adults and should be able to distinguish between fact and fiction. We need to go back and review our values. We need to remove some of the baggage that has been holding us back, lowering our self-esteem, self confidence and self respect.

Simply by changing our internal thinking, we can reclaim our self-esteem, self confidence and self respect and strive for level 10 as our standard. A level from which to begin not end. It is a known fact that if we don’t believe in ourselves, no one else will either. How we feel about ourselves is reflected in our daily conversations, our body language and our abilities. We are responsible for our destiny and anything is possible.

What results are you looking for? What actions must you take? What sort of an attitude do you need to experience self worth? You must believe in yourself - the most important person in the world. You are the all inclusive package of self esteem, self confidence and self respect. All three attributes equal your self worth and in turn, your self worth will translate externally into your net worth. What are you worth?

Tags: how to sell, sales strategies, sales coaching, free sales training

Earlier this month, millions of people around the world ventured down a path well travelled. It is a path which is commonly paved with bold and sometimes hastily conceived New Year’s Resolutions.

Unfortunately, over 60% of people who declare New Year’s resolutions will not see their resolutions through to fruition. They give up within the first 14 to 21 days.

That period, when resolutions are usually relinquished, has now arrived.

Did you stand by your commitments? Are you disciplined? If the answer is yes, congratulations!

If not, you are one of those resigning statistics? Is that who you want to be?

Is that the type of life you choose to live? Are you actually giving up on all your dreams and desires to become a failing statistic?

Are those the actions you want to exhibit to your family, friends and co-workers so they may follow in your footsteps?

Theodore Roosevelt said “With Self Discipline, all things are possible. Without it, even the simplest goal can seem an impossible dream.”

Do you want to have the discipline to make your dreams a reality?

Now is the time to take control of your life. Find the discipline necessary to accomplish everything you resolved to do in 2010. Discipline is 100% within your control and will increase your overall performance by 100%.

Discipline means respecting a commitment to yourself and doing what you have to do, even when you don’t want to do it. When you recognize and reward good behaviour, such as discipline, it is repeated.

Discipline becomes a habit. Life is sometimes placed on auto pilot and therefore, you can end up on the same runway. We need to take control ourselves by utilizing effective habits and discipline.

Don’t give up on the most important person in the world! Make a decision to improve with discipline and do it now before it is too late!

Don’t wait! Don’t think about it! Just do it!

Be disciplined for life and you too can become the author of your future.

Indecision saps willpower. Disciplined people do not struggle with questions such as “Should I give up?”

Disciplined individuals simply improve. They don’t think about it. Like the Nike ads, they just do it!

When we just do it, it gets done. Go ahead, do what you set out to do and do it now!

Recognize and reward yourself for having the discipline to do what you said you would and before long, discipline will be an effective, daily habit.

If you need help with discipline, simply ask here…

Tags: how to sell, goal setting worksheet, sales tips, sales strategies