Sales Training Materials

Why You Need Written Goals & Plans.
When you only think about your dreams and desires in your mind all you have are wishes. These thoughts can move you forward toward these dreams slowly if they dominate your mind, but there is a much faster method to get what you want.

When you write your dreams and desires down on paper you have created plans. You have written goals. Wishes will never change your life and get you what you want and deserve. Plans and goals will make all your dreams and desires come true. Written plans are your blueprints to attain everything you want in life. They are your step-by-step roadmaps that move you forward quickly toward your desired destinations. All successful people have written plans. Now you will have them also because you are going to be successful.

Without detailed, written plans for each day, week, month and year for the rest of your life you'll be like a leaf blowing in the wind. Whichever way the winds decide to blow is the direction your life will take. Daily situations, the environment you work in, and other people will dictacte the direction of your life, not you. Does this sound familiar?

If you get in your car and begin driving with no plans or directions where will you end up? If you are living your life with no written directions and plans you have no idea of what your life will be like in the future and it's like you are driving with no directions. Is this you? If so, you're now going to learn how to take complete control of all areas of your life and formulate your plans for your future life. You're going to know what direction you are going in. You're going to learn how get anything you want. And you'll learn to do this with "baby-step" goal setting. You take small steps that lead you to the completion of small goals. This leads you to accomplish much more than making unrealistic plans for major goals that are hard to attain and take a long time to realize. And these small "baby-step" goals build upon each other quickly and move you powerfully toward all your larger goals.

The above examples should open your eyes and show you the importance of having written plans for your life. This is how you take control and take charge of your life FROM THIS DAY FORWARD. Most people simply do not take the time to plan out their lives. They don't realize how critically important this is and they don't make it a high priority in their lives. Big mistake!

Let me ask you a question...do you have written plans for your life at this very moment? Probably not. But once you decide to take the time necessary to map out what you want in life in all areas of your life, and how you're going to get there, a huge burden is immediately removed from you. Why? Because for the first time in your life you actually know what you really want and the steps necessary to get there. Once you have written plans for next month, 6 months, a year, five years, and ten years into your future you feel so much better because you now have created your own personal roadmap and this increases your hope for getting all the things you want. You've shown yourself how to get the life of your dreams for the first time and this is very powerful. Your confidence about accomplishing these goals soars. You know what you need to do now to get what you want. You begin to think it really is possible. This is a great feeling.

These plans will be adjusted on a constant basis over time and this is normal. But once you have this outline of your future life, you make the adjustments necessary over time to refine the actions needed and speed up your journey. You planning skills increase over time and you become a master planner and nothing can stop you from getting what you want because you have all the necessary actions mapped out in detail.

You learn planning skills to use in your work, your family life and relationships, your health, your fun time, and all other areas of your life. When you decide you want something you write out a plan and follow it and you know you're going to get it. Written planning and goal setting isn't glamourous, but it is one of the most powerful methods known to get what you want in life.

All successful people in all walks of life are good planners. They write a plan for everything they want. This skill is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for everyone who wants to change their life. And it's an easy, powerful skill to learn and master. You just have to CHOOSE to do it.

excerpt from "Learn the Natural Laws of Living & Double Your Sales & Income In the Next 12 Months!"

Doug Allan Dammeier is an author, freelance copywriter, sales trainer, and life coach who lives on a pristine, spring-fed lake up in the mountains of western Washington state. His latest training course is "Learn the Natural Laws of Living & Double Your Sales & Income In the Next 12 Months!"

High Achiever Sales Professional Tool Kit: 5 Tools To Advance Your Sales Income
To become a high achieving sales professional, you must first become an expert communicator. Ask any sales person if they would like to make $250,000 a year and they universally say “yes.� But then look at the tool kit they use to pursue clients, and more than likely you will find that the sales tools are dull.

After 19 years of working with sales organizations in general, and high achieving sales professionals specifically, I’ve found that there are many tools that are prerequisite to advancing your income. These five that I will cover here are words and phrases that will create an environment with your prospect where they are telling you the truth. And since your most precious commodity is time, you can’t afford to waste it with people who lie to you.

1. “What would you like to accomplish today?�

I get called on by many sales organizations (some of them household names) and rarely, if ever, does a sales person start a meeting with, “What would you like to accomplish today, Bill.� This one question will save you hundreds of hours a year from working on things that don’t matter. It’s a way for the prospect to begin to share their problem with you. Just because the tool sounds simple, doesn’t mean it’s used.

2. “Is there any financial impact to this problem?�

I’m assuming that you’re not giving away your solution for free. And that in fact, there is a price the customer pays to buy and a price the customer pays not to buy. I want to understand the difference. By asking this question, you will start to learn what the financial consequences are for “not buying.� Then when you talk about your fee, the prospect will be comparing your fee to the cost of the problem. Sales amateurs will very rarely help the prospect make that connection. High achieving sales professionals deal with money more elegantly and eloquently. And this question will help you put money on the table without it just being about “your price.�

3. “Let’s do this.�

Get advances if you can’t close. “Lets do this� is a proven technique that allows you to talk about the next steps in the process while you move your prospect forward toward a final decision. Let’s suppose you’re an hour into the sales call and the prospect has shared with you some of the problems he has, but he’s still unsure of your product or service’s value. You want to go back to your office and study them prior to giving a proposal. In this case, you would say, “Let’s do this. I’m going to go back and put some thought into this and then let’s set a time we can come back in a week and take it a little further.� The better process manager you are, the better sales person you are.

4. “Here’s how we (I) typically work.�

Use this on the very first call where you’re laying out your process for getting them a solution. The high achiever needs to be thought of as an expert, not just in sales, but in the industry domain that you play in. Experts have processes and procedures. If you don’t have a sales process, get one immediately.

5. “I have a sense that…�

The elite sales executive pays close attention to their feelings. The “gut instinct� is a powerful internal communication device for you. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. If something does sound right, you’ve got to call it.

“I have a sense that…� are words in your sales professional toolbox that you can use to begin this conversation. I encourage my clients to use this if they are thirty minutes into the first call and the prospect hasn’t shared any problems or pains that he wants to fix. You might say, “In the first thirty minutes of our discussion today I haven’t heard anything that’s really a compelling reason for you to change from your current source. I kind of get this sense that if things just continued on it wouldn’t be all that bad.�

Give the prospect an opportunity react. It’s a way for the prospect to come back to you and either say yes, you’re right and it’s over (which is OK because as I said earlier, time is your most precious commodity, so move on) or he will convince you that he does have a problem worth exploring. And then, you will have control.



During his 19+ years of experience as a leader, experimenter and coach for hundreds of B2B sales teams, Bill Caskey has discovered that most sales organizations perform poorly in expressing their value to their prospects and customers resulting in severe underachievement by their sales force, long selling cycles, constant battles with clients and prospects and pressure on margins. To evolve into a higher achiever, increase your income you must first become a pioneer who dares to be different. To learn how, check out Bill Caskey’s High Achiever Resource Website: <a href="http://www.theelitesellerblog.com">http://www.theelitesellerblog.com</a>

Ways To Improve Your Selling
It has long been known that until something is sold, nothing else happens. The selling profession is therefore one of the most challenging and most profitable career paths one can choose. And for those with an innate ability to sell, it can be gratifying and profitable from day one. Others, who may want the income and freedom that comes from sales but who are not as naturally gifted, will benefit from a few specific tips on their way to improving sales.

First, acknowledge what type of sales you're best at. Door to door business to consumer, telemarketing, corporate business to business, and online are all different ways of selling. And while most salespeople must focus intensely on prospecting and business development, many in the corporate business to business sales world are responsible for closing million dollar deals in partnership with others at their company who generate the lead. Once you've narrowed down the type of sales you're best at, which may take years as you progress through your sales career, there are some additional resources that could help you.

Sales coaching is a new form of improving your sales. You partner weekly with a veteran salesperson outside of your company who works with you on specific techniques, motivations, scripts, behavioral training, or attacks the call reluctance or lack of confidence you may feel in your role. The sales coach is your advocate, someone who has experience working with many types of salespeople and can assist you with a perspective that only an unbiased third party can provide.

Another resource is lead generation. Specifically, find, hire, or create a method of generating more leads. Sales ultimately is a numbers game - the more leads you have in your pipeline, the greater your chances of closing more deals. If you can pay someone to generate more leads or create a direct marketing method of generating interest, much of your hard work will be done for you. This would free you up to focus on closing deals and generating income.

The final resource to consider is one not many people think of, but can be tremendously valuable. This idea was first proposed by Ben Franklin and popularized by BLANK in Think and Grow Rich. Create a mastermind of salespeople. This requires some work up front but could pay great dividends, especially if you don't compete directly and mutually respect each other. A group like this could have various forms - you could be local to each other and meet weekly, or connect online or by phone on a regular basis, you could all be part of the same industry but sell in non-competitive territories, or you could hire a coach among you to assist each of you in getting the most out of this process. It's been proven time and again that a mastermind group of similarly driven and focused salespeople could be one of the most beneficial things you do.

Regardless, if you're committed to sales success, you must continually improve yourself using either motivational techniques, lead generation and prospecting resources, or outside support from coaches or mastermind teams.

Dave Lloyd can be reached at publisheremail@gmail.com and has written an online guide to improving your selling at <a href="http://www.sellingshortcuts.com" title="http://www.sellingshortcuts.com" target="_blank">http://www.sellingshortcuts.com</a>

Rod Stinson's Free Teleseminar Is Showing Thousands How To Make $500 A Day
Less than three short months ago, a new 1Step System was born with a very real potential for generating a great deal of income in a short time. Co -founders Rod Stinson and Chris Koehl have brought this opportunity to people all over the world. Many are joining now because the company is still in its infancy, which from a marketing standpoint is surely the best time to get on board.

What makes this business opportunity so attractive is that it is so easy. It is appropriately called the 1 Step System. It stands to reason, the more an individual puts in to their business, the more he or she will get out of it, however, your early efforts in the beginning stages can easily provide at least some income while you lay back and observe.

Everyone knows, there is no such thing as a free lunch, however, I haven't seen another business opportunity where start-up costs can so easily be recouped in such a short time and profit starts rolling in. From those who have no experience, to the most seasoned marketer, its a great opportunity to see a steady cash flow in a relatively short time. It's also a great way to earn extra income at home. Those with years of Internet marketing experience are calling it a brilliant concept designed for building wealth for anyone who is savvy enough to see its earning potential.

Our experience has revealed that to many entrepreneurs out to earn extra money from home, have fallen victim to deceptive and greedy get rich quick scams that guarantee your success. This business sets itself far apart from those, and what is so refreshing about the 1 Step System is there is no selling, no phone calls, no explaining, no answering questions and no closing. Most of the work is done for you. It's a fact, co-founders Rod Stinson and Chris Koehl have taken the 'Net by storm. It's nice knowing that with this business, anyone, regardless of their experience or background, has the same chance for financial independence.

For more information visit:
http://www.1stepsystem-premier.com
and, for your FREE EBOOK detailing the fastest and easiest way to the top of the search engines, visit:
http://www.ride-to-the-top.com

PJ Riley has given away many a FREE E-BOOK detailing the simplicity of making your way to the top of the search engines. See http://www.ride-to-the-top.com He has been reporting on new business opportunities for many years. He's not afraid to speak what's on his mind. He will be the first to tell you if it's a golden opportunity, but has had numerous occasion to report a scam in the making.

Are You Marketing or Selling?
Once upon a time there was a deaf salesman named Aesop. He tried to sell his wares to the blind brothers Grimm, but no matter how much he elaborated on the features of his wares, the brothers Grimm could not see the benefits. The brothers tried to explain to Aesop that they could not see the features that he described so eloquently, and that they would like to hold the wares so they could appreciate them from their own perspectives. Unfortunately, Aesop was busy talking and could not hear their requests, so the parties separated in mutual frustration and disappointment. How could the grim results of this fable be avoided? There are two schools of sales, these are Fishing with a Big Net and the Fly Fisherman. Fishing with a Big Net requires an investment in marketing, continually disseminating your message about features and hoping that you will catch some consumers. Imagine dropping a big net of the side of your boat and hoping that when you pull it up that you will have some small fish inside it. If you drop a small net, you might catch a few fish. If you want an abundance of fish then you need to invest in a bigger net and be prepared to cast it repeatedly in different waters. On the other hand, if you are a Fly Fisherman, you take pride in preparing very specific and customized lures in the right waters to catch the big fish. It requires patience and precision to cast your line in the right place and gradually pull the big fish to shore. There is an art to the cast, and also to the give and take that it takes to reel in the reward. Being a fly fisherman requires patience and skill. If you have direct contact with potential clients or customers, then stop selling and start listening. There is a fundamental flaw in the perception of sales that any person or organization can be sold at any time. This fundamental flaw presumes that people are trophies to be won, and does not recognize the human element of relationships that is so important to being an effective sales professional. If you would like to increase your effectiveness in sales, know what you have to offer and listen to what the customer has to tell you. The customer has needs, budget, schedules and personal goals. If the items that you have to offer can fit into the customer plans, then you can work together to integrate your solution with their needs. Otherwise, you are trying to sell a hairbrush to a bald man, and the features don't really matter. If your focus is the intent to convey your message, your features and your benefits, then you have just limited the potential for your success. Most customers don't really care very much about what you have to offer to everyone else, they are really interested in understanding if what you have to offer can meet their personal requirements. This presumes that you have taken the time to listen and understand what their requirements are! If the customer asks about you or your product and indicates interest, then tell them. Sometimes this is an intent for the customer to determine if they can trust you, and sometimes it is an interest in your product. Listen to the customer so you can tell the difference and respond accordingly. If the customer is hesitant, take time to build trust. It is more important to be trusted than to close a sale. Trust creates an opportunity for a future relationship and potential for more sales opportunities. Without trust, you may or may not be successful with the one time sale. if the customer wants to talk then listen. Encourage the customer to engage in conversation. Take time to learn what is important to them, what they value, their goals, their budget and their schedule. Sometimes the sales event is near at hand, and sometimes it is something that will come in time. Be patient and prepared to move at the pace of your client or customer and your pipeline will always be full. If the customer pauses in conversation then wait for them. A pause in conversation is an opportunity for internal reflection and introspection. Far too often professional sales people feel compelled to fill a gap in conversation with a sudden burst of feature descriptions. It is far better to nurture the silence and allow the customer time to contemplate the conversation. This means that the message is being digested and thoughtfully considered, this is a good thing. Even if your customers are blind to the features of your wares, you can be a successful sales professional if you listen to your customers. You are asking your customers to make some sort of purchase, to trust you with an investment of their hard earned money. Big or small, one time sale or renewing contract, you are asking for their trust and confidence in you. What better way to build trust than to give the gift of your interest in that person? What better way to demonstrate your interest than to listen to what they have to say? ______________________________________________________ Words of Wisdom "We've all heard the criticism "he talks too much". When was the last time you heard someone criticized for listening too much?" - Norm Augustine, Chairman, Lockheed Martin "Listen carefully for personal values expressed within the spoken words and you will discover the intent as well as the meaning." - John Mehrmann, Executive Blueprints Inc "Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form of flattery." - Dr. Joyce Brothers ______________________________________________________ About the Author: John Mehrmann is a freelance writer and President of Executive Blueprints Inc., an organization devoted to improving business practices and developing human capital. www.ExecutiveBlueprints.com provides resource materials for trainers, sample Case Studies, educational articles and references to local affiliates for consulting and executive coaching. http://www.InstituteforAdvancedLeadership.com provides self-paced tutorials for personal development and tools for trainers. Presentation materials, reference guides and exercises are available for continuous development.

John Mehrmann is a freelance author, industry expert and President of Executive Blueprints Inc, an organization dedicated to developing human capital and personal growth.

Top 5 Tips of the Most Successful Sales People
Learning from others experiences and mistakes is always a good idea. And for a sales person what better way to learn than from some of the most successful sales people. Some sales training and sales coaching classes bring in successful people to give a talk to the new batch of sales people. But, if you haven’t got a chance to hear these people talk then, not to worry here are the 5 tips from the most successful sales people. Tip#1- Focus on Clients True, you are representing your company, but, your focus should be on the client. It is the client who is going to make sure you stay on the job. Try and get to know the clients as much as possible. They have to taken care of, monitored and pampered. Ask them questions related to your service. Also, ask them suggestions as to how you can improve your service. Implement their suggestions if you feel it is going to make your service better. Show them, that you are implementing their suggestions. You will be rewarded by their loyalty. They will come back to you even if you shift jobs. Clients will remain loyal to you if they know that you care. Tip#2- The Right Attitude Don’t enter this field unless you enjoy doing it. Unless you enjoy what you do it is hard to be productive. Love your work and you will find ways to be creative. If you are passionate about your work it will show. Excitement for your work will have an impact on your clients as well. Enthusiasm is infectious. If you are enthusiastic about your product, the client will feel that you are not just making a sales talk but, that there is really something worthwhile in your product. You should show the same attitude when attending sales training and sales coaching classes. Tip#3- Set a Goal Sales training is all about setting a goal or target and achieving. Most often than not companies will set a target for you which you will have to achieve in some period. It might be a year, a month or a week. Whatever they set is important but more important is your goal. So, if they set a target you can set a higher target for yourself. If they give you monthly targets split it into weeks and days. So, you know what your goal is for the week. Set full throttle and speed ahead towards the goal. But, one thing is clear, setting your own goal is very important. There is something very exciting about achieving a goal one has set for oneself. Tip#4 â€" Select your Clients Carefully A long term two way relationship with a client is always better than a one way street. Your relationship with your client should be mutually beneficial to you and your client. So, select clients who will stay with you for a long time. The advantage of having such clients is that they will refer your business to others. So, with referrals along your way you can increase your business. Now, convert these referrals to the same sort of relationship that you have with your other clients. Sometimes the opposite can also happen. You can meet prospective clients who can turn out to be just that â€" prospective. Asking the right questions can make you understand whether they want to buy or your products or they are just fishing around. Sales coaching and sales training courses also emphasize on this. Tip#5 â€" Follow Up All too often sales people forget about their customers once they have the order in their hand. It is important to keep customers happy for long term benefits. Follow up is very important. If you have a follow up offer, even better. Make it related to the original offer. It might sound difficult, after making one sale is not easy and then a follow up. But, it can be done and should be done. If you have done your research properly then you will know your clients tastes, hobbies, favorite sport etc. So, it is up to you to come up with special offers for your clients depending on their individual tastes.

Sean McPheat provides <a href="http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/sales_coaching.html" target="_blank">sales coaching</a>, <a href="http://www.mtdsalestraining.com" target="_blank">sales training courses</a> and sales consulting to a number of businesses around the globe. To learn more about MTD please click on the following link <a href=" http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/about_us.html">MTD Sales Training</a>

14 Steps to Successful Cold-Calling
The vast majority of salespeople do not enjoy cold-calling. Yet, at the same time, it is an activity that most need to do on a regular basis. The biggest reason sales professionals are not more successful in this necessary endeavor is the defense that they have other things to do. However, nothing will overcome this excuse faster than being held accountable for making a set number of cold calls each day, each week, or each month.

As much as people would like to believe there is a secret formula for being successful at cold-calling, the only valid one is being disciplined enough to do it. When people avoid cold-calling, they are generally telling themselves that either they don't know enough about what they're selling or they don't believe the outcome will be successful. For this simple reason, it is necessary to be confident in yourself and what you are selling.

The following may be beneficial as you begin to practice this critical discipline.

1. Have a dedicated time each day to prospect.
2. Know the reason for calling before you call: customer benefits, not product features.
3. Leave short voice mail messages.
4. Assume your voice mail messages will never be returned.
5. Always call one level higher in an organization than you believe is necessary.
6. Be confident and competent.
7. Phone calls placed before 8:30 AM are the most likely to be answered by the person you're trying to reach.
8. Respect the gate-keeper by treating them in the same manner you would treat the prospect.
9. Prospecting calls on Monday mornings and Friday afternoons will have the worst results.
10. Prospecting on "semi-holidays" and inclement weather days will get a higher response.
11. Make it your goal to earn the right, privilege, and honor to talk to the person again.
12. Believe in what you're selling and the benefits that the prospect will receive from your products/services.
13. Believe in yourself and your professionalism.
14. Anytime is a good time to make a call; don't wait for the "perfect" time.

By practicing and persevering, both your skills and confidence will improve. Furthermore, making yourself accountable will help you turn your excuses into successful sales.


Mark Hunter, "The Sales Hunter", is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase their sales profitability. For more information or to receive a free weekly sales tip via email, contact "The Sales Hunter" at <a href="http://www.TheSalesHunter.com">http://www.TheSalesHunter.com</a>.

What is Consultative Selling?
Consultative selling sales training courses are becoming increasingly popular. Even other sales training classes and sales coaching classes are offering consultative selling as a part of the curriculum. So, what is consultative selling? As any of these sales training courses will tell you consultative selling is a type of selling in which the selling is based on customer needs rather. It is a non-manipulative process. The focus here is not on product. Instead a client’s need is clearly defined and the client’s needs and objectives are addressed jointly. So, what is the difference between traditional selling and consultative selling? As any sales coaching manual or sales training manual will tell you in simple words, traditional selling is based on the need to sell an already existing product whereas in consultative selling the emphasis is on meeting the needs of a customer by developing a solution to those needs. This solution can be a product or a service or a combination of both. In traditional selling the sales person has to explain the features of the existing product or service and convince the customer that they need these features. In effect traditional selling is manipulative whereas consultative selling is the opposite. The sales person has to wait till the end of the presentation to know whether a person is going to buy his product or not in traditional selling. In consultative selling this problem is not there. You go for any sales training courses or sales coaching classes you will here these words “Customer is king�. This is true for consultative selling as well. The difference is that you first get to know your customer before you develop a product. This is especially important if your company is offering financial services. Knowing the client will also help you in assessing the financial well being of the company. To do this you should be able to ask the correct questions and to listen to the person at the opposite end. For instance if you are offering financial solutions some of the questions could be • How many years have you been investing? • What types of investments have you purchased before (for example, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and variable or fixed annuities)? Do not ask open ended questions initially rather ask questions that are useful for information gathering. Later you can ask more open ended questions. At this stage you are not expected to offer an opinion and it is best you don’t. This is only the preliminary stage. Many sales training courses try to make consultative selling sound as though it is a panacea to all evils. It is not a magic potion that is going to make your company profit rise in laps and bounds. There will be a difference but it will take time. A good sales training course will tell you this. It will also tell you that however hard you have worked to satisfy the customer by designing a solution that is suitable to the clients need; the client is going to have some objections to the plan. It is a part of the game. Clients may feel that the investment that they are required to make is not commensurate with the solution that they will be getting. They might have some preconceived notions about certain type of products. They might be hesitant about committing to a program. How can you deal with them? The best way to deal with this is to restate them. This will make the clients explain why they have the objections. Once the objections are clear you can address them. Sometimes, as the client explains his/her objection he/she might realize that the objections are not valid ones and they might just withdraw them. The most important part is the actual implementation of a solution. This is the time when the customer starts getting doubts as he/she starts getting unsolicited advice from well wishers. So, it is imperative to ensure that you are to see to it that the process doesn’t get derailed. If you get a chance to attend a sales training course or sales coaching course that offers consultative selling, don’t hesitate, just go ahead and make maximum use of it. Remember to make hay while the sun shines.

Sean McPheat provides <a href="http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/sales_coaching.html" target="_blank">sales coaching</a>, <a href="http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/inhouse.htm" target="_blank">sales training courses</a> and sales consulting to a number of businesses around the globe. He is the owner of MTD Sales Training and designs and delivers <a href="http://www.mtdsalestraining.com" target="_blank">sales training</a>, programmes and consultancy assignments across the UK, Europe, US .

Selling with Success - Gaining Rapport
Gaining rapport is perhaps the single most important element to selling with success. Without rapport your chances at making a sale are slim to none. Rapport is created from your first point of contact with a potential client and so one easy way to gain rapport is through the use of your client’s name. Hence:

o Get to know your clients name,
o Use your client’s name,
o Remember your client’s name, and
o Use your client’s correct title.

Sounds easy doesn’t it? Yet how often is this done in practice? I once accompanied my sister-in-law in Barbados to a new gym she wanted to check-out with a view to perhaps joining it. I’m a qualified Personal Trainer and so she, or rather my brother, wanted my expert opinion. I introduced myself to the Manager who then proceeded to spend the next minute or so asking me if I was called anything other than “Nickolove� even though I had indicated that was the name I preferred to be called. I wasn’t even the main client! So you can imagine how impressed I was with her sales skills. (The gym didn’t pass muster with me either.)

There are exceptions to using a person’s real name. One of my friends is called “Tifsihitâ€�. She is a beautiful individual and I wanted to honour her by using her full name and I tried to do so. However, she politely informed me that my efforts resulted in saying something rude and that she was happy to be called “Tâ€� â€" an abbreviation used by most of her friends. I humbly acquiesced.

Sometimes we meet individuals whose names we later or promptly forget. How many times has this happened to you? Do you ask the person their name again? In many cases people are reluctant to ask a person’s name the second or third time around. However, the irony is, people don’t mind being asked their name. It shows that you are interested in them and people generally respond favourably to this.

When you are talking to a customer, address them by name and use their name during the conversation. You don’t have to overdo it but when people hear their names mentioned it helps to make them feel that they are being spoken to as an individual rather then just anyone or everyone. It helps to give them confidence that you are seeking to address their individual needs.

Many people say that they can’t remember names. Just saying this helps to reinforce this negative and false belief. The truth is, unless you have a medical condition that affects your memory, you have a perfect memory and, with a little effort, you can remember the names of a roomful of people if you so desired.

One technique that helps me to remember a person’s name is for me to ask a person to spell their name for me, especially if it is somewhat unusual. When a person spells their name I can actually see the letters and this makes it easier for me to recall.

I am also unashamed at repeating a person’s name a few times until I get the pronunciation right (or not as in the case of Tifsihit!). This repetition also helps me to remember their name.

I also like to discover the meaning of names. I meet many people with exquisite sounding names and I’m always curious as to their meaning. Even common names have interesting meanings. Take the name “Stephen�. I discovered only this weekend that the name Stephen is of Greek origin and means ‘crown’. Knowing what someone’s name means is another way of engraving that person’s name into my memory. It also creates a natural focal point for light conversation which adds to building rapport.

There are many excellent resources on the market to help you develop your memory. I highly recommend choosing one of these resources if you want to dramatically improve your memory and your ability for remembering names. It’s too lengthy a discussion for this article.

Finally, use a client’s correct title. Many times I receive correspondence addressed to “Mr Nickolove Lovemore� or sometimes I receive calls asking to speak to “Mr…� What is really irritating about this is that, in many cases I have actually spoken to the person sending the correspondence and there is no way you could mistake the sound of my voice for that of a man.

I remember a situation where I received a letter from a real estate agent I had been dealing with who fell foul to this error. When I pointed out that my title should be “Ms� and not “Mr� I was told that they assumed “Mr Lovemore� was the decision-maker and so had addressed the letter accordingly. That went down like the proverbial lead weight. How chauvinistic! I was the individual to whom they always spoken to and yet it was assumed that I, a lowly female, was incapable of making a decision about a financial contraction of this magnitude even when a “Mr Lovemore� had never been mentioned.

Getting a client’s title wrong is a sure way to alienate them so if you are unsure about a client’s title simply ask them. If this is not possible then circumvent this problem by not using a title at all.

There are many hurdles to overcome with regards to building rapport. Get your client’s name right and you will sail over the first hurdle and be one step closer to selling with success.

Nickolove Lovemore is a Life & Success Coach and a NLP Practitioner. Please visit http://www.SuccessAccesories.com for information regarding new program - Selling with Success.

High-Income Selling Strategies: 5 New Rules To Govern Your Behavior And Actions In The Sales Cycle
Everyone wants to earn more, but few are willing to change behavior to do so. In fact, most aren’t. In my work of over 19 years with the high sales achiever, I find that most of them operate with a different set of rules about selling and the pursuit of new business. These new rules help govern their behavior and actions in the sales cycle. I have over 25 rules that I’ve documented, but here are the top five for you to consider:

1. Define what you want to attract.

High sales achievers are very specific about what they want to attract, both in terms of financial outcomes and business relationships. The Universe has an interesting way of delivering to you exactly what you order, so be specific on your order when you place it. The Universe doesn’t respond well to, “I just want to make more money.�

2. Bring up what scares you.

Most sales executive fears are an illusion. The worst thing we can do with fear is to ignore it. That feeling of fear is trying to tell you something and what it’s telling you is, to act on it. If you’re in a sales process and you feel some fear about bringing up a difficult subject, then that’s exactly what you should discuss. Reveal what you feel.

3. Never Coerce.

It’s been my privilege to work with some extremely high achievers in the profession of business-to-business sales. One thing I find about them is that they are ‘detached to outcomes.’ They spend no time “convincing, persuading, and defending.� And they spend little time trying to coerce prospects into their way of thinking. When you, a marketing and sales professional, begin to encroach on your prospect’s freedom, you become the pain and they’ll get rid of you. Tell people upfront “it’s alright if you decide this is not a fit at this time, let me know and I’ll be gone.� But do that upfront. That way you’re not 18 months into the process when you hear ‘no.’

4. Think “Process.�

The greatest businesses in the world have the greatest processes in the world. So why should a sales professional be any different? Of all the processes that the high sales achiever has, the most important one is the sales process. A great sales process is one where you can, in a step-by-step fashion, lead people from beginning to end with the constant understanding that some people will qualify “out of the process� and you can move on. Not only should you have a process, but you should also follow it and be indignant about the prospect’s adherence to it. Great sales processes are better for the prospect because it helps them identify their problem quicker and create a better solution. If you feel your sales process is only in your best interest, then you’ve got the wrong process.

5. Think ‘Leverage.’

One way to leverage your strengths is to hire other people and train them to do the things you don’t want to do. But as sales professionals--even as high achieving sellers -- you might not have the latitude to go hire staff. But what you can leverage is “current relationships.� High achievers never make cold calls. Why would they? The reason: they have learned the power of referral marketing. They find a way to use their current client/network relationships to bring them new, ideal clients.

This is not as simple as “give me ten people you know, so that I can go make a sales call to them.� It is a thoughtful, strategic way to generate enough goodwill with your clients that they demand to introduce you to their friends and associates. A great referral program doesn’t work if you’re not thinking “leverage.�




Through his 19 years of experience as a leader, experimenter and coach of hundreds of B2B sales forces, Bill Caskey has seen an evolution in sales management. Today’s high-income sellers must be part marketer, part relationship developer, part closer, and part CEO. Sales executives must now be extra effective when they are in front of their prospects by playing by the new rules – rules that Caskey has learned and documented for the high achiever at: <a href="http://www.theelitesellerblog.com">http://www.theelitesellerblog.com</a>