Selling to Consumers | Sales Training Blog by Skip Anderson

Selling (and Marketing) with Maximum Efficiency: Don't Get the Timing Wrong!

Managing timing can be a key to success in business and in life. Sometimes timing is out of our control. But often, it's not.

One might say that Barack Obama ran for president at just the right time, after much of the country was tiring of the Bush administration, the Iraq war, and the new economic downturn. Had Obama run 20 years ago (or perhaps even four years ago), his timing would probably have been off, and he would have failed.

In selling and marketing, control your timing so you get the most bang for your efforts. I just reviewed the sales script for a salesperson, and I noticed a problem immediately. In this cold call script, the salesperson was asking a closing question in the third sentence of the interaction. This was way, way too early. There's a lot of other work to get done before you get to closing the transaction, at least in most selling situations.

I was struck by what I believe was incorrect timing in a mailing I received yesterday from our phone company, Qwest. Here's the mailer:

Yesterday's date was February 26, 2009. What struck me as being odd was the "New Year - New Opportunities" message.

People start to think about the new year around Thanksgiving in late November as the holiday season approaches. Interest with the new year reaches it's peak on New Year's Eve, and interest in the new year continues for about one more week. So the concept of the "New Year" resonates in the marketplace from the end of November until about January 7.

But after that, the concept of the New Year is a non-issue in most people's thinking. Life has moved on, the new year is underway, and people are focusing on other issues.

So why would Qwest mail a marketing piece on February 26 that talks about the New Year? I'm not sure. Perhaps there was a mailing error or miscalculation of printing lead-time or something.

But I'm fairly certain that the "New Year - New Opportunities" fell on deaf ears for most of the recipients of this piece. They were wasted words. I'm always preaching to sellers and marketers to quit clouding issues with wasted words. If the words won't resonate, don't use them. If you want the new year to be the catalyst that creates demand in your customer's mind, the time to send a new year's mailer is between the end of November through the first week in January, not before, and definitely not after.

They call it "junk mail" for a reason. It's junky. Or at least is perceived as being junky. And having a bunch of wasted words on your marketing piece only enforces the lack of value that most business owners and consumers perceive direct mail pieces to have.

To maximize revenue generation possibilities, marketers and sellers must, at all costs, resist adding to the already loud noise of insignificant chatter that has become the everyday hum of most advertising. Don't feel you need to fill up your white space with unimportant filler. If you're going to fill up white space, make it count and, most of all, make sure it will resonate within your market.

In the old Charlie Brown TV specials from decades ago, the teachers' voices were always presented as "wah-wah-wah" sounds that could be heard but the words were unintelligible. Don't be Charlie Brown's teacher. Make your words count. If you can't, don't write (or say) them. Proper timing can help make sure your words count.

If you're too young to remember Charlie Brown specials on TV or can't remember the sound of the teacher's voice, here you go:

 

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Skip Anderson is the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and management consulting company. Skip is nuts about helping companies and individuals sell more. 

Kicking Them When They're Down: How Not to Fire an Employee

Mr. Sales Manager, when you've decided to terminate a salesperson, go ahead and do it. Be decisive. And please do it professionally. Make it easy on everybody involved. Don't argue, don't discuss it, don't hash over stuff that no longer matters. Get the deed over with and move on.

But the termination meeting is not the time to tell a loyal seven-year sales employee that they "can't sell and shouldn't be in sales." The time to address that issue would have been six or seven years ago in a sales coaching session or a private weekly meeting, or during an annual review. Then, you would have had an opportunity to devise a strategy to improve any deficient sales performance issues and skills of your salesperson so your organization could benefit.

If you didn't get around to talking to your sales employee about her lack of sales ability six or seven years ago, maybe you should have had that discussion five years ago, or maybe four or three or two years ago, or one year ago; or six months ago or last month or last week. The first step in improving an employee's performance is to put applicable issues on the table so these issues can be examined and discussed and analyzed and, ultimately, understood by all involved. The second step in improving employee performance is to create a strategy to improve the situation (Sales coaching? Intense sales coaching? Sales Training? Mentoring? Move into another position within the company that better fits the strengths of the employee? Partner the employee with another employee so each can use their strengths? Clarify expectations? Be clear? Help remove obstacles to success?).

What? You don't do sales coaching? You don't have weekly individual meetings with each of your sales staff to discuss performance and to help your staff improve and achieve? You don't give annual reviews? You don't talk about job performance other than in generalities in sales department meetings? You don't act as a mentor to your salespeople? You don't observe your salespeople in action and then meet afterward to discuss what they did well and what could be improved upon? You don't roll up your sleeves and dig in to the day-to-day activities of your staff?

Do you have a personal development plan for each of your salespeople? (top performers as well as others)? Have you defined what acceptable and not-acceptable performance is before there are performance issues so the entire team knows where they stand? No, you don't?

You don't strategize with each of your salespeople about how to break into that desired new account? How to make an effective cold call? How to network or leverage contacts to achieve sales success? You don't help create action items for each employee to maximize each selling opportunity or develop new business? Do you check in about the progress on those action items later in the week or in the next month or ever?

What, then, do you think the job duties of a sales manager are? To sit in your office staring at your computer all day? Talking on your phone with your friends and industry contacts? Playing golf? Reading business magazines and newspapers? Hanging out with the business owner? Selling your own accounts?

None of that is management, Mr. Sales Manager.

When you did your MBA coursework, did they teach you about managing other human beings? For instance, how people need to know where they stand so they can achieve their maximum performance? Did they tell you about the importance of job descriptions? About how to bring out the best in each employee? About how to modify behavior, or coach and train your individual team members to better performance or about identifying and recognizing the strengths of each team member and finding a way to use those strengths to achieve your organization's goals? Did they teach you how important the relationships are in your workplace and how they can make or break you?

They didn't teach you how to engage each individual employee and about how important that is in creating a high-performing team? They didn't teach you how to bring about change within an organization? About delegating? They didn't teach you that you should walk your talk, achieve clarity of understanding with all in the organization, and how to be a leader by getting all members of your team pointed in the same (correct) direction? They didn't teach you to "manage by walking around" or "catch employees doing things right?"

No? They just taught you to tell an employee after seven years in her sales role (and zero formal performance reviews, zero job performance warnings, zero performance improvement plans) that they are fired and can't sell and shouldn't be in the selling profession? I hope you can get your money back from that expensive private university where you got your MBA, Mr. Sales Manager.

Mr. Sales Manager, let me be clear:

You can't manage and you shouldn't be in management.

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"The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work."

Agha Hasan Abedi

"The leader follows in front"

unknown

"A good manager is a man who isn't worried about his own career but rather the careers of those who work for him."

H.S.M. Burns

"Management must manage!"

Harold S. Green

"Most people do not receive nearly enough appreciation. How can this be when appreciation is free, easy, and readily available? All you have to do is speak. Go give some away now."

Rhoberta Shaler

"There is an enormous number of managers who have retired on the job."

Peter F. Drucker

"I'm slowly becoming a convert to the principle that you can't motivate people to do things, you can only demotivate them. The primary job of the manager is not to empower but to remove obstacles."

Scott Adams

"A good manager doesn't try to eliminate conflict; he tries to keep it from wasting the energies of his people. If you're the boss and your people fight you openly when they think that you are wrong - that's healthy."

Robert Townsend

"Before I go fire an employee, I go look at myself in the mirror and say to myself you've failed as a manager."

unknown

"The manager has his eye on the bottom line; the leader has his eye on the horizon."

Warren G. Bennis

"Always recognize that human individuals are ends, and do not use them as means to your end."

Immanuel Kant

"A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world."

John Le Carre

"I believe the real difference between success and failure in a corporation can be very often traced to the question of how well the organization brings out the great energies and talents of its people."

Thomas J. Watson, Jr.

"Good management consists in showing average people how to do the work of superior people."

John D. Rockefeller

"Our mission statement about treating people with respect and dignity is not just words but a creed we live by every day. You can't expect your employees to exceed the expectations of your customers if you don't exceed the employees' expectations of management."

Howard Schultz

"I have yet to find the man, however exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism."

Charles Schwab

"Practice golden rule one of management in everything you do. Manage others the way you would like to be managed."

Brian Tracy

"My main job was developing talent. I was a gardener providing water and other nourishment..."

Jack Welch

"The way you see them is the way you treat them and the way you treat them is the way they often become."

Zig Ziglar

If you have any favorite management quotes, please add them to the comments section for all to see.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to our free sales tips newsletter.

Skip Anderson is the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and management consulting company. Skip is nuts about helping companies and individuals sell more. 

Book Review | "Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy" by Martin Lindstrom

Martin Lindstrom is a global branding expert and and brand futurist. His latest book is "Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy."

First, some information about the author. Martin is a globe-trotting marketing hot-shot who spends 300 days each year traveling to all corners of the business world to consult with companies on branding and customer engagement issues. One of his previous books, BRAND Sense, was acclaimed by the Wall Street Journal as one of the five best marketing books ever published. Both BRAND Sense and Buyology have been translated into over twenty-five languages.

Buyology is a fantastic read. It's main topic is "neuromarketing," a newer field that blends science and marketing into a new discipline. Neuromarketers use technology to do such things as analyzing brain activity to identify study participants' reactions to brands or products or other stimuli. In doing so, a scientist can determine the true reasons various variables resonate positively or negatively within the subject's psyche.

Buyology is chock full of neuromarketing tales and fascinating stories of marketing studies. Anybody who is vaguely interested in marketing, branding, or business in general will be entertained and informed by this book. I also appreciate that much of the information in the book can be applicable to the sales professional, although it is not a sales book.

At times, the reader may feel like this book is part science fiction, but it's interesting whether you're a SF fan or not (I'm not). It's not science fiction, it's the state of creating marketing and branding today. Do yourself a favor and read Buyology. I highly recommend it.

Listen to my interview with Martin Lindstrom on the Selling to Consumers Podcast.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to our free sales tips newsletter.

Skip Anderson is the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and management consulting company. Skip is nuts about helping companies and individuals sell more. 

Learn Something: 5 Posts to Read Today

Here are some great articles if you are in the mood to learn something today (please say you are!):

1. LEADERSHIP:

Sadly, quality leadership is lacking in many organizations. All managers (or manager wannabes) should not miss Chris Winfield's article about 99 Ways to Become a Better Leader.

2. SALES MANAGEMENT:

I'm a big fan of FOCUS. For instance, high energy is valuable only if that energy is focused in the right direction (have you ever seen someone use their high energy to spin their wheels and go nowhere?). Read Steven Rosen's post How Focus Helps Sales Management Effectiveness.

3. SELLING:

The Sales Loudmouth says we all have superpowers. Do you know what yours are? Read Hone Your Superpowers and find out. One of mine is the ability to engage prospects. Another one is the ability to accurately sort socks by color and style. I'll leave it at that.

4. WORK LIFE:

Bob Selden offers wisdom to those looking for their next position. Have you ever had high hopes for your manager in a new position only to be disappointed after several weeks or months in the new job? Learn how to select your new boss.

5. BRANDING:

The power of branding reaches deep into our culture. Read about how the Minneapolis Police Department hired a branding firm to strengthen their "brand." Read the Advertising Age article here.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to our free sales tips newsletter.

Skip Anderson is the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and management consulting company. Skip is nuts about helping companies and individuals sell more.  

For Best Results, Wash Inside Out

I recently bought a nice Woolrich flannel shirt. It's a wonderful shirt. I  like it a lot.

The care label in the shirt says:

"...For best results wash inside out."

It's hard for me to understand what difference washing a shirt inside-out or outside-in would make. I'm picturing a XXL flannel shirt whomping around in our clothes washer. Whether it's inside-out or outside-in, water and laundry soap are still touching the fabric, right? About the same amount of water is touching the fabric in either case, right? (The exception might be the arms of the shirt which, if inside out, would have less laundry water touching the exterior of the shirt which are now inside). And both the inside and outside of the shirt would touch other clothes regardless if the shirt is inside-out or outside-in, right?

So I, as the consumer, am left with this question lingering in my mind:

"Why?"

This reminds me of the importance of anticipating questions when selling. Whenever your customer has a lingering question of "why," you must answer it quickly. This is especially important when the customer is still a prospect. Anticipate your prospects' "why questions" and answer them before they have to ask them. "Why questions" can kill sales momentum, and forcing a client to verbalize these questions is somewhat risky since some prospects will choose not to verbalize them.

Top salespeople answer questions before they are even formed in the mind of the prospects. Anticipate the whys of your product, your company, and your order fulfillment procedures, and communicate them clearly to your prospect during your presentation. Take the lead in paving the path of understanding for your prospect.

I appreciate your comments. Just click "comments" below and share your thoughts with me and this blog community.

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.

Job Descriptions are Vital for Salespeople, Too

Every business should have a job description for every employee, including sales employees.

We all know the purpose of salespeople is to sell, but there are too many opportunities for misunderstanding and confusion if an accurate job description is not in place. If you manage a sales team but don't yet have an up-to-date job description for them, get busy and create one for your peeps. There are few management tools that can have as much impact as a job description that becomes part of the fabric of the sales team environment.

The job description should describe the exact expectations of the sales position with as much clarity as possible. The job description should be the basis for the performance review, so it's important that the written job description be congruent with management's true expectations for the position holder. The job description should also be the basis for the hiring process, so if you want to hire people that are a fit for your company, make sure the job description is accurate.

Things sometimes change rapidly in business. If that's true in your company, revise your job descriptions often. An out-of-date job description won't do anybody any good, so it's important that job descriptions be current so they can have their full impact on the organization. And job descriptions that sit in some file somewhere month after month aren't doing anybody any good. Use the job description regularly as a basis for sales meeting, sales coaching sessions, and sales training you present to your group. Job descriptions can only help your teams performance if you, the manager, use them.

I like to put three sections on a job description:

(1) Core requirement (my favorite "core requirement" for a sales position is to "generate maximum revenue in a profitable manner."

(2) Required activities. Here is where you list all the required activities. If employees are required to attend weekly sales meetings, it should appear here. I they are required to meet with their sales manager once a week, put it it on the job description. Whatever you expect of your team, write it down here, and describe the tasks accurately.

(3) Key attributes. Here is where you list desired attributes of new employees in this position, as well as skills that should be developed within existing team members.

I've created a sample sales job description for you. Of course, this won't fit every, or even most, sales jobs. But it might give you some ideas you could implement in the job descriptions for your salespeople. Download Sample Sales Job Description

If you have a sales or sales management job description that you're particularly proud of (either your job description or a j.d. for your sales force), please email to us. Use the address jobdescription [at] sellingtoconsumers [dot] com. I'll post them in a future post so the world can see them. Change the company name if you wish, and any other sensitive information if appropriate. I look forward to sharing your job descriptions with the world.

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TWITTER UPDATE: I currently have 686 wonderful people following me on Twitter. Take a look at my intelligent, friendly, dynamic, attractive followers:

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I appreciate your comments. Just click "comments" below and share your thoughts with me and this blog community.

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.

Love Your Customer Award #4

A number of weeks ago, I recorded my new You Tube sales training video. The night before the studio session, the producer called me and said, "You can't wear your glasses because we'll get glare." I told him that I needed my glasses to see the teleprompter. In addition, my glasses are part of my "look" - anyone who has seen me speak or on the internet has seen me in these glasses. He asked if I could wear contacts. I told him I didn't wear contacts.

He then suggested that I'd have to take the lenses out of my glasses. Huh? The night before the recording session I learn that I need to take lenses out of my glasses?

I told him I wouldn't be able to do that because I needed my glasses to see while I'm driving to and from the studio.

"Then you're going to have to get a pair of frames without lenses in them."

What? How was I going to do this?

I decided to drive to the optical department at Macy's in Burnsville, Minnesota. This is where I had purchased my current glasses.

"I'm sure hoping you can help me," I told the associate. "I've got a video recording session tomorrow, and my producer just told me that I need to bring a pair of glasses without lenses. I bought these glasses here, and I know this is unusual, but I'm wondering if I could borrow a frame similar to my glasses, or buy one and return it, or rent one, or something. Can you help me out?"

She looked irritated.

"That's like asking somebody if you can borrow clothes to wear to an event and then return them," she said with an stern look on her face.

"So there's nothing you will do to help me out?" I queried.

After checking with the manager, she returned and said, "No."

"Great," I thought. "So what do I do now?"

I remembered there was a Lenscrafters store in the same mall. I walked in and Amber greeted me. I told her the same story about needing frames without lenses.

"I know it's unusual, but is there any way I could borrow some frames or rent them or something?" I asked.

"Well," said Amber. You could buy the frames and just return them when you're done. We have a thirty day return policy - and I can remove the clear lens for you. Would that help?"

"YES!!!"

Amber, knowing there was nothing in it for her or for her store, proceeded to help me select a frame that was similar to my glasses. Then she carefully removed the lens, put the frames in a case, and took my payment. She was pleasant and helpful.

When I returned the frames two days later, the manager of the store helped me. She knew about my situation because Amber had told her about it. The manager was fantastic.

Lenscrafters helped out a customer (me) in need, even though it didn't create any immediate revenue for their business (I should also point out that what they did for me didn't cost them anything, either - please take note, Macy's Optical department!). What it did do, is create goodwill.

Lenscrafters in Burnsville, Minnesota, is the latest recipient of the Selling to Consumers "Love Your Customer Award." They're the fourth business to receive this award. Congratulations for providing excellent customer service.

How can you and your company be more like Lenscrafters at Burnsville Center and less like the Optical Department at Macy's in Burnsville, Minnesota?

Have any comments? Do you have stories of great customer service? Just click "comments" below and share your thoughts.

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.

Business Knowledge from Cyberspace

I just love learning. Not only do I have an office (and house) full of books, I have the internet, which I scour for worthy reads. Start out your Friday with a learning moment and check out the following:

Mason Hipp writes about the "The Art of Self-Motivation". He presents a step-by-step plan for achievement through self-motivation.

The teachings of Brian Tracy have been a major factor in my success. Watch his video, "You Are What You Think."

Bill Sadick tells us it's time to change our minds. Read his post over at Nice Selling.

A study has shown that more dominant individuals achieve more influence with others. Read the Time article, "Competence: Is Your Boss Faking It?"

The Hustler would rather fold his socks than go sell. Read "The Closed Mouth Goes Hungry.

Your comments are always appreciated. Please share your comment by clicking "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.

Please...Tell Me More About That

This is one of my favorite customer engagement tactics. When a prospect tells you something, respond by saying, "Please...tell me more about that." This invitation encourages conversation and helps develop a depth of discussion that can provide big payoffs for any salesperson.

Examples:

PROSPECT: "My husband is the one who told me to have you come out and give us a quote."
SALESPERSON: "Please...tell me more about that."

PROSPECT: "We had a bad experience with our last real estate agent, so that's why I'm asking you about your experience."
SALESPERSON: "Please...tell me more about that."

PROSPECT: "I think this blazer is all wrong, and I don't know that it works with the pants."
SALESPERSON: "Please...tell me more about that."

PROSPECT: "Your prices are higher than the other quotes we got."
SALESPERSON: "Please...tell me more about that."

PROSPECT: "We need to think about it."
SALESPERSON: "Please...tell me more about that."

This statement  (or something similar) can be used almost universally in selling and, for that matter, in personal interactions of all kinds. Resist the temptation to "tell" and instead ask for more information. If you want to engage your prospects, find out more information from them, and advance the selling process, put "Please...tell me more about that" in your daily repertoire of sales skills.

Your comments are always appreciated. Please share your comment by clicking "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.

Do You Sound Like This On the Phone When Selling?

If you've been to any of my training sessions, you probably know that I like to play actual recordings of actual sales interactions. What a great way to be a fly on the wall and observe an encounter between a customer and a salesperson.

Art Sobczak is a telesales expert and sales trainer who likes to do the same thing. I always enjoy it when he shares a recording of an actual phone call he received from a salesperson because we can all learn from it. The call Art shares with us is a business-to-business call, but those of us that sell in a business-to-consumer environment can still learn from it.

Pay particular attention to how the caller doesn't engage his prospect. Instead, his methodology is to spew sales-talk gibberish. Prospects don't like to be spewed upon, especially if the spew doesn't relate directly to the specific situation of the prospect. Whether you sell in person or on the phone, spewing is bad.

Listen to the call Art took here: A Recording of an Unprepared Caller.

Your comments are always appreciated. Please share your comment by clicking "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.

Your $2000 Gift is Waiting from Top Sales Experts

Today is the big day. As a Top Sales Expert, I want to inform you that today at noon pacific standard time is the launch of Top Sales Experts 2.0.

You can get $2000 worth of free sales training and learning products (including my brand new eBook) . These products can help you through this challenging period. Just one sales tip can change the course of your February sales.

So here's what to do TODAY:

Follow the countdown to noon here.

Then, at noon PST today, visit the site.

Enjoy! Sell More!

Your comments are always appreciated. Please share your comment by clicking "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.

What Are Your Competitive Advantages?

Several weeks ago, I met with a potential vendor to discuss his products and services. During the course of our conversation, I asked how the product and service they offered compared to their competitors offerings. Here is what the salesperson told me:

"Basically, we offer the same service they do. In fact, they use the same vendors that we do. But we're better at it."

I followed up: "Is there anything different about your product or service?"

"Not really, we're about the same. But we're better at it."

"What makes you better at it?" I asked.

"We've been doing it longer," he said.

"What should it matter to me that you've been doing it longer if you admit that your product and service is the same as the other guys'?"

He was stumped. He had painted himself into a corner, with no way out, and he had missed his opportunity to provide a convincing argument about why I should invest my company's money with his company. This was ineffective selling at it's best.

So here's the takeaway from this encounter: To maximize your selling opportunities, be prepared to articulate in a convincing way how and why your offering is better than your competitor's. You need to be able to answer the question if you're asked, and sometimes you need to present this information even if you're not asked. If you can't articulate this competitive advantage (or advantages), then you've either got to do some more homework, or your companies needs to engineer a real competitive advantage in your offerings.

The more distinct your advantages, the more you can leverage them into sales results. So stay away from nebulous, trite sales speak like "We're better at customer service" or "We have better quality." Everybody says stuff like that, but few can back up those statements with convincing evidence. If you have evidence, share that evidence with your customer; if you don't have evidence, then you need to be talking about a different and more believable competitive advantage.

A final thought: You will always have a more compelling argument for your product/service if you are able to relate your competitive advantages directly to the specific needs and desires of your prospect.This will take your sales interaction out of the realm of generic sales talk and into the realm of personalized diagnosis and prescription. Personalized benefits always resonate better in the customers' psyche than do generic ones. The barker at the carnival side show uses generic sales talk to attract customers; the physician uses diagnosis and prescription. One earns a lot more money. Which would you rather be?

Your comments are always appreciated. Please share your comment by clicking "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.

Sales Tidbits to Help You Sell More

Here are some juicy tidbits from cyberspace. Read and learn.

Just yesterday, I spoke to a group about the importance of developing a "personal brand." If you're an employee, you shouldn't only see yourself as a member of your company, but you should see yourself as an individual with your own individual brand. Employees change jobs from time to time, but a personal brand stays with you throughout your career. Not only is the development of a personal brand wise for lead generation purposes, but it's also wise to help position you as an expert in your chosen field.

This morning I ran across a nice article about this very topic. Although this article is intended for start-up entrepreneurs, read it as if it's talking directly to you, Mr. or Ms. salesperson. Read How to Manipulate Personal Branding.

Trizle has an interesting post about model behavior in the workplace. Read How to Influence Your Employees. How might this apply to selling, too?

Many of you contacted me with positive comments about my You Tube sales training video that was released this week (thank you). But I have to admit that my video pales in comparison to this one. Even though it doesn't have anything to do about sales training or selling, it's incredible.

Finally, here are 10 Great Quotes from 10 Great Business Leaders. Which one is your favorite? Or, if you have a favorite quote that isn't listed here, please share it with us.

Your comments are always appreciated. Please share your comment by clicking "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.

It's Fearless Friday: Time to Take Some Sales Risks

Today is Fearless Friday! I have deemed it so on your behalf.

This is the day for you to fearlessly try new things. Throw caution to the wind! Put your best foot forward and try those tactics you've been thinking about but haven't yet mustered up enough guts to try. Today is your day to step out of normal status quo automatic pilot selling and into a new a brief new world of excitement and potential. It's time for something new.

What do you do for Fearless Friday? That's up to you. But make today count. Make today different: Out with your normal routine, and in with freshness, creativity, outrageousness and daring.

Here are a few ideas:

1. You've had your eye on that wealthy couple at church, and you'd like to sell them an insurance policy. Call them today!

2. Your retail clothing business is slow and you've wanted to try something new. Today is you're day off? Good. Go knock on ten doors of small businesses today and take a new spring men's suit with you to show the male executive. Schedule an appointment for him to come in to your store to try on his size or find another suit that is to his liking.

3. Instead of holding a sign that says "Will Work for Food," stand on a street corner holding a sign that says "I sell carpeting. Need some?"

4. Go to Starbucks (or, in Minnesota, Caribou Coffee!) and pass out your business card to all the folks sipping coffee.  Attach a Dove chocolate bar to your card first. See how many Starbucks you can hit before noon.

5. When you're on a sales appointment at your customers' home, ask this question: "Of all your neighbors, which one do I have the best opportunity to sell my product?" Then go knock on their door.

6. Go see the mayor of your community today. Introduce yourself. Ask how things are going in local government and offer to help in some way. Give him/her your card and ask who he/she knows who would be a viable prospect for you.

7. If you sell shoes, bring out TWO OTHER PAIRS OF DIFFERENT SHOES to each prospect who asks to see a particular pair in his/her size. Bring a pair of shoe trees with for each pair. Set the shoe trees down right next to each shoe box. When it comes time to buy, they'll be more likely to buy the shoe trees, too.

8. Work in retail? Dress up like cupid today.

9. Jewelry salespeople, wear a diamond ring on each of your ten fingers today. I know, I know, they won't let you...but have you asked? Maybe diamonds are a bit wishful, but wear something on each finger today.

10. Bake (from scratch, please) some chocolate chip cookies this morning, then give them to your prospects in your furniture store who are looking for a dining table today. Instead of having your prospect just sit at the table and rub their hand over the top of the table, give them a napkin with a couple cookies and a glass of milk. Let them try the table rather than just sit and gawk at it. Join them. Make sure there are some comic books handy to lay out on the table, too.

11. Your prospect comes in looking at a fishing boat this morning? Great! Take him fishing in it this afternoon.

12. To all your customers looking at microwaves today: pop a bag of popcorn in the microwave they're most interested. Dump it into a bowl and give them a soda to go with it. Then do your presentation.

13. Don't just lay out a shirt and tie for your suit prospect; lay out three dress belts, too, and a pair of shoes. And shoes require socks, don't they (three pair, please).

14. On your in-home custom closet sales appointment, bring in a huge garbage bag. Say, "I'm hear to collect all the clothes you don't need anymore so we can design a new closet for you!" Then help your prospect fill up the bag with her two-sizes-too-small clothes she hasn't worn for six years and donate them on behalf of your prospect.

15. When you go to your prospect's home to sell a sunroom, say, "One of the things I like best about my sunroom is sitting in it and enjoying my morning cup of coffee." Then, say, "Speaking of coffee, I brought you some coffee beans (pull coffee out of bag; hand coffee to prospect). How about if we have a cup and talk about your interest in a new sunroom?"

Now, I'm certain my readers are infinitely more creative than am I. So let's hear your ideas about how salespeople can make this Friday a Fearless Friday.

Your comments are always appreciated. Please share your comment by clicking "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.

How to Sell More by Reducing Risk | Free Sales eBook

I formed the Sales Bloggers Union in 2008 in an effort to bring together some of the best sales experts in the world. Made up of nine prominent sales bloggers from the U.K., Canada, and the U.S., the union is active in the online community to advance the sales profession.

The Sales Bloggers Union has released it's new free eBook. All nine of us have contributed articles on the subject of "selling more by reducing risk." You can get the free reducing risk ebook here.

 

The Sales Bloggers Union members are:

Nesh Thomson, Sales System Developer at Symvolli

Tibor Shanto, Principal at Renbor Sales Solutions

Tim Rohrer, The Sales and Marketing Loudmouth

Will Fultz, Top Sales Blog

Brad Trnavsky, Sales Management20.com

Colin Wilson, Managing Director of First Border

Karl Goldfield, The Startup Sales Mentor

Skip Anderson, Founder, Selling to Consumers Sales Training

Your comments are always appreciated. Please share your comment by clicking "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.

Want to Achieve Remarkable Sales Success?

What's one of the biggest limitations to achieving remarkable sales success? Resistance to change.

Do you want to improve your selling skills? Ready yourself for change first. Sales improvement is change. You can't improve any skill without change, yet many salespeople get stuck in the rut of status quo selling that prevents performance improvement.

Here's a sales training video podcast I put together about the importance of change.

Your comments are always appreciated. Please share your comment by clicking "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.

Looking for New Retail Clients?

I'm connected to Kim Hayes on LinkedIn (feel free to connect with me, too, on LinkedIn). I've never met Kim, but I was one of (I assume) many people who received a message from her last week. Kim is a selling specialist at Bloomingdale's on Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

The subject of Kim's LinkedIn message was "I'm looking for new clients!" Her message continued: "I wanted to let all of you know that the next time you find yourself in Chicago for business or fun or of course SHOPPING, please stop by the Bloomingdale's on North Michigan Ave." The message went on to give her contact information and some additional details that would be helpful to visitors.

Kim's message made me smile. Retail salespeople have historically taken a reactive approach for business, i.e., if business walks through the door, then great, but if traffic is slow, then so be it. Few other sales positions can survive with a similar strategy, and with the current recession upon us, it's looking like many retail sales positions won't be able to survive without a change from the traditional reactive retail selling methodology. Kim reached out to try to find new ways to find new prospects. A message to her LinkedIn contacts is appropriate, and I doubt any of her contacts was offended by it.

What can you learn from Kim? Don't settle for the status quo. Whether you sell in a retail setting or some other type of sales environment, stretch yourself to try new, creative, and innovative ways of creating new sales opportunities.

What new or different selling strategies have you tried recently?

Your comments are always appreciated. Please share your comment by clicking "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.