November 28, 2007
Good afternoon,

Don't forget to check out Tom's interview where he discusses Teaching Salespeople a Winning Process with the Founder & Publisher of Selling Power Magazine, Gerhard Gschwandtner. Click here to see the interview:

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Goals: An Excuse's Worst Enemy
Now that you have a base line for what's best is your organization – the average number of presentations for the top two people in your company -- you must now set a goal to increase your own number of presentations. Goal-setting is comprised of some very fundamental elements. We're going to get back to increasing your number of presentations, but an inherent part of increasing your numbers is a clear understanding of goals and how to set them.

Goals can be tricky, but they are also essential. They are especially critical in the world of selling. Salespeople have much more autonomy than do most professions. Many of us have the luxury of making our own schedule, but this can become either a blessing or a curse. If you set goals with your time, this freedom can be a blessing. But without goals, you may end up like my first sales manager at the Southwestern Company used to say, “A salesperson without a goal is like a ship without a rudder.” You don’t want to spend your entire career straying off course.

I’ve never seen a successful company that didn’t have an annual budget. That is a goal. While it’s true that 10 different people may give you 10 different versions of what constitutes good goal-setting, what is fundamentally important is that you do set them. As Yogi Bera said, “You gotta have a goal or you might end up somewhere else.”
Here are four elements to setting smart goals that will keep you on course:
I. Write it Down. The first element to good goal setting is to write it down. If you don’t write it down, then it isn’t a goal; it’s a dream, a wish, a hope, but it’s not a goal. Take out a piece of paper and write down the number of new presentations you want to make each week.

II. Set a Time Frame. The second element to good goal setting is to set a time frame. Say to yourself, “I will average nine presentations per week over the next three months or quarter.” A time frame allows you to succeed or fail. Without a time frame, there is no success or failure; there is only constant reaching.

III. Tell Someone. The third element to good goal setting is to tell someone important to you about your goal. It could be your boss, spouse, parents, a peer, or a friend. The point is to put yourself on the line with someone who is important to you and who you respect.

Dizzy Dean was an amazing baseball pitcher in the 1940s. He told everyone that he and Paul Dean, his brother, were going to win 40 games the next baseball season. The next season they did something no one else had ever done – two brothers won 44 games for the same team. Dizzy told everyone his goal before the season to put pressure on himself and his brother to deliver. And they did.
After the season, Dizzy was on a bus, and a native St. Louis woman said, “Mr. Dean, you are a boaster and a braggart.” To which Dizzy replied, “Lady, it ain’t braggin' if you’ve done it.”

Remember Dizzy’s words: “It ain’t braggin’ if you’ve done it.”

Joe Namath promised a victory for the Jets before the Super Bowl. Why? The thought of failure to reach his stated goal was completely mortifying, so he knew it would push him to greater heights and a greater performance. If you’re afraid to publicly or privately communicate your goal to someone else, then it’s not a goal. It is that simple. Kevin Young was an Olympic hurdler. In the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, he did two remarkable things. First, he won the Gold medal in the 400 meter hurdles and more amazing, he broke the oldest standing record at that time in track and field. Edwin Moses held the previous longstanding record since 1983. Edwin Moses’ time was 47.02 seconds; Kevin Young’s previous best prior to the Games was 47.63. How did he do it? First, he set a goal – 47 seconds flat. Then he took 47 pieces of white paper with the number “47” written on them and taped them up all over his dorm room at the Olympic Village. His time frame was obvious – the final race. And of course, he told his coach and his teammates about his goal; in fact it was fairly obvious to anyone who saw his room.
Kevin Young went from just another medal contender – he wasn’t even the favorite or the fastest – to the World record holder, and he used this systematic goal setting method.

IV. Set High and Low Goals. Another element of good goal setting is to have both high and low goals. Poet Robert Browning explained high goals perfectly: “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” A low goal should be like Disraeli, the British statesman and prime minister, said: “A goal once set, then death or victory.” Now you have a goal for the number of presentations you make by number per week. It is written down. It has a time frame, the smaller the better. And you’ve told someone important about your goal. You also have a high goal, written down --ten presentations per week -- and a low goal, written down -- nine presentations per week. In most types of sales there are two kinds of presentations: first-time presentations and follow-up presentations. With that in mind, you must continually feed your pipeline with new customers. Every company has attrition, and all industry sectors have consolidations and bankruptcies. It is critical to increase your number of first-time presentations without sacrificing follow-up visits. If you successfully increase your first time visits per week, then your follow-up visits will naturally increase. Trade in your Horsepower for Purchasing Power I was on the “bookfield” selling books door-to-door for three summers and then recruited and trained students to sell for another two summers. Here’s how I implemented this goal setting system in the book business. First, I set a goal of 180 presentations per week. That’s right, 30 demonstrations a day, six days a week. I worked an average of 84 hours per week, six days a week. I had horsepower and I was willing to trade it for purchasing power. I broke every day into three periods:

- 7:30 a.m. to noon


- Noon to 5 p.m.


- 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

I set a low goal of 10 prospects per period and a high goal of 12 per period. I shared all of this with my manager, and I tracked my results every day on a 3x5 card I carried in my pocket. My time frame was 13 weeks, and if I saw 180 people a week for 13 weeks, I won the “Gold Award,” the coveted award given to the salespeople who reached their goals for number of presentations.

Throughout my career, I’ve built several successful sales organizations in the banking industry. My salespeople at these companies set goals to see an average of 12 banks per week, with three of those twelve being new prospects. Salespeople called on banks four days a week and spent one day in the office setting appointments and making follow-up calls by phone. In each situation, my sales teams used the same goal-setting process to increase the number of presentations they made, and it worked every time if they did.

To your success,
Tom Black

December 18, 2007
Good afternoon!
Please remember to check the website, http://tomblackcenter.com, regarding our Mega Success Conference with Tom and author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Mark Victor Hansen, in Nashville on Thursday, April 21, 2008, at Opryland Hotel. Tickets are going fast – be sure to get yours soon!

Also on our website, check out the link to Tom’s video interview, Teaching People A Winning Sales Process, with the founder of Selling Power magazine, Mr. Gerhard Gschwandtner. This is a great opportunity to pick up some important tips and sales techniques.

Look for our new books and products coming out in 2008…
Happy Holidays to you and yours!

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The Power of the Mind
Now you have the goal of increasing your number of presentations, but how do you do it? I don’t believe in hocus-pocus or magical spells, but I do believe strongly in the power of the mind. If you have done this goal setting process as I described it, then your mind will begin to figure out a way to get it done.

But your mind needs your help, so let’s get into some specific actions for setting and reaching your goals. If you’re making appointments to give presentations as opposed to cold calling, then you must make even more phone calls for those appointments. Here are three ideas I’ve taught to my sales organizations to set more phone appointments and increase your activity: I. The Power of the Prospect List

Ah, the prospect list. I required every salesperson to have a list of 50 new prospects at all times. The list can be typed or handwritten. Each entry should include the company name, the individual contact name, and the phone number. The list must be on an actual hard copy piece of paper. Why? Computers are wonderful, but I’ve never seen salespeople calling from their laptops a 100 percent of the time. I’m sure there are exceptions; but you need a list on a piece of paper. With a tangible list, you can call from anywhere any time you have down time: In a waiting room, on a plane, in the car, from the bathroom, you get the idea. A salesperson without a prospect list of potential new customers is soon unemployed. In the door-to-door book business, at each doorstep we asked for the neighbors’ names and wrote them all down. This was our prospect list. In the banking services business, salespeople generally had 200 community banks to call on annually, and 50 of those remained on a call list at all times.

Here are a couple of other examples of prospect lists:
New agents for Northwestern Mutual are required to have 25 new leads a week to feed into their pipeline. They are required to ask for referrals during the week while giving presentations, and each morning they are expected to call on these referrals for two-hour or three-hour blocks of time.
At one regional bank, sales people use a software program that generates no fewer than ten new leads a day for each bank officer based on the day’s transactions. This ensures that prospect lists never dry up.
Patty, an Irish American friend of mine, was coming out of his Parish church and saw his friend, Mike. “How did it go?” Mike asked Patty. “I got excommunicated for six months,” said Patty.
“That’s terrible!” said Mike. “What happened?”
“It’s not that bad,” said Patty. “I told the priest I’d committed adultery with a married woman. The priest asked me who it was. I said,
‘I can’t tell ya that.’
“The Priest asked, ‘Was it Mrs. O’Reilly then?’ I told him ‘no.’”
“He said, ‘Was it Mrs. O’Connor?’ I said ‘no.’”
“He said if I didn’t tell him he was going to kick me out. I pleaded, ‘Father, I can’t.’ He said, ‘Was it Mrs. O’Shanasee?’ I said ‘no.’” Then he said, ‘Well alright, you’re excommunicated for six months.’”
Again Mike said, “That’s terrible.”
“It’s not that bad,” said Patty. “The way I see it I got six months vacation and three good leads.” However you get them, every salesperson must have leads.

II. The Power of Time Blocking
The second idea for getting in more phone approaches, which naturally leads to more appointments and presentations, is blocking time for phone calls. Most of us have different degrees of call reluctance. Calling a new prospect is usually low on everyone’s list, so people use creative avoidance to justify doing other things.
I worked with a salesperson in the banking industry who easily put in 60 hours per week. Banks aren’t even open that much, but someone he never found time for new appointments. He was a very hard working salesperson who spent all his time with the existing customer base. He just couldn’t make himself call on new prospects.
To help reach the goal of making more phone calls to new prospects, you’ve got to block your time. The system I’ve found works best is this:
Write it on your calendar.
Find a quiet place and close the door. (This can even be your car.)
Be ready when it’s time to call. Do you have your phone approach ready? Do you have your calendar? Do you have your prospect list prepared? All of these things make your time more efficient and remove some of the psychological barriers to calling new prospects. By blocking your time, you put yourself in a place to win.

To your success,
Tom

January 25, 2008
II. The Power of Controlling Your Schedule

The third idea for getting in more presentations is to schedule appointments at the best time for you and your calendar. For example, if your schedule allows you to see two prospects in the morning at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., don’t accept an appointment for 10 a.m. Most prospects will fit into your schedule, so try this next time: After a prospect has agreed to an appointment, and the prospect suggests a time that doesn’t work best for you, say something like this:

“Would 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. be just as good for you as 10 a.m.?”

They’ll agree almost every time. By controlling the times, you set appointments you can see more people!

Still More Excuses

One of my salespeople came up with these reasons why she didn’t have more new appointments set each week:

Had lunch with friends (Translation: I think noon-to-1 is a bad time to call).
Went to the grocery store during the day (Translation: I have to eat and the store is much less crowded during work hours).
Played golf on Friday afternoon (Translation: No one else works on Friday afternoons).
Left my prospect list at home (Translation: And the dog ate it).
Had to get my proposals done (Translation: Couldn’t miss American Idol last night. Final episode).
Friend had an emotional crisis (Translation: Her nail is all better now).
John stopped by my office for a visit (Translation: We’re all caught up on the company gossip).
My decorator called (Translation: She doesn’t work at night, so what choice did I have).
I had to pay my bills (Translation: Couldn’t concentrate at home).
I wasn’t feeling well (Translation: I stayed out way too late last night).
I have already called everyone in my territory (Translation: I think I’m all out of excuses).

All of these excuses are nothing more than some very creative avoidance. Salespeople use creative avoidance to make excuses not to get on the phone. If you’re serious about your success and you think of yourself as a professional, track the number of new prospects you call each week and find a way to increase it by ten percent. If you do, you’ll give yourself a ten percent increase in sales… and you can figure out what that means to you financially.

You’re a Professional ... So Act Like One

If you’re really a pro, you’ll write down your goal to increase new phone approaches, set a time frame to increase it, and then tell someone important you’re going to do it.

For example, my salespeople in the banking business set appointments with 85 percent of the bankers they talk to on the phone. So, to get three new presentations per week, they must call five new bankers per week. To see four new banks per week they could simply increase the number of new calls to six. The number of new presentations then increases, and sales will follow the same increasing trend assuming no change in the quality of your presentation or the quality of the prospect.

If you work for a cold call sales organization and want to increase the number of new presentations you make, here are a few simple ways to accomplish this:

· Increase the amount of time you work.
· Be more efficient in your workday by spending less time with each prospect.
· Spend less time doing non-job related activities during prime work hours.


Breaking Through the Excuses

If you truly believe that you’ve seen all the potential customers in your area, talk to management. But the truth is not that you’ve seen all the good prospects. Instead, I’ve found that salespeople believe their own excuses to justify why they aren’t seeing more people, excuses like:

· I’ve seen everyone.
· I was there last year.
· I’ve called 100 times and can’t get in.
· They’re loyal to a competitor.

It’s not really that you’ve seen everyone. You have just seen all the easy ones! Professional salespeople develop strategies for even the hardest prospects, strategies to see them and to sell them.

Michelle sells printers and copiers to high-end businesses. She uses a technique that she finds highly effective when she’s working in an area that seems to be all “worked over.” When prospects give her the excuse that someone from her company or a competitor has already been there, she is relieved.

“Oh good!” she will say. “It’s great to run into someone who is familiar with our products. I bet you didn’t know we have added a new product line that has saved our clients thousands of dollars and greatly added to their efficiency. I’d love to tell you about it.”

It pays to be creative in selling. If it were easy, everyone would do it!

Remember it will always be easier to see an existing customer than a new one; it will always be harder to overcome call reluctance than visit an old friend. If this is holding you back from increasing your new presentations or your total presentations, then make your calendar help you. Say to yourself, I have “x” amount of time for old prospects and existing clients and “x” amount of time for new prospects. Mark that time on your calendar. Set a goal and then work toward it.

One common excuse you must avoid is the use of the “travel budget” crutch. Personally, I’ve never heard of a salesperson being fired for going over his expense budget if he or she was also the best salesperson. Management may whine, but they all want the same thing: more sales.

Jonathan Goody was the top salesperson in one of my sales organizations. Jonathan was always over his budget for travel, typically $1,000 a month more than the next highest salesperson’s expenses. He would jump on an airplane at the drop of a hat; he stayed at more expensive hotels than most, and he ate better, too. No matter how much we asked him to lower his expenses, he never did.

So, we fired him. No, the truth is, we paid gladly to have all that production! No one is going to fire a top producer for going over his budget; but weak salespeople do get replaced for going over their expense budgets or falsifying their reports.

To Your Success,
Tom

February 26, 2008
Work Smart, Not Hard

Maybe you don’t make excuses and you work really hard. That’s great, but the problem some salespeople have in maximizing their performance is that they often spin their wheels and never get anywhere. Unless you’re in front of a prospect you can’t get results. That’s why the number of people you see is so critical. The question you have to ask yourself is this” Are you a peak performer or do you work harder and harder and seem to keep “spinning your wheels?”

Hamsters run hard, but they never get anywhere. Start focusing on how to maximize the benefits of every situation, and you will find yourself much less frustrated and increase your presentations just by doing a little thinking and planning.

The Multiplier Effect

Another thought about increasing activity in regard to the number of presentations you give weekly is this: The more presentations you give, the better you get at each presentation. You get a “multiplier effect”. Practice makes perfect and the more you practice, the better you should get if your head is in the game.

Larry was a student who cleverly crammed four years of education into six. He sold books for six summers and was one of the top rookies in The Southwestern Company, but Larry never got any better each subsequent summer. The number of presentations he gave each week never varied much over his six years on the bookfield, and his results never did either. Larry had one year’s worth of experience six separate times. More presentations don’t always mean better presentations, but they should until you’re at the top of your sales organization – then they should keep you there.

There are a lot of things to do to get out of a sales slump. One great way to bust through a slump is by increasing your activity to move faster through negativity. It’s a simple way to fix a big problem: Just focus on increasing the number of new presentations you give until you get to buyers again. As you work to increase your presentations, you’ll find that not only will you beat the slumps but you’ll get through them faster.

Maybe you are one of the salespeople who believe in “quality not quantity.” You may be of the mindset that three great presentations and three great prospects are better than nine bad presentations and nine bad prospects. That’s right; I agree with that.

But won’t you agree that nine great presentations to nine great prospects would be the best of both worlds? That’s what you should be striving for, and that’s what great salespeople do day-in and day-out.

“No” is a Part of “Yes”

James gave more presentations than anyone in the organization, but Rita outsold him because she sold half of the people she saw. However, it took several years until she began to realize that she needed to increase her activity with new prospects.

What did it? Two new salespeople outperformed her in activity and results. The competition finally got her. You may have had a higher closing percentage, but eventually someone’s going to out-work you; and the sales profession favors the salesperson who believes in the law of averages. This year, if you are number one in sales but not number one in activity, someone’s gonna claim your title sooner or later.

It is quite simple really: The law of averages really is a law. And ultimately you can’t break it.

Every “no” is a part of a “yes.” In fact, learn to love the no answers, because more activity equals more of those. As I left a house in the door-to-door book business, I’d always say: “Thank you for the ‘no.’ Every ‘no’ is part of a ‘yes’, and I have to get a certain number of ‘no’s’ to get a ‘yes.’”

In one particular house, I went on to say: “That’s the nicest ‘no’ I’ve had all day. You’re my third ‘no’ in a row, so a ‘yes’ is right around the corner.”

As I turned to leave, the woman at the house said, “Come back! I don’t want to be a ‘no.’”

Nothing is sweeter to a salesperson than hearing ‘yes’, but in professional selling, our job is to get ‘no’s’ too.

To your success,
Tom

March 25, 2008

Laying Foundations for a Great Presentation with Attitude

In past newsletters, we’ve discussed – and I’m sure you agree with – these principles:

· You believe in the law of averages.
· You’ve set a high and low goal to increase your activity.
· You’ve written it down.
· You’ve told someone important about your goal.
· You’ve set a time frame.
· You’ve answered your own excuses.
· You’ve committed to a plan to raise your activity with new prospects.

Now, it’s time to move to the second pillar of success in the sales saga: The quality of your presentation.

Attitude is Irrelevant

Every great performer knows that spectacular performance is always preceded by unspectacular preparation. So there are some foundations that must be laid for a great presentation. The first brick in the foundation is attitude. This may come as a surprise to you, but attitude does not necessarily determine results in sales. I’ve known hundreds of salespeople who go out and sell successfully with bad attitudes.

Lynn’s best sales year was the year she interviewed for new jobs because she didn’t like the one she had. The number one salesperson in the door-to-door book business one summer -- out of several thousand students -- called his sales manager to quit every week because he didn’t like going door-to-door.

It is possible to sell with a bad attitude. How? Success in sales is based on the number of people you see, the quality of your presentation, and the quality of your prospects. Great actors and actresses give great performances with bad attitudes and they give great performances when they are sick. On the other hand, a bad attitude can affect your results if you let it affect your effort and performance.

Instead of harboring a bad attitude after hearing your tenth “no” of the day, or getting lost, or spilling coffee on your computer, try saying this little poem under your breath: “What’s behind the door I cannot tell, But I know the more I open, the more I sell.”

You never know, it just might make you smile. And what’s the old saying: “Fake it ‘til you make it!”

William James, a Harvard Psychologist, once said: “The mind can’t tell the difference between real and artificial stimulus.”

If you tell yourself you feel healthy, happy, and terrific, you will feel healthy, happy, and terrific. James went on to say: “People can alter their lives by altering their attitudes.”

If you have attitude problems – and most of us do at some point – here are some thoughts to help you get a professional attitude as a foundation for a high quality presentation.

I. Utilize Affirmations

Use positive affirmations. Olympic athletes use psychological conditioning and it works. They visualize themselves winning the race or breaking the record. What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

Here are some affirmations I’ve used and a few that other salespeople have shared with me over the years. Speak these aloud in front of the mirror or anytime you need a mental boost:

· I feel healthy, happy, and terrific.
· I can, I will, I am going to become the greatest salesperson in the history of the company.
· I am nature’s greatest miracle. (From The Greatest Salesman in the World)
· When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
· I will go over, under, around, and through any obstacle that stands in my way.
· I am the best.
· Today opportunity knocks and I answer.
· I dare to be great; I dare to create my future now.
· Write it on your heart – today is the day, now is the time.


You think these sound hokey? You don’t need these? Corny affirmations aren’t cool? I don’t think legendary Olympic athletes Carl Lewis, Marion Jones, Eric Heyden, or Mark Spitz were worried about getting their “cool cards” punched. They wanted to win Gold medals, and I hope you do too. Or at least the gold part.

To Your Success,
Tom

April 10, 2008
Former "Talk of the Town" and "America's Most Wanted" TV host, Debbie Alan, shares a warm and delightful interview with Chicken Soup for the Soul author, Mark Victor Hansen, as he discusses the American economy, success, and his personal life. If you are in the mood to brighten your outlook and increase your possibiities, click here:

http://www.wsradio.com/player/wsradio-player2.cfm/type/windows/show/On-The-HomeStretch/segment/16798.html

Mega Success tickets still available for the event on Thursday, April 17 -- don't miss this fantastic opportunity to invest in yourself! Call 866-518-5244 or visit www.tomblackcenter.com/megasuccess Don't forget to ask about Tom's newsletter recipients' special discount! *************************************************************************
II. Find Happiness in the Journey
Here is a great quote I want you to memorize: “Happiness is a way of traveling; not some place you arrive. Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
Unfortunately, I didn’t think of it, Abe did. Our most famous president, Abraham Lincoln, said that.

When my friend, Mike, graduated from college, he thought he would be happy. He was the first one in his family to get a degree, but he soon learned that a degree did not make him happy. So, he got a sales job and started earning an above-average income, but that didn’t make him happy either. He looked around and wondered, what is making people happy? A lot of people had big houses, so he got one. That didn’t make him happy. What could it be? He saw his friends getting wives, so he got one of those too. Guess what? That didn’t make him happy either. What Mike finally realized is that it isn’t achievement, money, possessions, or someone else that could make him happy. He learned that happiness truly is, as Abe said, a way of traveling and not some place you arrive.

There are people without an education who are working for minimum wage, renting an apartment, and driving an old used car who will go to bed tonight happy. Yet here in the richest country in the world, other people will lay their heads down in million dollar homes with all the riches in the world and they are unhappy. Your attitude and happiness is yours to control.

There is a thought among people that happiness is something they only find outside their careers. But there is nothing more fulfilling than a lifetime of success in your profession. Stop looking everywhere else; happiness is already in the car with you.
Happiness is a Journey, not a Destination…

For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one. – John Phillip Souza

May 27, 2008

Here's this month's sales newsletter! I also want to call your attention to two upcoming learning opportunities.
First, an advanced sales course. Learn what's not in the Boxcar Millionaire Selling System. Move your skill set and your income to the next level with me. It's Saturday, August 16, from 8:30a to 4:30p at the Cool Springs Marriott. The cost is only $500 and includes registration, materials, and continental breakfast.

Second, John Boyens (http://www.boyens.com/) and I are teaching a one-day sales management course at the Richland Country Club in Nashville on Thursday, September 4, 2008, 8:00a to 5:00p. Here you'll learn recruiting, training and managing techniques that have built several successful sales organizations. If you hire, train, or manage sales people, don't miss this! It's only $500 and space is limited. It includes your registration, all workshop materials, continental breakfast and a catered lunch. If you're interested, email me or call me (615.714.5151 cell or 615.377.7752 office).
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In past newsletters, we've been talking about laying foundations for a great presentation with attitude. Want to know the next step in how to do that? Read on!
Read Inspirational Material
You can significantly affect your attitude thorough reading inspirational material. Here are some books I find truly inspiring that help me get my attitude right. Of course, you can find your own, but these are a good place to start:

The Bible
The Greatest Salesman in the World
Tuesdays with Morey
Who Moved my Cheese
How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling
Winners Never Quit
Chicken Soup for the Soul
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
Think and Grow Rich!
48 Days to the Work You Love
How to Win Friends and Influence People
The Purpose Driven Life
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
The Prophet
Inspirational material can help douse our selfish natures with positive messages that take our minds off ourselves and onto our purpose. It also helps us realize that most obstacles are beatable.

After all, who wouldn’t be inspired by stories like these? Remember Kerri Strug’s chilling performance in the 1996 Olympics? Believing the team gold medal was on the line, Strug took to the second vault on a badly sprained left ankle and stuck the landing for a score of 9.712. In the same 1996 Olympics in track and field, a week after dropping out of the heptathlon with a severely strained right hamstring, Jackie Joyner-Kersee leaped from fifth to third and the bronze medal in her final attempt of the long jump.
How about the attitude and grit of one player in Game One of the 1988 World Series? With a strained left hamstring and sprained right knee, pinch hitter Kirk Gibson hit a full-count, two-out homer in the bottom of the ninth to give the Dodgers a 5-4 win over the Athletics. L.A. won the series 4-1, essentially on the momentum of that homerun.
All of these extraordinary people could have thrown in the towel and no one would have blamed them. But they didn’t. Their attitude to never give up, to win, is what made the difference. The point here is not that you should keep selling when you are suffering from a pulled hammy. I only want you to keep a good attitude so that it doesn’t affect your performance, and instead your attitude inspires you to give greater performances.

To your success,
Tom

July 25, 2008
June 2008 Newsletter

Here's this month's sales newsletter! I also want to call your attention to some upcoming learning opportunities.

1. Join us for a two-day intensive sales skills training course where you will experience an interactive process of evaluating your current sales practices with Tom. You will learn Tom's Sales Success System from prospecting to closing which focuses on accelerating activities that lead to results. It's Thursday and Friday, August 7-8, from 8:30a to 4:30p at the Cool Springs Marriott. The cost is only $750 and includes registration, materials, and continental breakfast.

2. In conjunction with the training above, on August 7th, at 6:00p, Tom will be conducting "Doing Business at the Table" at Sunset Grill. During a three-hour, four-course dinner Tom simulates entertaining your clients including: making the right reservation, seating arrangements, table placement, and much more. Learn how to avoid the common mistakes many business people make and see how much more effective your business dining will be! $250 per person and includes dinner and wines selected by Tom. Seating is limited, so reserve your spot soon!

3. On August 22, we are offering Advanced Selling. This one-day training will include the five biggest mistakes experienced salespeople make, selling to different personality styles, presenting and winning the RFP, the phone approach that never fails, closing groups -- a sure fire close, a relationship-building system that gets results, how to beat the competition almost every time, and much more. Cool Springs Marriott, 8:30a to 4:30p

4. John Boyens (http://www.boyens.com/) and Tom are teaching a one-day sales management course at the Richland Country Club in Nashville on Thursday, September 4, 2008, 8:00a to 5:00p. Here you'll learn recruiting, training and managing techniques that have built several successful sales organizations. If you hire, train, or manage sales people, don't miss this! It's only $500 and space is limited. It includes your registration, all workshop materials, continental breakfast and a catered lunch.

If you're interested, email or call Tom (615.714.5151 cell or 615.377.7752 office).
****************************

In recent newsletters, we've been discussing laying foundations for a great presentation with attitude. Here's the last part of that discussion. Read on and enjoy!

Make Lemonade

Another element of your attitude is your disposition toward obstacles. Sam Johnson, a legendary sales manager for the Southwestern Company, used to say, “In every seeming adversity, there is a seed for greater growth.”

We’ve all heard of making lemonade from lemons. Here are some examples:

Lemon: My territory got changed or reduced. Lemonade: Now I have less drive time and can focus my efforts.

Lemon: The competition lowered their price below ours. Lemonade: They obviously can’t compete on the merits of the product.

Lemon: I just lost a major account. Lemonade: I have more time to develop a new and larger account.

Lemon: Some of my customers have been receiving the wrong shipments. Lemonade: I can find a more efficient process to eliminate error.

Lemon: I just got a new sales manager and we don’t seem to get along. Lemonade: Now I have a chance to practice my personality style-flexing.

Lemon: Our product line has been cut down. Lemonade: I can hone my presentations of our best products.

Lemon: The GPS in my car is not working. Lemonade: This will give me a chance to learn the area a little better.

Here is a good example of how attitude can make the difference. A very large national shoe manufacturer decided to expand their territory into some African countries, and they decided to send their very best salesperson to do the job. A few months later having totally failed to sell any shoes, he called the company and said: “I'm returning on the next flight. I can't sell shoes here. Everybody goes barefoot!”

Discouraged and ready to give up on their expansion plans, they sent in a rookie. He broke every sales record in the company’s history. They asked him how he was able to achieve this kind of success when their star salesman had utterly failed. The rookie responded: "The prospects are unlimited. Nobody wears shoes here!"

You see, the difference in the two men was a simple matter of perspective and attitude. Is your proverbial glass of water half full or half empty?

Remember the Pony

There once were two 10-year-old twin brothers. One was an optimist, and the other a pessimist. They were twins, but they seemed so different. This frustrated their parents, so they took the boys to a psychiatrist to be tested. The psychiatrist said he had a test for such boys.

He put the pessimist in a room full of toys and then put the optimist in a room full of horse manure.

The psychiatrist waited a few minutes and went back to see the pessimistic boy. Sure enough, he was sitting in the middle of the room crying.

“Why didn’t you play with the ball?” the psychiatrist asked the boy,

“I was afraid it would hit me in the chin,” the lad replied.

“Why didn’t you play with the balloons?” asked the psychiatrist.

“I was afraid they’d pop and scare me,” replied the boy.

“Why didn’t you pop the gun?” the doctor asked.

“I was afraid it would shoot me,” said the pessimist.

The psychiatrist shook his head and went to the room with the optimist. When he opened the door, the boy was in the middle of the room throwing horse manure everywhere.

“Stop! Stop! What are you doing?” yelled the psychiatrist.

The little boy turned, covered head-to-toe in horse manure. “Mister,” he said. “With all this horse manure in here, I know somewhere there had to be a pony!”

As a great sales manager Sam Johnson said: “In every seeming adversity, there is a seed for greater growth.”

The right attitude allows you to be happy and helps you to not get discouraged in the face of obstacles. It also allows you to be persistent. When you get discouraged, just remember: That pony is in there somewhere.

To your success,
Tom

August 15, 2008
Here's August's sales newsletter!

Arguably the greatest President in our nation's history, a recounting of Abraham Lincoln's career leading up to his election illustrates as tale of the utmost persistence. His failures far exceeded his successes. Just look at this timeline of Abe's life:

1832 * Lost his job
1832 * Defeated in the race for the legislature
1833 * Failed in business
1834 * Elected to legislature
1835 * Sweetheart died
1836 * Suffered a nervous breakdown
1838 * Defeated for speaker in the legislature
1843 * Defeated for nomination for Congress
1846 * Elected to Congress
1848 * Lost re-nomination to Congress
1849 * Rejected for job as land officer
1854 * Defeated for Senate
1856 * Defeated for nomination for Vice-President
1858 * Defeated for Senate
1860 * Elected 16th president of the United States

A truly inspiring story, with almost 30 years of handling crushing disappointment. But Lincoln never quit, and in the end, his unfailing persistence reshaped an entire country.

In the midst of the worst depression in our country's history, Calvin Coolidge had these words to say: 'Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.'

Persistence truly is all-powerful. A Tale of Sheer Persistence

Eddie Shore was a legendary hockey player, a defenseman for the Boston Bruins. Eddie missed his team's train to play for the Stanley Cup in Montreal on January 2, 1929. Eddie was the kind of player who believed that nothing could be more catastrophic or embarrassing than missing a game.

There just didn't seem to be a way to get to that game. It was 9 p.m., and there were no trains to Montreal until too late the next day. There was no chance for a flight because of a freezing rain that engulfed the area. After several calls, Eddie contacted a friend who offered him his limousine and chauffeur for the journey to Montreal.

By that point, a sleet storm was tearing Boston apart, but Eddie was unfazed. The chauffeur came for him at 11:30 p.m., and they began the 350-mile Boston-to-Montreal drive over dilapidated roads that wound around the New England mountains, which were completely covered with sheets of ice and snow.

Shore asked the driver to hurry. 'The man apologized,' Shore said, 'and told me he didn't have chains, and furthermore didn't like driving in the winter. The poor fellow urged me to turn back to Boston.'

Shore was not about to give up that easily. He bought chains and decided to do the driving himself into the blizzard as it approached with full force. Snow caked on either side of the lone windshield wiper, which eventually froze to the glass. 'I couldn't see out of the window,' Shore recalled, 'so I had to remove the top half of the windshield.'

Shore steered the limousine across the Massachusetts border and up into the New Hampshire mountains, dangerously exposed to the icy wind.

'At about five in the morning,' Shore said, 'we began losing traction. The tire chains had worn out.'

Luckily, he found a road construction camp nearby. Shore awakened the watchman and got a new set of tire chains, then continued toward Canada. The road was icier than a hockey rink, and the car skidded off the road four times, but each time Shore and his terrified chauffeur managed to push it back on the highway.

Exhausted and frozen, Shore finally asked the chauffeur to drive while he took a quick nap. Shore quickly fell asleep, but minutes later, the chauffeur lost control and the car dove into a ditch. Unwilling to give up this battle, Shore hiked a mile to a farmhouse.

'I paid eight dollars for a team of horses,' Shore recalls. 'I harnessed them and pulled the car out of the ditch. By this time, we weren't far from Montreal, and I thought we'd still make it before game time.'

They did . . . and the sight of his 'abominably snow-covered defenseman' awed Art Ross, the Bruins coach.

'His eyes were bloodshot,' Ross said, 'his face frostbitten and wind burned, his fingers bent and set like claws after gripping the wheel so long. He couldn't even walk straight.'

Ross insisted that Shore not dress for the game that night against Montreal, but Eddie refused to sit this one out. He took the ice for Boston and played 56 minutes of the 60-minute game. He missed four minutes because he had a pair of two-minute penalties.

Was the trip worth it? Well, Boston won the Stanley Cup match, 1-0, and Eddie scored the game's only goal. It was an extraordinarily courageous performance.

To your Success,
Tom

September 29, 2008
Hope this edition of our newsletter finds you healthy, happy, and terrific! We'd like to tell you about a couple of training opportunities coming your way soon. You can register online @ http://www.tomblackcenter.com/ or call 615.377.7752 for more info. We'd love to see you there!

The Boxcar Millionaire's
$ALE$ INCUBATOR
For only $70* a week, you can have one of America's
Greatest Sales Executives as your coach!
Who: Business owners, sales executives, sales managers and sales representatives seriously interested in improving their sales culture, process, efforts and results.

What: Once a week, for eight (8) consecutive weeks you will meet with Tom Black and learn how to accelerate your sales efforts and results. He will evaluate your business and sales plan and help each participant hone their sales efforts to achieve their goals. *Each Incubator is limited to 15 participants. This small group format will give Tom the ability to provide very specific coaching.

When: Every Monday, October 6th through November 24TH from 4:00 p.m. ' 5:30 p.m.

Where: Bistro 215, 3821 Green Hills Village Dr., Nashville, TN 37215

How: $70 per week (if paid in advance = $560)
$75 if paid weekly (each of the next 7 payments to be paid at each session)
Advanced Sales Training

WHEN: October 10, 2008, 8:30 a.m. " 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Cool Springs Marriott, Franklin, TN
COST: $500.00


Learn new closes that get prospects off the fence (This one section is worth the ticket price!)
Learn to identify personality styles and what motivates them to buy
Find out if you really have a selling system and, if not, how to get one
Discover how to build a lifelong relationship with your customers
Learn how to beat the competition every time
Become skilled at negotiating price and winning

Preparation
Selling into groups
RFP
Buyer's styles
Relationship building
Business lunch/dinner
Time management
Why people don't buy
This training is limited to 16 participants and provides a rare opportunity to spend the day with one of America's greatest sales trainers.

About the Tom Black Center for Excellence

Based in Nashville, TN, the Tom Black Center for Excellence, a member of the National Speakers Association (NSA), offers customized sales training services to national clients of all sizes in a wide range of fields. Areas of specialization include basic sales skills, key account strategies, sales management training and keynote speeches. For more information, visit http://www.tomblackcenter.com/ or call (615) 377-7752.

*************************************
Setbacks Don't Have to = Failure

As both a salesperson and a member of society, many times you are going to find circumstances will be different than what you want them to be. Many times you will find circumstances discouraging. Many times in the process of trying to reach your goals you will fail. Persistence through failure is what will cause you to be successful. Eddie Shore was given impossible circumstances and immense discouragement, and he failed many times in trying to reach his destination. But persistence through failure and impossible circumstances enabled him to reach his goal.

Eddie Shore was the embodiment of the Air Force slogan: 'The difficult we do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer.' When I look up the word persistence in the dictionary, I want to see your picture. As you focus on increasing your activity ' more new presentations ' and work on improving the quality of your presentation, a persistent attitude will be one of your most valuable tools. The Best Can Get Better Another part of your attitude should be a burning desire to improve your performance and your results. If your attitude is one of  what I'm doing is good enough', then obviously you won't improve. But remember this: Sales is a down escalator, and if you stand still, you will go backwards. When you're green, you grow; when you're ripe, you rot.

Charlie 'Tremendous' Jones, the famed inspirational author and speaker, used to say: 'You're the same person ten years from now except for two things: The people you meet and the books you read.' (Let's add CDs and DVDs to that to modernize the quote.) So, part of your attitude should be your commitment to improve as a professional. There is no other notable profession that doesn't require continuing education: Doctors, lawyers, airplane pilots, and countless others. Be great! Require it of yourself! Listen to CD's, go to seminars and read books. You cannot be too busy chopping wood to sharpen the axe.

Think big
Another part of a great attitude is the ability to think big. Countless salespeople have pushed through slumps, found inspiration, or were able to persist because they believed in the home run. They thought big, like the kid in the following story.

One day a salesman left his house for work and passed the neighborhood kid on the way to the bus stop. The young boy had put up a sign that read, 'Puppy, 50 cents.'

Sure enough, there beside the sign sat a dirty little puppy. The salesman knew the boy wasn't thinking big enough, so he told the young boy to wash the puppy, brush his coat, put a big bow on him, and raise the price.
And as the salesman got on the bus to go to work, he told the boy, 'Remember, just think big.'
That evening as he passed the boy's house, there was a new sign that said, 'Puppy $10,000', and across the sign was boldly written,
'SOLD'. The salesman thought this was worth being late for supper to investigate, so he went and knocked on the boy's door. When the boy came to the door, the salesman asked, 'Son, how much did you get for that puppy?'
The boy stated, 'Ten thousand dollars.'
'How exactly did you arrive at that price?' asked the salesman with wonder. 'Well,' said the boy, 'you said to think big, and 10,000 is the biggest number I could think of!' Still perplexed, the salesman asked, 'OK, how much did you really get for that dog?' 'I got $10, 000,' said the boy again.
The bewildered salesman persisted and asked again about the sale price. The young boy told him with pride, 'Yep that's right, ten thousand bucks. I took two $5000 cats in trade.'
Just like the boy at the beginning of the story, we all limit ourselves by what we think.
But as the great salesman Og Mandino says: 'We are nature's greatest miracle.'
You can increase your value a hundred-fold if you just believe it.

To Your Success,
Tom

October 29, 2008
Developing a Service Attitude

Have you ever been shopping for something, and you could literally see the dollar signs in the salesperson's eyes? Believe me, your prospects can see the dollar signs in your eyes as well if your attitude is one of do anything to make the sale. That is why a service attitude should also be an inherent part of your attitude.

William Penn, historic figure and founder of Pennsylvania, said: "I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow human being, let me do it now as I shall not pass this way again."

If you always give to get, you'll never get. But if you give to give, you'll get. Whatever you put into the lives of others will come back into your own. It's pretty simple, really. Put out good - you'll get good. Put out bad - you'll get bad.

Steve sold check sorters to banks. One day, one of the banks he called on didn't need any sorters, but the banker was upset because their printer had just broken. He asked Steve what he thought about the various printer brands and where he might shop for them.

Steve made his living by selling sorters, not printers, and he could have easily have said he didn't know or could have given him a short and easy answer. Instead, Steve did the banker's homework for him. He gave the banker names, phone numbers, and prices so the banker could check and compare printers for himself.

When it came time two years later for that banker to buy a sorter, that banker called only one person - Steve. Steve was the kind of salesperson that banker wanted to do business with. Your prospects want to work with a salesperson with a service minded attitude.

I think back over the thousands of times someone asked me to do something that I didn't make a dime on, and always I strived to do whatever was asked of me. When I went out of my way to help a prospect or a customer, I said to myself, "Well, there's another deposit in the sales bank for withdrawal later."

To top it off, I did it all cheerfully. Nothing sells like a service attitude, and believe me, the prospect can tell.

P.T. Barnum said: "You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people sometimes, but you can never fool all of the people all the time."

And I say, "Why try?" It's so much easier to have a service attitude all the time as you pass through life.

Ryan had just that sort of service attitude. One summer on the bookfield, he was giving a terrific presentation. Suddenly in the middle of his close, the woman got a phone call and was thrown into a state of panic. She had to leave immediately, but could not take her children with her; she couldn't leave them alone either.

Without even thinking, Ryan volunteered to watch the kids until she could return. The woman agreed and rushed out the door. Hours later she returned, so thankful for Ryan's thoughtful offer to help. And guess what? He even got a sale out of it. And the woman's family and friends bought from him all summer long.

When he went to other houses in the neighborhood, the homeowners would ask him: "Are you that boy who helped watch Sheila's kids?"

Then they bought books, too. Going above and beyond what is expected will never hurt you; it will only help.

To Your Success,
Tom

November 20, 2008

I. Leave Your Comfort Zone
To be great in selling, you must have a willingness to leave your comfort zone. I've never met a great salesperson who did not leave his comfort zone.

Sometimes it's in the approach. You just hate to make a cold call, knock on a door, or pick up the phone and call someone you don't know.

Sometimes it's in the set-up. You just hate to ask the prospect's questions about their business, their children, or whatever.

Sometimes it's when you close. You just hate to bring the prospect to a point of decision.

Sometimes it's in the follow-up. You just hate to hear another objection or stall.

Sometimes it's when you ask for money or payment. You say: "Can't we just send them a bill?"

Maybe it's all of these, but whatever it is that's uncomfortable, to be great you must overcome it.

For me, it's the close. When I was selling books for the Southwestern Company, laundry day would come, and I'd be surprised each week at how fast the toes of my socks were wearing out. I thought it was the brand of socks I was buying, and then it dawned on me - I dug my toes into my shoes every time I closed.

That's how I dealt with the uncomfortable feeling of asking a prospect to buy. Get your own trick that gets you through it, but get through it and stop making excuses. Great pro baseball players swing a bat the way a coach taught them, not like they would naturally. They left their comfort zones. Part of your attitude must be that you are willing to be emotionally uncomfortable in order to perform at the highest level.

To Your Success,
Tom

December 23, 2008
Selling is a Profession

A critical and often overlooked element of your attitude is to always remember that you are a professional. After all, sales is a profession. What do most people think of when you say the word "salesperson?" A few words come to mind:

- Pushy
- High pressure
- Conman
- Charlatan
- Cheat
- Dishonest
- Crooked
- Twist your arm
- Make you buy
- Say anything to get the sale

It's true that even some salespeople would describe sales using these words. That is because some salespeople are all of those things!

Salespeople in general have a bad image, frankly, because there have been so many bad ones. A professional attitude will set you apart. You can change the image of the pushy, plaid-suited, greasy salesperson. Make up your mind that you're going to be proud you're in sales, and then act like it. It is impossible -- yes, impossible -- to give a great presentation when you don't believe you are a great professional salesperson.

Robert Louis Stevenson said we all sell something -- a product, an idea, or a service. The best attorney is the best communicator, not the one who knows the most law. The best preacher or priest is the best communicator, not the one who knows the most about the Bible. The best teacher is the best communicator, not the one who knows the most about the material he or she is teaching. At the primary level, sales is just effective communication.

Some of the most successful people in every profession got their start in sales:

- Harry Truman, U.S. President -- Sold Men's Clothing
- Billy Graham, Evangelist -- Sold Fuller Brushes
- Carli Fiorina, Former CEO Hewlett Packard -- Ma Bell Salesperson
- Ken Starr, Prominent attorney -- Sold books door-to-door in college
- Rick Perry, Governor of Texas -- Sold books door-to-door in college
- Mark Heard, CEO of Hewlett Packard -- NCR Salesperson
- Bruce Henderson, Founder of the Boston Group -- Sold books door-to-door in college
- Greg Daily, CEO of iPayment -- Sold Christmas trees

Those are some of the most successful leaders of our time, and that's just a short list of the greats who got their start in sales -- be proud you're in that fraternity.

Don't Be Afraid of Change

Finally, part of your attitude should be a willingness to accept change. All great salespeople must be willing to accept change. Who Moved My Cheese is an excellent book that explains this principal. In the book, Spencer Johnson discusses the three stages of change: preparing for change, gaining "change skills", and achieving a change. I recommend the book; it's a fast read.

Charles Darwin said in his classic, The Origin of Species: "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the ones who are most responsive to change."

Throughout my career, I've witnessed many salespeople fail because somebody "moved their cheese" and they refused to change. The only thing constant in a vibrant, free market economy is change. As a salesperson, you should embrace change, love change, and realize that it is change that gives you new opportunities. Without change in the marketplace, there is no new opportunity. If a caterpillar becomes a butterfly and an ugly duckling becomes a swan, then think of what change can do for you.

To Your Success,
Tom

January 30, 2009
The Planned Presentation: The Only One Worth Giving

A planned presentation is not only a building block for a great performance, it is central to the entire sales process. And yet, no principle I've taught over the years has been met with more resistance. However, there is no principle I believe in any more strongly than this.

I can just hear the groans now. "But Tom...

- I don't want to sound canned.
- I want to be flexible.
- Every situation is different.
- I talk to different levels of decision makers, so I need different presentations."

I say: "OK, fine. Making these excuses is a lot easier than doing the work of a professional, which is planning your sales presentation."

Yes, There is a Best Presentation

I believe in a planned presentation and here is why. First, the best tool you have is your words. What comes out of your mouth determines your success or failure. If this weren't true, everyone could just send out brochures and fancy PowerPoint presentations and make six figures a year. If you believe you have value as a salesperson, then it is in the words you say when you talk to prospects. That must be a given!

There are some things you say that communicate our message better than others and lead to the results you want. Let's call these words, "the best sales presentation possible."

The best sales presentation possible is not vastly different each time. There are certain benefits and features of every product that must be communicated, and those benefits and features must be communicated in the best way possible. Best, by definition, means one, exclusive, alone; the best way is better than any other way by its very definition. There are not five best ways; there can be only one best way.

Your goal is to give the best presentation you can to each and every prospect. How do you get there? You have a choice based on your experience -- shoot from the hip, go with the flow, or plan your presentation. It's your choice, but the only way to give the ever-elusive "best" presentation and to give it every time is to plan it.

Here are some thoughts about why it pays to plan your presentation:

I. Have Planned Responses

If your presentation is planned, you'll have time to think about your prospects' verbal and non-verbal reactions and comments. If you have to think of what you're going to say next, you simply can't do that.

II. Gain Heightened Efficiency

Efficiency is the second advantage of planning your presentation. No non-relevant material can creep into your presentation to distract you or your prospect. You don't repeat yourself. You cover all the salient points in the most efficient manner possible.

III. Guarantee Thoroughness

Third, you guarantee that you are more thorough. Perhaps that is really just a part of efficiency, but it helps to think of it separately. You never leave anything out, and you never present important points in the wrong place in your presentation if you've planned and practiced.

Unplanned presentations can go on forever, leave important points out, and in general be wastes of qualified prospects' time. You can also miss important buying signs, interest signs, and signs of concern because you have to worry about what you are going to say next rather than pay attention to the nonverbal communication that is taking place. If you are only listening to yourself, you can't listen to the prospect!

IV. Practice to Make Perfect

Another reason for giving a planned presentation is to better gauge your results. No professional athlete experiments with his shot, stroke, or swing. Can you imagine Pete Sampras saying to himself at Wimbledon: "You know, I think I'll try a couple of different serve motions today."

Or Kobe Bryant saying: "I'm going to shoot my jump shot differently every time this game."

Albert Pujols, baseball great with the St. Louis Cardinals, prides himself on taking the same swing every time. All the pros tweak and constantly strive to improve, but their basic motions stay the same. It's when they stray from that basic motion that they have slumps or bad games.

The same is true in sales. Great salespeople can have bad days, bad weeks, or longer slumps when they stray from their basic planned presentation.

To Your Success,
Tom

February 26, 2009
Hi! Hope you enjoy this month's newsletter. In addition, I'd love to tell you about an upcoming training opportunity you won't want to miss! It's our Advanced Sales Training class coming up in March. All the details are below -- hope to see you there!

ADVANCED SALES TRAINING


March 20, 2009
Hilton Suites
9000 Overlook Blvd.
Brentwood, TN


8:30 ' 4:30
Business Casual
$500.00 per person


includes registration, all materials,
and continental breakfast


* Learn new closes to get prospects off the fence

* Learn to identify personality styles and what motivates them to buy

* Find out if you really have a selling system and, if not, how to get one

* Discover how to build a lifelong relationship with your customers

* Learn how to beat the competition every time

* Learn how to sell and close groups

* Learn how to sell around a Request For Proposal (RFP)

* Learn buyer's styles

* Learn how to do business at lunch or dinner

* Learn common time management mistakes

* Learn how to negotiate price successfully

March 20, 2009
Hilton Suites
9000 Overlook Blvd.
Brentwood, TN


8:30 - 4:30
Business Casual
$500.00 per person
includes registration, all materials, and continental breakfast


To reserve your space for this training opportunity, call the Tom Black Center for Selling, 615.377.7752 or register online at our website: www.tomblack.com.

*****************************************
So You Don't Want to "Sound Canned"

Maybe you are worried about sounding scripted and I know exactly what you mean. I hate telemarketers that call me with canned scripts and then just read word-for-word. We all do!

However, I love a great play or movie where the actors know the lines so well that the audience believes the actors are the characters. Well-rehearsed lines don't sound canned, but to get to that point you must practice aloud, or you can start rough and use your prospects as your dress rehearsals. The second idea isn't the most ideal, but it's better than a career of ad-libs and improve.

A planned presentation doesn't have to sound canned -- you determine that.

The Zen of Flexibility

Perhaps you're thinking to yourself that you need flexibility, something a planned presentation just can't provide. What is more flexible than a mechanic with a toolbox that knows every tool intimately? The better planned your presentation, the more flexible you can be to leave a part or two out in order to tailor a benefit or feature to the specific needs of a prospect. The Zen of flexibility starts with a structure.

Maybe you are the kind of salesperson who prefers to "go with the flow." Hear this, and hear me well: Someone in the presentation is going to be in control -- you or the prospect.

Spencer Hayes, business legend with a net worth of several hundred million dollars, still puts the title "salesperson" on his business card to this day. Spencer says: "In every conversation someone makes a sale and someone gets sold."

I am not saying that someone wins and someone loses. Real selling can only be win-win. I do mean, however, that someone -- and let's hope it's the salesperson -- is in control of the flow and direction of the conversation.

A Little Pre-Planning Goes a Long Way.

One great way to control the presentation is by knowing where you are going in the presentation by pre-planning it. It is very difficult to control where you're headed unless you know where you're going. A planned presentation -- if you stay with it -- allows you to be in control.

A planned presentation leads the prospect in the direction you want it to go. An unplanned, free-lance, shoot-from-the-hip presentation doesn't necessarily go in the direction you want.

You may be saying to yourself: "I can go where I want and direct the process with an unplanned sales talk."

You're really saying that you can control the process. Then we agree that control is a good thing, but the question remains on the best way to do that. The answer is obvious: If there is some best, ideal presentation that we could give for our product, it can be planned.

The minute you begin to visualize the ideal perfect presentation, you have begun creating your planned presentation. So go ahead and finish the job -- plan your presentation -- and gain control of what's happening during your presentation.

Unplanned presentations simply make your job harder. However, if you stick to a plan that is well rehearsed, you can be more in tune with your prospect's verbal and non-verbal signals while you're talking. If you have to think of what to say next, it's very difficult to be as in tune with what else is going on around you. You can always be in tune and stay aware if you know what you're going to say next.

To Your Success,
Tom

March 27, 2009
And Now Introducing: 'The Buying Line'

I want to introduce you to a concept I developed selling books door-to-door, an idea I've found applies to every kind of selling. It's called the 'buying line'.

This is the principal behind the buying line: After a certain amount of time during a sales presentation or several presentations, the prospect's interest rises to the level necessary to make a favorable buying decision. Or, the interest level does not rise to the level necessary to make a favorable buying decision.

In either case, the mythical line you are trying to reach as a salesperson is the 'buying line'.

It seems logical that the shortest distance between two lines is the best. When you meet a prospect for the first time, you start two clocks: The time clock 'how long you're with the prospect 'and the interest clock 'what the prospect's level of interest is in your product.

In an ideal sales situation, as time goes by the prospect's interest level rises and eventually reaches the level where the prospect is ready to buy. Of course, different prospects take different amounts of time to get to the buying line.

It's a Race, not a Nature Hike

Your goal should be to get to the buying line as quickly as possible, then close the sale. The best way to achieve this is by pre-planning your presentation. Shooting from the hip, ad-libbing, or using a completely different framework for your presentation each time is counterproductive to this goal.

Every word you say in the presence of your prospect can and will be used against you. Therefore, every word that comes out of your mouth should help you get to the buying line as soon as possible. Anything you say that distracts from building customer interest or actually causes the customer to lose interest should be eliminated from your presentation. Giving a planned presentation can best accomplish this for you.

Gaining Momentum.

Bob loved to tell his prospects jokes. He thought it loosened them up, made them laugh, and showed them what a great guy he was. He also loved to throw these jokes into his presentation at different times as the mood struck him.

If he could have charted the effectiveness of his presentation in building customer interest to the buying line, he would have realized he was shooting himself in the foot. Sales presentations rely heavily on momentum, and anything that slows that momentum or distracts from that momentum is counter productive. Get momentum working for you, or it will end up working against you.

I sound like a broken record 'or CD 'but the best protection against self-fired torpedos is a planned sales talk. You can't accurately judge your performance if you give a fundamentally different presentation to each prospect. Make it your goal to head for the buying line in the most direct method possible.

To Your Success, Tom

April 27, 2009
'It's not where you're from; it's where you're going. It's not what you drive; it's what drives you. It's not what's on you; it's what's in you. It's not what you think; it's what you know.'

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A Different Look at 'Planned'

An insurance salesman showed up at the sales manager of a large drug company's door without an appointment. He asked to see Mr. Johnson, the sales manager, but Mr. Johnson's assistant refused, saying that her boss never sees salespeople without an appointment.

The salesman, Ed, thanked her.

'So that I might know where I'm going when I do have an appointment,'he asked, 'where is Mr. Johnson's office?'

'It's the second office on the third floor,' the assistant said, 'but you need an appointment.'

Ed thanked her and promptly snuck up to the third floor. There he placed himself in Mr. Johnson's door way and waited to be noticed. Mr. Johnson finally noticed him.

'May I help you?' he asked.

'Yes,' said Ed. 'I am selling insurance. You wouldn't want any, would you?'

'No!' shot back Mr. Johnson.

'I didn't think so,' said Ed. 'If you did want some insurance, I guess you wouldn't want it from me, would you?'

Mr. Johnson was clearly irritated. 'Absolutely not,' he said. 'You're the worst salesman I've ever seen.'

'I thought you'd feel that way,' Ed smiled and he turned slowly to go.

'Wait a minute,' said Mr. Johnson. 'Ccome back here. I'll buy a small policy from you if you'll let me give you a sales lesson.'

Ed humbly agreed, wrote up the policy, got a check, and sat down to listen to Mr. Johnson.

'OK,' first you've got to get a sales talk, 'started Mr. Johnson.

'I got lots of sales talks, 'said Ed, 'I got a whole drawer full of sales talks at my office.'

'Then why didn't you use one when you came here?' Johnson asked

'I did,' Ed smiled again. 'That's the one I always use on sales managers.'

Ed used every principal discussed so far 'clarity, brevity, momentum, and planning. Selling isn't simple 'you don't make the big sales by being unprepared. They don't give Academy Awards to actors or actresses who don't know their lines.

Longfellow said: 'The heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by suddent flight but they while their companions slept were toiling upward in the night.'

To Your Success, Tom

May 27, 2009

Recently I read this story and thought you'd enjoy it.


How To Have Fresh Fish

The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever.

The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return took more than a few days, the fish would not arrive fresh.

The Japanese did not like the taste. To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price. So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive.

Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish. So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan?

If you were a consultant for the fish industry, what would you recommend? As soon as you reach your goals, such as finding a wonderful mate, starting a successful company, paying off your debts or whatever, you often lose your passion. You don't need to work so hard, so you relax. You experience the same problem as lottery winners who waste their money, wealthy heirs who never grow up and bored homemakers who get addicted to prescription drugs. You lose the "eye of the tiger."

Like the Japanese fish problem, the best solution is simple. It was observed by L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1950's. "Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment." The more intelligent, persistent and competent you are, the more you enjoy a good problem. If your challenges are the correct size, and if you are steadily conquering those challenges, you are happy. You think of your challenges and get energized. You are excited to try new solutions. You have fun. You are alive! To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. The fish are challenged.

Therefore, instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them. Beat 'em up. Enjoy the game. If your challenges are too large or too numerous, do not give up. Instead, reorganize. Find more determination, more knowledge and more help. Be thankful for your challenges -- they keep you alive.

If you have met your goals, set some bigger goals. Once you meet your personal or family needs, move on to goals for your group, the society, even mankind. Don't create success and lie in it or feel sorry for yourself because you face challenges. Put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!

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The Boxcar Millionaire Sales Leadership Training

Friday, June 12, 2009 Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, Nashville, TN 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. - $500 per person

This highly interactive training session will include the sharing of sales and sales management "best practices" from thousands of salespeople and sales leaders from a variety of industries across the globe. You'll be introduced to proven sales management tools, processes and concepts. There will be an open forum to ask questions of Tom so he can share his 30+ years of sales leadership experience. There will also be small group breakout sessions to ensure that each attendee will walk away with tips/techniques that will positively impact their business the very next day.

Learn how to ... - Avoid the Five Fatal Flaws of Sales Management - Leverage sales and sales management Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) - Recruit, select and hire quality salespeople - Drive sales productivity - Set clear expectations to help increase performance - Improve management effectiveness - Dehire salespeople who aren't performing and ... - Gain knowledge of the "best practices" from thousands of sales leaders across the globe



This power-packed course will equip you to sell more than you ever thought possible.

To register or for more information, visit www.tomblackcenter.com or call the Tom Black Center for Excellence, 615.377.7752.

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Getting to the Specifics of Planning

What goes into planning a sales presentation? Here are six recommendations:

I. Make it Word for Word. First, write it out word-for-word. Lay it aside and then reread it. Take out the superflous material, clarify the vagueness, then lay it aside again. Come back to it one more time and then stop.

II. Use Constructive Critique. Second, give it to your sales manager or another very successful salesperson in your organization. Let them read it and critique it, and then make changes.

III. Listen to Yourself. Next, record it. Listen to it with the script in front of you and edit it. Then listen to it again, only this time without the script in front of you ' just have a pad and pen to make notes. Incorporate your notes into your final sales script. Now learn the script.

Be sure to look for the last three recommendations in next month's newsletter.

To Your Success, Tom

June 30, 2009

Last month we discussed my recommendations for planning a great sales presentation and I gave you the first three points in that newsletter. Here are the last three recommendations:

IV. Watch Yourself. Practice your script out loud in front of a mirror. Here's where we separate the women from the girls and the men from the boys because frankly, most of you won't go that far. But you should!

Fred was failing at his job selling software to banks. I went to see him to put him on probation. I felt like it was hopeless, but I wanted to give him one last chance. I worked with him all day and watched three of his presentations; they were awful.

That evening between the end of the day and dinner I had Fred give me his presentation over and over, and we worked until midnight. I realized that night that Fred had been working for us for four months and had never really learned his presentation. The next year, Fred was our number one salesperson. He's now a sales manager for another banking services company. You know what he makes every salesperson that works for him do? That's right, learn their presentations.

Jim worked with me for 13 years. He made it to the President's Club every year, an honor bestowed upon the top producers for the year. Every time I got in the car to ride with him, he said, "I want you to listen to my sales talk."

Jim was already successful; he knew what he was doing. But he realized that even with a planned presentation things can creep into it or be left out if he wasn't diligent. Jim was a sales professional who "drank the Kool Aid" and was successful.

V. Keep it Simple. Once you get your presentation where you want it, you must be diligent in your efforts to keep it pure -- no new unnecessary material and no exclusion of significant details. In fact, when my salespeople hit slumps, after I've looked at the number of presentations they are giving weekly and determine whether that number has dropped, this is the second place I look: Have they strayed from their presentation?

If you work for a company that has a planned script already, good! Learn it in the same way. Practice it out loud, practice it with your spouse, a good friend (only the good friends understand), your relatives, or by yourself. The point is to practice it. Ask yourself: "Am I saying anything that can be used against me?"

Think about when the President gives a speech. Someone writes it down word-for-word. The transcript is then handed out to the Press and then the President reads the speech. Why does it happen this way? One reason is so that he doesn't say something wrong that can be used against him. He always has this script to verify exactly what he said. As salespeople, we should be just as conscious of what we say to prospects.

Words can be misinterpreted and cause a serious, even a fatal disconnect between you and your prospects. Let's say you proudly state to a new prospect, "We've developed a brand new technology."

As the salesperson, you are naturally excited because it's a new feature of your product, but the prospect may say to themselves, "New is dangerous and unproven."

It is great to believe in what you sell, but you must acknowledge and prepare for the fact that most prospects approach any sales situation with some skepticism. Sometimes a lot of skepticism. Remember that success in sales doesn't come from playing the good hands well. That's easy. It comes from playing the bad hands well!

VI. Develop an "Award Winning" Mentality Toward Planning. By now I hope you have, or least have become determined to have, a sales presentation that could win you an Oscar. A presentation that would make the famous orator Cicero proud. A better planned presentation than Aristotle could have written himself. Williams Jennings Bryant was one of the greatest American orators of all time; aspire to be better than he was. Think big.

Remember: you don't make the BIG sales by being unprepared.

To Your Success, Tom

July 31, 2009
This month we discuss goals. Yogi Berra said, ‘You gotta have goals or you might end up somewhere else.’ Hope you enjoy.
No One Succeeds Without Goals
I have covered the first two foundations for a great presentation’ a great attitude and a planned, practiced, and inspired presentation to give to prospects. The third foundation of a great presentation is goal setting and tracking. I briefly discussed goal setting as it relates to the number of people you see. Now I want to give it a full discussion to show its importance throughout the entire sales process -- from planning to execution and follow-up.
You need goals in at least two areas’ activity and results. You should have both a high and a low goal. Your goals must be written down, have a specific timeframe, and then be communicated to someone who is important to you. Let’s go through this step-by-step.
Activity Goals
First, you need activity goals. Let’s say you want to track your activity in the area of approaches. A lot of salespeople use the phone for the first approach, but if you cold-call or use email, it doesn’t matter. You should still set a goal for this activity. Most salespeople should set activity goals in three areas of the approach: • Basic approaches by phone • Email approaches • In-person approaches The second activity salespeople engage in is initial presentations or visits. Setting an activity goal here is both appropriate and crucial. Finally, most salespeople engage in follow-up visits or additional calls after the first meeting. It’s important to set goals here as well.
Results Goals
The second type of goals is results goals. Walt and Steve were two great salespeople in one of my sales organizations, and here is how they set their goals while selling products to banks. Walt and Steve both wanted to make $100,000 a year in commissions. This was their ultimate goal. For goal setting purposes, they both set their low goal at $100,000 and their high goal at $125,000.
Walt knew that every time he sold to a bank, he earned an average of $4,000. Some sales had higher commissions than others, but his two-year average was $4,000 in commission for each sale he made.
One day Walt had lost some weight, and I asked him, ‘Are you on a diet?’
No,’ said Walt, ‘I’m on commission.’
Walt’s annual low goal for sales was 25 sold. Twenty-five sales a year equaled $100,000 in commissions and 31 sales equaled his high goal of $125,000.
Keep Em Bite-Sized, Not Super-Sized
Walt and Steve were good at breaking down the goal into smaller bites. After all, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Success by the inch is a cinch; by the yard it’s hard. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You get the idea.
Walt set a monthly results goal of two banks per month for the first 11 months of the year, and then three banks in December. This equaled his low goal of 25 sales. His high goal was broken down as six months of two sales per month and the remaining six months of the year at three sales per month. Walt went a step further; he decided that every month by the 15th, he would have sold one bank. Here is a diagram of Walt’s goals:
Walt’s Results Goals
Low Goal: $100,000 in commission
2 sales per month x 11 months = 22 banks 3 sales in December = 3 banks = 25 banks sold @ $4000 per sale = $100,000
High Goal: $120,000 in commission
2 sales per month x 6 months = 12 banks 3 sales per month x 6 months = 18 banks = 30 banks sold @ $4000 per sale = $120,000
Walt took one more step. He wrote all these goals down and gave a copy to his manager, his wife, and the CEO of the company. Why? He wanted to put pressure on himself to perform. And, boy, did he ever.
Steve’s plan looked the same, but his average sale resulted in a higher commission. He had made $5,000 per sale in commissions the last two years, so he adjusted his goals appropriately. His sales looked more like twenty banks annually for his low goal and twenty-five banks annually for his high goal. He also included his mother on his distribution list of the written goals for a little added pressure.
Some people don’t set results goals monetarily, and that’s fine. Some salespeople set a goal to go on a winners’ trip, to be among the top 10 salespeople, or to be number one in the company. These are all still results goals and require the same formula.
The more specific you make your goals the better they are. Dave Waddle was an American athlete competing in the 800 meter run in the Olympics. You may remember him, because he ran with a baseball cap on. He set a stated goal to run the 800-meter race in a then world record time of 1:51 (one minute and fifty-one seconds). He did it exactly, but he only won the silver medal. A Swedish runner had set his goal to win the gold medal, and he did. Set specific goals to get exactly what you want.
To Your Success, Tom

August 25, 2009

Hey guys,
This month we talk about commitment.  A goal once set – then death or victory.  Set goals and then don’t allow yourself excuses.

Visualize Success, then Crystallize It

My third summer on the bookfield selling books door-to-door, I decided I wanted to be the number one salesperson. My sales manager encouraged me to do this, and I am sure that he and all the other 25 sales managers were encouraging salespeople on their teams to do the same.

This fact didn’t even dawn on me at the time, but I realize that now. Before that summer started, I went through the following exercise. Let me tell you, it worked! I became the number one salesperson in the company.

The summer before, I had sold to approximately 1,000 customers. After crunching some numbers, I determined that my average customer bought roughly $40 worth of books. I then factored in the fact that the top salesperson the previous summer sold about $45,000 worth of books. According to the numbers, to beat the top salesperson from the summer before, I was going to have to sell 125 more customers or raise my average sale to $45 per customer. I could have just worked one and a half more weeks in the summer and got the same results because I was selling about 80 customers per week. However, I didn’t want to get back to school late, so that wasn’t an option.

Here is what my goals for that summer looked like:

Timeframe: 12 weeks

High Goal:  100 customers per week (average sale $45)
   
$4500 per week / $750 per day

Calculations: 12 weeks x 100 customers

= 1200 customers with $54,000 in sales (which would be a new company record at that time)

Low Goal:  Beat the previous year’s top salesperson by $1

It’s crucial to put it on paper just as I did and visualize the goals. You see, although I set the goal to be number one – a noble and ambitious goal – I had to follow the same results formula to get to where I was going.

Over the years as a sales manager, countless salespeople have told me their goal was to be number one – but those weren’t real goals. They sounded great and resolute, but there was no planning or crystallization to make the goals happen. As the poet Robert Browning said: “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s heaven for?”

I didn’t set my goal to be number one “if” my car didn’t break down – because it did. I didn’t set my goal to be number one “if” I didn’t get sick – because I did. I didn’t set my goal to be number one “if” I didn’t run out of sales territory – because I did. I didn’t set my goal to be number one “if” my roommates didn’t quit – because they did.

I set my goal to be number one despite my circumstances.
 
To Your Success,
Tom

September 22, 2009

This month we discuss the importance of sharing your goals with someone.  Share your goals – and then exceed them!

 

Don’t Stack
Some days your sales goals will be on track, and other days, they will be slow.  This will happen to even the greatest of salespeople throughout their careers and that’s OK.  The important thing to remember is that this will, in fact, happen.  So don’t stack your results goals.  If you don’t get the results you want one day, one week, or one month, don’t stack up your shortfall into the next goal period.  Goals are designed to help you, and stacking can create a millstone around your neck that will sink you.
Stacking goals never works.  If you have set an annual goal and you see that you’re far behind six months into the year, just reset your goals.  Trying to hit your initial goals becomes impossible and your goals have become a whip, not a dangling carrot.  On the other hand, if you’ve already hit your annual goal six months into the year, you should reset your goal higher.  Smart companies recast their budget six months into the year, either raising or lowering their forecasts and goals for profits.
That’s all you are doing, recasting your goals for more motivation and mental crystallization.
Hold Yourself Accountable
The summer that I was number one, I told my sales director about my goal, and he reminded me of it every week.  I went on to sell 1200 customers, sold my customers an average of $42 worth of books and broke the sales record.  Your goals can be written down and broken down, but you cannot skip the important step of communicating your goals to someone important.  You do this to keep yourself on the hook.
That’s why weddings are public, to keep you committed . . .  or at least to try.  Christians makes a “public profession” of their faith to keep themselves held accountable.  You have to put yourself on the hook if you want to maximize your mind’s ability to get off the hook by getting the results to which you are verbally committed.  Who you share your results goals with is up to you.  The point is to share them.
You write your goals down not to stick them in a drawer, but to give yourself a visual image of what you want to achieve.  The more often you look at these goals, the clearer their mental realization becomes.  Goals are the initial push of the proverbial snowball down a hill that inevitably becomes an avalanche.  Nothing on the face of the earth can stop it.  Go through this goal-setting process and start your own personal avalanche.
To Your Success,
Tom

October 28, 2009

We’ve been discussing goals – sharing them, exceeding them, taking them over the top.  This month, it’s tracking your goals.  Gotta do it for ultimate success!

Goal Tracking: Follow the Bread Crumbs
Setting goals is not enough. If it were, I could stop the goal setting process right now and end this book. Once they are set, you must track them.
I love legendary NBA basketball coach Pat Riley’s book and the story of how he set a goal for each starter on the Lakers to be the best at their position. He posted the stats of the best player in the league at each position, and then he compared his players’ stats to those top players as benchmarks. This posting was public, posted for all to see.
By the end of the season, he had the best players at every position, statistically speaking. And they won the championship – Riley’s ultimate goal. That’s the perfect example of setting specific goals and then tracking them each week. Not all of us will have a sales manager as good as Pat Riley, but we can track and measure our own results compared to both our activity goals and our results goals.
A Simple Sales Report

 

Most companies have a standard sales report form. The longer I train salespeople, the simpler I realize these reports should be. Here is what you should track each week – new activity, follow-up activity, and future activity. For example, it could look something like this:

Week Of:	New Presentations	Follow-Up   Visits	Appointments Set Next Week
July 1st	3	7	4
July 7th July 14th	4 3	6 8	3 9

If you want to track daily activity, then just expand your report. By tracking this activity, you know where you stand each week. You’ll find that activity is a precursor to results.
You also need a simplistic report for your results because most results are measured in dollars. If you sell something that isn’t measured in dollars, for example, if it is measured in units, then adjust the report from dollars to units to fit your company’s tracking method:

Week Of:	Number of Sales	$$ Value of Sales	Year to Date #s	Year to Date $$
July 1st	3	$3,000	46	$46,000
July 7th July 14th	4 6	$4,000 $6,000	50 56	$50,000 $56,000

Again, it’s simple to expand this to daily results.
“It’s hard to win if you don’t keep score,” said my first sales manager, Sam Johnson. I say it’s hard to score if you don’t know the score.
From time to time, I meet a salesperson who says: “All my company ever wants me to do is fill out reports.”
I’m sure that’s true sometimes, but the truth is this: What could your company ask for that you aren’t tracking yourself? The more you know about what you’re doing, the more effective you’ll be.

To Your Success,

Tom

November 2009

This month we talk about academy award winning presentations.  Would your sales presentation win an academy award?  Read on!

No One Said It Would Be Easy

In building a fantastic presentation, you must adopt equally solid sales techniques.  Every great professional develops special techniques that are not natural.  In tennis, no one naturally holds the racquet on the backhand like the pros.  Golf requires unnatural grips and swings as well.  Lawyers learn negotiation and questioning techniques that are not natural.  If you’re a religious person, you know sometimes your faith requires unnatural behavior.  In the medical field it goes without saying that there is a learned behavior required.

Don’t use the “It doesn’t feel natural” excuse.  Demand excellence of yourself and this does not happen naturally.

Sales techniques are really just good communication skills.  Somehow techniques have gotten a bad rap because people classify them as “tricky”.  As long as you truly and sincerely believe the prospect will benefit from your product at the price you’re asking, then there is no trickery.  As long as there is nothing but truth as you know it in your communication, then there is no trickery.  You must be the best communicator you can.  Your prospects know you are not here to save the dolphins.  Your goal with these techniques is to make it easy to buy.

Enthusiasm is “In”
Let’s talk about some specifics that great salespeople use to make the sale.  Enthusiasm is critical.  Remember in our definition of selling that sales involves a transference of feeling.  If there is no enthusiasm in your voice, there can be no real transference of feeling.  Some consider women to be instinctually better at this than men.  Men learn from an early age that it’s not cool to be enthusiastic.

However, companies don’t pay salespeople to get their “cool cards” punched.  You’re paid to make sales, and enthusiasm is important to that process.

Greg Daily is one of the most successful entrepreneurs I know and worth well over $100 million dollars.  For more than 20 years I’ve always heard him answer a simple question the same way.

“Greg, how’s it going?” someone would ask.

“Fantastic!” Greg would say.  Every time.

Trust me, it’s not always fantastic for Greg, but he recognizes the power of enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm is created in a number of ways.  One way is through your vocabulary.  When people ask me how I’m doing, I say, “Healthy, happy, and terrific!”

How do you answer that question?  Start being enthusiastic in your answer to this basic question.

A second way to be enthusiastic is to use words that force you to be enthusiastic, words like:

• Great!
• Fantastic!
• Awesome!
• Wow!
• Magnificent!
• Amazing!
• Tremendous!
• Outstanding!
• Unbelievable!
• Wonderful!
• Excellent!

These words make you sound enthusiastic and are hard to say with any conviction without creating some enthusiasm in your voice.  If you’re not enthusiastic naturally, then focus on it, and practice using these words and others.  If you act enthusiastic, you’ll become enthusiastic.

To Your Success,
Tom

December 2009

This month we focus on body language and ask ourselves what type messages we are sending.  Take care that they are positive! 

Get Your Body Talking
Another element of enthusiasm is body language.  Motion creates emotion.  In countless sales presentations, I’ve witnessed salespeople sit back in their chairs and talk to prospects from across the desk.  These salespeople are working against themselves.  If you’re presenting to someone across the desk, get on the edge of your chair, lean forward, animate your gestures to the point of feeling a little ridiculous, and act enthusiastic.

If you’re presenting to a group and they are all seated, then stand up!  It’s hard not to be enthusiastic when you’re standing and talking, although I’ve seen some of my college professors and a few preachers pull it off.  Just decide to get animated and get excited.

A common question salespeople ask me is this: “How do I sound enthusiastic?”

Remember that most people think about three times faster than they speak.  I’ve noticed that enthusiastic and confident people speak faster.  So, despite the misconception that “slow-and-steady” is always the best approach, speaking faster can make you sound more enthusiastic and hold a prospect’s attention better.  You can speak faster if you know exactly what you are going to say.  This emphasizes the importance of a planned and well-rehearsed sales talk.  The bottom line is this: Am I transferring my enthusiasm for my product to the prospect?

Nodding Your Head
Nodding your head is one of the most effective ways to get your body talking.  With the simple nod of your head, you send positive vibes to your prospect.  It also reinforces your own commitment to what you are saying and selling.  Try this: Have fun with your friends by nodding your head up and down and then ask them to shake their heads “no.”  They will find it’s very hard to do.  This is the same positive impact you have on your prospect when you’re nodding your head “yes.”

Many times, your prospect will start nodding his head with you.  This is a good thing.  After all, it is hard to say “no” when prospects are busy saying “yes” with their heads!

To Your Success,
Tom

January 2010

This month we talk about sales skills.  Professionals leave their comfort zones.  Practice these sales skills and win!

Natural Comes With Practice
Allow me to dispel a myth believed by many salespeople:  It is not unnatural to be enthusiastic.

I’ve heard salespeople tell me, “It feels unnatural.”  Of course it does at first, but what’s natural about calling someone you don’t know or knocking on the door of a total stranger?  You must practice it until it becomes second nature to you.  Then it feels natural.

Enthusiasm is not just a tone you portray in your presentation; it’s a lifestyle.  It works better if it’s just a part of your life.  It’s not something you can just practice in your professional life.  It is something you must practice in every aspect of life.  Don’t be the kind of person who brightens a room when you leave.  Brighten the room when you arrive.

A good way to determine the level of enthusiasm you display is to measure your enthusiasm to your prospects’ level of interest.  It is very possible to overwhelm the prospect with too much enthusiasm.  It’s extremely rare, but if you’re in a presentation and your prospect is actually fighting your enthusiasm, lower yours until they get on board with you.  As a general rule of thumb, however, I’d much rather be too enthusiastic than not enthusiastic enough.  When you fix dinner for your friends, it is much better to have too much food than not enough. 

Look ‘Em In the Eye
Eye contact is a technique that seems so simple and just plain common sense, but it shouldn’t be taken for granted.  When you meet prospects for the first time or any time, shake hands and look them in the eye.  Catch their gaze for a moment.  This builds trust and shows confidence on your part.  No one buys from someone they don’t trust, and confidence on your part is transferred to the prospect.

When you begin your presentation make sure that your visual aids don’t prevent eye-to-eye contact, especially when you ask questions.  When prospects ask you questions, look them in the eye.  This is really important.  When you ask someone a question and the person won’t look you in the eye, you don’t trust the response.

The Power of a Smile
A smile can often make more of an impact than a dictionary full of fancy words or phrases.  It is one of the most simple, yet most powerful physical gestures you possess.  I’ve often heard it said, “A smile is the nicest gift you can give someone.”

I couldn’t agree more.  You should be smiling from the time you walk in the door until you leave.  Like enthusiasm, this should become a way of life.  We remember people who smile at us, and it can even make our day.  Kim Kirkpatrick was the most popular girl in my high school.  She wasn’t the prettiest or the smartest, but she had a smile for everyone, and it always brightened me up to see her flash a smile my way.

My first summer selling books door to door, my sales manager, Sam Johnson, gave me a new technique to work on each week.

“Make sure you smile in every approach and presentation,” he said during my fifth week on the job.  “Smile all the way through the demo and don’t stop smiling.”

It seemed strange to me, but I was naïve enough to believe he knew what he was talking about.  So I did it, and it worked.  People bought more, and they smiled back.  My mouth was actually sore from smiling by the end of the week, but I soon got over that and have never stopped.  It’s very hard not a return a smile.  Try it.  You can have some fun.  People will wonder if they know you, or they’ll wonder what you’re up to.

You don’t want to be like the man who got beat up outside the restaurant.  When the police came, they asked the man, “Can you describe the man who did this to you?”

“That’s what I was doing when he hit me!” said the victim.

A smile will disarm your prospect and make you feel better too.  Ask yourself: “Do I like people who smile better than those who don’t?”

Again, it isn’t natural, but it’s a skill that can be learned. Learn it!

To Your Success,
Tom

February 2010
 
This month we look at the power of dropping names.  People like referrals.  We like knowing a product or service is endorsed by a friend or colleague before buying into it ourselves.
 
More Techniques for Building Your BEST Presentation
 
"Oh, They Bought": The Power of Names
The most powerful resource in selling is the third party influence.  Names, names, and more names.  Nothing gives prospects confidence more than hearing someone else they know bought the product and likes it.  So how do you introduce names, individuals, or companies to a prospect in order to get the desired effect?
 
In the book business, I read a list of 50 to a hundred names of people who had bought from me before I ever demonstrated the books.  When the prospect identified the ones they knew, I made a comment or a mental note.  Then as I gave my presentation, I used the names that had been identified, and I also used those same names in the closing process and in answering objections.
 
In the banking business, I learned quickly that banks don’t buy anything without references.  They believe the pioneers get arrows in their backs, not rewards.  A bank doesn’t want to be a pioneer in the banking world, but they do want references of banks that were pioneers.
 
Here is how I handled this mindset in the banking industry to successfully introduce 10 different products that were new and relatively untested at the time.  After I established rapport and did fact finding to create or find a need, I handed them a laminated sheet with a list of the banks in the area that had bought my company’s services.  As they looked at the list, I made a mental note of the ones they said they knew or at least knew of.  And those were the names I used throughout the presentation.
 
Don’t Stop the Name Drop
You cannot use too many names in a presentation, and here is how I recommend names be used.  First, use names to introduce a feature or a benefit.  Here are two examples:
 
“One thing Bill King liked about the program was how easy it was to administer.  Let me show you how that works.”
 
“One of the benefits Bill King liked about the program was how quickly he could get started.”
 
The other way to use names is to answer objections in the presentation before they are voiced.  If price is a common objection you’re hearing, then introduce price in the presentation like this:
 
“Now here’s how we get paid.  I bet you’ll be like Steve Counts.  He was surprised at how reasonable the program is.”
 
In a few instances, prospects have told me during a presentation that they’re just not interested in hearing who else bought.  If your prospect appears genuinely disinterested in hearing other names, be wary of the use of names in your presentation.  However, you’ll find these instances will be the exception and not the norm, so don’t let one prospect’s objections sour you on the idea.  Make it a point to use one or two names at every feature or benefit in the presentation.
 
This use of names works, but because it is work to remember the names and to work them into your presentation, most salespeople won’t do it.  Make yourself do this.  Start with only one name and build it up to 10 names and more.  This technique will help every aspect of your presentation because of the trust and credibility it builds.
 
To Your Success,
Tom

March 2010

This has a great joke in it.  Enjoy!  Plus, we consider the importance of knowing your competition and knowing your prospects’ every need.  Are your competitors taking your prospects?  Find out why and how.  What do they know that you don’t?

Know Your Enemy:  The Competitive Advantage

Knowledge of the competition is essential to reaching the goals you set for yourself. When I was selling books door-to-door, I looked at every competitive product in every person’s home I could find. It took some extra time, but like Zig Ziglar says, “You can’t be too busy chopping wood to sharpen the axe.”

When I sold products to banks, I subscribed to 23 banking publications, and I paid for them myself. Why did I invest so much time and money on looking at competitive products and reading trade publications? Two reasons: I wanted to know my competition, and I wanted to know my industry.

There is a reason that every great coaching staff in sports watches films of the competition. The great hitters in baseball watch films of the pitchers and pitchers watch films of the great sluggers.

It is impossible to find or create needs for a prospect if you don’t know what those needs might be. You can get a real jump on the game if you know what’s happening in your industry. I can’t stress enough how the quality of your presentation will improve if you know what is happening on an industry level.

John was the top used-airplane salesman in America. After talking to him, I was convinced that he didn’t know much about the sales process. But he did know the capabilities of every airplane on the market as well as every airplane that was for sale in the United States. He did his homework so that he could speak to his prospects with confidence, knowledge, and an ability to meet his customers’ needs.

If knowledge is not a talent, then it’s a great substitute. When combined with skill and talent, it’s unbeatable. Be sure you’ve seen your competitors’ proposals, promotional materials. And. if he’s any good, know your direct competitor’s name – the salesperson, not the company (duh)!

Bill Tomson was my competitor, now he’s a friend. In competitive situations, he always wanted to go last in front of the prospect or group of prospects. After losing several sales to Bill, I caught on. From then on, I preempted that maneuver at every occasion. I either went last or asked for one last shot if I knew Bill’s presentation was following mine. If Bill did follow me, I made sure the prospects were prepared not to make a decision until I had my last shot. I didn’t lose to Bill anymore.

Never underestimate the competition. American Airlines told themselves Southwest Airlines was a low-cost provider. General Motors and Chrysler did the same. Now Nissan and Honda have moved ahead. Sears thought they could give up the low-end customers to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart then drove Sears to the brink of failure and bankrupted Service Merchandise, a four billion dollar company with 375 stores.

How can anyone call themselves a professional if they don’t know the competitors’ products and sales strategies as well as they know their own? Don’t accept defeat graciously, even occasionally. It forms a bad mental habit that it’s OK to lose once in a while. It isn’t.

To your success,
Tom

April 2010

This month we talk about outsmarting our competitors.  No need to fear competition...it's good for business!  Know your market and be prepared for opportunities that arise.  Possess the ability to spot unmet customer needs, be enthusiastic, and always have a thoughtful plan to put into immediate action.

Outsmart ‘Em

Three stores on the main street in town stood side by side. They all sold the same type of merchandise. One day the owner of the store at one end put up this sign: ROCK BOTTOM PRICES.

This prompted the storekeeper at the other end to hang up a sign reading: LOWEST PRICES IN TOWN.

The owner of the store in the middle was thrown by these aggressive maneuvers until he had a bright idea. He put up his own sign, which proclaimed: MAIN ENTRANCE.

Like the owner in the story you must find a way to write “Main Entrance” on your product line or service. There is always a way to outsmart the competition.

Bite Your Tongue

Know your competition, but never cuss or bad-mouth them. Competition makes you better and ultimately helps the customers win. And, unless the customer is winning, ultimately none of us as salespeople will win.

Can you imagine Pete Sampras winning fourteen Grand Slam tennis tournaments without Andre Agassi or Jim Courier? Of course not! Your competition will drive you to new heights of performance and service.

Get Organized… and Give Yourself a Raise

Great presentations also come from having organized materials. I’ve actually been in several presentations with salespeople where the prospect was ready to buy, and there was no contract or order to be found. The salespeople would say things such as: “I gave my last brochure away yesterday, and I forgot my proposals when I left the house.”

I’ve even heard: “Oh, I left my material at my last sales call.”

Can you imagine a great attorney showing up at court to file a motion without the motion; or a doctor in surgery saying he left his scalpel at home; or a preacher saying he forgot his Bible? We would all find those funny, ridiculous, or impossible. But many times, that’s exactly what salespeople do.

My friend, Keith Pitts, is the CFO of a large hospital chain, and he always says: “The devil’s in the details.”

Going without all your material to a sales call is like playing golf without all your clubs. Sometimes you need the four-iron to win the round.

If you’re gone from your home or office for a day or a week, or even longer, make sure you have enough materials to get you back to the office or your home.

To Review

• Use names to build rapport and credibility with your prospects.

• Know your competition to help maximize your performance and achieve the goals you have set.

• Learn your industry well and know your competition.

Stay organized! A messy salesperson is an inefficient salesperson.

To your success,
Tom

August 2010

This month we talk about creating a buying atmosphere.  Can you imagine buying a ticket to a movie that was produced without rehearsals, without the appropriate scenery, lighting, and actors?  It just wouldn’t happen.  You’re buying that ticket because of the preparation that went into the movie’s production…the stage has been thoroughly set.  The preparation is what made it “your idea” to purchase the ticket.  It’s the same for the product/service you’re selling.

Getting in the Mood:  The Buying Atmosphere

Spectacular performances are always preceded by unspectacular preparation. I so strongly believe that what you do before the actual performance in preparation is just as important as what you do in the performance that I’m spending time on the foundations of a great performance before getting to the specifics of giving a presentation.

Let’s discuss the concept of creating a buying atmosphere. The buying atmosphere is an environment where the prospect feels comfortable to say both “yes” and “no” to your product. It is an atmosphere where, unlike many sales situations, potential buyers do not have that fear of “getting sold” and instead can focus on determining whether the product or service truly fits their needs.

Buying vs. Being Sold

There is a natural resistance between prospect and salesperson. Some call it skepticism, healthy suspicion, or just plain mistrust. Most prospects are not saying to themselves, “Why should I buy?”

They are saying, “Why shouldn’t I buy?” Understanding this is basic to understanding the psychology of selling.

Everyone loves to buy, but people hate to be sold. When I describe a product I’ve purchased and totally love, I bought it. When I purchased a product that didn’t work out as I’d planned, I got sold. I don’t even mind paying too much if I buy it, but I hate to be sold an overpriced product. This is the difference between a buying atmosphere and a selling atmosphere. Although you may start out across the desk from your prospect, your goal should be to sit on the same side of the desk as the prospect in a counselor role as opposed to a sales role.

A single phrase or a few sentences is sometimes all that separates the creation of a buying from a selling atmosphere. For example, you walk into a retail-clothing store and the clerk runs over and says: “May I help you? We have jeans on sale today! Can I show them to you?”

When this happens, you become immediately defensive, and a selling atmosphere has been created. You reply, “No, I’m just looking.”

You went into the store with some purpose in mind, or maybe you really just wanted to browse. But you did not come into the store to engage in the “selling process.” You want to feel in control and buy what you want.

On the other hand, you walk into the same store and the salesperson walks up and says, “Hi, my name is Erin, and if you see anything you need help with, just let me know.”

There, the beginning of a buying atmosphere has been created.

The question is: How do I create this atmosphere where I maintain control and yet the prospect feels in control? It certainly isn’t easy. Millions of salespeople have taught prospects to expect a selling atmosphere.

There’s a fine line between the prospect feeling controlled or being in control.

An old Italian man lived alone in the country. He wanted to dig his tomato garden, but it was very hard work because the ground was rock solid. His only son, Vincent, used to help him dig his garden every year, but Vinnie was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament:

^{Dear Vincent,}

^{I am feeling pretty badly because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot on my own. I know if you were here my troubles would be over. I know you’d be happy to dig the plot for me.}

^Love,
Dad

A few days later, he received a letter from his son:

^{Dear Dad,}

^{Don’t dig up the garden. That’s where I buried the bodies.}

^Love,
Vinnie

At four a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police stormed the property and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day, the old man received another letter from his son. It read:

^{Dear Dad,}

^{Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That’s the best I could do under the circumstances.}

^Love,
Vinnie

If Vinnie had tried to sell the authorities on digging up his father’s garden, he would’ve failed, but because they felt in control, they gladly dug up that garden for Vinnie’s father.

To your success,
Tom