I met with Troy Burk of Right On Interactive recently, and he asked me a
great question – what makes a great salesperson?

I like meeting with Troy. He asks hard questions, is a good thinker, and
comes from the perspective of literally building Exact Target’s sales team
from the ground up.

I thought long and hard (for about 22-seconds…), and came up with the
following answers:
1.Hard Work – A salesperson can have the cleanest look, best lines, and a
resume that makes him look like a king, but if he is not willing to bust
his hump and make hundreds of calls, he’s worthless.
2.Listening – I have a client who is a horrible listener. He railroads
over what his clients are saying to him, and is a football field away
from catching what his clients “aren’t” saying to him. A great
salesperson is a fantastic listener, and can truly communicate their way
into closing a sale.
3.Connects the Dots – A salesperson who can connect the gaps between
where a clients vision for their company is and the challenges that it
will take them to get their with the salesperson’s product, is worth
their weight in gold. All a client cares about is “how can you get me to
my vision with your product”. Can your salesperson make that connection
for your prospects?

What other traits do you feel the greatest salespeople possess?

Jamar Cobb-Dennard
jamar@jamarspeaks.com

Making things happen takes action

Several weeks ago, I was conducting a sales seminar for designers and salespeople. Since I was the last speaker for the week, I asked the group what was their biggest challenge with the information they received. The answer: how will we implement these great ideas? You see the participants weren’t owners and couldn’t go back and immediately make changes. This wasn’t the first time I’ve heard this but this time I decided to add some sales strategies for the participants.

What good would all this information be if no one would listen?

1. So what do you do? First you must understand that if you’re selling customers you are an owner! Without you and your sales the business would die. Trust me, if you can’t sell anything you’ll be out the door and be replaced by someone who can sell. That’s how important you are.

2. Think like an owner. Being an owner and worked with many, I can tell you they think about money and sales. Without sales the business will not exist and a smart business owner puts as much money and time into training their sales staff. If you’ve been sent to a sales seminar consider it an honor and take it seriously. The owner has made an investment in your future. It means you are valued.

Your job? Rise to the occasion and learn as much as you can and be prepared to go back to your business and as they say: learn it, teach it and do it!

3. First things first. You’re probably excited and learned so many things you don’t know what to talk about first. Think like an owner and discuss the things that are connected to number 1. –sales and money. You will have learned lots of important things and many will stand out in your mind but are they the ones “most connected to the bottom line?” Are they ones you can implement easily, will they have the most impact on your business? Start with these things first. As someone once said, we’re learning how to be “mini moguls!”

4. Make sure it “makes sense.” Do you have the data right, do you have an example of how it gets done? If you need more info before you present your ideas, go get it right.

5. Make an appointment with the owner or manager who will be implementing your ideas and use rule 2. as one of your bargaining tools. “You sent me to these informative seminars, and there are ways that we can make more money and improve our sales. Who wouldn’t want to listen to this sales pitch? This will be the best sale you’ve ever had!

6. Have your list written and ready to go. Have examples of what other profitable stores are doing and use the names of industry people providing the information.

7. Back up your ideas with “clout.” By the way, don’t give up, offer your services if the owner wants more information and go find it. Hold yourself accountable for getting things done. Have a list of as many ideas as you want but start with the top start three. When you have some success, go back for another three!

8. Remind yourself why this is important. Changes that will improve your business will improve your personal business as well as make you more valuable to the business. It’s up to you manage your own career, build your brand and get educated. If you know it’s right, make it happen. Chances are your self-esteem will improve if you can make changes for your business. If you haven’t seen the movie “Moneyball” I suggest you see it. I love movies that make me want to go out and change the world.

9. Pat yourself on the back, know you’ve done a good job and pay attention to the results. Good luck!

10. Final suggestion: “When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on earth. So what the hell, leap.” Cynthia Heimel

Lisbeth Calandrino
Fabulous Floors
Associate Publisher &
Director of Consumer Research
lcalandrino@nycap.rr.com

Here is the 2011 “Bottom 10” of customer service.

10. Farmers Insurance
9. CHASE BANK *
8. Progressive Insurance
7. Citibank
6. Comcast
5. Time Warner Cable
4. SPRINT *
3. Capital One Bank
2. AOL
1. Bank of America

Have had recent experiences with both Chase Bank and Sprint that might offer some insights as to how these organizations are perceived to offer poor service. I’ll take SPRINT first, since my experience just happened this morning.

My cell phone wasn’t working so I went to the sSrint store at 116th & Keystone in Carmel, where I’d bought it. The gentleman there, Bill, was very professional. He checked a few things and told me it was a problem with the phone and I was insured but the technicians had been transferred to the store at 146th & Hazel Dell ( 12 miles round trip). When I got to that store, two customers were walking out without ever having been waited on. Not enough technicians.

I hung in and got to Dustin, who informed me the problem was with the battery and that I wasn’t insured for that. Worse, Sprint doesn’t sell batteries for cell phones, which feels akin to not selling t- bones with a bone to me. He informed me that the best place to purchase a battery would be Batteries Plus, which was one mile on the other side of the original Sprint store on Keystone.

The guys at Batteries Plus did a good job for me and the lady ahead of me.

I spent a lot of time chasing my tail for something I would’ve thought Sprint might handle in one visit. I understand the idea is to sell me a warranty and have it run out right before the battery runs down. But I don’t understand taking the techs out of the Keystone store and then not having enough techs at the store where you send them. And I don’t understand not making batteries available to your customers, thus forcing them to make yet another stop. But maybe that’s just me!

If this were my railroad, I’d sell batteries for the phones I sell. That would have saved me the third stop and I’d have felt better. Also, I wouldn’t leave my Carmel store customers without a technician. Finally, at the Noblesville store, I’d have enough help to keep customers from walking out. Then again, that’s just me! You have to wonder if Sprint cares enough to escape the CUSTOMER SERVICE HALL OF SHAME. I’m betting they don’t! Make sure your business doesn’t belong to the Hall of Shame. Learn from Sprint’s mistakes.

Danny O’Malia
Indy’s Trusted Servant
(317) 413-9062
fax (317) 815-8755
www.indystrustedservant.blogspot.com

Oh, without question, the answer is no.
You aren’t.
I’m not.
No one is, really.

Of course you are wondering what is *THIS*.
And I’m going to tell you.
First, let me lay some groundwork.

If there were to be one secret above all other secrets,
One thing that is the single most fundamental requirement of success,

It would be *THIS*.

If you were to carefully examine and study the most successful people in the world.
The people with the most control, most money, most opportunity…

They all have more than just about anyone else of *THIS*.

Okay, enough playing games, its just that after I tell you what *THIS* is, there’s a
chance you’ll want to stop reading, which is actually my entire point for writing
this message today.

I am certain, 100%, for sure that when a person fully embraces what I’m about to say
in their business and life, EVERYTHING else begins to fall into place, at least doors begin to open, people begin to take notice…and actually, you simply (and
very importantly) feel differently, better, about yourself.

*THIS*
Is
*RESPONSIBILITY*

Yeah, I know, but before you discount it.
Think about it
Let it soak in

The more *RESPONSIBILITY* you have, get, accept
The more you are in control…

The secret is to TAKE, not just have, get, accept, but TAKE as much *RESPONSIBILITY*
as you possibly can.

As fast as I can, I’m going to give you some examples.

There’s one man in front of the media right now along with a whole “house” full of
others who continually pass off *RESPONSIBILITY* on the next guy, the next term, the
next party, the next generation…and on and on and on.

Problems occur when *RESPONSIBILITY* is not taken.
You are seeing an example of that right now.

More importantly, since you’ve got no control over what they do, let’s talk about
what you can control…YOURSELF, as example.

Your business
Your prices
Your marketing
Your customers
Your employees
The achievement of your goals
The balance in your bank account

Oh, here’s a good one, YOUR DAILY BEHAVIORS and productivity.

Some of this I mentioned before and because a whole lot of stuff happens in my
life in a week, I got no idea what I said…pardon any repeat, although, it just
means it’s important.

If you want to make more money – take more responsibility.

I always remembered the funny Zig Ziglar quote where someone would say in response to
“how ya doin?”

And he said they’d start by saying “under the circumstances”

And Zig would say, “I always wondered what they were doing under there in the first
place”

Look, bad things happen to good people – that’s not the difference between the rich and the
poor, only the responsibility they take when it does.

I know people who literally get mad or frustrated that their customers don’t respond
to an offer or give them money, as if it’s their customer’s fault. Perhaps sending
emails like this religiously, showing that you care about your customers even when
you are NOT asking them for money would help. Then again, you could ask them what
they actually want. You could take responsibility for the type of customers on your
list…perhaps you settled for cheapest and easiest therefore not best buyers to
begin with.

To me, people sitting down in their business expecting money, customers,
opportunity, ANYTHING to happen FOR them, is no different than the person sitting
around collecting unemployment just waiting around for something better to happen AS
IF it’s going to without them actually DOING something first.

So many entrepreneurs and business people simply lack responsibility.
Without a doubt, we all should TAKE more.

So many entrepreneurs and business people pretend to be independent, goal-striving,
serious about success individuals, yet they live, breathe, and operate their
businesses with an ENTITLEMENT philosophy.

The only thing you are entitled to is RESPONSIBILTY over your own results.

Hey, no sense me wasting your time telling you anything but the truth…it doesn’t
build a good customer…and eventually you’d see through it and I’d be letting you
down. A lot say they want one thing but acting in total contradiction to that
want…you can fool yourself into believing it for only so long, eventually your
conscious mind catches up with what your subconscious already knew, eventually your
friends find out, and your bank account will always be a reflection of it.

Okay, rather than just beat you up over this, how about some RESPONSIBILTY Muscle
Building Exercises…which IS the way to do it.

1. Set yourself up for success. If you are trying to lose weight you can’t keep the
donuts on the counter and look at them to try to build self-discipline, if only you
were that strong…you have to eliminate them. Same with excuses. No more. Honest
assessment.
2. Start by getting clear on ONE goal that you want to achieve
3. And then determine the first and most important action that you should take
4. Have a team of people to share that goal with – like, say, a Mastermind Group
5. Put yourself in an environment that will remind you of success, arm you with
tools, and make you feel silly if you don’t keep your commitments because everyone
else around you is.
6. Wake up every day and know what the ONE key responsibility you have made to
yourself that you must get done

Okay, a few different ones that will really help you out –
1. Avoid unnecessary responsibilities, those that don’t relate to your goals and
agenda.
2. STOP taking on others responsibilities so you have more time/room for your own.
3. Reward yourself when you keep your commitments
4. STOP being negative, you should be too busy working on all the stuff that’s going
well, all the things moving forward, slowing down to dwell on the other stuff only
sabotages the positive.
5. If you don’t have enough things moving forward, do more things.
6. Step up to challenges, make swift decisions, be confident, and deal with problems
don’t ignore them, pretend they aren’t there, or anything else…responsible people
DO SOMETHING.

My favorite illustration of this is the star athlete who makes it big time.
Now there are a lot of not so great things about a lot of people in the lime light.
But, the one thing they’ve all got right, and have to, in order to make it to the
top of their field, just like the person at the top of their industry…

They’ve got to take control over EVERYTHING they can get their hands on.
It’s why Michael Jordan ALWAYS wanted the Ball.
It’s why Peyton Manning runs the team.
You can insert other examples here…

These people WANT the responsibility of victory.
They believe that the best way to have a shot at the results they want is by taking
control and doing everything in their power to MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.

I’m here to tell you, whatever the situation you are in right now, where ever you
want to go, the vehicle of success is guided by responsibility.

You will get where you want to be by DOING EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO GET THERE.
Excuses won’t do it.
Waiting won’t do it.
Only DOING IT will make it happen.

I found this insightful, a definition of responsibility:
The obligation to carry forward an assigned task to a successful conclusion.
With responsibility goes authority to direct and take the necessary action to ensure
success.