A few months ago Nicki and I went looking at exercise equipment. I was experiencing sciatica in my left leg (I didn’t know it at the time, but it was caused by a synovial cyst pressing on the nerve between L4 and L5; after an MRI revealed the problem, microsurgery provided the cure), was getting physical therapy treatments at the hospital, and needed to purchase an item for my home exercises. We went to a number of places, including two sports-equipment stores, finally found what I needed at a top-of-the-line exercise-equipment store on Golf Road in Schaumburg.

Author of Selling Fearlessly

There was only one salesperson in the store—a tall, lanky young man in his mid-30s. It took only a few minutes for me to realize I was in the presence of a real pro; I thought he was a terrific salesperson for the following reasons:

1. He was incredibly knowledgeable about every product in the store; the man knew his stuff.  He answered every question like the late Ted Williams talking about the fine points of hitting a baseball; it was impressive.

2. He asked a number of excellent questions directly related to my condition; he wasn’t about to proceed without getting the information he needed to do his job properly.

3. When I asked about a $2,000 piece of equipment (a similar piece of equipment I was using during my sessions at the hospital), he smiled, extolled its virtues, and then told me a $15.00 exercise rope would do the job for me for a heck of a lot less money. He wasn’t interested in selling me something he didn’t think was in my best interest. He was far more interested in establishing a long-term relationship with us than making a specific high-dollar-amount sale. (more…)

If your experience with Facebook, blogs, Twitter and LinkedIn is like most sales pros you’re struggling to create leads and sales. Most of us are failing and here’s why. We’ve been given bad information about “what works.” So here is a new, 3-step process to make sure everything you put “out there” on social media always creates leads and sales. As it turns out netting sales is all about provoking a response to what you put out onto social media, super-charging buyers’ confidence in themselves and moving them off of social media.

The Case for Confidence

Being engaging, getting re-tweeted and telling compelling stories doesn’t cause sales. High levels of confidence in buyers and clear, compelling calls-to-action do.

The most effective, practical way to generate sales with blogs, videos, educational ebook downloads, LinkedIn and other social platforms is to give confidence to buyers in ways that increase their ability to feel emotionally grounded, intellectually stronger… fully equipped to own.

If you do this well enough prospects will ask you for the sale. But where to start? (more…)

Entrepreneurs and marketers are constantly challenged to be creative. But creativity as it is commonly thought of and practiced is sin not virtue, because it is slow and ponderous; because it begins with a blank slate. One of the most profitably creative entrepreneurs of all time, Walt Disney, said “….stop talking and begin doing.” To be profitable in the real world, creativity must be fast, decisive, practical, implementable and implemented. There’s little room for creativity for creativity’s sake.

I tend to practice “creativity cheating” – and thought I’d give you a few quick “cheats”, from the many I talked about at my one day Creative Thinking For Entrepreneurs Seminar.*

#1: STEAL AND ADAPT WHAT’S ALREADY BUILT

From Tony Baxter, Senior V.P., Creative Development/Imagineering at Disney: “For the climactic scene in the Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland, we wanted the ride vehicle to suddenly start backing up as the giant rolling boulder comes thundering toward us. Having a ride vehicle back up in the middle of a ride is SOMETHING THAT’S NEVER BEEN DONE, BECAUSE IT’S NOT POSSIBLE. With eighteen vehicles traveling down the same track at the same time, a vehicle going in reverse would collide with the next vehicle coming behind it along the track. But if you’ve ever ridden in the Indiana Jones attraction, you know your vehicle does suddenly start backing up. At least that’s your perception. Your vehicle has actually stopped. It’s the walls and ceiling that are moving, giving you the undeniable feeling that you’re traveling backward…….so, where did we come up with this solution? A car wash. One of those self-service machines at the gas station where you pull your car in and park while a series of brushes and spray heads mounted above and beside your car travel back and forth.”

There’s more to Tony’s story, but enough here to make the point: whatever you’re trying to do, somebody has already figured out and built — just not in your business or industry or in an application you might ordinarily, easily think of in connection with your business. You do NOT want to invest umpteen days, weeks, months duplicating all the figuring out and innovation and engineering – you want to find the thing that’s already built.

Oh, and a key question to ask every time you see anything, go anywhere, experience anything: how can I use that? (more…)

There has never been any argument in advertising circles that the most effective business advertising is word-of-mouth advertising.

That’s why direct selling is so dramatically successful as a method of marketing every imaginable product and service, and why direct selling is such a great business in which to be.  As a direct salesperson conversationally telling another person why you like a particular product, you are much more convincing advertisement than any TV commercial or magazine ad.

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Wendy Lipton-Dibner

In today’s growing digital marketplace, Champions who want to completely dominate their niche will need to master the art of selling through streaming video and audio presentations on company websites and in social media. Never in our lifetime has there been such an amazing opportunity up for grabs – are you ready?

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Ron Marks

In the past twenty-five years I have seen thousands of sales meetings conducted by managers throughout the world. I can tell within a few moments whether a sales manager is a professional or an amateur by how they begin a sales meeting. I would bet you can too. Of all the things you do as a sales manager, this is the most public thing you do in your business. Holding an excellent sales meeting is a great chance to motivate the team and disseminate information and it is also a chance to lose momentum in a hurry!

Sales managers who have decided to run a sales meeting because they have something important to convey have passed the first test for a successful meeting. They have a purpose! I realize this test seems obvious, but think back to all of the meetings you have been to that had no value or agenda whatsoever.

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Author of Selling Fearlessly

“Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.” Italian Proverb

Architect Barry Thalden, hotel and casino designer and one of my dearest friends for the past 50 years, tells of presenting a proposal to Donald Trump: “I managed to arrange a meeting with Donald Trump.  We met in what later became the infamous Board Room on his TV show The Apprentice.  My presentation was on slides.  As I started to set up my projector, he immediately objected.  Undaunted, I told him it would only take a few minutes and would fully explain the opportunity I’d come to show him.

Once the presentation began he interrupted me several times, trying to rush me along; each time I told him I was just getting to the part he wanted to know about.  I’d come all the way to New York to see him; I was going to do it my way, come hell or high water.  I wasn’t going to chicken out, be intimidated because he was Donald Trump.  (more…)

Years of economic muddle!

That was the title on a seminar brochure I received recently. As I survey some of the forces flowing through our economy, and witness the way in which they impact my clients, I have to agree. 

Unfortunately, these forces have brought a cloud of confusion to CEOs and sales executives trying to grow their businesses.

One common response to this confusion is what I call “Popcorn.” Imagine kernels of popcorn simmering in hot oil in the bottom of an old-fashioned popcorn popper. As the heat rises, one of the kernels explodes rocketing against the side of the popper. Moments later, another kernel explodes and shoots off in another direction. Before long, the canister is full of careening kernels bouncing in every direction.

That’s how many businesses attempt to increase sales when they start feeling economic pressure. As the heat of the situation rises, they know they have to do something. Along comes a good idea and, pop, like a kernel of exploding popcorn, they lunge at the idea.

The idea can be anything. Maybe a media representative suggests a new advertisement. So, “pop” off they go with new advertising. Or a salesperson suggests that a computer program will solve their problems. That sounds good, so off they go after that idea. Then an advertising agency suggests a new brochure and off they go again.

Desperately hoping that one of these ideas can solve their problems, they frantically chase each one.  Unfortunately, these ideas rarely have any relationship to one another. Worse, they often present only superficial solutions to deeper problems and divert time and energy away from real solutions. The result is often more pressure, more confusion, and more energy expended in the wrong areas.

A far more effective response is to create a sales and marketing system that provides an interconnected, measurable set of processes and tools that ultimately result in increased sales. Where would McDonald’s be today without a system to consistently produce hot hamburgers? Where would Toyota be if they had no system to design and build new automobiles? The key to success for these businesses has been their ability to create and manage effective systems to accomplish their goals.

Sales and marketing can be treated in exactly the same way. The process of acquiring customers and then expanding the business with them can be systematized.  As a system is created, so are the means to produce predictable, regular sales results.

Any system should start with a thorough understanding of prospect’s needs and interests. Add to that an honest assessment of the unique value the company brings to the market. Focus on the highest potential market segments, and develop segment-specific processes and tools to help you reach the market in the most cost-effective way

A well-designed system also provides a set of criteria that can be used to assess the potential in new ideas thereby eliminating the desperate reactive “Popcorn” effect. The system is the solution.         

Dave Kahle has trained tens of thousands of B2B salespeople, sales managers and business owners to be more effective in the 21st Century economy. He’s authored eight books, and presented in 47 states and seven countries. You will receive over $500 in bonus gifts from business growth leaders when you buy Dave’s new book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime. To access Dave’s training, insights and tools online, visit The Sales Resource Center.

Ron Marks

As I travel around the country meeting and working with sales professionals I am constantly amazed at how few people in our industry ever planned a career in sales at a young age. I ask audiences with hundreds of people in them how many had planned on being a sales person when they were in high school. You can guess the answer, hardly any!

My son Scott is a recent graduate at Arizona State University and a couple of years ago he asked if I would come in and speak to his communications class on creating persuasive presentations. I asked this same question of this class of 50 students figuring a few would be thinking a career in sales would be a good idea. My answer: Zero, Not one student was thinking sales would be a career for them. Yet statistically 47% of those young adults I was speaking to would be in a sales job within 4 years. I find it fascinating that out of the 4,158 Colleges and Universities in the United States only 35 offer a course and degree in Sales. (more…)

The key to success with voice mail  is to come to grips with the fact that on some level most of your buyers despise it and either ignore or delete most of their messages. It is wishful or, more likely, delusional thinking to expect your voice mail messages to actually be returned. However, with a few simple adjustments that make your messages easier for your prospects to deal with, you may succeed in getting many more messages returned and at the same time earn the respect of the people you call.

Here are the top three tips: (more…)