"Life is like a game of chess. To win you have to make a move. Knowing which move to make comes with IN-SIGHT and knowledge, and by learning the lessons that are accumulated along the way. We become each and every piece within the game called life!"

"If you only care enough for a result, you will almost certainly attain it."

"Your greatest asset is your earning ability. Your greatest resource is your time."

Force-feeding works no better with buyers than it does with kids. A prospect, pen in fist, seems almost ready to sign. But hold on. You see hesitation, then a frown. What's the problem? More to the point: what should you do now? Should you backtrack a bit and probe patiently? Or should you try to force the issue with a clever gimmick or trick closing technique? Play it cool. Don't force. Concentrate on the right question to ask to nail down what caused the hesitation.

Self-knowledge is a key to power. Personal awareness is just as important for professional success as technical competence. Self-knowledge gives you the ability to match your working style with those of the people you work with day in and day out, not to mention the styles of the people with whom you're trying to establish relationships. This lets you take responsibility for the effect you have on other people and learn how to change it if the effect is not what you desire.

"Energy and persistence conquer all things."

"The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."

"Confidence... thrives only on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them, it cannot live."

"You are essentially who you create yourself to be and all that occurs in your life is the result of your own making."

"I was taught to strive not because there were any guarantees of success, but because the act of striving is in itself the only way to keep faith with life."

"Think of success as a game of chance in which you have control over the odds. As you begin to master concepts in personal achievement, you are increasing your odds of achieving success."

It’s amazing how far a number of companies and sales teams have come in the last couple of years.
I’m having many more conversations with sales leaders, CEOs and others who are telling me business is outstanding and life is good.
When I hear comments like this, I get scared for one simple reason.
People are not paying attention to what is happening out there, and at the same time, they are benchmarking their success off the dismal results from a few years ago.
Recently, I was talking with the president of a successful company.  His comment was, “We’re blowing away our number this year and next year looks even better.”
He went on to say how he was finally able to recapture a lot of lost profit he had to forgo the last five years.  He continued, saying how his intent was to not do any significant spending in marketing or sales development, due to business being good and his desire to pad the bottom-line.
I hung up the phone cringing over what I had heard and, more importantly, what the president had allowed himself to believe.   He was pleased with his growth, and yet when I compared his growth to the overall growth of the industry he was in, he wasn’t even keeping pace.  In fact, he was losing market share.
Excuse me, but this is like whistling as you’re being lead to the firing squad.
I had a good relationship with this particular executive, so I didn’t hesitate to call him back. He was shocked at what I told him.  Clearly, he had never taken the time to see where he stood compared to his peers.
Secondly, he said it didn’t matter, because his investors were happy and the last thing he wanted to do was stir things up.  He told me how much pain he had been through keeping the investors calm when things were bad. Now he just wanted to enjoy some calm.
This attitude is far more pervasive with companies today than anyone wants to admit.  What is happening is people are comparing today’s success to yesterday’s failure and getting excited, when in reality they’re still getting their clocked cleaned.
If you’re not pushing full throttle even when times are good, what is going to happen to you when things soften?
The best time to be grabbing new market share and new customers is when things are good.  Doesn’t it make sense that if you have a greater market share and more customers when times are good, you’ll be in a better position to weather any downturn?
What I see happening is how quickly we’re forgetting what we just went through.  Two questions you need to be asking:
Am I growing market share?
How much of my business is coming from new customers and/or new products and services?

Be helpful.  When you see a person without a smile, give him yours. 

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts for you will never go any higher than you think."

"You can't talk yourself out of a problem you behaved yourself into."

Many people wonder what separates a top performing sales person from the rest of the pack. In most cases, it's because they apply a number of best practices in their daily routine. Here are 17 best practices of top performing sales people.
1. They set HIGH TARGETS and goals.
Top performers don't wait for their manager to issue an annual or quarterly quota. They set their own goals that are usually more ambitious than the corporate targets.
2. They carefully PLAN their quarter, month and week, as well as their daily schedule.
Too many sales people fly by the seat of their pants and only look at the day or week ahead instead of planning their month and quarter. Look at the big picture.
3. They set OBJECTIVES for every sales call.
It is essential to know exactly what you want to accomplish before you make your call (face-to-face or telephone).
4. They ASK high-value questions that probe to the heart of the issue.
Sounds simple but most sales people fail at this and ask weak, feeble questions. Top performers are comfortable asking tough questions that make their prospect think.
5. They LISTEN carefully to what their prospects and customers say instead of waiting for your turn to speak listen to your customer.
You can ask all the questions in the world but if you don't hear what people tell you won't be able to present the proper solution.
6. They CLARIFY the issue when they are unclear what their prospect means.People often say things that are unclear and most sales people assume they know what their prospect means. Top performers take the time to fully understand by asking "What do you mean by that?" of "Can you clarify that for me?"
7. They WAIT TO PRESENT their product, service, solution or idea until they know exactly what their prospect's situation is.
The majority of sales people jump too quickly into their 'sales pitch' but top performers are patient and wait for the right moment.
8. They begin every sales presentation with a brief RECAP of their understanding of the prospect's situation.
Again, a simple concept but one that is greatly ignored by many sales people. A quick summary of your customers' situation give you the opportunity to ensure that your presentation addresses their key issues.
9. They know how to ADAPT their sales presentation if their prospect's situation has changed.
Making changes on-the-fly is challenging but it is one way to stand out from your competition. Learn how to modify your presentation when customer's situation has changed from the time you initially met to the time you are delivering your presentation.
10. They know how to properly and effectively POSITION their product, service or solution.
The vast majority of sales people fail miserably at this. They talk, talk, talk but usually end up talking about aspects of their product or solution that have little or no relevance to their customer's situation.
11. Their sales presentations FOCUS on the prospect.
Most sales presentations focus on the seller's company, their product, or other trivial information that is of no interest to the customer.
12. They are PREPARED for potential objections.
Top performers anticipate objections and plan their response before their sales call.
13. They always establish the NEXT STEPS.
Decision makers are busier than ever which means they are more difficult to connect with. Avoid losing contact with a prospect by agreeing on the next steps after every sales call. Do this in face-to-face meetings and telephone calls.
14. They FOLLOW-UP after the initial call or meeting.
Many a sale has been lost because the sales rep failed to follow up after the initial call. You cannot rely on your prospect or customer to call you; you need to take this initiative. Set this up during your call or meeting.
15. They PROSPECT continually to keep their pipeline full.
It's not uncommon for sales reps to experience peaks and valleys in their sales. This is usually a result of failing to prospect for new business on a regular basis. Avoid the highs and lows and schedule time to prospect for new business every week.
16. They deal with the DECISION-MAKER whenever possible.Dealing with people who have little or no buying authority is a waste of time. However, many sales people fall into this trap because it is easier to connect with people other than the decision maker. And that may be true. However, in the long run, they end wasting their time because they don't close the deal.
17. They look for ways to KEEP IN TOUCH with their customers. A sale is not a one-time deal. However, you need to find ways to keep your name in your customer's mind to prevent a competitor from squeezing in. Top performers incorporate this into their schedule and make it a priority.

"Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to, when all they need is one reason why they can."

The big question for salespeople is how to adapt equally well in boom times and tough times. Someone once said that there is no such thing as bad times – only inadequate preparedness for change. Our approach to change determines our level of success. It's natural to cling to illusions and sometimes give in to disappointments. But when times change, we must change, go with the flow, and adapt to the new season.

"Focusing on one thing and doing it really, really well can get you very far."

"Dig the well before you are thirsty."

There’s no serendipity in sales.
“Not even that lead that closed after months of no contact happened for a reason?” you ask.
Nope.
Some trigger — prompted or unprompted — brought you back to mind and inspired contact. And while it may seem like this situation is completely out of your control, it isn’t. If you apply a strategy, you can trigger even the deadest of leads to come back to life.
According to  only 50 percent of leads are sales ready, so building relationships for when they are ready is crucial. Furthermore, as we rely less on face-to-face communication, every salesperson must seek other ways to build relationships with new and established clients.
Overcome Obstacles to Build Relationships
Every good salesperson knows how important it is to practice empathy in the sales process. Understanding a lead’s thought process and reservations is a critical skill. However, you should also understand two important things:

• Mindshare: Customers have a limited amount of thought real estate, and you’re competing with other salespeople, employees, family, reruns of “Lost,” etc. The moment you disengage from an active conversation with your customer, your mindshare with him decreases. You must retain mindshare, and something as simple as a gentle “just checking in” can do the trick.

• Defense: Human beings are naturally defensive, so next time you approach a potential client who knows you want something, don’t be surprised if the answer is “no.” Building a good relationship pierces through that underlying self-defense and mistrust. Even a minor piece of personal information — like remembering that his kid was sick during your last call, for example — will work.

 Nurture Leads and Tap Into Weak Ties
Breaking through defenses and maintaining mindshare are all about nurturing leads. Just as tended grapevines will yield better fruit, sales practices that involve constant attention will be more profitable.
According to  lead nurturing can generate 50 percent more sales-ready leads at significantly lower costs — 30 percent, to be exact. So here are three ways you can obtain and nurture leads:

1. 1.      Follow up, and maintain regular contact. You should always establish a desired cadence for every relationship. This contact rhythm can be based on anything from the account’s level of importance to the stage of a particular deal or process.

 Set manual reminders after each interaction based on a predefined interval, or use a service like  which automatically identifies when a relationship is due for a follow-up. Finally, show your client that the relationship won’t end immediately by setting a next step on each call.

1. 2.      Focus on building strong relationships. Far too often, we get caught up in the transactional nature of sales relationships, and empathy gets stripped out of digital communications.

According to personalized emails improve conversion rates by 10 percent and click-through rates by 14 percent, so take a personal interest in your customers’ lives. Record the personal details they reveal, and ask about the things they mention, such as an upcoming vacation, during your next contact.

1. 3.      Remember the value of weak ties. Strong ties — like those with your friends from college and co-workers — know the same people, often hold the same beliefs, and share information rapidly. This causes very little “new” information or relationships to exist among individuals in this core group.

 on the other hand, are filled with opportunities for new connections and information, so you should reach out as far as possible from your core connections to tap into the potential of weak ties.
Build Relationships With a Scientific Mindset
Looking at maintaining business connections from a scientific or analytical perspective allows you to put a process behind the practice. Instead of leaving relationship building up to chance, you can see these efforts as an ongoing sequence of actions with set intervals.
First, give your team a system to easily track and measure relationships. It should rely as little as possible on manual entry and allow the end user to track the overall sphere of relationships. Next, identify a sequence, qualification process, or rating system to track the importance or stage of the relationship. For each “bucket,” identify priority and contact intervals for every customer or lead.
Lastly, regularly examine the health of your team’s sphere of relationships, and set benchmarks for the quantity or quality of relationships at each stage.
Building relationships is all about staying engaged with as many of your key connections as possible, and applying an analytical process allows you to do so in an organized, reliable way. In sales, building relationships isn’t about being touchy feely; it’s about showing empathy and strategically breaking down defenses and obtaining mindshare to benefit your company and put your customers at ease.

"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome."

One of the main goals of almost any salesperson is to create more happy customers. The logic is compelling. Since happy customers will give us more of their business, they will refer us to more of their friends and, as a result, we will do better. Plato once wrote, "He who does well must of necessity be happy." That thought brings two questions to mind: 1) How can you continue to make other people happy if you are unhappy? 2) What can you do to be happier?

"The real voyage of discovery consists of not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."

"If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability."

"The entrepreneur builds an enterprise; the technician builds a job."

The first definition I was given of selling was transference of feeling about a product, idea or service.” I was told nobody will be more excited than you are about your products or services.
If we got to profile who we did business with we would all pick someone who’s enthusiastic over someone’s who’s not enthusiastic.  And yet this very important “sales technique” is widely ignored.
In my training classes I try to get people to be more enthusiastic. It’s like pulling teeth. Yet, I know what Zig Ziglar said is right. “For every sale you miss because you’re too enthusiastic, you will miss a hundred because you’re not enthusiastic enough.”
I think there are two comfort zone issues everyone must overcome to be more enthusiastic. First, some sales people say. “I don’t feel myself when I’m overly enthusiastic. I am afraid the prospect will think I am faking it”. Yes, there are those of you that are so bad at being enthusiastic, that your customers will see through you if you fake it. The only way to fix this is to keep practicing until you don’t appear “fake”.
The only alternative is to stay where you are. Remember, “a rut is just a grave with the ends knocked out”. If you can’t come up with your own technique to get more enthusiastic, here are two. First, start using words which display enthusiasm. Words like fantastic, tremendous, awesome, wow, great, spectacular, and fabulous. You probably don’t use these words now, but you should write them out on a card and carry it with you. Tape it up in your car. You won’t get your friends and family to punch your cool card for this but you will make more sales.
Second, describe to someone the most exciting thing in your life. Hopefully, you have something you’re excited about. Now remember how you sound. Start using that voice when you describe your product or service.
Next time you’re watching T.V. try to find a commercial where the actors or actresses are unenthusiastic. Trust me they are not naturally that enthusiastic. They do it because it SELLS! We are naturally attracted to people that are enthusiastic. Make it your goal to be that kind of person.
Remember, the word enthusiasm traces its roots to the Greek word “Enthousiasmos” which means “divine inspiration”, “To be inspired or possessed by a god, be rapt, be in ecstasy”. Yes the early Greeks knew the power of enthusiasm. It was so powerful they thought it came from the Gods.
The second comfort zone issue we face is the desire and commitment to change what we’ve been doing for our whole career. So many of us succumb to the effects of enthusiasm everyday but we won’t use the power ourselves.
It is the easiest of communication skills to see but one of the most difficult to embrace. The beginning of the solution to any problem is the recognition of the problem. If you can raise your level of enthusiasm and you don’t, then you have a problem.
Next, develop a plan to change. I’ve given you some suggestions and you can add your own to these. Finally, stick with the plan. If you’re like me and others I’ve known, you will forget or you will get side tracked. That’s natural. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Remember if you act enthusiastic, you’ll become enthusiastic!

Common worries about selling can become distractions that stand in your way. Salespeople who want to take steps to improve the way they relate to customers must remove these mental obstacles. Start by focusing on what you want to get out of each individual interaction with a client or prospective buyer, instead of focusing on what might go wrong. Such thoughts as, "If I don't get this sale, then I'll miss my quota," will only get in the way of your ability to relate to customers and assess their needs.

When we are completely happy, we also feel that we have more energy. That can translate into more productive days and enjoyment of day-to-day activities. Conversely, continual unhappiness and longing to be happy drain us. Although pleasure can lighten unhappy moments, happiness is the result of long-term meaning. Whenever we engage in work that we really love to do, we will always lose track of time and feel an abundance of energy.

"If Google teaches you anything, it’s that small ideas can be big."

"Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones tend to take care of themselves. "

How do I motivate my sales team? How do I retain top sales talent? At the risk of sounding too simple, there are two proven principles that work well in motivating salespeople: recognition and appreciation. Two simple principles often overlooked because execution takes time and attention. Sam Walton once said, "Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free and worth a fortune."
Here are 10 simple methods for motivating your sales team:
Be specific. Many sales managers will say to their salesperson, "good job on the XYZ account." If a sales manager really wants the words to resonate with a salesperson, get specific about what ‘good’ looks like. For example, "I appreciate your ability to read the customer so well. I noticed that you really have a knack for getting the internal team to support your cause. I know you always operate from a place of integrity." When you are specific, salespeople realize you are watching and paying attention versus using tired clichés.
Be focused. Focus is the competitive advantage of the future as society is gravitating towards attention deficit disorder. When you give a compliment, focus and make the delivery of the compliment the only thing you do. This means you are not checking your email, voicemail or Smart Phone. Slow down, look your salesperson in the eye, and focus on showing appreciation.
Give public recognition. Salespeople, by nature, thrive on recognition. Don’t make success a private event. Make a point to compliment your salesperson in front of customers, colleagues and fellow team members. Public pats on the back go a long way. If you have a salesperson that is getting great feedback from clients, ask the customer to write a testimonial letter. This is a win-win for both parties. The first win is the feeling of importance and appreciation felt by your salesperson. The second win is for the customer. (Can you imagine how inspired this salesperson is going to be working for this client in the future?)
Involve the family. Hard working salespeople are often on the road, putting in long hours or entertaining clients at night. Send a thank you letter home highlighting specific contributions and attributes of your salesperson. Thank the spouse for the important role he/she plays by their support and encouragement. If there is no partner, look up Mom and Dad and tell them thanks and congratulations for raising such a great kid!
Make the salesperson the teacher/coach. This falls right in line with public recognition. When you have a salesperson delivering excellent work, don’t keep it a secret. Turn over part of the sales meeting to the salesperson and let them teach and train the rest of the sales team on best practices. The salesperson is recognized for their expertise and the message often means more coming from a peer, who is also in the trenches. It also motivates fellow team members to become an ‘expert’ so they can appear on the next meeting agenda.
Give feedback immediately. Don’t wait until you have time to give the compliment or feedback. Two weeks later does not generate the same response as immediate recognition of good attitude, problem solving or closed deals. (Can you imagine giving a dog a bone for rolling over two weeks after the event?)
Buy some paper. Email is nice; however, a handwritten note means you have taken time to find a card and write a personal note. I have seen cards sitting on a salesperson’s desk, however, have never seen an email propped up.
Recognize something besides sales. How about recognizing a salesperson for the great attitude they demonstrate every day. You know who I am talking about. The salesperson that shows up to meetings on time contributes and helps other members on the team. Give a sales citizenship award!
Create symbols of recognition. Why do people drive expensive cars? Wear big sports rings? The car probably doesn’t drive that much better and some of those rings are downright obnoxious. Both are recognized symbols of success. What symbols of success do you have at your company? Symbols can range from certificates, rings, blazers, jackets or membership dues to clubs. The item is usually not that important; it’s the recognitions associated with the item that counts.
Get the ‘big dogs’ involved. Praise shouldn’t come from just the vice-president of sales or sales manager. Have the chairman, CEO, COO, CFO pick-up the phone to make a congratulations call. As much as your sales team likes you, it’s always nice to hear praise from other sources.
Motivate your sales team in 2014. Observe, appreciate and recognize good behavior.

"I see a lot of opening script ideas and templates pitching a specific solution addressing a specific need. But my company offers solutions which hit on very different pain points. Am I best off opening with something targeted or trying to quickly relay all of our capabilities and hope something hits home?"
SalesBuzz Answer:
"Data Dumping" (relaying all of your capabilities and hope something hits home) on your prospect has a very low % rate of working.
To come up with the right opener, you have to start with the lead source. Where did the lead come from? Was it a trade show? A webinar? Are you prospecting in an industry that you've already done business in?
When you have a range of products / services, you can always get a clue from what the lead source is, as to what "opener" you could use in order to be effective.
Example:
Let's say the lead source is a vertical (meaning, you've sold to other companies in that same line of work... like a school district, a hospital, etc)
Your opener could be something like:
Salesperson:
Hi (prospects name) this is (your name) with (your company) Reason for my call is we recently helped (hospital name 1, hospital name 2 & hospital name 3) avoid/cut/reduce/gain [PAIN POINT / HOT BUTTON] and wanted to see if we may be able to help you do the same...
If it's a webinar lead, you want to focus on what the subject matter of the webinar would do / solve for the prospect, and not the actual webinar.
Bad Example:
Salesperson:
Hi (prospects name) this is (your name) with (your company) You attended our webinar on (subject) and I just wanted to follow up, introduce myself and see if you had any questions.
Prospect:
Nope, I'm good. Thanks.
Salesperson:
Um... Ok.
Better Example:
Prospect:
Hi (prospects name) this is (your name) with (your company) Reason for my call is I understand you're curious about how to avoid/cut/reduce/limit/gain/attract/grow [PAIN POINT / HOT BUTTON] and I wanted to see if we might be able to help you with that...
These are just a couple of examples on how to approach using a better opening value statement for when you offer multiple services or products.

You hear it all the time - if your price is higher than your competition you're told to “build value."  You’re instructed to stress the quality, the warranty, the features, etc.  But your prospects have heard all that before, haven’t they?  Want a better way?
 Let’s face it – if services or products are more or less the same, then prospects will buy from the people they like, know or trust.  Your enthusiasm and belief for your product or service is a big factor in getting your prospects to place an order with you over your competition.  Knowing this, I've often used the following script to not only build value in my product or service, but also to build value in the most important part of my product – myself.  Here's what to say:
 If your prospects says, “I can get cheaper," or “Well the XYZ company has something similar for less money," or anything like that, say:
 “You know _________ I'm aware of all the other options for this (product or service) and I’ll tell you now, if I thought any of them were better for my clients, I’d be working there and selling that.
 “When I got into this industry I did my own research, just like you’re doing, and I looked for the company that not only offered the best (product or service) but also delivered the best customer service and follow-up.
 After all that, I chose (your company) because they give my clients the best overall value and the best experience.  And that means they continue to do business with me and refer new business to me as well.
 __________, if there was a better product or company for you to be doing business with I’d be there and we’d be talking about that.  But there isn’t.
 “Bottom line -- if you want the best overall value, results and experience with this (your product or service) then do what I did – choose (your company) – You’ll be happy you did.  Now, do you want to start with the X size order or would the Y size order be better?"
 This technique builds value in the most important part of any sales transaction -- you and your belief in your product or service.  If you didn’t do research, then let the prospect know why you did choose your company and what you like so much about working there and offering that product.
Adapt it to fit your personality, product and company, and then get in the habit of using it whenever you feel the need to build more value

"Work is not man's punishment. It is his reward and his strength and his pleasure."

The great novelist Leo Tolstoy had more than his share of hardship but found a way to rise above his circumstances, writing, "I believe that life must and can be a constant joy, and the wise person is always joyful." Instead of viewing life as a series of tests or trials, learn to view it as a gift. You don't have to jump for joy when you get a speeding ticket, but most of us would have to admit that the things we worry about really don't matter much in the grand scheme of things.

"Do what is right, not what you think the high headquarters wants or what you think will make you look good."

"If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then you are an excellent leader."

Persistence and determination together are omnipotent. You never fail unless you quit. Successful individuals have clearly defined game plans, which they review constantly. They know where they are going every day, every month, and every year. Things don't just happen in their lives; they make them happen. Don't let anything stand in your way. Your level of persistence in the face of adversity and disappointment will be a measure of belief in yourself. Associate with people who share your goals and work habits. You must follow the leaders who are the best at what they do.

"Many can argue that reality is as it is, but my experience is that the opposite is exactly true. Reality is ours for the making."

"It's the little things that make the big things possible. Only close attention to the fine details of any operation makes the operation first class."

"The greatest medicine of all is to teach people how not to need it."

"There is deep wisdom within our very flesh, if we can only come to our senses and feel it."

"When you do the things you need to do when you need to do them, the day will come when you can do the things you want to do when you want to do them."

For those of us who have been in sales for longer than a decade, it’s easy to sometimes long for the days when customers waited until they met you (or conducted several phone calls with you) to decide whether they liked you. Back then, we had more control over how prospects perceived us. A firm handshake or warm smile went a long way toward building a strong customer relationship.
Today, we don’t have that luxury. In fact, many customers now assess a salesperson’s likability, knowledge, and authenticity based purely on electronic interactions and that person’s digital presence. Whether it’s how you phrase your emails, what you share in LinkedIn Groups, or which messages you retweet on Twitter, people – customers, prospects, support staff, etc. – observe how you communicate and monitor what you say. And because people buy from people they like, that means your digital presence needs to be as warm and authentic as your real-world persona.
With that in mind, there are six specific email “personalities” salespeople should avoid if they hope to get customers to like (and, ultimately, buy from) them:
Ms. All Business
1) Ms. All Business: You know the type. This salesperson is so focused on quickly responding to emails that she forgets the importance of likability. If a prospect asks a question, this person fires back a brief answer and moves on to the next email.
Mr. Opportunity Knocks
2) Mr. Opportunity Knocks: These are the salespeople who love contacts when they’re a client, but refuse to give those same people a second of their time when they no longer possess tangible value. Sales isn’t always about selling. It’s also about relationship building.
Dr. No
3) Dr. No: We’re all busy, but this salesperson has perfected the art of saying “no.” This cold tendency is generally directed more at this person’s network or co-workers, but Dr. No rarely makes him or herself available for sales ride-along’s, peer coaching or speaking engagements because they’re too focused on their own priorities.
Billy Bully
4) Bobby Bully: We’ve all worked with this salesperson – the type who bullies their support team via email, and demeans direct reports when things don’t get done. This cold approach not only kept reps from getting the help they need, it also alienates them from their support team’s network – including the owner of another company
Corey Coldfish
5) Corey Cold Fish: In an attempt to avoid writing something he’ll regret, Mr. Cold Fish chooses to compose robotic emails, often with underlined headings and bulleted lists. Those messages aren’t just boring, they also make it hard for prospects to tell if there’s really a human behind the email address.
Sara Sweetie Pie
6) Sarah Sweetie Pie: The opposite of Corey Cold Fish, this salesperson often goes overboard in an attempt to seem more friendly and engaging, writing multiple paragraphs where a few sentences would do. Even worse, they adorn messages with LOLs, emoticons, and smiley faces. While it’s good to let loose and show your personality, doing this too frequently will harm your professional credibility.
The key takeaway here is that people buy from people they like. So, be real. Personalize your emails. Be warm and friendly. Help an old prospect out. And always be cognizant of how someone might interpret your messages. While you might understand the context of your tone, it’s not always clear on the other end of the line.

"The only place where your dream becomes impossible is in your own thinking."

Here are some strategic self-evaluation questions to which successful people always know the answers: 1) What is life's purpose for you? 2) What do you want out of life? 3) What makes you happy? 4) Can you overcome the competition? 5) How can you prepare yourself so that your goals prevail? If you answer these questions, pretty soon a clear picture of what you really want and are good at will begin to emerge. Then you'll be able to choose where you will go with your life and how you will get there.

"Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life."

"The shifts of fortune test the reliability of friends."

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes in to us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands, and hopes we've learned something from yesterday."

"There is no such thing as a minor lapse of integrity."

"Time flies. It's up to you to be the navigator."

Ability can take you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.

"Reduce your plan to writing. The moment you complete this, you will have definitely given concrete form to the intangible desire."

Many salespeople operate as lone wolves, but sometimes teamwork is better. Imagine your goal is to open a profitable new account in the face of tough competition. One rep brings home the order within 36 hours with help from associates. The other rep also gets the contract but does it alone in 57 hours. Who's the real pro? As a sales professional, time is your most valuable asset. Be careful not to go it alone too often.

"Eighty-five percent of the reason you get a job, keep that job, and move ahead in that job has to do with your people skills and people knowledge."

It might sound odd, but money is not the root of great motivation. We all share a desire to get better and better at something that matters. Whether you're a great artist, athlete, software developer, or sales professional, you need room to grow. The best way to tap into intrinsic motivation, according to author Daniel Pink, is to take the issue of money off the table and put the focus on the work itself: "The more prominent salary, perks, and benefits are in someone's work life, the more they can inhibit creativity and unravel performance."

You accepted the offer of Vice President of Sales and are now charged with rebuilding the sales team.  They haven’t hit quota in months and the excuses vary from:

• Our product isn’t the best in the market
•  Marketing isn’t generating enough leads
• Our price is too high

Your work is cut out for you in turning this sales Titanic around. Here are three critical steps as master of the ship.
#1: Assess your sales team.  Do you need hunters but inherited a team of farmers?  Do you need farmers because the hunters aren’t taking care of anything or anyone they close?
You can get rid of salespeople or restructure the sales department.  Create a lead generation role for the hunters.  They can throw the deal to the account executives who are charged with selling and closing.   They turn it over to the account manager who services the heck out of the customer and upsells.  Everyone is playing to their strength.
#2:  Create a high performance culture.  Stop yawning….culture makes you money.  Establish a core value of managing results, not excuses.  Let your team know there is always an excuse for not getting the job done.  It just doesn’t happen at this company.  Eliminate excuse makers and elevate goal makers.
#3:  Train and coach.  Your team has taken courses in reading, writing and arithmetic.  They have never taken courses in listening skills, critical thinking or dealing with defensive people. And then you wonder why they aren’t closing more deals.  Hmmm…..who is the problem?  As the famous poet Maya Angelou stated, “When you know better, you do better.”
Take these critical steps and rebuild your team.  You have a new building to design.

"You can't have a better tomorrow if you're thinking about yesterday."

"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."

"I'm in a sales slump and don't know what to do to get out of it. What action steps can I take to change the situation I'm in?"
SalesBuzz Answer:
Sales slumps are never fun. A bad one can shake your foundations to the core, to the point where you fear that your lifestyle is in danger as the bills pile up with every missed quota.
Here's the good news: Every top sales rep has had a sales slump at some time in their career. Which means, you CAN overcome this.
Your biggest challenge will be to take accountability and to have the commitment to overcome your situation. If the painful feeling of a sales slump outweighs your resistance to change and accountability, do these three things to help pull yourself out of the sales slump:
1) Take Inventory:
Take an honest look at your current pipeline.
Are you calling the same old leads, over and over again? You know the kind I'm talking about... the leads that will take your call because you have a "good rapport" with them, yet they never seem to buy?
I've seen sales people dig themselves into the ground because their fear of rejection was so high, they refused to prospect for fresh new opportunities, and instead, kept calling the same old leads that were willing to shoot the breeze with them, but never buy.
Top sales people know that priority number one is to always have a fresh stream of leads coming in. It's your responsibility to make sure that is happening regardless of what your company is doing. Sure, I feel marketing should be providing sales reps with a constant flow of leads, however, with todays prospecting tools, a sales person should never have to sit and wait for the marketing department to do their job.
Top sales people don't sit and wait. They MAKE. THINGS. HAPPEN.
2) Role-play:
The only thing sales people hate more than cold calling, is role-playing, yet it is the single fastest way I know for a salesperson to see what they are doing wrong on the phone and fix it.
Of course, you will need someone with experience who can correct your mistakes (having two struggling sales people critique each other in a role-playing session is absolutely pointless). So make sure you have a top sales rep or even the owner of your company, if possible, sit in and give you advice. It will be uncomfortable at first, but you will see the pay-off in short order.
3) Effort: Skills + Output = Sales Results.
If you have a fresh stream of leads and have sharpened your sales skills, the last remaining part to the sales equation is your effort.
Time management plays a huge part in whether or not a sales person succeeds or fails. Are you spending your mornings "prospecting" and looking for who to call? If so, you're doing it wrong! Why would you spend time doing non-sales call activities during the only time you have to make sales calls? Before you walk in the door, you should already have your first 20 to 40 sales calls lined up and ready to go.
Your "output" (effort) needs to be kicked up a notch or two in order to get out of that slump, once you fix your sales techniques. Chances are, what got you in a slump was bad sales techniques and/or poor effort. You're going to have to push yourself to get out of it. But you can do this!
One final thing... Remember those times when everything you touched seemed to close? All of a sudden, deals seemed to be coming in from everywhere, with almost little effort? Almost always, that was a result of all the hard work you were doing 3 or 4 months ago. All those calls you made when you were trying to get yourself out of that sales slump. If you don't want to go back to slumpville, make sure you continue to work just as hard when you're on top, as you did to dig yourself out from the bottom and you won't have to worry about ever falling into a sales slump ever again.

"The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win."

"What matters is where you want to go. Focus in the right direction!"