6 sales situations when you should slow down

Sales people are notorious for speaking too quickly and this habit can cost them money in lost sales. Here are 6 critical times sales people should slow down

1.     When opening a telephone call with a new prospect. Most people are not fully engaged when they initially answer a call so slow down until you have their full attention.

2.     When you begin your sales presentation. When you slow down before a presentation it gives you the opportunity to collect your thoughts and to think about the key points you need and want to make.

3.     Before you respond to a question. Instead of blurting out a quick answer, take a few moments and carefully think about your response. This will help you build credibility and gain your prospect's respect.

4.     When responding to an objection. Objections are not necessarily negative and slowing down before you respond can help you position your solution more effectively.

5.     When you're rushed. I realize that this sounds contradictory but here's the rationale. When you are feeling rushed, you are more apt to make a mistake. So, in these situations, make a concerted effort to slow down, check your work and prevent a mistake from occurring.

6.     When you don't know the answer to a question. Many sales people feel obligated to respond to questions even when they don't know the answer. Instead of falling prey to this fatal mistake slow down and tell your prospect that you don't have an answer and that you will get it for them.

Speed isn't everything especially in sales. You can stand out from many of your competitors by slowing down at opportune times. Great sales people know that slowing down at the right time can improve their sales results. Determine which of the suggestions in this article most apply to you and begin integrating them into your sales approach

Cold Calling: Dead or Alive?

I find it fascinating how many people (including sales experts and trainers) claim that cold calling is dead, that it is a waste of time and that it is the least effective way to generate new sales leads.

 I know that cold calling is tough. And that it is extremely challenging to connect with busy decision makers. And that many companies don't even accept cold calls from sales people.

 However, that doesn't mean cold calling is dead.

 But, there is no magic cure. No "if you do this you will win" approach. No magic pill. And no single strategy that will product results every time.

 It takes hard work, effort, and discipline. 

 I recently spoke to a veteran sales guy who admits to looking for an easier way to capture more deals even though he knows it takes hard work to capture any sale worth in excess of $25,000.

 On the converse side, I know someone who consistently calls more than 100 people everyday. Not surprisingly, this individual connects with more people than the veteran.

 Cold calling still works.

 But need to make a lot of dials. You need to target the right companies. You need a compelling opening. You need to ask lots of questions. And, you need to speak with the right people.

 Is cold calling the most effective way to generate leads? Perhaps not.

But I don't believe that it is any less effective than any other single strategy.

 Networking requires a tremendous amount of personal time, effort and energy. So does building a business strictly on referrals. Other forms of pull marketing such as blogging, tweeting, working LinkedIn, mailing, etc., also require time, effort and energy.

 Contrary to popular belief-and some so-called sales experts-cold calling is NOT dead.

Have a productive and profitable week!

How To Really Enjoy Your Job

I recently read an article by Chris Brogan about how he would do things if he had to start a new business from scratch. As an entrepreneur (and regular day dreamer) I really enjoyed reading that and it made me think about how we sometimes get stuck in a rut in day to day life. Follow the jump and find some tips on how to enjoy your job and life more!

You are blessed if you have a job, make the most of it and take the next few tips to heart:

Start each new day as just that

Don’t let the past influence you negatively. Unfortunately it’s human nature to let past experiences influence you. It’s actually what makes good business people good, but don’t let negative experiences prevent you from taking a positive attitude and making something great of yourself.

No business challenge will kill you

No matter how big the problem, it won’t kill you, you will still be here tomorrow. Break that problem into smaller tasks and take the first step in addressing it – NOW. In fact, it’s never really a problem, it’s a challenge.

In India especially, we do come across those challenges, but we are known for our entrepreneurial spirit.

Show it…

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

If you’re stuck, ask for help. Do it sooner than later, because there are actually people that are a lot smarter than you who will give you different perspectives on a challenge. Some dumb people are also pretty smart sometimes… don’t write anyone off! 

Remember those that helped you get there

A little gratitude goes a long way. If you become successful, don’t forget those that helped you get there, because one day the wheel will turn, and your roles might be reversed.

Build the right team

For entrepreneurs that are starting out – make sure you build the right team. Your team can make or break you. I am grateful for having an excellent team around me. Even if your team is two strong, two minds are still better than one and you’ll have a sounding board for your ideas.

Get a business mentor (or life coach)

Someone is bound to have gone through what you’re experiencing, whether you start a new business or you’re stuck in a dead-end job. Talk to a parent, talk to someone in business you have respect for, and ask them to be your mentor or coach. Buy them lunch occasionally… You will save a lot of time in learning from an experienced mentor.

Sweat the small stuff

Don’t put off small tasks that you have to get to, whether personal or in business. Our subconscious minds are excellent at remembering all those little things and piling them up on a subconscious to-do list that keeps on growing. One evening when you’re wondering why you’re not sleeping, start writing them down and get to it!

Enjoy what you do

Ultimately, if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, and it’s not for a short period to get to something better, get out and do something that you really find fulfillment in. Your life will change dramatically. Also remember to smile now and then. Life is not that serious, no matter what situation you are in.

Here’s wishing you a wonderful and looking forward to have an excellent day!

The One Thing Successful People Never Do

Success comes in all shapes and colours. You can be successful in your job and career but you can equally be successful in your marriage, at sports or a hobby. Whatever success you are after there is one thing all radically successful people have in common: Their ferocious drive and hunger for success makes them never give up.

Successful people (or the people talking or writing about them) often paint a picture of the perfect ascent to success. In fact, some of the most successful people in business, entertainment and sport have failed. Many have failed numerous times but they have never given up. Successful people are able to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and carry on trying.

I have collected some examples that should be an inspiration to anyone who aspires to be successful. They show that if you want to succeed you should expect failure along the way. I actually believe that failure can spur you on and make you try even harder. You could argue that every experience of failure increases the hunger for success. The truly successful won't be beaten, they take responsibility for failure, learn from it and start all over from a stronger position.

Let's look at some examples, including some of my fellow LinkedIn influencers:

Henry Ford - the pioneer of modern business entrepreneurs and the founder of the Ford Motor Company failed a number of times on his route to success. His first venture to build a motor car got dissolved a year and a half after it was started because the stockholders lost confidence in Henry Ford. Ford was able to gather enough capital to start again but a year later pressure from the financiers forced him out of the company again. Despite the fact that the entire motor industry had lost faith in him he managed to find another investor to start the Ford Motor Company - and the rest is history.

Walt Disney - one of the greatest business leaders who created the global Disney empire of film studios, theme parks and consumer products didn't start off successful. Before the great success came a number of failures. Believe it or not, Walt was fired from an early job at the Kansas City Star Newspaper because he was not creative enough! In 1922 he started his first company called Laugh-O-Gram. The Kansas based business would produce cartoons and short advertising films. In 1923, the business went bankrupt. Walt didn't give up, he packed up, went to Hollywood and started The Walt Disney Company.

Richard Branson - He is undoubtedly a successful entrepreneur with many successful ventures to his name including Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Music and Virgin Active. However, when he was 16 he dropped out of school to start a student magazine that didn't do as well as he hoped. He then set up a mail-order record business which did so well that he opened his own record shop called Virgin. Along the way to success came many other failed ventures including Virgin Cola, Virgin Vodka, Virgin Clothes, Virgin Vie, Virgin cards, etc.

Oprah Winfrey - who ranks No 1 in the Forbes celebrity list and is recognised as the queen of entertainment based on an amazing career as iconic talk show host, media proprietor, actress and producer. In her earlier career she had numerous set-backs, which included getting fired from her job as a reporter because she was 'unfit for television', getting fired as co-anchor for the 6 O'clock weekday news on WJZ-TV and being demoted to morning TV.

J.K. Rowling - who wrote the Harry Potter books selling over 400 million copies and making it one of the most successful and lucrative book and film series ever. However, like so many writers she received endless rejections from publishers. Many rejected her manuscript outright for reasons like 'it was far too long for a children's book' or because 'children books never make any money'. J.K. Rowling's story is even more inspiring because when she started she was a divorced single mum on welfare.

Bill Gates -co-founder and chairman of Microsoft dropped out of Harvard and set up a business called Traf-O-Data. The partnership between him, Paul Allen and Paul Gilbert was based on a good idea (to read data from roadway traffic counters and create automated reports on traffic flows) but a flawed business model that left the company with few customers. The company ran up losses between 1974 and 1980 before it was closed. However, Bill Gates and Paul Allen took what they learned and avoided those mistakes whey they created the Microsoft empire.

History is littered with many more similar examples:

• Milton Hershey failed in his first two attempts to set up a confectionary business.
• H.J. Heinz set up a company that produced horseradish, which went bankrupt shortly after.
• Steve Jobs got fired from Apple, the company he founded. Only to return a few years later to turn it into one of the most successful companies ever.

So, the one thing successful people never do is: Give up! I hope that this is inspiration and motivation for everyone who aspires to be successful in whatever way they chose. Do you agree or disagree with me? Are there other things you would add to the list of things successful people never do? Please share your thoughts...

These 25 Quotes Might Inspire You

Careful! These 25 Quotes Might Inspire You

Be careful reading these quotes, they might just inspire you to do things you dreamed of doing, they might help you succeed and might even make you happier.

"All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them"

Walt Disney

"Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drowned your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Steve Jobs

“Life is short, live it. Love is rare, grab it. Anger is bad, dump it. Fear is awful, face it. Memories are sweet, cherish it.”

Proverb

"Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."

H. Jackson Brown Jr.

"Fear less, hope more, eat less, chew more, whine less, breathe more, talk less, say more, hate less, love more, and good things will be yours."

Swedish Proverb

“Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.”

Les Brown

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us."

Helen Keller

"Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present."

Jim Rohn

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."

Thomas Jefferson

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will."

Vince Lombardi

"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."

Theodore Roosevelt

"Success does not consist in never making blunders, but in never making the same one a second time."

Josh Billings

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Michael Jordan

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

Wayne Gretzky

“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.”

Bill Cosby

"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult."

Seneca

"It is only the very wisest and the very stupidest who cannot change."

Confucius

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit."

Aristotle

"Vision without action is daydream. Action without vision is nightmare."

Japanese Proverb

"A goal is a dream with a deadline."

Napoleon Hill

"Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another."

John Dewey

“Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.”

Farrah Gray

“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.”

Denis Waitley

“Good things come to those who wait… greater things come to those who get off their ass and do anything to make it happen.”

Unknown Proverb

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

Lao Tzu

Did you find these quotes inspiring? Let's make this list longer - please add the quotes that inspire you. Either your own or from someone else. Please share your thoughts...

Top Performers Never Work "For" A Company

What's the one key difference you see in top performers
compared to the rest of the workforce?

My answer: Top performers never see themselves as working "for" a company. They believe it's better to work "with" a company.

Do you know the difference?

When we believe we work "for" a company, we give up control. They set the rules and we blindly follow them. They plan the future and we obediently execute the plan. They are the master and we are the ____(insert whatever you want). In short, we place a set of golden handcuffs on and silently suffer.

But J.T., if I stand up for myself, I'll get canned.

I'm sure many of you read the above and immediately fear standing up for yourself will get you in trouble. Yes, if you decide to be aggressive and demand your employer make changes or else, you'll most likely be shown to the door. That's not what I'm suggesting. It's about changing the way we see, and subsequently, work "with" the employer. The fact is, they don't think they owe us anything. Why? We've been compensated for what we agreed to as the working arrangement. If we want to change the results, we need to change the approach.

Professional Emancipation = The Secret to Being a Top Performer at Work

Top performers don't view themselves as employees. They don't give up perceived control over their destiny. They see the employer as a means to an end - a client they want to work "with" as a way to create a win-win scenario. They patiently but persistently negotiate the terms until they feel there's an equitable arrangement where both sides profit. And, when the situation changes (which it eventually always does), and they start to feel like the agreement is out of balance, they proactively and positively explore ways to bring it back to equality. They plan their own futures and use the work they do with the employer to help them further their ambitions. They recognize they are their own boss and the employer is a consumer - an entity they must please to stay in business, but one that can be replaced, or even fired, as long as they keep their business relevant and in-demand.

I realize that is easier said than done. But please remember, I as asked about top performers - and in my experience, that's what it takes.

So, which would you rather? Work "for" or "with" a company?

I believe we need employers and they need us. I believe we can free ourselves of The Golden Handcuff Effect and partner with employers to do great things. But most importantly, I believe it begins with deciding to stop working "for" a company and start working "with" them.

What do you think?

Setting A Standard For Success

Does your company have a definition for success? Without one it may be hard to effectively turn over projects.

When you run a project-based business like mine, there are often a variety of obstacles that come with the successful completion of a project. But not knowing when you’ve actually finished can be one of the most damaging.

You, your employees, and your clients likely to have varying definitions for success. Starting projects without any criteria to verify success can cause teams to doubt the progress, so eliminate this by setting a standard. It may be after the client signs off or upon the completion of the entire scope of work. Defining this will ensure efficiency and effectiveness within your organization.

Setting your standard for success often comes with trial and error. I previously generated a few factors for measuring success of a project, but I wanted to add a few more:

Communication. The successful production and completion of a project isn’t possible without the proper chains of communication. Direct communication should be taking place between everyone working on the project, along with the customer. How will you know the status of the project without regular updates?

Objectives. Does your finished product meet all of its business objectives? This often goes beyond customer satisfaction. Unmet objectives may be a sign of insufficient resources or work. To be sure all objectives are met after completion, reach out to the end users of this product and verify their feedback.

Timeline. Success is often meeting a deadline. It’s possible the schedule of the project relates to either a budget or product launch date, so timing is an easy way to define terms for success. Sometimes clients come to us with a hard deadline, and other times they’re just looking for the end product. Either way, my team always have a schedule we need to meet.

Scope. What’s your timeframe? Even if it’s just a list of features or a simple idea, your scope of work should be driving force of your project.

Evaluation. The honest evaluation of a project is key to understanding where you are and how far you have to go in terms of success. Evaluation should take place throughout the timeline of the project. Is the project satisfactory? Are you within budget? Reach out to your project managers, employees, and even your customers during your evaluation.

Budget. Money is typically the most important factor for many projects. Did you stick to the budget? For your business to remain profitable, it’s always good to keep budget in mind throughout a project--especially if you’re hoping to come out under the expected budget.

Team satisfaction. Project management often leads to taking your team for granted. This can happen when you’ve become accustomed to working with them for so long. Focus on keeping your team happy to ensure the best results on all of the projects that you’re working on.

Customer satisfaction. It’s your job to figure out what your clients are looking for in order to ensure their happiness. Tracking client satisfaction isn’t always easy. Ask them to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 every week or so, and analyze and review your findings. This will give your team a better idea of how to meet their needs.

Quality of work. Keeping track of the quality of your team’s work is highly important in indicating success. The quality of one project often affects another. Having a consistent track record for your projects will produce a level of client satisfaction that could possibly generate new client referrals.

Follow-up. Projects are often passed off to clients never to be heard from again. Radio silence doesn’t always mean satisfaction. Reach out to your previous clients and evaluate the adoption of the work you provided them with. Are things still going smoothly? If not, ask what changes are necessary. This will likely create a chance for other business opportunities.

Creating a definition for success will help you and your team ensure all around satisfaction on the completion of projects. Make sure the standard is known throughout the company.

Fear, Courage and a Lesson

Fear, Courage and a Lesson from the Girl Scouts

I didn’t go on a date until I was 20 years old, and I didn’t have a girlfriend until I was 22.

Even though my wife says I’m one of the most entrepreneurial people she’s ever met, I didn’t start my first business until I was 30 years old.

When I was younger, I was afraid of a lot. I was afraid of rejection, so even though I wanted a girlfriend desperately, I didn’t ask out girls on dates. I was afraid of failure, so even though I had lots of business ideas, I didn’t start a business.

Ironically, my fear of failure ensured the very thing I was afraid of: failure.

If you don’t risk failure, it’s hard to enjoy success.

Somewhere along the way, fortunately, I realized these 3 key facts of life:

1) We will always have fear, and that’s okay.

2) Courage is the ability to proceed in the face of fear.

3) The difference between those who are unsuccessful and those who are successful in life is often courage.

When I finally got the courage to ask out Robin on a date at age 20, she said yes, and I went on my first date. (It went horribly of course, but that’s another story.) When I finally got the courage to ask out Jen on a date, this time it went better, and soon thereafter, I had my first girlfriend. When I finally got the courage to ask another girlfriend to marry me, she said yes, and Carrie and I have now been happily married for nearly seven years, with two daughters that are the loves of my life.

When I finally had the courage to start a business, I ended up starting a business that in six years became one of the leading independent social marketing firms in the country, on the INC 500 list of fastest growing private companies for two years running.

I’m no less afraid today than I was when I started my first business or asked out that first girl or even than in high school and college, when I didn’t ask out anyone on a date. The only difference is courage.

Three weeks ago, I relearned these lessons by teaching them to my 5-year old daughter Kate. She is a first year Girl Scout – they’re called Daisies – and with my wife and troop leader Carrie running late from a meeting, I was called on to pinch-hit and lead a troop meeting. The lesson that day, in order for the Daisies to get a “petal,” was on “Courage and Strength.”

I read the seven 5-year olds a story about a girl named Tula who witnessed other girls teasing someone in the schoolyard. The girl was afraid to stand up and say something, but then finally did, when she realized it was the right thing to do, and had the courage to stand up to the bullies. Tula, in the end, was able to get all of the girls to be friends, and was rewarded for her courage.

“So courage is when you do the right thing, when you’re strong like Tula in the story?” asked one of the girls. Scratching my head, I wasn’t quite sure how to answer. And then my daughter did for me:

“Daddy,” my daughter Kate said, “I think that to have courage, you have to be afraid first. And then be strong, like Tula.”

I thought that insight from a five year old was pretty amazing.

Fear is normal –even a good thing.

Fear plus courage may or may not lead to success. But it will lead to an adventure. And fear without courage will almost assuredly lead to failure.

I’m so glad I led that Girl Scout lesson in courage when I did, because in the last two months, I’ve been in the midst of the fearful process of soliciting investors and fundraising for my 2ndbusiness, a social media software company for small businesses. I have been rejected by many investors. And I’ve been afraid of getting rejected by all of them and my business never getting off the ground. In fact, after all of those rejections, I was running out of courage when I led the Girl Scouts lesson.

Life has a very funny way of working out the way it’s supposed to, though. Inspired by the lesson I taught to seven five year olds, I persevered, I kept asking, and within two weeks, I secured a $500 thousand dollar investment – or enough to grow my new software company to the next level.

Everyone is afraid – of rejection, or failure, or embarrassment, or consequences, or losing, or feeling hurt, or missing out, or so many other fears.

The challenge isn’t to be fearless. It’s to summon up the courage, in spite of the fear, to go for it. Then, win or lose, you’ll have an adventure.

And, like Tula in the Girl Scouts story, you just might win.

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Now, it’s your turn. Have you ever been held back by fear? How did you end up with the courage to continue? What have you been afraid of in the past? And who in your life has led by example with courage? Please have the courage to let me know your honest thoughts in the Comments section below.