One Degree

by Pete (the mose) Mosley

Here's my final instalment of Sales - A Wake Up Call series. In the previous instalment, I talked about avoiding "Black Dot" days and making sure you have a reliable, trackable sales system.

Here are my final tips for the sales folks out there:

10. Call at least two current customers each and every day.

I have always contact all my customers at least once every three months. Whether I am doing active business with them or not. A note, an email a phone call (the best) just to say hi.
The best thing is to sort by industry and in your reading, find two or three items per sector that you can start off the conversation with:

“Hey Sally! How’s tricks? Great - Listen, I read that Blogtastic.com just purchased www.Ihavenoclue,.com? Does that impact you? What did you think about that?" (Oh and then let em talk.) You have two ears and one mouth. Listen twice as much as you speak!

11. As above, have a communication process for contacting all of your prospects - a note, an email, a letter ... have something.

Do it so your customers are contacted at least twice a year. Better still get them something of value. No, not logo’s golf balls! A report, some research, an interesting find.
You have to keep in front of folks. Squeaky wheel and all that. It is important to stay in touch. Out of sight - out of mind.

12. Further to the above - Get your best customers some "New Customers". Introduce them to someone they want to do business with.

One solid strategy I have always found: find out who your customer’s best customer could be. Set up a lunch or dinner with that “potential customer” and invite your "current" customer. Talk about fertile ground. I like to be a fly on the wall and not manipulate the meeting.
Better still, for my personal preference, I use a golf game. Golf is a “contact sport”. In all my years I have NEVER come off a golf course with a group like this without a solid appointment, a sale or at the very least, a plan to move forward on something we - the three of us - had just discussed.

13. Eliminate all “Black Dot” days.

14. Sell yourself, then your company and then the product/service.

Further to the “Black Dot Day”- if you are in a pissy mood - forget it. Get over it!
If you get up and the cat threw up in your shoes, had HUGE argument at home as you are leaving, you spilled coffee on yourself in the car to work, and the parking spot you normally have is being occupied and you forgot your power cord for your laptop at home - AND that happens to be the the best part of your morning - get over it. Those are the “Black Dot” issues of the day.
Selling is tough and it is not for the weak. The weak focus on the Black Dots!
The white space is:

You are working! Read: you have a gig. Full stop.
You are alive.
People really dig you (Or they would have fired your ass months ago!)
And your customers don’t want to hear about your problems!

When you speak to anyone and they ask... "Hey, Slick? How’s business?"

You answer... “I am working like crazy. harder than ever in fact! These times are amazing for really getting out there and helping folks. It is fantastic. Bubba, just the other day I discovered this amazing new thing - say, how’s your week looking ... say, Wednesday I can get over to see ya? Or maybe Thursday morning at 10?"

(Oh and then shut up and wait - the next person to speak makes a sale - or if you speak - a no sale!!!! )

15. Don't lie.

This is the biggest rule for all sales folks. Do not lie. And I mean, to yourself, your boss or your family.
If times are getting tougher - ask for help. If you are feeling more and more pressure - ask for help. If you are feeling boxed in - ask for help. Get it? ASK FOR HELP!!!
Help comes in the following forms:

Understanding.
More/better/improved resources (Lists, leads and contacts.)
Better presentation materials (brochures, ads, sales letters, PPT decks and product offerings)
Training

Summary

I want to end with a lovely sales story that was told to be over 30 years ago.

A young sales guy was down in the dumps - sitting at his desk on a Friday afternoon. The old, wise, sales manager sees him and calls him into his office to find out what’s what.

The young guy tells him he has had a bad week ... a couple of deals fell through - no one is returning calls and it just ain’t happening. Totally defeated.

The sales manager say - “No problem, happens to us all. Why don’t you call it a day - go have some fun and a great weekend and get back in the saddle Monday all bright eyed, refreshed and bushy-tailed!”

The old guy continued ...” But, do me a favor - read this!”

The sales manager reaches into his deak drawer and pulls out a well-worn Reader’s Digest.

He says to the young sales guy “Read this over the weekend. It has the secret to sales in it.”

The young guy went home and had a pretty good weekend blowing off steam. Sunday morning he picked up the Readers Digest and thumbed though it - all the usual stuff. "Humour in Uniform," "My Favorite Person - Aunt Minnie" etc etc.

He saw a page, turned at the corner under Quotable Quotes ... “NB” was written in the margin and highlighter all over the place. On that page was a footnote - it said "5% of the Canadian population is mentally ill.”

Monday morning and the young fella bounces into the office - clean shirt, pressed suit - lookin like a million bucks!!!

The sales manager calls him into the office and asks if he had a good weekend and did he, in fact, read the book.

The proud your man proudly states “I did! Yes indeed. And I learned that "5% of the Canadian Population is mentally ill!”

The old guy smiled and said, “There! You have now learned the secret to selling. GO OUT THERE AND CALL 100 PEOPLE! 5 WILL FREAKING BUY ANYTHING!!!

Folks, the moral to this is that sales in a numbers game. Want ta win the game? Win by the NUMBERS!!!!

Good hunting to all!