Scott's Sales KnowHow Q3 2011

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The Battle For

Time

Productivity is Your Key to Victory Also in this edition:

6 New Articles to Enhance Your Skill Set

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Q3-2011 5

Publisher’s Letter The Battle For Time

SPECIAL FEATURE Expert Advice from the ProductivityProTM Best-selling author Laura Stack brings a take-no-prisoners approach to time management, and reminds us to invest some time today for big gains in productivity tomorrow. Today she offers us two great articles on time management – what you need to know if you ever want to win the battle for time.

6 9

Time Management is Dead Executive Time Management

Features

12 14 19 20

Death of a Salesman 2.0? – Tibor Shanto

23

Looking Professional Matters – Barry Siskind

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Marketing Separates the Old Ways from the New – Eric Gilboord

Why the living, breathing, thinking professional sales person has a very bright future.

Don’t Talk Price Until Your Prospect Is Ready to Buy! – By Jenae Rubin

Unless your specialty is the One-Call Close.

Opening the lines of Communication – Bill Sayers

Do your goals line up with your message, and do your listeners believe it?

Setting Goals and Objectives – Barry Siskind

This practical advice from the best in the business may be just what your trade show program needs.

Your company’s image is at stake at every show – your booth staff can make it or break it depending on how they dress for the occasion

A tale of two brothers, and two approaches to marketing with dramatically different results.

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Publisher’s Letter

The Battle for Time A

nother summer is slipping away and I can happily reflect on a wealth of enjoyment and recreation spent with family and friends over the past few months.

And I would hope you can say the same for your summer.

But if you’re like me, you wish you had even more time for doing the things which please you the most. Indeed, it’s a human condition to want more “free” time to spend the way we want…the international credo is there’s simply not enough time to do it all.

While we do our best to manage our busy days and the to-do lists and the tasks, we occasionally run into people who seem to be victimized by time – often referring to time as something to fight – something to battle against and win over. But these people are dealing in fantasy – they can’t race against time and win, they can’t stop the clock and turn back time; they can’t even slow time down – but they put in a lot of effort trying. The real key to winning the battle is to appreciate time for what it is – a finite resource – and in your thoughts and actions you should be battling FOR IT rather than directly against it.

In fact, time – like money – is an asset. It can be wasted and frittered away, or it can be invested wisely in a focused, disciplined manner and leveraged to produce great things. But you have to have it to invest it. And if anyone needs a demonstration of how time is an asset – just recall the last time someone robbed you of it and how cheated you felt. When it’s gone, it’s gone.

The good news is time - unlike money - is something we all start each day holding in exact measure. There are no “time millionaires” and “time paupers” - we all have 24 hours at our disposal each calendar day. To get our myriad tasks accomplished and to feel we’ve had balance in our day, we must know the value of our time and put it to use as best as we can for achieving the results we want. Further, we must know the importance of keeping as much time as possible for ourselves and our most important needs – not handing it out aimlessly or letting others steal it away from us. Because time is so cherished an asset, those who know its true value will battle FOR it every day. We must battle against the distractions, the time-wasters, and the black holes that return no favor-

able results. We must battle FOR keeping as much of our time as possible for ourselves, while smartly trading time during work hours for the best results possible.

Therefore, from the standpoint of a professional sales person during business hours, the most important aspect is really about RESULTS measured against a backdrop of time – how many calls made in a day, how many sales per week, how many new customers this month, etc. And the dynamic results we want are the manifestation of PRODUCTIVITY. As we head into a busy fall season and round the corner into 2012, I hope your productivity – both in labour and in recreation – is high, and you retain control over your time and you attain the results and value you want in exchange for your input. We’ve got some information to help you along the way.

For genuine expert advice on being at your most productive, check out Laura Stack – the Productivity ProTM. Laura’s featured articles about time management in this issue and her other articles in our archives are just the start - click through to her website for timeless Productivity Pro videos and other helpful tips you can use right away.

Also, in this issue of Sales KnowHow, Jenae Rubin, the President of Sales Powerhouse, joins our lineup of distinguished experts. Jenae brings an authoritative voice and practical experience to the pursuit of Stress-Free Selling - and your personal journey to that goal begins today with her article entitled Don’t Talk Price Until Your Prospect Is Ready to Buy! Anyone in advertising sales will especially like the focus Jenae applies to your trade.

Jenae – Welcome Aboard!

Paul Stuckey, Group Publisher pstuckey@scottsdirectories.com For More Articles by Paul Stuckey Click Here

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Productivity

Time Management is W

e’ve all been there. There’s mail piled up on the corner of your desk. You have 37 unread e-mails. The phone is ringing (not that phone – the other phone). And you’ll be lucky if you can get through three of the fifteen items on your to-do list.

Oh – and you have four hours of meetings ahead of you.

It didn’t used to be this way. The world has changed in the last decade or so. Has your approach to time management changed with it?

If you find yourself stressed out and frustrated every time you try to hunker down and take control of your time, there’s a good chance that’s because you need a new way to think about time management. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to force yourself to work within a system that just isn’t compatible with the pace of your day or the nature of your work. Just like electronic organizers are perfect for some and others swear by paper planners, even the best time management system will fail if it doesn’t jive with the way you get through each day.

If you’re looking for a productivity system that is compatible with real life, consider 4-A Time Management.

By focusing on four key elements of productivity you can create a flexible, customized productivity strategy that is compatible with the fast paced demands of today.

Activity. When there are 117 things that could be done next, how are we supposed to prioritize? In this new era of productivity, it is pretty much impossible to successfully schedule your day in advance. You might set out a clear list of objectives and a bulletproof timetable, but we all know that one unexpected phone call can cause the whole plan to collapse in on itself – priorities change, a crisis pops up, a deadline is moved up a week; these things happen.

Since you can’t plan for everything, it is important that you have a crystal clear understanding of what your priorities are. If something happens that is beyond your control and these priorities need to be adjusted – fine – but until then, you should have a game plan.

Evaluate your to-do list to see which tasks will yield the greatest benefit. The old A-B-C method probably won’t work if the flow of your day changes often. You need a new method of deciding where to spend your valuable time.

Think about the average amount of time that you can work uninterrupted. Which of your tasks will benefit most from that undivided attention? Which require a lot more

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The New Reality or much less? Make a plan to work on the bigger, more timeintensive projects when you know you’re least likely to be disturbed. Save the little ones for those windows between meetings and phone calls when you won’t get much else done.

If one of your important projects is just too intimidating for you to ever make any headway, break it down into smaller, manageable steps. I guarantee that nine times out of ten, once you get started you’ll forget why you put it off for so long to begin with.

Availability. The best laid plans won’t stand a chance if you don’t find a way to control your availability. Your time is your most valuable asset. Don’t just give it away to anyone who asks!

You’ll never have complete control over your availability, but it’s important to know how to carve out blocks of distraction-free time that is conducive to productivity.

Meetings are notorious for eating up massive blocks of time. Learn to say “no.” It’s pretty likely that you don’t need to be at all of the meetings that you’re attending.

Can you send someone in your place? Ask for the minutes to be forwarded? Address the situation with a quick phone call?

Evaluate whether the meetings you attend are really necessary.

When you’re not in those meetings, schedule time to work. In some jobs this is easier to do than others. It might just be a matter of shutting your office door and setting your phone to voicemail. Or working from home or heading to Starbucks with your laptop. You might need a clear signal for your co-workers, like using a do-not-disturb sign or putting on head phones when you need to work uninterrupted.

Whatever your solution – don’t abuse it. If you try to make yourself constantly unavail-

Dead:

By Laura Stack

of Productivity able, you will quickly find that others lose respect for your “I’m busy” signal.

Then you’re right back where you started, whether you’re up against an important deadline or not.

ner to make referencing them an easy task.

Stopping to hunt for what you need not only wastes time, but it destroys your rhythm and forces you to break your concentration. It’s well worth it to organize as you go.

Accessibility. You’ve already decided that you aren’t going to give everyone around constant access to your time.

The next step is to make sure that you have easy access to the information, tools, and resources you need to be productive.

Invest the time necessary to make sure the things you need on a regular basis are at your fingertips. Things you access frequently should be filed on your desktop in an organizer or in a drawer that’s at arm’s reach. Put the files you only use occasionally where they are accessible at your desk, but give the easiest access to those things that you reference regularly. Archive files you rarely need in the bottom drawers or in files away from your desk.

Perhaps the most important and overlooked thing you can do to get organized is to structure your electronic files. In an age where most files are electronic, it’s easy to lose them to the vacuum of cyber storage.

File electronic documents similar to the way you would paper ones. Don’t just plop everything in “My Documents” or on your desktop and leave it for lost. Set up folders and sub folders that have intuitive titles that you’ll easily navigate. Use dates and enough detail in file names that you won’t have to open multiple documents when you’re looking for something specific. In short, do the initial work of saving the files in an organized man-

Attention. The most effective time management system in the world won’t do a thing to improve your productivity if you don’t focus on the task at hand. For many of us, the problem isn’t a lack of willpower; it’s having the restraint to refuse distractions.

This means closing Outlook when you’re not working on e-mail and trying to check it only a few times a day. Resist the urge to open messages as they come in. This also means letting the voicemail light stay on until you’ve finished what you’re doing. Treat your project time like an appointment with a coworker. Ignore the phone, the e-mail, and the urge to go get a cup of coffee.

Of course, avoiding email and the phone might be much easier than avoiding the distractions that come from coworkers. If you’ve already put your “do not disturb” signal in place, be it headphones or a closed office door, and you’re still being interrupted, it’s time to tactfully redirect the person distracting you.

Acknowledge the issue and let them know you’re in the thick of an important project. Ask if you may give them a call in an hour when they may have your undivided attention.

Just remember – it’s better to be like a postage stamp and stick with something all the way to the end than it is to be a butterfly that flits from task to task!

So forget managing your time – it can’t be managed.

Manage yourself with these 4 A’s and you’ll increase the likelihood you’ll have a productive day.

Make it a productive day! (TM) © Copyright 2008-2011 Laura Stack.

All rights reserved.

For More Articles by Laura Stack Click Here

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Productivity

By Laura Stack

Executive Time Management: How Time Management Changes As You Move From Middle Management To The VP/C-Suite Level

B

y the time you reach the upper tiers of management, you’ll certainly be an expert at organizing and managing your work day – but you’ll soon realize that things work a little differently at the C-Suite level. In particular, how you use your time and who you give it to undergoes significant changes. Priorities and responsibilities shift; sometimes subtly, often radically. There’s much more to do, and the ante is higher: your actions impact the organization in ways undreamt of before.

The modern business environment demands exceptional leadership, so you have to do whatever’s necessary to enhance productivity and efficiency at all levels. Not least , you need to be able to juggle multiple projects without getting bogged down, while simultaneously balancing customer, employee, and shareholder demands. You must also be willing to make the organizational changes necessary to facilitate these aims. All this requires a high level of intelligence, energy, and discipline that sets you above the rest of your organizational hierarchy.

To accomplish these ends, you’ll also need to employ time management techniques superior to the everyday methods you mastered before you ascended to the C-Suite. If you can develop them, then you can maintain control over your own

destiny; otherwise, you’re likely to be overwhelmed or, worse, swept aside as success passes you by.

Let’s look at ways that you can avoid those fates.

Don’t Overdo It

I’ll start out with a point that some execs never seem to understand: working long hours isn’t good enough. You wouldn’t be where you are today if you weren’t dedicated to the job and the organization; that should be self-evident. You don’t have to kill yourself to prove it.

And I mean exactly that. In Japan, there’s an entrenched tradition of working superhuman amounts of unpaid overtime, more to demonstrate company loyalty than to enhance productivity. It also drives high levels of “karoshi,” literally the practice of working yourself to death. This isn’t unique to Japan; many Westerners, especially at the executive level, have the same problem.

As much as I hate to use a tired cliché, you really do need to work smarter, not harder. Your goal shouldn’t be to outwork the other guy. Get a handle on what’s really important in your organization, and focus on that; don’t just push and push and push until you fall over.

Continued on page 11 Q3 2011

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Working too many hours is demonstrably counterproductive, because it results in decreased productivity. Studies have repeatedly shown that a 60-hour work week results, on average, in a 25% decrease in productivity. The productivity numbers just get worse as the number of work hours increases.

The lesson here? People aren’t robots. Long hours lead to physical and mental fatigue. This results in slower work, more mistakes, and wasted time. It may also lead to depression, which can spiral out of control if left untreated—which is often the case, because the person affected is too busy to take care of it. In recent years, there’s been an alarming rash of suicides at the C-Suite level.

As it turns out, the old forty-hour work week wasn’t chosen at random. It was struck as a compromise, as the best balance between productivity and overwork. Now, it may be that a forty-hour week is an impossibility for you, or that you function well with a more demanding schedule. That’s fine, as long as you’re aware of the signs when you do start burning out, and are willing to do what it takes to short-circuit a drop in performance.

At the very least, you need to stop striving for perfection, stop trying to do everything in one day—and remember that there’s more to life than work. You need to enjoy yourself, and your family, while you can.

Incidentally, it’s a lot easier to manage your time and accomplish your goals if you feel good. You’d take care of any other tool, wouldn’t you? So be sure to exercise regularly, eat right, get enough sleep, take breaks, and give yourself time off to recharge. And for heaven’s sake, take your vacations!

Tighten It Up

One of the biggest excuses executives cite for not getting their work done is that people just won’t leave them alone. The phone never stops ringing, the emails come in like clockwork, people are always approaching them to ask permission for this or that, and they have to run around and put out brushfires all day. By the time they get around to the big responsibilities, they’re tired and distracted, and can’t concentrate.

If this describes you, then you need to tighten up your personal availability. To heck with that open door policy; it sounds good, but how are you ever going to accomplish anything?

What you really need is at least one layer between yourself and the people below you in the company hierarchy. It’s not particularly egalitarian, but it’s necessary in an organization with a command structure, so that you can accomplish things with regularity and precision.

Your “dragon at the gate” should consist of at least one hardnosed, experienced administrative assistant, and a full staff of them as necessary. The idea is to screen interruptions of all types, so their flow is slowed to a trickle by the time they get to you. The only interruptions you should be wide open to are those from your superiors.

You’ll still have calls and emails to answer, so you’ll need to learn to do so efficiently. Do your best to deal with them in a single block of time, and make your communications short and sweet. Always keep an eye on the clock. Instead

of asking the people you’re communicating with leading questions like, “How’s it going?”, which can involve a longer answer than you have time for, get straight to the point: “How can I help you today?”

In addition, you’ll need to establish boundaries for meetings, and stick to them. We all know how meetings can wreck productivity by proliferating and dragging on. Don’t let them.

Establish stringent guidelines for the meetings you’ll attend and how long they’ll last.

In general, you need to be vigilant when it comes to your time, so other people won’t steal it away piecemeal. In addition to the above factors, set specific times when you’re not to be disturbed—and learn to say no and make it stick. If possible, leave enough flexibility in your schedule for crises and emergencies, but not too much.

All this may seem difficult to implement, and it may seem selfish from the outside—and maybe it is. But if you give everyone and everything a minute when they demand one, they’ll eat you alive, and you’ll have no time left for what truly matters...whatever that may be in your case.

Get Your Priorities Straight

Once you’ve tightened up your time, establish priorities for yourself and your organization. This will probably require that you first sit back and reflect on both your day-to-day activities and your long-term goals – the kind of thing that overworked executives hate, because it robs time from their busy schedules. But I assure you, this practice will pay serious dividends down the road.

As a proven expert on the basics of time management, you know that you’ll need to focus on the big, important stuff first, while pushing the less important items to the bottom of the stack. One way to strengthen your focus on what’s important is to refer back to the classic four-quadrant Time Management Matrix. You remember the one I’m talking about. It goes something like this: Quadrant A: Important and Urgent Quadrant B: Important and Not Urgent Quadrant C: Urgent and Not Important Quadrant D: Neither Urgent Nor Important That concept still works in general at the uppermost levels; however, like so many other things, your emphasis on what’s important must change when you transition to top-tier management. The key here is to shift your primary focus from Operational Time to Strategic Time, which means that you should start to pay much more attention to items traditionally belonging to Quadrant B. Here’s how your priorities should be ordered henceforth: Priority 1: Strategic Goals • Long term planning • Values clarification • Relationship building Continued on next page Q3 2011

Sales KnowHow 11

Priority 2: Operations (Tactical) • Everyday management • Development and refinement of systems and processes • Most customer service Priority 3: Time Sensitive • Deadlines • Crises • Pressing issues Priority 4: Trivial items • Time wasters • Micromanaging • Busy work All that should really matter to you are Priorities 1 and 2. Of these, you need to spend the lion’s share of your time on strategic issues, planning and implementing the things that make the company the most money over the long run. Priority 2, Operations, should be delegated as much as possible; these are the things that you should oversee, but not have a day-today hand in managing. Priority 3 issues are the kinds of brushfires you shouldn’t handle at all, and as for Priority 4 items, just jettison them altogether.

Once you’ve got that straight, hammer on the big stuff first, and think deeply about what it will take to clear the path from here to there, so that everything comes easier and quicker.

Now, you can’t plan for everything that you and your organization will face, but you’ll still need to develop an understanding of all the big picture possibilities, and have at least generalized procedures in place to handle whatever obstacles, challenges, and problems may arise.

Delegate, Delegate, Delegate

This is a basic tenet of time management, but it’s more important at the C-Suite level than ever before. At your pay scale, you shouldn’t be doing anything that someone at a lower pay scale can do. So focus on those high-value tasks that you do best, and leave everything else to others. This is the very heart of delegation.

As you consider your schedule, ask yourself these questions about each of your tasks: 1. Is this the best use of my time right now?

2. What’s the impact of this task?

3. Am I the best person to perform this?

You shouldn’t be running around putting out brushfires all day; your time is too valuable. This is one reason why it’s critical to hire good administrate assistants; not just to bar people from wasting your time, but to help you stay organized and prioritized. Good lieutenants like these are invaluable, so pay them well and treat them right.

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When you do assign a task to someone else, remember to delegate, not abdicate! Don’t just dump work on someone and walk away. Keep an eye on their progress, but at the same time, give them room to work; avoid micromanagement at all costs. Empower people within their positions, and trust them to do their jobs with minimal oversight. If they don’t perform, then make changes.

You accomplish this level of efficiency by building effective systems and organizational structures that can function with or without your input. Once you’ve done this to your satisfaction, you can stop drowning in detail, focusing on other matters that require your attention while everyone else takes care of the infrastructure. Sure, keep an eye on the systems, but don’t obsess over them. Let other people handle the day-today details. Give them the power and privilege to make decisions at all levels, and keep them well-informed so they can.

In Conclusion...

Needless to say, I could write a book about how to maintain a good C-Suite time balance – and I’m sure it’s been done. However, I feel that the topics outlined above provide at least a general framework to help you understand and adapt to the time management changes you’ll encounter as you move from middle management to the top ranks. It all boils down to taking care of yourself, tightening access to your time, organizing your priorities, and shedding the tasks that other people can do just as well. All this is critical if you expect to maintain an enjoyable life and avoid killing yourself from overwork. Work is an important part of your life, but it shouldn’t be all of it.

You can do this. You’re already an expert at managing your time. Just adapt these concepts to your new circumstances, and after the initial transition phase, it’ll be smooth sailing from then on.

Make it a productive day! (TM) © Copyright 2010-2011 Laura Stack. All rights reserved. © 2010-2011 Laura Stack. Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker whose mission is to build high-performance productivity cultures in organizations by creating Maximum Results in Minimum Time®. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations and the 20112012 President of the National Speakers Association. Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces. She is the bestselling author of four books: SUPERCOMPETENT; The Exhaustion Cure; Find More Time; and Leave the Office Earlier. Laura has been a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, Xerox, and Office Depot. She is the creator of The Productivity Pro® planner by Day-Timer and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, CNN, and the New York Times. Her clients include Starbucks, Cisco Systems, Wal-Mart, and Bank of America. To have Laura speak at your next event, call 303-471-7401 or visit www.

TheProductivityPro.com to sign up for her free monthly productivity newsletter For More Articles by Laura Stack Click Here

Q3 2011

Sales KnowHow 13

Sales

Death A

h, the poor 21st century sales professionals, if he/ she is not getting it from their manager, they are being squeezed by what he thought was a “loyal” customer, wringing yet another concession to ensure they keep the business. As if all that were not enough, there is always a sniper, pundit or sales expert ready to threaten their existence and value. One such “end is near” piece was on SellingPower.com, entitled “How Many Salespeople Will Be Left by 2020?”; according to which the species will be all but extinct by the end of this decade.

While I think it is important for experts and pundits to challenge sales people to stretch and evolve, to stay on top and ahead of evolving trends and technology, it is also important to keep it real. Since the advent of technology, especially from the start of the last century on, there has been a debate about the impact of technology on selling and sellers. The recurring prediction that sales people will be replaced or diminished in importance by automation, seems a favorite among some.

Technology no doubt brings levels of efficiency that will make selling different and impact the interaction between sellers and buyers. And while this discussion is important, it also needs to be real. It is important that we pundits help and contribute to the process of evolution, rather than impede or distract with outlandish statements that serve a narrow and self-serving agenda.

The piece starts and builds from a question asked by the author at Sales 2.0 conference, relating to acquiring books from Amazon.com, and interaction with Amazon. com staff.

For me, and for all professional sales people, the piece has some short comings, not the least of which are it fails to address or distinguish the real difference between B2B

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and B2C; it fails to differentiate between transaction – interaction – purchasing and selling.

If there is the dramatic reduction in the species that the piece suggests, it is almost certainly to come in the B2C camp, not in the B2B. Buying a book from Amazon is as retail as it gets, even more so than the drive through at SONIC℠. There is a great difference between selling and buying, and more so between buying/selling and fulfilment, which is what Amazon does when it comes to books.

The book was sold by the author, publisher, PR firm, Oprah, and these days social media, but Amazon, they just delivered it. Most people these days will go in to B&N look at the book, compare and then transact using the fulfilment facilities offered by Amazon, There is no more selling by Amazon there than going to your local Piggly Wiggly® for a tube of toothpaste. Just look at how Piggly Wiggly® describes itself on their site," America's first true self-service grocery store, was founded in Memphis, Tenn. in 1916 by Clarence Saunders." Not much new there, it has been going for 100 years; the store has just shifted to my screen.

As for the statement: "Gartner, a research organization, predicts that by 2020, 85 percent of interactions between businesses will be executed without human intervention.

It is likely that of the 18 million salespeople in the United States, there will be only about 4 million left." Gartner quotes interactions not sales. EDI has been around for a long time facilitating interactions between business, with the victims being more inventory clerks than B2B sales professional. Even when you look at concepts like Vendor Managed Inventories, the reduction in bodies have been related to warehouses and accounts payable staff than in the sales people who sell the service to begin with.

While we are all impressed with Watson's success, that

of a Salesman 2.0?

By Tibor Shanto

is a long way from creating demand, generating leads, dealing with all the variables that human interactions involve when it comes to risk, money and emotion. I am not sure Watson answered complex questions as much as to chew through reams of data with breakneck speed.

Dealing with a buyer afraid to pull the trigger on a change that is good for the company. Or responding and managing to emotionally based "objections", are the same as searching a database at any speed. For an interesting examination of this read a Slate.com piece: Jeopardy, Schmeopardy, Why IBM's next target should be a machine that plays poker. By Chris Wilson, Feb. 15, 2011 Another puzzling aspect to this is that the same people who seem to harp on relationships, and "people buy from people", seem to be the ones supporting the disappearing sales person view. I don't claim to be an expert, but how does Watson fit into the social selling world of the future?

An altogether more practical view of the issue was presented by Jeffrey Gitomer, in a piece in his July 5th edition of Sales Caffeine, in a piece titled "Death of a Salesman!

How alive are you?" He not only distinguishes between retail and B2B, but expands on the impact on the econo-

my should all these sales people disappear. Rather than discussing how we will be replaced by machines, he outlines the advantage and opportunities presented to B2B sales people in the future.

The reality is that computers will continue to replace transactions, order fulfilment, and other commercial interactions between companies; they will continue to bring efficiencies to selling in many forms, but when it comes to B2B sales, both for mission critical and discretionary offerings, they will remain a companion not a replacement. It is true that sales people, like the products/solutions they represent will need to continue to add increasing value if they are to remain in the profession. But for those who do, the future is more than bright, and more importantly rewarding. For should it come to pass that our ranks are reduced by 75%, the remaining 25%, to quote a friend "will not only be in great demand, but be filthy rich due to our abilities".

I know that as pundits it is our role to deal with issues in an exaggerated fashion to make an important point. To do that, perhaps the question leading to the premise of the article should have been: "How many conference sponsors have bought sponsorship online; how many of you have done that without speaking to a conference rep?”

What’s in Your Pipeline?

Tibor Shanto – Principal - Renbor Sales Solutions Inc., is a recognized speaker, author of award winning book Shift!: Harness The Trigger Events That Turn Prospects Into Customers, and sought after trainer; his work has appeared in numerous publications and leading websites.

Called a brilliant sales tactician Tibor helps organizations execute their strategy by using the EDGE Sales Process to create the perfect combination of strategy, tactics, skills to ensure execution. Tibor can be reached at info@SellBetter.ca This e- mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 1-416-822-7781. You can read our blog, The Pipeline with new material three times a week, and follow Tibor on Twitter @Renbor.

For More Articles by Tiboor Shanto Click Here

Q3 2011

Sales KnowHow 15

Sales

Don’t Talk Price

By Jenae Rubin

Until Your Prospect Is Ready to Buy!

A

lmost every salesperson has experienced the “How much does it cost?” disqualifier disguised as a question within the first minutes of a sales call. In these instances, whatever price you give, the response will most likely be “Your price is too high” or “My budget is spent.” Whether you get knocked out within the first few minutes or after an hour long presentation, you are prolonging the sales process...in some cases indefinitely when you talk about price before they’re ready to buy. So what can you do?

Talk about price when they want your product.

When was the last time you purchased something before you wanted it...even if the price was low? ”That’s crazy, Jenae,” you’re saying. Of course it is. No one buys things they don’t want. And when we don’t want something, the price is always too high.

Yet, I have heard salespeople offer reduced prices before they had an inkling about their prospect’s needs. Plus, after you cut rate, if they’re not interested, where do you go from there? You’re stuck. You find yourself calling asking, “Have you made a decision?” when you know the answer is “No” or not calling because you know they’re not interested. You wasted a lead because the time you chose to speak price was too early. It was before they wanted to do business with you. You used your trump card and now have nothing to pull out.

When is the sale made?

Unless you are one of the few one-call-close businesses, you can probably count the number of one-call-closes you’ve experienced in your life on your hands. They happen infrequently. If one-call-closes are rare, this means people do not buy on the first call. If sales are not made on the first call, why go to what would otherwise be the natural conclusion of the sale on the first call? After you talk rate, the next logical place to go is a sale. But if they’re not ready to buy, you get stalls, objections or lies.

When you talk about price on the first call, you set yourself up for NO, because prospects are not ready to buy. When we talk price on the first call, we also set ourselves up to be unable to speak with our prospects again. They think they have all the information they need, so why bother.

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Q3 2011

Are you having trouble getting your prospects on the phone after your first presentation?

The solution is easy: Don’t talk price early, and they will want to speak with you, because you still have something they want to know.

Secrets of the First Call Use this visit 100% for Fact Finding. Tell them you will share ideas with them that will help them achieve their goals. Since you will ask 30-60 minutes of questions, you will have a ton of pertinent information which should lead to ideas they can use whether they do business with you or not. By becoming a resource to them, they will look forward to your next call instead of avoiding it. In fact, you will be able to schedule your next meeting with them prior to leaving this appointment, eliminating the chase completely.

On your follow up visit, confirm their goals and that nothing is missing. Show them how you can help them reach their goals. Then Check In and confirm your proposal meets their needs 100%. At this point, you still haven’t talked price...but they are desiring your product. At this point, you will hear, “I guess the only thing I need to know now is how much is it,” which is music to your ears. Contrast this with “How much is it?” said with an attitude and tone you know means they’re not interested!

When prospects want what you are selling, selling is easy and stress-free. Create desire before talking price, and sales will be larger, more frequent and longer lasting.

Here's to successful,

Jenae Rubin is the president of Sales Powerhouse – Overcome Overcoming Objections. and may be reached at Jenae@SalesPowerhouse.com or 954-290-9896.

Copyright 2008-2011 Sales Powerhouse, Inc. This article may be reproduced with credit and copyright intact.

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Sales KnowHow 17

Sales

Opening the lines of

Communication Communication is a key for the success of any sales person or leader.

By Bill Sayers

How you keep your customers,

colleagues and staff informed will determine how easily you get things done. Communication comes in many ways. I just had a call with a colleague and he said: It was interesting what was said at our meeting and more interesting what wasn’t said. We communicate by what we say (or don’t say), the way we say things, the body language displayed, and how we communicate the written word.

How do you communicate?

How you communicate tells a lot about how you treat people and the expectation you have. As a leader you need to create a well thought out strategy and then tell your team on a regular and consistent basis what is happening and what you expect. You send e-mails, you communicate in person in meetings, one-on-one and on your Intranet. My experience is that you can’t communicate too often. Also your actions communicate a whole other set of messages. So make sure your actions align with your written and verbal messages.

As a rep how are you communicating with your customers? What information do you send them? How do you let them know when something is wrong and how do you communicate successes. Do you send thank you cards; do you keep your customer aware of all the issues going on? When was the last time you had a formal review with your top customers to share what has happened in the last six months and what is expected to happen in the next six months? When there is a change in delivery or fulfillment of the deal how do you communicate this to the customer? How does your organization connect with customers? While you don’t control this you need to understand what it means to your customers.

How do you communicate with your team? Do you keep everyone connected and up to date? When there is an issue to be dealt with – where are you? How do people know what is expected of them. Do you have regular and productive meetings with your team to update and make sure you have created the appropriate message? Do you take responsibility for your results and interpretation of your messages? When you take responsibility your communication and insights become clear and focused.

What is your communication strategy?

You need to have a strategy that is formal and informal and communicates what you need to have heard, read and understood. Human beings need to hear a new message as many as six or seven times before they “get” it. So if you communicate a new idea or concept once – good luck at getting buy in and understanding. This can be frustrating, however, the aggravation from not communicating will be far more frustrating and divisive with your team.

So if you need to communicate a new message six or seven times how do you propose to make that happen. You can send a written document,

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Q3 2011

e-mail, marketing materials, verbal communication in speeches and meetings.

How do you mix it up and keep the message the same and focused on what you want to accomplish.

One of the reasons customers and team members get confused is that your communication is non-existent, is inconsistent or the message changes each month to what staff fondly refer to as “the flavour of the month”! You want to be consistently consistent.

Your communication must be honest, truthful and communicated by you. It must sound like you and be believable. So write it, review it, think about it and then say it out loud. Do you believe what you are saying? If you have someone else writing and communicating for you your team and customers will not get behind the message – they won’t trust you.

What works for you?

We all communicate differently and in different manners. Know what works for you. How are your speaking skills? Are you confident and convincing? How is your written word? Is your written message efficient and to the point – or is it all over the place. Are you best in one-to-one meetings? When you are in a meeting - what is the goal of your communications? If you are consistent and communicate the same message over and over again, people begin to get behind you and your mission.

Remember – Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.

Sayers Says………

What is your communication style? Are you being consistently consistent? Are your team and customers behind your message? What is your communication strategy? What are you saying and not saying? Do you believe what you are communicating?

Opening the lines of communication………………….

Bill Sayers is an inspirational speaker and a visionary business leader. He has spent the past 29 years in the "Sales" arena. He started his career as an inside sales rep and worked his way up the corporate ladder to the level of VP of Sales at an IBM company. During that time he worked for Revelstoke Lumber, King Products, Linotype, Ryder Transportation, GE Capital IT Solutions and IBM. Bill is able to communicate powerful concepts in a manner, which enables practical application in the business world and drives profitable results for his clients. His goal is to help sales people ignite their passion for the game of sales. Passion - Process - Performance www.thesayersgroup.com For More Articles by Bill Sayers Click Here

Q3 2011

Sales KnowHow 19

Exhibiting

Setting Goals and Objectives That Focus, Motivate and Stimulate your Trade Show Program

I

t has often been said that the secret to exhibit success lies in its focus. All too often exhibitors either try to accomplish too much from their exhibitions or their goals are vague at best. The trick to getting your trade show program off on the right foot is to spend time well before you take any other steps to decide exactly what you want your exhibit to accomplish and how you will measure your results.

But, setting objectives goes beyond the obvious need for a method of measuring results. Well thought-out goals help motivate those whose time, expertise and support is necessary for a successful exhibit program. These goals are also necessary for creative solution-finding, a crucial part of the strategic plan that is more often than not hindered by shrinking budgets.

Motivate

The place to start is by asking “What am I expecting my exhibit to accomplish.” Your list might include generating quality leads, engaging customers or reinforcing your brand. In fact there are over one hundred possible goals for your show participation. This first step will help you eliminate those objectives that are of little importance to your business. You now have a short-list of five or six objectives that make your trade show investment worth-while.

The next step is to ask, “Which of my short-list goals will justify the time, energy and resources I will need to make them a reality?” Now you cull the list attempting to find your bottom-line by narrowing down your choices to one or two at most. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Often deciding which objectives to eliminate can be as difficult as deciding which to include.

The third step is to quantify your objective(s).

Worthwhile objectives need to be measureable. Ask yourself, “How will I know if I have accomplished this objective?” If you can’t answer this question then the objective you have chosen is not worth pursuing.

Exhibition program motivation usually refers to the front-line people who work in the booth. However, there are other people whose time and talent you will rely on that also need to be motivated. These are the people who work in finance, administration, logistics, and sales and marketing. This represents a lot of people who quite frankly have other things to occupy their time. Taking the time to assist you comes at the expense of their other priorities. However, if you state a clear objective that will demonstrate how the exhibition program complements other organizational priorities, you are in a stronger position to motivate this group and secure the commitment you are looking for.

s

Focus

Click to Watch Barry’s KnowHow Video 20 Sales KnowHow

Q3 2011

upcoming webinars

By Barry Siskind

Strategies of engagement Thursday Sept 22, 2011 - 1:00pm - 2:00 pm ET Utilizing in-booth entertain to attract the right attention Wednesday Oct 26, 2011 - 1:00 PM - 2:00 pm ET Trends in Booth Design Wednesday Nov 16, 2011 - 1:00pm - 2:00 pm ET Measuring the Value of your trade show program Thursday Dec 15, 2011 - 1:00pm - 2:00 pm ET

Stimulate

The seeds of creativity are fertilized with clear, measurable and realistic objectives.

One of the issues many exhibition managers face is a shrinking budget. While having a clearly stated objective will justify the need for additional resources, often the money is not forthcoming leaving you in the precarious position of having to accomplish more with less.

Some exhibit managers faced with this stark reality throw up their hands in an act of surrender which can have a devastating effect on their exhibition program.

Others use this opportunity to creatively find solutions to replace the shortage of money. These same managers may reuse existing display materials and find inexpensive alternatives to signs, graphics and eye-catching displays.

When you allow your objectives to act as something that will spark the creative juices inherent in us all the results can often be amazing.

Focus, motivation and stimulation – three things made possible when you take the time to create well-formed objectives for your exhibit program. If you are not setting objectives now; think about what you might be missing.

In addition the webinars below are also available to download now so that exhibitors can listen at anytime and not wait for the scheduled webinar.

Turn Your Tradeshow Booth into an Experiential Environment Get ROI From Your Trade Show Giveaway Turn Tradeshow Leads Into Sales Develop Powerful Booth Staff Turn Tradeshow Leads Into Sales Select the Right Trade Show The fees are the same for each .

To Register CLICK HERE $99 per connection - Save 20% at checkout with this discount code: 47fbcda4

© Copyright 2011 Barry Siskind

Q3 2011

Sales KnowHow 21

22 Sales KnowHow

Q3 2011

Exhibiting

Looking Professional

By Barry Siskind

Matters S

tudies have proven that fifty-five percent of your visitors’ impression of you comes from what they see. It’s your para-verbal behavior, which is made up with such things as gestures, eye contact, posture and what you are wearing.

Dress is always a controversial topic. Exhibitors either dress too formally or too casually. Then there are those who choose to have their staff dressed all the same. It’s hard to know what’s right. The underlying word that should guide your choice of dress is professional. How would a professional in your industry dress? The problem is that the word professional has changed dramatically over the past few years.

In some industries it would have been the norm to dress in a suit and tie. Now it seems that sport shirts are quite appropriate. Then there is the issue of culture. In some areas of the world culture demands more or less formal clothes.

The bottom line is that it’s difficult to find what is the appropriate way to dress. So, here’s a guideline for you to consider. Wear what you would wear if you were visiting a customer at their place of business from Monday to Thursday -we don’t count dress-down Fridays. If it’s okay to attend at their place of business then it’s probably okay for a trade show.

Then there is the discussion about themed clothing – golf shirts, buttoned down shirts etc. Well chosen themed clothing can look very professional. In addition it provides lots of additional benefits such as when you tie in the color and messaging on your clothes to the display. Then it becomes easy for visitors to know who to approach at the busy show. Your staff also becomes a walking billboard during their breaks as they make their rounds of the show.

If you choose the theme clothing option here are some considerations.

Don’t limit your choices to shirts. Theme clothing comes in all forms such as ties, arm bands, blazers, hats, bandanas, vests and sweaters. So rather than doing what everyone else is doing make a statement and do something different.

Choose clothes that are of good quality. It’s your image that is at stake, Loose threads, wrinkles and arms that are falling off are a direct link to your visitors impression of your company.

Tie the coloring and messaging on your clothes to those in the booth. Remember that your staff are walking billboards.

Don’t make these messages so subtle that someone has to be standing immediately in front of your staff (or booth) to get the message.

Choose clothes that are gender and physique neutral. You don’t want any one feeling uncomfortable wearing what you choose.

Make it mandatory. If you choose theme clothing it is a must for everyone who is working at the booth. Your instruction should also include what clothes to wear in addition for example you provide the shirt and everyone wears black pants.

If your show is more than one day long ensure that people have a change of clothing. Or, at least provide overnight laundry service. It’s important to look fresh and eager each day of the show.

Whether you choose a professional look related to how you would visit a client or choose theme clothing you need to understand the consequences of that decision. Make sure your staff are on board and understand how important “how they look” can be. © Copyright 2011 Barry Siskind Barry Siskind is author of Powerful Exhibit marketing. He is also President of International Training and Management Company who offers a number of services to exhibitors including the creation and implementation of a mystery-shopping program. Contact Barry at barry@siskindtraining.com for more information.

For More Articles by Barry Siskind Click Here

Q3 2011

Sales KnowHow 23

Marketing

Marketing Separates The Old Ways From The New T

om and Joe are brothers who grew up working in the family business. Tom is conservative and, in his own words, not very creative. He chose to stay with the older, established company and continue in his parents’ footsteps, running the business as his father did for the past forty years.

He had no desire to change anything and felt that if he continued to run the company the way his parents did, he would have a nice lifestyle and hopefully be able to pass the business on to his children. Tom was not a marketing-oriented businessman.

Every year, he followed the same marketing program, conducted seasonal sales, developed the same brochure (substituting a few new products), and worked with the same sales reps his father had employed for many years. Tom felt that if you built a good product, the customers would find you.

Joe, on the other hand, knew that there was more they could do with the business. He wasn’t sure what needed to be done, but he realized that marketing would play a large part in the future success of their business. Joe spent a lot of time out on the road, talking to customers, finding out what competitors were up to, and looking for new opportunities.

Joe often returned from sales trips and trade shows brimming with ideas. He told Tom that they needed to expand their marketing efforts to include new media and a social media program. But Tom insisted that they were doing enough marketing and had no reason to change. Sometimes when a business has been successful, the thought of new activities seems to be an unnecessary expense.

Unfortunately a business owner can wait too long, until the market requirements and competitors catch up to them and it’s then too late.

As time passed, the conflict with Tom became unbearable for Joe. He recognized the opportunities for the family business but knew that his brother would not change. Joe decided to start his own business. He knew that marketing was more than a brochure and the occasional sale. Over the years, he had learned that there are two key components to marketing: 1. Creating and using the various tools available.

2. Managing the marketing program from original strategy and design to the finished marketing materials.

24 Sales KnowHow

Q3 2011

Joe planned to stay in the same kind of business as his family. His first major commitment was to ensure that his business would be marketing-oriented.

He researched opportunities, became familiar with new marketing techniques, and established a long-term relationship with a marketing professional, who helped guide him and establish a team of suppliers to cover traditional, new media and social media marketing. Joes’ strategy included using the best of the established methods and continually testing new marketing methods.

Eventually, Tom’s business stagnated, sales barely kept up with expenses, and profits became a thing of the past. While Tom was suffering, Joe became more successful than even he had dreamed he could be.

Joe hired a marketing consultant. Together, they developed a solid sales and marketing strategy, embraced new technology by establishing a strong database, and conducted ongoing focused communication with staff, suppliers, customers, and prospects. They developed and updated sales tools on an ongoing basis to keep their sales force and customer service staff equipped with the latest in marketing weapons.

In time, Joe absorbed the family business into his own. Tom stayed on but acquired a new appreciation for marketing. Joe continued to manage the marketing efforts and his company grew large enough to create their own internal marketing team. Joe creates the company vision and the entire company carries out that vision.

This story demonstrates how marketing plays a key role in the success of any small business. Ignoring the advantages that a structured, well-thought-out marketing program offers could put your business in jeopardy. Make use of experts, try to benefit from their years of experience and keep up with the newest techniques.

By Eric Gilboord www.EricGilboord.com

“Success or failure doesn’t randomly happen to you.

You have a large say in when and how much.”

A2E

Eric Gilboord is a specialist in making marketing easy for business owner/operators and any staff with sales or marketing responsibility. He demystifies marketing so they can use it to generate sales today and grow their businesses faster. He demystifies marketing so they can use it to generate sales today and grow their businesses faster. Eric believes in blending traditional marketing with new media/social media. ROI is a must.

Eric is a popular speaker, coach, columnist and author of many articles and books on moving a business up to the next level. The Expert Business Calls for Marketing Advice...That’s Easy to Understand.

For more information call 416-686-2466.

To sign up for his marketing tips newsletter and to read his blog please visit: www.EricGilboord.com Follow Eric on Twitter (ericgilboord) Find Eric on LinkedIn Eric’s ‘Get It Done’ Treasure Map Marketing Plan Workshop Show Me the Way For more information please visit: www.EricGilboord.com For More Articles by Eric Gilboord Click Here

Q3 2011

Sales KnowHow 25

‘JUST TELL ME MORE’ New book from, Eric Gilboord, the author of the best-seller.

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Q3 2011

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Sales KnowHow 27