The discussion turned to the topic of the importance of titles in a business. I’ve never cared much for titles but I do understand their significance as a business strategy. However I have a new attitude toward titles and I explained it to my audience. You see I just finished a great book. It’s called, The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon. Mr. Gordon has written a number of bestselling books on the subject of personal energy and the effect that enhanced energy can reduce your stress, transform your life and your business.

So how do the lessons from this book tie to this story? I once had a mentor that taught me what I believe is one of the most valuable and important lessons about owning a business and being a manager that I have and for that matter probably ever will learn. As I’ve found in life, the most profound lessons are usually the simplest and sometimes most obvious. My advisor long ago said, “Remember my friend that SOMEONE is always watching…and never forget it!”

As the owner or lead representative of your business, no matter where it’s at or what size it is, someone IS always watching. A partner is always watching; a board member; your banker; your attorney; your vendors or suppliers; Chamber of Commerce members; the press; your customers; and most importantly your employees ARE always watching. As your attitude and demeanor goes so goes your employees AND your business! If you’re a jerk or a positive light house, guess what? That’s right dear readers, someone IS always watching!

So back to titles! I believe that every business should have a CEO! That’s right, a CEO, but not the CEO of traditional definition. Back on The Energy Bus, Jon Gordon defines a CEO as the Chief Energy Officer. As the CEO or Chief Energy Officer of your business you become the driving force of your business. The one person that believes that you WILL be successful, that nothing can stand in your way. Not competition; not a bad economy; not bad attitudes, nothing can or is standing in our way of moving forward with a positive and winning attitude, every hour, every day, every week of every month. Then instead of just surviving your business will be transformed and it will thrive! The Chief Energy Officer is a title that I can support and understand and actually believe is necessary. At some point the title can be and should be transferred to a manager or even a group of employees, but in todays market and business world this new age CEO is a necessity. Its’ all about creating a positive perceived value, that begins with you the business owner. It is a value that will be seen by employees and anyone else that is or will be important to the growth of your business. So remember that a simple truth will always remain….. Someone IS ALWAYS watching!

If you need help building on this or other concepts, call me or write,  I can help! And as always…

BE GREAT!

Coach Dan

With all due respect to the wisdom of Rock N’ Roll, I believe that the Stones were dead wrong! If they were right then why do so  many of my business coaching customers say that they never have enough time to get everything done that they need done. Why do they say that life would be so much better if they just had 25 hours in a day?

The fact is, once time passes, IT IS GONE, over and non-recoverable. It’s highly and completely perishable. And yet, so much time is wasted by business people on a day to day, hour by hour, minute by minute basis.

As a professional business coach, I see businesses FAIL or THRIVE simply due to the owners’ ability or lack of ability and skill, or lack of,  at managing the time that they do have and the ability and skill to prioritize the tasks that are required of them.

Some can. Most can’t!

Management and prioritization of time is a skill (a learned skill) and a necessary one, yet I doubt it’s within the curriculum of most top business schools. But that’s another conversation. I believe that it’s such a powerful issue that I’ve made time management and task prioritization skills an essential part of my business coaching curriculum.  And, if learned as a skill that I believe is as essential to business survival and success as oxygen is to breathing, then the business person who learns this skill and practices it daily both in their business and personally can dramatically alter their future.

One of my great business coaching customers is a young entrepreneur we’ll call Jack. He works hard in a franchise that he purchased two years ago. He has business training, he has a great product, he has a big investment, and he has a family. Jacks’ issue is that he tries to do everything and there is simply not enough time to do everything.

So we quickly embarked on a time management and task prioritization “system” of managing the available time that Jack had by learning a task prioritization process. The first rule of this process is: “Never let the most important thing be sacrificed by doing the least important thing!”

In just three weeks of total focus on this system, Jack reported an improvement on time and energy savings of nearly six and a half (6 ½) hours PER DAY or 32 ½ hours a week or 1560 hours per year. Together we found Jack nearly a full month per year to now use and more importantly we found Jack an improved life. Looking back, we realized that he did not understand the difference between ACTIVITY and PRODUCTIVITY. In other words he had been going through his day being very active and busy but accomplishing nothing. Now he does the things that are the most important first.  Now he has a new outlook on business and life and both are improving quite dramatically.

Lost time can never be reclaimed so get control and start doing what’s important and enjoy the time that you do have.

If I can help you master your time and improve your task prioritization, give me a call or write today! And, as always,

BE GREAT!

Coach Dan

Here’s how I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that my friend was wrong. You see I believe that a workaholic should be defined as someone who works excessively at a job that they do not enjoy and many times hate doing! And, in fact, even though I put in a lot of hours, I absolutely have a great and fulfilling time doing what I do! I look forward to getting up every morning and going to work! Really!

I love being a hard working business coach, helping and advising the many business people, entrepreneurs and sole proprietor business owners from around the world that I work with. I think that all of my previous life experiences were a dress rehearsal for being a successful business coach. I love my job!

I was raised in an environment where my step father went to work every day (until he was past 70) to a job he hated. He would say that we were not supposed to like what we did. We went to work… worked… then came home and that was it.

We’ll today I tell you he was absolutely wrong! Life is much too short to force that kind of attitude upon yourself and your family. We get one and only one shot at life! So I believe that we need to make that one shot worth the effort.

If you’re stuck in a job that you don’t enjoy or don’t get a sense of accomplishment out of; or just don’t like, do yourself a favor and figure out a way to turn that around, or get out of it now. Do something you enjoy and your life will change! I see it every day in my business coaching practice where a business owner or executive is struggling with their business and it’s tearing their business and their personal life apart. And, in many ways the struggle comes in a large part due to their lost hope, passion or desire for the job or challenge.

I have a quote on my office wall from 83 year old Mavis Leyrer that you may have seen before. Mavis says:

“Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting, “Holy Cow, WHAT A RIDE!” Right on Mavis, Right On!

Remember, it’s only really WORK if you allow it to be!

Give me a call if I can help, and as always….

BE GREAT!

Coach Dan

I’m not here to tell you how to improve your web site and get it seen based on the technical stuff. I have some friends and business coaching clients that are virtual experts in that side of the equation. What I want you to do is to look at your web site and forget about the technical stuff (stuff is such a nice technical word)! Today we’re discussing the other things that make a web site great. These things include the look and feel, the marketing and sales elements. These are the things that will keep your internet based customers on your site once they get there. Although experts can take you through an entire litany of different strategies and applications I want to focus on just eight of what I believe are among the most important. These are a few of the key elements that we would discuss in a business coaching session. So here we go;

1. GENERIC is NOT ALLOWED:  If you’re in business and you have a web site for your business GENERIC is not a word that should exist in your vocabulary. You cannot afford to spend a dime today on generic advertising or marketing and that includes your web site. You had better be using it to generate more traffic, help current customers and build future customers by providing specific benefits; specific solutions; specific value and specific offers and opportunities.
2. USE HEADLINES: Remember the newspaper? How did or do you read the newspaper? Everyone reads the paper pretty much the same way, anywhere in the world. And just like they read the newspaper, research is showing they read internet news sites and newsletters the same way…..They read the headlines first! Always! So be sure that your web site isn’t full of a lot of words. Break it down into big headlines and smaller headlines to attract interest then keep them reading.
3. USE WHITE SPACE: Another technique from the newspaper industry. A great ad in the paper if you talk with the pros is not one that just a page or a space with wall-to-wall words. Leave some open or white space. Give the headlines room to work. The exercise of creating white space is a good one in that it challenges you to only include the information that really makes a difference to attracting and transforming a casual reader into a customer.
4. ALWAYS HAVE A SPECIFIC CALL TO ACTION:  Always, always, always ask your web customers to do or respond to something, anything worthwhile. Have them click to go to a page to fill in their information and request a White Paper; Research; offer an on-line coupon: Sign up for a free class; Sign up for a newsletter…. ASK THEM TO DO SOMETHING! If they’re there its your responsibility to capture their email, phone number and anything else you can in order to build a powerful data base. But always; always; always have a call to action throughout your site.
5. ANSWER THE TWO KEY QUESTIONS OF MARKETING: This is one of the biggest mistakes I see when working with my business coaching customers. The two key questions of marketing are not very scientific, but they are universal…..SO WHAT? and WII-FM or What’s In It For Me? Just remember to ask yourself those two questions on every paragraph you write or every offer you make to your readers. Why? Because those two questions are asked by every single one of your readers, prospects and customers as they read every paragraph or offer you have. They’re saying, SO WHAT?….What does this have to do with me and my business and how can it help? If you don’t answer those two questions, every time, then you’re sunk. So practice it and the effectiveness of your articles and your offers should double overnight.
6. IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU! Many business owners will build their website and when it’s complete it looks like a shrine to the business owner. There is a place of a bio and some achievements but the great business web site is designed to promote your business and answer the SO WHAT and WII-FM Question for the reader. So be sure your site is full of benefits and features and successes of the business.
7. BECOME FRIENDS WITH A FONT: Gads, this one really gripes me. Don’t get caught up in trying to be cute with your look and feel. Find a nice businesslike font that you like and use it consistently throughout your site. It makes a huge difference in readability.
8. DITTO WITH COLORS: The same rules apply as in point 7…..Be sure you find colors that look good; aren’t too garish and make sense for your business. Again many people try to be cute with bright colors and cute 3-D type background colors and what you end up with is a color scheme that you simple cannot read the content in. AND, you’ve got to be able to read your content. So, try, test and ask a pro but find a color or combination and stick with it. Color is a great tool for creating an impression and image.

Well gang, I hope this helps. Just remember that there is more to the success of a business web site than paying for the backend technology which makes it run, that’s just half the equation. The presentation is what makes you money so be sure to get it right and put it to work for you now! If I can help you be sure to give me a call! And as always,

BE GREAT!

Coach Dan

The most recent and major reality that I’ve come to understand is that the issues, needs, challenges and concerns that business people experience, no matter where they are at in the world, are all basically the same! These issues always seem to revolve around three things: Productivity; Profitability: and struggling to improve the quality of their life. However today, with the ongoing international economic issues and changing consumer attitudes…the RULES ARE CHANGING!

As a professional business coach I work with many types of business and business owners and I’ve come to the conclusion that there are only two types of business strategies that business owners and managers employ. Probably 80% or more work from the strategy based simply on SURVIVAL. I recently was working with a new customer whom I asked if they had a daily goal that they were striving to achieve. The customer looked at me and with a very straight face said, “Absolutely I start every day, hoping and praying, with the singular goal of…..breaking even!” The battle is already lost unless we can make a quick and profound change in their thinking. The other half or more work on a strategy based on THRIVING. They were striving to take advantage of every opportunity and every situation.

I have created a list of seven of the rules that have changed. Here is the SEVEN RULES TO THRIVE!

1. If you conduct business the way you’ve always done business…you WILL be out of business! You must adapt, adjust and change to the changing market and your changing customers attitudes. You must meet their needs from THEIR point of view not what you think they want. Many researchers say that everything we know today will be obsolete in less than two years. Things are changing and changing fast so you must to. You cannot afford to be stuck in “The way we’ve always done it…” syndrome.
2. You must run your business like you did when you started it….every day! In other words, no matter how long you’ve been in business you must run it like a “bootstrap” start up, every day. That means, you must get back to watching your expenses every day. You must have effective marketing and if it isn’t STOP it! Everything you do; every penny that you spend MUST BE EFFECTIVE. This is really the number 1 response that I’ve gotten from business development experts when asked about the single most effective trait of successful business people, in ANY economy wherever they’re at in the world.
3. You must be disciplined! Brian Tracy told me once that he defines discipline as Doing what you have to do….When you have to do it…..Whether you want to or not! You must be disciplined in all that you do. You must plan and prioritize your time…every day! You must read your goals…..every day! Be disciplined and do what you need to do, when you need to do it….whether you want to or not. It will make a difference!
4. Your strategies must be based on…WHAT IS vs. WHAT IF.  Understand the reality of the business situations and challenges that you face and base your true strategies on that. I was working with a client that was particularly frantic about her perception of the state of the U.S. economy. I asked her to give me one and only one specific way that the economy has seriously affected her. She thought for a moment and then said, “Well I guess it hasn’t…..but it could!” She was basing all of her reactions on WHAT IF. So slow down, calm down and understand what’s real and what isn’t then plan based on the facts.
5. You must be passionate about what you’re doing! You must enjoy what you’re doing even when times are tough and challenging. If you don’t life is quite a bit harder. And you just as well quit and put yourself out of your present misery. Love what you’re doing and your attitude changes and really everything changes for the better. You find yourself looking for opportunity rather than problems.
6. You must work, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hard! Sometimes the answer is so simple that you talk yourself out of it. You can plan for weeks and months; you can worry till you’re sick….but nothing happens until you go to work. Right or wrong the only way to find out is go to work. Go to work with a plan; with goals; with enthusiasm and passion. If you can be one of the few that can do this, you cannot fail.
7. REPEAT RULE 6. Got it? Good!

In my business coaching practice I see it every day and it can be fatal for a business owner and their business. So, it’s time for some “mental triage”! As a business coach, I look for a few key symptoms of what is sometimes called “Stinkin’ Thinkin”.

The business person is;

1. Always tired and worn out
2. There is ALWAYS problems
3. They blame everyone else for everything that’s wrong instead of taking personal responsibility.
4. They blame the economy for all of their collective woes
5. They are overtly emotional
6. They are working from a business strategy of survival only. (This is a true statement! I work with a customer whose initial goal in life for their business was to, “Get up in the morning, go to work and do everything possible to break even!”

If you find yourself checking off these items here are a few solutions that I offer my business coaching customers;

1. Force yourself to take some quiet time every day to just meditate and relax.
2. Get your time under control and prioritize your tasks. Only do those things with the highest consequences,
3. Start taking responsibility for mistakes, shortcomings, failures and yes, your successes as well.
4. Set written goals! Understand what is really important and what you’re working for, Every successful business person today has very clear and written goals.
5. Plan a strategy of THRIVING, versus just surviving. It’s a completely different mindset.
6. Get new friends and associates. If everyone you hang with is always bitching and moaning then you will too. Surround yourself with positive input.
7. Get some coaching! There is a reason why all top level professional athletes have a coach! So it just makes sense that businesses should as well.
8. Plan you business and your life basing all strategies on WHAT IS versus WHAT IF.  Don’t worry; don’t ruin your life because you’re in a panic about what might happen. Understand the situation and how it is exactly affecting you at this very moment and plan your strategies on that reality.

As Henry Ford said a long time ago, “If you think you can or you can’t….you’re right!” Think positive…life is more fun that way.

Be Great,

Coach Dan

However (and this is BIG) as a professional business coach I want to tell you what I tell all of my clients; Just because things are tough does not mean that you should put your goals, your dreams, or the success of your business on hold. Quite the contrary! As a matter of fact there is enough research to fill the Arizona desert to prove that in every tough economy there is always….I repeat, Always major opportunities for those who chose to seek them out. In fact, Brian Tracy refers to it in his Financial Success newsletter as (and I quote) “In nasty recessions like this one, they always provide once in a lifetime opportunities to get rich!”

There is not enough room or time to refer to all of the research or strategies that we could employ here, so let’s keep it simple. The secret of people who get rich in a tough economy is that they have physically and mentally created a personal and business GROWTH STRATEGY versus a SURVIVAL strategy.  Think about it. How do you go about your day, simply surviving or are you taking advantage of the opportunities with a mentality of growth and a watchful eye for opportunity?

Test it yourself. Think about words you use; how you process issues and challenges. In my business coaching practice I see many business owners who have allowed their “perception” of the economy to cloud their entire life with a veil of doom and gloom. The glass is always half empty! Others have a growth plan or are at least open to creating one, finding and building on the available opportunities.

It’s all about attitude, my friend, so open your eyes and look for opportunity, think every day about winning above all odds. Mold your life around how to take advantage of your competitions bad attitudes and wait and see vision. Stop looking for an excuse or crutch to lean. Stop using the economy to blame for all that’s seemingly wrong. It’s not only thinking about potential, the potential is real. All you have to do is open your eyes and ears to see and hear the success stories coming out of these times. So stick your chin out and let’s start moving forward. Proclaim that you’re sick and tired of worrying. Take charge of your business and your life with a positive strategy of GROWTH rather than just survival!

Selling Discipline #12: Be consistently Persistent! Once you find a prospect that’s interested and willing to take the necessary steps to be your customer NEVER let them off the hook, be consistently persistent in everything that you do. And it doesn’t matter what you’re selling, from financial services; insurance or business coaching services. Most salespeople quit too early through fear, assumptions or sheer laziness. Fear in that you’re just afraid to go out and look for customers. Assumptions are ones where you’re making decisions for your customer and judging how they will react before you even speak to them. Today time is your enemy and you cannot be the conscience of your prospect. Never get into the mindset of “I’ll call them back next week. If I call them back this week, they’ll think I’m bugging them.” It’s not your job to guess what they’re thinking it’s your job to sell them your goods and services. Here are the facts:

• 48% of all salespeople NEVER follow up with a prospect
• 25% of all salespeople make a 2^nd contact and stop!
• 12% of all salespeople only make three contacts and stop!
• Only 10% of all sales people make more than three contacts.

Here is the bottom line;

• 2% of all sales are made on the first contact
• 3% of all sales are made on the second contact
• 5% of all sales are made on the third contact
• 10% of all sales are made on the Fourth contact
• 80% of all sales are made on the Fifth to Twelfth contact

So if the prospect is in your target audience and they’ve given you the buying signs, stick with them because the odds are your competitors won’t.

Selling Discipline #13: Understand the Customers needs from the Customers point of view ! In other words, become a master of the art of listening. Shut up and listen. Shut up and listen to your prospect and customer. Ask them lots of questions and shut up and listen. If you can master this simple act an amazing thing happens. Your prospect or customer will tell you how to sell them! Very few people today listen to anyone else. And that my friends is a killer for people who sell. If you’re perceived as not listening, then you’re perceived as not caring.  I hear it all the time while working with my business coaching customers. If you become the one salesperson that does listen, then your prospect or customer will tell you things about their business and themselves that will earn you the right to do business with them. Then you simply satisfy their needs (not always problems) from a unique perspective. You satisfy their needs from their point of view which makes the solution remarkably powerful.

Selling Discipline #14: Close early and often! What’s so hard about asking a prospect to buy? Or, asking a customer to buy more. Understand that closing is NOT a big event. Closing a sale is very incidental. If you’ve earned the right to get to this point by asking questions and listening; If you’ve tied your USP to the prospects specific and exact needs then you have earned the right to simply; casually and logically ask them to buy. It should just make sense as a natural progression. The problem is that many salespeople do the work but many also never ask the prospect to buy. When this happens it’s the first salesperson that walks through the door with a similar logical solution that gets the order.

Selling Discipline #15: Understand clearly what you’re willing to give up to get what you want! It’s the first rule of negotiation. There’s negotiation in every selling situation. You negotiate with your kids; friends; parents, relatives, potential employers, employers and of course business prospects and customers. So be prepared. Don’t walk into any situation without clearly knowing what it is that you are willing to give up to get the deal. Is it price; is it time; is it scheduling or payment terms? Whatever it is know what you’re willing to give on before you ever get into a situation that could cost you money. You can build your conversations around this knowledge, just as you can build your presentations around this knowledge. When you clearly know what you’re willing to bend on then you’ve instantly got the upper hand in the deal and can then move to a ideal win/win situation.

Selling Discipline #16: Track everything! Every truly successful salesperson can tell you their KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) and where they currently are against them. This begins with goals that are clear and precise. With some very simple charts and graphs you can track the goal and your progress, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly. It’s imperative. As the wise man once said, “How do you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’re at?”

Selling Discipline #17: Work really, really, really, really, really, really hard! Don’t listen so some of the new age blather that says that if you just clearly understand what you want that you can simply sit down and wish for it and it will happen. It just doesn’t happen that way. Yes you must clearly understand what you want in your life (goals) but once you know, you must work for it and work hard. Particularly in sales, your report card comes out every week. If you want to earn more, go out and sell more. Planning, goal setting, working the phone, working prospects, networking, marketing, workshops, sales calls all take time and effort and planning. Nothing replaces hard work. Nothing! I’m often asked why I’ve been so successful as a business coach. It really comes down to the basics. The same people who ask me that question are the same ones that won’t believe me when I tell them that I work the Disciplines of Selling every day. But its true. I had a call last month where we went through this scenario. The bottom line was that this fellow had conducted over the course of a year about 50 closing presentations. In the same years period, I had done 186. That was my “secret”. I had conducted over three times more selling presentations asking people to buy something. My odds were just higher than his of finding a prospect to say yes.

Selling Discipline #18: Repeat Discipline 17! Once again, nothing replaces hard work and focused effort. What you put into it is what you will get out of it, so get to it!

In closing, let me share with you the bottom line that I offer to all of my workshop attendees; all of my customers and every prospective business coaching client that I’ve ever had. There are three things that I know to be true:

1. This is the best time in history to be in business and be in sales
2. This is the best time in history to maximize your potential, whatever level your are at. I truly believe that.
3. And….If you’re passionate about the success of your prospects or customers, you will sell them and work with them forever!

Good Luck! And as always….

Be GREAT

Coach Dan

Selling Discipline #7: Have a daily prioritized plan! How do you plan your day? Do you get up in the morning, go to work and sit at your desk and say, “What do I need to do today, and I sure hope I don’t forget something?” If you do you’re not alone. In my business coaching practice I’m continually shocked and surprised at how many people that depend on their sales skills are in the same boat and I guarantee you that their results are mediocre at best. The people that are making the big commissions and that are always successful have a plan, a daily plan of action that they have prepared in advance usually the night before each new business day. Success psychologists and experts have proven in testing that if you plan out your priorities and tasks for the next day the night before that your “super” conscious mind will work on the opportunities and have you ready to go the next morning. In Napoleon Hill’s groundbreaking book, Think and Grow Rich, he details this result as your “infinite Intelligence”. Once you notify it of your plan it will help you achieve it bringing to bear all that is necessary for you to be successful. Now when you get up in the morning, you walk over to your desk and pick up your written plan for the next day and you’re ready to do and have more than a two hour head start from most other sales people. Be sure it’s prioritized as well. Ask yourself, “What is the most important single thing that I should be doing to move my goals forward?” Another way to say it is “What can I and only I do that if done well will advance my business and personal goals?” Then to stay on track adjust the mantra to ask yourself during the day, “STOP, am I doing the number one thing that I should be doing in order to move my goals forward?”

Selling Discipline #8: Have a clear understanding of who your ideal target customer is! This is a fairly simple concept that most businesspeople today have never really considered. In today’s market you CANNOT sell to everyone. Pareto’s Law is in effect more than ever today but with a change. The law says that 80% of all of your results will come from 20% of your activity and it applies across the board. In this case 80% of your sales will come from 20% of your customer base. But today, many business development experts will tell you that it’s narrowed even further to the 90% – 10% rule. That is as much as 90% of your results will come from 10% of your activities, customers, etc. With the impact of the internet and the expansion of options for to days consumers, you have no choice but to identify your 10% and focus on them. Who are they and what do they want?  This by the way is one of the key “business killers” that I see every day in my coaching practice. Business people who continue to target everyone versus the key customer that true customer that delivers the lion’s share of business for them. You had better find out and quick, because how you take care of them, service them and cater to their needs may just represent the life or death of your business.

Selling Discipline #9: CLEARLY understand your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) It may sound crazy but do the research. Most top business development experts will confirm that what is estimated to be over 95% or more of all salespeople/businesspeople cannot tell you just what it is that they do in under :10 seconds, or even under :30 seconds for  that matter. Try it out. I hear it all the time as a business coach and I test it all the time. Rarly can the businesspeople that I talk to tell me concisely and with clarity what it is exactly that they do. In many cases my prospects and business coaching customers once they understand the concept are shocked about their complete lack of clarity about what they do. Many are honestly surprised that they’ve been able to stay in business as long as they have. In our coaching sessions we learn to understand what they do, I mean what is it exactly that they do for a customer. It’s too easy to say, “I sell real estate” or “I sell cars”. Take the time to sit down and really think about what is unique about what you do and how you do it. That’s what prospects and customers want to know. Otherwise they will always ask that one inevitable and frankly logical question. “So What?”

Selling Discipline #10: Create a powerful :10 second and :40 second marketing message. Remember that most consumers (and never forget that you’re a consumer too) will say to themselves, “SO WHAT?” when you give them a general statement about what it is that you do.  There are thousands of real estate people for instance in every market, so why should your customer use you instead of ANY of the others? That’s always the real question isn’t it? And the salesperson who can answer the SO WHAT question is the one that will win. So take the time to truly understand WHAT it is that you do for your prospect or customer in what I recommend is the :10 second statement that is based on your USP….then tell them HOW you do what you do for them in the more traditional :40 second statement.  Then sit down and listen to yourself say it and ask yourself the SO WHAT question and be sure your statement has an answer. Tell the prospect what’s in it for them to hire you or do business with you. With this kind of clarity for yourself and your prospect and customer, you sales will improve in a matter of days.

Selling Discipline #11: Talk to lots of people and ask lots of them to buy! Ok, too simple right? However you would be amazed how many sales people mistakenly think that a little bit of activity is something that will get results. IT JUST DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY! Sales, at best and at absolutely any level are a game of numbers. The more target prospects you talk to, the more opportunities you’ll have to find the ones ready to buy….now! Discipline yourself to talk to as many people as possible every day and every week. This should be part of your goal system. Every action that you do, every conversation should be focused on finding someone that might be your client now. In today’s market a salesperson simply cannot afford the time to develop a large group of prospects. Developing long term prospects should be a limited part of your day but the bulk of your day should be looking for the low hanging fruit. Remember the four S’s. Some WILL, Some WON’T, So WHAT, Someone’s WAITING! But also remember this.

Once you find a prospect that’s interested and willing to take the necessary steps never let them off the hook, be consistently persistent in your efforts. You’ll learn that a little extra effort and tenacity will go a long, long way. We discuss that in Part 5.

Stay focused, work hard and as always,

BE GREAT!

Coach Dan

Selling Discipline #4: Be PASSIONATE about what you’re doing and let it show! With all of my business coaching for small business, entrepreneurs, executives or sole proprietors, the first three disciplines are foundational. Our first three disciplines are based on being proud about what you’re doing, then acting like a winner and leader followed by expecting success and never giving up. But, none of it works unless you’re passionate about what you’re doing and showing it. Now don’t panic. I don’t mean the fake smile and actions, jumping around and such. What I do mean is finding that burning fire in your gut to accomplish your goals and letting people see it in your eyes; in your speech and your actions. When you make a statement about your product or service let your prospect hear it from your heart. Again, it’s a perception that is established. Every prospect would, I guarantee, rather work with someone that they perceive is committed to getting the job done than someone with a perceived lackluster attitude or focus. Let them see your confidence and positive attitude as that is, again, something that will give you the slightest edge and sometimes that’s all we need.

Selling Discipline #5: GET YOURSELF ORGANIZED! Don’t even try to argue with me here! I’ve yet to see a highly successful and consistently successful businessperson and/or salesperson that is disorganized. In fact the issue of disorganization may be the number one biggest excuse for lack of activity or failure that I’ve ever seen. Research has proven time and time again; business development experts have written hundreds if not thousands of  books on the subject and all say that, psychologically, personal disorganization leads to cluttered thinking which leads to a distinct lack of focused productivity. So NO MORE EXCUSES! Get organized. Take the time to do it because it’s not that hard. Simply remember the primary rule for organization: Never touch a piece of paper unless you do something with it! Here’s your shopping list: (1) box of Avery labels, (1) box of file folders, (1) box of green hanging files. Now, here’s the drill: Push everything on your desk onto the floor. That’s right, you heard what I said! Now pick everything up a piece at a time. Determine what the subject is and if it’s worth keeping and if it is, get a label and write the proper heading on it. Put the label on the folder and put the folder in a hanging file. Do that until you’re done and now you have a system. The hardest part of this is being tough and committed enough to have the discipline to do this each and every day. So how tough are you? Follow the system and if you do, your productivity, your sales and your profits WILL go up! So take action today!

Selling Discipline #6: Set clear, concise and written goals! Ok, I know what you’re saying; “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that before. Everyone says that. I’ve got some but they’re in my head!” Well Pal, that’s not good enough. By most accounts, and the numbers vary, 70% of our society does not have any goals whatsoever. Another 28% has goals of some kind and only 2% or so have written goals. But here’s the kicker. Many business development experts and some very noted research say that the 2% to 3% with written goals control 80% to 90% of all income. And this is a fact that has been touted for over a half of a century. So it might be worth your time to reviewing your thinking here. It’s hard to establish proper written goals. You have to push yourself and be honest with yourself about what you want and what you need to improve on and for some that’s a huge task. There are countless books fully dedicated to goal setting. In my business coaching practice I rely heavily on the research and life work of renowned business development expert Brian Tracy. Most systems are similar so find you one and do it now. The foundational rules are all the same. They are based on the acronym of SMART goals. S is for Specific, you must have a very clear and concise vision; M is for Measurable, you must know where you’re starting from to clearly see what your results are; A is for Aligned with your values, you cannot set goals that go against your value system; R is for Realistic, your goals must be attainable yet must make you stretch for them; and T is for Time bound, you must establish a reasonable time frame to achieve your goals.

Jim Rohn, the world renowned business philosopher once said, “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying fundamentals.” And that my friends are what the 18 Disciplines are all about.

In our next installment, we’ll discuss disciplines #7 through #10.