Tag Archives: Business Growth

Sales Coaching

Sales Coaching – Watch These 3 Things As Your Sales Grow

Whoo hoo, your sales are growing and now you’re wondering if it’s time to develop a physical presence in the marketplace. Most service professionals come to this cross-roads and take the next step without carefully considering the impact and the underlying concerns.

Many service professionals like insurance agents and financial advisors are encouraged to get an office as soon as possible. Before you make that decision and take that step just make sure you’re doing it for the reasons that will serve you, and your needs. Don’t do it thinking it makes you look more successful to someone else, because that appearance of success can be just that, appearance only.

As you think about adding employees, creating infrastructure, establishing overhead costs, selecting a fixed location, and furnishing that location you need to consider the long-term impact of all those decisions. The three things you really need to watch are: rising fixed costs that raise the bar on your break-even point each month, your ability to focus on what you need to be focused on with all these additional responsibilities, and the impact on your net income with all these additional expenses. While challenging yourself to stretch is a good thing you don’t want a one ton rock around your neck either.

Before you take that step think options and flexibility. There are lots of million dollar businesses that successfully operate each day throughout the United States from home based offices. It’s true you may need other people to do things that you’re doing now that are taking time away from what you need to do, sell. And there are entire businesses that do just that. You can outsource work to virtual assistants, you can get expert help through online service providers that can be found on websites like elance.com, and you can get the work done on a per job or flat rate basis. Meaning that you aren’t tied to a payroll and you don’t have to increase your sales each and every month just to pay the staff. One of the biggest surprises most businesses owners have is the fact that adding employees reduces your flexibility more than it enhances it. Because when you have employees you have to manage those employees.

One of the most important considerations for you is the lifestyle you’re trying to achieve. Did you want to buy yourself a job where you have to show up to a specific location each day, manage other people, set policy and develop procedures, and all the other things that come with a physical presence? Or did you want the flexibility and freedom that comes from having a home based office with zero employees so you could work from anywhere in the world anytime it fits your schedule? Make sure your decision for a physical presence now is in alignment with the lifestyle you want to have not the one you think you have to have. If that means continuing from a home based office then explore your outsourcing options to get what you need done so you can do the things that are important to you and your success. If it means taking that step and getting a physical presence make sure you can comfortably handle the impact of that decision on your fixed costs, focus, and net income before you lock yourself into anything.

Enjoy the time and financial freedom you deserve: “7 Secrets Top Producers Know that You Can Put to Use in the Next 9 Days” [http://increasesalescoach.com/]

Get a daily boost to increase your sales: the blog for Top Producers and Future Top Producers [http://increasesalescoach.com/blog]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/984769

Sales Coaching

Sales Coaching – Outcome or Opportunity

Do you view prospecting as an outcome or an opportunity? Do you think of prospecting in terms of a process or an event? The way you answer those questions makes a big difference in the results you experience.

Many people view getting the attention of a prospect as the outcome. That’s not a good thing, and it causes you to miss many opportunities. Getting the attention of a prospect is simply an opportunity for you to develop and continue a relationship with that prospect.

Most people who treat getting the attention of a prospect as an outcome aren’t able to capitalize on that attention. That’s because to them the appointment was what they wanted and what they got. They weren’t necessarily able to convert that appointment into a client and they didn’t have anywhere meaningful to go with the prospect once the appointment ended.

Oops, big mistake. You get yourself in these dead end situations because you think of prospecting and the appointment as an event when you should be thinking of them in terms of a process. Getting the attention of a prospect is the first step in a process that builds a relationship with the prospect leading to a meaningful sales conversation where you’re both there for the same reason.

You’re both agreeing to the appointment to determine if there is a reason for you to do business together. To have a process for prospecting you need a multi-step, perhaps even multi-media, plan to continue to connect with the prospect adding value to the prospect so the prospect wants to continue the relationship and know more. Throughout the process you’re conditioning the prospect to hear from you and to respond to you. And that gives you the power to turn opportunities into business.

Enjoy the time and financial freedom you deserve: “7 Secrets Top Producers Know that You Can Put to Use in the Next 9 Days” [http://increasesalescoach.com/]

Get a daily boost to increase your sales: the blog for Top Producers and Future Top Producers [http://increasesalescoach.com/blog]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/980100

Sales Coaching

Sales Coaching – 3 Ways to Simplify the Solution

Selling services can be confusing and complicated for the potential buyer. It’s a simple truth that a confused buyer will not buy. They can’t make a “yes” buying decision because they aren’t sure what they’re saying “yes” to, and the long-term implications of that “yes” decision.

Combine the complexity of the prospects circumstances with the sophisticated available choices, and a prospect is likely to throw their hands in the air in utter confusion. That means you have to take the complex and sophisticated and guide the prospect through a process that makes it easy for them to understand so they can make a decision. You’re job is much less about “selling” than it is about being the trusted advisor/advocate that the client needs.

There are 3 ways you can make things easier for the prospect to make a “yes” decision. And when you incorporate all three ways into the sales conversation you’ll have a mutually engaging highly productive sales conversation. These three ways address the learning styles of your prospects.

People are dominant in one learning style: visual learning, auditory learning, and kinesthetic learning. No big news flash there we’ve known this for a very long time yet many salespeople act as though they’ve never heard about this by the way they hold a sales conversation. For the visual learners use flow charts, tables/graphs, and pictures to demonstrate similarities/differences and consequences/benefits between the best three options for the prospect. You can simplify things for the auditory prospect by relating stories, providing lots of examples, using analogies all to simplify what you’re telling them. And for the kinesthetic prospect it’s important to get them physically engaged in the process perhaps having them write things down, arrange or rearrange options, even stacking options they like/dislike.

And what’s happening when you’re using these different approaches to simplifying the available options? You’re engaging and involving the prospect in the sales conversation. You’re getting them to open up and share their thoughts. You’re getting them to make small “yes” decisions. And you’re helping them to persuade themselves that the decisions they’re making are the right decisions. You’re coming to a mutual conclusion that benefits both you and the prospect. How easy was that?

Enjoy the time and financial freedom you deserve: “7 Secrets Top Producers Know that You Can Put to Use in the Next 9 Days” [http://increasesalescoach.com/]

Get a daily boost to increase your sales: the blog for Top Producers and Future Top Producers [http://increasesalescoach.com/blog]

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/980053

Sales Coaching

Sales Coaching – 3 Skills to Focus On

A sales professional’s success is determined by your willingness to invest in yourself. There are two areas for personal development that most will invest in, and one area only Top Producers invest in. Those who aren’t Top Producers never even think to invest in themselves in this way.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t invest in all three areas because you should. The two areas you’re familiar with are self-improvement and sales process training. The area you may not be so familiar with is customer focus.

Self-improvement development is designed to help you to increase your personal productivity, enthusiasm, and energy level. Yes, you need to be focused on doing the things that directly lead to business with enthusiasm for what you have to offer and with an energy level that reflects your commitment. Salespeople who are lacking in these areas tend to be very busy doing lots of “things”, but have little production to show for their efforts.

Sales training development is essential. There’s no question you need the skills to prospect, present, overcome stalls and objections, and close the sale. Without proficiency in these key sales skills you struggle only landing the occasional easy sale.

Client focus development is the critical difference between the average salesperson and the Top Producer. When you’ve developed your client focus skills you’re able to: clearly understand the clients goals and get the client to openly share those goals with you, you’re able to work with the client to develop a plan for the accomplishment of those goals in a mutually engaging on-going conversation, and you’re able to develop a relationship with the client based on integrity and accountability leading to repeat business and referrals.

Enjoy the time and financial freedom you deserve: “7 Secrets Top Producers Know that You Can Put to Use in the Next 9 Days” [http://increasesalescoach.com/]

Get a daily boost to increase your sales: the blog for Top Producers and Future Top Producers [http://increasesalescoach.com/blog]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/980091

Sales Coaching

Sales Coaching – 9 Mistakes That Will Cause You to Fail

I work with and am friends with a number of financial advisors. In a recent conversation with a veteran in the business we discussed the main reasons new advisors don’t make it. Truthfully your odds of making it in the business are pretty slim if you just do what they tell you do to, but your actions determine your results and your future.

Lots of people enter the industry and only are rare few are still in the business after five years, and even fewer are successful. As we spoke we shared our experiences as to why so many people with so much potential fail from the perspective of the veteran who has seen people come and go like a revolving door, and the coach who works with the elite few who are committed to making it. By the end of our conversation we had a list of 9 mistakes those new to the business make that lead to their failure:

  1. you still have a wage earner mind-set and lack the entrepreneurial drive to make it work no matter what
  2. you think you’re selling products
  3. you don’t understand that it’s all about the relationships you’re able to start and build
  4. you lack focus, direction, and commitment causing you to get off track going in the wrong direction changing directions to chase the next great idea
  5. you think you’re different that you’re a super star, but you’re actions don’t back up your bravado
  6. you have a scarcity mentality and you’re afraid to invest in yourself to develop the skills you need to succeed
  7. you think you know what to do, but you don’t know how to do it
  8. you don’t know what you don’t know and you aren’t trying to figure out what you don’t know or how to know it
  9. you confuse activity with results and burn out with little to show for your tremendous efforts.

 

Did you recognize any of those fatal mistakes in yourself, or are you thinking you aren’t making those mistakes but you know others who are? I know the list is pretty harsh, but review it again and be harshly honest with yourself. If you aren’t headed where you want to be it’s pretty likely that one or more of those mistakes are getting in your way.

So what do you do if you confess that one of those mistakes is making things difficult for you? Congratulate yourself because the first step to removing any challenge or obstacle is recognizing it exists. You have the opportunity to both strengthen your sales skills and your sales results.

If you were sitting with a potential client and they identified a problem how would you proceed? Would you get them to identify all the problems or challenges they face, and then help them to prioritize the top three? After you agreed on the most important problems wouldn’t you help them to choose one of perhaps three solutions? Then wouldn’t you help them to take action(s) based on the selected solution? Hmmm, do you suppose that would work for you too?

Enjoy the time and financial freedom you deserve: “7 Secrets Top Producers Know that You Can Put to Use in the Next 9 Days” [http://increasesalescoach.com/]

Get a daily boost to increase your sales: the blog for Top Producers and Future Top Producers [http://increasesalescoach.com/blog]

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Cheryl_Clausen/56791