If you are like most people, staying motivated in November is a challenge. This is because we have less light, days are shorter and we are distracted by sugar plum fairies and the upcoming holiday season.
So much of sales and sales recruiting happens between your 2 ears so you must put everything on your side and find what motivates you. Some mornings, I put on my happy song in the car and sing as loud as I can.
It's really important to get outside while it's light outside. Take a walk at lunch or even before work to get some much needed vitamin D. As sales people most of us have the liberty to plan our schedules ourselves so why not do a work out at lunch? Exercise raises those much needed endorphins that produce that feeling of happy.
I started writing weekly goals and checking back on a daily basis to gauge whether I will accomplish them by weeks end. Keep your goals in mind-think of what you want to accomplish and when.
Your attitude is one of the biggest things about staying motivated and only you can change that. Get enough rest. When I'm sleep deprived, I have a tendency to be more sensitive, irritable and less positive. Hang out with positive people. Misery likes company so the opposite should be true.
Let it go.There are some situations where we have to just let it go and not take a situation or customer to heart. Although we want to win them all, we can't. Move on to someone who wants to do business with you.
And when in doubt "fake it till you make it". Put on a fake smile until it becomes real.
Happy selling
D
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Thursday, November 26, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Are you a true sales hunter?
One of the most sought after positions in sales is the sales hunter. This is the person who will open and close sales day in and day out irrespective of the length of the sales cycle. This person is not afraid of rejection, thrives on making new deals, loves the hunt and is not deterred by bad news.
Here are some characteristics needed to be successful as a hunter:
1. A strong desire to win- this goes hand in hand with competitiveness.
2. An ability to say “next”- this means that you don’t wallow in the losses but you can analyze them, learn from them and move on.
3. A positive attitude- I have yet to meet a great hunter who is not positive. Through my 14 years managing sales people and now as a sales recruiter; this is one underlying theme with good hunters; no matter what they are naturally positive people.
4. Energetic- hunters have energy. They are up for the task leave people scratching their head saying “where does it all come from?”
5. Goal oriented- Many hunters are goal oriented and you will hear it when they speak about where they want to be when their x age or how much money they want to make this year.
6. A desire to be better- good hunters read books, attend courses and ask a lot of questions of other top performers.
7. Motivated- whether they are motivated by outside influences or self-motivated; the fact remains that they are motivated.
8. Knowledge of their numbers- they generally know how they have performed, know what it takes to repeat it and the different steps to get there.
9. Absence of fear- I have not seen many hunters who are fearful of failing. In fact what I have seen is that they do what it takes to succeed.
10. No blaming or excuses- great hunters don’t blame others and don’t offer excuses.
Some of these behaviors can be learned and others are innate. One thing is for sure is that you put more on your side by having most if not all of these traits.
Happy selling
Here are some characteristics needed to be successful as a hunter:
1. A strong desire to win- this goes hand in hand with competitiveness.
2. An ability to say “next”- this means that you don’t wallow in the losses but you can analyze them, learn from them and move on.
3. A positive attitude- I have yet to meet a great hunter who is not positive. Through my 14 years managing sales people and now as a sales recruiter; this is one underlying theme with good hunters; no matter what they are naturally positive people.
4. Energetic- hunters have energy. They are up for the task leave people scratching their head saying “where does it all come from?”
5. Goal oriented- Many hunters are goal oriented and you will hear it when they speak about where they want to be when their x age or how much money they want to make this year.
6. A desire to be better- good hunters read books, attend courses and ask a lot of questions of other top performers.
7. Motivated- whether they are motivated by outside influences or self-motivated; the fact remains that they are motivated.
8. Knowledge of their numbers- they generally know how they have performed, know what it takes to repeat it and the different steps to get there.
9. Absence of fear- I have not seen many hunters who are fearful of failing. In fact what I have seen is that they do what it takes to succeed.
10. No blaming or excuses- great hunters don’t blame others and don’t offer excuses.
Some of these behaviors can be learned and others are innate. One thing is for sure is that you put more on your side by having most if not all of these traits.
Happy selling
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Top 10 sales books
Earlier this year I did a rather non-scientific poll on Linkedin and asked sales people and sales managers which 3 sales books made an impact on them and that they would recommend to others. Here is a list of books that came up time and time again:
1. Green Eggs and Ham- Dr Seuss (believe it or not). I went back and reread the book now understand why it’s a top sales book.
2. The Bible- inspired by God,need I say more. This book was on many people’s list and I definitely understand why.
3. SPIN spelling by Neil Rackham- a classic
4. Any book by Jefferey Gitomer- he’s written such books as “the sales bible” and “the little red book of selling” as well as many others
5. Selling to Vito by Anthony Parinello-this is about selling to C levels. I enjoyed this one.
6. Power based selling by Jim Holden- also a classic.
7. Don’t fire them, fire them up by Frank Pacetta-this is a great motivating book about taking a last place team and bringing them to 1st place.
8. Success for dummies by Zig Ziglar- in fact many books by Zig were mentioned by many people
9. The 25 most common sales mistakes and how to avoid them by Stephan Schiffman- many of Stephan’s books were mentioned.
10. You can’t teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar by David Sandler- this will be my next sales book to read because the title is rather intriguing.
This is by no means a complete list but it’s a great starting place for some interesting read. As I mentioned in my last blog post, personal development includes reading and learning. Do something for yourself by reading and learning.
Happy selling
D
PS if you would like to suggest a book just send me a note.
1. Green Eggs and Ham- Dr Seuss (believe it or not). I went back and reread the book now understand why it’s a top sales book.
2. The Bible- inspired by God,need I say more. This book was on many people’s list and I definitely understand why.
3. SPIN spelling by Neil Rackham- a classic
4. Any book by Jefferey Gitomer- he’s written such books as “the sales bible” and “the little red book of selling” as well as many others
5. Selling to Vito by Anthony Parinello-this is about selling to C levels. I enjoyed this one.
6. Power based selling by Jim Holden- also a classic.
7. Don’t fire them, fire them up by Frank Pacetta-this is a great motivating book about taking a last place team and bringing them to 1st place.
8. Success for dummies by Zig Ziglar- in fact many books by Zig were mentioned by many people
9. The 25 most common sales mistakes and how to avoid them by Stephan Schiffman- many of Stephan’s books were mentioned.
10. You can’t teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar by David Sandler- this will be my next sales book to read because the title is rather intriguing.
This is by no means a complete list but it’s a great starting place for some interesting read. As I mentioned in my last blog post, personal development includes reading and learning. Do something for yourself by reading and learning.
Happy selling
D
PS if you would like to suggest a book just send me a note.
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