The ABCs of Sales - L is for Learning

What worked yesterday many not work today, and all bets are off for tomorrow. Sales people have to constantly be seeking new knowledge about their products, services, clients, industries, etc...  But that is not all they must learn.  Studying the art and science of selling is also key to sustaining a long term career. 

Sales professionals must be life-long learners if they want to win more business.   

Years ago it was the sales person who controlled the conversation about their product or service.  In a sales call they were their to introduce the buyer to what they had to sell, and guide them to making the purchase.  I began selling in a day where I would bring a folder to a meeting and paper sheet by paper sheet I would expose the prospective client to the features and benefits of what I was selling. They did not have many options to learn about me, my company or my product until I came in the door.

Today, before a sales person ever sets foot in the meeting the information is available online and the understanding of the products and services people buy are much higher.  Buyers are more sophisticated and a sales person who is behaving as if the buyer is not up to speed will find themselves wasting their time. Conversations have to begin at a much higher level and being a successful sales person means honing your skills all the time.

There are many ways to learn and the most successful are always trying to get better at their craft.  Reading books and articles, listening to podcasts, and attending training classes are common activities for those who work in sales.  Most who sell turn their cars into mobile classrooms and listen to books on tape instead of music while driving to appointments.  They want to maximize their skills and do not like to waste time.

The School of Hard Knocks is also a powerful way to learn.  Those who are aware and honest of their own failings are usually able to discover the areas where they have come up short and improve for the next time. After every sales, win or lose, doing a debrief about how you handled the situation will help you get stronger for the next opportunity. If you lose a sale, don't blame or pout, use it as a learning experience.

Knowledge is power in a busy and noisy world. The sales person who wants to win more deals dedicates time to learning. They are sponges who are actively soaking up nuggets of information and new ideas that will help them be more effective.  They talk to their peers about what works, and are open to fresh ideas.  There is no place for stubborn in a fast changing and competitive environment. 

Learning never ends for those in sales, and if you have not worked on advancing your product knowledge, understanding of your market, and fine tuning sales skills in the last week, you may be falling behind your competition. 

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Thom Singer is a keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies.  He talks regularly to corporate audiences in competitive industries that are sales focused and whose people are seeking greater success.   http://www.EngagingSalesSpeaker.com

The ABCs of Sales - K is for Kind

Many who write about sales lament being "nice" as a bad thing. Some sales leaders espouse that if you are too nice you cannot close sales.  There is a whole movement to train those who sell that buyers only want efficient sales people who get right to value, as they do not have time for relationships. Is there really a demise of nice sales people or is this just a contrarian way for consultants to get more business?

While I agree that sales professionals must provide clear value and respect the time of their clients and prospects, I disagree that nice is ever a negative.  We live in a world with a lot of narcissistic jerks, and many of them certainly find success in sales. The inconsiderate still win much of the time, but I have never met anyone who prefers to do business with those who are nasty and unpleasant.

Even in our busy world, people still want to do business with those they know, like, and trust.  The problem is that with our leaning toward efficiency over everything else we now assume we "know" people because we can Google them and find their profiles on social media. Getting to know someone used to be a process and along the way came "like" and "trust" (or it didn't).  Today we jump to a superficial level of knowing each other, and rarely do people get to a deeper relationship.  But is this by choice?

Sales professionals must work hard and show value quickly. But a survey by HubSpot Research shows the top words associated with sales people are pushy, biased, and aggressive. Is this how we want to be known?  Most sales managers would cringe at their team being seen in this way, but we are supporting these behaviors and teaching actions that lead us away from "kind".

Most professionals would prefer to be known as “trustworthy” and “helpful" in their selling role. I do not believe you can have this as your reputation if you are not first "kind".  A trustworthy jerk or a helpful sleazeball are not possible and certainly not the way to a sustainable career.

Over a lifetime in sales you will have more success if you are compassionate, thoughtful and gracious.  Do not fall prey to those who think the human connection no longer matters.  The prediction of the death of nice sales people is greatly exaggerated.

Kindness never goes out of style.

Have A Great Day

thom singer


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Thom Singer is a keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies.  He talks regularly to corporate audiences in competitive industries that are sales focused and whose people are seeking greater success.   http://www.EngagingSalesSpeaker.com

The ABCs of Sales - J is for Join

J is for Join

Getting involved with your trade association, chamber of commerce, or other industry club is a smart idea.  It is even smarter to be active in the associations where your clients participate.  Over the long run the people who invest their time in organizations will build a reputation in their business community.  Being known in a world full of noise and distractions is benefit that can never be taken away.  It can also be a key to promotions and new career opportunities. While it might sound cliché, it is true that people do business with those they know, like and trust.  Joining and being active in industry groups is one of the best ways to becoming known, liked and trusted.

Sales people dismiss the idea of joining associations for two reasons. The first one I hear far too often is that there are too many of their competitors in the group. While your own industry organization might only have competitors, your client’s trade group is made up of people to whom you can do business.  If you skip out because your competition got their first you are handing them a lifetime of relationships.  Being late to the party does not mean you cannot cultivate important connections.  It will take time, but if you are present and a contributor to the community, you will enhance your network.

The second reason people say they do not join organizations is the time commitment. To discover the value from joining business association you must do more than pay dues. To have successful return on investment you are going to have to attend the meetings, be active in online chat, and volunteer to serve on committees.  Yes, there is an investment, but most people in business waste a lot of time doing “research” (which often means surfing the internet, or doing other useless tasks.  Participation with clients, prospects, industry vendors, and even competitors can have a long term impact on your sales and your career.

Most companies will cover the costs of membership and attending monthly meetings or annual conventions. It is common for sales oriented companies to sponsor events or host booths at association events.  But to maximize this investment they are better served when someone from the company steps up and is active in the group. If you take on this role, you will also be recognized for your efforts.

If you company will not pay your dues to join groups, you may want to consider paying your own way. Joining organizations is an investment in getting to know many of the movers and shakers in an industry. While present at meetings make it a point to get face time with the people you most want to know. Remember that meeting someone once does not make them part of your network, and it can take seven to ten interactions with a person before they start to recognize you.  Thus your expectations from joining group must have a long-term focus.

All opportunities come from people and joining associations, chambers of commerce, and other business clubs will lead you to more success.  Associations are more relevant than ever, and membership has its privileges. 

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Thom Singer is a keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies.  He talks regularly to corporate audiences in competitive industries that are sales focused and whose people are seeking greater success.   http://www.EngagingSalesSpeaker.com

ABCs of Sales - I is for Intensity

I is for Intensity

Peak performers in all careers have a deep seeded intensity when it comes to achieving success. You see it in sports, business, politics, etc... If you are going to reach the top you have to always be able to excel regardless of the obstacles that appear in your path, and selling is definitely not for the faint at heart.

When we think of an intense color we imagine one that is strong and bold. When weather has intense temperatures we know there is extreme hot or extreme cold. In physics if something is intense it has a magnitude of energy or force per unit of area, volume or time. Similarly with people and their emotional intensity we know they have high levels of emotional excitement and depth of feeling.

For sales people, their intensity is paramount to their continued success. They must have a drive for continuous improvement and a never quit attitude. This is part of their daily focus.Regardless of your goals, success does not happen by accident. You need to intensely focus on the little things everyday to reach continue to discover new prospects and cultivate the relationship through what can often be a long sales process.

The ones who continue to exceed expectations in a sales career know in their hearts that they will be one of the great ones in their company and industry. They possess an intensity about success that is never indecisive. Sales professionals have a fierceness about getting the jobs done and they show it. Wading in the shallow end is not their style. They dive right in and make things happen.

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Thom Singer is a keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies.  He talks regularly to corporate audiences in competitive industries that are sales focused and whose people are seeking success.  http://www.EngagingSalesSpeaker.com

The ABCs of Sales - H is for Hungry

H is for Hungry

When you are hungry for more business you will find ways to innovate.  Genuinely needing more business makes a sales person work harder, try new things, and never stop hunting. Being a "hungry" is a good thing if you have a career in sales.  Those who remain top performers month over month never lose that desire inside their souls to find more deals.  

The most successful do not sit back and wait for the phone to ring.  Top producers are not solely prospecting via social media and hoping or wishing the right customer will see their tweet.  The best are always pushing to find a new customer, and they are never passive about in their efforts.  Before going home for the day they make one or two more calls, because they know that selling is a numbers game.

If your life, or the life of your family, depended on you finding the next prospect you would do whatever it took to discover new business. Being hungry a key to ongoing sales success.  Yet humans can get comfortable and not even realize it. It is  common that once people reach a certain level of of personal income that they begin to behave differently.  They rest on their past successes and fail to keep up the same level of intensity they did when they were new and hungry.

Early in my career I worked for a sales manager who was great at praising success, but once he did that he pointed out that contract was now officially the past.  He would then want to hear what his team had in the pipeline.  What was next.  Some people did not like how quickly he dismissed a victory, but I always understood that was his way of keeping us from resting on our laurels. 

Throughout a lifetime you will have times when you are more hungry than others.  You will see the results in your bottom line.  Those who chase ever lead as if their life depended on it will have more clients over the long run.  If you are in one of those times when you are not feeling as hungry, you need to assess what is keeping you from being as aggressive as you could be.  Feeling content, or "full" is never the right mindset for anyone who is sales focused.  You have to have a little worry about what tomorrow may hold so that you will not let up in your pursuits of business development. 

Sales professionals, small business owners, solopreneurs and who are directly linked to their new business numbers should stay hungry everyday.  This is not about being paranoid, but instead being realistic that past performance will not mean you are meeting your numbers tomorrow.  A healthy concern about the future the way to keep that hunger stirring.

How hungry are you to succeed at selling?  

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Thom Singer is a keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies.  He talks regularly to corporate audiences in competitive industries that are sales focused and whose people are seeking success.  http://www.EngagingSalesSpeaker.com

The ABCs of Sales - G is for Goals

G is for Goals

Setting goals is important for everyone, but more so for those who make their living selling.  Often time sales managers will set monthly, quarterly and annual quotas, and tracking the progress toward achieving these benchmarks is easy.  But you need more than a sales quota.  You need goals of what you want to achieve in all aspects of your life.

If you do not know where you are going, you have no way of knowing when you arrive.  There must be a strategic plan that helps advance.  You are well served when you set clearly defined and realistic business and personal goals that help you stay focused on what you want to accomplish.

Without a known purpose and a way to measure success you can invest a lot of time and see few results.  Chasing a sales number by itself will not lead to getting the new business and enjoying the journey of your career.  If you know what you are trying to do, and whom you desire as clients, then your choices on how to invest your time becomes easier to understand.

Some people roll their eyes at the idea of goal setting, mistakenly thinking that the concept is "motivational fluff".  They question if the act of writing down a goal has any meaningful value.  But it is not setting the goal that has the power, it is how the goal will keep you focused on the desired outcome. The target must be something that the individual wants to achieve and it must be realistic.  Goal setting is not about random wishes, but instead it is about creating an atmosphere that makes people perform to a higher level.

When you have accepted a set of goals there is no wiggle-room skipping out on the efforts.  Goals make you accountable for your actions.  Sales people who miss quota and are not doing the work to create a pipeline of opportunities are quickly exposed. An experienced sales manager will know when someone is not focused on reaching their goal, and those people will be managed closely and or given the opportunity to explore new employment options. 

Having clearly defined goals it makes it easy to make decisions.  This allows you to ask if a particular action moves you closer to your goals, or leads you in the wrong direction.  The answer makes choices easier in how you spend time everyday.  A goal transforms your participation in marketing, networking, prospecting, client relations, and community involvement activities into something tangible.  When a sales person understand the driving purpose of what they want, they will work smarter. 

Goals take time to accomplish.  Those who dream of a quick fix to raising their profile and making more sales, without doing the work, will be disappointed.  It takes time to become successful at selling, but there will be little progress without a goal.  It is too easy to get distracted and this can limit your success.

Sales professionals who create plans and work toward their achievement of goals are more likely to succeed in building a sustainable business year over year.  You cannot leave your future to luck.  

To successfully create a list of goals that are attainable, realistic and measurable you must dedicate time to creating your plan.  Everyone must have input and buy into the vision.  There are no shortcuts to formulating a list of attainable targeted goals.  Working with co-workers, your sales manager, or an outside consultant / coach is often a great way to get this done. Others sometimes have a knack for identifying strengths and weaknesses that are important for you to understand.

Having a combination of short-term and long-term goals is also a good idea.  Achieving some early wins will get you excited and helps you understand how having goals will lead you to more success. 

Seven Tips for Goal Setting:


1. Set aside some time.  Allow yourself 1-2 hours to contemplate your past and identify what you want in the future. Make it a priority to know where you want to go in life and all that you want to achieve.

2. Set two or three attainable goals in three areas: professional, personal and spiritual. You do not want to just be focused on business, as you have more to your life than meeting a quota. Do not set too many or to few goals, as this should not be too easy, nor should it be a burden. 

3. Write your goals on paper, using a pen. Later, transfer them to you computer. Print three copies. One copy for you home, one for your desk at work, and shrink a third down so it fits in your wallet or purse.

4. Review you goals often. Daily is best, but at least once a week. Keeping them in front of you and actively thinking about them will make it easier to make the tough choices as you go through life.

5. Take action. Goals are not magic. This is not "the law of attraction" or "The Secret". To be a winner in life takes effort and action. You have to make smart choices on how to focus your time and resources so that you are moving toward your goals and not away from them. Sitting still does not work either, as stagnant never wins.

6. Celebrate victories. Anything that moves you closer to achieving a goal is worthy of treating yourself to something. A round of golf, a massage, etc... are great choices (avoid ice cream or other sweets as treats, as I did this once and gained a lot of weight when I was wildly successful on meeting my goals. This created a new goal of needing to lose the pounds).

7. Share you goals with others. When you tell people you are working toward something, you are more likely to follow through on the efforts necessary to reach your goals. When I was writing my first book, I told as many people as I could. Thus it was not as easy to abandon the project.

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Thom Singer is a keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies.  He talks regularly to corporate audiences in competitive industries that are sales focused and whose people are seeking success.  http://www.EngagingSalesSpeaker.com

The ABCs of Sales - F is for Freedom

F is for Freedom

Successful sales professionals are granted amazing flexibility and freedom in regards to time and money. When a salesperson is a top performer they have a lot of leeway in how they occupy their work hours. Since many who sell work remotely they are not being observed by bosses and co-workers in an office setting. If they meet or exceed quota and choose to take an afternoon to attend a kids soccer game, nobody would ever question their actions.  

Those who are the best at selling are often well compensated.  Sales professionals who are great at their jobs are among some of the highest paid people in any company, and the best never have to worry about finding a new job.  If you can sell, then there is a company out there who will hire you quickly. It is not uncommon for sales people to be hired away by bigger companies with larger compensation packages, because finding those who can and will do the work to sell are hard to find.  Smart companies cherish and honor their sales teams and financially reward them.

Thus sales people have unprecedented control of their own lives. Like an entrepreneur who has their own business, those in sales call the shots if they are successful. They are not expected to do their work in the office as people in other careers, and so nobody sees what they do minute to minute. If they work from home they don't even need to get dressed unless they have face to face appointments.  

But this freedom can backfire on those who are not disciplined. New sales professionals are often not prepared for the flexibility in their schedule and can easily to slip into bad habits that are not conducive for sales success.

Without supervision some can abuse these freedoms and fall into patterns where they are not prospecting and thus not getting enough leads in their pipeline.  How a salesperson deals with their freedom, and lack of direct oversight from managers, is usually a key indicator to how they will succeed over their career.  

Personal responsibility and getting the job done is what brings the real freedom. To let the flexibility of ones schedule take the lead will end up in mediocre or failure. There is a lot of responsibility to being a successful sales person.

The peak performers are disciplined in how they attack their daily schedule.  They do not let their personal freedoms undermine the routine of prospecting and selling activities, and thus they are the ones who end up with the most flexibility in their lives over time.  

The key is to not embrace the freedoms as a perk, but to let them become your badge of honor after you have reached the top. Freedom for sales people does not mean free time.  

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Thom Singer is a keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies.  He talks regularly to corporate audiences in competitive industries that are sales focused and whose people are seeking success.  http://www.EngagingSalesSpeaker.com

The ABCs of Sales - E is for Ethics

E is for Ethics

Salespeople are often lampooned as being sleezy, schmoozy, pushy, and not always ethical in getting people to buy their products or services.  While the cliche image of a used car sales person brings with it many negative connotations, actually most car sales professionals that I have met do not fit this stereotype. The reality is that the majority of people who sell for a living are driven to bring value to their customers.

If you work in sales, or are responsible for new business development to keep your company operating, then there can be a lot of pressure on your to make a sale. While it may sometimes seem tempting to stretch the truth in getting a prospect to buy, the best sales people operate from a strong code of ethics.  They know that a single sale is not as important as their reputation or that of their company. 

While some might argue that this topic goes without saying, it is always a good reminder. In a competitive environment there are always desires to win at all cost. The reality is that the best victories in business are win / win / win, which means the buyer wins, the seller wins, and the ongoing relationships wins.  If you ever cross an ethical line, then nobody really wins at all.

If your industry or company has a written code of ethics then the policy is spelled out clearly. However, most people are not working under a published code of conduct.  Thus, we each need to set our own rules for where we draw the line.  

A company I know was once asked to pay a secret commission to someone in order to win a big deal, and they would not do it.  Later their competition was exposed for inappropriate conduct and sanctioned.  By not doing things they knew to be wrong, they saved themselves a lot of headaches down the line.

The best rule of thumb is that if your actions were to be published in the New York Times, would you be proud of the article.  If you get into grey areas and you would not want your friends and relatives to know what you did, then do not do it.

Always treat clients, prospects, competitors, vendors, and others with  respect.  In too many industries people change jobs and have a way of circling back into your life.  If you have not behaved appropriately along the way then it will come back to bite you. 

Never misrepresent your product or service and do not lead the buyer to believe things that are not true about any part of the transaction. Be true to your own set of morals and remember that being in sales should never feel dirty.  If you think what you are saying or doing is somehow wrong, it probably is not right.

Success is a long journey. Never let short term gains let you damage your future position with your company or in your community.  Always remember to behave in an ethical manner as a sales person and you can make a lot of money and sleep soundly at night. 

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Thom Singer is a keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies.  He talks regularly to corporate audiences in competitive industries that are sales focused and whose people are seeking success.  http://www.EngagingSalesSpeaker.com

The ABCs of Sales - D is for Daily

D is for Daily

If you want to be successful in selling your product or service, you must be actively cultivating relationships and prospecting every single day.  Each day you should be adding people to your list of contacts and having conversations with people to clarify if they are a good prospect.

The problems that sales professionals face is that in today's online and mobile crazy world, it is very easy to get distracted.  Too many have fallen into the belief that posting on social media is active prospecting.  The reality is that social media is a "best effort communication tool", so just because you posted it, you have no way of knowing if the right people saw your message.  A tweet has a lifespan of less than 30 minutes, so if your prospects are not on the app at the exact right time, they will never see your message.  Facebook and LinkedIn are no better.

There have always been distractions, and long before there was social media there were things that popped up that kept sales people from prospecting.  Paperwork, internal meetings, servicing existing clients, research, networking events, etc... all have a way of moving your attention away from the important task of reaching out to those who can buy from you.  

In the long run, if you are not filling your pipeline on a regular basis you will find that there will be little new business in the future.

The best way to stay on top of your prospecting for new clients is to do it every single day. Looking for clients is not a part-time job, it is the main thing you must do if you are in sales. I found the best way to do this is to dedicate a certain amount of time each morning to the process of making calls and sending out direct email.  The phone and email are better ways to communicate than social media, as you are fairly certain they get seen.  These used to be more effective, as not many people screen their calls and send unknown emails to spam folders, but they are still the best way to reach people.

Your outreach should be a combination of cold and warm calls.  Cold calls send chills up the spine of many outbound sales people and they proclaim they do not work.  But those who prospect regularly know that sometimes you connect with the right person at the exact right moment, and that brings in real business.  Warm touches are to people who already know you or to whom you have a referral or other connection.  These also will pay off when you find common ground.

And do not give up.  A single call or email might be ignored, but over time many people will respond if you are persistent.  By making a commitment to make a certain number of calls or to work the phones and email for a specified time frame, you will eventually see the results.  

To be successful you need daily habits and you must be committed to taking the necessary actions.  If you do not do it at the assigned time, it will not get done.  Without focus on doing your prospecting everyday it becomes too easy to push it off again and again until suddenly you are way behind on your sales target.

The good news is that daily routines are the easiest thing you can change in your sales career.  If you are not seeing the results you need, upping your consistency to prospecting will almost always help you turn the corner.  Daily activity is paramount to your success.

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Thom Singer is a keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies.  He talks regularly to corporate audiences in competitive industries that are sales focused and whose people are seeking success.  http://www.EngagingSalesSpeaker.com

The ABCs of Sales - C is for Closing

C is for Closing

Closing a sales is often regarded as the most important step in the sales process. While it is my belief that getting the conversation started with legitimate prospects is the most important, clearly closing a sale matters. We must move the process along to the signed contract signed if we want to make money.

The saying often tossed around when discussing the closing of sales is "A-B-C",  This means "Always Be Closing" and was made famous in the 1992 movie Glengarry Glen Ross.  Alec Baldwin's character, Blake, spells it out for the salespeople on his team that only one things matters: Getting them to sign on the dotted line.  (the character Blake is also famous for telling one of his salesmen to put the coffee down, as "Coffee is for closers").  The scene in the movie is a classic, but Baldwin's portrayal of Blake is very gruff, and gives sales professionals a bad name.  

While closing is not the only skill a sales person must have, it is important.  Too many people simply market their services and never ask for the business.  They think that the prospect understands the sales process and will move to buying their products when they are ready.  Too many live in fear of being seen as pushy, so the never ask for the sale.  

Asking for business is not pushy. If you have built rapport with your prospective client and you have earned the right to ask them to buy from you, then it is your responsibility to wrap up the sales process.  Closing the sale and getting the signed deal, or hearing "no" and putting closure to the conversation is the natural ending to the journey that the sales professional goes on with the prospect. 

To understand when to close a sale you must have been preparing for winning the business from before you first conversation. Every customer is different, which means you have to be paying attention to their interest levels and any signals they are displaying which will lead you to knowing they are serious about doing business with you.  A good sales person is always observing everything from what is said to the prospects body language. 


Every meeting should close with an ending that includes the "ask" as to what are the next steps.  You should never leave a business conversation without a closing question.  Early in the process that might be permission to send more information, or an agreed upon next step.  But eventually you need to say the words that ask them to become your client.  This should not be scary, but instead exciting.

Top sales people are naturally excited by getting people to buy their product. They communicate how their solution to a clearly defined need is a good fit for the client. This is all part of a process and when the client signs the contract everyone in the room should be happy. Enthusiasm and a smile are extremely valuable when asking for business, as you want to make sure the other person feels good about their decision. 

While there is more to winning sales than having a closing technique, all sales people should be conscious of the importance of the close.  

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Thom Singer is a keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies.  He talks regularly to corporate audiences in competitive industries that are sales focused and whose people are seeking success.  http://www.EngagingSalesSpeaker.com

The ABCs of Sales - B is for Bold

B is for Bold

A career in sales is not for the faint of heart. To achieve success as a sales professional a person must take action everyday. Every salesperson will hear "no" far more often than they will hear "yes" from prospective clients, and that is okay.  Accepting defeat and disappointment and then charging forward to the next opportunity is a normal day for those who sell. Top producers hate to be rejected as much as anyone, but that does not stop them from making calls. Top producers are bold.

Confident and courageous are common personality traits of people who spend a lifetime selling products and services.  Those who achieve success in sales believe in their products and in their own abilities.  They are not scared of losing because they know they belong in the lead.

Countless people who try their hand at sales either struggle or wash out of their selling jobs. Having a quota means you can never hide from your own performance. Anyone who has been in a sales career knows that the numbers matter and are always on display for everyone in your company to see.  Comparing success in other roles may be subjective, but for sales people their monthly numbers are black and white. 

When you rely on sales for your paycheck, your future is always at risk. For those who work for companies, they will not carry under performing salespeople for very long.  If you work for yourself you have to have new business opportunities or you will not remain in business. 

If we put a typeface in bold letters we do so for the word to stand out on a page.  Sales professionals who are bold also stand out from their competition.  There is a lot of noise out there and most customers have a plethora of choices on which vendors to utilize for any product  or service.  The ones who stand out get the call backs and eventually win the business.  

In your selling efforts I suggest you embrace the idea of being bold. Look at your actions and examine your internal dialogues to make sure you are not being timid.  Do not hide from making contact with prospects, customers and referral sources.  Show them your dedication to succeeding in providing them with the best service and continue to find ways to get the attention of buyers.  

Bold is a state of mind that will lead you to winning more business.

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Thom Singer is a professional master of ceremonies and keynote speaker.  He talks regularly to corporate audiences that are sales focused and in competitive industries.  http://www.EngagingSalesSpeaker.com

The ABC's of Sales - A is for Aspirations

A is for Aspirations

Every successful sales professional has an eager desire to achieve more in their life.  They are seeking something greater or aim to produce high value in their career and life.  To get up everyday and achieve results they have to aspire to success, as selling is a difficult and often disappointing way to earn a living.   

These goals to reach personal heights are not just limited to those in careers with "sales" in their job description.  The most successful people realize they are on a sales team no matter what their role in their company.  The truth is everyone is in "sales", even if their only product is themselves.  We all must sell ourselves everyday to our bosses, clients, co-workers, friends, family, etc....  Those who are not consciously looking for ways to improve are missing out on countless future opportunities.

"Sales" often is misunderstood and gets a bad rap in our society.  The image of the "used car salesperson" has negative connotations, and many shy away from wanting to be seen as "selling".  They use terms like "business development" or "account manager" to describe themselves, as if sales professionals are lepers.  

However, without sales there is no business.  Every organization (except apparently for governments) must have income that exceeds expenses if they intend to continue operations.  In highly competitive industries, the sales people are celebrated and well compensated because it is understood that they are driving the business. 

Companies that do not understand the importance of sales will often not hire the most aggressive and talented sales people, and when they do get a superstar they fail to keep them engaged in the company and the person moves on to greener pastures.  Having mediocre sales people means nobody in the company can ever reach their potential.  All companies should aspire to have top level sales teams, and treat them well.

Small business owners and solopreneurs often forget they themselves are in sales. Often they see themselves in the role of delivering their product or service, but without sales they have no business.  Getting clear about the importance of sales and doing what it takes to drive new business is the first step toward a sustainable company.

For an individual contributor, selling more means earning more money.  Sales professionals income should never be capped, as those who are the best at selling will continue to chase their personal goals and try to break personal and company records.  While money is not everything, it is an important benchmark for sales professionals.  

If you are reading this and you are in a sales career, what are your goals?  What do you aspire to earn this year? Be clear and think big.  Create a picture of what you want to achieve and then reverse engineer the steps you need to take to reach your goals. Let your aspirations be a guiding beacon that keeps working hard everyday.  Those who know what they want and how to get there are rarely disappointed when they lose a sale.  They know there is another one coming and that their focused actions will move them ahead. 

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Thom Singer is a professional master of ceremonies and keynote speaker.  He talks regularly to corporate audiences that are sales focused and in competitive industries.  http://www.EngagingSalesSpeaker.com 

10 Steps To Sales Success

Spending a lot of time working on my business.  To be successful as a solopreneur you have to be a sales person first (this is true for any entrepreneur - if you can't sell you go hungry). 

I cannot be a professional speaker and master of ceremonies if I do not have clients.  Same is true if you are a lawyer, accountant, consultant, coach, etc...  No matter what we do for a living we must develop new business.

Sales drives all business.

I have identified the ten things I must do go acquire new customers. They are not easy, but they must be done.

For me, if I can get past number one and number two I almost always win the business.  The hardest part is getting the attention of someone who can hire me and making them take notice of my services.



My list of steps to sales success:

1. Get prospective client to know you exist

2. Get prospect to go to website and watch video

3. Establish connection and relationship

4. Understand outcomes they desire from their event

5. Demonstrate unique value I bring when I speak

6. Proposal of my services

7. Overcome concerns / objections

8. Negotiate the final deal

9. Close / Get contract signed

10. Follow up and customize program

What are the steps you have to take to win business?  Take the time to identify what you must do, and then decide what areas you are good at, and what steps you need others to help you with in order to grow you company.  

Have A Great Day

thom singer

Get More Market Share

Are you looking to grow sales in your company?  Everyone in sales and every entrepreneur comes to a day when they are just fed up with being stuck on a plateau.  They feel it in their heart and soul that they are capable of doing more, and yet they are unsure of how to increase their market share.

You cannot sell more by being alone in a field.  You need to grow your network and your reputation if you want to grow your business.  In the last few years a lot of attention has been put on "Social Selling" and focusing efforts on building the online brand.  But almost everyone I talk to who reaches the highest levels of success does it through getting face-to-face with clients, prospects, and referral sources.

Your network the key to getting more business. Small business growth expert Mark LeBlanc recently gave me a copy of his book "Growing Your Business".  On page 65 he talks about the greatest marketing strategy in the world, which is to create an advocate system.  Create a list of people who are already in your life, and then make sure you are constantly in touch with them.  You have to ensure that these people understand your business and are able to help spread the word about why you are so good at what you do.

The problem we all face is that out of sight is out of mind. If you want to get more business you have to be working your relationships.  It is too easy to get lost in "busy" and never follow up.  Posting on LinkedIn or Facebook does not mean that anyone who matters actually viewed what you said.  Social media is a "best effort" communication tool, which means you made your best effort, but there is no guarantee the message was received and had any impact.

My own efforts to grow my business this year have been sluggish, but I have a new commitment to figuring out how to raise my visibility with the people who can hire me.  This is a key conversation in the "Cool Things Project" group coaching program that I administer.  All who I know who are seeking more and who feel stuck are often caught in a loop.  

I am hiring a coach to help me do this and my plan is to do everything he says for the next 6 months.  I am putting "excuses" on hold and I am just going to take the steps I need to take to boost my bottom line. 

If you want more market share, what are you doing to change up your routine so that you are not just doing the same things that got you onto the plateau where you currently stand?  

People are the key. If you need more people who can guide you, hire a coach or start a mastermind group.  If you need more clients, get yourself out into your "community" and make fresh connections.  Last night I went to a business happy hour sponsored by my local Business Journal and walked out with two real leads that could become clients in the next year.  I usually make the comment that "my business is not local" as an excuse to skip these wine and cheese events, but the first person I talked to was in charge of a large association conference with the need of "The Conference Catalyst".  Ummm, maybe I need to do more networking! 

Have A Great Day

thom singer

Getting To Know You (and Me)

We all live behind masks we put on for the outside world.  In our social media crazy world we are all projecting images, and people are making decisions about us as humans in seconds.

But people are very complex and cannot be "known" from reading their Tweets or Facebook posts.  Even reading a blog that has existed for more than 12 years will only allow you to see the parts I choose to expose.  Getting to know the heart and soul of another person is almost impossible.  Most exchanges of words between people are heavily superficial, and in the end this creates a culture where many feel misunderstood and alone.

Even in close relationships people do not know each other.  We think we do, but often we are making assumptions and generalizations.  We project who we want them to be.  Many people go through their whole lives without realizing we are missing the most interesting stories that are happening in the lives of others because we do not seek to know what makes them tick.

In business people will not often be comfortable sharing their back-story, but in life we should ask more questions of the people we invest our time with to find out more about their hopes, dreams, desires, and motivations. Most of us are not that empathetic and we miss the cues that others leave us about their soul.

I have recently begun to try to feel more about everything I do.  This involves how I talk with the people I meet.  I want to now just go through the motions when I have a conversation, but I want to be engaged and engaging in my exchanges with other humans.

To be willing to get to know others means I have to be willing to share my own "stuff" as well.  This is hard because I do not know how people will react to being more personal and not just skimming the surface in formal conversations.  But I am finding people are open to sharing if you give them the chance.

The end result of this is that I am discovering myself along the way.  Turns out the masks we wear also hide things form ourselves.  It is so easy to put parts of your mind, personality and soul into a box and close the lid. And as time goes by you forget those parts of self that you set aside.

Being a human is more complex than they tell you as you are growing up.  It often takes a lifetime to get comfortable in your own skin, and not that I am over 50 I am finding I care much less about the parts I worry might be flaws.  It is all just who I am, and that comes with lots of moving parts.

Anyone understand what I am saying here?

Have A Great Day

thom singer





 

Take Action

My word for this summer is "Action".  A lot of time seems to be spent thinking, but not enough attention is put on doing. I need for the rest of 2016 to be about accomplishing things in my business and thus I have decided to be a person of action.

In talking with others about achieving success, many respond to ideas with "let me give that some thought", and then nothing happens.  I am sure my ideas are not always good ones, but some of them should have merit. It is common for people to over-think and get paralyzed.  Thus there becomes a loop of contemplation without moving ahead on anything that they should be doing.

"Ready, Aim, Fire" becomes a lot of aiming.  Too many people aim all day long and then start over the next day.  When I study those who are making the most progress, some have a "Ready, Fire, Aim" philosophy.  They go early and then fix their work along the way.  Mistakes are okay with them and they simply try again.  

The hard part is deciding what to do.  There are too many options and I do not want to put a lot of time into the wrong efforts.  Doing useless tasks will not produce the results that will lead me toward more success.  But alas, doing nothing will not show results either.  We have to pull the trigger and put ourselves out in the game.

The online group coaching mastermind I host, "The Cool Things Project", is filled with people seeking to find more success in their lives.  One of the things we talked about recently was writing more, and using a blog or LinkedIn Pulse to put ideas into the world.  Thus I am trying to write one article each week that has the ability to inspire others.  

(I used to write 3-5 blog posts each week before I launched my podcast.  Now I only write on occasion).

Since content marketing has taken over the world, there are too many articles published each day, so I cannot expect my words to have a mass impact, but if one person reads my words and gets a small shot of motivation, then that is a good thing. My actions are worthwhile if they have some result.  I do not need to hit a home run with every action, I just need to hit a bunch of singles.  Too often we are caught up in only wanting to do things that guarantee massive returns.  But life had not guarantees.

As I sit and write this post, I am taking an action.  If I make sure I am doing things consistently, then over the long run I will have a track record of doing.  That is all any of us can ask for, as if taking action becomes our habit (over sitting back and thinking over options), we will not miss out on as many opportunities.  Wishing, hoping and dreaming is not going to lead any of us closer to our goals.

What about you?  What actions are you talking today?  

Have A Great Day

thom singer

"50 Things I Learned by 50" - by Thom Singer

As I turn fifty years old this week I am revisiting a blog post that written in in 2006 as "40 Things I Learned by 40" and then again in 2011 as "45 Things I Learned by 45". I am modifying the post here, but stand by all the advice added in years past.  Life keeps going. I am happier today than I was in the past, and am not bothered in the least by the number 50.  My perspective is different from others, as my own father was 52 when I was born, so I view age as only a number (he lived a very active and full life until his late 90s).

50 Things I Learned by 50

by Thom Singer

50. There is nothing wrong with getting older.  It happens no matter what, so just enjoy the stacking of experiences.  We live in a youth oriented culture, but don't believe that the best years are in the past.  

49. You are responsible for the choices you made in the past.  Don't be embarrassed by failure, it is part of the road to success.

48.  Sadness and depression happen, but we rarely talk about it.  Be honest with yourself and don't hide from your own feelings.

47.  Treat yourself to something special on a semi-regular basis.

46. Don't hide behind "busy".  Everyone is busy and it need not be your badge of honor.

45.  Everyone wants to feel significant, but you can never achieve significance alone in a field.  You need other people.  Help them find significance and they will return the favor.  Don't and you will be alone.

44. Social media is not a fad.  You must have a LinkedIn profile if you are a grown up with a job.  But do not mistake the number of contacts with the number of people how know, like, trust, respect, and understand who you are in your soul.

43.  Read the Wall Street Journal.  The economy (good or bad) does impact your career... no matter your company, industry, job title, etc...  Do not stick your head in the sand.  

42.  Embrace Change.

41. Don't worry too much about what others think about you.

40. Everyone has an ego. Tread lightly as to not bruise them.

39. Nothing produces results as much as taking action.  Be a person of action.

38. Don't gossip. What you say will always find its way back to the person.

37. People do business with people they know, like, and trust.  In our social media crazy world this is more true than ever.

36. Jealous and petty people are just part of life.

35. Say "please" and "thank you". It will make you stand out from the crowd.

34. When you need help, ask someone.

33. Having written goals is an important step you achieving your dreams and remain focused.  

32. Over using credit cards will stall your financial future.

31. A supportive spouse is so important.  Be one and honor the one you have.

30. A true friend is excited for you about any event that makes you happy.  Show that high level of excitement when those around you have positive events.

29. True friends are rare and should be cherished.  Those people who are "Forever Friends" (the ones that never judge you too harshly or fire you over minor things) are worth their weight in gold.

28. No job is secure. Have a "plan B" and don't be surprised if you have to pivot. 

27. Always find the best in other people. Do not focus on their flaws.  Everyone has flaws, so what.

26. You are not what you drive or what you wear. Do not judge others by their cars, clothes or zip code.

25. You are a "brand". No matter what you do it impacts your reputation.

24. Luck does not happen by accident.

23. Start saving money when you are young. 10% of your income should always go to your 401K.  I didn't do this, but envy my friends who were disciplined in this area. 

22. Dedicate time to think about your future. Know what success looks like so that you will recognize it when it happens.

21. You cannot love your kids too much!  And they grow up too fast.

20. Treat everyone with respect. You never know when they might circle back into your life.

19. If you are not knowledgeable about wine...Don't fake it.  

18. Be-friend your competitors.  Many of them are great people who will help you be more successful.

17. Regardless of your political beliefs - attend a presidential inauguration once in your lifetime. The whole thing is very cool.

16. Find a mentor.  The right guide makes the journey easier.

15. Be a mentor.  Few things are as wonderful as helping others avoid the same pitfalls that held you back.

14. Staying physically fit gets harder as you get older. But do it anyway.

13. You do not have to be smart to be successful. Tenacity trumps intelligence.

12. Having a strong network of professional contacts is the best career safety net. But you have to work on it always, as out of sight is out of mind.

11. Read a lot of books, magazines, websites, blogs and newspapers. Knowledge is power.

10. Writing a book is hard work. Promoting a book is harder work.

9. Develop your public speaking skills. Join a Toastmasters group and participate actively for two years.

8. There is no substitute for integrity.

7. Have friends who challenge you to be a better person.

6. If you know someone who wrote a book, read it. The biggest compliment you can give an author is to read what they wrote.

5. Helping others always comes back to benefit you.  Make others a priority and people will notice (and vice versa).

4. Find a good lawyer, accountant and banker before you need them. 

3. Learn to cook. Life is better when you have good food.

2. Opportunities exist. You just have to look for them. Don't whine, go make success happen.

AND THE NUMBER ONE THING I HAVE LEARNED:

#1 - Those who have achieved REAL success in life (financially, emotionally and spiritually) will never criticize your dreams and aspirations. Instead they will look for ways to share their own experiences to help lift you up to higher levels. Successful people are rarely jealous and welcome the achievements of others.