In The Sales Arena

Welcome, Gang!  Today we’re talking about a new topic; it’s one I’ve touched on before but never given much time to here on the podcast.  We are talking about Demonstration and Presentation Skills.  Over the years, I have done workshops on this subject.  It’s an important one for anyone in sales and many other fields. EVERYTHING is a presentation!  Many of these opportunities are not scheduled speaking events but informal encounters. Remember, there are three reasons why someone is not a great presenter: “I don’t know what to do.”  Communication is the solution. “I can’t do it.”  Training is the solution. “I won’t do it.”  Motivation is the solution. How do I become a great presenter?  Go to Toastmasters International!  I recommend this because it provides a great training ground where you can learn the fundamentals of professional speaking. There are Five Reasons Why Toastmasters is a Great Training Ground: They have a great process. It is a supportive community. They teach you how to “think on your feet.

Welcome to the podcast.  I just got back from Ft. Worth, TX with the Keller Williams team and had a great conference.  I really wanted to talk to you today about mastermind groups.  I have been able to spend some time with Ross Bernstein, Sam Richter, Ed Robinson, Michael Hoffman, Jim Pancero and Anna Liota through the mastermind groups that I am in.  It made me realize that I need to share with you the value of the mastermind groups.   Why Should You Create A Mastermind?   Enables you to get around people that are smarter than you are. Different people with different businesses bring different perspectives. You have people willing to challenge you and willing to be challenged by you. You can hold each other accountable for taking the action to make you better. 5.    It is a great community to build and you can enjoy each other while growing is outstanding.     How To Create a Mastermind     Keep the group fairly small.  5-9 seems to be the perfect number.    Agree to meet a certain number of times per yea

Hey, Gang!  Welcome to another podcast!  My topic today is The Power of Scripts, which comes from the work I’ve been doing with Keller-Williams Real Estate.  Why do we need scripts?  The answer is because they allow us to take advantage of every situation and leverage it to our benefit.   For example, KW teaches scripting to its associates to the point of making an initial introduction to a client, emphasizing the appointment time and the punctuality of the associate.   KW teaches the Bold Law, which is that spontaneity is a conditioned reflex.  When the client says A, then we are prepared to say B.  Your response becomes automatic because it’s been practiced over and over again. Remember, there are three types of salespeople: The UI—Unconscious Incompetent, who is no good at sales but has no clue that they are no good. The UC-Unconscious Competent, who is good at what they do, but have no idea why they are good. The CC—Conscious Competent, who is good at what they do and know why they are good. Here are Fo

Hey, Gang!  I’m adding something new to the podcast, so from time to time, I’ll be bringing you interviews with outstanding sales people.  I think it’s beneficial to add different voices and different views to help you.  The first of those is an interview with today’s guest, my son, Jason Jacobus.  Jason works as a sales rep for Buckley Oil Co. in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.  Jason is a husband, a father of two young sons and has just finished his MBA from SMU.  As a sales rep, Jason is very intentional and strategic, and I think you will benefit from his knowledge.  Let’s hear from Jason! Jason covers the following about his sales career and practices: Buckley Oil is a chemical distributor with which Jason has been employed for almost five years. Jason’s coverage area includes Texas and Oklahoma, and his contacts range from yard foremen to executives and company owners. When Jason began his career, since he wasn’t familiar with the products, he focused on building relationships, asking good questions, and ve

Hey, Gang!  I’m recording this from the Podcast Movement 2015 Conference in Fort Worth, Texas.  My topic today comes from a question I was asked after recently attending the National Speakers’ Conference in Washington, DC.  I will tackle this question and give several answers, so please join me. *Why do you go to these “learning” events? We have a lot to learn! There are things we can do better! It’s affirming to know that there are some things we ARE doing right. Presentations from other successful people give us INSPIRATION. Being around others allows us to make great connections. I challenge you to look for places you can go to learn new things!  The benefits are endless! Listener Question of the Week:  I’d love to go to a conference like the National Speakers’ Association Conference, but my company doesn’t pay for stuff like that.  What are your thoughts?  Don’t you think they should pay for it?   Quote of the Week:  “To be successful, failure is a requirement.”  --Pat Flynn  

Hey, Gang!  Thanks for joining me today!  My topic today is “Four Things to Learn  from a Learning Experience.”  By learning experience, I’m referring to a convention, conference, or training program.  I just returned from the National Speakers’ Association Conference in Washington, DC: Influence 2015.  I’ve been in the professional speaking business for 23 years, and this was my 15th convention.  Is it time wasted?  Absolutely not!  There are nuggets to take away from each of these gatherings and ways that they make me better at what I do.  Next weekend I’ll be in Fort Worth for the Podcast Movement 15 conference, and I’ll be looking to learn more! Here are some things we can learn from these experiences: It’s good to be around “the best of the best.”  Being influenced by these top people from various fields gives inspiration and affirmation to what we do. There is ALWAYS something new to learn.  I’m even learning how to use new technology to engage more listeners! Take advantage of every opportunity to tea

Hey, Gang!  I’m excited about this subject for our conversation today.  Being in sales is an awesome career choice!  Why?  There is a lot of money to be made, and sales careers offer more freedom than any other job.  You also get to help people with goods and services and meet some of the coolest people anywhere.  If you’re good at sales, then you’ll never be without a job.  Almost anyone can learn to sell, and most sales jobs don’t even require a college degree! So, what’s the problem?  Why do so many people struggle to have a successful sales career?  Here are the four reasons: They lack the resiliency to bounce back from adversity.  They end up depressed. They lack the responsibility for their actions and results.  They end up being the victim. They lack the humility required to constantly learn and grow.  They end up being passed over and left behind. They lack the BIG WHY needed to overcome the first three reasons.  They end up in a place where NONE OF THIS MAKES SENSE! WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?  Look

Welcome to today’s episode!  I’ve been working on a brand new project with Keller Williams real estate focusing on lead generation.  This has led me to today’s topic, which is FOUR KEYS TO EFFECTIVE COLD-CALLING: Stop calling it “cold-calling!”  Instead of the negative connotation, let’s call it PROSPECTING.  It basically means looking for new people with whom to do business. Have a good list.  This can be a random list, a targeted list, or a database of clients. Use a good script with a legitimate reason for calling.  This begins with a good referral or third party endorsement, has a clear purpose, asks a good question, and ends with a clear objective. Have a big WHY.  The WHY includes the financial reward for what we do, the freedom to grow and build, and the ability to make a difference for others. Listener Question of the Week:  I have a meeting with a client that I want to do business with in a couple of weeks.  I’m excited about it, but I know he buys from a very strong competitor in our marketplace. 

Thanks for joining me!  Have you stopped to think, “Why don’t I accomplish my sales goals?”  There are three basic reasons why people don’t do what they are supposed to do: They don’t know WHAT to do.  The solution is COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE!  Set clear goals and expectations. They CAN’T do it.  The solution is TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN!  If you’re a sales manager, then you train your people; if you are a salesperson, then you LEARN, LEARN, LEARN!  Focus on mindset, strategies, tactics, and skills. They WON’T do it.  The solution is MOTIVATE, MOTIVATE, MOTIVATE!  This is by far the most difficult of the three to solve.  There are only three motivators: pain, pleasure, and sense of purpose.  The sense of purpose is the big WHY?  It’s what drives us to bring value to the lives of other people.  Pain and pleasure are motivators that are short-lived, and they can only take you to the next level.  Sense of purpose is the only motivator that can take you to THE TOP! So, what can be said about that person

Hey, Gang!  July is here, and the summer heat is upon us!  It’s a great time to look at sales and what you expect from the SECOND HALF of 2015.  I just returned from an amazing Coaching Skills Camp, and I am energized and enthused about sharing a great sales correction technique with you today!  It is based on the following acronym for GROW: G---Goal:  What was my specific goal for this year?  This is my personal sales goal; it could be revenue, houses listed/sold, cars sold, cans of paint sold, units sold, new customers in my database, numbers of new leads, profits, margins, etc. R---Reality:  How does the reality compare to the goal?  Where am I RIGHT NOW in reaching my goal? O---Obstacles:  What is keeping me from reaching my goal?  This is a time for harsh self-evaluation, but not a time to blame others! W---What do I need to do about it?  Do I need to set new, specific goals?  What part is actually within my control? Ask yourself the following questions:   What do I need to do in the NEXT six months to c

Welcome!  We are wrapping up our series on Power Sales Questions that we have covered during June.  We have discussed Three Power Questions and how important they are: The Columbo Approach—Learn when and how to use it! The Plus/Minus Question—Find out what’s going well/what’s NOT going well. The Price Question—Find out how the client evaluates price. Now, we move to the GROUND ZERO QUESTION, which is the personal level question—the fourth of our Power Sales Questions.  Why is this important?  We have to earn the right to ask questions on a personal level and find out what matters to the customer on a personal level. Remember, “People buy for PERSONAL REASONS, and they justify for BUSINESS REASONS.” **WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER TO BE A PERSONAL HOME RUN FOR YOU? This question can take on different forms depending on the type of sales business: If we were to work together, a year from now . . . If we were successful in this bid process . . . If we were assigned to this project . . . If everything went as you w

Welcome to Inside the Sales Arena!   This month we are covering “Power Sales Questions”.  So far in June, we have discussed: The Power of Asking Great Questions We have looked at two tactical strategies: 1. The Columbo Approach 2. How To Ask the Tough Questions.   This week we are going to look at Questions to Keep You Out of the Price Trap!   If we were to work together and I brought you a proposal how would you go about evaluating price?   Would it simply be the cheapest price? Do added features and benefits matter? How would delivery time and service figure in? Would you look to us to create ideas and solutions that may be new to the mix? 2.  POWER Question – If I were to bring you a solution that was at a higher price but could show you better/higher ROI for using that product/service would that be a business case you are open to listening to? What if they say – "All I care about is price”?   “Typically that isn’t our strong suit but I would love to get involved and see where we are price-wise. How doe

Welcome to our podcast!  All month long we are talking about The Power of Questions, and today’s topic is How to Ask the Tough Questions. From our webinar of February, 2015, we covered value-based selling.  The value propositions for clients are based on the following: The Issue:  What is the problem? The Action:  What are we going to do about it? The Impact:  Why should they care? We discuss the issues of “me-too’s” and “hammers.”   Me-too’s---Occur when we do the same thing someone else does. Hammers---Occur when we do something no one else does. Remember, we ask questions to find out what it is the client values.  This helps us avoid the “show up and throw up” disease! The strategy that leads to asking the tough questions is to start by asking positive questions.  We ask about something that’s worked well for them, and then we flip to ask about what hasn’t worked well.  Examples include the following: What are some companies that do the best job at what you expect? What have been some major successes

THE “HOW” AND “WHY” OF USING QUESTIONS              “THE COLUMBO APPROACH"   Welcome to the first podcast of June!  All month we will be considering “The Power of Questions.”  We will discuss helpful, basic information that YOU can begin using right away.   WHY are questions so powerful?  There are three reasons: Use questions to create credibility with clients instead of skepticism. In sales, we should be talking 20% of the time and listening 80% of the time.  Asking questions allows for that to happen. When we ask questions, we are in TOTAL control of the conversation. A BONUS REASON:  Asking questions is the cure for the “show up and throw up disease” in sales.   From our Value-Based Selling webinar in February 2015, there are THREE LEVELS OF QUESTIONS to ask clients: Corporate Level Questions—no risk/no harm, but with very little return. Business Level Questions—higher risk/higher return Personal Level Questions—highest risk/ highest return The PERSONAL LEVEL questions are the goal, but we have to EAR

Welcome! This is the last podcast for Mindset May!    So far in May we have discussed:   1.  What we think matters 2.  The mindset of an entrepreneur 3.  Considering what really is possible and   4.  Today:  3 Key Sales Strategies for Partnering with Clients   •Customers are not adversaries – we are not at war with them!  We want to       partner with them to in their fight towards profitablility.   •Partnering with “ideal clients” is more fun!                      It is a lot easier!                      And … We make more money!   Bottom line? Partnering with clients is the best ROI for all of our hard work!   Let's review of the 6 Levels of Relationship   Level 1 – they don’t know us Level 2 – they do know us Level 3 – we are considered as a vendor Level 4 – we are a supplier Level 5 – we are a partner Level 6 -  we are an adviser   In our workshops we discuss what percentage of potential profit is there at each level and the big leap is between 4 and 5.     The example is: For every $100 in profit per sal

Welcome! This is “Mindset May” and we are discussing how what we think impacts our sales? I switched gears this week because I was listening to a book titled “The Million Dollar Real Estate Agent” by Gary Keller of Keller Williams Real Estate and they were talking about thinking big. What stuck with me was   ·      Big dreams and goals = big accomplishments! ·      Never will = never does! ·      We all have so much more potential than we imagine! Let’s start by reviewing the process of how what we think/believe impacts what we accomplish!   1.     Core beliefs? 2.     Create thoughts 3.     Create actions 4.     Repeated create habits 5.     Repeated create performance 6.     Repeated create accomplishments! 7.     What we believe matters! So? What are your thoughts on money?   ·      Our experience tells us you are only able to do about 10% more that you imagine you can! ·      The question I always have is how much do the best of the best make in your company? Why not you? How do we get there?   ·      Th

Welcome – this is mindset May and we are talking about the way top sales performers think! I have said over and over … I am a sales guy! Always have been and always will be. When done properly I believe it is among the most honorable professions on the planet! How about you? If I were to ask you what it is you love about selling what would you say? We do ask that question at the start of most every sales program we do and the answers are usually the same: I love helping people or customers, creating solutions, solving problems, playing the game I love the money, lifestyle, stuff that selling allows me to afford I love the freedom, power, control I have in sales How good we are at selling determines how much we have of the three above! Today we are going to look at that third one a little closer. In the assessment work we do (we talked about it last week) we create a benchmark by asking top performers how they think the job “should and could” be done at the highest level! We end up with the Big 5 Resilienc

What We Think Matters! - ITSA #036 Welcome To Mindset May   Welcome to mindset May gang. Our tagline says “Providing the strategies, tactics, real world skills and mindset to build the sales career, and life, you want! This month we are going to cover 4 specific mindsets that make a difference in our sales success! Week 1 – What we think matters! Week 2 - The mindset of an entrepreneur! Week 3 - The mindset of a problem solver! Week 4 – The mindset of a partner to your clients! Even in our webinars this month we are going to be covering how important mindset is with two webinars dedicated to the mindsets of resiliency and personal accountability. There is a continuum I want us to consider as a baseline for this discussion; Core beliefs Thoughts Actions Habits Character Legacy Some of the more critical areas of mindset that we need to consider are; A positive outlook in general? Sales and selling Customers and clients Your company, products/services and your boss! Success and failure, rejection, self este

4 Reasons Why No One Reads Your E-mail - ITSA #035 (And What To Do About It!) Welcome to In the Sales Arena Podcast #035 ...    We are wrapping up a months worth of content where we have been working on how do we get to see more decision makers – prospects or current clients. Today we are going to talk about why we can’t get them to respond to our e-mails. So … here are the 4 primary reasons no one reads our e-mails … #1 – it is all about us! Let me tell you about! Here is our newest! Guess what we just did! Market, market, market! Sell, sell, sell!!! I, I, I, We, We, We!!! #2 – we have a brand that says we don’t consistently deliver “value” But wait … a lot of my customers read my e-mails so they are perceiving value! Are they? Are we communicating the things they value? Is the value consistently communicated? With their best interests always at heart? #3 – no thought put into the subject line! It is boring and can’t compete with all of their other e-mails! #4 – the e-mail itself isn’t written to make it e

4 Keys To Using Social Media Work For You In Sales! I love using social media as a sales tool and when you use it properly it can be very effective. Some of the reasons I think it should be a tool in your bag would be: It’s free! It reaches a ton of people for free! It can bring credibility when used well. It can be noticeable by its absence. It is a lot of fun … The important part of social media is learning to use it properly. Here are 3 Keys to making social media work for you in your sales efforts: Key #1 – not all channels are created equal Facebook – primarily B2C Twitter – B2B or B2C Linked In – B2B Key #2 - You have to have the goods that help people by bringing value to their work and/or personal lives. Key #3 – you have to be consistent in your delivery whatever channel(s) you choose to create a voice and build up a following. Key #4 – bring value, bring value, bring value and bring even more value and then they will let you market to them! We recommend you pick 1 channel at a time, master it an