The Attractor Factor by Joe Vitale

This is one of the few goal setting books that not only did I read completely, I also did all the exercises. It’s that good. I suggest it’s the perfect book to read, or re-read (as I will over the holidays) to help you get clear on what you want to accomplish in 2009. If you’re up for it, take the 30-day challenge outlined in the last chapter and share your goals with me. We can complete the challenge together!

Check out this Book on my Reading List!

Hi Colleen. This economy is stressing me out. Can I do anything that will help me manage stress and make me more productive? Mark in San Jose.

Thanks for writing and as a first step, breathe! Stress is an inescapable part of being a sales professional. You have the stress of hitting your numbers, the physical stress that travel brings, and the emotional stress of being away from your family. The good news is while you can’t stop stress from occurring, you can change the way you react to it. The following suggestions for stress reduction will help you relax, enjoy life and being a sales pro. And as a direct result, these ideas will help you to be more productive, sell more and which, coincidentally will help you reduce chances of being stressed in the future!

1. Laugh. Laughter is one of the best tension releasers there is. Find things to laugh about and people to laugh with. Laughter is a great antidote for taking life too seriously. I keep a file of great jokes in my email system so when I need a great laugh, I can get one instantly! I also visit www.despair.com for a good laugh.

2. Take breaks. If you are working on a stressful activity, set it down for a few minutes, stretch and if you can, go for a walk if you can. Learning to interrupt a stress-producing activity will help give you the break from tension that you need. You’ll return to your activity refreshed and ready to be more productive. If you can get some exercise it will help you clear your mind and more productively solve the problem or the task at hand. Your body needs a break about every 90 minutes. So be sure to get up from your desk, have a snack and change your focus for about 15 minutes.

3. Make “happy” plans. Reward yourself for completing a task or hitting a goal. Make sure you set that goal in advance of completing the task because anticipation is an exciting feeling and will help propel you to success. Plan to see a special movie, eat out with someone you like, or do something else that pleases you. What gets rewarded gets repeated.

4. Focus your thoughts. The habit of thinking about too many things at the same time is extremely fatiguing and stress producing. Instead of being overwhelmed and unproductive, concentrate on one task at a time. Try making a list of other things you must do, and then put the list aside, so that you don’t have to think about the tasks, but you won’t worry about forgetting them either. Multi tasking leads to stress. Focus on one task at a time. Complete it without interruption, cross it off your list and move on.

Good luck! Colleen

WOW! We just completed our first Sales Mastery Workshop in Chicago this past weekend and I was blown away by all the participants and by how much they contributed. Congratulations to everyone who attended!

There are three key points that I’d like to share with you about that workshop:

1. There were lots of great ideas. We assembled an elite group of sales leaders who arrived hungry to receive and share information. Not only did we all learn some new ideas (and some things we can’t write about in this newsletter), it was also a great opportunity for new partnerships and referral sources.

2. Great results are already being reported. Just days after the workshop, we’re already seeing reports of results from participants. In fact, even before we left, one attendee provided coaching to a rep back home, based on that day’s work. That rep went on to secure two meetings from three calls based on our cold-calling model. That kind of result is great news…in any market!

3. Movie night was a smashing success! What would a complete sales education be without a screening of Glengarry Glen Ross? While I had forgotten just how foul the language was in the film, I had not forgotten the great sales and leadership lessons learned from this Hollywood classic. Plus we all got a chance to kick back and enjoy the show…complete with Cracker Jacks, Junior Mints and a few beverages!

I hope you will choose to join us at an event next year.

And speaking of events…today is the last day you can sign-up for the Third Annual Powerhouse Event (April 27-28, 2009), for the ridiculously low, pre US-Thanksgiving Day special rate of $247. Plus with your early registration, you will receive the complete audio recording of our 2008 event-that’s a $197 value on its own, and it’s yours at no extra charge!

Check out for all the details.www.EngageSelling.com/powerhouse

Happy Thanksgiving to all our American Readers. Don’t forget to thank your customers. After all, they pay your bills and keep your company buoyant. And happy shopping to everyone who celebrates Black Friday!

Dedicated to increasing your sales,

Hi there,

Here are 4 more of the best answers to the question i posted on linked in last week. I am curious your thoughts and hope that you join us for some sales tactics to sell now you can use on Nov 25. www.engageselling.com/stimulus

Colleen, buyers are slowing down their decision process, and delaying until 2009 in hopes of a different environment. Cost is the focus, so I’ve been spending a lot of time helping client refocus on the pain or problems that brought them to us. Then the difference this year is equating the pain to a dollar figure so they can see the benefit of the solution. It is very time consuming, and almost feels like we are starting all over with every client. – Jim

The changes I see in buyer behavior in the “new economy” can be summed up in one word: fear. The changes in how I am selling in the “new economy” can also be summed up in one word: nothing. -Michel Neray

Clients are not releasing their 2009 budgets to their agencies, so the agencies are not sending PO’s to publishers. Existing solid advertisers are asking for lower rates. Competition is intense…as our president says, “there are no more uzi’s or grenades…it’s now a knife fight.” However, in a recession market share is up for grabs so go get it. – Anon

It depends upon what you are selling, Colleen. At the moment, many companies are structuring their budgets for 2009, so this is a good time to influence their priorities where you have good relationships. As others have responded, many customers are taking additional time to make decisions or are putting solutions on hold. However, in certain industries, they can’t hold off buying any longer. Good luck! – Joan

The only change I am really seeing in buying behavior is that customers use “the economy” as an objection. They love to puke out “I would love to buy, but with the way the economy is, I better wait.” Most of the time they don’t even know why they say it other then the fact that it lets them off the hook. Just like “I have to think about it” The positive part is that most people don’t know how to overcome this objection. My point being that they may be dodging other people so well, that they actually may be financially in a better position by the time you get to them then other times. So, if you are better at addressing this, you could capitalize on your competition not being able to.

Things that could help overcome this pending on what you are selling and to who:

1. As always, address and kill this objection before it comes up. As you know, the best time to overcome an objection is before it is said.

2. If it is puked out at you, don’t be afraid to politely challenge them a bit on it. BE CAREFUL! DON”T ATTACK OR SOUND CHALLENGING! I have come back with questions like “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Did you loose your job?” no “Oh, they cut your pay, didn’t they.” well, no. “Did your mortgage or car payments go up?” no “Has your lifestyle changed drastically?’ no…(even if you get yes on this one, it just means they have more money to work with then other times.) When I start throwing stuff like that back, people start to realize that 1st, I’m not buying into the excuse, and 2nd, even though “the economy” is said to be horrible, it really hasn’t directly affected them. Unless of course they really did loose a job.

3. If possible, find a way to use the economy as the reason why your product or service is needed. “This economy, Mr. Buynow, is exactly the reason why you need this because…”

4. Better prospecting: Make sure you are targeting the right people with the least chance of being affected by a bad economy.

Most important thing is to ask yourself: Who is really using the “economy” as an excuse? Is it your customer to avoid buying or is it YOU for not selling?

Lastly, the only thing I have changed in my selling is NOTHING! I still build rapport, get on their agenda, find what is most important to them, (buying motive or hot buttons) check for agreement… My process and goal remains the same. “Sell on to others the way they want to be sold” –  Jim Stringer

Dedicated to helping you increase your sales!

Colleen

I posted a question on Linked In this week that I thought you would be interested in. here are a sampling of the answers.

Question posted: What changes do you notice in buyer behaviour in the “new economy”? How are you selling differently now than you were last year?

A sample of the answers:

(1) More and more buyers are turning to the Internet for their first round of learning about products and services. In the new economy social media and networks are strongly influencing buying behaviors. – Vince

(2) Spending has basically ground to a halt. You cannot sell something to a market that has zero interest in buying — nor the ability to pay for it anyway. So unless you have an essential must-have product or service, your sales are going to be way down. And if it is a must-have, then people will buy it without any sales pitch. The only exceptions will be a few products that the affluent always will buy, but even they are cutting back because they have been slammed by the stock market. – Frank

(3) My business continues to be driven by customers demands for added technology, but this year customers have also added a new dimension – they have developed a significant price sensitivity and prefer shorter-term contracts over long-term contracts. To counter this:

We have reduced up-front development costs for our customers. And if they sign a long-term contract we eliminate the upfront costs completely. We have added new methods of communication and technology on our listing service websites including blogging capability, enhanced lead tracking and 3D flyover mapping with no additional charge to the customer. We are also offering more and bigger discounts to those who participate in our listing services.  – Dave

(4) In a bit of a catch 22, I find that people are still spending, but are definitely trying to slow down the payment process. I’m seeing a lot of people doing anything they can to stretch invoice payments out as long as possible. – Ryan

(5) Based on retail sales patterns, it seems consumers in general have become more price sensitive. Evidence of this is in the financial results of discount retailers. According to the Wall Street Journal “Upscale retailers like Abercrombie have been feeling the pain more than lower-end stores, which are showing the best overall strength.” For example:

• Walmart announced third quarter earning today, which were UP 9.8%. Same-store sales increased 2.7% in Walmarts and 4.5% in Sams stores.
• BJ’s Wholesale Club (BJ) increased sales 6.6% (excluding gasoline sales)
• Abercrombie & Fitch Co.’s (ANF) 20% decline
• Saks Inc. (SKS) declined 17%

In other words, consumers are getting “back to basics,” cutting back on luxury items and paying more attention to prices. – Bobette

(6) I agree, Price is the major driver these days. However, there is another area, coupled with price that should not be overlooked. Customers have always looked for added value from companies, which is just good business. However, not all companies have incorporated added value into their business model. Given the economic landscape, I believe it plays a huge role in every one’s decision making process when choosing to hire or buy from one company over another or even decide what restaurant to frequent even though many people have reduced or stopped eating out. Whether it is it is in the form of enhanced customer/personalized service, a complimentary item with purchase, etc., it is something that companies need to address in their financial meetings if they want to make a sale and capitalized on word of mouth potential. – Laney

What do you think?

Colleen