Here Comes Santa Claus

A Guest Blog Post from Jack Klemeyer of GYB Coaching

Any parent anywhere in the United States and probably the rest of the world knows how magical those 4 little words, “here comes Santa Claus,” in keeping a child focused and on their best behavior. But what happens when the child no longer believes, the magic of the four little words vanishes into thin air.

I’m sure the power of staying on course has been a challenge since the beginning of time. As a matter of fact in Greek Mythology the song of the Sirens drew many a ship’s captain off his course and to his demise. Only one person, Odysseus, ever heard the song of the Siren.

Today straying off course can be almost as devastating to an entrepreneur. The number one challenge for an entrepreneur isn’t sales, it isn’t capital, it isn’t energy… the number one challenge is focus. Staying on track!

Since that’s true, and almost every person on the planet knows it, why then don’t more entrepreneurs stay focused? It shouldn’t be that hard. It’s simple but it isn’t easy. We need outside help and that’s where the role of an accountability partner or coach comes into playing a critical role in any businessperson’s life.

Napoleon Hill, author of the timeless classic, “Think and Grow Rich” studied successful business people under the direction of Andrew Carnegie, the great steel magnate. Napoleon studied 720 business people and the traits, habits and behaviors that made them successful. There was one common denominator among all 720 people studied. They all had a group of like-minded individuals that they met with on a regular basis to bounce ideas, gain advice and to hold them accountable to what they needed to do.

That common denominator, the one thing held in common to make them successful was accountability.  Being held accountable isn’t always a pleasant thing but it is a necessary, you might say vital, component of any successful person. Some folks are able to use pen and paper to hold themselves accountable others need that outside help.

Albert E.N. Gray spoke about another (but related) common denominator in his 1949 speech to the agents of Prudential Insurance Company, of which he was president at the time. Mr. Gray stated right out that, “the secret of success of every man (at the time the male pronoun was used exclusively) who has ever been successful… lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.”

My advice, find a system, a process, a method that works for you to hold you accountable to the behaviors and goals that you know you need to be doing to reach that level of success you desire. If a system doesn’t seem to fit just right… talk to a coach!

Read more great blogs on Accountability on Jack's Blog: http://gybcoaching.com/blog  

Stay in touch by subscribing to my weekly newsletter!

Marketing or Selling What is More Important?

AddressTwo University Podcast 

with Leanne Hoagland-Smith Author of  "be the Red Jacket in the sea of Gray Suits"

Tune in 4pm (E.S.T) Tuesday May 1st

U.AddressTwo.com

 

The question to be asked is “Not do they your employees or even yourself know it, but rather do they or you want to do it?” The answer to this question may make you a little uncomfortable and this is usually where Leanne Hoagland-Smith, Chief Results Officer for ADVANCED SYSTEMS, 15 year young executive coaching and organizational development firm begins.

Change is not easy and this is why Leanne believes for sustainable results to happen the solution must begin with securing clarity around the beliefs that drive the actions generating the results. She supports crazy busy professionals and executives who want sustainable results because they are tired of the continued and very costly “re dos.”

With over 30 years in corporate and 15 years as an entrepreneur, Leanne brings a common sense approach to reaching that next level of success by beginning with clarity and then developing alignment between strategy, structure, process, rewards and people to ensure sustainable results.  She believes change begins from within people as their beliefs drive the actions (behaviors) generating the results.

Also, she is a nationally published author, author of over 3,000 articles ranging from leadership to process improvement and a local business columnist with the Sun Times/Post Tribune.  She is also a certified facilitator, a certified sustainability consultant and certified consultant to deliver DISC, Values, Attribute Index and Emotional Intelligence assessments.

As one of the editors for Rising Stars, a youth leadership development curriculum (born from a proven adult leadership development process)and one of the first national certified facilitators for this dynamic process, enables Leanne to speak at national conferences focusing on how to create and develop a results driven self leadership process for young people as well as improving the performance of the staff.

In the summer of 2012, Leanne will add international speaker to her credentials as one of the keynote presenters at the Tech Niche Conference in Guwahati, India. Her keynote, Signs, will provide insight to over 1,500 attendees as how to bridge the gap between technology and management by being a forward thinking leader.

Leanne does believe you can teach an old dog new tricks as evidenced by her embracing technology as well as social media including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. 

As a life long resident of Northwest Indiana even though she was born in Chicago, IL, Leanne is proud graduate of Hammond High School and earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Purdue University. She lives in Valparaiso with her husband, Ken Smith, a Morton High School graduate. Leanne is a member of the Lakeshore Chamber, several professional organizations and is the current Council President for her church, Augsburg Evangelical Lutheran Church of Porter, IN.

Sales Elite Start At The Top – Selling The D-Suite.

A guest blog post from www.salesevolution.com

 

In GFS™ training we spend important time in session covering “Relationship Management”
which itself divides into a few sub-sessions, one of which is DISC Analysis.  As GFSers know,
DISC profiling provides a basis for judging the pacing, tone and some guidance on the content of
business conversations based on the natural communication style of you counterpart. The intent
of the training is to utilize the DISC methodology to help sales professionals adapt their own
style to that of the person they are speaking with.  Particularly in first meetings, effective
communications and therefore our ability to establish credibility is based as much on the way we
speak to someone as what we say to them.  This is nowhere more critical that when you are
talking with the top management, in the C-Suite; or what we call “the D Suite”.

D-Suite because top management tends to be populated with “D”  or dominant type DISC
personalities. When it comes to business discussions Ds live by the crito: “Be brief, be bright, be
gone.” So how do we adapt our natural personalities, our natural communication style to  assure
successful initial conversations in the D-Suite.

Most of us approach senior level D’s the way the cowardly Lion approached “Oz the Great and
Powerful”  in the “Wizard of Oz”, trembling and on his knees. In fact this is the precise opposite
of what a D is looking for in communications. In a nutshell D’s are looking for the ‘unvarnished
truth with all the bark on it’. They want reality not romance; funds not friends. You have a D’s
undivided attention when you speak in irrefutable truths and scrap the indefensible assertions.
The key to the D manager communications is one word:  REAL. Revenue, Earnings, Assets &
Love.  Everything you address with a D better speak to improving sales, bottom line, asset value
or address the core passion about why they are doing what they are doing. The Ds personal
emotional motivation for why she wants her business to go higher and further; her vision of
tomorrow.

But for many of us (about 75% of all people and about 50% of sales people) this is much easier
said then done. In a ‘lights, camera, action moment when its sink or swim; do or die and we seem
to lose our ability to think on our feet and respond intelligently to the most mundane question.
“Sooo, what do you want - Scarecrow?” Our knees get weak and we collapse to the floor; a
reflex response to the Ds natural instinct to attack as a way of establishing relevance, ‘I guess if
they run it couldn’t have been very important!’ (By the way, the very reason the RMS Titanic hit
an iceberg!)

Key to overcoming this requires us to create five counter-reflexive behavior patterns for dealing
with the D-Suite:

1)    Talk REAL. And in the context of their personal investment in REAL outcomes.  If it’s
    phony you’re finished, but Ds can’t resist the attention and interest in their priorities as
    long as it is genuine. After all what other priorities are there anyway?

2)    Assert Nothing. Make absolutely zero assertions that you aren’t prepared to defend to the
    death. And when you finally make one couch it amongst other statements that are
    irrefutably true. “Sales Evolution is not a fit for every company.” “We are not the
    cheapest provider, so if that’s what you are looking for then we probably can’t help you.” 

3)    Kill Small Talk (unless they insist). Even if she drifts into small talk she will love you for
    being the one to pull the conversation back to business.

4)    “Disentrall yourself.” Abe Lincoln’s advice and just as valid today. Be like a doctor when
    it comes to dealing with D’s; you are there to create certainty about the D getting the
    outcome she is seeking – that’s it. In the end it’s yes or no; you just want the decision.

5)    Resist & Go Negative: D’s thrive under pressure; without it they are like a fish out of
    water. Load your talk with RTQs (reality testing questions) that strike at the heart of
    “Why are we here and why are we having this conversation.”

And the good news is that in senior management even if they aren’t a D they have adapted D
attributes that will be coherent with this approach. Once you learn to “Deal the D” you are on
your way to becoming one of the GFS Sales Elitesm; those who deliver number crushing results
every time by dedicating their time to those with the authority to say “yes”.

Scott Messer scott@salesevolution.com
Phone: 610-353-8686

A Great 5 Step Sales Process with AFP Marketing Group

AddressTwo University Podcast 

with Pat Altvater of AFP Marketing Group

Tune in 4pm (E.S.T) Tuesday April 24th

U.AddressTwo.com

 

Pat Altvater partners with entrepreneurs to implement a sales and marketing process and plan that brings them into alignment with who they want to BE and increases their bottom line.

She is the author of Choose Success - Ignite the Power Within and creator of a trilogy of guided imagery CDs, Transformations Trilogy for Body, Mind and Spirit.

Teaching individuals to showcase their expertise and embrace success in a FUN, joyful manner is her mission which she accomplishes with group presentations, accountability circles, and coaching as well as through her Internet TV channels.  Her website Indy BizTV Shows, which will launch on May 14th,provides shows from an elite network of Indianapolis experts that educate, inspire and motivate business owners to either grow their business or improve their quality of life.

Pat holds a master’s degree from Virginia Tech and a bachelors from Michigan State University.  She is a member of the National Speakers Association, the Maumee Chamber, eWomen Network, Powerful You! Women’s Network and Rainmakers.

Pat believes that having a success mindset and helping others achieve their goals is the key to her own success

 

 

 

Special Extra Podcast this week with 1 of the top 30 Sales Trainers of 2010

AddressTwo University *Special* Podcast 

with Hal Becker of The Becker Group Inc.

Tune in 4pm (E.S.T) Tuesday April 17th

U.AddressTwo.com

 

 

Hal Becker is a nationally known expert on Sales, Customer Service, and Negotiating. He conducts seminars or consults to more than 140 organizations a year. His client list includes IBM, Disney, New York Life, Continental Airlines, Verizon, Terminix, AT&T, Pearle Vision, Cintas, and hundreds of other companies and associations.

Hal, at age 22, was Xerox's #1 salesperson among a national sales force of 11,000, and then founded and became CEO of Direct Opinions, one of America's first customer service telephone survey marketing firms that administers more than two million calls per year. He now spends his time consulting and presenting lectures around the world.

Hal is the author of "Can I have 5 Minutes Of Your Time?" which is now in it's 18th printing and is used by many corporations as their "Sales Bible". He has also authored two other best sellers "Lip Service," one of the nations foremost books on customer service, and "Get What You Want," a fun, upbeat and fresh approach to negotiating.

He has been featured in publications including The Wall Street Journal, Inc Magazine, Nations Business and hundreds of newspapers and Radio/TV stations around the world, and is currently syndicated in over 45 newspapers and magazines.

In 2010 Salesgurus.net voted Hal as one of the "World's top 30 Professional Sales Trainers".
After battling terminal cancer, Hal founded the Cancer Hotline, a non profit organization that provides support and assists cancer patients and their families. He donates proceeds of his books to this cause.

Want some quick, fun and effective ways to make more sales? Click here to access articles by Hal.

 

 

Guess Free Economics: “If Not Sales, Who?”

A guest blog post from www.salesevolution.com

I admire salespeople! I admire them in part because I believe that salespeople hold the power to restore American economic growth! Yep, that’s what I said. America’s team of professional salespeople bear the responsibility at a grass-roots level for lifting our country above the flat GDP of recent years and for restoring the confidence and commitment to moving the nation forward.  At the same time as professionals we need to reject the assignment of blame, reject the attitude of the politicians and pundits who seem focused on seeking scapegoats for our economic realities rather than seeking solutions for them. Maybe there was mismanagement at a few bad firms, and maybe the consequences of those bad decisions did temporarily overwhelm the really great management of many, many small and mid-sized companies. But it just doesn’t matter anymore; it is time to press on.

So, if you are reading this on the Sales Evolution blog, when I say sales professional I’m pointing at you! America’s business developers hold the power to restore GDP, full employment, and begin mending the budget and trade deficits. Our capabilities in concert go far beyond the meager powers of the President or Congress or Wall Street.  And judging by the robust market for sales training and self-help materials, our nation of sales and business developers are well prepared and eager for the task.  After all, salespeople are trained in getting things done, managing time, creating solutions, driving decisions and controlling priorities. And most importantly, about delivering results – that’s “job one” for salespeople and what clearly distinguishes them from everyone else in the organization; even beyond the C-suite!

But how do we do it? Well, it’s not going to be easy, but it all starts with us having the kind of realty testing conversations that strike at the heart of the fears and uncertainties that are causing our prospects and clients to choose inaction over moving forward with new business initiatives including buying our stuff. This conversation is not about trying to sell them on your stuff and you are not trying to persuade them that they need to change the way they are thinking. It is about having open unbiased talk with them so that you can learn about the deep uncertainties they are having about dealing with the issues and aspirations that are critical to the growth and well-being of their businesses; as related to our products and services. This talk might bleed into areas that are not directly related to your business, that’s okay.  The important thing is that you create as many of these conversational opportunities, with as many prospects and clients as possible.  Just remember: STOP SELLING and start having MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS concerning THEIR UNCERTAINTIES. Keep it focused, but that’s all you do; nothing else.  Then stand back and watch the magic. Especially in challenging times they will respect that a salesperson is willing to carve out a “sales-free-zone” for them to talk about all of the business fears they’ve been carrying around in their heads. And they will be grateful that you created the opportunity to allow the conversation to be about them. Every trained sales professional has the capability to empower these important “Certainty Creating Conversations” with their prospects and customers and if they do we are going to dramatically change the American business landscape for the better.

So, there’s little doubt in my mind that the “United States Sales Force” has the intelligence, the skills, the energy and the tenacity to tackle the duties of selling America back to vitality at the street by street level. And I’ll even go one better -  mobilizing America’s sales talent has the potential to lift us beyond our previous levels of economic achievement; enabling  us to tackle even larger challenges that we as a nation are eager to confront but sadly have been lacking the leadership to meet, beat and defeat. 

So now it’s up to us. Either we adopt a larger role in our success, our customer’s success, our community’s success - and in our nation; or we fall back and accept the role of victim that is frankly getting to be too tedious for many American’s to tolerate.  Either we envision ourselves as the engines of change, of improvement, of the future or we don’t. But each of us had better make up our minds because in this battle our country is counting on its sales force to take the offensive. And if it is not we salespeople who take on economic mediocrity who will do it? If not now, when will it happen?

Scott Messer scott@salesevolution.com

Phone: 610-353-8686

What Gets in the Way of Achieving Goals

AddressTwo University Weekly Podcast 

with Chet Cromer of C2IT Consulting

Tune in 4pm (E.S.T) Tuesday April 17th

U.AddressTwo.com

 

I am the father of two great children, the husband of a wonderful woman, and a growing man of God. I find the stage of life I’m in right now to be not much different than a man juggling a bowling ball, a flaming torch, and a fruitcake all at the same time. While it certainly is more complicated than I’d like at times, it’s really all about doing the right thing at the right time and being ready for what comes next.

My business, C2IT Consulting, has been helping small businesses across the country leverage technology as a tool to provide efficiency, automation, and accuracy for eight years, all in the name of creating true value for those we serve. We build unique, data-driven software, websites, and complete technology solutions aimed at helping small businesses DO business in the BIG business world they exist in.

Outside of my life as an IT consultant, I love to spend time with my family, working on our small farm, and sharing life with teenagers from my church and community. I believe much of my life’s mission is focused around equipping and encouraging others to be all that they were created to be.

Finally! A CRM Tool that Tells Me What to Do!

As Business Development Manager for Web Media Expert, I am faced everyday with goals and projects. Accounting for these can be tough, but completely manageable with the right tools. 

Google Calendar

One of the simplest tools that I use for my day-to-day is my Google Calendar. My calendar updates me every day on the items that need to be taken care of. As soon as I schedule an appointment or call, I put it on my Google Calendar, this update will take up my entire computer screen when the time has come, how great is that?

Tungle.me

Tungle.me is also a great and free tool that I use to schedule out my meetings with clients. I simply created an account and synced it with my Google Calendar. From there I can send out my custom URL. This saves so much time from the “back and forth” of emails trying to find a good time for both parties. Address Two

Address Two

Whiteboards, post-its and reminders are great, but for tracking my numbers with so many different calendars I am hooked on Address Two. Now that our whole team is using this service, we can all be held accountable for our monthly goals and even back track through emails! I upload everything to my A2 account, proposals, contracts, even notes!

I get an email from “Addy” every day with my tasks to be completed. Being a creative, and totally right brained person, I NEED those reminders and “someone” to tell me every day who I need to call or email, or even to check in on administrative day to day tasks with my team and clients. This has saved me more times then I can count!

I can easily open my AddressTwo account and see exactly what I am bringing in, and how much. Addy automatically updates for me, and since math is not my strong point, I love it! SO much easier then updating Google Docs every time! However, I have my account synced with my Google Docs, and my Google Calendar so in one dashboard I can see what my day looks like and all the documents that I will be using.

With the “Verification” process, I can make sure that all of my client’s information is current and up to date with one click. Connecting with them on social networks is also SO much easier with the Social Connect Buttons under each account. I love to friend, connect and follow all of my clients and prospective customers. Social networking does bring me closer.

I support and promote AddressTwo whole heartedly. (Not just because I am a writer for the University.) But because it was a platform that was introduced to our team not too long ago, and I can honestly say – I’d be lost without it. 

--Stephanie Klein

        

Bringing out the Best in Both Genders - AddressTwo Promo Code

 

Bringing out the Best in Both Genders

Use Gender Networking Secrets to Create Bigger Profits

Use the AddressTwo Promo Code for this Event: AddressTwo

Click Here

Business Networking and Sex Workshop
Held at the Indianapolis Marriott East

Would you like to close more Sales?

Get more Referrals?

Have more Raving Fans?

This workshop will give you the tools you need

to close more sales with BOTH genders.

Consider this:

• As Men take on more of the household duties, their spending is increasing in consumer goods.
• Women buy more than half of the new cars in the U.S., AND influence up to 80% of all car purchases.
• Two-thirds of Men have shopped online in the last 30 days.
• Nearly 92% of Women pass along information about deals or finds to others.

Can you afford not to network with BOTH sexes?

Event Details
7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.
Registration*, Open Networking and Continental Breakfast


8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Informative, Educational & Entertaining Presentation by New York Times Best-Selling Author Dr. Ivan Misner and Amazon Best-Selling Authors Hazel Walker & Frank De Raffele, Jr. Come hear what "She Says" and "He Says" when confronted with the cold, hard facts gleaned from surveying 12,000 business professionals.


11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Author Book Signing**

Use the AddressTwo Promo Code for this Event: AddressTwo

Click Here  

*Includes a copy of Amazon #1 Business Best-Seller "Business Networking & Sex" ($21.95 list price).
 **A rare opportunity to have all three authors autograph your copy of the book.

What Makes a Great Salesperson?

A Great Blog from our Friend Jamar Cobb-Dennard www.jamarspeaks.com

I met with Troy Burk of Right On Interactive today, and he asked me a great question – what makes a great salesperson?

I like meeting with Troy.  He asks hard questions, is a good thinker, and comes from the perspective of literally building Exact Target’s sales team from the ground up.
I thought long and hard (for about 22-seconds…), and came up with the following answers: Click here for more.

jamarspeaks

leadership. sales. business development. training. marketing. online marketing. politics. random riffs and rants.

AddressTwo's Director of Business Development on Radio Indy Smallbiz

“Indy Smallbiz is the new monthly newsmagazine that will focus on the needs and interests of the small business community. The aim of Indy Smallbiz is to help your business grow and increase your profit. As you read our newsmagazine, we want you to learn something new to help your business or to appropriate a business strategy from one of our stories into your own business. Foremost, we want our publication to evoke action on your part.” – John Gifford

Tuesday April 10th 4:30-5:00pm E.S.T.
Click here to listen:  IndySmallBiz

Host Serina Kelly owner/customer relationship strategist of Relevate

Serina’s guest this week will be Troy Hanna from AddressTwo. Troy is Director of Business Development of AddressTwo, a CRM software company that allows you to organize your contacts, manage leads, follow-up with clients, and schedule tasks. We will be discussing how having a CRM is an important first step in relationship marketing.