then from another…

and then from another…

What would the pictures of your work look like?

(Don’t be a Gomo. Make good things happen for your customers and company. Start by earning people’s trust… ask the right questions and listen.)

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Copyright © 2010 by Give More Media Inc. This was written by Sam Parker. If you’d like to tell people about it somewhere (e.g., blog, newsletter, Facebook, social media), please reference Sam Parker of JustSell.com as the author and link directly to the article. Excerpts are great but please don’t publish the article in its entirety without advanced written permission (email Sam using the address at the bottom of this page).

One of the big reasons we’re here is to make good things happen for other people.

It’s simple but for some strange reason, it’s not always easy.

Over the last decade, the Gallup organization has conducted surveys to determine how into our work we are (it’s referred to as ‘employee engagement’). The averages over the decade…

• 29 out of 100 of us are engaged (smovers)
• 54 of 100 are not engaged (gomos)
• 17 of 100 are actively disengaged (d-grunts)

This last group actually ‘works’ to make things worse. Can you imagine how horrible it must be for someone to feel compelled to invest their limited time and energy in tearing things and people down?

Most of us (if not all of us) have been Gomos and D-grunts at times but true D-grunts and Gomos stay there (complaining, watching the clock, entitled, not making good things happen for other people). Unfortunately, sometimes these people will get in the way of you or your team making a sale (or losing a customer).

Here’s my proposal…

As Smovers, 212ers, and people who are SalesTough (aware and responsible), let’s be sure we do our best to lead by example. If we slip, let’s remember we’re obligated to bounce back (Smovish principle #9).

Then, let’s all commit to encouraging someone who’s on the fence between Smoving and being a Gomo (and remind them it’s much more fun on this side… and the customer pays the bills). Maybe, if we each have a small success, the example will awaken and encourage even the D-grunts to reconsider their ways. How amazing would that be?

How do you save a Gomo or D-grunt? I believe it begins by loving our people which as you might guess, isn’t all hugs, kisses, and rainbows. It’s about sweeping away the eggshells (theirs and ours) and going for truth.

For those who’ve not read my essay, Love Your People, you can find it here (a 5-minute read at most). We’ve published it in a cool little booklet format with questions and thoughts that can help you get closer to loving your people more consistently (kind of a work/play book).

My presentation of Cross the Line might also be a helpful tool for encouraging someone. You can watch that here.

Gallup’s “State of the American Workplace” can be found here.

Now go sell something.~>

No Gomos Printable

No D-Grunts Printable

Get a No Gomos wristband here

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Copyright © 2010 by Give More Media Inc. This was written by Sam Parker. If you’d like to tell people about it somewhere (e.g., blog, newsletter, Facebook, social media), please reference Sam Parker of JustSell.com as the author and link directly to the article. Excerpts are great but please don’t publish the article in its entirety without advanced written permission (email Sam using the address at the bottom of this page).

It’s this simple.

Your promise to deliver a result (to get more, to save more, to look good, to feel good, to eliminate pain, or to be loved) is only purchased when your prospects and customers trust you to deliver.

For current customers, developing and confirming a level of trust can be established partially through history – how your solution to their need has performed before. But with those who don’t have a relationship with you, trust is developed as you show an interest in their situations and needs.

The fundamental beginning to developing trust…

1. Asking pertinent questions
2. Listening with complete attention

After making contact and getting your prospects’ initial attention, it’s time to give your attention to them.

Quick sales audit…

How do you and your team rate on asking questions and listening to responses?

Other than making contact with people, nothing will serve your and your team’s efforts to establish trust and increase sales better than becoming experts in asking the right questions and following up with true listening.

This is what engages people.
This is how you learn more about them and their situation.
This is how you establish trust and credibility.
This is how you sell.

Start by reviewing the top 30 open-ended questions from Just Sell. Then, dig into our guide to better listening.

(Remember: People want to get more, save more, look good, feel good, eliminate pain, and be loved. It could be one or any combination of those points. Get the printable reminder above.)

1. Of the 20 or so sales days each month, how many times do you start earlier than is expected of you?
2. How many times do you work later than is expected of you?
3. How many times are you early for an appointment?

Starting early and going long count. Being prompt matters. The impact on you in terms of how it’s viewed by your executive team, management team, peers, subordinates, prospects, and customers can be tremendous – tremendously positive or tremendously negative.

On time – starting, leaving, or arriving – is simply what’s expected.

To be early and go long sends a message of purpose, commitment, and respect – to others and yourself – and assures better results over time. To be even one minute late, or rarely be challenged ending your day on time, sends a completely different message.

Emerson suggested, "Activity is contagious."

Have an impact on everyone. Enjoy great results.

Embrace the early start and go long. (Get a printable reminder of any of the 8 SalesTough fundamentals).

The last thing we want to do is annoy them.

It’s never our intent. But our intent doesn’t matter.

What we do matters.

Here are the sales facts…

They don’t like it when…

• we’re pushy
• we call too much
• we’re "just checking in"
• we’re unprepared
• we’re disrespectful of their time
• we keep calling if they say they’re not interested
• we don’t respond fast enough
• we appear not to understand them, their industry, their situations, and their challenges
• we don’t work in their interest
• we don’t listen
• we don’t know about our own products/ services
• we’re rude, arrogant, or inattentive
• we’re vague or unclear
• they’re made to feel like they’re interrupting us
• we seem like we’re "just trying to sell them something"

And, they can’t stand it when we won’t take no for an answer.

What do they like?

A return on their investment (to get more, to save more, to look good, to feel good, to be loved).

That’s it.

Anything else and we’re wasting their time (and ours).

Don’t be sales dumb. Be SalesBright.

(Managers: One way to be sure you and your team avoid annoying)

Get the Listen > Talk Wristband

Now go sell something.~>

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

Facebook | LinkedIn | Google+ | Twitter

Would they say you’re transactional or relationship-oriented?

A common sales acronym is ABC (Always Be Closing). A simple message. A very true message.

The challenge is to implement it without your prospect or customer feeling like you’re “always trying to sell them something” with every contact. If this grows to be the perception, your access becomes limited and returned calls and emails become fewer.

This is not where you want to be.

This is a transactional relationship. It makes it extremely difficult to identify new or approaching needs. It’s easily penetrated by competitors. And for those who sell to businesses, when the decision maker changes you’ll be one of the last to know.

Over the next two weeks, invest some time outside the money hours* to evaluate how you and your team currently provide value beyond the transaction and create three new ways you can improve (or start) the effort to become more relationship-oriented.

Remember, you should never be too busy to further develop your business relationships with qualified prospects & customers. These are your most important people.

*money hours: the hours in a sales day when one can talk with prospects and/ or customers… the most valuable hours of the day

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How to be more relationship-oriented…

1. If you sell to businesses, make executive level to executive level contact between your organization and those to whom you sell (demonstrating a commitment to your business relationship at a higher level).
2. Provide industry information that helps address your clients’ and prospects’ needs (do it once a month or quarter regardless of a sales effort).
3. Establish mutual long-term goals with your primary contacts and work continually to help them achieve their goals where your industry expertise is a fit.
4. Orchestrate efforts internally among various departments at your company to help each serve your prospects and new customers better – anticipate needs.
5. Conduct educational seminars.

Now go sell something.~>