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The risk of 9 to 5. And the reality of BEFORE and AFTER.

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95 percent of all salespeople try to fit their sales day into a normal workday. They want their day to be from 9 to 5, maybe from 8 to 5, maybe even from 8 to 6, but very little before that or after that.

The reality is, that 9 to 5 is the riskiest time and the worst time to make sales. Especially a new sale, a sales call, or a cold call to a prospect. People are busy doing THEIR stuff from 9 to 5.

NOTE WELL: If you have a solid relationship with your customer, and are doing ongoing business, you have a good chance of making a daytime appointment. But a new sale, or a new prospect, you have virtually zero 9 to 5 chance.

And salespeople continually beat their heads against the wall, and sales managers continually demand more activity, even as foolish as cold call, in order to get their numbers up, when in fact numbers do not go up from 9 to 5, unless they are with existing customers.

From 9 to 5, people are busy working, not buying. Real salespeople make sales from 7 to 9 in the morning, and from five until seven or eight in the evening, and at breakfast and lunch.

Only about 5 percent of sales people get this. The 5 percent that make all the sales.

My financial planner, Walter Putnam says, “The best thing to know is: the best time to have meaningful conversation. And the best way to find out is to ask the prospect or customer. And get a date at the same time.” In other words, when you ask the question, make the appointment.

This self-assessment will reveal your opportunities or missed opportunities:

  • How many hours a week are you working or networking BEFORE the workday starts? Five hours a week is a great number.
  • How many hours a week are you working or networking AFTER the workday is over? Five hours a week is a great number.
  • Who are you meeting for early morning coffee? Why not have a daily coffee with a customer?
  • Who are you meeting for breakfast? Why not have 2 business breakfasts a week?
  • Who are you meeting for lunch? Have lunch with an existing customer once a week and bring a prospect for them.
  • Where are you networking before 9 and after 5? At least two events or groups per week.
  • Are you a member of a business development group like BNI? At least one group.
  • Where are your face-to-face meetings occurring in order to maximize your exposure, and your sales opportunities? Where are your sales taking place?
  • Who is NOT returning your calls? WHY?
  • Who is NOT setting an appointment? WHY?

These are challenge questions to determine the productive use of time before and after normal work hours. From 9-5 you’re busy chasing people, leaving voice mails, and being frustrated by a consistent lack of progress. More than half of your time will be wasted (you just don’t know which half).

Sales require relationship building. Not just for loyalty of existing customer base, but also to earn referrals and testimonials. Early and late sales meetings net positive outcomes. And early-late prospecting is MUCH MORE relaxed.

What can you do? Here are 7.5 things to enhance your relationships and your sales results. CAUTION: They require WORK.

1. Establish a mutually agreeable game plan with EACH existing customer. Not just how to sell, but also how you will help them.

2. Discover and document ‘best times,’ ‘best topics,’ and ‘most important.’

3. Reach and engage customers and prospects socially.

4. Meet for early morning coffee every day if you can.

5. Send a weekly value message to everyone.

6. GIVE referrals.

7. Seek leadership positions in every group you join.

7.5 Study your struggles and your successes. Identify where your last ten sales came from, because it’s likely your next ten will come from the same places.

The key point of understanding is the difference between a job in sales, and a dedicated, relationship based sales career. Which do you have?

Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.

About the Author

Jeffrey GitomerJeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at [email protected].

The ‘why’ of sales and selling will lead you to be the wise salesperson.

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I sat in a Jim Rohn seminar one day in 1995 and heard him say, “Formal education will earn you a living. Self-education will earn you a fortune. You decide how much of a fortune you want to earn by how willing you are to self-educate.”

I was frozen in my front-row seat.

A stunning piece of ‘obvious’ that created self-awareness that remains with me nearly 20 years later.

INSIGHT TO PERSONAL WISDOM: The toughest educational questions in sales are the ones you have to ask yourself – self-educational questions if you will.

Here’s a set of the toughest question you can be asked:

  • Why are you having trouble making connections?
  • Why are you still making cold calls?
  • Why are you having difficulties setting appointments?
  • Why are you unable to get to the decision maker?
  • Why are your presentations boring?
  • Why is your closing percentage nothing to brag about?
  • Why are your follow-up calls going unreturned?
  • Why are your emails getting deleted?
  • Why are your customers price-oriented?
  • Why do you lose sales to inferior competitors?
  • Why do you lose customers to a lower bid?
  • Why does your competition win?
  • Why are you unable to get referrals?
  • Why are you unable to get testimonials?
  • Why are you unable to build trusted relationships?
  • Why are you complaining about circumstances you can change?
  • Why are you unable to achieve your sales plan?

What are the answers to those questions worth? Jim Rohn already told you: A fortune.

I have studied sales for more than 40 years and salespeople for more than 25 years. The difference between their success and failure is found in front of and behind the word ‘rather.’ It’s an educational process that starts with self-evaluation and opens the door to discovering your own answers.

Below is what I have found to be a salesperson’s biggest downfalls and pitfalls (and their biggest opportunities). The challenge for salespeople of all kinds is to ask yourself “WHY?” and educate yourself in the process…

  • Why are you trying to be informative, rather than inquisitive?
  • Why are you trying to be reactive, rather than proactive?
  • Why are you trying to be defensive, rather than offensive (in a positive way)?
  • Why are you trying to be aggressive, rather than assertive?
  • Why are you blaming circumstances, rather than taking responsibility for your actions?
  • Why are you talking, rather than doing?
  • Why are you going for the sale, rather than going for the customer?
  • Why are you ‘make your quota,’ rather than building a relationship?
  • Why are you manipulating the conversation, rather than harmonizing with the prospect?
  • Why are you trying to find the prospect’s pain, rather than finding their pleasure?
  • Why are you trying to overcome their objections, rather than lowering their barriers to purchase by reducing their risk?
  • Why are you trying to ‘make the sale,’ rather than uncovering their motive to buy?
  • Why are you focused on price rather than value?
  • Why are you ‘numbers-oriented,’ rather than ‘relationship-oriented?’
  • Why is your social presence and online reputation not existent, rather than being number one in your industry?
  • Why is your online presence lacking, rather than having a dominant Google and social position that your customers and prospects would respect?
  • Why are you trying to measure customer satisfaction, rather than seek and earn, and then measure customer loyalty?
  • Why are you asking for referrals and testimonials, rather doing everything you can to earn them?

Take each ‘rather’ and think about it twice: once seriously and once strategically. Then make notes on where you are in relationship to each process. Rate yourself and make an action plan to improve. Then ask your peers or partner to evaluate your self-assessed findings. They may (probably will) differ from yours.

THE SECRET TO EACH SALE: Be in a winning position BEFORE the sales call to put yourself in a winning position during the selling process.

All you have to do to be a TOP 1% performer is: do the ‘rather.’

I have just given you an education, an evaluation, and a set of strategies that will educate you in a way that is both understandable and actionable.

Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.

About the Author

Jeffrey GitomerJeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at [email protected].

Why It Is Important To Train Your Staff

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Why It Is Important To Train Your Staff
Photo courtesy of Highways Agency

At the root of most companies’ success is the skill and knowledge of its staff. If your staff are experts in their respective roles, this will have a positive impact on the whole of your business. Well-trained staff get better results, are more efficient, and are happier in their jobs. With a knowledgeable workforce, customers will perceive your company as well-informed and trustworthy. This will help sustain your relationship with them. Further, by providing regular coaching for your personnel, you will give your business a competitive edge.

However, providing regular staff training can be a task that is easier said than done for some businesses. It can eat into valuable time for busy enterprises, and it can drain the limited resources of small businesses. But it is important to weigh this disruption with the benefits that training can produce. Training your staff will not only result in a knowledgeable organisation, it will also provide opportunities to improve and expand your business. Say you are a small business with a weak online presence. Training staff in online marketing may help you to improve this area of your business and, in turn, attract new customers.

Offering regular training opportunities to staff will go a long way to boost team morale and will prove that you have good leadership skills. Training assures employees that their role is important. It also gives them an opportunity to develop existing skills and interests and develop new expertise. Your staff will also appreciate the opportunity to do something different during their working day.

If you are considering establishing a training programme for your staff, it is a good idea to make a plan in the first instance. Be clear on which areas you want to provide training in and how much your business is willing to spend. The next step is to work out which training provider or providers you wish to supply the training to your staff. It is a good idea to look for coaching professionals who specialise in particular skill areas. For instance, Spearhead Training specialises in sales training, Dale Carnegie Training in leadership training, and New Horizons in project management training. Before selecting a provider, it is a good idea to ask other businesses and entrepreneurs in your network for a recommendation.

If you are worried about the effect that staff being away from the office for training purposes might have on the performance of your business, there are ways around this. You could encourage your staff to complete training courses via e-learning or distance learning. This means that staff can complete courses when there is a quiet time during the working week, or in their spare time. However, this way of providing training could result in courses being neglected or employees taking a very long time to complete them. If this is happening, it might be worth scheduling frequent time slots for training and making sure you follow up regularly with staff to monitor their progress.

Upskilling your staff should be one of your top priorities as a business. Although it can be expensive and time-consuming, it is clear that the benefits outweigh these challenges.

The Best Jobs Go to the Best Educated People and Here is Why

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Quite a bit of debate exists about whether education is obtained in school or through life experience. Looking at homes and families, the latter may reign supreme. However, universities, and the job market, often argue that a college degree is necessary to succeed in life and obtain a high paying job. Assuming that people can be educated in more than one way, what are some of the reasons why the best jobs go to the best educated people?

Education Blended with Common Sense
To succeed in the work world, people need to have a strong background in their field, but they also must exercise skills in common sense. Knowing the discipline provides the appropriate background information and the technical skills that are needed to succeed. However, the application of that knowledge often comes in the form of common sense. Exercising a blend of these skills allows workers to be confident, determined and strong in their decisions.

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About the Author

From her 25 years in business, Elizabeth Hill aims to pass on knowledge and skills gained in that time through her writing. She loves walks in the countryside, spending time with family and friends, and is ever so ‘slightly’ addicted to coffee.

The Advisor’s Corner – When Should I Remain Quiet?

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Remaining quietQuestion:

As a leader, are there times when I should hold back my opinions?

StrategyDriven Response: (by Roxi Hewertson, StrategyDriven Principal Contributor)

It is a balancing act for leaders to know just how much to talk and how much to listen. Extroverted leaders have a particular challenge because they talk to think as an important part of processing information and ideas. They risk grabbing too much airtime and shutting others down. Conversely, Introverted leaders think to talk and can be challenged to communicate enough information at the right to meet their followers’ needs. Leaders make fewer wrong decisions when they ask more than they tell. Our focus today is on the more verbal leader. You should consider staying quiet when…

  1. It’s emotional – people need to believe they are being heard. Ask how you can help rather than assume you know.
  2. You come in during the middle of a story – no need to embarrass yourself!
  3. You are wondering if what you’ll say is offensive – if you have to wonder, and then it probably is.
  4. You are tempted to ‘fix’ the person’s problem and about to give advice no one asked you to give.
  5. Someone asks you a question that you should not or cannot answer fully or accurately.
  6. You think your idea is the best thing since shelled walnuts.
  7. When you ask a question, it is a good idea to wait and listen for the answer.
  8. You feel yourself jumping to conclusions without much information – not a good way to get your exercise!
  9. You’ve been drinking, partying, etc. and someone from work calls you – it’s far better to stay off the phone.
  10. You are angry or upset. First, take time to figure out why you feel the way you do, and then determine the best course of action to resolve the problem.

Consider a leader I worked with who was unable to say he did not know. He would give anyone an answer on any question asked of him. Yet, it would have been so easy, and correct, to say, “I don’t know the answer to that, but I’ll find out and get back to you.” He isn’t stupid, just misguided about what is expected of a good leader, including telling the truth. Of course, his credibility was negatively impacted.

I know another leader who routinely asks questions and listens intently to the answers. People tell her the truth because she honors them by deeply listening and with her thoughtful responses. She observes a great deal, is rarely fooled, and does not claim to have all the answers. Her credibility and reputation were beyond reproach.

It is true that quiet and contained leaders need to speak up when they have something meaningful to say. People need to understand and hear about their opinions, vision, values, decisions, and expectations. Staying quiet when you need to be heard can be just as problematic as talking too much.

Leaders need to engage others, share their ideas, and make decisions. It’s the balance of listening and talking that makes all the difference. It’s not an accident that the ratio of ‘listening’ body parts to ‘speaking’ body parts is 4:1 (ears and eyes: mouth).

For a quick indicator, try this: next time you are in a meeting, make a tic mark every time you open your mouth to say something. Keep track of whether you are telling or asking. Keep score for a day or two and you’ll have a good indication of whether you are talking too much, sharing too little, or have a healthy balance.

About the Author

Leadership authority Roxana (Roxi) Hewertson is a no-nonsense business veteran revered for her nuts-and-bolts, tell-it-like-it-is approach and practical, out-of-the-box insights that help both emerging and expert managers, executives and owners boost quantifiable job performance in various mission critical facets of business. Through AskRoxi.com, Roxi — “the Dear Abby of Leadership” — imparts invaluable free advice to managers and leaders at all levels, from the bullpen to the boardroom, to help them solve problems, become more effective and realize a higher measure of business and career success.

The StrategyDriven website was created to provide members of our community with insights to the actions that help create the shared vision, focus, and commitment needed to improve organizational alignment and accountability for the achievement of superior results. We look forward to answering your strategic planning and tactical business execution questions. Please email your questions to [email protected].