Category Archives: Uncategorized

Do You Use A Sales Process That Ensure Goal Fulfillment? Would You Like An Easy To Use Process?

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If you do not have a sales process, how do you measure your daily progress toward your goals?

I have used a process a cookbook for many, many years.  I first started in business to business selling in the early 1980’s.  I was confounded by the lack of information available on selling that would ensure follow through and success.

I learned early on that if I did not track daily behavior I was not going to have daily direction and not really know what to do next, to achieve my goals.  I set up a handwritten notebook system of all potential and actual customers.  I tracked who I called daily and set up a follow-up date depending on the wishes of the customer.  Some people wanted weekly contact, some wanted monthly and some wanted longer periods.  There were even some who were not interested nor in need of my products — They told me to never contact them again.

For my career and the careers of sales people who have worked with and for me I developed a daily behavior system and attached a simple point system for tracking success. 

All salespeople can modify the system for their own sales style.  However, many good salespeople have adopted this system and figured out exactly how to do daily behaviors and make exactly the income they desire.  

The system for selling products usually with order size of $1,000 – $75,000 consisted of seeing face-to-face (Belly selling) 200 prospects per year.  Making 2,400 meaningful telephone contacts and making 1,200 other contacts – Email, Txt, Fax, Brochure, Etc.  If Sales people did these behaviors daily and accumulated 6,000 points per year they were virtually assured of selling $3,000,000 worth of product for the company and ensuring an exact income base + Commission.

Of course, this is overly simplified but, the salespeople wanting to earn more could calculate their points needed per day, per month and ensure a better income for the year.  

What is your system?  I am writing this system to an eBook and planning a forum or group to meet weekly for accountability and discussion. 

Are you interested?  Let me know if you want on the wait list.

Happy Father’s Day! Hope y’all had a good one!

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Wishing all Dads and non-Dads a great day!  Having a good holiday FATHER’S DAY is uplifting. 

Condolences to those who have lost their father too early in life.  My dad passed way to early, September 1981.  He was a World War 2 veteran. 

We all need keep the absent fathers in our thoughts and prayers.

I am getting a day of golf with my sons-in-law and a close friend who is like a son.

The DFW area is having an early summer heat wave, looking forward to a great dinner later this afternoon.

Happy Father’s Day!

How has your life turned out differently than you imagined it would?

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I was asked an interesting question this past week:

“How has your life turned out differently than you imagined it would?”

After thinking about this for several days, I must say that life has gone well and fairly fast for me to be at or near retirement age, but I have been blessed. I have had good work, a good family, and good friends. I feel pleased about the way my life has turned out.

A friend and mentor once told me he had designed his life around incremental change. He worked extremely hard at his chosen field for 10 – 15 years, then switched direction, worked very hard on another field for 10 – 15 years, and then did it again. I can attest to his making this happen and his success.

My life has turned out differently than I had imagined, but looking back, I see similarities to my friend and mentor in my life. I have switched career paths a couple of times and have the ups and downs of living. Each time I come out and look back, things were good and better. Now I am in the next phase of life, looking to make it good!

Ask yourself: 

“How has your life turned out differently than you imagined it would?”

This exercise has helped me be more thankful – How about you?

Make 2021 your best year yet!

Negotiating the sale!

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What happens when a negotiation stale mates?   What happens when there is no room for further discussion or room to negotiate?

Recently I entered a negotiation on the sale of my house.  An aggressive buyer came in and wanted the house.  From the real estate agents, we found out that the family was really in love with the house and wanted it.  Also, we found out that the buyer considered himself a hard negotiator and he would get us to take his price.

Negotiating began and we went back and forth through the real estate agents several times.  We were within 3.5% of completing the sale.  The buyer threw the gauntlet.  He decided that if I did not take his final offer he would walk. 

We let him walk.  My wife and I decided to leave the house on the market and see if we could get our price.

We felt bad for the family.  They really wanted the house.  The buyer had boxed himself in with no wiggle room. 

We sold the house soon after to a family that also really liked and wanted the house.  We ended up +% over our asking price.

I always try and remember that in negotiating the sale, try and have wiggle room but also try and figure out whom you are negotiating with and what are they willing to do.  This is easy to say and hard to do.  In this case and in many other sales negotiations all I had to do was know my wants and desires and listen for the other side.  Without listening I may have taken the deal!  Sure, glad I didn’t.

Here are 7 Techniques to think about for negotiating:

  1. Price is not everything.
  2. Develop a walk-away number.
  3. Build several strategic concessions.
  4. Try and know whom you are negotiating with.
  5. Do homework before entering the negotiation.
  6. Begin by making the first offer.
  7. Remember it’s OK to walk away.

You only have 6 seconds to make a strong first impression!

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When calling a new prospect, or anybody for that matter, you only have a few seconds to connect and stay on the call.

Tell them your name. Ask if they can talk for a short time. Tell them why you are calling.

When telling why you are calling — Try and make your “Why” so that they want to listen more. This is tricky and will take practice.

I always try and find out if they use or have need of my type products. If they do not, I usually ask if they know someone who does. This asking for a referral so early in the process, especially if you know you are not getting anywhere with this person is hard. However, I have found that if I make 25 calls and all are not good, but I get one name, I am one more potential person closer to a sale.

Get started doing this, practice, practice, practice and you will find your courage building. Many people know you are looking for business and many will be kind enough to help your success.