Sales Partners Northern California, Northern Nevada, Business Coaching, Sales Training, Speaking, Personal Development in Sacramento, Reno - Success Blog

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."

Fri, 25 May 2012 17:30:36 -0800

Celebrate Your Mistakes

Some time in your life there is no doubt that you have made a mistake. Mistakes often happen as a result of a lack of knowledge or preparation.

The problem with mistakes is that we are often no good at handling them. We might see ourselves as perfect beings that should have had the "intelligence" or foresight to see our problems coming.

Wherever this idea comes from this concept is simply not true. You have to fail to succeed, many times in fact. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you will succeed.

Blair Singer said this of his presentations, "When we give a presentation there are three presentations in the mix. There is the presentation we prepared, the one we delivered and the one we rewrite on our way home."

When we feel like we've just blown a sales presentation, a speaking engagement, or some other situation, we have to stop that negative energy.

The following are three ideas to help reprogram yourself after a perceived failure:

1. Think of three things that did work. Focus on the positives to keep your energy up.

2. Celebrate these things with a celebration gesture (fist pump, high five, after party) that anchors the success.

3. Override any worry or anticipation of doom with the celebration gesture. Link yourself to memories of your own success. Chalk the mistakes up to learning experiences.

A mistake or failure is simply the purveyor of knowledge. Solve the problem and prepare for next time. Now your fear of committing the same mistake should be eliminated.

If you are finding that fear of mistakes are incapacitating you, then you should challenge yourself to collect mistakes. Seriously, go out looking for failure intentionally.

If you plan to fail then a failure is a success. You may also find that it is actually harder to fail than you expect.

Once you've learned how to fail (through acclimation) then you should never fear it again. By downplaying the importance of a mistake, they will be less of a deterrent on your road to success!

For more on dealing with mistakes as well as practice techniques and a tangible chart to track your progress please refer to our Eight Sales and Marketing Steps to Financial Freedom training kit.

In the Face of Doubt... Take Action Anyway!

Fri, 04 May 2012 10:51:30 -0800

An excerpt from Blair Singer's book, "Little Voice" Mastery.

"Have you ever asked yourself: "Am I doing the right thing? Why am I doing this? Why am I pushing these people so hard? Is this the right thing to do? Is this the right time to be doing this?

Does this sound familiar? It should. Every great business owner, teacher, or parent that I have ever encountered has had a natural tenancy to question him or herself.

They've been able to step outside of themselves to address and manage the little voice inside.

Yet it's one thing to be introspective and another to over-analyze and wallow in the mire of indecisiveness. That's little voice management stuck in the swamp.

Therefore, there is a second key to their greatness:

In the face of doubt... take action anyway!

Sure, fear comes up. Sure, you doubt yourself. Sure, you question yourself. But there comes a time when you have to have enough little voice control to override the questions and simply take action anyway.

Without movement, there is only theory and speculation....no ability to experiment, test, and correct.

Yet, not everybody chooses that path. Many simply go into "unconscious mode," complaining about how they have no control, how they are simply victims of what is happening around them.

Never once do they ask themselves, "Is this the right thing to do? What is the value of taking on this challenge? Why am I so afraid? What would be the benefit of going for it?"

In business, this can mean the difference between playing a big game or a very small one. If you choose to think like the average employee, you will see yourself as being at the mercy of your boss, the economy... everything.

You merely live a life in which you do as you're told. At that point, you surrender your power and truly become a victim."

For more on winning the war between your ears in 30 seconds or less and having an extraordinary life through the mastery of Blair Singer's "little voice" techniques click here.

10 Steps To A Successful Sales Letter

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:43:18 -0800

In sales one of the first strategies people employ is to blanket their market with sales letters or e-mails in attempt to single out the most interested parties.

This is a fine idea, but it is incredibly important to make sure that your sales letter is exciting before you spend money to distribute it. If the letter is boring, confusing or unappealing your campaign could cost you dearly.

Some sales letters really grab your attention. Some go directly into the trash. Below are 10 steps outlined by Alexi Neocleous that will make your offer too good to refuse.

Step One: Be sure you have completed your market research. You should know who your ideal client is and what problems you are helping them solve.

Step Two: Go out and collect models to put in your own "swipe" file. Keep sales letters that have caught your attention. You should always copy successful models.

Step Three: Create, or better yet copy, a great headline that stands on its own. Magazine covers and news articles have great examples of enticing headlines.

Step Four: Create, or swipe sub-headlines. Be sure they too are in "caps." These headlines should follow the initial "grabber" headline and draw your customer into the body of the letter.

Step Five: Start with "Dear Friend" and then mention the market's massive problem or list your benefits.

Step Six: Don't be afraid to add an extra "eye-catcher" or "grabber." Use a bolded headline to break up a large body of text and keep your customers eyes moving.

Step Seven: Get straight into the offer at this time. What are you selling, what's the deal, how can you solve the problem?

Step Eight: Address the offer so the prospect fully understands why you are sending the offer to them. Be brutally honest and close the first page on a "cliff hanger."

Step Nine: Make sure you have included headlines throughout with bold print, key points. Let the key points pull the reader through the letter.

Step Ten: Add a benefit's list. Put the dollar signs in their eyes. Articulate the benefits in a specific manner. Then explain the reason why the benefit is good. Testimonials are effective here as well.

"Don't forget that you are here to solve the client's problem. This process is not about you. It is about your client." - Alexi Neocleous

Also remember to respect your customer. Don't insult their intelligence by trying to be sneaky, just be honest and excited about the benefits of your product or service.

For an example of a very successful sales letter including expert analysis from Blair Singer and Alexi Neocleous please refer to our Automatic Lead Generator System Training Kit.

What's Your Personal Code?

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:17:02 -0800

An excerpt from Blair Singer's Book, The ABC's of Building a Business Team That Wins.

"Greatness doesn't happen by chance, nor does it occur in a vacuum. Greatness comes from, first, a passion for what you do; and second, a clear understanding of what you can and want to be best at.

The third component involved in any great story about someone going from rags to riches, overcoming adversity, achieving success in any area of life is a personal Code of Honor, a set of personal rules and agreements that they are unwilling to compromise.

Do you have a Code of Honor for you? What are your rules? To what do you hold yourself accountable? Who the heck are you?

You see, because when all the smoke clears, they can take away your money, your possessions, your friends and even your health, and what you are left with is your honor.

In those terms, what is your Code of Honor? I have found that the most powerful people are not always found on the cover of Newsweek, Fortune Magazine or Sports Illustrated.

Sometimes they may be sitting in the office next door. They are those who have decided in life to take a stand about who they are, what their standards are and who the want to be without regrets.

My suggestion is this: If you haven't don so already, sit down and look at your financial life, your health, your relationships and your values, and create your code. What are you willing to commit to for yourself and your family? What do you stand for?"

Try this exercise. Answer each of the following questions in the form of a list:

What am I most passionate about?

What can I be best at?

What do I want to be best at?

What do I stand for?

What do I want out of life?

How can I achieve my goals?

Who do I know that has what I want (or admire?)

Why do I admire them?

What do I see as unacceptable behaviors for successful people?

What do I dislike?

What would I like to avoid? What are my necessities in life?

What should every person try at least once before they die?

Can you think of any more questions? Use your answers to begin to form your personal code. Once you have your code you will find a new level of focus and a more defined path to achieving your life goals.

For more about creating a Code of Honor please refer to Blair Singer's book, The ABC's of Building a Team That Wins or his Code of Honor Training Kit.

Is your business ready for 2012?

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:33:58 -0800

Is your business ready for 2012? I'll show you how to turn this year into your best year!

How to Deal with Adversity

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

"What do you do when someone says no to you? It's exactly the opposite of dealing with success. If somebody were to say, 'Look, we really like you, but we don't like your product. Don't come around here again,' you walk away feeling defeated. This can happen.

What you say to yourself in the first minute or so is very critical. So the little voice mastery technique for that one is the exact opposite of what you do to deal with success.

Don't attribute the problem to yourself personally.

I'm not saying you're not going to take it personally, because that's hard not to do. But what's easier to do is to say, 'Obviously, I was not aware of the other circumstances or other products that they were looking at so, while I'm responsible, it's not all because of me.'

The thing you don't want to say to yourself is, 'There's something wrong with me,' or 'I'm not cut out for this. I knew this wasn't going to work.' If you hear yourself saying those things, say 'Stop!' enough times that you stop seeing it that way. Look, it doesn't matter if it's true. You have to learn to control your little voice. So you attribute it to outside sources.

Secondly, when faced with adversity, say to yourself, 'This is an isolated incident, which has no effect on the rest of the week,' as opposed to, 'The rest of my day is ruined. The whole week is going to be like this.' You've got to turn around and isolate the incident. Do not allow it to become protracted beyond that moment. Even say to yourself, 'I've got a new call to make. This is a new page it's over and done with."

For more on dealing with adversity and 20 more life changing techniques please refer to Blair Singer's book, Little Voice Mastery.

Quick Thanksgiving Message..

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Happy Thanksgiving!

Never Lose A Sale Again

Fri, 27 May 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Most often when we lose a sale it is simply because we give up too early. When you hear an objection to your pitch it is important that you don't take offense or get angry. Just try to figure out what exactly your customer is objecting to.

The best way to do this is ask an open ended question. Here are Blair Singer's rules for handling objections from his Sales Dogs Training School Kit:

RULE #1: NEVER, ever, ever, ever, ever negate the experience or view of the prospect!!!!

RULE #2: Answer each objection with an immediate "thank you" or an acknowledgement of the objector's position or point of view. If it is a true objection or disagreement, or if it is a true inquiry, first acknowledge the source and then respond briefly with a concise, courteous answer. Then ask the question, "May I ask why?" DO NOT answer anything until you ask a question first.

RULE #3: DO NOT ask "trapping" questions to corner or close the prospect. Instead, ask "Why, How and What specifically" questions. Make sure you are really concerned and interested in the response.

RULE #4: Always have a succinct, one line response to potential questions prepared. These responses should be unique to each customer.

If you follow these rules you will vastly increase your sales percentages.

The following is a common objection and some recommended responses to keep your prospect involved in the sale:

OBJECTION -

I have a relative in the business who can get the product for me cheaper. My cousin knows someone who can get it or who gave some good advice about this stuff. (Uncle Louie Objection)

RESPONSES -

That's great! Is it possible to get together with him/her and make sure that we're all on the same page.

Excellent! Perhaps we can give him a call right now and make sure that we're talking about the same thing.

For more responses to the Uncle Louie Objection please refer to ourSales Dogs Training School Kit. The kit includes training on objection handling as well as responses to the top 30 objections that stump unprepared salespeople all over the world.

Have You Ever Had A Bad Day?

Fri, 20 May 2011 00:00:00 -0800

The L.A.S.T. Word In Customer Service.

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:30:12 -0800

Keeping your existing clients happy is a vital part of your business. If you want to establish stability in your cashflow you need to maintain your repeat customers.

The best way to do this is to train your staff on the proper way to handle complaints. Handling a complaint is very similar to the process that we use for handling objections.

Here is an acronym to help you and your staff remember the process:
L.A.S.T.

-L is for
Listen
. Don't take offense or get emotional when a customer comes to you with a complaint. Simply stay calm and listen with a smile.

-A is for
Apologize
. Tell them that you are sorry for the inconvenience. A can also stand for ask a question. Make sure you clarify the problem before you address it.

-S is for
Solve the Problem
. Quickly offer a solution. You should offer your customer something enticing right away. Don't be cheap or proud, never try to convince your customer that they are in the wrong. It is well worth a short term loss in exchange for a long term loyal, promoter customer.

-T is for
Thank Them
. Thank your customer for bringing the problem to your attention. By doing so this customer has highlighted an area in your business that may be turning countless others silently away.

Remember that a person that complains really wants to like, and help you. They may actually think the world of your business and have built it up to their friends only to find it fall short in some way, thus causing some minor embarrassment. They want to be able to brag about you, the process above will give them reason again.

This process may seem like common sense to you but you might be surprised at how many of your employees don't know this.

Every person on your team should be trained in sales and customer service, not just your sales team or receptionists. Your customers will likely come into contact with other members of your team, a maid, cook, or handyman for example, and will expect the same level of service that your front end has provided them with.

Also don't hesitate to give even your lowest level employees the ability to give a discount. Having to fight through two levels of managers to get a free meal, or even just an apology, can be a very traumatic ordeal for your customer.