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7 Ways to build rapport in salesand connect with people by Mike Schultz & John Doerr

6

The Busy Person’s Pages 4

A conversation with Linda Richardson 8

Top Sales Article of the Month announced– Plus the ten nominees for July 12

Detach from the outcomeby Keith Rosen 10

2 Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

It’s August, and on the world stage that can mean only one thing – London 2012.

There are so many similarities between sports and sales, which probably explains why so manysuccessful sales professionals are also sports fanatics: The competitive drive, hunger for victory,dedication, persistence and a high work ethic are all traits that “Top 5% Achievers” possess inabundance.

Rather than becoming a distraction over the next two weeks, we hope that like us, you will beinspired by all those sportsmen and women who are seeking to go higher, faster and further thantheir competitors – and then use that inspiration to help you over-achieve your own targets andquotas.

As usual, we have a superb collection of articles from some of the best sales thought-leaders inthe business – Keith Rosen, John Doerr, Mike Schultz, Colleen Stanley and Dan Waldschmidt. Oh,and Keith is also in the spotlight this month.

In her regular section, Linda Richardson interviews the “doyenne” of referral selling, Joanne Black,and we also announce the latest “Top Sales Article of the Month” – together with this month’s tennew nominees.

Jonathan Farrington paints a picture of what it really is like to be one of those “Top 5% Achievers”that we mentioned earlier – what they do, how they behave, who they sell to etc. It is afascinating insight into the working practices of the “only me territory” inhabitants.

Finally, we give you the opportunity to catch up with all the latest news, interviews and gossipfrom Top Sales World, Top Sales Awards and Top Sales Management.

Enjoy!

Welcome

Top Sales Highlightsfrom the past four weeks ... in case you missed them

24TSH

Should your salesperson be allowed to stayon the island?by Colleen Stanley

16

Focus OnKeith Rosen 18

Welcome to “Me Only Territory” by Jonathan Farrington 20“Sellers, please die”...Insights from a frustrated buyer by Dan Waldschmidt

22

Come and Discover Us �

contents

Editors: Jonathan Farrington & Linda RichardsonJF@jfcorporation.comDesign: Bill Jeckellsbill.jeckells@topgraphicsguy.comPublished by: The JF Corporation Communications House26 York Street London W1U 6PZ

3Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

★ Top Sales BlogsHERE ��

★ Latest Top Sales Book HERE ��

★ Top Sales HardtalkInterviewEvery Wednesday.HERE ��

★ Top Sales TipsEvery single day.HERE ��

★ Top 10 Sales ArticlesHERE ��

★ And so much more …. Top Sales World HERE ��

August 2012

The following is expanded content from our new book RainmakingConversations: Influence, Persuade, and Sell in Any Situation. In this piece,co-authors Mike Schultz and John Doerr explain how to ... Read More�

OurPartners

4 Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

The BusyPerson’s PagesThe BusyPerson’s PagesHere is what you will find in this month’s edition.

5Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

7 Ways to build rapport in sales and connectwith people by Mike Schultz & John Doerr

Joanne Black’s mantra is “never cold call, not by phone or email”. Never is abig word but Joanne is convincing. She has been coaching sales leaders andsalespeople on referral selling for two decades. We all ... Read More�

A conversation with Joanne Blackby Linda Richardson

Where do the articles come from? Each month we select the very best salesarticles from the major article sites, which have been written by top salesgurus from around the world. We cull through till we find ... Read More�

Top Sales Article of the Month announced – Plus the ten nominees for July

Reality TV shows are quickly becoming the new source of entertainment.(Why, I have no idea.) Perhaps it’s time to introduce a new show and contest:Sales Survivor. The concept would be centered on making ... Read More�

Should your salesperson be allowed to stay on theisland? by Colleen Stanley

Keith Rosen is the Executive Sales Coach™ that top salespeople andmanagers call first to attract more prospects, close more sales and develop ateam of top performing sales champions. Read More�

Focus OnKeith Rosen

The very best consultative sales professionals operate exclusively in “meonly territory” and that demands an explanation, so let’s begin by examiningthe traditional sales environment ….. Read More�

Welcome to “Me Only Territory” by Jonathan Farrington

The harsh reality is that sales is a dying career. The job of professional sellingis going away. It’s dead. It’s over. If you are a professional sales executive youneed to find something else to do. It’s been a great journey ...Read More�

“Sellers, please die”...Insights from a frustrated buyerby Dan Waldschmidt

Enjoy the latest Top Sales Hardtalk Interviews and recent blogs from TopSales World plus Recent “How To” Guides, Sales Team DevelopmentSessions and Sales Management Issues Interviews ... Read More�

Top Sales Highlightsfrom the past four weeks ... in case you missed them

TSHIf you were ever in a situation where you've walked away from a conversationfeeling drained or exhausted, chances are there was something you wereattached to in the conversation. An attachment is: ... Read More�

Detach from the outcomeby Keith Rosen

genuinely interested you appearthe more relaxed and willing toshare they’re likely to be.

� Don’t seem too needy. Most ofus know someone who wantedto be liked, so he “tried hard,”but it didn’t work. In trying to beliked, he appeared needy andconspicuous. You cannot forcerapport. Show interest, but don’tact subservient, overly friendly,or too pushy or you will only turnthe other person off. Don’t comeon like gangbusters.

� Give genuine compliments.Sycophants get nowhere, butgenuine compliments areendearing. If you like the office,someone’s web site, or areimpressed with their book, sayso. If your prospect had a recentaccomplishment, relay yourauthentic congratulations.They’ll appreciate it.

� Calibrate the rapport to “justright.” New salespeople are oftenoverly sensitive to the time of apotential buyer. They oftenthink, “I have an hour for thismeeting and she’s a CEO of amid-size company. I need to usethe whole time to get my pointsacross. No time for chitchat.” So

he dives right in with no icebreaking conversation and itdoesn’t go well.

Others can spend too much timechatting, and the prospect mightget antsy to get down to business.Do your best to read the otherperson and find the right amountof rapport-focused conversation.

� Read the culture. Always beyourself but, at the same time,you can adjust your approach tothe other person and company.Don’t change who you are to fitthe culture, but be aware of howthe culture works and how it bestresponds.

For example, if they’re a suit andtie joint, showing up with yourGrateful Dead ’95 tour tie-dyedshirt won’t fly so well. (Unlessyou’re meeting with me, then I’dbe impressed.) And if there’s ajeans and sneakers place with a“Never Lose Your Whimsy!’ signon the wall…you get the idea.

If you’re curious to know where tostart with rapport building, thefollowing questions will help.

Questions that Build Rapportin Sales

� How was your weekend?Anything interesting?

� It was good to hear the shortversion of your background atthe meeting, but since we’re outfor lunch, I’d love to get the longversion. What’s your story?

� I have to say, I really like your(insert something aboutthem…their lobby, the artworkon their walls, how friendly theirstaff is, or anything else youactually liked, then ask an open-ended question about thatparticular thing).

� Are you from this area? Oh,interesting. I know peoplein…do you know (this person)?Oh, I’ve never been there, but Iheard it’s got…the most amazingrestaurants…the most amazingscenery…the most amazing flyfishing.

� Welcome to the town. Have youbeen to Scottsdale before?Where are you staying? What’sthat like? A lot different fromVancouver, wouldn’t you say?

If you think these questions arepretty basic and straightforward,you’re right. Rapport building isan area that doesn’t need overcomplication. Do what you canto create positive feelings andpositive emotional reactionswith people, and you’ll be wellon your way. �

Of course, there’s alot more to buildingtrust than making a

good initialconnection withsomeone, but it’ssure a good start.

Consider this: a CBS News /New York Times poll asked,

“What percent of people in generalare trustworthy?”

The answer: 30%. Prettyskeptical we all are, right?

Not necessarily. At the sametime, the CBS News / New YorkTimes poll asked a similar group thesame question, but with a slightdifference. “What percent of peoplethat you know are trustworthy?”

The answer: 70%.

That’s a huge difference. Goes toshow you: when people get to knowyou and people get to like you,people begin to trust you.

Of course, there’s a lot more tobuilding trust than making a goodinitial connection with someone,but it’s sure a good start. Andmaking a connection withsomeone makes them morecomfortable sharing with you theiraspirations and their afflictions,two things you need to know if

you want to succeed in sales.When you build rapport in sales,

keep in mind you want to make asincere connection. All too oftenchit-chat before a sales call seemscontrived…because it is. Assumingyou want to build solid and realrelationships with people, considerthe following:

� Be genuine. Before the first dayof school, first jobs, camp, andany family get-together, Dadalways said, “Just be yourself andeverything will be fine.” Thislesson applies to generatingrapport with prospects andcustomers.

Be genuine. Be yourself. Don’ttry to be anything you are not,create a new persona, or adopt a“sales-like” tone. Relax, smile,and go in with a positive attitude.Good things will follow. AsOscar Wilde said, “Be yourself;everyone else is already taken.”

� Be warm and friendly. Chillypeople get chilly reactions fromother people. Approach rapportbuilding with the intent to bewarm and friendly. Smile, give afirm handshake, make eyecontact, and engage.

� Show interest. No surprise toanyone, people are self-focused.This is quite helpful to those ofus in selling because we need tolearn about our prospects beforewe can provide the best solutions.People want to feel like they havean opening to share what they’rethinking, including their desires,fears, and problems. The more

The following is expanded content from our newbook Rainmaking Conversations: Influence,Persuade, and Sell in Any Situation. In this piece,co-authors Mike Schultz and John Doerr explainhow to make sincere connections with prospects tohelp close more deals.

This article was written byMike Schultz & John Doerr

To find out more about Mike & John, visit:www.raintoday.com

6 Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012 7Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

7 Ways to buildrapport in salesand connect withpeople

7 Ways to buildrapport in salesand connect withpeople

� Start by doing research on yourtop 10 names in your territoryusing social media and salesintelligence such InsideView andthen LinkedIn

� Have a conversation with yourreferral source. Call or email himor her to request a conversation.This conversation is criticalbecause referrals are personal.The conversation helps youunderstand the level ofconnection, it gives you theopportunity to connect orreconnect, and it allows you togive your business reason forwanting the referral so yourcontact knows his or hercolleague will benefit from theconnection.

� Always ask your referral sourcefor an introduction so the personknows you will be calling. Thisprocess in itself will make youmore credible, change the entiretone of the conversation, andhelp you improve yourconversion rate.

� Reach out to people in your owncompany. Don’t rely only onLinked-in.

� Seek off line referrals. Expandconnections in person byattending events, going whereyou clients and prospects go

� Ask for referrals from yourcurrent clients when you havedone good work for them. Startwith them and help them knowthe kind of referral you arelooking for

� Make it reciprocal – ask “Howcan we get together and helpeach other?”

Certainly an introduction makes formore successful prospecting. I askedJoanne what ideas she could sharefor reversed introductions which weare seeing in which more and moreclients are finding and narrowingdown the providers they will talk vs.salespeople identifying andcontacting them. Joanne’s stake inthe ground is that it is the role ofthe salespeople to generate theirown leads. Does that meanmarketing does not have a role? Notat all. Joanne recognizes the role ofmarketing. Her view can seem to flyin the face of some current thinkingbut in fact it supports it.

Generating leads meansqualifying and therefore, whileclients may find salespeople, it is thesalesperson’s job to make sure theprospects are qualified. She viewsthe salesperson as the best one toqualify. While clients are betterinformed they are not alwayscorrectly informed. There isn’t a

salesperson that hasn’t had theexperience of getting a lead for xand after asking a few questionslearns the need is Z. But marketingis an effective first pass if there isfull alignment between marketingand sales... Marketing is mostvaluable when its professionalswork closely with sales, join them oncalls, and really have the knowledgeto ask the right questions and learnwhat the issues are so they can savetime for sales.

Based on Joanne’s extensiveanecdotal research with CEOs andheads of sales, busy clients willalmost always talk to someonereferred by a person they know andtrust. The number one reason anexecutive will meet with asalesperson is because the personhas been referred by someonewithin his or her own company andclose behind that is someone whohas been referred by a trustedsource outside the company. It ishaving the introduction that is theformula for success.

Joanne’s message -- “Don’t evercold call or cold email. You have achoice in how you spend your time.Find out how you can connect tothe people you want to meet. Findout how you can help them. Andhave a great time in the processtalking to people that want to talkto you! ■

Her view can seemto fly in the face of

some currentthinking but in fact it

supports it.

We all know technology hasgiven us incredible access to

information about clients, theirbackgrounds, even their interestsbefore we ever talk to them throughsocial media and sales intelligence.But Joanne didn’t focus on thepluses. Instead she addressed thebig downside: what she sees as thedependence of salespeople,frequently inside salespeople, ontechnology. Her concern issalespeople who stay on-line don’ttalk to anyone. She feels there is asense of entitlement in whichsalespeople wait for leads to cometo them yet complain that the leadsaren’t good.

Joanne is on the frontline everyday and feels that many newsalespeople are hiding behind thecurtain of technology. She didacknowledge that experiencedsalespeople are havingconversations. She focused on theshift to inside sales and the practiceof organizations to recruit peopleright out of college or with littlesales experience. Because they lackthe skills and experience to have in-depth conversations they turn totechnology. In doing so they missout on connecting with theirprospects and customers. Theyoverlook how to leverage theirconnections.

For example, many salespeopleare doing research and datagathering on their prospects, usingtools such as LinkedIn (clearly anessential tool for selling), Twitter,InsideView and marketing tools, butthen send cold emails based onwhat often is relevant data. On thesurface this may sound fine but

Joanne points out that for solutionand more complex sales, conversionrates with this strategy are dismal.Too many salespeople spend theirdays doing research and sendingstreams of cold emails oftenfollowed by cold voice-mails. It’spretty clear this is not the best wayto spend a day. What is the smarterway?

The smarter way is to execute areferral strategy. To successfullyprospect, Joanne advocates ReferralSelling, the process of leveragingconnections to get an introduction.The key is that the person you arecalling expects your call. ReferralSelling is not getting a name and anumber. But the thaw is removed bythe referral, so that the conversationstarts at a different place with greatercredibility. Sales cycles are shorterand the conversion rate, when theintroduction is to a qualifiedprospect, is conservatively 50%.

To begin to experience thebenefits of Referral Selling:

8 Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

Hiding behind thetechnology curtain A Conversation with Joanne Black by Linda Richardson

Top of Mind

Joanne Black’s mantra is “never cold call, not byphone or email”. Never is a big word but Joanne isconvincing. She has been coaching sales leadersand salespeople on referral selling for two decades.

Linda Richardson is the Founder andChairwoman of Richardson, the global salesperformance company and is responsiblefor product and sales strategy.www.richardson.com

9Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

To find out more about Joanne, visit: www.nomorecoldcalling.com

Focus On The Present

The three points in time; the past,present and the future. Sure we livein the present, but is that where weare truly living and responding tomoment to moment? Consider thatalmost 80% of our time is spenteither living in the past or in thefuture. (Ex: Reacting from a pastexperience or an expectation of thefuture.) Where is the focus of yourenergy and thoughts?

Living In/Reacting To ThePast: "If only I, (woulda, coulda,shoulda). "I should have done thatbecause….. "I remember the lasttime something like this occurred.I'm sure it will happen again."

In other words, we areresponding to and "living in thepast."

Living In/Reacting To TheFuture: Trying to getsomewhere/focused on an endresult in the future. Examples:� When I, once I, etc.� We often live, listen and react

from the past or are pushing forsomething to happen in thefuture.

Highly effective leaders respondto and are fully living in thepresent.

To be fully present means you areable to focus on a single person, ideaor topic. It means not having any

preoccupations with the past orfuture. The past is gone, and wehave NO control over the future.

Being fully present takes practice,effort, focus and a willingness toexclude all that is not directlyrelevant to what you are currentlyengaged in, especially whilespeaking with someone. Living in,responding to and thinking in thepresent, is both healthy and moreproductive. If you can practice this,the quality of your communication,as well as your life will greatlyincrease.

Tip From The Coach: Whatwas and what will be never takesprecedent over what is.

Any attachment is based eitheron the future or the past, with thefocus on a result we are looking tocreate or avoid that has not evenhappened yet. An attachment isnever about what is happening inthe present.

Ask Yourself: Am I respondingto/living in the present? (Am Ifocused on an anticipated futureoutcome in the conversation orstuck in the past withregrets/beliefs/events that are reallynot relevant to creating somethingnew in the present?)

Once you open up your thinkingand detach yourself from theoutcome during a conversation witha customer:1. You'll notice your energy level

will naturally increase.

2. You will experience less stress.3. You will uncover new and greater

possibilities/solutions naturallythat you would otherwise missout on without having to pushfor them.

Create Possibilities RatherThan Expectations

Possibility: Something that mayexist or happen, where anexpectation is a hope or as we havediscussed, an attachment. Look ata possibility as a choice where anexpectation is a need.

When one is open to possibility,they are inspired to innovate,create and develop while beingpresent in the moment. You feel asense of choice in the pursuit ofyour goal. People who haveexpectations may not be okay withthe present and need somethingmore than what they have. In otherwords, you can either be grippedwith a certain expectation aboutsomething; whether it's having tosell, make your point or getsomeone to agree with you, or youcan simply enjoy the possibility ofcreating a partnership with thatperson and providing value tothem, without being attached tothe outcome.

You know it is a possibilitywhen it is fun and you can't lose; itis an expectation when you arehurt if it doesn't work out.. ■

An attachment is:� How a person relates with a

behavior or another person thatgives them some sense of selfworth or purpose.� A way of trying to control the

outcome of a conversation/situation.

The attachments to specificoutcomes during a conversationconsist of:1. The need to be right/look good.

(The avoidance of beingwrong/looking bad/hearing no.)

2. The need to be understood orprove your point.

3. The need to have people agreewith you.

� My Turn - Your TurnCommunication: When thecommunication processbecomes a struggle for powerand control.

If you find that you are repeatingyourself, pushing to get someone tosee it your way or creating evidenceto strengthen your side, you'recaught up in the ego of thesituation.

Being attached to your ownagenda inside aconversation

� Limits the ability for a new orbetterpossibility/solution/outcome tosurface.

� Creates a filter in your listeningthat prevents others fromcontributing to you.

� Invalidates the other person bynot respecting their point ofview.

To Let Go Of AttachmentsDuring The CommunicationProcess

Demonstrate Trust AndRespect. Instead of listeningthrough a filter, allow yourself theability to explore a new andpossibly better way of creating yourdesired outcome by unlatchingyourself from your ownpremeditated agenda. Consider thatthe other person's solution may bebetter than your own. Accepting

that you don't always need to haveall the answers will eliminateresistance and prevent you fromfeeling drained after a conversation.

Tip From The Coach: Todetach from the outcome and tapinto the wisdom of others, askyourself:� What is the value that the other

person is trying to share withme?

� What better solution/possibilitycan we create together?

� How can I receive this messageinstead of resist it?

� How can I change the way Isee/feel about things in a waythat better serves me toeliminate feeling stuck, stressedor upset? (What beliefs do Ineed to let go of and replacewith more empowering beliefs?)

� Am I resisting the lessons orreceiving the lessons in front ofme? (What is needed toovercome/let go of thethreat/fear that is keeping mestuck?)

Shift The Focus From I to You.Attachments are our agenda. Shiftthe focus away from you and ontothe other person.

Ask Yourself:� What value can I give? (It all

comes right back to us!)

10 Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

This article was written by Keith Rosen.

To find out more about Keith, visit:www.profitbuilders.com

11Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

Sure we live in thepresent, but is thatwhere we are truly

living andresponding to

moment to moment?

If you were ever in a situation where you'vewalked away from a conversation feeling drainedor exhausted, chances are there was somethingyou were attached to in the conversation.

Detach fromthe outcome

Keeping the Focus on SellingSalespeople face all sorts of distractions.Factors ranging from internal corporatedemands to ramification from a reeling ...

By Jeanne Buchanan on salesopedia �

Don’t Leave Good Business on the Table:The Five Strategies to NegotiateWin-Win Deal“Your price is too high.” “Can you match ...

By Michael Leimbach on salesopedia �

Driving Lessons for Sales ProspectorsHave you noticed while driving lately howmany people don’t look both ways beforepulling out of a parking spot, into the street ...

By Kendra Lee on eyesonsales �

Help! I Can't Close Sales: 5 Ideas toIncrease Your Close RatioRecently I got an email from Ahmed that said,"Do you have anything on how to close ...

By Jill Konrath on eyesonsales �

Sales Training Is Not As Important Asthe Insights It BringsI was recently hired by a company that isgrowing, doing well and wants to develop ...

By Jonathan London on topsalesmanagement �

hy Most Inside Sales Reps Fail – andWhat to Do About ItIf you’re in charge of hiring, training anddeveloping inside sales reps, then what ...

By Mike Brooks on salesopedia �

Motivating Your Sales Team: It’s (Not)All About the MoneyWhen sales managers think about keeping theirsales teams motivated, they often make a ...

By Colleen Francis on eyesonsales �

Can You Ever Be Too Expensive?I recently noticed a fellow professional speakerpost on his Facebook page that a potentialclient had told him that the fee he wanted ...

By Andy Preston on eyesonsales �

Creating a Culture of Selling withRainmakers: A Window into SalesPerformanceThere's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza ...

By John Doerr on topsalesmanagement �

Why Do You Need New Clients, Really?Every sales organization wants to increase theirrevenue and profit, but they normally onlychoose one method to achieve that goal.

By Anthony Iannarino on topsalesmanagement �

We want to thank the following sites for supporting Top 10 Sales Articles:

13Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

● Salesopedia ● Eyes on Sales ● Sales Gravy ● Ezine Articles ● ChangingMinds ● RainToday

Authors: To be considered for Top 10 Sales Articles, please submit your articles to the above sites, which are theonly ones we select from. We do not accept any articles directly.

The July Nominations

Where do the articles come from? Each month we select the very best salesarticles from the major article sites, which have been written by top sales gurusfrom around the world. We cull through till we find the 10 best pieces of salesadvice – which we then share with you. The monthly winners compete for theTop Sales Article of the Year Award in December.

12 Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

Top Sales Articleof the MonthAnnounced

Top Sales Articleof the MonthAnnounced

The June WinnerWhat is the value? Where is

the value? Who perceivesthe value?

By Jeffrey Gitomer on: eyesonsales ��

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invested in the right place withthe right prospects?

� Are they asking you for coachingor settling for good enoughresults?

� Are they working on improvingtheir skills by reading, listening toCD’s or audio programs focusedon sales?

� Are they showing up to the officeearly to take full advantage ofrevenue producing time?

� When they arrive at the office,are they ready to execute or doesit take them an hour or two to getorganized?

� Are they taking time to deliverextra good care and service tocurrent clients?

Watch and you will see the answer towhether or not this salespersonshould remain on the island.

#2: Resiliency andresourcefulness

The salesperson that lacks resiliencyalso lacks tenacity. When the goinggets tough, the low resilientsalesperson gets easily discouragedand starts bringing out the excusemachine. They blame poor salesresults on lack of marketingcollateral, a bad territory or a tough

economy. This is much easier thanholding up a mirror, looking atthemselves and saying: I need tochange or improve my salesapproach.

The resourceful salespersonfigures out a way to make it happen.When I started in sales many yearsago, I had the good fortune ofsigning up with a small companythat eventually went public. In theearly years, the company didn’t havethe time or money to producesophisticated marketing material.They also didn’t have a lot of timefor formal sales training.

It would have been easy tocomplain about the lack ofmarketing materials or training butthis company did a great job ofhiring resilient, no entitlementsalespeople. We created our ownmarketing materials. No, thematerials didn’t look great, but theygot the job done. We invested in ourown training, reading books by ZigZiglar and Dale Carnegie. Instead ofsitting back and complaining, wewere busy executing. Resilientsalespeople manage results, notexcuses. They find a way to makesales happen.

#3: Passion andcommitment

A major problem in the salesprofession is that most peoplechoose this career by default, not

choice. As a result, you have manysalespeople working for companiesthat are not passionate about theirproduct or service. They are notpassionate about helping andserving people. In essence, theyhave settled instead of pursuing acareer that they are passionateabout.

The passionate salesperson isexcited about learning and makes ita goal to become a subject matterexpert in their industry. Thecommitted salesperson studies,learns and practices key principlesof sales and influence. They arelifelong learners.

Passion is what separates goodsalespeople from great salespeople.I see it every day in our business.Five salespeople attend salestraining and all take away powerfulcontent and concepts. So what’s thereason only three of five reviewedthe content, practice new skills andasked for coaching and mentoring?The reason is that the threesalespeople, the ones that will stayon the island, are passionate andcommitted to the profession ofsales. Simply put, good enough isnot good enough for them. They arealways looking to raise the bar andraise results.

Why wait for a reality TV show?We are half-way through 2012. Is ittime to kick a few people off yourcompany’s sales island?

Good Selling, ■

This article was written by Colleen Stanley.

To find out more about Colleen, visit:www.salesleadershipdevelopment.com

17Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

Why wait for a realityTV show? We arehalf-way through2012. Is it time to

kick a few people offyour company’s

sales island?

Business owners and salesmanagers would be the judges,

closely watching each participant inorder to cast their vote. So whatwould these judges be looking for inorder to figure out who should stayon the island?

Here are a few areas to observe,analyze and judge in order todetermine who should remain onyour sales island.

#1: Actions speak louderthan words

This old saying is still true today.Stop listening to what yoursalesperson is saying and simplyobserve his actions. For example, ifa salesperson isn’t hitting their salesgoals are they:

� Increasing their sales activity inorder to fill the pipeline?

� Tracking and measuring theirresults in order to course correctand make sure time and energy is

Should your salespersonbe allowed to stay on theisland? Reality TV shows are quickly becoming the new source of entertainment. (Why,I have no idea.) Perhaps it’s time to introduce a new show and contest: SalesSurvivor. The concept would be centered on making sure only the bestsalespeople stay on the island because of their ability to sell and influence theright prospects at the right profit margins.

16 Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

Over the last twenty years, Keithhas successfully coached more

salespeople and managers than anyother coach on the planet to achievepositive, measurable change. Anaward winning columnist, speakerand best selling author, Keith has

written several books includingTime Management for SalesProfessionals, The Complete Idiot'sGuide to Cold Calling, TheComplete Idiot's Guide to Closingthe Sale and the gold medal winner,Coaching Salespeople into Sales

Champions, which was named the2008 Sales Leadership Book of theYear. This book also received theAxiom Business Book Award andwas honored with the silver medalfor being recognized as one of theWorld's Best Business Books of2009.

Keith is the winner of the 2009Stevie Award and was recognized asThe Sales Education Leader of theYear. Inc. magazine and FastCompany named Keith one of thefive most influential executivecoaches. He's been featured inEntrepreneur, Inc., Fortune, TheNew York Times, Selling Power,CBSNews.com, The Wall StreetJournal, Sales and MarketingManagement and is a frequent gueston Channel 12 News. In addition,Keith sits on several editorial boardsand advisory boards and is theexpert sales advisor for Dun &Bradstreet, Hoover's andAllBusiness.com.

For sales training videos,podcasts or to contact Keith, visitwww.ProfitBuilders.com. ■

18 Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

To find out more about Keith, visit: www.profitbuilders.com

Focus On

KeithRosenKeith Rosen is the Executive Sales Coach™ that topsalespeople and managers call first to attract moreprospects, close more sales and develop a team oftop performing sales champions.

products, but rather “applicationsolutions;” they are acutely aware ofthe need to make a profit, andusually they deal withrecommenders – so they have takena giant stride up the food-chain.

These salespeople understandthat reliability is more important tocustomers than speed of response(reactivity) and they are alsopolitically agile. Naturally they cansell using ROI arguments, andfinally, their achievement levels areconsistent.

You might be forgiven forthinking that must be as good as itgets – after all, the two scenariosthat I have described account foraround 95% of the global salespopulation. But actually, no, it getseven better!

Now we are entering “only-meterritory” – the most hallowed turfof the sales world. We are verymuch right-field, and the populationis made up of the biggest hitters,whose primary pre-occupation islong-term outcomes, and their focusis entirely on the customer’scommercial objectives and how they

can assist the customer in achievingthem: The value they bring isstrategic direction, and they only seelong-term ROI. Their dealings areexclusively with key decisionmakers, and they penetrate formalDMU’s as easily as a knife slicingthrough butter.

These salespeople are always onthe front foot – deliberately pro-active. They identify the businessthey want, and they go after it. Theyare not just politically agile, they arepolitically astute, and they use politicsto win whenever they need or haveto; they always secure high ROI, andthey consistently exceed quotas.They have complete account control.

And you, where do you spendmost of your selling time? In theprecarious left-field, where you aretotally at the mercy of yourprospects and customers, hopingthat they will call you?

Maybe you are center-field,which does indeed feel much moresecure when compared to thecolleagues to the left of you, eventhough you frequently cast enviousglances to those colleagues on yourright.

Or maybe - just maybe - youreally are a top 5% achiever?

If you are, congratulations, Iknow precisely what it took for youto get there .■

To find out more about Jonathan, visit:

www.thejfblogit.co.ukwww.topsalesassociates.comwww.jonathanfarrington.com

Finally, if asked todescribe commercialpolitics, they would

stare blankly at you –that isn’t their fault,it is simply that they

have never beenexposed to it –and the samegoes for ROI.

21Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

For the sake of this explanation,let’s use a baseball park (not that

I know anything about baseball): Sotraditional salesmen and women areoperating left-field, they are usuallytotally focused on a single salesevent, and they sell products.

If asked to describe the valuethey bring, they would simply offeryou product options, and they arealways willing to compete on price

to get the order. They typically sellto “users” which requires them tobe consistently reactive, and ofcourse, their achievement levels areas unpredictable as British weather.

Finally, if asked to describecommercial politics, they wouldstare blankly at you – that isn’t theirfault, it is simply that they havenever been exposed to it – and thesame goes for ROI.

These people are all operatingexclusively in “me-too territory”

When we move into center-field,we find ourselves in “me-firstterritory”: These salespeople bringmuch more to the table and have amuch wider commercial bandwidth.

They are pre-occupied withbusiness process; they focus bothon the customer and theircompetitors; they don’t simply sell

Welcome to “Me OnlyTerritory”The very best consultative sales professionals operate exclusively in “me onlyterritory” and that demands an explanation, so let’s begin by examining thetraditional sales environment …..

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entertained sometimes.3. Empathy matters. At least

pretend like you are listening towhat we need as buyers. If youcared about me, we might caremore about what you areselling..

4. No one likes being in a funnel.We’re people too. Not justnumbers and stages in youronline sales technologyplatform. Invest in our success.

5. Friends are better experts thansellers. Trust is important. Wewish you believed that. Wetrust our friends.

6.. We don’t want better features.We don’t. We want bettersolutions.

7. The hard sale is abusive. Andwe don’t like being abused. Oreven the thought that we mightbe abused.

8. Selfishness is self-limiting. Yes.We can tell when you are actinglike a jerk. Stop it, please. Talkabout us. That’s a discussionwe like to have.

9. We can Google answers fasterthan you can email us opinions.Information is free. We havehigh-speed internet. We wantinsights, not data.

10. The trend to automation ismaking the people roleirrelevant. Let’s face it, thereare technology solutions that

are easier to ignore that you are.11. We want to choose on our own

terms. Your selling cycle is justannoying and uncomfortable.

12. We really want fewer choices.Did we say that out loud? It’strue. Stop being so damnconfusing. Keep it simple.

13. Internet commodity pricing ispretty persuasive. Yep.Sometimes it’s better to buycheap and get it wrong betterthan to be a part of your sellingpipline.

14. Kindness is a lost art. We wishyou would find it. And share itwith us. We have toughpersonal lives too.

15. Our point-of-view matters.That’s us, the buyer. We matter.Even if we’re dead wrong.Listen. We’ll tell you what youneed to know about what wewant.

16. You seem to want a 7-stepprocess over really caring aboutus. We want you to bevulnerable enough to try tohelp us. Even if it hurts.

17. Sidenote: Emailcommunication is overused(and abused). Just call. It’sfaster. Or text.

18. There isn’t enoughdifferentiation between youand everyone else we can buyfrom. You all look the same.That’s confusing.

19. We expect better service. We

do. And we’re too busy to keeptelling you.

20. When we do remind you ofyour bad service, you juts keeptrying to explain it away. We’retired of it. Just apologize.

Don’t go away angry. Just go away.For your own good. Find somethingelse to do. A different craft. A newskillset.

Or maybe you just need tochange how you do what you’redoing. From our perspective asbuyers it seems as if selling, like anyother commodity task of the past,will still be a valuable skill forcraftsmen.

Why? Craftsmen aren’tsuperficial. They aren’t swept up inthe social demands and pressuresthat strangle progress and generatedistracting hysteria. They aremasters at what they do. And thatmastery is always in demand.

By the way, we like working withcraftsmen. We love experts who arekind and patient and passionate.

So you have a decision to make.Change what you do. Or changehow you do what you’re doing.

As buyers, we are frustrated. Weare out to kill your craft.

You can do something else. Oryou can master kindness andpractice outrageous acts ofempathy.

That’s a craft that will never die.We guarantee it. ■Don’t go away

angry. Just go away.For your own good.Find something else

to do. A differentcraft. A new skillset.

This article was written by Dan Waldschmidt.

To find out more about Dan, visit:www.danwaldschmidt.com

23Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

It’s dead. It’s over. If you are aprofessional sales executive you

need to find something else to do.It’s been a great journey thus far.

Like the candle-maker, the gasstation attendant, and the sodafountain mixer — they all had theirGolden Days. But eventually, timeand technology made the job

irrelevant. In every case, invention,social awareness, and culturalexpectations pushed us collectivelyin a different direction.

That time is fast approaching forprofessional sales people. Your craftis dead. As buyers, we are doingeverything we can do to help makethat happen a little faster. We don’t

like how it works right now. Here’ssome thoughts from our side of thetable:

1. We hate con men. When thesales pitch is a weapon tomanipulate instead of a way toheal a wound we don’t like you.Can you blame us?

2. Advertising is sexier thanpitching. Frankly, your salespitch is way too boring andpredictable. We want to be

The harsh reality is that sales is a dying career. Thejob of professional selling is going away.

22 Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

“Sellers, please die”...Insights from a frustrated buyer

Plus we publish a brand new sales article every day:www.topsalesmanagement.com�

25Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

How to Create aNetwork Map

How to Deliver aProfessional Presentation

How to Recruit &Select Successfully

How to ObjectivelyRe-Assess Your Current

Opportunities

Recent “How To” Guides

�� �� �� ��

The Account ReviewProcess - For Existing

Clients - Why Review?

The Sales Cabinet So, Which Type ofNetworker Are You –

Really?

The Five Words WhichReally Excite C-Lounge

Residents

Sales Team Development Sessions

�� �� �� ��

How To DiffereniateYourself

No Goals -Less Success

Training VersusCoaching

Coaching, Managing,Training – What’s the

Outcome?

Sales Management Issues Interviews

Colleen Francis �� Kevin Eikenberry �� Colleen Stanley �� Anthony Iannarino ��

Top Sales Highlightsfrom the past four weeks ... in case you missed them

Plus don’t forget, we publish a brand new sales tip from the Top Sales Experts team every day!www.topsalesworld.com�

24 Top Sales Associates Magazine August 2012

Take Your Clients asYou Find Them

What’s the Value ofCold Calling?

How do Top SalesProfessionals Differentiate

Themselves?

Bringing Your TraditionalSales Efforts Online

Anthony Iannarino �� Mark Hunter �� Michael Griego �� Elinor Stutz ��

Enjoy the latest Top Sales Hardtalk Interviews

Are There Too ManySalespeople in the World

RevenuePrevention?”

Your Need for RevenueDoesn’t Trump the

Buying Cycle

See What HappensWhen Sales & Marketing

Get Married Jonathan Farrington �� Colleen Francis �� Anthony Iannarino �� Jonathan Farrington ��

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