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Asking for Referrals
I must admit, as a salesperson this is one of my weaker areas. I GET a lot of referral business but it’s not because I ask for it. I can only imagine what would happen if I intentionally asked a happy client to refer me to someone they know who might use my assistance. So, don’t follow my lead on this.
However, I do work with people who are good at this and are generous to share what they do that works, which is what I will share with you.
ALWAYS give two business cards and say: “Here is…
Calling After Delivery
In home furnishings retail showrooms, we have done a poor job with this area; it is an industry shortcoming!
We even have a name for this action: a can of worms that shouldn’t be opened. Seriously. We treat it as something to be avoided at all costs.
And yet, I assert that we could raise our revenues by 10-15% with this action ALONE. And to do that, we need to align our expectations with what is likely to happen and upgrade our skill of managing it when it does.
What does that mean?
Ex…
Calling Unsold Opportunities
If you have neither closed the sale nor scheduled an appointment to meet or speak again with a prospect, calling to see how their process is unfolding IS the next action to take. Always.
It’s a judgment call as to WHEN to reach out, and I invite everyone to examine their follow-up on unsold opportunities to see if you have a process in place (such as reaching out 48 hours after contact unless otherwise noted). At the very least, start by reaching out with a ‘great to meet you!’ email or text……
Thank you notes
Call me old fashioned…no, don’t. Call me gracious and grateful…yes, do.
I have personalized thank you notes (gracias, www.crane.com) that I love to send… and I LOVE to receive thank you notes. And by thank you notes, I mean a handwritten note and envelope. Yes, that kind of thank you note.
A young woman at a seminar recently told me that she doesn’t think thank you notes are genuine…and when I asked her to explain, she said she never received a handwritten one, but rather a thank you email w…
Structures and Support
“I don’t write goals, but I have them in my head.” What??
If you’ve heard yourself say that, challenge its efficacy: DID you really achieve the goal? Did you even have one? Or is that something you say to avoid the responsibility of making a commitment and then taking the actions to achieve the goal?
Some facts about goals:
- You need to write them down. The action of thinking it through and articulating what you want is powerful and part of the process.
- Put your goals somewhere that yo…
Actions Matter
Actions repeated create habits.
Actions are the only things that create results (not feelings or intentions or circumstances).
I often review goals that have action plans that are ‘insufficient for goal achievement.” What I mean by that is that the actions might have a value of $750K when repeated…which is GREAT…except that the goal is $1.1m. That’s not great. Make sure that the QUANTITY and the QUALITY of your actions are sufficient for the desired results. If you are not on track with your …
Identifying Pitfalls and Traps
Are you good for the first three days into a new initiative and then start to slip?
When do you stop doing the actions that you committed to?
Do you start to tell yourself: “It’s not that bad” or “It’s not that important?”
Rather than avoiding these natural tendencies, include them in your goals. Consider them BEFORE they happen so that when they pop up, you will be prepared for them.
For example, if you know that you start the month strong, make your first week goals and miss your thi…
Setting Goals
Happy New Year! (How long can we say that…all the way to the end of January…or the first time you speak with someone in the new year?)
If your goals aren’t completed yet (of course you have started them!), not to worry. Get busy on them so that you can start planning your strategy and actions. Here is a structure that works:
Always articulate your goals as a RESULT. Example: Write $1.2m in 2023. This example is the first rule:
S - Specific - Not vague or ambiguous. - [Write $1.2m] in 2023. …
Guardrails #2
To continue with the guardrail conversation… setting boundaries.
A boundary that helps guide the conversation is the ability to say “No.”
Say NO when the client/customer asks for things that cannot be done – either within the current budget or timeframe.
Say NO when the client/customer asks for additions without adding to what they are paying for it.
Say NO when the client/customer asks you to ‘take it out of your commission’.
Say NO when the client/customer asks you to do something that you know is…
Guardrails #1
In the very simplest of terms, as a sales professional, our job is to make it easy for our customers/clients to say yes… and to buy from us.
To do that, we need to truly be responsible for the entire sales interaction and how it goes, and where it ends up.
Guardrails help that.
By guardrails, I mean guiding the conversation so that it doesn’t veer off course and stays in the lane for the intended outcome. Guardrails include asking questions that will direct the discussion and get the answer…
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