Sharpen the Saw

"There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self." Aldous Huxley

The most successful business people are those who are continuously learning to perfect their craft. Even if you're the best sales person in your organization, there is always room for improvement. That type of improvement comes from getting sales training in a professional setting that allows you to role play, brainstorm and explore new ways to uncover opportunities you may be missing. Even the seasoned sales professional can get set in his ways and while successful, could be leaving a lot of money on the table. As Stephen Covey says in his 7 habits of highly effective people, it is important to sharpen the saw (http://www.stephencovey.com/).

Whether you are an accountant, health care professional, legal professional, or are a member of a trade which requires a certification or license to practice, you are mandated to complete a certain number of continuing education classes to maintain that license or certificate.

Sales professionals should impose similar requirements on themselves as if their "certification in sales" were at stake. The canvas is changing all the time. People used to "cold canvas" i.e., knock door to door to sell their products. Now you don't even have to meet - all you need in some cases is connectedness over the internet. Through online/social networking sites, internet sites and blogs you can outsource some of the less productive functions to a third party - giving you more time for selling. The point is that you have to keep yourself fresh and on top of all the new trends, not just from your products and services and those of your clients and prospects, but also of new ways in which people want to buy. You need to stay fresh by participating in sales training on a regular basis. Change happens quickly and you need to stay on top of everything that is going on so that you can win in the game of business.

To help you sharpen your saw, Possibilities Unlimited offers a Sales2Win course. The program is 8 one-hour telesessions conducted over 16 weeks. Ralph White leads this course with the assistance of Bonnie Landau, our online marketing, search engine optimization, web development, and social networking expert; Lee Ann Farmer, our time management, productivity and sales efficiency expert; and me, Mary Mullenhoff, our prospecting, sales strategy, marketing strategy, getting in at the highest level of an organization expert! Our combined diverse experiences make us the perfect team to add to your mastermind alliance (http://www.naphill.org/points/). We team with you to help upgrade your sales pitch, acquire high quality, high revenue and highly profitable targets and develop winning strategies to turn them into satisfied customers. Email us or call to reserve your spot in the next Sales2Win class (for every friend you refer to us, we'll give you 10% off of your 8-session fee!)It's a win/win for all!

Are you ready to win?

Hiring a Winning Team

“…the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.” – Mia Hamm, Hall of Fame American Soccer Player

One of the biggest challenges business owners face is hiring employees. It’s essential to get the right people working at the right jobs so that you can move the company forward toward its stated objectives.

Interviewing candidates takes time and effort, but better to invest the effort up front than to deal with someone long-term who is not right for the job. Many of our clients have told us they put off hiring for positions because they just don’t have enough time to wade through stacks of resumes.

Here are some tips to streamline the hiring process and help you find the cream of the crop:

1. Take some time to write a questionnaire about the available position. Include all the skills that the perfect candidate will need to be able to hit the ground running, such as computer software experience, sales experience, managing people. Be specific, and ask for what you need.
2. In the questionnaire, ask the candidate to rate him/herself from 1-10 on each of these specific skills. Be sure to make this questionnaire very comprehensive. You want your candidate to put some thought into the answers.
3. Place an ad for the position in publications or on networking sites where you are likely to get the attention of the candidates you want.
4. This is key – in your ad, ask them to email you to request the questionnaire. If you can attach the questionnaire to the ad via a link, that will save you some time. Instruct them to fill out the questionnaire and fax it back to you along with their resume and cover letter. Provide a deadline for this action to be complete.
5. See who can follow the instructions! We have heard from many clients who have asked candidates to follow simple instructions for submitting resumes. They will receive hundreds of resumes from people who neglect to complete the questionnaire or who don’t fax it back by the deadline. Those people have already de-selected themselves from the process because they didn’t follow instructions. If they aren’t listening to you before the interview, chances are they won’t listen on the job.
6. Only review the resumes of those who correctly followed your instructions in the ad. Of those, select the ones you want to pursue. Read their questionnaires to see where their strengths and weaknesses lie and be sure to discuss those topics in your interview.

When it comes to hiring employees, spending a little time up front will save you headaches later. With all the talent in the marketplace today, be sure that your business is hiring the best of the best. From there you can work with your employees to build the winning team that will help your company win the game of business.

Are you ready to win?