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?

Sales Assets - Your Not-So-Secret Weapons

“Every single day I wake up and commit myself to becoming a better player.” Mia Hamm, American Soccer Star

Salespeople often fall into the trap of selling from desperation. They have quotas to meet, inventory to unload, commissions to earn. They find themselves up against a wall, sometimes willing to do almost anything to make a sale. They will offer discounts, they will cajole and almost beg for sales in order to make their numbers.

This is never a winning game. Clients can sense when you are selling from scarcity, and they will not think the better of you for it. Indeed, it’s tough to stay in the game when you are consistently worried about making sales.

At Possibilities Unlimited, we train people to sell from their sales assets. Sales Assets are your points of strength, thing both you and your company can offer that should sway the client’s decision to buy from you. It’s important for salespeople to get a clear understanding of what their company’s assets are.

We recently worked with a company that has higher prices and less favorable shipping terms than most of their competition. The sales team decided to align themselves on what they saw as the company’s strength – its fiscal responsibility. Looking from the vantage point of fiscal responsibility, the team was able to develop a collection of sales assets that gave them solid ground upon which to stand. Here’s just a few of the ideas they came up with:

Consistent access to a wide selection of inventory.

Staying power – the company will be there to support client needs.

Quality service and knowledgeable staff.

A shared commitment to the company’s vision and viability.

When a client can see the value of the company and the product or service, they are much more likely to buy. People want value more than they want bargains, they want to be sure they are spending their money wisely.

Make a list of your sales assets. Think about yourself as well as your company. Do you have valuable experience? A top notch quality assurance program? A well-made product? Sell from your list of sales assets and work on communicating you value. When you sell from value instead of desperation, you are playing a winning game.

Are you ready to win?