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Customers for Life?

With my busy world-wide travel schedule, as you can imagine I’ve earned some status with several hotel and airline loyalty clubs. That’s a cool thing, as the perks are often appreciated. However, the staffs of the businesses offering such Loyalty Programs need to be regularly reminded of their purpose- to create brand loyalty and repeat/referral business.

Last night I checked into one of my “Loyalty Program Hotels”, where my client was holding their meetings. Since my client had pre-registered me, I wanted to let the desk know my Loyalty Member number since the client wasn’t aware of it. And this is where the hotel staff blew it. Since the room was being taken care of by the client, the hotel staff went out of their way to “warn” me that I would receive no credit except for any additional purchases, like the restaurant. While this policy is fairly standard, the “blew it” came with the overt action and tone to admonish me on this, wondered why I wanted to give them my “Loyalty” number and all of this in front of 6 other folks in the midst of checking in. It’s now the next day and I am still shaking my head in dismay. As well, I would have taken dinner at the hotel but chose to walk across the street, as I wanted no more of such “Loyalty Service”.

If you want to garner “Loyalty and Repeat” business, all on the team need to regularly practice going the extra mile.

Ps. All would have been fine if the person at the desk had just taken my Loyalty number and recorded it-simple.

Energize to Optimize: Five Specific Ways to Motivate Your Sales Force

Monday, September 13th, 2010

What motivates a company’s sales force?  This question is important, as many organizations across different industries know that a motivated sales force can impede or encourage a company’s plans for growth.  It’s important to understand basic human needs, as well as a few tips and tricks that are necessary to sustain high motivation levels among sales staff.  In order for a company to engage their workers and increase the chances of them sticking around, sales motivation is crucial.  It’s also necessary for companies who want to keep their sales team performing at high productivity levels.  No matter the situation, motivating sales force can be a challenge.

The first and foremost rule to motivating a sales force is to develop ways to thrive during times of constant change.  This article discusses five specific actions designed to encourage peak performance from a company’s most valuable resource—its employees.

Companies are putting increased pressure on their employees to work both longer and harder.  The reason for these stress-inducing policies includes corporate restructurings that have reduced layers of managers—without reducing the amount of work these managers do, increased competition from other large, efficient companies and niche opportunistic companies, as well as new technologies that decreased job supervision.  Associates need to be energized in order to step up and optimize their own performances.

Motivate Sales Force:  Setting the Culture/Communicating the Message

Remember, communication is more action-based than words.  If a manager comes in to the office out-of-sorts proceeds to walk into their office without a “hello” or friendly greeting, how can he or she expect employees to answer the phone and greet customers enthusiastically that morning? Culture comes from the top and the behavior demonstrated is the behavior to be expected.  “We are the message” is a powerful motto.

5 Suggestions to Motivate a Sales Force

• Set direction and motivate a sales force by writing quarterly goals.  During this process, teams commit to the goals they establish, and enthusiasm develops as departments formulate shared missions.  By evaluating goals quarterly, energy and commitment is rekindled and the associate feels connected to the process.  Each individual has the opportunity to develop appropriate, achievable short-term goals.
• Motivate your sales force by truly listening.  Be open and inquisitive and receptive to ideas—remind yourself that useful ideas and suggestions often come from customers, suppliers, competitors, associates, fellow employees, mentors, and trade groups. Ask questions and listen.
• Focusing on customer needs should be the driving force of your organization.  A leader is more interested in serving customers then worrying about what the board of directors may think.
• To motivate a sales force, articulate and circulate the company mission and values.  Once a year, deliver a speech to reinforce what your company stands for.  One all-over mission statement is extremely useful for helping other units construct their own specific mission statements.  74% of employees believe information sharing as very important, whereas only half of executives acknowledge this as something their associates want.
• Just as a procedure manual offers rules, companies share their morals.  To motivate your sales force, empower employees to take initiatives.  Remind your company who they are and what they do—influence thinking and action more then procedures and manuals by storytelling—this strategy is a very effective management tool that works well at both small and large companies.

Learn more ways to approach sales force motivation and how your entire company can achieve high performance.

Sales Training in CA a Necessity in a Down Economy

Monday, September 13th, 2010

Companies are making do with fewer employees in this down turn of the economy. There were almost 2000 mass layoff events in the second quarter of 2010 that resulted in 338,064 workers loosing their jobs. California recorded the highest number of unemployment claims during this time frame.  Many of the first employees to be cut during the recent recession were in sales.  For this reason, California companies with lean sales forces need to invest in sales training in CA that makes sense financially and intellectually.

Not only have California companies cut their sales departments, the competition is sharper. Buyers are more cautious because they have limited funds and are wary about starting new projects.  They even tend to limit access to sales presentations and innovative ideas. Old sales techniques result in fewer leads, fewer face-to-face meetings, and fewer new deals. Perhaps it is time to raise your sales team’s IQ.

Many sales people have been so busy keeping up with the increased workload that they feel they have no time left for sales training.  They need sales ideas that work and training that is available to them on their own time.  California companies that want to retain their best sales people need to address the need for sales training in CA that works, is easy to access and revisit, and that reinforces and reminds sales people when they need it.

One way to accomplish all these goals is to look to the internet and webcast training from a proven sales trainer.  It is affordable, always available, and can jump start sales success.   Topics can include strategies that work in a down economy, sales motivation, proven sales strategies and techniques, listening and questioning skills, sales management tips, checklists, and how-to advice.

In many cases sales training webinars will also include useful support tools such as a recording of the session, handouts, summary sheets, discussion guides for later meetings with sales teams, and quizzes.   The good webinars also come with a guarantee that the sessions will strengthen sales skills and results.

Sales training in CA does not have to be staid and predictable.  Look for a dynamic presenter who can really capture the imagination and be inspirational to your sales team.  Check references for other companies that have used this trainer in the past, and look through the website for testimonials and webinar outlines.  You may be surprised at how affordable sales training in CA can be!

Daly News September 2010 Volume 41

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

“Most people over-estimate what they can do in a year, and under-estimate what they can do in a decade.”

LEADERSHIP LESSONS LEARNED– here are a dozen gleaned over time from my personal experiences:

A. Today’s Leaders are Cheer Leaders. What are you doing, as the Leader, to ensure a winning Culture?
B. Work on the business, not in the business. Too many Leaders get sucked into the day-to-day at the expense of high payoff activities. Work hard at being proactive and leverage your business results.
C. Delegate, not abdicate. Reagan said it well during the cold war days: trust, but verify.
D. Inspect what you expect.This goes well with c) above.
E. Things that get measured get done. This holds true in both our personal and business lives. Identify the key activities and witness improved results by following this simple lesson.
F. Focus precedes success . Too many people tackling too many projects. Too many sales people calling on too many people. The best performers are focused.
G. Hire slowly, fire quickly. All too often, we see the opposite in actions. Low turnover is not necessarily a good thing; low turnover of solid performers is a good thing.
H. You get the behavior you recognize and reward. What are your “systems” to ensure regular, ongoing recognition?
I. Knowledgeable companies communicate. What are your “systems” to ensure consistent and open communication?
J. Training is a process, not an event. It must be ongoing and continuous. It’s also part of the glue to a winning culture.
K. Our role as Leaders is more to “grow our business” versus “run our business”. What are you doing to “grow” your business? What percent of your time is on “grow” vs. “run”?
L. It’s about the “important”, not the “urgent”. People and companies tend to under perform to their capabilities because we rush to the urgent at the expense of the important. What is on your top ten list?

“RED” SCOTT’S BUSINESS CARDINALS – During the late 80′s I was a member of a CEO learning organization called TEC (now Vistage). Over my five year membership, I had the opportunity to learn from 50+ business subject matter experts. Of all those I had such an opportunity, it was Red’s presentation that I ran off hundreds of audios and distributed to key business leaders inside and outside my company. Somewhat similar to my dozen bullets above, here are more pearls from a Leader in the know!

• Don’t run out of cash – no matter what.
• No surprises – give me fair warning.
• Create basic values – not paper earnings.
• Keep your eggs in at least 5 baskets.
• The boss should be the head salesman.
• Never get organized by a trade union.
• Always tell the bad news first – never last.
• Never compromise quality for price.
• Concentrate on the customer – not the brick and mortar.
• Don’t confuse brightness with judgment.

See the next 26 pearls of wisdom using this link- http://www.vistageflorida.com/staff.php

Sales RX – The Top Performers Sales Checklist
15 Systems & Processes Guaranteed to Drive Bigger Results

Increase your Q4 sales, focus on key activities to grow bigger results.

3 Big Problems Sales People Face…

1) Missed sales opportunities – Sales you should have won but you don’t know why you lost them OR you’re simply spread too thin.
2) Don’t know what or how to correct – Results are less than desired, but you’re not sure what went wrong or how to fix it
 3) Something or someone else’s fault – When you lose, it’s easy to blame the prospect, the economy, the company, the pricing, etc. But deep down you know it’s up to you to find a way to get the results you need.

Top performing sales people get it done. “They find a way.” The truth is that they focus on the key high payoff activities that build sales results and commit to doing them consistently.

Learn how to master the Top Performer’s Sales Checklist to drive bigger results in Jack Daly’s next webcast –Sales RX: The Top Performers Sales Checklist – 15 Systems & Processes Guaranteed to Drive Bigger Results on Thursday, Sept. 30 at

1:00 pm Pacific time.

Get TONS of practical ideas and action steps. You will learn:

• Goal Achievement: Four high-payoff systems that drive goal achievement
• Competitive Advantage: Tools and actions to differentiate you and leverage your uniqueness
• Success Guide: Four power tools that will help you outperform the competition
• Training & Skill Development : Sales processes to stay sharp, effective and time-efficient

Here’s one example of results:

140% of Budget!! (new update-fantastic!!)

Jack – Just an update 140% achieved for August and September is looking good. Key points 1) Increased touch points 2) Emailing before leaving the prospects premises-in most cases we receive a reply from the prospect thanking us for the prompt service 3) We now profile all of our clients & prospects. Thanks again for sharing the knowledge!
Kelvin Marks, Regional Sales Manager, GoGetta Equipment Funding
Thursday, September 30 1:00 pm Pacific time

For more information or registration click here

TAKING ACTION

The frustrating part of what I do as a speaker/teacher is relying on others to “take action”. Frustrating especially when you hear about the challenges of a tightened economy, and yet too many folks not taking the actions needed to WIN. Check these examples of others, and then ask yourself why you aren’t “making things happen”..

Hi Jack!

I went to a customer meeting the next day and used some of the skills you taught me on this course. Particularly in relation to the profiling, listening and the main one was the VALUE proposition info. I saw this customer firmly in the “Premium” end of the market with their products. So I put it to them that it’s definitely not always about price. Since they charge THEIR customers a premium for the luxury of buying their blue ribbon ice cream.I also saw the benefit for me being passionate about the product since I LOVE their ice cream and always have. To cut a long story short, I am well on the way to completing a contract to supply them with my packaging. In the long term will run into the millions in sales.

Once again thanks for these very powerful tools.

Best Regards, Des

Jack-

Things in Nightlife sales are going well:

We’ve already adopted:
– role practicing
– premium product (we’re going to print on new support materials)
– Quantifying sales activity – “Quotes = deals”. Each rep has to get a quality quote out a day and “TwoForTuesday!”.
– With lots more to come…

Thanks for your help!

Best regards

Paula

Well Jack, we are no geniuses but we know a good idea when we hear one! Just wanted to say thanks for opening our eyes to the importance of first impressions.

See below.

All the best!
John

2009-20102010 Educational Opportunities
Remaining Workshops and Summits

October 29, 2010- Orange County, CA
Full Day Smart Selling Workshop

November 11 & 12, 2010- Chicago, IL
Sales& Management Summit

November 19, 2010- Vancouver, BC
Full Day Smart Selling

December 10, 2010- Denver, CO
Full Day Smart Selling Workshop

CALL JENNIFER FOR REGISTRATION DETAILS 888-298-6868
OR EMAIL HER AT [email protected]

IN THE NEWS- Here’s a sampling of solid tips swept from magazine/blog and newsletters. Enjoy and learn.

1. This from Verne Harnish’s newsletterVerne’s Insights-recommend subscribing

Best Question — Craig Hodges, Managing Director of Australia-based King Content , suggested the best business question I’ve heard in 2010 — “What’s The Brown Paper Bag in Your Business?” As the story goes, Craig was in NYC and managed to garner a dinner reservation at the famous Gramercy Tavern. One thing led to another and he ended up closing the place down, enjoying beers with the staff (what Aussie’s do best!). As he was leaving, the staff handed him a brown paper bag and said it was a little something for breakfast the next morning. He started to look inside, but was instructed to keep it closed until the sun came up.

Delight Inside — when Hodges was ready for breakfast the next morning, he found inside the properly sealed bag a freshly baked muffin, muesli, and an orange juice – a welcomed delight. It was then that he wondered “what was the brown paper bag-equivalent in his business?” He wondered how his business could generate the same word-of-mouth promotion he’s given Gramercy Tavern as a result of something so simple, yet memorable?

2. This fromSeth Godin’sblog-recommend subscribing. The power of buttons and being normal. So, here is your challenge and opportunity- What is your brown bag and what is your button in your business?
3. This from FORTUNE magazine of Sept 6- Bill Gates’ Favorite Teacher.www.Khanacademy.org. Mini lectures with high impact; possibly a harbinger for how learning will take place in the not too distant future!
4. This from SUCCESS magazine October- No Fear! – “Unlike Edison, many of us avoid the prospect of failure. In fact, we’re so focused on not failing that we don’t aim for success, settling instead for a life of mediocrity. When we do make missteps, we gloss over them, selectively editing out the mistakes in our life’s resume.” Ralph heath put it this way: “Failure and defeat are life’s greatest teachers but sadly, most people, and particularly conservative corporate cultures, don’t want to go there.” To achieve your personal best, to reach unparalleled heights, to make the impossible possible, you must think big, and you have to push yourself. Achieving the goal or at least waging a heroic effort requires preparation, practice and some awareness of your skills and talents. “One of the biggest secrets to success is operating inside your strength zone but outside of your comfort zone”, says Heath. Names of famous failures include Michael Jordan, Donald Trump, Vince Lombardi, Babe Ruth, Winston Churchill and Richard Branson. Company worth keeping!

CONTINUOUS SELF DEVELOPMENT– One of the more provocative books I’ve read in years is DRIVE, by Daniel Pink . Special thanks goes out to a group of CEO’s in Wisconsin for pointing me in the direction of this book. I have to admit, I’m still struggling with Pink’s assertions. Not in a wholesale way, but rather I felt as though he was making his points that were more encompassing in the workforce than they have practicality. But, he makes some very strong points for positions where his assertions do indeed apply. This book will certainly get you thinking, reexamine management practices of the past and present, and has significant implications on the corporate culture in our businesses. I strongly recommend you reading this one and discussing it with your team. Here are some takeaways:

-Carrots & sticks are so last century. DRIVE says for 21stcentury work, we need to upgrade to autonomy, mastery, & purpose.

-When it comes to motivation , there’s a gap between what science knows and what business does. Our current business operating system-which is built around external, carrot-and-stick motivators-doesn’t work and often does harm. We need an upgrade. And the science shows the way. This new approach has three essential elements: 1) Autonomy-the desire to direct our own lives; 2) Mastery-the urge to get better and better at something that matters; and 3) Purpose-the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.

-According to Pink, the ideal would be leading our companies via: “Do what you want, when you want, where you want and how you want”. It’s this extreme that I struggle with, and I can just highly recommend you taking a look for yourself. In my Kindle, DRIVE garnered more underscoring than any other book to date.

-I also recommend you check out the links here to a YouTube video and a TED video on DRIVE.

Here’s the schedule of cities I will be conducting programs in over the next 3 months (some for clients, others are open seat workshops). I may have flexibility in my scheduling for lunch, dinner or more should someone have an interest. If you see I’m headed to your part of the world, feel free to email [email protected] with your interest and Jen will do her best to accommodate any requests.

October- Boston, Philly, New Jersey, Chicago, DC, Toronto, Denver, Vancouver, Jacksonville

November- Chicago, Cleveland, Austin, Birmingham, Toronto, Vancouver, Detroit, San Diego

December- Detroit, West Palm Beach, Denver, Raleigh, Virgina

Better Sales People. Better Sales, Period.

CURRENTLY BETA TESTING! WILL BE LIVE SOON.

GPS gives you the sales systems, processes and tools you need to keep your sales team on track. GPS can get your entire sales team at top performer levels, not just your top 20%. Sales systems and processes powered by Jack Daly for as little as $69/Month.

GPS puts into action the specific, unique sales systems and processes that Jack Daly has personally used to grow six companies from start-up to remarkable national (large-scale) success… and is currently teaching and using successfully with clients around the world for more than a decade.

GPS focuses high payoff sales actions on results. Goal setting, tracking key activities, proactive pipeline management, building perception of value, prospect preparation, best question & objections, sales success tools and more. Its professional sales systems, processes and tools that grow sales and profits

• Focus on Results
  More focused, less fragmented. Keep your eye on the ball… how to focus your sales team on their goals and key activities needed, backed with productive accountability.
• Proven Sales Plan
  Effective systems and processes using simple tools to build a solid sales management action plan. Get everyone performing at a much higher level.
•  Sales Leadership
  Get it right. Evaluations, inspection, 1-on-1 and team communications to raise the bar for your team to consistently higher results.
• Competitive Advantage
  You’ll learn how to create a real, distinct advantage over your competitors to win more sales.

Interested? Check out our demos, http://gps.jackdaly.net/demos.

If any article in this newsletter would be of interest to your co-workers, customers or clients we would appreciate having you forward it along.

Inside the Zappos Culture

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Zappos did a webcast yesterday that provided an inside look at their Culture. Since I talk about Zappos all the time I sent the link to our client base so that those who had time to join the webinar could. I have gotten so many emails from people asking me if we had access to the recorded version that I went and found it on the Zappos site.  Here it is for your viewing pleasure! http://www.zapposinsights.com/main/webcast/