The Elephant in the Room is Standing on my Head!

Editor's Note: Jenna Bradley is a sales rep who sells MRI's. Her sales career is in the toilet because the economy has taken a devastating toll on her sales but more importantly, her mind. As she struggles to regain her footing, she will learn what it takes to become great again.

Well, my conference call was as boring as two turtles on xanax trying to race each other. I actually can't remember a thing that was said during the call except that using a Powerpoint during our presentations to prospects will "drive sales." The rep from Arkansas asked, "Drive them where?" I'm sure right now his manager is driving him over to human resources. Funny, no one mentioned the economy. The elephant in the room takes a giant dump and I'm the only one who seems to smell it.

What your mind can achieve, it can believe! I try to focus but my focus is being driven by fear and I decide that can't work. What am I afraid of? Losing my house, my boss Shrek putting me on probation, looking like a dumbass to my friends and colleagues. What I'm really afraid is that I never knew how to do this job in the first place and I'm really a big, fat fraud. Well, I'm actually not fat but it's possible I am a fraud. And then I decide, no, I'm actually very good at what I do. Great, in fact. I'm just in a slump that's going to get me sent back to the minors if I can't snap myself out of it.

I turn on my computer and write an action plan. It consists of everything I think I need to do in the next 30 days to sell a system. I use all the old numbers that used to get me to my goal and multiply by 3. I convince myself that if I would actually start my day at 8am, instead of 10am, these numbers won't really be that difficult. I will plan each day the night before, including who I am going to call.My plan appears brilliant and if my arms were longer, I'd pat myself on the back. Instead I decide to pour myself a drink and turn on the TV.

Trouble. The swine flu is spreading and I don't have any hand sanitizer. Joe Biden thinks confined places and air travel are a bad idea. I think Foot and Mouth disease is more contagious. I'm glad I don't sit in meetings with him. I switch off the TV.

I think I'll workout in the morning. I haven't set an alarm in years. Do I even have an alarm? I realize there is one thing missing in my plan. I realize even if I had solid 30 prospects, how would I address the economy with them? My prospects are so familiar with the elephant, they probably have names picked out for him. Tomorrow I'm going to call a friend of my dad's. He's probably the wisest man I've ever known. He'll know how to handle that. I would call Shrek but he's probably getting his ears polished.

Selling is not simply a job, it's a skill that's continually built upon over time. We are dedicated to helping you navigate and grow during good times and bad. Sales-Negotiation-Training.net

We'd love to hear your questions! Email me directly!"

Sales Numbers and the Great Deceptor! part 5

I can feel the oxygen slowly being depleted from my brain. Humiliation has a funny way of depriving the life right out of someone. I have just remembered I have a 5pm conference call starting in 15 minutes and I KNOW someone in upper management is going to read through the sales rankings. How will it feel to be outed as a complete and total failure? Moron? Loser? Maybe I'm not the only one with a big goose egg this quarter? Hey, maybe that woman in Texas has a big fat zero too? How much could a pregnant woman really sell? Or that guy in Reno whose dog bit him in the face last month. It would be hard to sell with your face covered in a bandage. Wouldn't it? For a moment, my thoughts comfort me. It's a fleeting moment though. Besides, this thinking does not pay my bills. I look down at my day planner and read, "What the mind can believe, it can achieve." That comforts me more but seems tragically difficult at the moment.

I decide to quickly check in with my friend in Portland whose has consistently ranked one or two since I started with the company. He'll know the lay of the land.

"Hey Tom, it's Jenna, how are things going?

"Oh I hear YOUR sales suck this month," Tom chuckles. I'm certain I can feel a sharp knife penetrate my stomach. "Or, should I say this year," he adds. Ouch, the knife nicks my spinal cord and shoots right through my back. I'm so glad I called.

"Really, how are your sales this month?" I ask, ignoring the urge to hang up the phone, fly to Portland and spit on him.

"Well, I'm number 1," he says.

Of course you are. And then he tells me he's at 48% of his quota. I'm all out of knives so instead I begin to laugh.

"Tom, you've basically sold two more systems than me and your gloating?"

"Yes," he answers "but I'm number one."

We hang up the phone as our conference call is about to begin.

But before I dial in, I sit back in my chair feeling, well puzzled. It's strange to me anyone would gloat over numbers so below average. Yet what amazes me even more is how the ego can find ways to adopt and adapt without being, well... drunk. Forget feeling good about exceeding sales goals. Now we'll just look at others and feel good because we are doing better them. Even if "better" is relative to well, nothing.

"What the mind can believe, it can achieve." I look at my sales goals again and decide to put together a real plan of action. A real plan - not the kind they make us invent at our yearly sales meetings. I'm certain I've never done a "real" one but today seems like a good day to begin.

Selling is not simply a job, it's a skill that's continually built upon over time. We are dedicated to helping you navigate and grow during good times and bad. Sales-Negotiation-Training.net

We'd love to hear your questions! Email me directly!"

Did I mention, I'm in Sales? part 3

Here's a quick recap in case you missed the first two installments and you think reading them will require to much energy: Jenna Bradley sells MRI devices but the economy has destroyed her sales and she thinks quite possibly her mind. (Let's call it her attitude!) She's found solace with daytime TV and cheap vodka. She's being evicted from her home and has sold her washing machine to make her car payment. Her Sales Manager is no where to be found and that's just as well. He's yellowish green, needs a bra and could use a stomach staple or two. (Added now for better description. And yes, he might be jaundice) She's in over her head. And then she falls asleep and dreams of Napoleon Hill. She thinks it's actually God. It is a dream after all.

Holy cow, that WAS a strange dream. For a moment, I wonder where I am. Like when you're traveling and you wake up in a strange hotel room. Was I drinking this morning? For a moment, I can't even remember what day it is. But I am painfully aware that I need to be working. That I should be trying to sell something.

I look at my watch and realize it's already 1 pm. Ughhhh, it's much too late in the day to start prospecting and really get the momentum going. (How's that for rationalization?) I find my blackberry under some blank order forms and notice I have a missed call. Thank goodness, it's from one of my accounts and not my "shrek" looking boss. I decide to return it. Dumb Mistake. It's a customer needing service.

"Oh, your display panel on your system is blank? Did you turn it on? No, I'm not trying to be smart," I hear myself saying. I suddenly feel like asking, "Do I look like the service department? Do you see a BIG service tag with a 1-800 number in three places on your machine?" But better judgment takes over. For a moment I consider calling our customer service department myself for the account but my company "frowns" on that. Instead, I direct them to the number on the system and hang up. I feel enormously proud that I have done some work today. I've earned my minimum wage salary.

And then it hits me.... I haven't eaten all day! I head to the kitchen to make myself a sandwich. Scouring the cabinet and refrigerator for food, I'm struck by its emptiness. My whole kitchen seems lonely, like it needs a good friend. I settle instead for a Slimfast bar and resist the urge to dip it in vodka. Thank goodness tomorrow is payday. I'd be starving if I had to live off straight commission. And then it really hits me...

I am one step away from being homeless. Actually worse, I am one step away from living with my mother. 18 months ago I was in the top 10% of ALL the salespeople in my company. Today I am worried about food and eviction notices. I wonder if I have a brain tumor.

"What the mind can conceive, it can achieve!" I mumble to myself. Oh, that sounds like something Dr. Phil would say. I'm pretty sure that guy isn't even really a Doctor. Then I remember my dream.

With a vengeance, I search for my day planner. No I don't use my blackberry to keep appointments. I'm only slightly living in the 21st century. I find the section for notes and write. "What my mind can conceive, it can achieve." I can feel something stir in my soul. And then I write my first goal. "I will sell one device by the end of the month. I except to make $8,000." I add, "When I accomplish this, I will give 10% of the commissions I earn to the Homeless Shelter." I purposefully leave the book open on my desk. And then I decide to write it on 10 pieces of paper to hang around my house. For the first time in a long time I feel hope.

Please Don't Talk to ME about Sales Goals! I'm not in the Third Grade!

We interrupt our story for a very important message on goals! Oh, not goals you say. "I should stop reading right now," you mutter to yourself. "But you have proven to be slightly entertaining, so I'll endure this post in the hope that you continue your story tomorrow!" I promise I will but humor me and read on.

Most people don't like the word "goals." I'm really not sure why. Maybe it's because in the back of our minds we aren't certain we can or will reach them. And if we can't reach the goals we set, our minds tell us we fail. None of us want to see ourselves as failures. Our egos cringe at the very thought. So we decide not to construct them and convince ourselves without them we can't fail. Or, something like that.

The miraculous things about goals is that if you write them down, review them and BELIEVE them, you will achieve them! It's really that simple. Consider Jim Carrey:

“I wrote myself a check for ten million dollars for acting services rendered and dated it Thanksgiving 1995. I put it in my wallet and it deteriorated. And then, just before Thanksgiving 1995, I found out I was going to make ten million dollars for Dumb & Dumber. I put that check in the casket with my father because it was our dream together.” Jim Carrey

If you are in sales today, wrap your mind around the fact that not only do you need goals, you want goals in this current economic environment. And it's when we write these goals down and believe, the power of the universe seems to take over. Even if you sell a product today that is unaffected by the economy (pacemakers, stents etc...) having goals will keep you at the top of your game and in the running for your companies top award.

For those who have never written a goal in their life, I don't expect you to take my word for it. But, if you want to excel in sales, decide for just a moment that what I am saying is true and test it for yourself.

Write down how much money you want to make for Q2. Then go backward from that. Write down how many sales you would need, how many presentations you would need,how many prospects you would need, how many cold calls you will have to make, what time you should start your day and what time you should end it. I even include how many weekends I think I need to work. Include everything on this sheet you need to do in your particular sales job to meet your goal. This exercise will probably not take more than 10 minutes.

And in doing this exercise you accomplish two things: 1. You have set your goals and 2. You have just built your road map success.

You might be surprised to find that this simple little exercise will actually change your life.

Did I mention, I'm in Sales? part 2

Ah, it's good to finally take a shower. I start to sing "I dream the dream of times gone by..." and I think of Susan Boyle. (Maybe not the best picture in the shower.) And I reason, if she can find success at 47, I feel certain I can regain mine. I imagine standing before Simon Cowell. He says, "Your sales career was in the toilet but that last sale, well that made up for ALL the days you stayed in bed and moaned about the economy. Jenna Bradley, you can go back to work with your head held high..." The crowd erupts. I do notice Simon doesn't have his cheeks between his hands or that "I just ate a bird" popping smile. Undaunted, I run to the side of the stage with my fists raised in the air. "Ah, it's good to be on top."
The water begins to get cold, so I turn off the shower and feel comforted by my sudden stardom and my stink-free body. I quickly go to my computer to check my leads for the day. Man, it's been a while since I have done that. How long I really can't remember? Does my sales manager know this, I wonder? Let me just look for the whole month. Ughhhh, ONE, one lead for 30 days and I know this group - it's not a lead at all! I eye the pencil on my desk and convince myself not to stick it in my eye. What to do, what to do???? Cold Call? The thought causes a deep pain to jar my intestines. For a second I think I might have food poisoning.
I call a friend from another territory. He tells me he will call me back, He's on his way to the movies with his wife and kids. "Is it Saturday I ask?" "Oh, your taking the day off because your not that busy," I repeat back to him. I hang up the phone, shaking my head. It's way too early to start drinking. For a moment, I consider an afternoon movie but decide the $7.50 ticket would buy me 2 latte's at Starbucks instead. Every penny counts today.
I haven't been to church since I was a kid, but I lay my head down on my desk and pray for wisdom. Actually, I pray to win the lottery and then I pray for wisdom.
In an instant I am transported to a television studio. The dream is in black and white. There is a man about to speak to a camera. He's old and isn't at all familiar to me. I wonder if he's God. Before I am allowed to watch the recording, I must agree to abide by whatever he says. I hope he's not going to ask me to belly dance because I'm feeling kind of fatty these day. I am also asked to stop allowing my ego to rule my life. "What ego, I ask myself." I agree and my dream moves forward.

For more information check out!: Sales-Negotiation-Training.net

We'd love to hear your questions! Email me directly!"

Did I mention, I'm in Sales?

I was thinking today as I was closing the door of my Hummer, it used to take a lot less effort to close a $100,000 MRI sale than to close this door. As I walk into the house, I notice the sweet smell of bacon permeating the air. Funny I think, it's not Sunday my usual day to cook bacon. Today is actually Tuesday. Or wait, maybe it's Wednesday. I can't remember so I search for my Blackberry to check the day. Shoot, I can't find it. I'm sure that I just used it today or maybe it was yesterday. I wander to the couch and am surprised - hey, the sofa cushion is still warm. Oh yeah, I just left for a second to go to the convenience store to buy an enormously overpriced bottle of really cheap vodka. I go back to the kitchen, pour the vodka, add orange juice and convince myself adding the orange juice has just made it a healthy drink. I can feel my liver enlarging just thinking that thought. I return to the sofa and turn on the TV. Darn, I missed Dr. Oz on Oprah but hey, Ellen is on and her guest is Christina Applegate. Holy cow, there's a plant moving behind her on the set and it's shaped like a man. I think I've had too much to drink or maybe daytime TV really is something to be missed. The phone rings and interrupts the deep conversation I am having with myself. The caller ID says it's my mother. Voicemail? I haven't spoken to another living being all day. God, why can't my mother just sign up for Facebook? I decide to answer it. Big mistake. Her washing machine is broken and she asks to use mine. I tell her mine is also broke but actually I had to sell it a few weeks ago to make a car payment. Then she tells me she is worried that the moth on her window will eat a hole through her clothes. I ask her, "Have you ever seen a moth, ever, eating any piece of clothing? In your whole life? No, they are either stuck to a window trying to figure out why they can't get to the other side or flapping on a light bulb desperate to stay warm." I tell her to find a shoe and swing for the fence. Then I hang up the phone and doze off. I dream I am falling off a cliff and George Clooney is below with his arms out-stretched. He realizes I haven't sold anything all month and he lets me fall straight to the ground. The fall doesn't wake me up. Next I am spinning in my own washing machine that is now owned by a lovely drunk women who looks like she is living in a trailer park. She pulls me out of the machine and laughs so hard her belly splits open. 3 MRI's spill out of her belly and they ask me: "Are you ready to go back to work yet?"
The doorbell is ringing? I wake up and see that Fed Ex has left me a gift. I can feel the excitement well up inside me. I open it up. Crap, it's brochures from my company on a new product I'm supposed to be selling. Who can afford this I wonder? Suddenly I realize I can smell something and it smells like a poopie flavored lollipop or it's something that is dead. Maybe it's a dead rat trapped in a closet. I wander all around the house but I can't get any closer to the smell. I sniff some more and realize the smell is ME. Geez I wonder, when is the last time I showered? I have no idea so I pour myself another vodka and wait for the evening news. And oh, the news is bad. I raise my fists in the air and congratulate the commentators for spewing more economic upheaval. Comforted in my reality, I drift off to sleep.
I wake up with a terrible headache. Actually, my whole body hurts. I think it's from spinning in that washing machine. The door bell is ringing. It's a Sheriff. He hands me an eviction notice as he pinches his nose together. How rude, I think. And he's kind of fat. How could he possibly chase down any bad guys with all that blubber? The notice says I need alot of money to stay in this house. Actually, I'd just have to sell one, maybe two MRI's to pay it off. I stink. No literally. I have two choices? Pour myself a drink or take a shower and show the world I am better than this? I take a shower but I haven't decided, am I better than this?

Salespeople are the life blood to keep this economy moving!

Today the housing market was again in the news with some pretty bad numbers: 1 in 159 homes in America are in foreclosure. Most of us know someone who is likely facing this scenario. At least you do if you live in one of the hardest hit States.

The four hardest hit states: Nevada, Arizona, California and Florida make up over 60% of the homes currently in foreclosure. Add just 4 more States and you total over 70% of homes facing foreclosure.

If you are in sales, selling in one of these States, it's likely you are facing some very tough consumers. And even if your State isn't severely affected by foreclosures, credit lending has become so tight it affects the whole Country. The more homes that fall into foreclosure - the harder it becomes for consumers to secure new loans for homes, businesses or even a college education across the country. And when consumers have a tough time getting loans, they feel poor.

No matter what State you are selling in today, understanding that choosing your prospects wisely will win you big gains. You don't have to sell to the masses to be successful, you simply need to be the best at qualifying a prospect and then keeping that great prospect on your call list or email list at least once a week. Choose your words with great care. Words are what we use to motivate and what we use to sell.

Let's look at one more thing. For just a moment, look past all the bad lending that has occurred over the past decade. Look past the credit derivative fiasco. So much of what has occurred comes down to two simple notions: greed and fear. Greed drives markets to irrational heights. Greed supercharges the ego into believing things it otherwise would not. Masters of the Universe are born during these time - at least their seeping brains believe this to be the case. And when the game is up (and all games end) fear takes over with a mighty force. Everyone fights to hang on to what is left. (Unless of course you are Bernie Madoff and you simply have nothing left.) And if you top it all off with 24 hour news networks that seem to keep it all overinflated, the world is never what it seems or what it could be.

Understanding the psychology of what moves markets is imperative for sales people. The better you understand the emotions of your consumer - during any given moment, and the better you understand markets - the better your sales strategy becomes.

If Americans today are feeling more fearful, your job is to make them less fearful. We need to demonstrate that the time to buy is now because, lets face it, most products and services are selling for a lot less than they were even 12 months ago. Are you sure that this will be the case 6 months from now? No, as a matter of fact, a case can be made for just the opposite. (But that's for another day!) Today, consumers want VALUE and if you can show them value, demonstrate you are willing to go not just the extra mile - but 2 or 3 extra miles, they will be more inclined to work with you. Americans still love to spend money (don't lose sight of that!) But when they are afraid, they are only going to spend it with people they trust. Make that person YOU.

Sales people are the life blood of nearly every business. We are what makes the economy turn. Knowledge, attitude and perseverance will leave your competitors in the dust.

For more information check out!: Sales-Negotiation-Training.net

We'd love to hear your questions! Email me directly!"

Barter me Broke!

Consumers have become very interesting in their approach to "negotiating." You pull out a pen and a price quote and your intended buyer suddenly seems to be transported to a beach in Mexico looking to purchase a sandy sea shell necklace. You offer your product or service at $10,000.00. Your buyer counters, "I'll give you $1000.00 right now and I'll tell everyone how well your product works." Oh thank heavens! You thought you were "negotiating" with a potential buyer. How lucky you should feel to discover you are "bartering" with Ralph Nadar!

Technically, bartering is "trading" without the exchange of money. "I have a gun, you have corn." Negotiating is coming to a mutually agreeable price - that usually doesn't include the trade of something except money. Unfortunately, potential buyers seem to be trying to mix the two in this time of economic uncertainty. This poses a very difficult challenge to sales representatives who are employed by the company they represent.

The best thing to do is to remind your potential buyer that you are in no position to barter for a product or service. Unless you actually own the company and you prefer to barter.

Remember, if a potential buyer is attempting to barter with you, you have just been put on the defensive. You can't win in that position. (Unless you are actually in a position to barter and want to do so.) If your selling style uses humor, this is the easiest way to deflect barters: "The only form of payment I can accept is Visa, Mastercard, or cash. My list doesn't include verbal or written endorsements, horses or small farm animals."

Always restate your price no matter how you have expressed to your potential buyer that their offer is not an offer at all. Your job then is to remain silent. Wait for the buyer to give you a reasonable counter offer.

If your buyer remains unreasonable, don't be afraid to go back over your price quote - stating to him or her exactly what is being offered, your price discount already built into the offer and how YOU reasonably expect the negotiation to proceed. This will put you back in an offensive position.

If you find that your buyer does not move, your sales process likely needs some fine tuning. It could very well be this "buyer" wasn't really a "buyer" at all. Learn to ask more probing questions to understand your buyers psychology and hot buttons. Understanding what a buyer truly thinks and believes is one of the first keys to executing successful negotiations.

For more information check out!: Sales-Negotiation-Training.net

We'd love to hear your questions! Email me directly!"

Rapport and the Bullhorn

Rapport is the real first step in any sales cycle. It's your customers ability to connect with YOU on a human level. It's not about how much they like you. It's about how much they believe you care about them, are advocating for them and will take care of them after you sell them your product or service.

Salespeople often believe that rapport is established by asking a bunch of benign, silly questions about family, education or hobbies. That's certainly important later in maintaining a relationship, but it will only take you half-way to first base in an initial sales meeting.

Rapport is three things: 1. Passion for your product 2. Conviction with words 3. Genuine concern for your potential customer.

Think of George Bush with the bullhorn in his hand, right after 9/11. (This must really be a good example or I wouldn't be drudging up his name!) George Bush stood very tall with authority and said: "I can hear you! I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you! And the people -- and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!" The crowds went nuts.

What did he do in that one terrible moment of time? He connected with his audience and he did it with passion and conviction. He established rapport on the grandest of scales. He said I care, I'm one of you and I have something that can fix your problem. And at that moment, we bought everything he had to sell. (And wow, talk about a guy who could sell something for a really high price.) As a salesperson, you must be able to connect in the same heart felt way George Bush did that day. Although, I'm not suggesting a bullhorn or standing on a firetruck.

Three years ago we decided we were going to build a pool in our backyard. We called three or four companies to provide us a bid and show us some designs. I wanted the best pool for the cheapest price - sound familiar? Actually, we had owned a pool in a previous home and the pool had cracked. Even though we had a warranty, it became a nightmare getting the company to repair it for us. So my real concern was care and maintenance AFTER the pool was built.

After interviewing three sales people, we decided on none of the pools. It wasn't because the designs weren't great or even that we thought the prices were to high on any of the pools. For me, none of the salespeople with their pretty pebble tech brochures seem to care at all about what they were selling. They certainly didn't seem to connect with us. I might as well have been asking them to dig a hole in my backyard for a family burial plot. Just fill it up with water and we'll float on to the next life. If they weren't able to demonstrate concern for me now, they certainly wouldn't be caring about me later. (By the way, I'm actually an easy sell!)

Today consumers are nervous and they demand salespeople they can trust and depend on. They want a company that cares about them and is willing to demonstrate that. Be trustworthy, passionate and have conviction about what you are selling. That's how you establish rapport in today's economy. That's the first step in winning.

For more information check out!: Sales-Negotiation-Training.net

We'd love to hear your questions! Email me directly!

Sales Movement

I spend a lot of time talking on my cell phone, usually when I drive. Lately I've been spending more of that time listening. I'm pretty sure Q1 was still fairly brutal for most sales people - regardless of what industry you are in. (Unless you are selling toilet plungers. It seems there was a lot of puking go on.) However there IS a change the air, ever so slight, that seems very promising for salespeople this quarter. (We'll get to some of these changes in my next blog.)

Which means - if you're that salesperson who uses the economy as an excuse NOT to sell your product or service - your hall pass is about to be revoked for a few quarters. (Yes, really, i do have sympathy.) So get up off the couch, put the lid on the vodka bottle and start building your list and reactivating your cell service.

Positive Selling

While Q2 is going to look and feel much better compared to the first quarter of this year, this quarter it really is all up to you. If you are not positive in thought, action and word - your competitor will win. Right now, people want hope. They want it to be better. They want you to make them '"feel good"about what they are buying. Most people have had enough of the negative. We all have.

There's this little theory called "the Heard theory" which basically says people "do" what everyone else is doing. The heard theory goes back to the late 1700's and tulips. For a magical moment, everyone wanted tulips. They were shipped in from all over the world. People couldn't get enough tulips. Until one day, no one wanted any tulips. Imagine if you were the last guy who trucked in a million dollars worth of tulips that suddenly no one wanted. That would stink! We'd all like to believe we are smarter than that - but we probably don't need to mention any more than a few bubbles, technology, credit and housing, to prove not much has really changed.

So if the news is starting to sound good, people will get on board the ship that is selling. It's just part of the human DNA, I think. And, it's probably better if they hop on board your ship rather than one of your competitors.

We look forward to hearing from you or you can visit us at: www.sales-negotiation-training.net.