The Salesby5 Blog

- How many calls were you making a day?

- How much time did you spend in/out of the office?

- How was your attitude?

- How much heart were you putting into your efforts?

- How was your balance with your family?

- Who did you spend time with at work?

- How many books were you reading?

What are some of the things you can start doing today to get back to business at its best?  Better yet, what are some of the things you need to stop doing?  Think about it, it’s just a few little adjustments in your day that will push you back to the top.  Do you have the discipline to get back there?

photo by jcroach

Today, it is about your communications. Are you set up for success? Having a BlackBerry since 2002 has put me in a position to outsell every competitor I have had. My story would be different if I had kept my dumb (flip) phone that had no e-mail or instant messaging ability. I am excited when potential clients do not have this technology, as it is a fast way to help them dramatically increase sales. I also love the people that hold onto their flip phones and do not have e-mail and Google on their phones, as they are the easy prey that we need in an unstable economy. Am I touching a nerve? This is just one key device that is sure to help anyone in sales. Add a few features like 411, maps, email and a camera and you have a device that can push you forward. The other night, at a Crown Royal/NASCAR event, I met Frankie Muniz. The SB5er I was with quickly googled him and found we were hanging out with the star of Malcom in the Middle. We also googled everyone else we met that night on our BlackBerrys and in seconds we knew their bio and other information that allowed us to speak to them knowledgeably.

How Fast was a blog that I love as it will always be relevant. So, how fast can you get set up for success?

What if you told people they were wonderful when they were?  What if you told people they looked great when they did?  What if you helped people where they needed help?  What if you told people that they were not the right people in their organization and why?  We do and it works.

Transparency- it works for windshields because you can see where you are going. Mirrors tell you where you have been and, perhaps, what wrong turn you took.  Quarterly strengths sessions, telling us where we can depend on you the most and where we can depend on you the least, are windshields to a career.

Do you have a GPS for your career, so your team can know where you are and where you want to go?

photo by The Joy of the Mundane

When things are great, everyone is on board. When there are problems, who is left?  That’s when you know who is really on your team.  Everyone wants to win, but how you work and act in the harder times is how you know the character of your team.

photo by Larry He’s So Fine

I hear people whining about not being able to get to the decision makers or not knowing who they are. Here are a few tips you need to know, if you are selling.

You know someone who knows them.  You can find out how to reach them. Google is your friend!  You can meet them at events – what organizations do they belong to?  You can send them something that benefits them! Now, you have made a deposit in their bank.

Before you use any of these tips, I want you to know that you must have the right tool, software, problem solver or pain reliever. This takes effort.  You can send out shotgun style messages, but it won’t pass the gate keeper.  It is much easier to find me if you know where I am and what I want! The savvy are using twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other tools to connect to the people that can change, inspire or impact their sales and/or their lives.

Now the surprise: Decision makers are not who they used to be!  At Salesby5, I do not make decisions on any technology device or service. Can I introduce you to the right person?  Absolutely! But only if I feel like you will not waste his valuable time.  I also don’t make decisions on who we hire; the team does. If one person has doubts, the answer is no.  In fact, as CEO I am completely focused on driving my clients’ businesses forward and leading my team to greatness.  In our clients’ and friends’ companies, very few of the decision makers really make decisions about what most of the sales people are trying to sell to them.  Today, people are influenced by multiple factors, and as time goes on, they are influenced even more by a team.  How can you change the rules? This is the future of sales.

Last week, while speaking at NAWBO, I met a lady who wanted help getting more sales by 5 pm. I asked what she was currently doing and she said she was sending letters, cold calling, and emailing everyone. I asked what worked best and she said a little bit of all of that.  She wrote and spoke of what they had to offer.  I advised her to try some different things and gave her examples.  I also asked her to stop telling people what she has to offer and find out how she can help them. She said the gate keeper would never let her though. Ah yes, the beloved gate keeper.  Well, the following has been true for many years but has just gotten more important since September 11th.

The gate keeper is either your best friend or they are your competitor’s best friend. If this person does not give you the time of day, you give it to them. If they are power hungry, and many are, give them power!  How? Ask them to set up your meeting!  Yes, it works over 80% of the time in an internal study done at SalesBy5.  Again, if they want or exude power, give them something to do that is powerful and then give them a reward. Think about having a small backpack of smart weapons. If the gate keeper is having a bad day, what would make them feel better? If they look like they are hungry or thirsty, what would make them feel better?  Many are even told not to go to take a break for the restroom or a call unless they have found a replacement for themselves for that 5 or 10 minutes. Many must eat lunch at their desk. Find out the key to the gate keeper and you just got in the gate.

A wonderful old story from Southwest Air lines executive offices noted that the higher end applicants for Southwest Airlines had to pass the test with the gatekeeper first, before they could be offered the job.  If they upset the gate keeper, they still got an interview but it was cut short depending upon how they treated the gate keeper. In our office, if you make Sarah unhappy, you have made the whole office unhappy, and we do not take kindly to that.

If you try this and have success, please share your story. If you try this and have no success, again, share your story.

Sell everyone!  Decision makers are not who they used to be!

photo by anniebee

Yesterday, a couple of SalesBy5 team members were on our way back from Utah.  We went to a NASCAR Grand Am race for one of our clients. In the Salt Lake City airport, I was walking by and saw a young lady who was getting a drink from the water fountain.  For a late Sunday afternoon, she was dressed like a page off the cover of Vogue magazine.  She exuded comfortable confidence with an approachable smile as we passed. A few minutes later, I got back to our seats while waiting on our plane.  I told Kya I had just spotted someone special and she said the “blonde in the red top and black dress?” I looked shocked and said yes.  We agreed to meet her.  Two minutes later we met Kayla Barclay, Miss Utah, who was sitting in a chair waiting for her plane to L.A. to film a new reality TV show that is about the Miss America competition.  We told her that she stood out and that she dressed and looked fantastic. She was completely inviting and quickly asked about SalesBy5 and our trip to Salt Lake City.  We spent long enough with her to have an incredible feeling about this special person.  We know that she is going to be a tough candidate to beat in the next Miss America competition and for great reasons.  She was definitely beautiful, but her attitude and her personal brand made us want to buy stock in her or help her anyway we could. Our new friend has a place at SalesBy5 if she is ever in need, but in the meantime, it was awesome to see how one person can light up a bright airport with so much life and spirit.

So what can you do with this? How you look, dress, feel, act, and talk are all part of your personal brand. It sells or un-sells.

Thank you Kayla for inspiring us with your personal brand!

Today, I (Erik) speak at NAWBO – National Association of Women Business Owners. One of the key points is the integration of Sales and Marketing. Here is the biggest simple tip I can give you today.

Many companies with 30+ in staff have a sales department and a marketing department.  The two often are distant friends or close enemies.  If the two departments spent hour a week together, you could increase sales.  The format for the meeting can start this simple, but keep in mind, you must have an agenda and the agenda should not change in format each week.  If there is no time for a meeting, there is no time for success.  The format always starts with news.  This is intelligence from Sales on what they hear, what they see, and what pictures they have, to show Marketing what a competitor is doing or what large problems the customer might have.  It gives Marketing the real pains of the customer so they can get a grasp on what really matters and stop worrying about pretty designs.  Next are hurdles that Sales is having, and dialogue from everyone on overcoming these via marketing.  You may not solve all the issues, but keeping it active is most important.  Finish with what is in the pipeline regarding marketing, prospective clients, sales pitches from Sales and end with what we need to stop doing. Why that?  It tends to be the most productive thing a company can implement: what can we stop doing, so that we can focus on what’s important?

Does this agenda sound too short or simple? If so, good!  That’s the point.  If it goes past an hour, someone is talking too much and if it lasts less than an hour and it was a good or great meeting, you are doing it right. The key: developing habits takes time, and this habit is crucial for success for companies who have mastered excellent sales and excellent marketing.

For a few years now we have helped a Fortune 150 company, Tesoro Corporation, increase their ability to recruit Generation Y by over 400%. Today the Salesby5 team all went to a job fair at a local university to see what was new or better to attract talent.  We found that our methods from 3 years ago are still 10 years ahead of what is being done.  We have new tactics that have not yet been implemented by our customers. Companies not using a recruitment website – which can be a part of or separate from your corporate site – are falling behind. This recruitment website must be controlled by Recruitment not IT!  Recruitment is marketing, and it is also sales. In the next 10 years, recruitment will be as important, if not more important, than marketing.

Here are a few more tips that these companies need to know about: RSS feeds for people interested in jobs, blogs regarding jobs, texting, twittering, and keeping it real and simple. No folders packed with your annual report.  No big brochures with financial figures.  No tradeshow booths that are full of words! The booth is a lure, not a book. The brochure is a hook, not a book.  Make the photos in your booth and on your materials reflect the people at your company.  Do they wear suits to work?  Show that!  Do they wear jeans and flip flops?  Print that!  Your new hire should not be confused by a culture disconnect between the fairs, interviews, and daily operations.  Recruitment is selling! Does your Marketing or Corporate Communications department know what they are doing or are they picking pretty pictures for a pretty tradeshow booth?

photo by heraldpost

Yesterday I had a great meeting with one of my favorite customers in the past 6 years. Now, I have many favorites, but this one is special in many ways.  In 2005, SalesBy5 was hired by Texas Military Institute, which we then rebranded as TMI-The Episcopal School of Texas.  At 265 students, they wanted to grow their population of students living on campus and the ones attending 6-12th grade.  The strategy was to show what I saw on my first tour given by a former TMI Graduate, Ryan Kohnen.  What I saw were happy students opening doors for me, saying “hello sir,” and greetings in passing.  I saw a campus full of respect, Christianity and heart.

We re-branded the school from a cold, gray look, where my wife said she would never allow our daughter to attend, to a warm and welcoming feel, which reflected the school I saw.  Further, we revised their website and print materials to showcase the same real, warm look.  The new brand was first sold inside of the TMI campus and then exposed to the many families looking for private schools or tired of overcrowded public schools in the area.

What’s the bottom line? They got real. TMI started selling the real opportunities that the school offers, from great people to connections after you graduate that last for the rest of your life. They realized that they had built a community of winners and leaders. These leaders want to be around each other and work with each other. They are challenged and motivated. The result: as of today, they have 400 students.  This is the highest enrollment in their 100+ year history.

Sell what is in your heart and what is real. Sell what you feel and sell what you love. TMI sells their true overt benefits and the reasons you can believe they will deliver those benefits. I have referred multiple families to this school and I hope my kids will be accepted. Real sells!