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Jeffrey Gitomer's Sales Caffeine #473 - Here Comes Santa Claus

Jeffrey Gitomer's Sales Caffeine

Having trouble viewing this email? View the online version. Issue 473 November 30th, 2010 Publisher: Jeffrey Gitomer Producer: Elizabeth Barber
Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus! In 1972, when I was studying sales and positive attitude, I watched a movie called “Challenge to America,” almost every day. In it was a story told by the great Glenn W. Turner where he wrote a letter to Santa Claus every year that matched his wealthy cousins. Glenn was a poor farmer’s son who never got anything but apples and oranges, even though he asked Santa for exactly the same thing his wealthy cousins got. And every year, Glenn would go out behind the barn and cry. One year, when his cousin wanted a brand new bicycle and Glenn wanted a brand new bicycle, and as usual, the cousin got it and Glenn didn’t, he went out behind the barn and said, “Okay Santa, if that’s the way you want to play.” He went on to complete the story by saying, “And on that day, I decided to become my own Santa Claus.” He challenged the viewer to be their own Santa Claus. You know, the first 10 or 20 times I watched that movie I didn’t think too much about it. I thought it was a story, I thought he made a good point, and I went on. That was November of 1972. Two weeks later, I made a shopping list for Christmas. Like everyone, there were the obligatory “why do I do this every year” people on my list. So I was in the department store, in the men’s section, when for some reason the message, “Be your own Santa Claus” popped into my mind. And so the first gift I bought was for me. I bought myself something nice and expensive, because I deserved it. “What the heck?” I said to myself. “I’m Santa Claus.” And from that day, I have continued to be my own Santa Claus. All kinds of cool things have resulted from it. Read the full article... — CLICK ON THE BEST ANSWER — How can you differentiate your engaging question? A. Ask an intelligent question that your prospect did not expect. B. Ask a question about your prospect's desires for the future. C. Ask a question about your prospect's personal life. D. Ask a question about your prospect's business.       LAST CHANCE! Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! - Minneapolis, MN December 2nd & 3rd, 2010 Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! - Minneapolis, MN: Join the global authority on sales for a seminar on SALES ATTITUDE. Learn how to uncover buying motives, double your sales, get your price without sacrificing profit, and establish a YES! Attitude for a lifetime of success. Minneapolis Managers: Develop your personal plan to find, coach, train, and keep a winning, loyal, self-directed sales team. This seminar will provide strategies and techniques about real-world sales leadership, plus self-evaluation to measure your present level of achievement. Register NOW! Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! - Minneapolis, MN Jeffrey Gitomer's Minneapolis Managers Event Boot Camp 2010 Las Vegas – Meet the Speakers! Meet Darren LaCroix! A keynote speaker since 1994, he brings his incredible story to conferences around the world. He changes the way people think about challenges, humor, and presentations… forever. His clients include IBM, Fidelity investments, and numerous associations too long to list! Limited Seats Available – Click here for more details and to purchase your ticket TODAY! Expand Your Brand: Is your budget limited but your needs are not? We understand and have a cost-effective solution to connect you to hundreds of business men and women in your community. Corporate Sponsorships are now available at any of our public seminars. Sponsorship packages start at $1500 and can be customized to meet your needs and maximize your budget. Click here for information and learn how Jeffrey can help YOU! Jeffrey, You always say that customers are looking for answers, not solutions. Can you clarify what the difference is between a "solution" and an "answer?" Ken Ken, A person offering a solution purports to have a process that is better than someone who spends eight hours a day, 40 hours a week, and 160 hours a month at the same thing. I don't think that's a fair assumption to make and I also believe that it creates a defensive position in the mind of someone that might purchase from you. An answer has, at its core, a much simpler offering. It works in harmony with the customer's solution and it provides an easier and more understandable path to something the customer is actually seeking. No road block, no confrontation, just an answer. My Little Red Book of Sales Answers has a title that compels you to buy. If it was a Little Red Book of Sales Solutions, I believe salespeople would shy away. Best Regards, Jeffrey Jeffrey, I’m a commercial sales engineer for an HVAC company. I’m also a drilling reservist and recently received orders recalling me to active duty for service overseas. It will be about 16 months from the day I leave my company to the day I return to my job. While I am gone other sales engineers in my office will be taking over my accounts. Can you suggest some ways that I can stay in contact with my customers and still provide some value in my communications even though I won’t be working directly for my company during the time I’m away? Peter Peter, Create a newsletter that talks about service and service to your country. Gather every email address that you can find and create the list before you leave. Every week write about the war, the service that you perform, and the ideas that you get from helping others (both soldiers and civilians) in the battlefield. This will keep every one of your customers, friends, and contacts emotionally engaged with you. Please put me on the list. Best Regards, Jeffrey Send your questions for Jeffrey to Elizabeth! Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is LOYALTY! DO NOT wait until Christmas to unwrap this deal. If you would like to have more loyal customers for yourself and for your company, give yourself this gift of knowledge! This week, you will get Jeffrey's best-selling book Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless and Jeffrey's 10.5 Commandments of Selling CD. Finally, because we are in the spirit of giving, you'll also receive Jeffrey's What Are You Giving Yourself For Christmas? teleseminar CD. All for $59.00 ($108.00 value) Order the Deal of the Week now! The Appeal Of Fun By: Darren LaCroix Why is humor so powerful? Why do you enjoy humor? Do you like to do business with fun people? Why? Is it because “Funny” sales people earn more and “Fun” companies have more loyal customers? Quite simply put, humor is a release of tension. We enjoy it; which is why it is so powerful. When we release the tension in the “customer service process,” we go a long way towards creating loyal customers. When we release the tension in the “sales process,” we make stronger connections, which bring us much closer to the close. During my career in sales I always marveled at the top sales guy in our department. He worked half the hours and sold twice as much as his colleagues. When I asked him what he thought the secret was, he replied, “HUMOR! The same days I don’t make people laugh, are the same days I don’t sell anything.” John Yates Our mindset and our intent make a big difference in the bottom line. You don’t have to be funny to do this. Figure out where the tension is for your customer, then find a way to relieve it. How much fun are YOU to do business with? Do you actively try to relieve the tension for the people you are trying to turn into loyal customers? Darren LaCroix is the co-author of Laugh & Get Rich, and the founder of The Humor Institute, Inc.The Humor Institute, Inc. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at Angel Jensen’s (the Ace of Sales best e-mail contest winner) visit to Jeffrey’s office in Charlotte, North Carolina! Send your GITOMER SIGHTINGS to Elizabeth or post them on Jeffrey’s Facebook Fan Page.	"Jeffrey breaks his selling principles down to several simple concepts and presents them in bulleted lists that are easy to follow. Pay special attention to the "X.5" items. They are the gems. This book is a quick read (2-3 hours) and you'll want to go back to it time and time again when you reach an impasse in the selling process. The Kindle edition is especially effective since you can highlight it and quickly review the important information." -Bill Swansen Jeffrey's Upcoming Public Seminar Schedule Minneapolis, MN 12/02 Managers Seminar 12/03 Sales Attitude Seminar Las Vegas, NV 12/09-12/12 Boot Camp 2010 Reno, NV 02/16 Managers Seminar 02/17 Sales Attitude Seminar San Jose, CA 04/07 Managers Seminar 04/08 Sales Attitude Seminar Expand Your Brand: Is your budget limited but your needs are not? We understand and have a cost-effective solution to connect you to hundreds of business men and women in your community. Click here for information on how you can be involved as a Corporate Sponsor and learn how Jeffrey can help YOU! Zero Unemployment In Sales by: Glenn Bill This is the reality: If you are a great salesperson there are jobs everywhere. I love being a salesperson. Salespeople are what make our economy go. They are the fuel that drives the engines of small businesses and large corporations. Notice I did not say a “good” salesperson -- I said a “great” salesperson. So how do you know the difference? Well, good salespeople are unemployed right now. Good salespeople are saying things like “I am over qualified for that sales position.” Seriously, I have never heard an employer say, “That salesperson is just too good for our company.” This excuse of being overqualified and underpaid for sales performance may be the biggest misnomer in our marketplace. Here is the bottom line: In sales, your income reflects the level and service you have provided for your customer. It is in essence your “scoreboard” of service. I am from a commission only background and it was really easy for me to tell the level of service and value I provided to my customers…it’ called a 1099. Look at yours and see how you measure up. Better yet, look at someone you see as a “great salesperson” and see how you measure up to them. The great thing about sales is that it parallels life. The more you give, the more you receive. If you are truly a “great salesperson”, I promise the jobs will find you. The problem is that most people want their reward or payout without providing the results and value upfront first. So if you find yourself saying things like “I was downsized because the market is off, they did not hire me because I was overqualified” or “I liked the opportunity but it did not pay enough”, then you need to take a good hard look at what you are telling yourself. The biggest sale you need to make may be on yourself. Here are three ways to sell yourself on you: 1. Understand the WHY in your life. Why do you want to be who you want to be? Why do you want to own what you want to own? Why do you want to do what you want to do? After you answer these questions once or twice, keep asking yourself why…about four or five answers into it, you will uncover your driving force (or motivation). My term for this is called “motivation identified”. If a salesperson does not understand this answer, they may not ever be willing to do what it takes to do the “work” involved in sales. 2. Reflect on your past career or career. Hold yourself accountable not only for what you did not do well -- but really focus on what you did so great! Now, close your eyes and put yourself in a time when you accomplished great things in your past career. How are you feeling now? How were you feeling then? What was your posture like? What was your presence like? What was your attitude like? What was your determination like? How certain were you of yourself? Focusing on your past success and greatness will give you the attitude and disposition it takes to sell yourself and your new employer. 3. Get into action. Go find three people who you believe really love you, trust you, believe in you, and want to see you succeed beyond your wildest dreams. Ask them these three questions: What do you feel are my strongest qualities as a person? Why would you consider buying from me? What is the biggest impact I have made on your life? These answers will fill you with confidence. Confidence is needed in a professional salesperson more than any other trait except empathy. This exercise develops both qualities. So are you ready to be SOLD on YOU? I can assure you small business and big business alike never ever shy away from hiring a salesperson who knows their motivation, displays a great attitude and disposition, and exudes confidence and empathy in their interaction with others. Get sold on yourself and they will be sold on you! Glenn Bill is a Gitomer-Certified Speaker who delivers customized and personalized seminars on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development. To book Glenn for your next event, visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer via email or by calling 704-333-1112.   Your Success Stories "I just read your article in last week's e-zine about giving thanks. I cannot agree more. Here is what I did two weeks ago because I was thinking the same thing (reading all your advice helped me to come up with this idea): Instead of just emailing and calling, I took it a step further and hosted an "appreciation social." I invited all of my clients and business partners for an hors d'oeuvres happy hour (well, really it was three hours). I started my own real estate business slightly over a year ago (after being laid off from a new home builder that tanked). I wanted to give back by showing my sincere appreciation and personally thanking each one of my customers that trusted me enough to do business with me. I invited all of my business partners so that my team could meet everyone as well. It was a HUGE success and my clients and business partners alike were impressed and asked if I would do it again next year. I gave out hand painted goody (swag) bags (that said living thankfully) so they could re-use them. They were filled with discount coupons, candy, and information that would help them bring equity to their homes (home decorating ideas, home warranty information, etc). We also gave out door prizes (donated by my business partners) and were sure we had enough for each person to win something. I also gave them a personal gift from me to thank them again. The day after the party, I wrote each a handwritten note thanking them for coming and how much I appreciated them. In those cards I enclosed a Thanksgiving Day dinner idea for each of them to use. I've already gotten calls about that idea. So the moral of my story is.....YES! The personal touch and honest to goodness sincerity will not only make you feel good, but bring you many referrals!" -Kristine Cuddy Each week, we feature a salesperson's success story. Please send your stories to Elizabeth or post them on Jeffrey’s Facebook Fan Page. If your story is published, we'll send you a free e-Book! Jeffrey's Sales Rant is a clip from his online training video library. watch the rant now (you need it) Requires Flash player "Kick your own ass!" -Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Red Book of Selling     MAKING LIFE "EASY" FOR CHILDREN USUALLY MAKES LIFE "HARD" FOR THEM IN ADULTHOOD. Del Smith, the millionaire founder and chairman of Evergreen International Aviation, has often said, "Thank God I was born poor; I learned how to work." Like many others who made it to the top on their own, Smith believes that the greatest gift that can be given to a child is to teach him or her the value of work. It is a gift that can never be lost or stolen. It's a natural desire of parents to give their children material things they didn't have as children. Such generosity, however, often deprives children of the greatest gift you can give them: confidence in their ability to take care of themselves. When you make life "hard" for your children by requiring them to learn the value of work, they will have a far greater likelihood of success as adults.   Click here to subscribe to Napoleon Hill Yesterday and Today Learn more about the Napoleon Hill Mastermind Club.
View the printer friendly version of this ezine (without graphics) or visit http://www.gitomer.com/salesMagazine/PrintableEzine.html?key=ajcdMibak3P0nTGAxF1HKg%3D%3D View back issues of this e-zine or visit http://www.gitomer.com/sales-magazine/BackIssues.html © 2010 All Rights Reserved - All great salespeople-and those striving to be great salespeople-should read this ezine. Don't even think about reproducing this document or its contents without written permission from Jeffrey Gitomer. But feel free to forward this or email it to all of your friends. For reprint permission, please call 704/333-1112. Sales Caffeine is a weekly email distributed by TrainOne.com and Buy Gitomer, Inc. 310 Arlington Ave. Loft 329 Charlotte, NC 28203 704/333-1112 Subscribe This email was generated by Jeffrey Gitomer

Set the hook, get the click, capture the email address, and bank the money.

Jeffrey Gitomer's Sales Caffeine

Having trouble viewing this email? View the online version. Issue 471 November 16th, 2010 Publisher: Jeffrey Gitomer Producer: Elizabeth Barber
Set the hook, get the click, capture the email address, and bank the money! I got an unsolicited email this morning that gave me no choice but to read it. My interest had to do with the subject line, the headline, the design of the content, and the copy. The subject line was: Jeffrey, How to go from market penetration to domination. Ok, I clicked to open: Then the headline: What one thing determines your success in business, more than any other single factor? Ok, I read it. The very tastefully designed letter said: Hello Jeffrey, This is Robert Clay. If you were asked what one thing determines your success in business more than any other single factor, what would you answer? Perhaps you'd say it was down to the quality of your product or service, or your people, or trust, or competitive prices, or availability, or profitability, or the number of customers who return to do business with you again. These are the responses I get all the time. While they're all good answers, the biggest factor that determines your success in the marketplace is one that is hardly ever written or spoken about ... and in ten years not one person, out of the thousands I've asked, has been able to tell me what it is. Perhaps you've heard me speaking on the subject in the past, or read about it in my book. The point is, once you know that one factor that makes a world of difference, you can take a few simple steps to move your business from market penetration to market domination. Just look at Google who now have 85% of the global search engine market; and Apple, now the world's most valuable technology company, who dominate the market for music players, smartphones, computers priced over £600, and now tablet computers too. When times are tough you REALLY need to work smart. You need to do what Google, Apple and others have done. You need to know that one factor that can change everything for you. That factor is explained in my book on Page 10. And you're welcome to download a copy with my compliments, with absolutely no obligation. Just click here, enter your name and email address, click the confirm link on the email you receive and you'll be taken to a page where you can download the book immediately. If you enjoy the book, let me know. If what you learn leads to the transformation of your business, as it has for some, then be sure to let me know! Click here to get your copy of my book, with my compliments. Warmest Wishes, Robert Clay Marketing Wizdom Ltd Ok, I clicked, subscribed and downloaded the free book, and immediately went to page 10 to find the answer... Eh, not so fast. That’s not what this lesson is about. The point of this article is for you to see what Robert Clay’s writing was about, what got me to “click”, and most important: how can you use these same elements in your communications – both as email cold calls, and email follow-ups. Read the full article... — CLICK ON THE BEST ANSWER — During your sales presentation the prospective customer does not seem engaged. What should you do? A. Keep going because you need to finish delivering your presentation and get to the close. B. Begin asking questions that the customer will find interesting and engaging. C. Tell the customer what they want to hear. D. Ask them why they are not listening and if you should come back.       LAST CHANCE! Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! Albuquerque, NM November 18th & 19th, 2010 Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! - Albuquerque, NM: Join the global authority on sales for a seminar on SALES ATTITUDE. Learn how to uncover buying motives, double your sales, get your price without sacrificing profit, and establish a YES! Attitude for a lifetime of success. Albuquerque Managers: Develop your personal plan to find, coach, train, and keep a winning, loyal, self-directed sales team. This seminar will provide strategies and techniques about real-world sales leadership, plus self-evaluation to measure your present level of achievement. Register NOW! Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! - Albuquerque, NM Jeffrey Gitomer's Albuquerque Managers Event Boot Camp 2010 Las Vegas – Meet the Speakers! Meet Joe Soto, CEO of One Social Media LLC, a Social Media Marketing strategist with broad experience in all aspects of sales, online lead generation, and social media marketing. Limited Seats Available – Click here for more details and to purchase your ticket TODAY! Expand Your Brand: Is your budget limited but your needs are not? We understand and have a cost-effective solution to connect you to hundreds of business men and women in your community. Corporate Sponsorships are now available at any of our public seminars. Sponsorship packages start at $1500 and can be customized to meet your needs and maximize your budget. Click here for information and learn how Jeffrey can help YOU! Jeffrey, I sell exclusively to government agencies. Most of the time RFQs are sent out and it's a blind bid situation. I understand building a relationship with my customers to win their trust and their business, however a lot of the times it comes down to an individual that is just looking at the bottom line today and not over the life of the product. What is the best way to combat this situation? Jim Jim, Change your sales presentation or you will never change the mind of your customer. Insert value messages, create a value proposition, and prove that you're different by showing video testimonials from customers that don't care about price. I hope you're not looking for some magic answer. There is, however, a reality answer: Create a buying atmosphere and stop trying to compare yourself to your pathetic competition that does that same thing. Best Regards, Jeffrey Jeffrey, Your recent article on business social media was on point. Developing content that is on message for your industry is the easy part of the equation. What would you suggest as the best way to get potential new customers to follow you on Twitter, Facebook, etc.? It is all about new people seeing the value of working with you, but if the message is "tweeted" into space and no one gets it, what's the point? Joe Joe, When you establish a Twitter account, the first thing you have to do is get 100 followers. You do this by asking them to follow you. You do not do this by following them first and hoping they will follow you back. You email them a link, you call them on the phone, you talk to your LinkedIn connections, and you post the link on your Facebook page. Assuming each of the people you invite have at least 100 followers in their Twitter account, you now have an aggregate audience of more than 10,000 people. That's the beginning of your Twitter base. It's now time to tweet. Wake up early in the morning and create your own thoughts. Begin to tweet valuable information that others might re-tweet to their network. The secret of Twitter is being re-tweetable. The secret of success on Twitter is to create attraction by tweeting information of value, or should I say immediate value. Best Regards, Jeffrey Send your questions for Jeffrey to Elizabeth! Masters Class Learn what it takes to be successful by paying attention to the masters. One of the things you can do to ensure continued success is commit to learning for the rest of you life. This week we offer the wisdom of two of the greats. Earl Nightingale's The Strangest Secret  audio CD is the enduring classic by America's original motivator. We are coupling it with Jeffrey's Little Black Book of Connections  to round out the educational experience. To help you pay attention we will send you a Sales Caffeine Coffee Mug. You can never know too much! All for $25 dollars (a $60.00 value). Order the Deal of the Week now! Targeting Social Media Influencers To Increase Sales By: Joe Soto Your company’s brand may have many followers and fans on social networking sites. But it is essential to remember that having many fans does not mean that your company’s social media marketing strategy is working. Data from a recent study by Meteor Solutions has proven this fact. The success of your social media marketing strategy depends on the type of fans and followers your brand has gathered from social media sites rather than the number. An average 1% of your site’s audience generates almost 20% of your site’s traffic by sharing your brand’s content or site’s links. To make your social media marketing strategy successful, you need to focus on these influential people. But the challenging task is to find these influencers and truly “connect” with them. There are four simple tips you should follow: Locating Your 1%: You will need to use social media analytics tracking and measurement tools that exactly show you the people who actively share your brand’s links. Finding What They Like To Share: You can use your social media analytics platform to find the content that the influencers like to share. Find out if they are interested in promotional sales, or if they are interested in your brand’s entertainment content like social games, videos or blogs. Finding Where They Go To Share Content: Identifying the social networks, forums, websites that the influencers use and the platforms they use to share your brand’s content can make a difference to your social media marketing strategy. Finding What Motivates Them: It is important to find out what motivates your brand’s followers. This is needed to find out what type of content they will respond to in a positive manner. Some may share links to feel important amongst their social groups, while some may do so for the attention they may receive on sharing these types of information. Depending on whom you are targeting, you can offer the appropriate motivation. The idea is to make them feel special and important by giving them access to insider details on deals, information or rewards. By identifying and reaching out to your brand’s biggest fans, you can access many consumers by just maintaining relationships with a select few. But you should remember that only if you have something exclusive to offer, you can gain loyal consumers, who will further your brand by recommending it to others. Joe Soto, CEO of One Social Media LLC, is a Social Media Marketing strategist with broad experience in all aspects of sales, online lead generation, and social media marketing. A self-described social marketing evangelist, Joe has played a key role in the launch of social media campaigns for local, regional and national businesses and brands throughout the U.S. Clients range from a broad variety of industries including health, fitness, automotive, restaurant, hotel, retail, and others. In addition, One Social Media works closely with select advertising agencies, PR firms, and SEO companies, helping them transition their clients to social media. Joe also founded One Mobile Media, a mobile marketing company. Joe resides in Iowa with his wife Lenee and their six children. The Value of Thingamabobs By: Andy Horner Having an older father had its advantages. He had a lifetime of lessons to teach, one of which was how to hold the attention of an easily distracted audience. Sound like anyone you know? Your customers, perhaps? My dad was a Presbyterian minister. After church, he liked to question my brothers and me to see if we had listened to his morning message – a tall order for rambunctious tweens. He wrangled us into his bedroom and while he traded his suit jacket for his Mr. Rogers sweater and slippers, he pulled tiny relics from his sock drawer. He had many, but our favorites were a silver football charm, his ruby-topped college ring, and his colorful military medals. He placed them in our hands like papal jewels. Seated on the edge of his bed, we turned the treasures over and over in our hands, riveted to his voice. He told us the story of the objects and subtly wove in key points and questions from his sermon. We listened. We answered his questions. It was genius. The lesson: During one-on-one meetings, occupy your customer’s hands and eyes with an unusual object and their ears are yours. Here’s the winning hand of examples to captivate customers: Ace of Hearts: Hand your customer a Rubik’s Cube solved, except for the last twist. After one turn, they’ll glance up to you as if to say, “Well, that was easy.” Relate their experience to your sales message of simplicity. King of Hearts: Buy a copy of the board game “Life.” Pop out the distinctive spinner and bring it with you to customer meetings. They’ll start spinning it without prompting. Casually pose the question, “What outcome in your life would you not want left to a spin?” Their answer will help you bypass the small talk and reveal what matters to them. Consider it your “relationship spinner.” Queen of Hearts: Bring with you a small trophy from your past. It might be a varsity jacket pin, a first place medal, or a game ball. Briefly share the story of its importance to you. Then ask your customer about their most-prized award. Their answer will reveal one of their cherished accomplishments. With a bond established, ask about their current business goals and the accomplishments they’re pursuing.My father has always been old... at least to me. He was about 50 when I was born and already pulling senior citizen discounts when my brothers were in braces (my teeth were perfect, by the way). Jack of Hearts: Go to www.sumocookies.com and order 30 bucks worth of gourmet fortune cookies. (They even come chocolate-dipped with crushed Butterfingers®.) You can customize the fortune inside with a value message. With your customer’s hands and mouth full, their attention is all yours. Leave them a handful to share with others. You’ll be the talk of the office for days! Ten of Hearts: Gift a thingamabob. Buy a $6 staple-less stapler that’s useful on anyone’s desk. (It slices and tucks the papers to join them together.) Bring a few white papers about your products and let your customer staple them together. While they ooh and ahhh, transition from the ingenious device to the innovative solutions you offer. The stapler is theirs to keep while the new customer is yours. Maybe you have a thingamabob that works for you! Share it with me: andy@aceofsales.com. Andy Horner is the Product Manager for Ace of Sales. He has worked in sales and marketing for over twelve years. He specializes in the design and technology side of Ace of Sales development combined with relationship marketing and sales. His goal with Ace of Sales is to create the best sales tool on the planet! To connect with Andy today, email andy@aceofsales.com. Walt & Patrick Hessert of the Million Dollar Road Trip crew visited the Gitomer offices on November 10th to interview Jeffrey for their documentary on entrepreneurs. Send your GITOMER SIGHTINGS to Elizabeth or post them on Jeffrey’s Facebook Fan Page.	"What a wonderfully useful application to remind oneself of the basics of strong selling skills. The articles are excellent reminders of the atributes of successful selling. While on the road yesterday, I read all 12.5 articles prior to a sales call and entered that meeting with a smile on my face. This app is one of the better ones available for business reps. I've already recommended it to my colleagues." -Scott Naumoff Jeffrey's Upcoming Public Seminar Schedule Albuquerque, NM 11/18 Managers Seminar 11/19 Sales Attitude Seminar Minneapolis, MN 12/02 Managers Seminar 12/03 Sales Attitude Seminar Las Vegas, NV 12/09-12/12 Boot Camp 2010 Reno, NV 02/16 Managers Seminar 02/17 Sales Attitude Seminar San Jose, CA 04/07 Managers Seminar 04/08 Sales Attitude Seminar Expand Your Brand: Is your budget limited but your needs are not? We understand and have a cost-effective solution to connect you to hundreds of business men and women in your community. Click here for information on how you can be involved as a Corporate Sponsor and learn how Jeffrey can help YOU! A YES is Best, but a NO Can Be Good, Too! by: Don “The Idea Guy” Snyder When you’re in sales, the word you most want to hear uttered by a prospect is “YES”, and (as much as you may be loath to admit it) the second best answer is a “NO” (not a MAYBE, like you might be thinking). We all want to have every customer to listen intently to our pitch and rip the pen from our hands because they can’t sign the contract fast enough. (Wake-up from that dream, sleepyhead.) It's more likely you'll get a polite pat on the head and a smile they use to send you on your way with a “let me think about it and get back to you” response. And you don't mind that answer! It allows you to return to your sales manager and report that you made a presentation to the prospect and they "really, really, really liked what you put together for them and it’s merely a matter of time before they get the budget approved and the contract sign on the dotted line." In the meantime, you mark it for follow-up week after week because they just need one more thing approved before they can move forward. The road to hell (or at least the road to a missed car payment or a late cable bill, due to a missed sales goal) is paved with “maybes” and “let me think about its”. YES allows you to move forward with the project and close a sale. NO allows you to move on and pitch the idea to another prospect. MAYBE makes you sit in limbo waiting for responses from prospects you didn't qualify and decision-makers you failed to get in front of. Each day that goes by without a YES makes that very answer seem less and less likely, while exponentially increasing your anxiety and anticipation. Here's how to get a YES or NO answer (and avoid a MAYBE, baby!) 1. Don’t present to someone without the power/authority to provide you with that final answer. And don't bother to create a proposal before asking HOW the final decision will be made (not WHO will make the final decision, but HOW will the final decision be made). This answer will let you know if the person you’re speaking with is the first or last step in the decision-making process. If there is a committee or a higher-level manager making the final choice, you need to be in the room during the final presentation to answer any last-minute questions. Nobody can sell your product or service like you can. 2. Use testimonials to overcome objections. People delay a decision because they are afraid of making a mistake. Use testimonials from clients who wanted to delay making a decision and decided to purchase anyway (or testimonials from customers who delayed their decision and lived to regret it). “Man, I wish we’d made the decision to upgrade to the new system sooner — it cost us money in wasted time and productivity every day we delayed signing the contract.” Assure the prospect of your warranties, guarantees, and service contracts. Make sure they know that you’re not going to leave them hanging out to dry if there’s a problem with the purchase. 3. Avoid stalls on a final YES/NO by educating your prospect – and avoid confusion about some component of the proposal. Ask questions at regular intervals during your presentation to make certain everything is crystal clear to the client and you're both on the same page. (How does that sound to you? Does everything make sense? Do you have any questions about our service plan?) Let them know at the beginning of the presentation that you're looking for a specific answer at the end. 4. Create a sense of urgency. Ensure that the client realizes a benefit for making a decision by a certain date (or experiences a loss by delaying past the deadline). Frequently, the client will give you the deadline for having your product or system in place. Work backward from the activation date and determine the timeframe needed to ship, install, and train. Use this date to establish a firm deadline for getting the approval to proceed. 5. Let the prospect know it's okay to say NO. Some people just don’t want to hurt your feelings by saying NO and feel they’re being kinder by assuring you they are fully considering your offer (before they go ahead and say NO anyway). If you’re getting that vibe from your prospect, let them know that if the solution you’re currently proposing just doesn’t seem like a match, you’re happy to revisit the opportunity to work together again in the future, when their needs and your offer are in better alignment. Hey, no one wants to hear NO, but it’s so much better in the long run (for both you and the client) to agree on a decision one way or the other -- rather than doing the dance of indecision and the maybe mambo. Possessing creative powers beyond those of mere mortals, Don Snyder is a Gitomer-Certified Speaker who rescues those in need of innovative ideas through his brainstorming sessions, seminars, and workshops. He speaks to audiences everywhere on sales, creativity, customer service, and personal development. To book Don for your next event, visit our website at www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer via email or by calling 704-333-1112.   Your Success Stories I read Jeffrey Gitomer's YES Attitude! while sleeping on the floor of an overcrowded homeless shelter called the Market Street Mission. An alcoholic ex con with no job prospects, things looked pretty grim until I started changing my beliefs and attitude as I was told in the book. I shared this life-changing information with everyone I could find. Amazingly I shared this information with a stranger who was best friends with the owner of MediaTree, one of the biggest advertising suppliers in the promotional products industry. I was surprised to see that someone left me a note for a job interview at the homeless shelter. I was hired as an outside sales rep so I borrowed some money and bought every one of Jeffrey's books and read them religiously. With a country of distributors to call on I went to work practicing the things I read. My first sale was for $47,000. A lot has changed since being on the floor of a homeless shelter reading YES Attitude!  I'm now at a new sales job - but I'm still successfully winning hearts and minds and making money. Thank you, Jeffrey, for changing my life. -Jay Manzo Each week, we feature a salesperson's success story. Please send your stories to Elizabeth or post them on Jeffrey’s Facebook Fan Page. If your story is published, we'll send you a free e-Book! Jeffrey's Sales Rant is a clip from his online training video library. watch the rant now (you need it) Requires Flash player "Every time a customer calls or you call a customer - you have an opportunity and a choice. What choice are you making?" -Jeffrey Gitomer's Customer Satisfaction is Worthless. Customer Loyalty is Priceless!     THOSE WHO CREATE GOOD FELLOWSHIP AMONG OTHERS WILL NEVER BE SHORT OF FRIENDS If you have a friend who goes out of his way to help cement friendships between others, consider yourself fortunate indeed. In today's frantic, mobile, throwaway society, such individuals are exceedingly rare. With the demands placed upon us by our careers, our families, and the hectic pace of daily life, most of us have little time for ourselves, and even less for our friends. Yet we know that friendship freely given and gratefully received is one of life's greatest gifts.   Click here to subscribe to Napoleon Hill Yesterday and Today Learn more about the Napoleon Hill Mastermind Club.
View the printer friendly version of this ezine (without graphics) or visit http://www.gitomer.com/salesMagazine/PrintableEzine.html?key=ajcdMibak3Mayz9Uo9sWlg%3D%3D View back issues of this e-zine or visit http://www.gitomer.com/sales-magazine/BackIssues.html © 2010 All Rights Reserved - All great salespeople-and those striving to be great salespeople-should read this ezine. Don't even think about reproducing this document or its contents without written permission from Jeffrey Gitomer. But feel free to forward this or email it to all of your friends. For reprint permission, please call 704/333-1112. Sales Caffeine is a weekly email distributed by TrainOne.com and Buy Gitomer, Inc. 310 Arlington Ave. Loft 329 Charlotte, NC 28203 704/333-1112 Subscribe This email was generated by Jeffrey Gitomer

Happy Halloween! What did you go as? I was a salesman.

Having trouble viewing this email? View the online version. Issue 468 October 26th, 2010 Publisher: Jeffrey Gitomer Producer: Elizabeth Barber
Happy Halloween! What did you go as? I was a salesman. This was emailed to me yesterday on Halloween: Jeffrey, Here’s why Halloween should be a national sales holiday: On Halloween Trick or Treaters are really salespeople in disguise! 1. Trick or treaters dress for success. 2. The most effective trick or treaters plan their routes wisely to maximize their time in the field. 3. The most successful trick or treaters start early and work late. 4. The most successful trick or treaters ask for the order! (Trick or Treat?) 5. The most successful trick or treaters network to find out where the best treats are to be found. 6. It’s a night filled with cold calling. 7. Savvy treaters have been known to try to ask for their fair share, wait a while, and return for an up sell. 8. If you want to make more treats, you have to make more calls. 9. Smart treaters always say thank you. 10. At the end of the day, if you didn’t get all the treats you wanted, you only have yourself to blame. Happy Halloween! Andy Dix I smiled when I read it -- like you just did. Then I thought about it again when I went over to my daughter’s (and granddaughters’) house to watch and participate in the Halloween festivities. Here is the rest of the list to prove that Halloween is not only a sales holiday, it’s a sales event, a sales process, and THE sales lesson of all time. And you thought it was all about the candy. Read the full article... — CLICK ON THE BEST ANSWER — At the end of the sales presentation you should close the sale by: A. Asking if the prospect has additional questions before you enter their order. B. Finding out what additional information they would need to make a decision. C. Saying thank you without asking for the sale. D. Asking for the sale.       Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! Birmingham, AL November 11th & 12th, 2010 Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! - Birmingham, AL: Join the global authority on sales for a seminar on SALES ATTITUDE. Learn how to uncover buying motives, double your sales, get your price without sacrificing profit, and establish a YES! Attitude for a lifetime of success. Birmingham Managers: Develop your personal plan to find, coach, train, and keep a winning, loyal, self-directed sales team. This seminar will provide strategies and techniques about real-world sales leadership, plus self-evaluation to measure your present level of achievement. Register NOW! Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! - Birmingham, AL Jeffrey Gitomer's Birmingham Managers Event Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! - Minneapolis, MN December 2nd & 3rd, 2010 Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! - Minneapolis, MN: Join the global authority on sales for a seminar on SALES ATTITUDE. Learn how to uncover buying motives, double your sales, get your price without sacrificing profit, and establish a YES! Attitude for a lifetime of success. Minneapolis Managers: Develop your personal plan to find, coach, train, and keep a winning, loyal, self-directed sales team. This seminar will provide strategies and techniques about real-world sales leadership, plus self-evaluation to measure your present level of achievement. Register NOW! Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! - Minneapolis, MN Jeffrey Gitomer's Minneapolis Managers Event Expand Your Brand: Is your budget limited but your needs are not? We understand and have a cost-effective solution to connect you to hundreds of business men and women in your community. Corporate Sponsorships are now available at any of our public seminars. Sponsorship packages start at $1500 and can be customized to meet your needs and maximize your budget. Click here for information and learn how Jeffrey can help YOU! What are you doing in 2010 to prepare for 2011? Join Jeffrey Gitomer and a select group of presenters for a weekend sales training and personal development EXPERIENCE! December 9th -12th in Las Vegas at the Green Valley Ranch Resort Limited Seats Available – View more details and purchase your ticket TODAY! Jeffrey, I sell copy machines for a business solutions company. Most of my sales comes down to price wars with the competition. I don't feel that I am selling the value to my customers. Will you please recommend some techniques on selling value to a prospect so the sale does not become simply about price? Dan Dan, I have found that salespeople are more nervous about price than customers and it’s better be known as the “value guy” instead of the “price guy.” It's obvious that you are focused on price, even though you think they are focused on the price. Companies want a reliable copier, not a cheap copier. Companies want a high-quality copier, not a cheap copier. Companies want a reasonable maintenance program so their overall costs of operation can be less over time, even though initially they paid a higher price. And companies want a copier company that will be there when they call. All of these elements are greater than price - start your focus there. Best Regards, Jeffrey Jeffrey, I am a sales manager for an auto auction. I need help organizing my work schedule. I have over 40 dealers to call on every Monday to see how many vehicles they will be sending to auction. My boss wants new accounts and I am having difficulty determining who to see, when to see them, and when I have time for sales calls! Doug Doug, Try emailing every customer, every morning, to find out the information you use to get by calling. Pick your ten selected dealers each day and only call them. By doing this you’ll reach everyone personally for the relationship-building aspect and mechanically by email for the “how many cars?" part of your job. Once you begin to do this successfully you will get referrals from your existing customer base. Best Regards, Jeffrey Send your questions for Jeffrey to Elizabeth!   It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. By: John Horne When I was growing up, my parents emphasized the need for a college education. They felt it was the path to success. They also taught me that if I worked hard enough, I could achieve great success. It’s human nature to want a better life for your children. But as we grow into adulthood we become aware that sometimes, no matter how hard you work, or how much education you receive, or how many endless hours you put in, you still may not reach your goals. If you are in sales, there is nothing that will help you achieve success more than learning how to connect and build relationships with the right people. As a sales trainer for some of the top real estate agents in the country, I spend a lot of time teaching them how to build a great network - what I like to call a “mini” sales force. If you want to build a massive, referral-based business, you MUST form network groups and you MUST meet with and touch them on a regular basis. The first step in the process is to determine who should be in your group, and what professionals complement your particular product or service. If you were going to form an NBA team of the top five players, who would you choose? You have to decide what positions you need to fill, and then analyze the players to determine their strengths and weaknesses. In the sales world, we have to do the same thing. A real estate agent, for example, would want to be paired with a great loan officer. Real estate agents should also partner with a financial planner. Financial planners make great partners because they work mainly by referral and they are great at asking for the referral to build their client base. Agents should also consider partnering with a C.P.A. or tax professional, as well as  a local insurance agent that will share their client base. Keep in mind these network groups are not always easy to form. Every member of the group has to be willing to “cross-sale” each of the other members. It has to be a two-way street. Think about forming a “mini” sales team in your business. Who should you partner with? Once you decide, do more than plan. Execute by simply picking up the phone and saying, “I think I have a way that we can help each other get more business. Would you like to have coffee?” This technique of building a mini sales team will pay off in a big way – and it’s just one of the many referral building ideas you’ll find in my book Just Shut Up and Buy the House. It’s not just a book for real estate agents or loan officers; it is also for any sales professional that would like to generate a huge referral-based business. To download your free copy, visit Just Shut Up and Buy the House With more than 800 real estate brokers under his direct supervision, John Horne, CEO of Agent Edge Training, Inc, is considered one of the top brokers in the U.S. He is the Broker in Charge of the second largest real estate firm in North Carolina. He is a graduate of UNC Wilmington and the Organizational Development and Group Facilitation Program through the Institute of Government at UNC Chapel Hill. John is a member of the President’s Club and a graduate of the Sandler Sales Institute and the Results School of Marketing. He is the author of Just Shut Up and Buy the House and has just been accepted into the prestigious membership of the American Society for Training and Development professionals.   Tools to help you find YOUR mission Does your company have a mission statement? Do they live up to its message? Do YOU live up to its message? This week's deal will help you write (or re-write) your personal sales mission statement AND allow you to lead yourself, lead by example, and lead the team. Best of all it will lead you to the BANK! The deal includes Jeffrey's Sales Revival teleseminar CD, his Little Teal Book of Trust , and his Customer Loyalty Flip-Book. All for $39.00   Order the Deal of the Week now! The Daily Beast reports that Joan Smalls, the 21-year-old Puerto Rican model who has walked catwalks from Rodarte to Vera Wang, must be getting what she wants behind the scenes. She's reading Jeffrey Gitomer'sLittle Green Book of Getting Your Way: How to Speak, Write, Present, Persuade, Influence, and Sell Your Point of View to Others Send your GITOMER SIGHTINGS to Elizabeth or post them on Jeffrey’s Facebook Fan Page.	"As the real estate market bounces in availability, price and value, as interest rates fluctuate, and as the availability of credit ebbs and flows, each of you needs a voice of reason to aide you in helping your clients make the biggest financial decision of their lives. That voice of reason is John Horne. Buy this book, study this book, and bank on this book as you help your customers buy real estate at the most opportune time in 100 years." -Jeffrey Gitomer, author of Little Red Book of Selling Jeffrey's Upcoming Public Seminar Schedule Charleston, SC 10/29 Little Black Book of Connections Instructor Led Workshop Birmingham, AL 11/11 Managers Seminar 11/12 Sales Attitude Seminar Roanoke, VA 11/12 Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless Instructor-Led Workshop Albuquerque, NM 11/18 Managers Seminar 11/19 Sales Attitude Seminar Minneapolis, MN 12/02 Managers Seminar 12/03 Sales Attitude Seminar Las Vegas, NV 12/09-12/12 Boot Camp 2010 Reno, NV 02/16 Managers Seminar 02/17 Sales Attitude Seminar San Jose, CA 04/07 Managers Seminar 04/08 Sales Attitude Seminar Expand Your Brand: Is your budget limited but your needs are not? We understand and have a cost-effective solution to connect you to hundreds of business men and women in your community. Click here for information on how you can be involved as a Corporate Sponsor and learn how Jeffrey can help YOU! AgriCULTURE by: Todd Gash When most people picture a farmer, a few classic images come to mind: A tractor, pitchfork, overalls, or perhaps a John Deere hat with a smudge of grease on the brim. When I picture a farmer, however, I think of $500 Hart Schaffner Marx suits. I grew up in a small farming community in rural Kentucky where my family owned a clothing store for over fifty years. These were the days before Wal-Mart had permeated every nook and cranny of the American landscape and teenagers actually wore pants with belt loops…and used them. Every day after school I would work in my parents clothing store. We were not a specialty store like you find in most shopping centers today; we were a necessity store. If you needed socks, we had them. New school clothes? We were the place to shop. If you needed a pair of blue jeans, work boots, or a dress shirt, you came to our store. Even when it came time to rent those tuxes for prom (think baby blue…remember we are talking the '80s here) we had them! We also sold Hart Schaffner Marx five hundred dollar suits. WHAT?? Five-hundred-dollar suits to a bunch of dirt-under-their-fingernails farmers? Yep. In my town, like many small towns across America, suits were worn on two occasions -- to church and funerals. That meant that one well-made suit could last longer than most of their pickup trucks. And for some it meant they would probably be buried in them. The people in our community appreciated value and were willing to spend money on something if it was necessary and would last. When one of our customers decided it was time for a suit, I would show the selection of dark blue, gray, or black suits and would then lay out a selection of ties on the table for them to choose from. I would then sell them dress socks, shoes, and the occasional set of cuff links and a pocket square. Since most of our customers knew our store and our family, they knew that we were selling them what was needed. I was good at matching ties to suits and they began to trust my judgment. We made a lot of money selling expensive suits to farmers and others in the community. (The real challenge was getting them to not wear their work boots with the suit.) So, how can you sell a $500.00 suit to a farmer? 1. BECOME A RESOURCE FOR YOUR CUSTOMER. We understood the needs of our community. There was no reason to shop anywhere else. When you are intimately connected to your customer base, you can anticipate needs and establish trust. 2. CREATE A BUYING ATMOSPHERE, NOT A SELLING ONE. On any particular day, you would find a handful of men and women standing around our store talking, sharing news or gossip, and drinking coffee. Not once did anyone ask them if they were going to buy. We knew that they were going to buy…when they were ready. 3. DON’T UNDERESTIMATE YOUR CUSTOMERS. Never prejudge the buying motives of your customers. Prove value and customers will buy. It just goes to show you that it does not matter who your customer base is, as long as you are giving them what they want. Build those relationships, be trustworthy, and add value -- and they will become a loyal consumer. So what are you doing for your customers? Todd Gash is a Gitomer-Certified Speaker who delivers customized and personalized seminars on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development.  To book Todd for your next event, visit our website at www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer via email or by calling 704-333-1112. The Value of Writing Skills - Part 2 By Andy Horner Did you know that before you read an email you scan it first to determine if you “want” to read it? This “always on” scanning mode helps you filter out the noise from the salient, important information from your inbox flood. Without knowing it, you probably do this with the articles in the “Sales Caffeine” each week. And guess what? Your customers scan your emails too! In the blink of an eye, your customers evaluate every email to meet two criteria: Is the message important? Will it be quick and easy to read? Even if your information is important to your contacts, if your emails don’t produce a “yes” for criteria #2, they may be ignored or deleted right along with the spam. To get your emails read and get a response, you must format your emails for scanning. Here’s the winning hand for writing emails that are quick and easy to read: Ace of Hearts: Keep your emails and ezine articles short. Remember, your ideas, pitches, arguments, and benefit messages are far more interesting to you than anyone else. Need proof? Ask yourself why your spouse says, “that’s great, Honey” instead of “No...way, tell me more!” when you talk about work. Try to keep everyday sales emails to 150 words. Limit your lead ezine articles to 400, about the size of this article. If your emails go on and on, they immediately fail the scan test and you’re toast. King of Hearts: Restrict the majority of your paragraphs to three sentences or less. Long paragraphs are scanning quagmires that can trigger the subconscious mind of your recipients to demand, “next email!” Queen of Hearts: If you can’t avoid writing a large paragraph, make it easier for the reader to scan. Summarize the paragraph with a bolded title and structure the main points as a numbered or bulleted list. The result – instant “scannability!” Jack of Hearts: Don’t bury your calls to action inside a paragraph. Whatever you’re prompting your recipient to do, whether it be download a PDF, visit a webpage, register for a webinar, or answer a question, put it on a line by itself and bold it. Ten of Hearts: End your emails with a dialogue opener, not a closer. Stop writing “best wishes” or “warm regards” at the end of an email. It translates to “have a nice life.” Instead, use a valediction that opens a dialogue. Try “Thoughts?”; “What do you think?”; or “Eager for your reply.” Andy Horner is the Product Manager for Ace of Sales. He has worked in sales and marketing for over twelve years. He specializes in the design and technology side of Ace of Sales development combined with relationship marketing and sales. His goal with Ace of Sales is to create the best sales tool on the planet! To connect with Andy today, email andy@aceofsales.com. Your Success Stories "As a long-time subscriber to your newsletter, and recent attendee at your Houston sales conference, I finally decided to take the plunge into developing a social media strategy. I'm using Ace of Sales, have made my personal Facebook page more professional, set up a company Facebook page, updated my LinkedIn page, created a Twitter account, and have started a blog. While I have not yet developed a huge following with these sites, I have yet to find anyone else in my industry who even has more than two of the above. I've still got much more to do, and may make some mistakes along the way, but I aim to have an established social media presence long before others in my industry get going!" -Chris Each week, we feature a salesperson's success story. Please send your stories to Elizabeth or post them on Jeffrey’s Facebook Fan Page. If your story is published, we'll send you a free e-Book! Jeffrey's Sales Rant is a clip from his online training video library. watch the rant now (you need it) Requires Flash player "Your physical status may be robbing you of a chance for fiscal success." Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching!   LIVE EACH DAY AS IF IT WERE YOUR LAST, AND YOU’LL DEVELOP A KEEN RESPECT FOR OPPORTUNITY. If you had only one more day on this earth, how much sharper your senses would be. The beauty of nature, the simple pleasures of life, would be indescribably wonderful, and every moment would present an opportunity to spend quality time with your family and strengthen relationships with friends, acquaintances, and business associates. Every thought would be laser-sharp in that highly focused state. Well, today is the last day on earth for today’s opportunities. Don’t let them pass you by.   Click here to subscribe to Napoleon Hill Yesterday and Today Learn more about the Napoleon Hill Mastermind Club.
View the printer friendly version of this ezine (without graphics) or visit http://www.gitomer.com/salesMagazine/PrintableEzine.html?key=ajcdMibak3Of0gmjsYGg9g%3D%3D © 2010 All Rights Reserved - All great salespeople-and those striving to be great salespeople-should read this ezine. Don't even think about reproducing this document or its contents without written permission from Jeffrey Gitomer. But feel free to forward this or email it to all of your friends. For reprint permission, please call 704/333-1112. Sales Caffeine is a weekly email distributed by TrainOne.com and Buy Gitomer, Inc. 310 Arlington Ave. Loft 329 Charlotte, NC 28203 704/333-1112 Subscribe This email was generated by Jeffrey Gitomer