Salespeople still sell well in this economy!

The Ferrari salesman who we bought our F430 from is making the news: he continues to sell these exotic sports cars without any problems. Just like we were on the waiting list for 3 years, he's got people on the waiting list now.

So what is the secret to selling such luxury while the market is still in free fall? Go to the eighth paragraph and first sentence.

How can you use this philosophy?

Read more!

100 Days to Sell and Meet 2008 Goals

I'm working through my own prospect list and have a buddy to report to every three days. With 127 names of prospects in the last year, there's people who may want me to call them!

Part of my report will be around Follow-up. Here's a tip - either hire a coach or find someone to be your buddy for the next few weeks. You will be using telephone and in-person whenever feasible for sales follow-up. At least once a week check in with your coach or buddy to report on your results. Make it fun! Reward yourself at certain set goals. When I'm caught up on follow up, my buddy and I are going to lunch together.

While I continue to work on a blueprint for your consideration to Fill Up, Firm Up and Follow-Up, you may be interested in a Teleseminar Extravaganza. Go to http://askpatweber.com for details. Read more!

Reach Your 2008 Sales Goals in the Last 100 Days

This is an unusual year that I don't have my sales goals met! Could it have been those 2 months of being caregiver for my husband during his open heart quintuple bypass surgery and subsequent heart attack? Add to that 2 more months of caregiving for my mother, who had 80 years old had open heart aeortic valve replacement? I've felt like my car's fuel tank on a long trip - full, empty, full and empty again in terms of energy and focus.

My strategy now it to plan out each and every week with a Fill Up, Firm Up and Follow up approach. I plan to offer this as a report to you in the next day or two.

In the meantime I found some no and low cost sales related top tips:

• Top 100 Tips for Lead Management and Sales Success;
• How To Reach Your Year End Goals Even If You Haven't Started On Them;
• and as a dog lover, Top Dog Sales Secrets.
  

Sign up for my ezine with dozens of free reports and you'll get the Year End Fill Up, Firm Up, Followup, End of Year Sales Plan.

Patricia Weber
The Sales Accelerator Coach for Introverts, Shy and the MOST Reluctant
What is the area of sales of your greatest sales reluctance?
Take this sales survey.

Read more!

Selling Like a Dog May Be Introvert Advantage

My dog, Chanel, is awesome. With a petite size tennis ball in her mouth she stands at my office door when she is ready to go out and play. She stands there with eyes on me until I say something like, “Let’s go play!” Many salespeople are mystified about how to get a prospect to listen to them to let alone buy. It’s not a requirement that your prospect be an introvert, known to be better listeners naturally. There are easier ways, as my dog knows, to introduce yourself to a prospect and have them listen.

One dog lesson is, “When it’s in your best interest, practice obedience.”

Keep your eyes on the master.

In sales, think of your prospect as your master. Dogs learn their place in a family. Well trained dogs know that they go through a door once their master goes through rather than running ahead without permission. You must focus on prospects instead of yourself through all points in selling. The salesperson who constantly focuses on themselves will lose listening points. No one wants to hear about what you have to say until you say what they want to hear! Just like the dog knowing their place in a family by practicing obedience, as a salesperson consider your place in the sales relationship with a prospect: they come first.

Keep your focus.

Chanel sits at attention with that petite size tennis ball in her month for minutes sometimes. Because she doesn’t bark or whine it can take minute for me to look up at her if I am on a telephone call or writing an article. But her eyes never leave me. Stay focused first on your intention of the result of having someone listen to you and second on your prospect. On a recent coaching call, a client told me they are assessing the ease and less stress when they go to an initial sales call with a more reasonable sales intention. Their focus is to find out more about the prospect and their intention is to get to the next step: for them this is to schedule a follow up call. They are 99% more effective than their previous approach with the intention to get the sale.

Another dog teaching is, “If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.”

Remember what is buried.

Just like Chanel knows where she buries her dog treats and can find them easily at a later time, she also knows her tennis ball in her mouth will get time to play. It’s likely that your prospect doesn’t care to listen to you because you haven’t yet reminded them of what is buried in their mind – possibly a problem they whisked under the carpet, possibly a solution they seek that came and went through their mind. How do you help them to remember? Stay focused throughout a sales conversation on the prospect. Your listening can lead them to finding what is buried, and that can lead to a decision to buy from you.

Dig until you find the treasure.

You would laugh with amazement on how excited Chanel gets when I finally take note of her request. She goes from a statue like stare to romping with glee. If you are in rapport with your prospect while you help them to remember their pain – what is buried; or discover what solution they do want – also buried, then the time will be right for when you can present them with the treasure. Why would you want to rain on their delight by showing them the treasure before they even know what they were digging for?

Is it obvious to you I love the lessons that dogs give us about selling? Your obedience is about paying more attention to learning about the customer than to jumping in to some spiel about yourself. Then your digging about how and what to sell to your prospect will be as easy as it is for a dog.

Patricia Weber
The Sales Accelerator Coach for Introverts, Shy and the MOST Reluctant
What is the area of sales of your greatest sales reluctance?
Take this sales survey.

Read more!

Introvert Salespeople Have Some Superior Traits All Through Selling

Breanne Potter has many years with administering the MBTI. I was commenting on another post at youngentrepreneur.com and SOMEHOW I found her article with a most relevant comment about introverts in sales.

Read Misconception #6: I found out I’m an Introvert, but I’m in a sales job. I guess I should find a new career, in her "Top 10 Misconceptions about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®."

What do you think? Is she right? Can it be our preferences do not limit our abilities?

What do you say? You know what I would say!

Patricia Weber
The Sales Accelerator Coach for Introverts, Shy and the MOST Reluctant
What is the area of sales of your greatest sales reluctance?
Take this sales survey. Read more!

Top Salespeople recharge their batteries!

Top salespeople take advantage of weekends to recharge. What is your favorite way to get take and use time off?

On weekends my husband and I drive our collector cars. We also always have a date night. And I play ball with our dog more. You don't see selling in that line up do you?

This business coach is considering not even checking email on the weekends.

What do you do to recharge? Do you make your week(weak)ends stronger with some rest and relaxation?

Patricia Weber
The Sales Accelerator Coach for Introverts, Shy and the MOST Reluctant
What is the area of sales of your greatest sales reluctance?
Take this sales survey. Read more!

Selling With Sales Momentum the Way Top Performers Do

As I am working on my continuing podcast messages, and thinking about building sales momentum, here's an idea that you WANT to read about.

It's about the best time to make sales calls. And has nothing to do with the day of the week.

Patricia Weber
The Sales Accelerator Coach for Introverts, Shy and the MOST Reluctant
What is the area of sales of your greatest sales reluctance?
Take this sales survey. Read more!

Top Salespeople are sick and tired of recession talk

I almost got sucked into the vortex of media negativity. The news from television and radio is driving me crazy! But I am over it! Listen here ...
Or download now.

This one gives tip two of Top Producers Top 7 Secrets During a Recession or Down Economy - flex marketing muscles you love.

Patricia Weber
The Sales Accelerator Coach for Introverts, Shy and the MOST Reluctant
What is the area of sales of your greatest sales reluctance?
Take this sales survey. Read more!

Sales Reluctance Like Baggage?

Daniel Sitter uses a fabulous metaphor about "Baggage" in hurting a salesperson's sales efforts.

Read about it on Daniel's blog.

If you are a salesperson or independent professional or small business owner who sells, you'll want to know what baggage to leave behind and what to take with you.

Patricia Weber
The Sales Reluctance Coach
What is the area of sales of your greatest sales reluctance?
Take this sales survey. Read more!

Do you know about the Small Business Advocate community?

Every Sunday I get a copy of Jim Blasingame's newsletter telling about recognized small business experts who he is interviewing on his radio show.

He IS the Small Business Advocate:

Listen to my recent interview with Jim Blasingame (on the Small Business Advocate show).

Patricia Weber
The Sales Reluctance Coach
What is the area of sales of your greatest reluctance?
Take this survey. Read more!

Taking the COLD Out of Cold Calling

My online friend and associate, Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling, has a terrific program coming up. She is going to discuss cold calling and how she helps entrepreneurs, business owners and sales professionals – just like you – prospect fearlessly and schedule more new business appointments in less time.

The Cold Calling Free Preview Call is on February 5, 2008.

Prospecting is perhaps the most important skill that entrepreneurs, business owners and sales professionals must master to be truly successful. Let’s face it, without customers you don’t have a business, and without prospecting, you don’t have customers!

In this day and age there are certainly many avenues that one can take to reach prospects. No other avenue, however, is as powerful as the one-on-one, personal, direct connection that you can make with a prospect by having a great telephone conversation.

Outsmart and Outsell the Competition

On the telephone, you can instantly build rapport, gather information, show your expertise and move your sales process forward, all of this while your competition is still trying to get in the door.

Many people, however, struggle with prospecting by phone. The reality is that prospecting can be difficult, but it doesn’t need to be. The good news is that cold calling is a communication skill, and like any communication skill, it can be learned and improved upon. In working with my clients, many of them have practiced new skills and are thrilled to see their results change.

If you struggle with prospecting, you too can see amazing change and terrific improvement in your ability to connect with multiple new prospects on a personal level, and have them agree to sit down and have a further conversation with you.

The Cold Calling Free Preview Call is on February 5, 2008 and details can be found here:
http://www.profcs.com/app/?Clk=2250829

Don’t wait. This preview call is guaranteed to help, right now, regardless of your sales experience or background.

To your success!

Pat Weber
http://www.prostrategies.com
FREE Report: 6 Secrets to Sales Success for Introverts!
Through JAN 31 2008:
Get 2008 Calendar with Top 52 Coaching Thoughts! Read more!

Selling Yourself Your Way Gets the Best Sales Results

If you have been on any of my teleclasses, you know I'm a big proponent that there is no one method, no one right process and no one and only way to sell.

Salespeople's best bet is to be sure how they sell fits them and their customer.

Take a look at this article which purports a "CDC process to selling: collect, discard and create."

Patricia Weber
The Sales Reluctance Coach
What is the area of sales of your greatest reluctance?
Take this survey. Read more!

Lucky people are more extroverted?

I came across this website The Luck Factor.

As you read the premise of this article, again there is an underlying misconception as so often happens with introversion versus extroversion.

What I DO agree with is the statement that to have more chance encounters turn into lucky opportunities means you have to be somewhat of a "social magnet."

Would you agree? I mean if you are a social butterfly, you will simply increase the number of your encounters.

But, here is where I part ways: "Social magnets attract others because they exhibit behaviors that other people find attractive and inviting, namely eye contact, smiling and open body language."

People think I AM an extrovert because I listen, with my eye contact, and I always wear a smile because - I am happy!

You can have "namely eye contact," and be more of an introvert.

Check out the Make Your Luck at The Luck Factor.

So how can we as people with sales reluctance make our own luck with less chance encounters? Isn't that the question?

Patricia Weber
The Sales Reluctance Coach
Specialty in Introverts and Shy Read more!

Here's to Ringing In a Great 2008

Wishing you every happiness this Holiday Season and prosperity in the New Year.

Do you hate to sell, or get energized by cold calling?

What is your natural tendency when it comes to networking, schmoozing and sales?

How do you feel about giving a presentation or delivering a proposal?

Do you ever find yourself saying, "Oh I'm not a salesperson I am [fill in the blank with what title you give yourself.]"

Take a moment to get honest with yourself when you answer a quick survey waiting for you.

And, to let you know how grateful I am for your answers, there are three gifts waiting for you to claim.

First you get: a written report. Easy Steps to Shatter Your Sales Reluctance And Boost Your Business.

Second, you get an audio or the same report.

And third, you can attend a complimentary three part teleseries! HURRY! The series starts January 3rd, 2008.

Yes!

You can have all these valuable bonus gifts for less than two minutes of your time.

Just answer the 2 minute survey ... Click Here to Take Survey

The Survey is Anonymous!

Your answers will also help with the blogging information you get in 2008. More relevant, more focused and as always... right on point.

Regards,

Patricia Weber
Sales Reluctance Coach with Specialty of Introverts and Shy

PS: I've posted my very first online video. No; not ready for PrimeTime or You Tube. We will get to finally meet though if we have not already. So take the survey now ... Click Here to Take Survey. Read more!

Merry Christmas!

And happy holiday whatever you celebrate.

Are you like me this time of year? Sending cards? Thinking and planning for next year? Decluttering to keep energy high?

I just released this last week first to my ezine subscribers. A 2008 Calendar of 52 Coaching Thoughts. Subscribers on my email list always get gifts like this before a general announcement.

It's a 2008 Calendar of 52 of the Most Powerful Coaching Thoughts to help you each and every week with your focus, clarity and actions. You can either print out the year, or print out a month at a time or heck, just open it up to ponder the questions of the month.

Some of my favorite questions are, in no particular order:

-If you could wipe the slate clean for next year, what would you do?
-What is a better way to reach your goal that no one else is doing?
-How is where you are right now just perfect?
-What are you tolerating?
-What is life asking you to do differently?
-What would it be like right now if you could wave a magic wand?

The 2008 Calendar of 52 Coaching Thoughts available for download:
1) requires NO payment information,
2) requires no promo code,
3) you can forward the link for others to download,
4) needs to be completed in entirety (name, address) for you to be directed to the download page
5) requires you press the button "continue to payment information" so that you will
6) get an email with the link to download it later!

Yes; it is INVALUABLE because these are actual coaching questions that can help you get clear, get focused and get going. Every week of the year.

Go get yours now if you have not already. It's easy, it's quick, there is no payment information required, no codes.

You're just a click away.

Patricia Weber
The Sales Reluctance Coach! Read more!

Where are you along the introversion and extroversion continuum?

This month I have done more extroverting that I normally do so needless to say, I am exhausted. Yesterday I was invited to be a guest speaker in a local Chamber of Commerce networking group.

Let me pose the same question to you as I did to them: knowing that we ALL do introverting and extroverting all day long, can you identify some of your favorite activities of either type?

Not surprising to me, however to the group it was, once they got going, light bulbs began to come on!

Yes; many people like reading - on the introvert side of the continuum. On this side are also activities like contemplating, planning, preparing, meditating, gardening, having lunch alone, listening to relaxing music at a low volume, and listening.

I believe that listening is more toward the middle of this "doing" continuum.

And then the extroverting actions are more like hosting a party, lunching with friends, happy hour events, networking events, speaking or in public, going to a party.

Most people, once they understand the continuum, can identify their preferences of "doing" and then have more understanding of what gives them energy.

What other activities do YOU like doing and which side of the continuum would you list in on? Read more!

How did we give people this impression?

Today I was a guest at a BNI meeting - Business Networking International. My membership expired in my own chapter and I decided not to rejoin for a third year. Suddenly now I am being invited to other chapters as a guest. I must have been getting too comfortable with my own chapter because I either never noticed this or somehow the misperception about introverts continues!

A Mary Kay director asked me, "what kind of work do you do?" I told her I help introverts, shy and reluctant who sell so they can boost their confidence, their prospects and their business. While HER first reaction was, "Wow. How do you do that?" a man standing by put his arm around a friend of his, with his eyes cast down and a monotone voice he quipped, "Oh then please help me." Then he giggled like a school boy.

It may have been a misinterpretation but to me clearly, he was portraying a withdrawn and likely boring person.

Do you get the connection of what I saw?

How do you react to something like that? I'm asking before I tell you how I responded. Read more!