I recently stumbled across a rare (and incredible) video interview (watch it below) of two of the most revolutionary, technological magicians of this age: Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Apple’s Steve Jobs.
Right at the end of the interview, an audience member asks for advice and both Gates and Jobs touch on an issue that is central, critical and revolutionary to every one of my clients, blog subscribers and friends.
This is the final instalment in a series of articles on Sales Management – for people managing their own sales (every entrepreneur is), corporate team leaders or anyone in between.
So far, I’ve revealed an outline, covering off the essential steps: Great Beliefs, Reasons to Act, Outcome Clarity and Wilful Action.
The total acronym (for memory-ease) looks like this: GROWS
The S stands for “Skills” and it comes last because sales skills are not important.
Sometimes chunking huge goals down to microscope tasks does wonders for motivation.
I just finished up a session with a client’s Business Development Manager (sales rep).
We simply worked out that they could be well on track to an exciting six figure annual income – if they would just spend two hours a day making calls to new prospects.
Previously, the very thought of the 40 to 50 massive, business-to-business sales they’d have to make (over the year ) was absolutely overwhelming.
Conservatively connecting the dots between two hours on the phone and the pie-in-the-sky annual income goal is like a caffeine jolt to the motivation muscle.
How can you chunk your impossible goals into bite-sized fun?
It doesn’t matter whether you’re involved in any kind of selling or not, this fourth step in my Sales Management series is useful for everyone.
Why? Because it’s all something both you and I all need all the time.
Sales people need to it the most. For every entrepreneur, or at least the successful ones, it is the fundamental ingredient in any given day, project or business!
Read on to discover why…
This is the third in a series of articles that break down the exact formula you need to smash sales targets… no matter if they’re your own, or your teams goals.
If you’ve been following the series (and you should be!… subscribe here) then you’ll be aware we’re building up an acronym of steps. So far we’ve got G (Great beliefs) and R (Reasons to act).
Read on to find out (and profit from) the next step:
It doesn’t matter if you’re running a mum & dad startup, an enormous sales team or working for yourself as a basement internet marketer…
If you’re one of those people who is passionate about an idea but feeling icky about selling it, then your personal, inner sales management is even more critical.
This article is the 2nd part of a series where I break down a simple psychological formula.
The formula is used by sales and management wizards to lead their teams (and themselves) towards blisteringly hot sales performance… and everything (the reward and impact) that comes with that.
Every year Time magazine (and your similar local publications) run a collaboration piece on what to expect in the upcoming year.
Various experts across a range of industries weigh in to share a pearl of wisdom or two.
Seth Godin decided to do the same (only better) this year, by publishing a free ebook collection of business leaders, bloggers and pundits expounding on the significance of a single, individually selected idea.
This ebook What Matters Now includes short (200 word) articles from around 70 authors.
It’s a must read for any entrepreneur and really, for anyone who cares about doing anything significant in business.
In an effort to share the book with five million readers, Seth is encouraging bloggers to add their own 200 words on a particular idea.
Check out my riff (and download your copy of the ebook) below:
If you’re serious about growing your business, hopefully you’ve already got some sales stars helping you achieve the dream.
As a leader, your top objective is to keep those sales people (or yourself) operating at the peak of performance (and profit) with one simple caveat: Never let them burn out.
Many business owners make the mistake of assuming sales management is easy, but without the right skill toolbox, it will always be an uphill struggle.
This article (1st of a series) breaks down a simple psychological formula which you can use to inspire top performance from your sales people and yourself.
I’ve got a fantastic idea for my business. I bet you’ve got a couple too.
My idea is a stroke of marketing genius that could help me have fun connecting with a bunch of new clients… and earn a pile of well-deserved cash, quickly and easily.
… So today I got started on it by checking all my favourite news sites, making a snack and catching up with an old friend on the phone. Then it felt like I deserved to watch a little television.
Suddenly, what’s left of the day has gone. Business hours are over. As I drove home, I told myself I’ll get stuck in tomorrow, after a relaxing evening and a good nights sleep.
The Self Sabotage monster strikes again!
This article uncovers the psychology of self sabotage and gives you practical tips on how best to overcome it…
Things going pear-shaped or “the $#*% hitting the fan” are a reality of being in business.
The way we deal with those crisis situations speaks volumes on our character. It is one of the big psychological differences that widens the gulf between successful and struggling entrepreneurs.
This super short article is guaranteed to give you a powerful,”take away” tool for transforming disaster scenarios.
