In my role as a professional speaker, I am always looking for ways to bring value to those companies that hire me. Whether the topic is motivational, training, a keynote, or about sales coaching, I want to leave a lasting impression on the audience. My goal is to make a difference by helping people make measurable improvement by taking action. Some clients understand this better than others…and in fact I learn a lot from them!

Next month I will deliver a popular keynote presentation titled “Tradition” for a financial advisor that is hosting a high-end dinner for his very best clients. I called him today to check on the details of the evening, and just hearing about it motivated ME!This dinner will include fine wine, china settings, and a gourmet meal. This is an annual event that has resulted in a high level of client loyalty, to say nothing of the fact that the majority of his business comes from referrals from this group.

The presentation I will deliver speaks to the impact of tradition on our culture, relationships, and business practices. This advisor “gets it” and has built the theme of his event around the concept of tradition. The five-star formal dinner will be served on the finest china, set on white linen tablecloths. His guests will receive a gift of wine glasses engraved with the word “Tradition.” They will leave with a bottle of wine he has private-labeled with his company logo, and the name of the wine is…you guessed it…TRADITION!”

No detail is left to chance, and everything is coordinated with the chosen theme. His opening comments will focus on the tradition of service and exceeding customer expectations that he has built into his company for over 20 years, and will lead into my keynote address. This financial advisor is a PRO at customer relationship development!

If you host client appreciation events, do it first-class! Build in a theme, and show them by your meticulous planning and attention to detail that you really do APPRECIATE them and their business. Be memorable, and remember…it is hard to fire your friends!

Good selling!

All of us get into our own seemingly minor routines that often become massive ruts. When a salesperson gets in a rut their sales don’t meet quotas, they go from sales superstars to middle of the pack, and the newer salespeople pass them by. Getting out of a rut seems like it would take a massive change in the way we run our business, but it doesn’t.

Certain activities form the foundation of sales success. These activities must be completed reasonably well on a consistent basis in order for us to maximize our sales potential. Sales organizations define these activities in a variety of ways, but on the most primordial sales level these critical sales factors are as follows:

• Prospecting
• Presenting
• Objections
• Closing

Salespeople have a tendency to look for the “next big thing”, when what is really needed is incremental improvement in these basic sales activities. It doesn’t take a massive change in activity to produce big results. The reason is that sales success is a PRODUCT of these four critical factors, and quality AND quantity BOTH COUNT! For example, if you graded yourself on each of these factors with one (1) being the worst, and five (5) being the best, and you were “perfect” in each area, the product / score would be 625. Let’s take a look at two typical examples:
Score

Prospecting 3

Presenting x 3

Objections x 3

Closing x 3

Your Score 81

By improving your score in one are by a factor of one, (in this case, by doing a better job of prospecting,) your score would change as follows:

Score

Prospecting 4

Presenting x 3

Objections x 3

Closing x 3

Your Score 108 … 33% better!

One more example:

Score

Prospecting 4

Presenting x 4

Objections x 4

Closing x 4

Your Score 256 … a 300%-plus improvement over our first example!

In other words, incremental improvement in a couple of these critical sales factors makes a HUGE change in your sales results. You don’t have to be twice as good or work twice as hard to double your sales! Take a look at each of these factors, and ask yourself these questions?

• In what areas can I improve the quickest?
• What resources do I have available to help me improve?
• WHO can help me get better?
• Would sales coaching make a difference?

Self-examination is seldom easy, but it pays off in a big way. Examine your sales techniques and activities, make small changes, and I promise you that big increases in sales will appear… it is inevitable!

Over the weekend I received an email and subsequent phone call from a financial advisor who read my post on BNI as a networking tool. He chose not to reply to the post, but had a GREAT prospecting / networking idea!

This financial advisor arranged and hosted a networking luncheon for his clients, and invited a CPA, attorney, banker, real estate agent, and travel agent. Each participant received up to eight minutes to describe a “Premier Planning Suggestion” aimed at present or soon-to-be senior citizens. The participants invited their own clientele, and the event was publicized in the local media without cost, as a PSA or “Public Service Announcement”! The cost of the luncheon was shared equally (which encouraged the presenters to work to generate a turnout.)

Only 22 people showed up, but each of these professionals now has some new prospects, as well as the foundation for a successful networking group. As the catalyst for this group, the financial advisor demonstrated leadership; a fact I believe had to impress the other professionals involved. The group is planning to do this on a quarterly basis, and other professionals have inquired about the ability to participate. Of course, the group has chosen to limit the “membership.”

When you choose to look for innovative ways to market your business, your growth is often exponential. All the presenters will find new and possibly serendipitous business relationships and opportunities within their marketplace. If you think this makes sense, try to build a similar group. If no, say so as a reply to this post. If you have additional networking ideas, please leave those in the form of a reply, as well.

Good selling!