Time Out

The title of this blog could also be “Time Off”. Sometimes we get so caught up in work that we don’t take care of ourselves. Sometimes we may even feel guilty if we take some time for ourselves. Well, you know the old saying: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Nobody on their death bed will ever say, “Gee, I wish I’d spent more time at the office.” So I shot a little video this past weekend. Hope you enjoy it!

How good are you at sales? Take our Free, Fun Sales Quiz and find out. Includes a complementary 45-minute telephone consultation to review your results! CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE QUIZ

Going Through The Change

The process of change is always an interesting one, and many times change comes quite unexpectedly. If you had told me a year ago that I would be a southern gentleman, living in Sebring, Florida, I would have looked at you funny, because in my wildest dreams, I never imagined living anyplace other than Colorado for the rest of my life.

When change comes, there is nearly always a major benefit attached, if I keep an open, positive attitude and look for the good. For example, when I was in the Air Force, I asked to be stationed in Greece or Spain, and I was naïve enough to believe that would happen. I got orders for Vietnam. The benefit? I grew up, and I learned how precious life really is.

When we adopted our first child, I thought I really wanted a boy. When the adoption came through, it was a girl, and I found out what all dads know: I’m wrapped around that little girl’s finger…even if she is going to be 40 next year.

When we decided to move to Florida, I thought I would hate the heat and the humidity and the total lack of mountains. I’ve already found out that I can easily deal with those differences and that Sebring is a lovely place to live. I have a beautiful new house and a gorgeous office. I’m continuing to coach business owners all over the U.S. and I’m making some great contacts here in Florida. I’ll be writing a column for one of the local newspapers. There is Skype and Webex and the internet and unlimited long distance service, so I can stay in touch with the people I do business with and with my loved ones. There are airplanes that fly regularly from Orlando to Denver…I’ll be on one August 14th to spend a week in Colorado.

So the next time you encounter change in your life (as you most certainly will) do these three things, and the changes will bless your life:

· Don’t prejudge. Changes almost always appear worse than they actually are.

· Keep an open mind. As The Bottle Rockets sing, “The long way isn’t the wrong way and a wrong turn isn’t the end, if it’s understood there may be something good waitin’ up around the bend.”

· Look for the opportunity. There is always opportunity in every change. We just have to be aware and look for the good, the blessing, the profit in the change.

Good selling,

Hugh

How good are you at sales? Take our Free, Fun Sales Quiz and find out. Includes a complementary 45-minute telephone consultation to review your results! CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE QUIZ

Goodbye Old Friend

This week I had to say goodbye to an old friend, our dog, Scrappy. Scrappy has been a family pet since I have been with my wife, and was with Priscilla for nine years prior to that. Scrappy was 17 years old; I don’t know how old that is in dog years, but I know it’s OLD. We knew that Scrappy’s health was failing and that her departure was eminent. The past six months with Scrappy had been really frustrating. She started leaving little “gifts” around the house (which I think made our carpet cleaning guy fairly happy, but not me), barking at all hours of the night to be let out of her crate to get a drink of water or go outside or wander aimlessly around the house. Weeks of being awakened several times every night was taking its toll on my health and my patience. She had lost most of her hearing and eyesight and had a dose of doggy Alzheimer’s. I must confess I did not feel particularly warm and friendly toward the poor little thing, nor did I talk very nicely to her much of the time. I say this to my shame and regret.

My wife took Scrappy to the vet, and I got the call, as I was working in my office, that the time had come to let Scrappy go. I got in my truck to go up to the vet’s office to be with Scrappy as she got the shot that would end her life. I was surprised as I drove to find my eyes welling with tears and my chest and stomach in knots. After all, I expected this would happen sometime soon. But I surely wasn’t prepared for it. The things that came to mind as I drove and cried were about Scrappy in her younger days when she raced through the house with tons of energy, about how smart she was, about how faithful and loyal she was and about how much she loved people, even though she hadn’t always been treated kindly and humanely before she came to live with my wife. The frustrations of the past six months faded into nothingness as I remembered all the good times and funny times and tender times I had spent with her.

Holding my little friend while the drug was injected that mercifully, and I hope painlessly, ended things for her was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. I dissolved into a blubbering mess.

So why am I, a professional sales coach, writing a blog about the death of a dog? Well, all of us have pets, friends, family members, clients or acquaintances, who sometimes don’t perform at their best, and say or do things that affect us negatively. The temptation is to become impatient and irritated and short-tempered, and to think and speak unkindly of them (and even to them). The fact is that, most of the time, those beings have wonderful attributes that will completely overshadow any negative ones, if we only focus on them. Unfortunately, we sometimes DON’T focus on them until that person or pet is gone. I now know from experience that it is a painful experience to lose one, who I have appreciated less than I should have.

So I’d like to encourage us all to be more aware of what we are focusing on as we encounter others day to day. Let’s make it part of our mission to always think, speak and act positively, kindly and compassionately toward everyone, even on their bad days and ours.

Good Selling,

Hugh

No Obligation, No Pressure, No Strings Attached

I’ve noticed something interesting this past month. We’re offering a free sales quiz online and a complementary 45-minute telephone consultation to review the results. The only way to determine the results of the test is to do the consultation with one of our coaches. More than 60 people have taken the quiz…and 9 of them did not enter any contact information. So we could not call them to go over the results and find out whether we could assist them in boosting their sales. Remember, this is an entirely free offer. It doesn’t cost a dime to take the quiz and find out where their sales process is strong and where they might want to look at making some changes.

So why do people take the quiz, but refuse to give their contact information? I believe the answer is that they are afraid. What are they afraid of? It could be that they have experienced an unpleasant hard sell in the past. It could be that they are afraid their information will be added to a list, and they’ll get all kinds of unwanted email or phone calls. They may be afraid of scams, high pressure, hidden agendas or obnoxious sales reps. In short, they fear that there might be strings attached. In any case, the fear that stopped these folks from giving their information, robbed them of a tremendous opportunity – an opportunity to learn how to make more sales and more money. And the irony is that my life mission is to teach salespeople to sell effectively by NOT doing any of the things the quiz takers are so afraid of.

The fear of free products and services has been around a long time. I recall an experiment that was done many, many years ago, when I was just a lad. The experimenters went out on the street to give away $5.00 bills. They were real $5.00 bills; no tricks, no obligation, no strings attached. A high percentage of the people walking by REFUSED to take a free $5.00 bill because they were afraid for one reason or another. Many people are suspicious of anything free, feeling that they are about to be taken advantage of in some way. Some are even more suspicious if any mention is made of “no pressure,” “no obligation,” or “no strings attached”.

My experience with the sales quiz has very powerfully brought back to my awareness something I have known for quite a while. Prospects and salespeople are all afraid until their experiences teach them not to be. I regularly help salespeople work through their fears so they can sell more effectively. Teaching prospects not to be afraid is more difficult.

Here are some things I think we can do to help our prospects:

• Try our best to build rapport and relationship. Prospects buy from people they know like and trust, so our job is to help them trust us.

• Use testimonials and referrals from clients to pave the way.

• Build our brands and our reputations with ethical, upright behavior and honesty.

• Make it our true business mission to partner with our prospects to solve their problems and help them get what they want and need.

That said, we are continuing to offer the sales quiz and phone consult at no charge…with no pressure, no obligation and no strings attached. Why? Because over 5/6 of the people who have taken the quiz (the ones who DID give their contact information) have learned to be successful in making more sales and more money.

By the way, YOU can take the sales quiz and find out where your sales process is strong and where you may want to make changes. Just CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE QUIZ. You can learn to boost your sales and income if you overcome your fear and include your contact information! No obligation, no pressure, no strings attached. I promise!!!

Springtime In The Rockies – A Sales Parable

It’s springtime in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Always has been my favorite season! We’ve had that long, soaking rain that comes every year around this time and turns the grass, trees and shrubs a gorgeous green. I must admit I was a bit concerned this year because the winter was unusually dry down here on the plains, even though the mountains got much more snow than usual. I wasn’t sure the plants in my yard would survive. They sure did look dead…dry and brittle, and honestly, pretty ugly. But the rain amazed me once again, as it does every year, by doing its magic thing, bringing new life back to this gorgeous area. It reminds me of the old song that goes, “When it’s springtime in the Rockies, I’ll be comin’ back to you.” It is a time of renewal after the cold and snow and brown bleakness of the winter.

So what does that have to do with a blog about sales? Just this. Business and sales have their seasons as well. Sometimes times are hard and sales and profits are down, and it may even look like your business will die, never to return to life. And yet, if you keep your attitude positive and look for opportunities that abound even in tough times, your business WILL resurrect, even as the leaves come back onto the trees in the Spring of the year.

From my perspective, the “rain” in your business, that drives new life and beauty and vitality into it, is sales. Sales can bring the most struggling business back to prosperity. They can inject an abundance and joyfulness into your business that you may have forgotten during the dark, dry winter. The trick is to look for new opportunities, develop new markets and to revisit the basics of good salesmanship. So if your business has been looking dead, dry, brittle and ugly, take heart. The pure clear water of sales can bring the green back to your business, specifically to your cash register, bank account and wallet.

If you need some help watering your garden, let’s talk. I’d love to help you identify your target market, increase your sales and boost your revenues and your profits. If you’d like to find out where you’re strong in your sales process and where you might want to make some changes, you can take my free, fun sales quiz. It includes a complementary 45-minute telephone consult to review your results. Just CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE QUIZ.

Good selling,

Hugh

Home Runs and Sales

I used to coach my son’s Little League team years ago. I found out that one of the hardest things to teach the kids was to swing at the ball. So many of them were afraid to swing, so they stood with the bat on their shoulders and watched the ball go by, hoping it would be called a ball…four of those and you got to first base. The problem: you only get to first base now and then. Worse than that, you never get a double or triple or knock one out of the park. Worst of all, you never get the satisfaction of actually hitting the ball.

So why were the kids afraid to swing? They didn’t want to strike out! They didn’t want anyone to laugh at them or be upset with them. They didn’t want to risk their egos by swinging and failing. It’s interesting that the great Babe Ruth, who was (and actually probably still is) the home run king of Major League Baseball, also struck out more than anyone else who has ever played the game. Without taking risk and experiencing failure, nothing exceptional is ever achieved. The greatest baseball players of all time have batting averages around .300. That means they were out 7 times out of every 10 times they went to bat. But they were the successful, high-earning, famous players.

Here’s the crazy part. If kids don’t swing at the ball, they’re probably out. If they do swing they might be out, or they might hit the ball. Swinging increases the probability of success. The result of swinging and missing is exactly the same as not swinging and being called out on strikes. And only swinging makes it possible to get a hit. So why not swing at the ball?

I believe the comparison to sales is obvious. So many salespeople are afraid to ask for the sale. They wait for the prospect to take the initiative. The problem: they only make a sale now and then. Worse than that, they never get consistent success and above-average income, and the greater the opportunity, the bigger the deal, the more frightened they are. The great sales go to the successful salespeople, who aren’t afraid to ask. Worst of all, the fearful salespeople never get to experience the joy and satisfaction of sales success.

So why are salespeople afraid to ask? They’re afraid the prospect will say no. They’re afraid they might appear foolish. They’re afraid prospects will be upset with them and perceive them as pushy or aggressive. They’re afraid the prospect will object to the price. They’re afraid no one will say yes. In short, they’re afraid. They didn’t want to risk their egos by asking and being told no. It is a fact that the most successful salespeople in the world are the ones who overcome their fears and ask. And guess what! They hear “no” much more than they hear “yes”. They’re the salespeople who become famous in their companies and industries. They’re the ones who earn six figures plus, selling.

Here’s the crazy part. If salespeople don’t ask, they probably don’t make a sale. If they do ask, they might be told no and not make a sale, or they might make a sale. Asking increases the probability of success. The result of asking and getting a no is exactly the same as not asking and not getting a sale. And only asking offers any possibility of getting sales consistently. Why not ask for the sale?

Dare to swing for the fences, dare to ask, dare to sell, dare to succeed. Get the bat off your shoulder and swing! If you need a coach to help you do it, contact me.

If you want to find out where you are strong in your sales process and where you might want to make some changes, CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE QUIZ. It includes a complementary 45-minute telephone consultation to review your results.

Good selling,

Hugh

Should I Buy Sales “Leads”?

Unless you are a brand new salesperson just starting your career, you should not have to do much cold calling. I have purchased lists in the past and have not been happy with the results. The main reasons for this are:

• Most lead companies compile their lists from sources like Google, Yahoo and other public data bases that you and I could access ourselves. They may add a bit of info or call to verify phone numbers, but my experience had been that the cost is not worth what is being supplied.

• Lead companies sell their leads to multiple companies, sometimes even companies of the same type as yours, and often to MLM companies. Unless you are one of the first companies to call, your “lead” has been deluged by call after call and is irritated and unresponsive.

• There are free resources like Facebook, Linked In and Twitter where you can make contact with business owners and others who need your products and services. You can develop online relationships and make very warm contacts instead of just calling a total stranger out of the blue.

• 40% of the sales process is building rapport. You really cannot do that in a cold call, so why not spend your time and effort in developing your own leads in ways that allow you to find common ground with people in your target market more easily and inexpensively?

My advice to salespeople, even brand new ones, is to spend your money and your time developing contacts through social media, networking groups, chambers of commerce and referrals. Otherwise, you are really just spinning your wheels and spending a lot of marketing money you could be utilizing elsewhere.

If you would like to find out where you are strong in your sales process and where you may want to make some changes, take my free, fun sales quiz. CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE QUIZ It includes a complementary 45-minute phone consultation to review your results.

Good selling,
Hugh

Five Attributes of High Yielding Questions

The fine art of asking high yielding questions is one that every sales person must master in order to be consistently great at sales.  Why?  Because the answers to the questions are the only way we are able, as salespeople, to determine what our prospects need and what they want.  Our questions, and our prospects’ answers, will reveal where the gaps are between where they are now and where they would really like to be.  Until we know where the gaps are, it is impossible for us to determine whether our product or service is really a good fit for our prospect or not.

There are five attributes of high yielding questions:

• They should mostly be open ended. In other words, they are questions that cannot be answered yes or no.  Open ended questions will reveal far more of the prospects’ thinking then closed questions will.  They give the prospect an opportunity to really open up and talk about their perceptions and how they feel.  This is vital information if we want to sell successfully.  There is a place for closed questions that must be answered yes or no, but that is in the Asking for the Sale step in the sale process.

• They should be Who, What, Where, When, Why and How questions. Every journalism student is taught to use these questions to interview people for articles he or she is writing.  The goal is to collect as much information as possible and to write an article that is as complete and accurate as possible.  In sales, we want the information to determine whether and how our product and service will meet our prospects’ needs

• They should be preplanned and printed out to use in the interview. I help my clients develop a list of at least 20 questions that they can ask in a sales interview.  I’ve actually written as many as 45 for a client.  We don’t have to ask all the questions every time, but we need to have the questions available.  I always suggest that salespeople print out their list of questions to use during interviews and that they take notes right on their list.

• They should deal with the facts…and the emotions underlying the facts. Too often, salespeople simply ask about the hard data in the prospect’s life or business, and do not ask how the prospect feels about what is going on.  Questions like, “How close are you to being on track to meet your goals this year?” need to be followed up with, “How is that affecting you as the business owner?”  and, “How would your life and business change if we could find a way to get you on track and keep you on track to meet your goals?”  If a business owner tells us that he or she is concerned about cash flow, we need to follow up with a question about how their personal life and finances are being affected by the cash flow shortage and how it would change if we could substantially increase their cash flow.  Remember that most people DO NOT buy with their heads.  They buy with their hearts…with emotion.  So we must find out how they feel now and how they WILL feel if our product or service solves their problem.

• They must be asked in a way that assures the prospect that we truly care. This means that we must be engaged, tuned in to what the prospect is saying, and what they are NOT saying.  We must be careful, active listeners.  Our prospects  must know that we are truly their partners in solving their problems and helping them get the things they want and need.

So, in your sales interviews, how many questions do you ask?  How much do you learn about your prospects?  How much interest do you really show in THEIR lives, THEIR businesses and THEIR needs?  My friends, if we are spending more time telling our prospects about ourselves, our companies, our products and our services than we do asking questions, we are committing sales malpractice, and our prospects for consistent success in sales is slim indeed!  So ASK!!

If you would like to find out where you are strong in your sales process and where you may want to make some changes, take my free, fun sales quiz. CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE QUIZ It includes a complementary 45-minute phone consultation to review your results.

Good selling,

Hugh

3 Reasons Chiropractors MUST Be Great Salespeople

A major issue I encounter often when coaching people in the helping professions is a reluctance to sell…to ask people to become patients.  The reasoning goes, “I’m a doctor, and my focus is just on helping people; I don’t want to sell them.”  The challenge is that the only way to help people with the medical services you offer is to help them see the value of what you can do to improve their health and well-being, and that IS sales!  We all sell.  If you are married or in a relationship, you are selling.  If you have children, you are selling.  If you have employees you are selling.  And yes, if you are a chiropractor, you are in sales!  Because sales is simply the process of taking an idea or a concept, or a path to health and wellness, that you believe in and are excited about and helping other people get excited about it as well.

There are three reasons that chiropractors need to be great salespeople:

1)      The only way you can stay in practice and help all the people you would like to is to be successful financially.  That happens only by adding new patients to your practice, and that involves sales.  If you fail financially and close your practice, your ability to give people the service and help you desire to give ceases.

2)      You want to focus on helping people, not on money.  If your practice is not generating the cash flow you need to take care of yourself, your family and your employees, by default the focus WILL be on money.  If you are great at selling and adding patients to your practice on a regular basis, you will experience abundance in your practice and in your life, and you can focus on helping rather than on money.

3)      You are doing your potential patients a disservice if you do not develop great skill in sales. They need what you have.  You are the key that unlocks their doors to health and wellness.  If you cannot skillfully show your prospects how you can become their partner in achieving the health and wellness they really want and need, demonstrate the value of your services, ask them to become your patients and answer any objections that might arise, many of them may never get the help, or do the things they need to do, to live healthy, happy, productive lives.  That would be a shame!

So I would urge you to learn and practice a process that will enable you to consistently, successfully convert your prospects into patients in a non-aggressive, non-intrusive way.  If you do, it will serve you, your family, your patients and all those people out there who truly need your help.

If you would like to find out where you are strong in your sales process and where you may want to make some changes, take my free, fun sales quiz. CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE QUIZ It includes a complementary 45-minute phone consultation to review your results.

I wish you good selling and great success in your practice!

Sitting and Waiting

By Hugh Liddle, CEO

Red Cap Sales Coaching

I’m sitting in a Denver restaurant, waiting for a guy to show up.  I’ve driven over 50 miles to get here.  My appointment, who is a marketing consultant, is now 25 minutes late and has not called.  Our appointment has been scheduled for over a month and was confirmed less than a week ago via email. This was to have been our “get acquainted” meeting.

The good news, for me, is that the menu here looks great, and I’ll have enough time for a leisurely meal before my next appointment.  The bad news, for him, is that it is highly unlikely I will ever do any business with him or refer him to any of my numerous business contacts.

Salespeople and business owners, take note:  My good friend, Anthonette Klinkerman, of Courtesy Boot Camp, says, “If you are going to be more than 10 minutes late, call!” I personally believe that is why God invented cell phones!

Well, anyway, my appointment is now 50 minutes late and no call.  Hmmm!  Maybe he isn’t coming! But my blog is written, the waiter is walking up with a plate of ribs and all is well in my world.

Hey, buddy, if you’re reading this, you missed a great lunch and an even better opportunity!

Good selling,

Hugh

If you would like to find out where you are strong in your sales process and where you may want to make some changes, take my free, fun sales quiz. CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE QUIZ It includes a complementary 45-minute phone consultation to review your results.