Sales Autopsy!

Two weeks ago I did a radio show with Tony Parinello, one of my favorite people on the planet and one of the sharpest sales minds in the same locale. http://www.vitoselling.com/

He recommended (so I’m doing it for my readers) that you send a thank you note to everyone in your world.

Just a simple “Thank you for working with me. Your business helps feed my family. And for that I’m very, very grateful.”

No special offer, no business card inside, nothing but pure appreciation.

Then maybe skip the holiday card in December anyway.

If you want a fun, other perspective on gratitude, check out my previous writing on “Poorly-paid Insects”
http://www.salesautopsy.com/blog/poorly-paid-insects/2006/08/18/

And thank you friends and fans of Sales Autopsy, it’s been a fantastic, fun & funny ride. You’ve put me where I am as an author and sales consultant. And I, as well as my precious Princess Bride, am grateful.

May you experience rich blessings and great surprises as you move from Thanksgiving, into the Holidays, and through the New Year.

-Dan

Ants use an internal pedometer to find their way home without getting sidetracked, a new study reports.

Desert ants on foraging expeditions use celestial cues to orient themselves in the homeward direction, but with few landmarks in the barren land, scientists have wondered how the insects always take the most direct route and know exactly how far to march.

The new study reveals that counting their steps is a crucial part of the scheme.

The ant “pedometer” technique was first proposed in 1904, but remained untested until now.

Scientists trained desert ants, to walk along a straight path from their nest entrance to a feeder 30 feet away.

If the nest or feeder was moved, the ants would break from their straight path after reaching the anticipated spot and search for their goal.

Try that on stilts

Next, the researchers performed a little cosmetic surgery.

They glued stilt-like extensions to the legs of some ants to lengthen stride. The researchers shortened other ants’ stride length by cutting off the critters’ feet and lower legs, reducing their legs to stumps.

By manipulating the ants’ stride lengths, the researchers could determine whether the insects were using an odometer-like mechanism to measure the distance, or counting off steps with an internal pedometer.

The ants on stilts took the right number of steps, but because of their increased stride length, marched past their goal. Stump-legged ants, meanwhile, fell short of the goal.

After getting used to their new legs, the ants were able to adjust their pedometer and zero in on home more precisely, suggesting that stride length serves as an ant pedometer.

The study is detailed in the June 30 2006 issue of the journal Science.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,201594,00.html

Selling pros, like desert ants, feed themselves best when they follow a system to attain their goals.

How well do you forage for prospects, find what you need, then return home to celebrate and feast?

Fall a few steps short and you never cash a check. Travel too far and you work too hard instead of too smart.

A very wise man, Solomon said it best…

You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do. Proverbs 6:6

Put your system into play and watch your numbers grow!

To my friends across the globe, especially those Down Under…

Many of you know that I play on the U.S. World Masters Basketball team.

This is basically Olympic Sports for 35 years and older. The next international competition is in Sydney Australia Oct 4-19 – next month!

This is the logo I designed to symbolize my great love for Australia (3rd trip). I’ll be wearing this on a t-shirt and sharing some with my mates in Oz.

I’m looking for help in two ways.

1) I’d like to scuba dive during free time between games. Anyone have any connections around Sydney?

2) I’d also LOVE to do some business presentations – a quick keynote, perhaps a short training session, even run a weekly sales meeting. Anyone have any connections around Sydney?

I would be eternally grateful (well, maybe not eternally, but very grateful) and would reward any of my friends well for connecting me. You know all the cool goodies I have – best-selling Sales Autopsy book, Revenge of the Reps video game, Sales Comic Book and more.

Please send an email to me at Dan@SalesAutopsy.com or call 1-847-359-7860.

Thanks a ton!
Dan

Dan Seidman
GOT INFLUENCE? Get it here!
Author of #1 Business Best-seller
Sales Autopsy & premiering in 2010
The Secret Language of Influence®
Your Passport to Powerful Persuasion

Selling Power Magazine has awarded
a Sales Excellence Award to the
Sales Autopsy Training Experience;
Finalist for BEST Sales Training Program!

For a GREAT keynote or training experience
that will change attendee behavior and improve
performance, call Dan at 1-847-359-7860
www.SalesAutopsy.com

Brother #3 is Eddie and he’s been chosen as the best man for brother #4, Kenny’s wedding.

At the reception, Eddie is supposed to toast the bride and groom. He is nervous, he hasn’t thought about what to say. He just doesn’t talk to large audiences.

“Daniel,” he asks me (I’m brother #1), “what do I do?” I assure him that all he has to do is recall a couple fun memories, tell everyone how perfect Kenny & Jane are for each other, then wish them well. Or, he can let me do the toast.

“It’s okay, I’ve got it” is his reply. And then the DJ hands him a mic and then he looks at me, then at hundreds of expectant faces.

Suddenly he just blurts out,

“Here’s to Kenny & Jane, may they live happily ever after.”

Silence. That’s it?

I shout, “That’s a great line, did you just make that up?”

He sits down and sets down the mic as it picks up the groom’s sarcastic, “nice toast, if we were Hansel & Gretel.”

Hey selling pros! Are you ready to sell? Really? Preparing for your prospects is one thing that can help you to a fairy tale ending.

But if you’re not prepared, you’ll freeze when it matters most and you’ll fumble and you’ll wing it and you’ll wish you INVESTED (a perfect word) in knowing exactly how you’ll handle each piece of the sales puzzle.

So prepare to prospect, prepare to present, prepare to respond to resistance and prepare to close. Because only when you are thoroughly prepared will you live happily ever after.

Sales Counselor

Yesterday I’m with a financial services client and partway through the morning’s sales training I do a “confession session” where reps share their most embarrassing moment. It’s a very funny time.

This slide (pictured here) is up on the screen and during the break a woman walks up.

“I’m very offended by that image.”

“You are?” People start to gather when they hear the energy in her voice.

“Yes, it is very obvious that the man is looking up her skirt.”

“Are you serious?” I say.

Then silence as everyone around peers closely at the picture.

A man says, “But he has no eyes!”

She retorts, “He is looking up her skirt and it is very offensive.”

I’m shocked and struggle with whether to make a witty comment or a sarcastic one, then resign myself to…

“I’ll have to get that guy a male psychologist.”

Here’s the thought for you selling pros:

What kind of baggage is she bringing into the training?

What kind of baggage do your prospects bring to the selling table?

Everyone has concerns, complicated by biases in their background. Your job is to discover what they are, allay fears and get buyers to say Yes! or No!

How good are your questioning practices? Are they great? If not, why not? Your ability to uncover the heart and mind of the buyer will help you paint a picture of prosperity for them, as they partner with you.

Hunting The Hunter
Dan’s target client is not worth tangling with

I used to hunt for new clients at the big trade shows in Chicago. Often small start-up companies would buy booth space, hoping to get discovered by sales reps or even big companies that might have interest in their new product. As a guerrilla-marketing expert, I could quickly analyze the value of a product to a niche, then offer to consult with lead generation and sales coaching.

This product was unusual, yet ingenious in its simplicity. It was a pet comb with a razor blade built into it. You could trim a dog or cat and the animal didn’t know it was being clipped, it was just getting a brushing.

The owner was interested in my expertise and invited me into his home. That was unusual, but I arrived on time and was lead into a living room of dead animals. Tiger heads and hides on the walls, gazelle feet on the chairs. The chairs and footstools were also covered with animal skins. There were some very serious weapons on display as well.

He grinned as I filled up the air with “oohs,” “wows” and ”very cools.” He was a big game hunter and this was his temporary office while he was in the middle of a nasty separation from his wife.

With a barking (hyena-like?) laugh he mentioned that he was in a little trouble for handling home situations a bit too physically.

I politely finished the call and never got back to him. I just got a really bad feeling about the guy. The monthly retainer didn’t seem very tempting as I wondered: what if he ever got mad at my service – would he shoot me?

POSTMORTEM: Do you trust your feelings? I found that as I got better at selling, my feelings got “smarter.” Previously, my sales managers used to hate hearing how I felt about the potential of a sales call I returned from. I was always optimistic, so I confused my hopes with my instincts. I just knew a sale was going to happen – and I was usually wrong. How accurate are your feelings while selling? Did you ever come back from a call and just know the prospect was going to buy? Were you later proven right or wrong? When you can distinguish your dreams from reality in dealing with prospects, you will avoid flawed expectations and surprises. You will then be much better mentally equipped to handle the ups and downs of a selling life. Learn to trust your feelings, it will have great value in your personal and professional relationships.

A recent PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) marketing campaign was aimed to re-christen fish as “sea kittens” because “who could possibly want to put a hook through a sea kitten?”

That is hilarious, memorable, very visual, it’s rather brilliant.

An organization that promotes vegetarian eating practices by trying to protect animals is setting an excellent example for entrepreneurs and sales pros.

How creative are your marketing messages? Can you build an image that makes you most memorable?

One of the finest resources I’ve ever encountered that does this is Sam Horn’s book, Pop! Stand out in any Crowd.

Check out Sam’s work at http://www.samhorn.com/.

When you fish for prospects you don’t want to dive into the deep blue sea for ‘em. You want them to crawl into your lap like kittens.

Good Hunting!