Welcome to Your Achievement Ezine
Issue 239 - December 15, 2005

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The Sales Calendar -- Building Monthly Success -- Day-by-Day by Jeffrey Gitomer

Looking to make your month the greatest ever? Who isn't? Ask any successful salesperson the secret for having great months and they will all say -- positive attitude, creative preparation, and consistent performance.

To succeed month to month, you must execute day to day. Here are 31 creative ideas mixed with fundamental sales concepts. Put them into your work life on a one-a-day basis, and sales are sure to follow.

You can't add more days to the calendar, but you can make every one more productive. I challenge you to add these to your day -- each day.

Day 1. Establish your pipeline goals. How many calls, leads, appointments, mailouts, follow-ups it takes to exceed your sales dreams. Make a top ten list of people you want to sell. By doing this on the first of the month, you will have clear vision to the task ahead.

Day 2. Figure out your daily dose. After you establish the goals, figure out what you must do every day to make them a reality.

Day 3. Examine your tools. Take a hard look at the sales tools in your kit. Are they the best in the business? State of the art? If not, make a plan and a deadline to change them.

Day 4. Evaluate your image. Look in the mirror. Like who you see? Get someone impartial to give you an image once-over. Act on their recommendations as fast as you can.

Day 5. List your customers main reasons they buy from you. Don't be a fool and make the list without asking 10 customers. Use the list to re-adjust your presentation and your approach.

Day 6. Go network someplace where your customers and prospects go. Ask your best customer to attend their monthly association meeting.

Day 7. Breakfast a customer. Using meals for business is an excellent time management tool (and wallet builder).

Day 8. Lunch a prospect. You can get to real issues over lunch. A relaxed, neutral court.

Day 9. Dinner a small group. Combine a meal with a mini seminar. Bring interested people together to make a group sale.

Day 10. Get peer evaluation. Ask your co-workers to rate your performance once a month. Get honest feedback. Use it.

Day 11. Join Toastmasters. You only have to do this once, but the impact will last for a lifetime. An hour and a half each week of speaking skills and peer evaluation. Just do it.

Day 12. Buy a book about sales. Reading one book a month will make you a world class expert in 5 years.

Day 13. Record your presentation. Play it in the car. If you say, "Oh man, that's terrible," imagine what your customers and prospects are saying.

Day 14. Play golf with a customer and someone he or she can do business with. Bringing your customer potential business is the most powerful business building (and keeping) tool there is. Combining it with golf makes it memorable.

Day 15. Brainstorm objections with co-workers. There are less than ten real objections to purchasing your product or service. Get with co-workers and figure out the best responses.

Day 16. Take your boss (or salesperson) on a sales call. If you're chicken, you've got the wrong boss (salesperson) or you're unprepared. If you do, you'll make a sale.

Day 17. Make it a point to deliver your best customer one hot sales lead. Want to keep your best customer forever? Just keep bringing them business.

Day 18. Product Knowledge Day. Take the time to read the flyers and product updates you've been shoving in drawers all month.

Day 19. Read Your Trade Magazine Day. One of the best sources for "the latest" sales ideas. A bible to the most successful.

Day 20. Create five new questions. Asking questions is the heart of selling. To keep the blood pumping, you must continually have new questions. Formulate questions that make your prospect evaluate new information. Power questions.

Day 21. Detail you car. If your customer gets into a perfect car, she thinks "perfect salesperson, perfect product, perfect company. If she gets into a crummy car...

Day 22. Contact one person on your chicken list. (the people you're scared to call) If you don't have your "chicken list" on paper, do it now.

Day 23. Brainstorm creative follow-ups. 97% of all sales take more than one call to complete. Gather a group and generate 10 new ways to call a prospect back -- that combines creativity with purpose (and get the sale).

Day 24. Thank your customer day. Pick 25 and send them cards, a bag of candy, and write -- "how sweet it is to have you for a customer -- Thanks.

Day 25. Take a customer to a ball game. Add some fun to one of your relationships. Get to know someone personally.

Day 26. Mentor Day. Ask the salesperson you respect the most if you cam make sales calls with him or her and watch them work.

Day 27. Work on your biggest goal for 4 hours. It will never get done if you don't work on it month by month.

Day 28. Do community volunteer work. You meet the best people and you feel great.

Day 29. Make a speech at a local civic group. Get visible, get credible. Lousy at or afraid of public speaking? Revisit "Day 11" for the sure cure.

Day 30. Make your biggest sale. End your month with a big sale to create the momentum for next month.

Day 31. Celebrate your success. Reward yourself for a job well done. Go get some new clothes or take a day at the beach. Relax and get set for next month's success. You're the greatest. Way to go.

If you're serious about figuring out a way to incorporate new success strategies into your daily sales routine, here are 5 every-day rules to make the month flow.

1. Read for 20 minutes.
2. Listen to a sales audio in the car every day.
3. Practice the new technique you learned as soon as you learn it.
4. Keep a journal. Log your progress, observations, important notes, and new things learned.
5. Visualize your success every day.

You say "Jeffrey, I'm too busy to incorporate all this into my schedule." Oh, I guess you're also making all the money in the world as well. Just in case you're not, consider this: Every other successful salesperson in the universe incorporates these strategies and tactics into their every day success. If they have the time, perhaps you should buy back some of yours. It's a great investment. Time is money. Your money.



Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Knock Your Socks off Selling and Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless. To order Jeffrey Gitomer's "How Not to Suck at Sales" as an Individual Set (contains one DVD and one CD of the speakers' 'live' performance) at a special discount of only $39, or to view and learn more about The Complete Ultimate Collection for Entrepreneurs and Sales Professionals -- including Jim Rohn, Jeffrey Gitomer, Brian Tracy, Connie Podesta and More! (10 DVD/CD package) a featured product in the YourSuccessStore.com Holiday sale, go to http://holiday.yoursuccessstore.com or call 877-929-0439. (c) 1999, 2005 All Rights Reserved - Don't even think about reproducing this document without written permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer 704/333-1112.


 

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2. Your Achievement Quotes

Love

"I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love." -- Mother Teresa

"Love should be a verb, not a noun." -- Denis Waitley

"If you would be loved, love, and be loveable." -- Ben Franklin

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction." -- Antoine de Saint Exupery
 

Habits

"You leave old habits behind by starting out with the thought, 'I release the need for this in my life'." -- Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

"Nothing needs reforming so much as other people's habits." -- Mark Twain

"When you do the wrong thing, knowing it is wrong, you do so because you haven't developed the habit of effectively controlling or neutralizing strong inner urges that tempt you, or because you have established the wrong habits and don't know how to eliminate them effectively." -- W. Clement Stone

"Good habits are as addictive as bad habits, and a lot more rewarding." -- Harvey Mackay
 

Happiness

"Laughter is the best way to make somebody's heart beat." -- Robert Holden

"We sing because we're happy and happy because we sing." -- Denis Waitley

"Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"A man is happy so long as he chooses to be happy." -- Alexander Solzhenitsyn
 

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will."  Vincent T. Lombardi

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"A man must be obedient to the promptings of his innermost heart."  Robertson Davies

3. Your Achievement Tips -

Life Would Be Easy... If It Weren't for COMMUNICATION Differences by Connie Podesta

Sometimes it seems that folks just don't get it. No matter what you say or how you say it, they simply don't have a clue - and don't seem too worried about getting one either! It's not their nature to understand; that's just how they "are." Maybe so, but more often than not, the problem is a result of a communication breakdown.

In this digitally inter-connected world, you'd think we could "fix" such basic differences. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as plugging another device into the system. Maybe they're the problem. Maybe you are. We all know difficult people - and, in fact, we can all be the difficult person.

A little background on communication styles can help us understand the issues and learn how to alter our approach to eventually make life a little easier for both parties.

The Basics

Every time we speak, we choose and use one of four basic communication styles: assertive, aggressive, passive and passive-aggressive.

Assertive Communication

The most effective and healthiest form of communication is the assertive style. It's how we naturally express ourselves when our self-esteem is intact, giving us the confidence to communicate without games and manipulation.

When we are being assertive, we work hard to create mutually satisfying solutions. We communicate our needs clearly and forthrightly. We care about the relationship and strive for a win/win situation. We know our limits and refuse to be pushed beyond them just because someone else wants or needs something from us. Surprisingly, assertive is the style most people use least.

Aggressive Communication

Aggressive communication always involves manipulation. We may attempt to make people do what we want by inducing guilt (hurt) or by using intimidation and control tactics (anger). Covert or overt, we simply want our needs met - and right now! Although there are a few arenas where aggressive behavior is called for (i.e., sports or war), it will never work in a relationship. Ironically, the more aggressive sports rely heavily on team members and rational coaching strategies.

Passive Communication

Passive communication is based on compliance and hopes to avoid confrontation at all costs. In this mode we don't talk much, question even less, and actually do very little. We just don't want to rock the boat. Passives have learned that it is safer not to react and better to disappear than to stand up and be noticed.

Passive-Aggressive Communication

A combination of styles, passive-aggressive avoids direct confrontation (passive), but attempts to get even through manipulation (aggressive). If you've ever thought about making that certain someone who needs to be "taught a thing or two" suffer (even just a teeny bit), you've stepped pretty close to (if not on into) the devious and sneaky world of the passive-aggressive.

So now what?

Clearly, for many reasons, the only healthy communication style is assertive communication. Surely you can identify many people in your own life that favor each of the four styles. Most of us use a combination of these four styles, depending on the person or situation. The styles we choose generally depend on what our past experiences have taught us will work best to get our needs met in each specific situation. If you take a really good look at yourself, you've probably used each throughout your lifetime.

Understanding the four basic types of communication will help you learn how to react most effectively when confronted with a difficult person. It will also help you recognize when you are using manipulative behavior to get your own needs met. Remember, you always have a choice as to which communication style you use. If you're serious about taking control of your life, practice being more assertive. It will help you diffuse anger, reduce guilt and build relationships - both personally and professionally.



Connie Podesta is an author, counselor, educator, humorist, playwright, consultant, songwriter, actress and trainer. She radiates a super-charged, high-energy presence that immediately involves people and has them responding to her exciting challenge to reach for the best in themselves! With her talent for humor, flair for drama and unique insight into human behavior, Connie delivers solid content and practical techniques that can be put to use immediately at work and home. To order Connie Podesta's "Life Would Be Easy, If It Weren't for Other People" as an Individual Set (contains one DVD and one CD of the speaker's 'live' performance) at a special discount of only $39, or to view and learn more about The Best of Connie Podesta 6 CD/4 DVD package or The Complete Ultimate Collection for Entrepreneurs and Sales Professionals -- including Stephen Covey, Les Brown, Jim Rohn, Jeffrey Gitomer and More, both featured products in the YourSuccessStore.com Holiday sale, go to http://holiday.yoursuccessstore.com or call 877-929-0439. C 2004, 2005 Connie Podesta.

 

"Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen, but give us the determination to make the right things happen." Peter Marshall

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"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination." Tommy Lasorda

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