 I moved from working in my business to working on my business!
Jim White, Founder Savor Dallas http://www.savordallas.com |
 I found a community of business leaders who make being in business a lot more fun and less lonely.
Jeannine Sandstrom, CEO CoachWorks International, Inc. http://www.coachworks.com |
 I now have a place to be open about my business success and future challenges.
Debbie Mrazek, CEO The Sales Company Author The Field Guide to Sales http://www.the-sales-company.com |
Posts Tagged ‘Debbie Mrazek’
Written by Debbie Mrazek
A multi-level office building could probably be filled with all of the books available on improving sales communication. While it may be a topic that has gotten a lot of press, I can assure you that when it comes to sales professionals, there’s still a lot of room for improvement by the vast majority.
You might think that talking and listening is quite basic and elementary. But let me tell you – it isn’t. If it was, there would be more sales pros hitting those top numbers. Sadly, they aren’t. Even in this day and age 90% of sales are created by only 10% of the sales people. Imagine what your business would like if you helped 10% more of your sales people reach into top-performer status!
To be successful in sales, you, as the professional salesperson must master three major components of communication:
- Listening to customers, including watching for body language
- Questioning and listening to find out what they want and what their concerns are
- Establishing the connection between their needs and your products and services
Number one deals with really getting to know your customer. Are they being ‘polite’ and just listening for no reason? What are they really saying? What is their body language? Are they crossing their arms? Are they leaning in? Are they interacting? Are they not? Communication is what is spoken and also what is unspoken.
Number two is all about the customer. What do they want? What’s going on in their world? What do they really need? When you really listen and ask questions to seek first to understand your customers’ concerns and issues, then, and only then do you get the chance to sell. It’s not about muscling your way through the door and then blurting out your presentation as fast as you can. It’s about building a relationship that will pay you over and over again.
Finally, number three is about building a bridge between the customer and your company (and yourself). It’s about building upon a strong foundation of trust and earned respect. At this point, you aren’t just pitching a product and hoping it will stick, you are tying the needs to your prospective customer to what your company provides or offers. It is also about not pitching something that will not serve the prospect. Often, walking away from a sales opportunity will act like a boomerang to get another opportunity when that prospect refers you to another company that may be a better fit. Never be afraid of walking away from a deal that will not ultimately serve your prospective customer.
Sales communications begin with you, but it is not all about you. Sales communication is about hearing your customer. What is the customer’s biggest concern and fear? How can you help? You are there to begin to understand how that customer may be served by you and your company and to earn that opportunity. If you get this piece right, you will master one of the most important pieces of the sales pro puzzle.
Written by Debbie Mrazek
Here we are at the end of the quarter? How did you end up? Close to the target, off target? Are you thinking, ‘What target?’ If so, realize that each day is a new start, a new beginning. The same is true for the quarters.
If the first quarter wasn’t all you expected, don’t fret, you still have three more quarters to work your magic. The key is to look at it not like one big step to get to the top of the mountain, but a series of steps that allow you to climb it with ease by staying focused each and every day.
Here are a few things you can do in the next week to amp up your sales success!
- Track your time. Note, how many hours are you really actually selling? What can you give up to increase that time or the quality of that time?
- Watch your habits. How often do you do something else when you really need to be selling? Determine your favorite ways to escape and decide to limit your inner escape artist just for the next month.
- Focus on your goal. Lack of focus is the number one reason why sales pros derail their success. Be sure to review your numbers and focus on your goal each and every day.
- Set the day for success. Each and every day there are steps to take that will add up to your results. Define your basic four or five ‘must complete today’ tasks and commit to them. Before you know it, you’ll be at your goal.
- Be generous. One of my dear friends, Steve Straus, said, “To be lucky, be generous.” The more you help others, the more you share your current good fortune, the luckier you will become.
You can do exactly what you think you can. If you believe it is possible to book your business as usual, you’ll find that if you mind your time and actions, that’s exactly what you will get.
Written by Debbie Mrazek
In selling, it’s all about doing what you know each and every day. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your sales quota.
Whether you are a veteran climber in the sales field or a newbie traveler, the same steps that make one person successful work for others too. Just realize that it comes down to this: You just have to do more of what you know works and do less of what you know doesn’t work. When you begin doing more of the things that work, it will become easier and easier to do those things. And, no matter what your situation, when you begin moving, things will seem much easier than they feel when you are thinking about doing it.
Here are five tools that will make the whole trip easier:
- Sales Forecast – This is your road map that will allow you to navigate with ease. Unlike other sales professionals who try to manage all the client data in your head, when you take a sales forecast with you, you’ll begin to see new opportunities and new paths emerging from your efforts. Visit www.the-sales-company.com to get your FREE forecast.
- Sales Itinerary – You get 168 hours per week. What are you doing with yours? How long does it take for you to meet with a client? How many clients can you meet with each week? Are there ways you can improve the way you spend your time? How can you do more with less? Manage this, and you not only increase sales, but you increase freedom as well.
- Sales Backpack – What’s in your backpack? A good attitude? A can-do spirit? A list of sales techniques that really work? Be sure that when you pack, you bring the very best tools that work for you. We all have our ways of selling – be sure to do what works best for you.
- The Landscape – If you went on a trip, you wouldn’t charge out without doing a little research would you? The sales landscape is all about knowing who you are, who your customers are, what they expect, what they want and what you can do to give them what they want. The landscape is the world of expectations and is a surefire way to increase sales!
- Traveling Companions – When you realize that you don’t have to do everything alone, the journey will be a whole lot more fun. Who can you network with or ‘buddy’ with to help them while they also help you? What complementary services could you combine your service or product with for bigger results?
When you plan for the sales trip, selling becomes much, much easier. The top 1% of sales pros know that it’s not about taking fancy compasses and the latest gizmo, it’s about knowing the lay of the land so that no matter what situation you may find yourself in, you know you can not only survive, but you can thrive!
Oh, and if you need some help with these, they are all covered in my book.
During the last recession, we were busier than a one-armed wallpaper hanger. Jittery companies wanted to feel in control so out came the marketing tactics. I’ve talked to many business owners in the past couple of months and I will tell you that 75% of them are not doing ONE thing that could really make or break their sales this year.
That ONE thing is forecasting for sales success. A Sales Forecast is a way to see at-a-glance where your sales are. It takes into consideration both booked sales and non-booked sales. With one sheet of paper, you can see what you are working on, what has closed, and what needs follow-up. It is a great tool. It works like a sales magnet to draw in those people listed on the sheet and to draw you toward those who haven’t made a decision. I can’t recommend it enough.
Debbie Mrazek has generously provided a complete set of everything YOU need to complete a sales forecast. We just finished the first quarter and this is your chance to make the next three really count.
Download her chapter on sales forecasting and her step-by-step manual on creating a sales forecast plus a free special report at
Written by Debbie Mrazek
How to Evolve Beyond Networking into the “R Zone” Networking can be an exhausting, hit-or-miss process if all you’re doing is exchanging cards and asking for business. To make it effective and fun, move beyond mere networking to building relationships–operating in your “R Zone.”
So you’ve decided to do some networking. You attend an after-hours event, arriving early with a stack of business cards. By the end of the evening you’ve met a lot of people and exchanged a lot of business cards. On the way home, the faces are all a blur. You’re stressed out–all “networked out.”
A few days later, in a better frame of mind, you call each person you met, working your way through the stack of cards you collected. You ask each one if they need your product or service. Most say they do not. You’re exhausted again.
This could give networking a bad name.
But is this what networking is all about? Does it have to be a nerve-racking, enervating process that leaves you with an empty feeling? No, it doesn’t have to be. In fact, it can be a fun, fulfilling process.
“Fun?” you ask. “Walking into a room full of strangers is your idea of fun?” Trust me, it can be fun, but first you’ll have to make a paradigm shift, move beyond networking into what I call the “R Zone”–the “R” stands for “relationships”–to a place where you’re not really networking so much as building relationships.
Here comes the simple, unadorned truth: One of the most effective ways to build a relationship is to help the other person get what he or she wants first.
This “give first” approach will turn everything you’ve ever known about networking on its ear.
And it’s very simple: Just go into a room full of strangers telling yourself, “All I’m here to do is to help each person I meet get what they want.” Obviously, that requires that you first find out what they’re looking for, and that you actively listen and ask questions that help you understand their needs. Also, that you be resourceful when it comes to coming up with contacts and possible options for your new contact.
When you’re in the “R Zone,” you’re not talking to people about high school reunions or past jobs. You’re not searching to find names of people you know in common. You’re not discussing current movies. You’re not even being witty. You’re focused on only two things: What the other person is looking for and how you’re going to help them find it. When you come up with the name of someone they can call–even if it’s only someone who can point them in the right direction–it’s amazing how they’ll warm to you.
There’s an old adage, “It’s not what you know, but who you know that counts.” While the statement is true, it also oversimplifies. For, as many will tell you, simply knowing an important or powerful person is no guarantee your calls will be returned. The other person must perceive you as worth knowing. That’s what gets calls returned. And, there’s no faster way to be perceived as someone worth knowing than to give first.
Here are some other thoughts that can guide you as you develop your ability to work in the “R Zone.”
- Do less better. One reason so many people finding networking exhausting: They get frantic. They feel obligated to meet everyone at a given meeting. They have to “work the room.” Leave working the room to the professionals. Go into a networking event with limited objectives. Just tell yourself, “I’ll count this as a good experience if I can have five quality conversations with five quality contacts.” And after you meet five, don’t feel obligated to hang around and meet more … unless you want to. Pace yourself and do less better.
- Speak with confidence. Don’t be shy when it comes to telling new contacts about what you can do for them. Speak with calm conviction. Project confidence. Believe in yourself. If you don’t believe what you’re saying, no one else will.
- Prepare a memorable introduction. In a quiet moment, reflect on why clients or customers like to do business with you. Then, write down what you would like to say that sets you or your business apart–the benefits more than the features. The introduction should begin with your name followed by your business name. Then it should tell them, from their point of view, why they should want to do business with you–in 20 seconds or less. Practice saying your “introduction” in front of a mirror. You don’t have to repeat it word for word each time. Feel comfortable with the general concepts and phrases. Then begin saying your introduction to new contacts.
- Join a contact group. Whether it be an industry association, a charitable organization’s board, or a religious group, make an effort to put yourself in situations where you meet new people.
- Tell people what you want. Although in this article I’ve focused mainly on helping other people get what they want, when building a relationship you should be clear about what you’re looking for, as well. When you give first, it’s amazing how quickly people look for ways to help you find what you need. An effective strategy is to tell people what you’re looking for right after your introduction–something like, “And this week I’m looking for someone who can introduce me to …” or “This week I’m looking for companies who need …” naming a specific person or need.
- Practice putting yourself in the R Zone. When meeting new people, make an effort to really listen to what they’re saying. As much as possible, find out what they want. Put yourself “at source” to help them find it.
Networking really isn’t enough because it’s not enough just to make contacts. To be effective, we must build relationships, something that sounds easier than it is. It takes genuine caring and listening skills that make you a valuable asset in any work situation. Don’t always assume that a person you meet at a networking event is looking for a new client or a job. The person may really be looking for a golf instructor, an electrician, a PC technician, a new car … or even a friend! Be there for them. And stay in the R Zone.
Written by Debbie Mrazek
A small office building could probably be filled with all of the books available on improving sales communication. While it may be a topic that has gotten a lot of press, I can assure you that when it comes to sales professionals, there’s still a lot of room for improvement by the vast majority.
You might think that talking and listening is quite basic and elementary. But let me tell you that it isn’t. If it was, there would be more sales pros hitting those top numbers. Sadly, it isn’t.
To be successful in sales, you, as the professional salesperson must master three major components of communication:
1. Listening to customers, including watching for body language
2. Questioning and listening to find out what they want and what their concerns are
3. Establishing the connection between their needs and your products and services
Number one deals with really getting to know your customer. Are they being ‘polite’ and just listening for no reason? What are they really saying? What is their body language? Are they crossing their arms? Are they leaning in? Are they interacting? Are they not? Communication is what is spoken and also what is unspoken.
Number two is all about the customer. What do they want? What’s going on in their world? What do they really need? When you really listen and ask questions to seek first to understand your customers’ concerns and issues, then, and only then do you get the chance to sell. It’s not about muscling your way through the door and then blurting out your presentation as fast as you can. It’s about building a relationship that will pay you over and over again.
Finally, number three is about building a bridge between the customer and your company (and yourself). It’s about building upon a strong foundation of trust and earned respect. At this point, you aren’t just pitching a product and hoping it will stick, you are tying the needs to your prospective customer to what your company provides or offers. It is also about not pitching something that will not serve the prospect. Often, walking away from a sales opportunity will act like a boomerang to get another opportunity when that prospect refers you to another company that may be a better fit. Never be afraid of walking away from a deal that will not ultimately serve your prospective customer.
Sales communications begin with you, but it is not all about you. Sales communication is about hearing your customer. What is the customer’s biggest concern and fear? How can you help? You are there to begin to understand how that customer may be served by you and your company and to earn that opportunity. If you get this piece right, you will master one of the most important pieces of the sales pro puzzle.
Written by Debbie Mrazek
Which came first? The chicken or the egg? When it comes to raising venture capital, it’s hard to tell whether a companies sales lay the golden egg or are the golden egg. On the heels of a dot com slowdown, a tried and true business model is reemerging and offering an effective, proven way to approach investors.
It’s no secret that not so long ago investors, eager to cash in on an exploding Internet e-conomy, happily funded technology companies headed by strong teams offering futuristic wares. Some of those companies came to the table with a viable business plan and others hoped that funding could command their business model. It didn’t take investors long to learn the technology ropes. Now, high-tech companies looking for funds have to wow investors the old fashioned way – with an impressive product offering, savvy professional team, investment-worthy business plan and financial data worthy of securing the dough. Funding in the new millennium is hardly an undertaking for the faint of heart.
Next, enter sales. What if tech companies incorporated their Plan B into their Plan A? Ah, yes, now we are talking. Plan B, of course, is to start selling the product or service – just in case the VC doesn’t come through. Spin that idea around and marry it to Plan A and you have a tech formula for success.
Sales could be your key to the VC vault. Venture capitalists are looking for a revolutionary product or service that can offer them a handsome return on investment. If your company sales prove that your product has a market – we’re talking customers here – and you have the plan to take it successfully to that market, then you are that much closer to securing the funds you desire.
Powering up sales to ignite funding offers more than a safety net. In one instance, a company incorporating a sales plan with the path to funding found that company sales funded the business sufficiently enough that venture investment/funding was no longer needed. The team redirected more energy and effort into sales and increased the company’s return exponentially. If the company moved along the funding path, it could still be waiting for VC instead of running an explosively successful operation today.
So what does it take to put your sales vehicle in motion? You need to start with a plan. As critical as your business plan is to your venture, so too is your sales plan for your sales activities. Time is money and, as an emerging company, you have to maximize both. Unless you successfully have managed the sales process, it’s wise to spend the money and invest in a person or a company that has a track record in your industry for growing companies such as yours. Be sure that the sales pro knows how to work with the resources you have available.
When you meet with prospective sales consultants, be honest about your situation.
- How many people can focus on sales activities?
- What, realistically, is your sales budget and how long can you commit to the plan once it is developed?
- How much time can company leaders devote to tracking, follow up and redirection?
Next map out who, what, when and where.
- Who will develop the sales strategy and plan?
- Who will execute it?
- What is the process?
- What are the goals?
- When will you start? When will you review your results?
- Where will you begin your action plan?
- Where will you find the operating funds to keep the show afloat until you realize tangible results?
Then, put your plan on paper and commit to it. Set your weekly, monthly, semi-annual and annual sales goals. Execute and analyze. What’s working? What isn’t? What can you do better – smarter? What was a miss and why? Log all activity into your sales journal and tweak the process until you get it right.
Once you are on the sales track, reach out to mentors or others you know who have successfully grown their companies through increased sales. In sales, the goal is to work smarter, not harder. Tap into your true sales potential and you will be on your way to growing your company and securing funding – through VC or, at a minimum, your own sales power.
Written by Debbie Mrazek
Good companies and good products are in demand no matter what the economy is doing. Just because there is a recession, it doesn’t mean that everyone is experiencing the same effect from it.
The key to riding out the recession is to create a plan to address it. Simply planning ahead is one of the best strategies companies can use when experts begin to whisper recession.
Recession-proofing your sales begins with you, and being proactive is one of the best ways to ride high when others are crashing.
Put these seven easy strategies to work for you and you’ll soon find that recession or not your sales are soaring!
1. Lock in client loyalty. Remember, you aren’t the only one facing a possible recession. What can you do to serve your best clients? Call and ask.
2. Dig out lost proposals. You never know if those lost proposals went to another company that may not have been the perfect fit.
3. Make time for Face Time. It’s easy to slip into the habit of staying in the office and doing business by phone and email. Drop by or schedule a time to meet with clients. Listen for opportunities where you can offer a solution for their problems.
4. See a Need and Fill It. In a possible recession, sometimes luxuries are the first to go. However, if there’s a need, there’s usually money to pay for a solution. Can you create products or add-on items that fill a need?
5. Create package options. In hearty economic times, there’s more to go around. When companies face a possible recession, slashing expenses is one of the first things companies do. To stand out from others, create package deals that offer lots of value-add for the buck. This way you will stand out as a good deal.
6. Do more for less. We aren’t talking about giving away the farm. We are talking about doing just slightly more for the same amount. If you would normally tack on fees for an item, throw it in for free. Gifting ignites the law of reciprocity and loyalty follows.
7. Put systems, marketing campaigns, and people in place sooner than later. Businesses that take a proactive approach will feel less blind-sided. Create your plan now and implement it. And whatever you do, don’t cut back on sales and marketing initiatives!
Recessions are part of the economic landscape. They won’t be going away anytime soon. The best thing you can do is plan now instead of later. Determine a plan of action and work that prior to and through the tougher times.
Join Debbie Mrazek this Thursday, March 6th at 7:00 am for a book signing at Einstein’s Bagels in Plano, Texas. Debbie’s book has already leaped across continents and people have reported this is the must-have sales book for 2008! If you’ve been searching for a step-by-step winning formula for sales success, your search ends here.
If you are one of our clients, no worries, we’ve got you covered. You’ll be receiving your copy in the next week!
If you are an early bird, join us at Einstein’s Bagels in Plano (7000 Independence Parkway), next to Kroger’s. Hope to see you there!
Written by Debbie Mrazek
If you are struggling to increase sales revenue, you may think the answer is just to get more sales. Or maybe the answer is to sell more. However, as a sales consultant and coach, I can tell you that isn’t always the answer.
Sometimes when sales are the focus of declining profits, it’s helpful to work with a sales consultant with business knowledge and understanding. With both sales expertise and business know-how, we can identify when the problem really is sales — and when it isn’t.
Let me share with you a story about a client. Recently, we sat down and looked at his business. It was going well, but not great. It seemed like every time he would turn the sales corner, something would push him back. It didn’t take long to see that it wasn’t his sales efforts that were impeding his success. It was his team’s inability to deliver his company’s services. He had some employees who were very nice people, but who were just not cut out for providing his service. When we fixed that part of his business, we could more readily focus on the business of his sales. His company has grown more than 30 percent in the last year. Needless to say, he’s ecstatic.
So how do you know when you’ve got a legitimate sales problem and when your problem might be somewhere else?
There are some tell-tell signs to look for:
- Actual sales figures are up, but profits aren’t
- Referrals are drying up
- Clients don’t return from one year to the next
- New clients come but they don’t stay
- The amount of sales is decreasing
Any or all of these can indicate that something is amiss somewhere else in the customer delivery system. Like it or not, if you are in sales, you are also in the business of customer service. After all, if your customer doesn’t come back because they aren’t happy with someone else in the company, it’s not that someone else who pays — it’s you who pays.
One way you can keep a pulse on customer satisfaction is to build into your sales system a ‘check up’ with new customers. You might check with the new customer at 30 days and again at 120 days. Don’t let too much time pass between you and your hard-earned customer. It’s you they trust so be sure to cultivate that relationship.
Entrepreneurs who wear both a sales hat and customer service hat will appreciate that there’s more than signing contracts, the signed contract is when the real work begins of keeping that client for life!