Can this Women Beat Crocs?

This is a great story, particularly for female entrepreneurs, but there are lessons for all of us. It's about strategy, planning and perseverance.

Plan for a Strong Finish to 2009

Planning and Goal Setting are essential components to winning. If you don’t have SMART Goals established and on paper your plan is just another form of hoping. The economy is showing signs of recovery. Be ready to take advantage of the upswing. Come join us for this full day workshop to work on your business, not in it! Set your goals. Hear from other business owners their wins and challenges from last quarter. End 2009 and set the framework for a super 2010. Click the link above for details and to RSVP for this Strategic Planning Workshop in Atlanta on September 18th 2009

Get A Life: Change is Inevitable - Growth is Optional by Gavin Whiting

This Article was written back in 2004 but is even more relevant now. Enjoy

I continue to be amazed by the attitudes of some business owners who accept that they have no control over their destiny or environment, that they have done it “this way for 25 years” and therefore it must be right, or that they are simply content to scrape by. Why?

Some of this attitude is born from holding self-limiting beliefs. It is amazing where these self-limiting beliefs come from too! Ever heard a parent talk about their child in a limiting way, out loud in front of the child, to another parent? “Johnny is just like his father – couldn’t organize his way out of a paper bag.”

And what about those who give us advice about business? Advice from people who have never owned their own business, or have been unsuccessful in business, prejudices passed down from generations that simply no longer are applicable. I am helping a business owner who was told by his accountant not to expand because then he would have to take on staff – “staffs are trouble and there is so much extra administration required!” Unbelievable. Is it any wonder we are limited by the opinions of others?

Life Success author John Kanary says, “Thousands of people are leading dull and shallow lives because they are prisoners to their self-imposed limitations. These people lead narrow, superficial, monotonous and uninteresting lives. They live with shallow and boring ideas about life and their place in it. Why do these people want to be this way? If they knew how, would they change and live more exciting and productive lives?”

In my experience, a few people want to change for the better, but most are happy in their rut. Brad Sugars tells us, “the definition of a rut is a grave with the ends kicked out of it.”

It’s all about comfort really. Most limiting beliefs remain with us because we give up what we want most in life for something we want in the moment. Change is inevitable – growth is optional.

The purpose of life is to live. Are you in control or is time in control? If you want a life then start by doing two things:

1. Figure out what you want to achieve – call these goals, dreams, vision – visualize them and understand why they are important to you. Do not share this with anyone who is likely to tell you why you can’t have your dream.

2. Make a plan. Organize yourself, decide what knowledge you need to gain, and find someone who can hold you accountable. Plan the action, then action the plan.

Go well….

People Plus Systems Equals Great Sales …

When you ask many of the greatest salespeople in history what their secret is many would answer – personality. But when asked how to quantify and teach personality to others, these super salespeople are often stumped. Teaching great sales involves a major re-education and a focus on systems that make sales simple.

Sales scripts not only increase the sales of top performers but also produce amazing results for the entire team. One rule of thumb, which can be used in selling and in life, is that what you can measure you can manage and grow! The ultimate test of a superior salesperson is how consistent their results are and how consistent the results are for the entire team. Using a sales script achieves this consistency and makes the training of new team members simple and effective.

By introducing a sales system like a script, you can then measure conversion on a daily basis and your sales will automatically increase – guaranteed. So, exactly what does a sales script look like, how do you write one and how is it used? Let’s look at this now.

A sales script is a documented, methodical, learnable, effective system of selling your goods and services. It is a written process on paper designed to give the salesperson control of the call (while the customer ‘feels’ in control) and create a desired result – the sale! It is written by your number one salesperson, in answer to the question – Exactly what do you say to a prospect to get them to buy your product? You may even choose to reward your top salesperson for doing this by offering them a great incentive such as a percentage of extra sales.

Let us briefly outline key parts of the Action sales script. Obviously, there are differences between sales scripts used on incoming and outgoing calls; however, I will just detail some of the universally used key Action selling lines taken directly from our sales scripts!

The opening: “Could I just outline the reason for my call?”
Permission: “Would if be okay if we go through the call that way?”
Rapport Building: “What’s your biggest challenge right now in that area?”
Below Waterline: “What's most important to you in…”
Paraphrase: “Based on what you just told me, it sounds like…”
Temperature Check: “How does that fit with what you had in mind?”
Secure the Sale: “Would it be okay if I give you the steps in getting that process under way?”
Conclude the Encounter: “Congratulations and bye for now.”

A script can be read, learned and must be practiced, used, measured and improved (if needed) to increase conversion rate of prospects to customers of all the team. Imagine taking the guess-work out of selling once and for all by using a system which makes your sales results less people dependant and more system dependant!