What is smaller than an atom?

Recently, scientists have identified subatomic particles called

neutrinos - they are so miniscule and weigh so little that no one has

been able to measure their mass yet. Yet neutrinos are among the

most abundant particles in the universe and by finding them, we are

able to learn a great deal about the structure and the history of

the universe.

I'm a bit obsessive about the root of a word, cause, movement or

ideology. I want to understand the reason behind why certain

salespeople overachieve while others flounder. Hence, my sales

book gets the title Sales Neutrinos. We're here to uncover the sales

truths at the core!

About the Author

Drew Schmitz grew up in the staffing industry where he cut his teeth

in sales and employee placement. Over thirteen years at Jeane

Thorne, he went from salesperson to manager to President and part

owner. In 2009, he opened his own sales recruiting and consulting

business, Blue Octopus LLC.

Drew graduated from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.

He is a recipient of the Minneapolis Business Journal's 40 Under 40,

is a Leadership St. Paul graduate and Competent Toastmaster. Drew

currently sits on two boards and is involved in two sales executive

round tables.

Since I opened my first lemonade stand at the age of six, I've been

selling. In 2009, I opened my own recruitment and coaching firm in

the worst of economic times.

I have worked directly with over a hundred businesses in the past

five years - and been a part of a thousand examples of great and

horrible selling over my career. As I now consult with sales leaders

and attempt to understand the makeup of great sales performers, I

believe I have acquired a unique angle on business development that

I would like to share with you.

Thank you for reading!

~Drew

LIKE THE eBOOK?

If you are an owner or manager, please share this with your team. If

you are a salesperson, please share this with your coworkers.

Also, please visit https://www.facebook.com/salesneutrinos and

share your thoughts - I'd like to hear your feedback!

“I’ve been in sales & management for the past 20 years and have read plenty of sales books. This is the best and most relevant sales book I've ever read.” -Jason Brausewetter, Global Head of Sales, Q4 Web Systems

“I love Drew's book. He has a sense of humor and humility that keeps me wanting to read further… and his analysis is spot on.” -David Landry, CEO, Language World Services

"Drew covers a wide range of sales topics and nails just about all of them. Every CEO of a small to mid-size B2B company should buy this book for their sales team." -Rob Jackson, Managing Partner, Vocalabs

“Drew will capture your attention in this quick and easy MUST read. Drew offers a clear path and direction to success. With ever increasing pressure from stakeholders to perform, this will give you the tools you need to take your business to the next level!” -Heidi Carlson, Marketing Consultant, Online Reputation Marketing

“This book is exceptional—it has great visuals, is well organized, comprehensive, extremely well written and carries very creative/compelling ideas.” -Michael Fronk, Business Owner, Network Business Computing

"This is a must-read for every business professional. It features tips, insight and advice that can not only drive sales, but improve how you do business. Most of all, it's a fun read that uses real-world examples we can all relate to to get the message across. I really enjoyed reading it - which I can't say about the many other business books out there." -Matt Krumrie, Star Tribune Ask Matt columnist, ZipRecruiter.com blog writer

"Sales Neutrinos is a must read for any business owner, manager, or sales professional looking to maximize sales effectiveness. Drew is spot on with his practical, proven methodologies that will help ensure the best opportunity for success in the modern world." -Dan Callinan, Senior Sales Representative, Oracle

“From the moment I read Sales Neutrinos, I knew that my team and sales peers would benefit from it. Drew stays abreast of what every sales person faces from time-to-time. I highly suggest this book to anyone with a passion for selling.” -Lauren Dickerson, T-mobile Manager

"I was most impressed by the easy to read and understand concepts shared by Drew. In Neutrinos, salespeople as-well-as seasoned veterans are reminded of the key elements required of successful sales ventures. I would highly recommend Sales Neutrinos as required reading for anyone in sales or sales leadership." -Thomas Bertin, Sales & Marketing Professional

“Drew is the consummate sales person. For all the years I've known him, he's been selling. But, like the best sales people, you don't know he's selling. Read this book and find a few of his winning tips that work for you.” -Andy Oman, VP of Market Insights & Pricing, Datacard Group

“Backed by a solid track record and abundant know-how, Drew packs this book with insightful tips, inspiring anecdotes and useful ways to improve not just one’s business model, but to simplify and prioritize better in life itself.” -Melanie Sawyer, Freelance Creative Director

“Sales neutrinos is a great, entertaining, fact-filled Sales Bible and a go-to

reference guide for 2015! Great tools, tips and structure for improving

individual and team results. After reading Sales Neutrinos, I realized I was

relying on experience and timing too much. I'm implementing some of the

planning and process nuggets found inside this book to increase my sales

and having fun doing it!" – Pete McCoy, Broker @ Calhoun Companies

Table of Contents

Section 1: Sales Fundamentals

Page 2: The Best Salesperson in America

Page 4: Persistence

Page 6: Communicating via Email

Page 8: Targeting

Page 12: Selling HappYness

Page 14: Sales 001

Page 16: We Prefer the Fat Fireman

Page 18: Lead Generation

Page 24: Screaming Sales & Marketing

Page 26: Team Selling

Page 29: Phrases that Will Win Anyone Over

Page 32: Things Kids can Teach You about Sales

Section 2: Sales Skills

Page 35: How to Close More Deals

Page 39: 8 Ways to Warm up Cold Calls

Page 42: Methods for Better Listening

Page 45: And Suggestions for Getting Others to Listen to You

Page 49: Jedi Mind Tricks

Page 52: Tools for the Jedi Knight

Page 55: Being Direct

Page 59: Fear

Page 61: Risks You Need to Take

Page 64: Cocky versus Confident

Page 66: Make Sales a Game

Section 3: Sales Leadership

Page 69: Leadership

Page 77: Evaluating Your Sales Team

Page 80: Hire Great Salespeople

Page 82: The Needs of Salespeople

Page 84: 8 Ideas for Sales Training

Page 86: Overcompensated?

Page 88: The Most Important Metrics

Page 93: Oh8

Section 4: Everything Else

Page 95: 5,286 Emails in Your Inbox

Page 97: Tips for Finding More Time

Page 100: Quit Golfing

Page 102: Would Google Hire Yoda?

Page 104: What Shape are You?

Page 108: Free Personality Exercises

Page 111: Social Media Strategies

Page 114: A Social Media Dashboard

Page 116: Ideas on What to Tweet

Page 118: Do the Opposite

Page 120: Great & Happy

Section 1

THE

SALES

FUNDAMENTALS

The Best Salesperson in America

I've discovered 12 universal truths that cause some salespeople to

excel and others to fail. Aggressive door-to-door salesmen still exist

- but the sales role in America has changed oh-so-much over the last twenty years.

The best salespeople do the following to make the big money:

They are a consultative salesperson. If you don't know what

this means, then it's probably time to get a couple of new

books.

A good salesperson does everything asked of them and more

in their first year with a company. Your employer doesn’t really

owe you anything beyond training unless you are on straight

commission.

Real salespeople know their product and services. They

always have a tight elevator pitch prepared along with ten

questions. I never know who I might bump into at the grocery

store on Saturday.

They are authentic - and memorable. Take a Strengths Finder

2.0 assessment. All you need to be is a borderline extrovert

and the rest of your sales personality should be customized to

play to your strengths.

Great salespeople really listen. They recognize that no one is a

fantastic listener (ask your significant other!) so they always

aim to improve.

They sell "peace of mind" or outright happiness. I'm serious -

look at what McDonald's, Coca Cola, Apple and Harley

Davidson do so well.

Successful salespeople say "please", "thank you" and "I'm

sorry".

They go slow. There's no rush or desperation in their sales

process. You should have urgency when a deal is at risk, but at

the same time, you are patient with every prospect until close.

Winners are persistent and consistent. You should be able to

take days off and have a balanced life, but you always follow

up, dot the i's and cross the t's.

Closers drive towards YES or NO. Yes, a great salesperson has

to be aggressive. You aren't here to please prospects;

salespeople are there to sell deals. If it’s the right prospect you

will help them - but the prospect has to give you a real shot at

selling something. Don't continually waste time calling on the

"maybe's". Ask for yes, qualify maybe's and keep moving the

sale along.

They continually learn. This may be #1 on my list. It doesn't

matter where you start; it's that you should always be

improving as a salesperson regardless of age.

Lastly, the best salespeople get energy from others and really enjoy

helping their prospects and customers on a daily basis. It's a game, so have fun playing it and be damn good at it.

Persistence

Persistence - if your company and your sales team don't have it, the rest of my suggestions are probably moot.

If you “knock once” – you’ll succeed, on average, 2% of the time.

Knock thrice – you’ll close about 5% of those prospects.

Knock six times – you’ll dramatically increase your odds.

The National Sales Executive Association conducted a survey on how many sales you can get depending on how many times you contact your prospects. Their statistics show that most sales are made from

the fifth through the twelfth contact.

Here is the data they compiled:

2% of sales are made on the 1st contact 3% of sales are made on the 2nd contact 5% of sales are made on the 3rd contact 10% of

sales are made on the 4th contact

80% of sales are made on the 5th – 12th contact

This is why a sales hunter needs to make 10-20 sales calls every morning. This is why you need to follow up your calls with emails.

Your consistent follow-through will drive results.

I don’t want salespeople to be pests but if prospects don’t remember or know who you are – they will not/cannot buy from

you. So give yourself a real shot and believe in the math. If someone is a target, then knock on their door numerous times until you are

able to qualify them. If things happened by themselves, there would be no need for salespeople. Consistent persistence makes all the

difference.

Marketing Repetition:

How many times must a prospect see a marketing message in order to transition from a state of total apathy to purchase readiness? Consider your response after realizing that you are exposed to

3,000 - 20,000 marketing messages per day.

Following a yearlong study, researchers concluded that a marketing message must penetrate the mind of a prospect a total of nine times

before that prospect has the potential to become a customer.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that for every three times you expose your prospect to your marketing message via ad, sign,

monthly direct mail advertising, whatever - it gets missed or ignored two of those times. Hence, the marketing world came up with the

“Rule of 27″. After all, people have more important things to do than pay attention to your marketing. So you’ve got to put out the good word about your company a total of 27 times in order to make at

least nine impressions.

The first personality trait of the successful sales & marketing pro is persistence followed by a little patience!

Communicating via Email

Before you can speak to a prospect - or meet with him, you usually have to reach him/her via email.

In this busy world, no one has time to read five paragraph emails. They just don’t. Your emails, whether it’s internal communiqués,

messages to customers or prospects, or notes to friends, need to be SUCCINCT.

Your audience doesn’t care about your information; they care about how it affects them.

Explain the urgency and include a deadline. Define your purpose in one to three sentences at the very

beginning of your email. Simplify it with bullets, bullets, bullets.

Lastly, have a wrap-up of one to two sentences.

Here is a sample email:

Joe,

Chuck E. Cheese recently passed me your name and I'm following up with a quick question... I know that your department is hiring a number of salespeople in 2015 and if you are interested, I believe my business can be of assistance with your recruiting efforts.

Below are a few highlights about our firm:

Our focus is on sales & marketing positions exclusively within small and mid-size companies and I am personally involved in the candidate presentation for every search.

Blue Octopus provides a unique pricing schedule that incorporates a six month guarantee when placing candidates.

We have had a 96% success rate in providing organizations with hires that are sustained during and beyond the initial six month period.

Attached is some additional information. I will give you a call on Tuesday morning if I don't hear back from you before then.

~Drew

Your average email only has a few seconds to get their attention. When they read your email, they are trying to simply

answer three questions (200 times a day!):

(1) What is required of me?

(2) Why should I do it? (call to action)

(3) When do I need to do it?

This is simple stuff that you probably know already - but are you doing it? Can you be more consistent? We usually write the same

way that we talk and that is problematic. Business writing needs to be direct and clear with the sole purpose to generate action.

Targeting

“Focus more on your desire than on your doubt, and the dream will take care of itself.” – Mark Twain

I’m certain that Mark Twain could have been a heck of a salesman – to go with his other professions as author, speechwriter,

journeyman printer, steamboat pilot, army volunteer and gold & timber prospector. Yes, he could talk and entertain. But his intensely

focused mindset is the specific trait that would have made him a fantastic salesman.

Targeting is all about focus. Pick a niche in the market and master it. Then defend it. This is your opportunity to be the best in the

world at something.

I would isolate Persistence (already mentioned on pages 4-5), Closing and Targeting as the three most important attributes to

successful business development. The ability to close is something you learn, develop and master over time. Targeting is something

you can do today and completely control. Stay with it and don’t get distracted by various sidebars and sales opportunities.

If you are selling lemonade, you obviously want to sell better tasting lemonade than all of the other kids and make sure EVERYONE on

your street knows about your stand. If you are a small business, you need to pick a relatively small audience and offer them something that no one else can. Targeting is not a lot different for mid-size

companies – you are simply chasing a little bit bigger piece of the pie. Unless you are Google, you can’t attempt to please and sell to

everyone.

When I opened the doors of Blue Octopus in 2009, I was ready to recruit any salesperson for anyone in the world. If I captured that market, I figured I could grow my business to $1.85 billion! That

sounds like a great idea, right? Not really… I didn’t speak to anyone in particular and consequently, didn’t resonate with my prospects. As a new business, I knew that I might not be around for very long

with this approach. So I started working with Minnesota companies with a technology emphasis that were stuck between $1-50 million in sales. Bingo. I had my audience. I knew countless business owners

with great products and services but mediocre sales teams. These businesses wanted to grow faster and had the capability to do so but

just needed a little push.

Questions to answer in defining your best prospect:

What is the niche of your ideal customer? What is their SIC code?

What size organization are they (by employee count or annual sales)?

Where are they located?

Which job titles are you calling on? (I don’t believe in selling to just one)

What is unique about your best current customers that can carry over to similar organizations?

Is your sales and marketing messaging specific to this target market?

How many customers do you presently have in that niche?

Can you deliver the same message to everyone with a certain title in your target market? (if not, your message may be too

broad to be effective) Are you knocking on the door of this target repeatedly? From

several directions? How many knocks before you give up?

How are you unique to that audience? What problem can you solve for your target?

How close are you to being the best in the world at answering their needs?

CEO/President or Owner:

Next week, carve out a day to meet offsite at the location of your choice. Sit down with anyone that is involved in business

development inside your organization. Find a way to shut the phones off for half of the day and as a team, answer the above questions. Even if you have done it before, it’s probably been a

while. Ask everyone to answer these questions - you may be surprised by the responses.

VP or Director of Sales & Marketing:

Call the same meeting. Make sure that your boss and your sales & marketing employees are involved as well. Is everyone in agreement

on who you are selling to?

Sales Representatives:

Ask yourself these questions and then go to your sales leadership and confirm that you’re on the same page. Where are the gaps and can he/she help you resolve them? If you can’t figure this out and

get help doing so, I would recommend looking for another employer.

If you can’t answer these questions quickly, stop selling and take some time to update your marketing plan. Know your target

audience. Once you can define them, you can figure out where they live, eat and breathe. You can describe them to your friends and customers and will find a surprisingly strong current of referrals.

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Begin listing all of the steps that you need to take in order to become the best in the world to those whom you are targeting. Your audience is likely .1% of the entire market. 1 out of 1000

buys from you (and only you). What is .1% of $1.85 billion? I think most businesses would be excited about a $185 million year!

Think small and achieve big results.

You’re not going to be in a thriving business if you don’t excite a particular niche and understand the gap to becoming the only

choice to those customers and prospects. Pick your narrow audience, describe their wants, needs and characteristics in

exhausting detail, communicate a compelling message and make sure that everyone in that universe knows your name.

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” – Mark Twain

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Selling HappYness*

We all know that selling merely "good" stuff doesn’t work anymore unless you have no interest in acquiring return business from your clients and customers – or you don’t care about making a profit. So this area of differentiation evolved forty years ago in America into

three buckets: (1) Quality (2) Service or (3) Price. Usually, companies attempt to be really good in two of the three quadrants in order to build a billion dollar business. That later shifts to companies like Harley (quality), Disney World (service) and Wal-Mart (of course

price) DOMINATING one category.

You are likely a small entrepreneur or business that doesn't have a Fortune 500 budget. You are probably focusing on quality or service

while still trying to offer all three things to your customers.

I’m not suggesting that you ignore the three buckets, but I do suggest that you first focus on a new quadrant: Sell HappYness*.

McDonald's sold their "Smile" campaign a few years ago. In 2015, they are launching "Choose Lovin"; Coca Cola has been selling Santa

Claus, polar bears and "Open Happiness". These campaigns are brilliant. They sell ‘okay’ fast food and sugar pop... but they market

the offshoot of those products - happYness.

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In B2B sales, selling happYness seems difficult when you are shucking gear shafts or IT consulting. But you can approach it with

the same end goal regardless of your message:

You save them time You create efficiency

You improve their product or service

You'll make the decision maker a hero which leads to a raise or promotion (or simply recognition by their co-workers)

You sell peace of mind

Here’s how I suggest that you sell happYness:

Focus on a very specific niche and have a clear message Figure out what makes your clients and customers

ecstatic

Blow the client away in every way possible

Have fun doing it and make sure everyone working there is having fun as well

Get to know your clients on a personal level: but don’t fake it – be genuine!

Collect clients and customers who appreciate/understand all of the above

Make sure to tell a lot of inoffensive jokes along the way – belly laughs and snorts are encouraged.

*Note that my incorrect spelling of "happyness" is attributed to the movie,

Pursuit of Happyness. This is in reference to a scene near the beginning of

the movie - "Fun Joy Happyness" is on a mural that children have painted on

the day care center where the main character takes his son. When the father

points out the mistake, the teacher replies that it is not important to the pre-

schoolers how the word is spelled, only that they have happiness.

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Sales 001

No, that’s not a typo. Obviously, there’s Sales 101, but I want to get to the root, root core of sales, which boils down to two basic things:

Sell something that people NEED or think they need. Communicate your VALUE as well as you possibly can.

It’s not a bag of tricks, but these two simple aspects are critical to selling even one toothpick…

Sell Something Needed (SSN) – If you don’t sell a relevant product or service, then you're essentially selling ice to Inuits.

Also, the second part of SSN - your prospect’s PERCEPTION of that need - is more important than anything. They need to believe that they need it. I’m not suggesting that you sell a crappy product for big dollars. You need to sell something really cool and you need to

find the audience that agrees that it rocks.

If your company has been around for a long time and leadership doesn’t adjust to the needs of your customers and prospects, then

I’d jump ship and work somewhere else. Please SSN.

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Communicate Your Value (CYV) – This is even tougher than the first law of Sales 001. I have struggled for years to do a better job of

communicating (and I’m not done learning yet). In the past, I would say to myself “I have a great service, high integrity, I’m really good at it and I work my tail off to boot… why aren’t my prospects lining

up?“

It isn’t just about how good you are – it’s how prospects and customers perceive you and your company’s product or service. I

would recommend obsessing about your messaging when you CYV. Update your website, marketing materials, sales pitch, proposal...

right down to the pencils and mugs you give away. If it’s not crystal clear, you’re throwing darts blindfolded. If it’s vivid and directed at the right audience, then it starts getting easier (after a lot of work).

Ask your customers what they need and value. SSN and CYV – or don’t bother.

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We Prefer The Fat Fireman

If you work in sales or business, you have to get along with people. I think the aspects that make anyone likable are primarily three

things:

Follow through on your promises Quality of work or relationship and

Being genuine

Doing what you say (follow through) and doing it well (quality) are probably pretty obvious – although the continuum on that varies greatly from person to person and business to business. What I’d like to cover is the authenticity bullet – being yourself and also

being approachable.

I’ll briefly describe two people, and I want you to tell me who you would rather work with:

Thomas Peanuckle IV - Thomas is a smart and talented attorney. He

dresses in three-piece suits and his hair is always perfect. You often end

up talking about the weather, lawn care and sports with him. Or you

listen to dull stories about weather and the great places he visited on his

last vacation. Your relationship with Thomas is very transactional and

you highly respect his point of view on legal topics. Thomas is boring.

No offense to you bowtie wearers out there!

Henry Smith – “Hank” is the fat fireman on your block (the one with all the dandelions in the front lawn). Hank is always wearing sweat pants and his shirt is never ironed. The first time you met him he

asked you 99 questions that you didn’t really have time to answer. He’s always building something in his garage that he wants you to stop by and take a look at. Hank is always happy, cracking jokes,

and whistling some tune.

I want to be more like Hank. I want to buy stuff from the Hanks of the world. My friends are often versions of him. It’s not about

judging the cover of the book - it's the real person I connect with in my business and social life. Don’t get me wrong, you need a few Thomases in your universe, but they are usually too guarded and you never really get to know them… ultimately, you never get to trust them as much as the fat fireman that lives down the road.

People buy from people because they like them – because they trust them. Are you trying to be too perfect, or are you willing to let down

your guard, tell the truth about your weaknesses and really get to know your customers on a different level? They won’t trust you until they get to know you. Be yourself and start worrying more about the

quality of your interactions. Let's say it together - be authentic!

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Lead Generation

I consider outbound lead generation to be everything at the top half of the sales funnel – up until you get in front of the customer for a meeting, demo or presentation. This is “back to the basics”: from

total suspect – to that first long conversation you have with them as a prospect – to asking for the appointment (note that I’m skipping

over marketing and inbound lead generation). Even the most successful companies are far from perfect in working through the leads to close process. So don’t worry about the extra bells and

whistles – I suggest first perfecting the sales basics.

The 8 Fundamentals That You Need to Master at the Top of the Sales Funnel:

1. Targeting: the #1 component of lead generation is taking aim at a very specific audience.

(See the chapter on Targeting earlier in this book!)

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2. Data Mining & Management: Many people would throw this under marketing, but most small and mid-size businesses ask their sales reps to do a lot of this. Now you know WHO you are looking for, but all you have is a web site and a phone number. Don’t call the receptionist and ask “Who would I talk to about…”. It’s time to do your homework. Never contact a company without knowing whom the specific person is that you are targeting. Sam Richter writes a heck of a great book on this topic that we would highly

recommend – Take the Cold Out of Cold

Calling: http://www.amazon.com/Take-Cold-Out-Calling/dp/1592982093.

Here are some cheap and easy research sites to aid you in your search for contact names, email addresses and more:

LinkedIn Jigsaw

Data.com (a Salesforce.com add-on) The Dun & Bradstreet Million Dollar Database or infoUSA can

be found through the library system

Just-in-time mining via Google Alerts, Twitter and other social media tools

Database Management is almost as boring as cold calling, but even more important. In addition to documentation, more than half of

salespeople don’t use a task list – which is unbelievable. All of the components below really don’t matter without building your database for future calls (and calls NOT to make again). I’m

assuming that you don’t have a photographic memory and your close doesn’t happen in one call like a car salesman. Commit to

better documentation and task listing. Build a broader base at the top of the pipeline by religiously using your database tools.

3. Cold Calling: In 2014, 176 salespeople were surveyed and asked the following question: “Which part of the sales funnel do you dislike

the most?” 63% said cold calling. We clearly hate doing it. Ideally, your business has mastered the marketing side of lead gen and your outside sales reps or consultants don’t have to make a lot of these

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calls; or you have interns or entry-level employees doing this (and ideally, the marketing department is doing the data mining). One option I’d recommend is working with a lead generation company like Volkart May (http://volkartmay.com/). This isn’t about making your sales force’s life easy! If your closers spend too much time making cold calls, they simply won’t have enough time to put

into closing more deals.

Read Marketo’s blog post Is Cold Calling

Dead?: http://blog.marketo.com/blog/2011/09/is-cold-calling-dead.html.

4. Warm Calling: Ideally, your sales team is making a lot of these calls. Warmer prospects move so much faster than the suspects

developed from scratch. Here are several types of ideal warm calls:

Someone you know through a friend, co-worker, business associate, neighbor, mailman, or even your sister’s second

cousin once removed! A new contact within a current customer’s organization

Referrals from current customers Past customers

Follow-up contacts from trade shows or networking Introductions through partnerships

Second degree connections on LinkedIn

Once the email or phone “conversations” begin with a prospect and they appear interested, it’s time to quickly educate them on your strengths and abilities (a 30-60 second elevator pitch should be sufficient). It is also time to ask questions and learn about the prospect. Every company needs 5-10 “Stage 1″ Fundamental Questions that are ALWAYS asked. If your prospecting sales

representatives don’t ask these questions, then retrain or fire them. If you don’t have them written down, then do it today.

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5. Qualifying: The suspect is interested enough to talk to you for 10 minutes. Now it’s time for the next set of questions. Do you have 5-10 “Stage 2” Qualifying Questions that your sales team is expected to ask? Are they documented and known by everyone that is involved in business development? Are they memorized and practiced so they don’t sound like a script? These questions should be easy to slip into

any conversation.

What you are driving at in these qualifying interactions:

(a) Making this your last conversation with the suspect or

(b) Moving them into the next stage of the sales funnel.

Give your prospect permission to say “HELL NO”. Do not be afraid of “no”! The “no”s save you time; relentlessly chasing down a “maybe” can waste away your sales career and commission

potential. Dependent on their profile, it may be time to simply call on another contact within that same organization.

6. The Pitch!: What are you telling them? Hopefully you aren’t saying much. The best salespeople are often borderline

introverts/extroverts who listen, shut up, exercise attention to detail and can navigate a creative solution.

1. Ask a lot of open-ended questions that help you understand their needs and drive toward your solution. If you know more

than your competition, you can customize your add-on services in your pricing and proposal. If you understand your prospect’s needs and solution sell, then you don’t have any competition.

2. Tell your stories. Again, these are scripted and PRACTICED stories that sound natural and describe what you have done for

similar customers in the past. Tell the stories where you’ve gone over and above for your customers. These are stories they won’t read on your website (which they probably don’t

bother reading anyway).

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3. Show them testimonials, references and your product and services. 65% of all people are visual learners (even higher among men). Give them a tour, give them materials they can

touch, wow them with a unique presentation, share articles about their industry or introduce them to your CEO – SHOW

THEM SOMETHING!

7. Creativity: Robotically, you can do all of the above, check off your lists and still not have the opportunity to present or meet with the prospect in person. This is your fault. If you qualify your prospects appropriately and then they drop off the map, either (1) they didn’t like you or (2) you weren’t creative enough. Some salespeople are naturally creative. Others need to read a few books and hang out

with some of those naturally creative salespeople for

inspiration. Stuck but know that they are a great prospect? Get away from just making calls and sending emails. It’s time to TAKE A FEW

RISKS. The worst that they can do is ignore you or say… “no”.

I once sent a shoe to a prospect asking if I could “get a foot in the door” and it worked. Another time, I delivered donuts to 20

prospects (about 8 years ago when Krispy Kreme was all the rage and had just opened in Minneapolis) – and I ended up meeting with

15 of those 20 prospects face to face.

Personalize your interactions and really get to know the prospect, not just their title, department and tenure. There are a million

possibilities if you would only be willing to take the risk of potentially looking foolish. Send a golf shirt or box of cigars to the

golfer or cigar aficionado (it still works!). Wear some Loudmouth Pants while you are calling on prospects on a Friday afternoon this

summer (and bring a cooler full of ice cream sandwiches). It’s called differentiation!

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8. Persistence (sound familiar?): The last key ingredient is about moving everything to the appointment or presentation stage. They are interested and qualified, but really dang busy. Most prospects don’t immediately agree to meet or look at your demo; they want to see some literature and “get back to you”. Refuse to send them materials unless they agree to either pen in a next call, introduce you to other decision makers or sit down with you for 30 minutes.

This is when you need to get aggressive.

This is where you begin to close.

Great salespeople speed up the sales cycle.

If the prospect is honestly interested but asks you to call back in two months after they “complete the merger” or “wrap up their

quarter”, you obviously need to respect their wishes and follow-up at a later date (but this is why you are selling to more than one person within their organization, right?). Always get a next step set and on

the calendar at an agreed upon time.

Movement and everything above demands that you are authentic and are always making a human connection. Ask about their

hobbies, challenges, goals and obligations. You are a mere .1% of their life, so remember - you need to not only understand the

company, but intimately connect with the individual(s) as well. If you have to fake it, then find a new career. Great salespeople like

people!

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Screaming Sales and Marketing

There are three aspects of a vibrant business that should be mastered in this order:

1- Leadership 2- Operations

3- Sales & Marketing

I always assume that by the time business development is being discussed, you already have #1 and #2 successfully in place. NOW, it’s all about screaming sales and marketing. Wikipedia’s definition: “business development comprises a number of tasks and processes generally aiming at developing and implementing growth opportunities“.

You know how to lead a company and develop people. You have a good idea in your product or service. Now there is really only thing

with the ability to totally screw it up – sales and marketing!

So categorically, what is sales and marketing exactly? That’s what I’m here to help you break down.

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Marketing:

“Traditional Marketing” - It’s the sales materials, billboards, radio, yellow pages and more. This is important for all

businesses, but getting really expensive for small companies. o Strategy: the classic four P’s: price, product, promotion

and placement

o Branding and communications o Supply chain management

Digital Marketing - SEO (search engine optimization), your web site, email campaigns, mobile, video and oh - those 100 social media sites. This is affordable but also confusing; and because

of that confusion, too many businesses are falling behind.

Sales:

The top of the sales funnel – Assuming that you know your target market – it’s cold calling, qualifying and lead generation.

The middle of the funnel - Warm calling, lead follow-up, networking and simply carrying your business card wherever

you go.

The bottom of the funnel (it’s the best part!) -

o Meetings, proposals and demos. I’m a big believer in metrics. You should know what your percentages are here

so that you can better predict future sales. o Closing time. Some businesses do all of the above well, but don’t finish. We talk about closing all the time, but we

still don’t work on it enough.

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Team Selling

Organizations simply aren’t team selling often enough. Here’s what I mean by team selling…

1. Incorporate Everyone Involved on the Prospect Side: This includes the buyer who you initially pitched, the people whose

problem you are fixing with your product or service, the influencers and the people who control the budget. If anyone on their end says “no”, “maybe” or “I’m not sure”, then you will

likely lose the sale.

2. Also, Include Everyone From Your Organization That Can Aid the Sale: In bigger deals, always include a manager or

higher exec (the owner if privately held), the technical experts and those who have a part in servicing future customers. They

are involved all stages of the sale.

3. Introduce Yourself to the CEO Early: You need to respect their buying process and avoid “stepping on toes” when selling

to the C-Suite, but MOST OF THE TIME calling the CEO once and introducing yourself won’t cause you to lose a sale. If you

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do actually lose it, you’d hate working with that client anyway! Let the initial buyer lead the sales process, but never give your final presentation if he/she doesn’t own the budget. One way

to stay above board is by emailing your contact to inform them that you will be calling the CEO (or Exec) within the hour.

4. Keep Your Team Informed: As you include everyone from your organization in the big deals, over-communicate with

them all via meetings, strategy discussions, CRM documentation and via email. If you have a strong project

management software, this is a great communication tool for keeping all informed.

5. Ask Your Executive to be Involved in the Final Pitch: Major presentations should always include management, a technical

expert (regardless of your product or service) and someone from the servicing team.

A team approach of four or more presenters also achieves several benefits:

(a) The prospect is impressed because they see that you are taking them seriously

(b) All of their questions can be answered

(c) If you are smaller organization, a quality presentation with multiple people involved makes you look more robust and

qualified to handle their needs

(d) Having multiple presenters makes it much easier to focus on everyone that you are selling to in the room

6. Emails: I have a very particular way of selling in a team environment – over-communicate until you are told otherwise

by the prospect (again, you rarely lose a sale when keeping the top brass informed). Once it is determined that the prospect is

interested and they are a fairly large target, you need to ascertain which individuals will be involved in the sale. Yes,

sometimes it may only be two people, but you need to understand their buying process. After a one-on-one

introduction to each of these people, keep them CC’d on the major steps moving forward (demos, target dates, information

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and movement towards a final presentation date). Also, CC everyone on your team that is involved as well. It’s not

ridiculous to send an email to one person and CC seven or more people when you are making a $50,000 sale!

7. Daily or Weekly Action: How can you not have a next step every week if you have four people selling to four or more

decision makers? Action steps create movement. Sales is all about staying in front of your target until they say yes or no. You are the ringleader in the sale, so lead and don’t allow the

process to slow down!

8. Focus on the Ultimate Decision Maker: If he or she doesn’t feel confident in you and your company, then they ain’t buying. At the final presentation, focus on getting all of

his/her questions answered first. You have others in the room with you, so your job is to concentrate your efforts on that one person (and make sure that your executive has a similar focus). Understand the budget early on so that if the sale doesn’t end

up closing, you know that money wasn’t the cause.

This isn’t that complicated. Hopefully, you are already doing most of the above – if not, rethink your team sales process.

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Phrases That Will Win Anyone Over

Common courtesies seem to be lacking more than ever in 2015. Polite words and actions that we should be hearing and seeing from

everyone on a daily basis have taken a hard fall.

The week I wrote this chapter, I experienced two examples of this that had my jaw dropping…

A candidate of mine was scheduled to have a phone screening with my client. The client called him at 8:30 and my candidate

started out with “I’m not sure if I’m ready for this this morning because I haven’t even had my cup of coffee yet.“ Imagine hiring a salesman to hunt for you that can’t even have his

game face on at 8:30 am? I called him immediately after with the assumption that he was just trying to joke when he made that statement and that it just came out wrong – but based on

his demeanor, I honestly think that he was just that self-important. Or simply stupid. I was quite embarrassed and apologized profusely to the client. I’m not sure how this

candidate had passed our two screening calls prior to being presented, but somehow he fooled us.

Here’s what really upset me – the fact that he didn’t say “I’m sorry”.

In the second instance, I was getting my favorite $1 dog at Super America. While assembling my Chicago-style hot dog

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with everything on it, the mustard blew up all over my suit. I politely asked the cashier (because as a salesman, you always ask!), “Can I get this hot dog for free since your container just

cost me a few dollars at the dry cleaner?” He didn’t even acknowledge my question as he rang me up. So I persisted

with “Is that a no?” He nodded. He didn’t even have to agree not to charge me for the hot dog - All I really wanted was a

simple apology!

By the way, both of these men were in their 40’s or even 50’s so you can’t attribute this behavior to the youth of America. Bad manners

exist throughout every age group.

Here are my eight magic phrases. If you apply every one of them every day, you will have more customers (and friends) in your life:

1. “I’m sorry.” This one is probably the most difficult to hear from people in America. Please be humble – and apologize

more often. 2. “Please.” In our day-to-day rush, we miss this often. I am just

as guilty of this, but I try to always follow-up with a…

3. “Thank you.” Why not thank everyone? Is there really something more important that is going to capture your

attention during that second that it takes to say or type “thanks”?

4. “Excuse me.” Be willing to say it even if the situation is their fault. Maybe they don’t understand that you always walk on the

right hand side in America (I think it’s those British transplants?!). Again, just be humble and don’t allow your pride to dictate your interactions in these instances. Also,

beyond the above application, “excuse me” is a phrase that can be used to get someone’s attention without appearing

aggressive. 5. “Sir” or “Miss”. I learned the hard way that ma’am doesn’t work very well anymore other than in the South. Young women

don’t want to be called ma’am, and older women are flattered when you call them miss. Anyone over the age of 18 gets a sir

or miss label from me if I don’t know their name.

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6. “Can I help?” Who doesn’t love this question?

7. “Do you mind if I…”. Asking for permission is appealing to everyone. You can also use the abbreviated “Do you mind!?”

instead of swearing when upset with other motorists! 8. “I’m feeling…” This is a great start to resolve any conflict that

you come across. Don’t tell them what they did wrong – tell them how it made you feel. It comes off as less of a personal

attack and is consequently far more effective.

And your bonus: while talking to someone, use THEIR NAME - this is second only to “I’m sorry” when it comes to building relationships. Read Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. It’s

an oldie but a goodie.

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Things Kids Can Teach You about Sales

In 2014, I watched my then 11 year-old daughter give a speech in front of 200+ adults at a fundraiser. I realized that I had taught her everything I really could in terms of values and life skills. The rest of the parenting journey involves modeling the right behavior and no longer just preaching the rules of life. Children often live the basics better than we do in our haphazard, busy lives. So now it looks like

it’s time for me to start learning a little bit from my daughter…

8 Things Kids Can Teach You about Sales:

1. Say please and thank you. Yes we just covered this, but those old-fashioned manners are important!

2. Be authentic. Sales isn't acting - be yourself in every interaction.

3. Do the things that you enjoy doing. If you don’t love being in the sales profession, then why are you doing it? If you don’t

love the company that you are working for, then why are you working there? If you aren’t really good at it, then why bother?

4. Stand up for what you believe. It’s okay not to agree with everything people say just because you are selling them

something. I'm direct and honest with my clients even if it hurts.

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5. Ask questions. We can’t ask “Why?” too often. 6. Be playful. Jumping over the water cooler, skipping or singing

at work isn't going to lose you any supporters. In fact, it will probably create a following.

7. Tell the truth. Admit when you don’t know an answer and apologize when you make a mistake.

8. Keep learning. Please learn from your black eyes, bumps, bruises and mistakes and use this lessons in order to never

stop growing.

These are fundamentals that will help you sell. Customers and prospects want to know that you are a good person before they buy

from you. If they don’t like you, then they will turn to the one hundred other people they already know who are also selling your product or service. Be inventive and genuine – be the best and do it

with a smile.

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Section 2

Sales

S

K

I

L

L

S

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How to Close More Deals

The one question that I’m asked most often is simply “How can I close more deals?”. It’s a loaded question, but if I had only one

response it would be that you have to have a specific sales process that gives you control throughout the entire sale.

Sales is completely different than customer service. In customer service, you bend over backwards to take care of the customer. You

react to their needs.

In sales, you only bend over backwards if there is a high probability of closing a deal. As the salesperson, you drive the deal and the prospect reacts. You still want to help people but only if you get

something in return. If this sounds selfish than you probably aren’t wired for sales.

1. Call the decision maker(s). “If you can send over some more information, I can ask my manager…” How many times have you

heard this? You are calling the wrong person and need to be talking to that manager directly.

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2. Don’t waste time on maybe’s. Sometimes it is hard to tell if people are seriously interested. It’s your job to always ask questions

that identify the following:

Am I speaking to the right person?

Do they need my product or service? Do they understand my offering?

Is this the right time?

Do they have the budget for my product or service? (see below)

3. Be authentic: Be yourself! I have all kinds of formulas and scripts, but at the end of the day, your style needs to sound like you and

include your personal brand. If you are funny, tell clean jokes. If you are a borderline introvert then listen better and follow up better than anyone in the world. Understand your core strengths and

preferences - capitalize on your strengths. If you don’t like people or pursuing a sale, then we have a bigger problem. If you can’t have fun selling, you shouldn’t be in sales. Salespeople like winning,

competing, helping and interacting with other people. Make sure this is an occupation that you can really enjoy.

4. You have a series of questions prepared for every phone call or meeting. That means having a series of questions prepared for every phone call or meeting. I repeat – have a series of questions prepared for every phone call or meeting. This requires preparation. Are you

putting the appropriate amount of work into it?

5. There is always momentum. From the first phone call to inking the deal, there is always a next step. Whether it’s a phone call,

meeting or a simple answer, it’s on the calendar and both parties are in agreement on those deadlines. You are continually dictating

or asking for the next step. This weekly or daily momentum is where a salesperson is essential.

6. Every meeting has a preset agenda. It’s your job to make it a good one. Do you know everyone involved in making the decision on the prospect’s end? Figure out who should be there and don’t

hold the meeting until everyone can be present. Prior to the

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meeting, speak to every person involved and simply ask them directly what they’d like on the agenda.

7. At the meeting, use a version of this scripted process.

o Meeting Opener: “I’m not sure if I’m visiting at the right time, but what I’d like to do is just ask you a number of questions about your business. I’d also like to answer any and all of your questions. I can take whatever time you need today or in the future to go as deep as you wish. If it looks like there is no value, we will probably both realize the fact at the same time and we can end the discussion and get on with our days. Are you comfortable with that approach?”

o Pain Probing Questions: “I’m never sure which is more important, but usually when I’m talking to a CEO, they’re often dealing with X issues and it’s usually one of two things:” (next should be a money and time problem that is related to your product or service’s solution).

o A Catch-All Question: “Is there anything else keeping you up at night in regards to X?”

o Summary: “In regards to evaluating X, what were you planning to do next?” OR summarize issues and ask “What would you like to discuss first?“

8. At the meeting, discuss the budget.

o “What do these issues cost you per month“?” They won’t know. “How could we find out?” What do you think this problem is costing you every year?” They answer and you respond “Interesting. Where did that come from?” (their best guess or a data-based number). “On a scale of 1-10, 1 being not an issue, 10 being a must change, what number would you give your intention to fix the problem?”

o “What is your process for making a decision on this in the present quarter?” Somewhere in here you should find out their procedure for vendor decisions. If there are a lot of steps and decision makers, ask “How long can you wait through this process while it’s costing your business even more?“

o “Assuming we came back with a solution that (1) fixed the problem(s) (2) stayed within your budget and (3) includes answers to

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all of your questions – What action would you take?” If you don’t get a commitment, say “Tell me more about that” or “I’m not sure I understand.” Shut up and work through an often uncomfortable moment. Give them the time to think and elaborate a complete response.

8. The Proposal. Communicate ROI and value. The proposal should include unique solutions catering to a prospect’s needs. It’s your

“canned” proposal with specific answers to their business so that it doesn’t look like your competitors’ template. By the time you are

pulling this together, the deal should already be 90% closed and this serves only as the window dressing.

This strategy has worked well for me for a number of years even though my prospect doesn’t always like it. You aren’t in sales to

make prospects happy, you are selling to close deals and make clients happy.

Practice your meeting workflow over and over and over (did I say

over?) again. Record yourself a few times and you will probably hear

yourself “um” or “ah” and notice clumsy body language that you’ll want to fix. The great part is, no one was really born understanding

how to close. Other salespeople might be more aggressive than you

and maybe they learned earlier from a parent that was constantly

selling around them – but the reality is that you can learn how to be

a great closer if you will just put the work into it. My #1 suggestion

is following a script as suggested in my meeting and budget

sections above. The rest of it is about progressively making little

adjustments here and there. Work your ass off, read more about

sales and your industry, relax and become a real closer.

Before you start pounding the phone and meeting with anyone that is willing to meet with you, start at the top of the sales funnel and take a day to analyze your sales methodologies. I guarantee that you will save yourself days, weeks and months in the long-term.

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8 Ways to Warm up Cold Calls

First off, I will suggest that seasoned salespeople probably shouldn’t be making cold calls. I’m hoping you have developed an extensive list of past clients or prospects and you already know which 200 people to contact this month. Option two is that your marketing

department and/or junior salesperson is generating leads for you. With that said – SOMEONE still probably has to make cold calls and I

have some ideas for you.

8 Suggestions to WARM it Up!

1. AGAIN - Targeting. I rant about this on an ongoing basis. If you don’t have a focus, you are losing – so practice the art of targeting businesses that you can help the most. Wouldn’t it be great to have

a conversation starter as you are calling on 100 banks (or insert industry here) this week?

After reading up on banking on a Monday, you’ll already have a lot of information and understanding of their present needs by the time

you make your first call.

2. Find their email address. Today, you will usually get a hold of prospects on the phone after you’ve already had a conversation via

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email. You know the name of the person and their website (i.e. Drew Schmitz and blueoctopusllc.com). You can always guess

“dschmitz@blueoctopusllc.com”, but in this instance, you’d be wrong. I usually Google the following:

o “*@blueoctopusllc.com” to figure out the typical prefix for emails within a company.

o You can also try Googling “Drew Schmitz” and “*@blueoctopusllc.com” to potentially find the specific person’s

email address. I’ve found over half of my prospects’ email addresses just using a

search engine this way. The internet is loaded with surprising information and you will even bump into a few direct dial numbers

online as well…

3. Get their direct phone number. If you call the front desk and ask for Joe Blow, you will get Joe’s voicemail about 95% of the time. If

he/she is important, they already have multiple salespeople calling them every week and they don’t answer phone calls from people and phone numbers that they don’t already know. Get a referral

(LinkedIn is a great tool for this), start with the email (you may get an auto-response with their phone number attached) or just ask the receptionist. If you get their direct line, the odds of them answering

skyrocket.

4. Don't say everything. There’s one place in my life where I white lie and that’s when I’m trying to reach a prospect. Some of my favorite lines are “I’m calling him back”… “I lost her phone number”… or “I met him at a function last week”. When they ask for your name, tell them “Drew”. Drew who? “Schmitz”. Drew from where? “Blue LLC”.

They’ll get tired and stop asking. If you are direct with the receptionist and speak with authority, I’ve found them more likely to put you through simply because you sound important. These are the

stupid games we need to play in sales in order to get decision makers on the line.

5. Control your voice. Keep in mind, they are hearing half of your words (at best), so your vocal pitch, volume and rate (not too fast)

are key to piquing their interest. It’s something that can be practiced and perfected.

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6. Memorize your script. Your call sounds natural. You are shooting for 5 things: (a) a clear/direct opener (b) it’s somehow personalized (c) they are targeted/chosen (d) the pitch or voicemail message is

less than 30 seconds in length and (e) it ends with a question.

7. Use their name. Dale Carnegie once said “A person’s name is the sweetest sound“.

8. Get them to talk. How do you make this happen? If your call continues past the first minute, then you are prepared with five

good questions to ask. They automatically like you more when they are talking and you are attentively listening.

Here is what a good script sounds like:

“Hello ‘Name’, my name is Drew (no last name or company in order to save the precious opening seconds of the call) and I’m a sales

recruiter with my own firm here in Minneapolis. We focus on filling sales positions for small and mid-size organizations throughout the country. Our recruitment and pricing approach is unique and we focus only on star talent. Have you worked with a recruiter in

the past?”

If they respond positively, roll into your questions. If he/she starts asking you questions, then you probably have yourself a bona fide

prospect.

On voicemails use a similar opener (but keep the entire message

under 30 seconds) – then follow with “Please contact me at

612.234.2175; I’ll try you again on Thursday afternoon if I

haven’t heard back from you by then – again, it’s Drew at

612.234.2175. Have a great day!” (“threaten” a call back, repeat

your phone number, end it positive).

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Methods for Better Listening

Only 7% of what the prospect says is what they mean??? In 1971, Albert Mehrabian published Silent Messages based on his research

of non-verbal communication. His conclusion was that prospects based their assessment of credibility on factors other than the

words that the salesperson spoke. The speaker’s body language factored into their evaluations by 55% and the tone and pitch of

their voice accounted for another 38%. Only 7% of their credibility assessment was assigned to the salesperson’s actual words.

So – are you really listening? If you haven’t learned how to be an effective listener, then you aren’t a good salesperson. If you don’t

pay attention to the non-verbals, you are a lousy salesperson!

In 2015, salespeople need to ask questions before they start shoving their product or service down their prospect’s throat. You have two ears and one mouth, so you shouldn’t be talking more than 1/3 of the time (and even less if there are more than two people in the meeting). If you are selling something intangible,

asking the right questions is equally, if not even more important than the listening component. If you are asking the right questions, the next step is to pick up a pen or tablet, write down everything they say AND observe their body language and pitch/tone. After

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they have told you about all of their business challenges, ask them what the ramifications are surrounding their top 2-3 issues. Instead

of worrying about what you say on that first meeting, focus on being an active listener.

1. Listen to the intent and the emotional meaning of the speaker. Use your intuition to really “hear” the underlying

message.

2. Constantly assess the speaker’s non-verbal communication. Learn to interpret their body language and other non-verbals.

3. Always listen with empathy instead of judgment. Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes and understand what shapes his/her feelings. Do not respond only to what the speaker

implies; rather, respond to the overall communication.

4. An active listener is always taking notes in a business meeting. If you are prone to daydream, this may be all you

need in order to stay focused.

5. Do not prepare your response while someone is still talking. Instead, give them eye contact, nods and small affirmations

like “got it” and “yes” (but refrain from screaming “AMEN BROTHER!”).

6. Understand what your options are ahead of time regarding certain words or ideas that may be expressed. As a

salesperson, you should have prepared documents and information available as well rehearsed “sound bites” relevant

to your solution.

7. If you realize that you are not listening, try to move closer to the speaker.

8. Physically turning an ear toward the speaker will often encourage them to talk a little louder. If you missed

something, politely ask them to repeat what they said (but don’t do this repeatedly when you are in front of a prospect!).

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In the "Jedi Mind Tricks" section to follow I will expand on some of these nonverbal cues.

Beyond understanding the non-verbals, I’ve had to learn to overcome my own listening obstacles. My shortcoming has always

been #5 – I am so busy thinking while they have the floor that I often fall into the trap of only half listening to what someone is saying to me. If I arrive at a meeting with information on hand,

having done a little research, I rarely have to over-think my responses. I’ve also learned that it’s okay to pause before giving a

response – which actually makes you appear more thoughtful.

If you want to dig up more on the non-verbals, check out a good article by Carol Kinsey Goman of

Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2013/04/0 1/body-language-savvy-for-sales/

Poor and average listeners can improve, but it takes work. If your spouse constantly hammers you for not listening at home, take an

earnest look at how well you listen in the workplace (because people won’t usually address it with you there!). Pay attention to the non-

verbals!

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... And Suggestions for Getting Others to Listen to You

Do you want to be heard? Below are eight suggestions that will encourage your prospect to listen to you more attentively…

1. Be an active listener. The #1 way to get your prospect to listen to you is to first listen to them. Remember, It’s not just about hearing their words; it’s about observing their non-verbals as

mentioned above. If you are a great listener, they will return the favor.

2. Get them to like you. This may not be the “popular method”, but they buy from YOU first and your company and product second and third. Engage the prospect by making it personal. If they dive into

business right away, then you can’t talk about the weather or upcoming football game; but the opening 2-4 minutes is usually

ripe for you to make it personal. Somewhere in their life, whether it’s work or play, they have a passion that makes them glow a bit. If you can figure that out, then you will also enjoy the sales process a

little more with that prospect.

Find out about their hobbies

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Look around their office View their LinkedIn profile

Do some online research (See Sam Richter’s book Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling)

Simply ask the prospect what they did last weekend – or what they are doing over the upcoming weekend

3. Show them something. They don’t want to listen to you. They want to see something (men are twice as likely to be interested in

seeing or getting their hands around “things”). If you have a product, bring it along so they can touch it. If you are selling a service, show them a few documents as you are pitching them.

4. Let them talk. Your job is to lead a path where they are allowed to talk. Be prepared for every meeting or phone call with 10+

questions and if you can, ask them all! Psychologists a lot smarter than me claim that people will literally like you more if the person

across the table is talking 2/3’s of the time.

5. Show them confidence. Prospects want to buy from someone with poise and self-assurance. If you appear confident (not cocky), you

have something they might want. Hold your head high, walk with a purpose into the meeting room and maintain eye contact with your prospect (the rule of thumb is 2/3rds of the time). Your charisma causes them to like you which leads to liking your company and

product or service that much more.

6. Be authentic. In case you didn't catch it the first couple of times -this theme comes through repeatedly in my book. You don’t have to be “that” kind of salesperson – aggressive, funny and competitive. Be sincere. Be honest. Be yourself. The only push you have to make as a salesperson is asking the right questions so you don’t waste anyone’s time. I let new prospects know this simply by saying the following at the beginning of a call or meeting: “Joan, I’m here to mainly ask a few questions for 30 minutes to better understand

your company and its challenges around business development. I don’t want to waste your time, so you can stop me at any point. If we uncover that my business is a fit for your needs, I’d obviously

like to proceed with a follow-up meeting. If we cannot

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help you, I’ll be the first one to identify that and leave it at this single meeting today. Does that sound fair?” (now their head is

nodding and I’m starting the YES Sales Process). Be a genuine, good person while the suit is on Monday through Friday as well as in the

rest of your life. In turn, you will easily connect with certain individuals who will like you and potentially buy millions of dollars

worth of your products or services in the future.

7. Know your stuff. All of the above only works if you are actually selling a great product or service. If it’s average or even just “good”,

the entire sales process gets more difficult. Assuming you are representing a great company and tangible or intangible product,

you had better know it through and through. If you are a greenhorn in a new role, it’s time to take your work home with you for some extra study sessions – otherwise it will take you longer to earn the big commissions. There is always someone smarter than you that can aid in your education process (young and old!). You should be

asking someone at least one question every day. Study your competition, understand your target audience, read your industry’s web sites and periodicals and attend the trade shows – thoroughly know your product or service and its strengths and weaknesses.

8. Be unique. I’m tired of the professional world within which we operate. It is a barrier for creative marketing and often a wall in

really getting to know your customer. I double-dog dare you to be unique and take the risk of losing out on some prospects that just

don’t resonate with you. Your authentic style along with a little panache will attract the right prospects. The others will likely be the difficult customers and/or the least profitable customers anyway. Be something that none of your competitors dare to be, do something

wild and crazy to get their attention, or name your company the Purple Octopus! Whatever you do, be great at it and be one of a

kind.

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Lastly, here's a quick list of the words most people love to hear:

Their name Discover

Easy

Guarantee Health

Love

Money New

Proven Results Safety

Save You

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Jedi Mind Tricks

“You must unlearn what you have learned.” -Yoda

A few years ago, I came up with the idea of the Sales Jedi Knight in my Blue Octopus blog. He or she is so much more than just an

aggressive extrovert with a good head on their shoulders. A Sales Jedi Knight is always learning; they are both aggressive and patient; they listen with both their ears and eyes; they pay attention to the

big picture as much as the nitty-gritty details; they embrace technology and relish the change ahead – and thus, the Sales Jedi

Knight was born (at least in my head). This is the salesperson of the future that Blue Octopus is always seeking!

You genuinely like people, ask good questions, know your product, and are persistent – but for some reason you are still having

difficulty closing. What gives? While you are listening or talking, there are several subtle changes you can make that will lead to

dramatic improvements. It’s time to review a few sales Jedi mind tricks!

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Non-verbals to pay attention to when in front of a prospect or customer:

1. Positioning: Wait to sit until they are seated. Try to get the spot next to the prospect instead of sitting directly across from them. This may be difficult to maneuver in a meeting with just one person, but usually you can grab the seat at the table so

that you are only looking across the corner in conference room meetings. Also, give the lead prospect or customer the chair at

the end of the table (if you take it, they may be offended).

2. Posture: Your posture shouldn’t be pulled in or closed. Lift your chest and spread your shoulders out and back. Put your

hands on the table with palms up when not writing or talking to show openness that you are listening. Don’t be rigid or hunched over. You are going for a relaxed look where your shoulders are pulled back and your back is straight. You are trying to show an

open, almost vulnerable posture.

3. Hands: Holding your hands in front of you while standing is a defensive gesture - and don’t place them behind your back or in

your pockets. Feel free to use hand gestures when talking!

4. Fingers: Avoid twitching them or your hands while in front of a customer or prospect. Your hands should usually be ABOVE

the table and seen when listening or writing. Hold a pen or brochure while you are talking. Also, don’t touch your face

when speaking. It is a sign of shyness or indecisiveness.

5. Arms: Don’t cross your arms. We tend to do this more often to stay warm, but your client or prospect may take it as

disagreement (see Brad Pitt in the movie Fight Club).

6. Head: Hold your head and eyes up. Your neck should feel like it is exposed.

7. Mouth: Avoid biting or licking your lips (and the prospect!). Also, don’t smile or laugh excessively. I’m all for someone

smiling, but if you do it too often, it can be taken as a sign of nervousness.

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8. Eyes: Try not to blink too often. If this is an issue for you, blink your eyes slower. Let your eyelids relax and even let them

droop a bit. Don’t shift your eyes around when speaking. It’s important to maintain a steady gaze at the customer or

prospect’s face. Use direct eye contact, but not too much! It can look a little weird if you don’t look away. Optimally, your eyes should be on the person or people you are meeting with

about two-thirds of the time. If you are thinking in response to a question, you will appear more confident looking directly at

the person or to the side (not down).

I was in Toastmasters for a few years, which helped me to look at myself in the mirror. We don’t act and sound the way that

we think we do. Videotape yourself a few times and you’ll see where your weaknesses lie and be able to improve them.

Overall, I would suggest that you simply talk and move slower: In your ‘confidence mode’, everything is probably moving slower

than you think. Because you are so comfortable, you aren’t startled by anything and you can move slower than the other people around you. Like a Jedi Knight, closers first disarm the people with whom

they interact.

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Tools for the Jedi Knight

In this section, I’m sharing some ideas that will help make any salesperson run a little faster. As a manager, you can help your

team implement these methods. As a salesperson, I encourage you to hit up your manager for these tools so that you can be more

efficient and effective.

Beyond the light saber, Jedi Knights always carry a few pieces of technology in their tool belt. Similarly, Sales Jedi Knights must be

equipped with a few items of their own to help make their life run a little smoother. Here are some ideas that can make a big difference.

Every Sales Jedi Knight should be using:

1. Two Monitors: About three years ago, I set up a second monitor at my desk. If I could clear the left side of my desk, I would add a third monitor. Your average flat

screen monitor costs about $100 – what are you waiting for? I don’t know how I ever worked without this setup.

2. A Headset: I began using a headset at my desk many years ago - the delight of simply having both hands free! Even better, once people see it on your head, they tend to leave you alone and therefore, you can focus on getting to your prospects and clients (and out of the office by 5:00!). I’m still looking for one with a light on it (to indicate when

you are on a live call). Send me your suggestions!

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3. A Bluetooth: I’m not encouraging you to drive and talk, but if you must, please get a Bluetooth for your cell

phone. What about using it on that walk to the car? How about during your time in between appointments? Or as you walk around the office? I would highly recommend a LG HBS700 headset (which also works great for listening

to music).

4. A Silent Keyboard: Most laptops will achieve the same effect, but often you are probably at a PC. For $20-30 you

can get a 4-5 star silent keyboard on Amazon.

5. Voicemails to Email: If you aren’t currently using a voicemail system that converts your messages to texts or emails, it’s definitely time to consider this. I use Google

Voice for free.

6. A Loaded Cell Phone: Ladies and gentlemen, it ain’t just a telephone. It really is a computer in your pocket. As much as you need a laptop or tablet, you need a cell

phone loaded like it's your old PC. Download Salesforce or your CRM (mainly for contact look up), social media

apps like LinkedIn and anything else related to software that you access consistently at work. I also use four cloud storage drives (OneDrive, Dropbox, Cubby and iCloud - all

free with at least 1 Gig of storage) in order to share documents that I’m using between my iPad, desktop

computer and cell phone. And don’t forget about your camera – it’s essentially a scanner; you can photograph receipts and documents as a backup option or even as a

way to get rid of paper altogether. I endeavor to download and try one new app every week.

7. An Assistant: Ha – a real administrative assistant isn’t in the budget?! For less than $10 an hour you could hire

an assistant located in India or the Philippines who can be doing your research, correspondence, documentation, proofing and more all while you are sleeping. I’ve used

virtual assistants to recruit for me when in a pinch and to

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set up appointments for me as well. Google “virtual assistant India (or Philippines)” and interview a few

companies.

8. A Streaming Media Player: This is a fun one. For $35 you can get a Google Chromecast HDMI plug that can transfer anything from a phone, tablet or laptop to a

larger monitor. Need to run a presentation on the overhead? Want to unwind to a Netflix movie back at the hotel? You are going to like this dongle! If you aren’t a

Google fan, here are some other options for accomplishing the same

thing: http://learninginhand.com/blog/5-ways-to-show-your-ipad-on-a-projector-screen.html.

Other than a Virtual Assistant, my list above will, in all, cost you less than $300. Why would you put any of these off?

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Being Direct

Authenticity – Getting sick of this one yet? I hope so, because that means it’s starting to sink in... In terms of human relations, being

genuine trumps everything else. If you want to be a better salesperson, manager, co-worker or friend, you need to be more

direct with people. Simply, “let down your guard” more often and be honest. Stress will dissipate and more good things will start to

happen in your career and in your life.

Let Down Your Guard - Share something about yourself – NOT “I have two kids, I’m a Twins fan, look at my cool car or I went to

Disney World last week…” tell them something about YOU. Tell them something interesting. Trust them with something important. When

you do this, most people will reciprocate and open up to you as well. It usually doesn’t happen unless you are the first to tell them about the time you got your tongue stuck to the fence last winter…

Honesty – Truth is a universally good trait that we have not perfected. There are two sides to this coin – the importance of

maintaining some level of decorum and the advantages of being honest. “Decorum” is about being appropriate. There are rules at

home and at work that don’t allow us to always be completely and brutally honest. If a 400-pound woman asks you “Do I look fat in

this dress?” you have to soften it – somehow!

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You also can’t share everything with a 7-year-old, you cannot wear pajamas to work and you can’t tell your boss in the middle of a

meeting that you’re leaving to play golf (but if you can, maybe you are working for the right boss!).

In the workplace, I can be a little brutal at times. I tell clients the truth even when it hurts. If a sales candidate sends me a lousy

resume, I instruct them to fix it. My approach is direct, short and polite & usually includes some constructive criticism, but I don’t

have the patience for spending a lot of time on average salespeople (I can’t place them!). I’m certain that I offend people, but if the three bullet points that I contributed to their resume leads to them getting

a better job on their own, I’ll settle for that victory.

Recently, a friendly client of mine asked me “How are you doing?” on the very same morning that followed a full night that I had spent in the ER with one of my children. I answered “Not very well” and told

him an abbreviated version of the story (if he wants the long version, he’ll ask). Now a lot of people wouldn’t share this personal news, but I usually “spill the beans”. It gives me a buffer in case he

catches me yawning and most importantly, it pre-empts the fact that I’m not going to be razor-sharp on the call. He did ask a few

questions – the same thing happened to his daughter last winter and we chatted for 10 minutes before getting down to business. We now have a better bond and will both enjoy our future interactions

that much more.

Ten years ago, I had a client in Minneapolis wherein we were placing inside salespeople. Their office was filthy and two of our hires told us about the overflowing garbage in the middle of the room and how dirty the bathrooms were. We contemplated how to handle it

and I decided to call the owner and just be direct about it. The next year our business with them doubled. I was telling them something

that no one had shared with them previously and it worked.

Directness is about efficiency. Efficiency is about making more money and going home earlier to see your family and friends

(which is what’s really important).

Why are you beating around the bush to sacrifice either?

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Let’s review Jim Collins’ famous Hedgehog Concept – you’ll find your sweet spot in the blue area in the middle:

Economic Engine: Translate this into finding a career where there is a demand (then there will be money behind it).

Passion: You will succeed in that circle if you identify what drives you and continually express those desires to the people around you.

These conversations are about what you’ve observed, want and how you feel.

World’s Best?: If you want to be the best in the world at something, you need to worry about this little thing called time. Time requires

efficiency… efficiency requires what again? Being direct.

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For me, it’s a ridiculously simple logic equation that we don’t follow often enough: authenticity = happiness. Pepper in more directness and honesty as you let down your guard more often. I know you’ll

like the results.

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Fear

It drives you every day, every hour. Fear of your client, your boss, your spouse, your parents, nightmares and the Joneses next door.

FEAR: "An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat."

Your fear is only an emotion. Your fear is getting in the way of closing more deals. You can never eliminate the stress from fears but you can control it more often than you realize. It starts with daily practice and removing your fears by simply facing them.

A few ideas:

Call the worst customer back FIRST. Do the most difficult task you have to do that week on Monday

morning. Tell your boss that you want a raise, but elaborate and show

him/her why you deserve it. Call your #1 prospect. Talk to them like you've never pitched

before - tell them why your company will wow them this year.

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Tell your spouse the worst thing you ever did in college! Doesn’t that feel better?

No significant other? Compliment 2-3 people of the opposite sex just for the heck of it.

Call your mom or dad and tell them you love them. Forgive them for all of their human faults.

Eliminate your worst friends from your life – you don’t need negative people weighing you down.

Go snake hunting. Jump out of an airplane.

Insert a lifetime fear here and tackle it in 2015. Stop doing what “society” tells you to do; it's okay to not weed

the lawn the summer or drive an older car than the next door

neighbors. Simply stop caring about what everyone thinks outside of your

top ten family and friends.

Again - your fear is only an emotion. Stop letting it eat away at you because the fear is all in your head. Start growing your company, your sales and your relationships. You’ll immediately start feeling

better.

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Sales Risks You Need to Take

Bill Clinton was a bad public speaker in the 1980’s so he forced himself to learn how to master this craft. He learned how to use

inflection, get comfortable with long pauses, sync hand movements with his words, build the speech around a bigger idea, create and direct it to his specific audience and make it his own. Love him or

hate him, he knows how to give a good speech.

Early in my career, I had to learn to sell. Out of school, I took a sales job and walked around downtown Minneapolis cold calling on

prospects with a falsetto pitch and offering a clammy handshake. Believe it or not, I landed a lot of business but that was only due to my tenacity and effective targeting. I slowly figured out that getting

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extremely comfortable with people was part of the game. Use the sales techniques below to become a better salesperson today.

1. Sell to fewer prospects.

Choose a narrow niche and be perfect there. Too many of us are selling to anyone willing to buy our products and services. Not

specializing means that you aren’t special. I started Blue Octopus and assumed that recruiting sales and marketing people was a narrow enough niche. Now I only sell to companies under 1000 employees that are usually growing rapidly or are involved in

technology. If they don’t fit your ideal specs and aren’t urgent, call them next year.

2. Ask the prospect to say yes or no.

Agree on a next step AND specify follow-through on a particular date. “I’ll send you a proposal this afternoon and will check in next Monday” or “Can we do a demo this Friday?” or “I will call you on

Tuesday afternoon at 1:00 after your board meeting if that works for you?” If they don’t agree to these terms, then you probably can’t

sell to them. Call them next month.

3. Sell your company to the entire team.

Keep your owners, managers, and operations people involved in the sale (CC’ing in emails works great). Sell to more than one person

inside your prospect’s organization. Know their organization chart. You will be better informed and have more allies within your prospective target. I once had a big deal on the table with a

prospect that went out on an extended medical leave. I had no other relationship there so guess what? I lost the deal. A month later, I

had no one to call because the prospect was still out and the others inside her company weren’t responding to my emails and calls.

4. Questions, questions and more questions.

The only way you control a sales call is by asking pre-planned, open-ended questions. I know prepared questions sound boring to many

salespeople, but it works. You steer everything if you are asking

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questions and they are talking. If they won’t answer your questions, you can’t help them. Call them next month.

5. Coach the client.

Don't assume that the client knows how to purchase a complex solution. Ask... and then tell them who needs to be involved.

Describe how your past customers have been successful in making all of the decisions surrounding your product or service.

6. Don't lower your price. Do you want to be Wal-Mart?

The pricing game is an easy trap. I believe I offer a great service in comparison to my recruiting competitors. On rare occasions I will

negotiate, but lowering the price isn’t usually the answer. Be willing to walk away from companies that ask you for a deal. Don’t call

them next month!

7. Always discuss their budget.

Get comfortable talking about it. If you don’t fit into their budget, call them back next month, not tomorrow. Don’t waste YOUR time

beating your head against the wall.

Consider these your rules of engagement for business development going forward.

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Cocky versus Confident

As a sales coach and sales recruiter, I am always seeking confident salespeople. Confidence that comes with infectious enthusiasm,

drive and optimism carries immediate respect. Cockiness is interpreted as brash, arrogant and unlikable. What is the fine line

between the two?

Twenty years ago, I went out on some sales calls with a guy that entered an office suites without an appointment. He often flashed the lights on and off to get their attention and to get a laugh. I was amazed how Tom usually got away with it... and then followed it up by selling his printer cleaning services. Tom had a likeability about him and could quickly disarm the prospect at the front desk with a wink, smile and a joke. Later on in life, I realized that he probably wasn't going to get away with selling anything that cost more than $500. Tom had half of what I was looking for - confidence, but he never succeeded, as far as I know, in making a connection with a

CEO and selling a bigger ticket item because his borderline cockiness would not fly today.

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Cocky Salespeople:

Sell stuff - if you don't like the product, all they have is words... ...So they talk a lot.

They tell you this product is the best one and then make you feel bad for not buying it today (like most people in car sales).

This trait develops when people externally are continually telling them that they are important. When this breaks down,

they usually don't have the internal wherewithal to recover well.

Confident Salespeople:

Sell you a product and/or service with choices, solutions and benefits surrounding their offering(s).

They usually don't talk that much but ask you what you are looking for and answer your questions.

The urgency to buy belongs to the customer - the salesperson is urgent, but can sell it to you as slowly as you'd prefer.

This trait arrives from an internal self-assurance. It is built from within through a realistic view and trust in your own

talents and abilities. It allows you to authentically respond to your customers and prospects.

There are two things a salesperson can do this week:

1. Have your manager or one of your better coworkers join you on a call with a prospect. Their number one job is to evaluate

you while in the meeting. 2. Videotape your presentation in a mock sales call with a

coworker.

Evaluate your sales approach and make sure that your confidence never comes across as cocky. You can always learn something about yourself through these two simple methods and can use the lessons

to keep yourself sharp.

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Make Sales a Game

Sales leaders and salespeople - are you taking yourselves too seriously? I’m not suggesting that you don’t give every workday or

client your best – the pressure is what worries me.

Stress can kill deals. You can be so concerned about closing a big account that you lose perspective. Sales is all about winning by

helping the prospect or client win. Target, qualify and then close the deals where you can dramatically help your customer.

I’ve personally experienced the two sides of this coin. On the worst days, I’m sweating bullets trying to close on the only 1-2 deals in

the bottom of my funnel. I approach the prospects often with misdirected intensity or desperation. They can “feel” it sometimes

and human nature in that situation is to back off.

Normally, I don’t need the next deal. I want to win but I need customers that want to work with me. As I interact with prospects,

I’m relaxed and enjoying the conversation. If they want to talk about the weather or the upcoming football game, I’m more than willing to discuss it. I want to develop a real relationship with them and lead them through my sales process - I want to win but not at all costs.

Forget about the sale and focus on the customer. Stop thinking about the commission and your need to pay the bills! Make it a

game.

My point to all of this is that you will actually close more deals if you simply make it fun. I am not ‘pie in the sky’; my message may

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sound a little corny, but I’ve seen it work repeatedly within other companies as well as inside my own. Great businesses that throw a

little relaxed play into the mix will win more often.

If you find yourself sweating more often than smiling, stop and think about the big picture. You had better enjoy the chase or you

are not suited for sales. If you are wired to be a salesperson, look at your workday as a game requiring practice and strategy – a field on

which you are going to have a blast!

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Section 3

SALES

LEADERSHIP

"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

- Honest Abe

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Sales Leadership

With the good company and team in place, here are the eight most important hats of a sales leader:

1 – Teacher

Poor managers exist because they don’t teach, mentor or coach their salespeople. A sales leader doesn’t become great if they don’t

pass on their knowledge. None of the other hats really matter without a focus on improving the abilities of your employees. The entire concept of great leaders or teachers being born is baloney. They may have predispositions at birth and nurturing households that advance their abilities, but everyone can learn to be a great

teacher. Great teachers listen and give their employees one-on-one time for learning. Great teachers make sure everyone remembers

the lesson a week later. Great teachers measure and challenge their employees individually. Great teachers give time. Research and read about the three different learning styles: (1) visual (2) auditory and

(3) kinesthetic/tactile – and adapt your lessons

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accordingly. Regardless of your natural ability, you can still learn to become an even better teacher.

2 – Math Wizard

The information that you can collect from your sales team’s activity and from your customers will predict the future. Understand your metrics! You are the one person on the sales team that should see

into next quarter. You are supposed to be the calmest person in the room when “surprises” arise.

Great math wizards continually poll their customers and understand their satisfaction level along with the wants and needs of the end

customer. Data collection and analysis expose trends and opportunities that will guide the direction of your sales force. I’m

tired of companies with R&D departments that are completely separate from and not continually communicating with the

salespeople. Your sales team is talking to your prospects and customers every day. Are they asking questions and collecting this information so that you can see it? Are you doing something with

the information your customers are sharing? Don’t be the dope that polls your customers and then leaves the data sitting for six months before you go back and do something about it. Here’s a link to “18

Awesome Survey & Poll Apps”: http://web.appstorm.net/roundups/18-awesome-survey-poll-

apps/

Even more important than customer data are the metrics surrounding sales & marketing activity:

What sources are providing the most inbound or outbound leads?

What is the cost per lead?

How many times does your salesperson have to send emails or make calls to turn a suspect into a prospect?

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How many times do they have to talk to suspects before it becomes a meeting?

How long does it take to convert an early prospect to a meeting to a close?

How many meetings does it take to become a proposal opportunity?

How many proposals are closed?

Additionally, there are probably more metrics unique to your process and industry that you should be analyzing. These numbers have everything to do with your odds as prospects move down the

sales funnel. These metrics need to be broken down for everyone in the sales team and continually shared with everyone in the

company. Recognition should be given to the high performers and in turn, their skills and knowledge are taught to the greener

salespeople and underperformers. It’s not about exposing the salespeople who are missing the marks – it has more to do with

making an example of the stars.

If you are dissecting the sales activity, you should be able to sit down with your salespeople every three months and break down their quarterly goals based on these metrics and their attitude

surrounding them. Everyone should know their numbers and how they can improve them. Hopefully the answer isn’t, “Well, I guess we’re just going to have to make more cold calls this quarter.”

Instead, it’s about focusing on improving efficiencies. Use the data and predict where you are headed.

3 – Ally

Your employees must like and trust you. If trust is built, they will come to you to vent, ask for ideas and confide in you. You need to

listen, help and find them solutions. I recently heard someone disregard “servant leadership” and I was dumbfounded. I’m not

saying you shouldn’t be direct and sometimes even confrontational,

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but great managers spend less than 1% of their day bossing people around. If you tell them what to do like it’s 1946, maybe half of your team will listen. Being their ally is about admitting your faults, going

on sales calls with your team, showing up earlier, grabbing the coffee for the sales meeting and helping them become better and

succeed. The modern day leader believes in servant leadership (http://www.butler.edu/volunteer/resources/principles-of-servant-

leadership/).

Great allies must genuinely care about their employees beyond work. You care that they are getting better. You care about their

purpose. A sales leader needs to get to the next level in understanding the motivations and driving forces of their

employees. If salespeople feel that you are on their side, they will fight for you, they won’t quit, they will put in extra time, they will defend you, they will accept impossible challenges and in the end,

they will make you a lot of money and talk about your great leadership.

4 – Motivator

A major flaw in many sales organizations is a poor compensation structure. Salespeople must have a commission opportunity. Ideally, if they excel, they can more than double their annual compensation. You shouldn’t cap the commission; even better, create a structure

so their commission percentages increase as they hit higher sales or gross margin marks. The best salespeople want this and if you don’t have it, you aren’t able to attract the best. As the sales leader, you

have control over creating a better commission structure.

With a great comp plan in place, a good manager can evolve into a great motivator by creating a positive sales culture. Are you skipping on your way to work excited to increase sales? An authentically fired up manager creates a fired up team. A

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motivating sales culture fixes problems and holds efficient meetings that create action. Everyone is polite and enthusiastic, but still direct with one another. There are no cliques, no excuses and zero never-ending grapevines. Laziness and insubordination are not tolerated. A motivating culture for great salespeople has high standards but

accepts mistakes from which to learn. The team is willing to openly talk about their flaws and problems – and everyone is striving to find and share solutions. Accounts are won because stuff simply

gets done.

If you want to maximize the effectiveness of your sales

team, customize your approach to every salesperson. I don’t care if you are managing 20 people directly, you can’t worry about being fair by treating them all the same. Leave the superstars alone but set a higher mark. Challenge the middle performers and pester

them periodically. Scrutinize and help the poor performers and be crystal clear (repeatedly) as to what it takes to succeed and in turn,

how to get you out of their hair. Determine what personally motivates Tom, Susan, Bob, Lucy, Joe, Curly and Moe and cater to it. It all takes a lot of time, but it’s worth it. And it’s a lot better than

firing people.

5 – Race Car Driver

You are the one person on the team that needs to understand how to adjust on the fly. The sales leader is responsible for

understanding the needs of the targeted customer. Those needs change. You should be the first person to direct the organization

through a shift in the economy, customer demand, pricing challenges, technology and chaos.

As change takes place, your employees will accept it if you are clearly communicating why is it happening, explaining why it is a

good idea and showing how you are in it together. Most

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salespeople are worried about this week and this month. They don’t embrace change any better than any other demographic. They are

definitely prone to speaking up when they don’t like something and poorly managed sales teams can become the biggest whiners in the entire company. You need to be the one looking ahead with the rest

of the company leadership and discussing change with the sales team. You need to take the time to listen. As you race around

another bend at 200 miles per hour unsure of what’s around the corner, you can convince everyone that it’s going to be okay – and

that it’s probably getting better.

6 – Axe Man

At some point, you need to be tough and stop investing time in the underperformers. You should encourage the team to falter as long

as they learn from their mistakes. Only allow people two chances to royally screw up – don’t give them three (and only give them one if you hired them a month ago!). Three strikes and you’re out might sound heavy-handed, but we are in sales. Salespeople should want to grow and compete and succeed. I understand how you can be

overly patient. Through the years, I’ve consistently given people 1-2-3 chances too many. But every person I fired, I knew should have

been canned two or three months earlier. If you are slow to fire, you are slow to find the next sales star that could be producing and

wowing your customers and prospects.

If you have a sales force of twelve, three bad salespeople can easily spoil the bunch. Firing usually inspires those that are still around. But if you allow low performers to bend the rules, skate through

their 9-5 day and consistently survive, you lose the respect of your top performers and the rest of the organization. Have clear

standards and insist that your employees meet them. You can help them reach these expectations without being a babysitter. Let the

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sloths move on to a better career with another company (ideally your competitors).

7 – Closer

You should be the best closer in your company. Unless you are an incredible recruiter, don’t expect more than one person over the

next twenty years to be as good of a closer as you. Everyone in B2B sales has big, medium and smaller deals. Regardless of the size, all of the big deals require your help and attention. Everyone you hire needs to learn how to close the small deals on their own, but you probably need to be a lot more involved with the mid-size and big

deals than you are at the moment. I know too many sales managers that go weeks without speaking directly with customers and it’s

ridiculous. If your sole responsibility is leading the sales team, than you should be meeting face to face with prospects, calling on your key accounts, looking at most of the proposals and you should be

sitting in the room when it’s closing time. Great closers show others how to close.

8 – Parrot

SQUAWCK SQUAWCK AWW AWW. Sorry, it’s not cool, but you also get to be a parrot. Pay attention to the Fortune 500 CEO’s – they

repeat the same messages over and over and over again. It’s monotonous and dull to be the person that has to preach the same stuff repeatedly, but it’s necessary. You should be reminding them about your company’s values and the sales fundamentals that make

you a top tier organization. You can deliver your verbal soapbox through written communiqués and by rewarding the behavior that

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reinforces it. Hold challenges, run through meeting exercises and hand out homework assignments to reaffirm the fundamentals.

What are your top 5-10 fundamentals? Everyone should be able to repeat them off the top of their heads. This is our ideal target

market, this is why we rock, this is our pricing program, this is the most effective pitch, this is our meeting workflow with clients and this is how we close… Be a great parrot – repeat the fundamentals

over and over.

There is a balance between wearing these eight hats and it varies widely based on (a) the number of salespeople you manage, (b) their level of seniority, (c) their level of success, (d) the maturity of your company, (e) the maturity of your industry and (f) certainly your personal style. But you are likely flawed in 2-3 of these categories

and need to strive for improvement. The two most important people in any profitable company are the person that leads the operations

and the person in charge of business development. So if you are leading the sales charge, be great at it. You need to master these

eight roles in order for everyone else in the organization to succeed.

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Evaluating Your Sales Team

Annually, every company should be grading their sales team. I'm not suggesting that we follow Jack Welch and fire the bottom 10% every year but sales leadership should know where everyone rates beyond just their sales output. Your organization has performance metrics but is your evaluation of each individual well rounded? Before you

hire one more person, it's time to understand your entire sales force. Following are my eight areas I would suggest in examining

your present team.

1. Sales Assessment. Through an external company, have your sales team take a brief online evaluation. I have my favorite tool but there are multiple sales assessments that will benefit your analysis. It will

help identify your team's strengths and weaknesses.

2. Metrics. The following are the three performance metrics that I believe are the most important:

Annual and quarterly sales/gross margin. The closer you can get to a "real" gross margin or bottom line number, the

better for calculating ROI.

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Number of deals pitched / percentage closed. Are they bringing enough opportunities to the table and closing a healthy

percentage?

$ deals in their pipeline 6 months into the future. If they haven't done as much lately, this provides a glimpse ahead

before judging their productivity.

3. Territory & Workload. Territories are never completely "fair" and you should take that into consideration. Senior reps also often build up repeat customers and may not be landing a lot of new accounts. Also, consider if they have unique responsibilities beyond business

development so that you have a balanced view of their value.

4. Price Tag. Are they expensive based on their salary? Do they have a gracious commission plan with repeat customers that makes them too costly for your business? The quickest way to rank their cost is

by dividing their annual gross margin production by their total compensation (going back as far as three years).

5. Continual Improvement. I don't care how green or tenured the salesperson - do they show promise for better production every

year? When you challenge them, do they step up?

6. Teammate. Do they pass one another leads? Do your salespeople bring positive energy to the sales meetings? Or are they a pain that

brings everyone down?

7. Leadership. Without a manager title, does a particular salesperson's words and actions cause the entire group to hit higher

marks? Do they make your team stronger through mentoring and helping their peers? Are there other intangibles in some of your

salespeople that make the company better?

8. Manageability. Is the salesperson easy or difficult to manage? Are they self-reliant or constantly demanding your time for reasons that don't involve customers? Do they follow the rules, document their

calls, finish their paperwork and take accountability for their results?

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Now put it all together and label everyone "great", "good", "average" or "under-performer" and let them know where they rank based on all of the above. Everyone on the team should know their strengths

and weaknesses and what it takes to climb into the "great" category.

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Hire Great Salespeople

I have seen many great operational businesses lose money or fail because they simply lack a good sales leader and sales team. The first step in your process improvement is hiring. So I’m going to beat you over the head regarding the importance of hiring “A” quality salespeople and how to increase your batting average.

1. If you aren’t getting a good to great performance from your salespeople now, you are missing opportunities that a good hire

can uncover.

Is your current salesperson making you money? Know your break-even point.

How much is your salesperson positively or negatively affecting your culture?

When he/she loses deals, do they retain a good relationship with prospects for a future sale?

What can be gained by closing on one or two more deals this month with a better salesperson?

2. Hire a good salesperson – right out of the gate. How long did it take for your previous new hire to produce? Lessen this timeline by

25-200% with a better salesperson.

3. Recruit, interview & hire better!

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Identify your ideal candidate and the process for finding him/her. Target the right profile just as you would in selling.

Define the cultural fit – this is crucial from the onset to hiring a better sales person.

Develop a timeline goal to hire faster. You can hire a good person in less than two months from start to finish IF you stick to the weekly goals.

Turn the intangibles of hiring into candidate data that you can easily compare.

Adopt a better screening process. Find a larger pool of candidates. Have a better assessment process – from testing to pre-

interview questions to verifying background information. Interview better – don’t dive into the interviews unprepared,

hoping to stumble into a good candidate. Improve the salary negotiation and actual hiring process. Get several references before hiring. Implement a smoother on boarding and training process –

don’t forget about this part, which is just as important as the entire interviewing process.

4. A better hire dramatically increases your retention rate. Most salespeople start making their company money after they have been

there for six months. So the shorter the length of time before commissions kick in – and the longer you retain your salespeople

beyond that point, the more you will profit.

5. The value of those in leadership and management roles is that much more expensive if you make a poor hire. While the costs of

losing a “normal” salesperson are high enough, the Center for American Progress found that the cost of losing an executive is

astronomical — up to 213% of the employee’s salary.

Add it all up:

Every business has a different value invested in their salespeople – based on your product or service’s price tag, the amount of training

and management time and the employee’s compensation. Do the rough math of all of the above.

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The Needs of Every Salesperson

1. Direction - Creating a clear plan and goals seems simple, but many salespeople don’t do it. They are told to go “sell more stuff” and build their commission. It’s not a solid plan

and can be equally un-motivating to great and poor performers alike in sales. Your goals should ultimately be

connected back to the overall vision of the company.

2. Lead Generation - Whether someone else is feeding you leads or you are creating them all from scratch, most lead

generation systems need improvement and focus. Where can you improve your process?

3. A Clear Value Proposition – Asking the right open-ended questions and communicating the link to your value

proposition is absolutely critical. Create a script that leans on your key differentiators — then ask the open-ended questions that lead your audience to your strengths.

4. Consistency – As important as anything in business today, we just need to sell consistently.

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5. Encouragement - Confidence is vital to your sales success. Are you getting a steady dose of inspiration and reminders

on how you are vital to your organization? If not, seek it out and start asking for it (see #8).

6. A Sounding Board – When a prospect throws something at you from left field or you’re just having a bad day, who do

you turn to? If you don’t “vent” somewhere, it will negatively affect your future sales calls and appointments.

7. Closing Ability - Most salespeople can start a sale, get an appointment and find qualified buyers, but the most

difficult part of selling is closing. Do you understand what an ideal appointment looks like? Are you developing your

closing skills every week?

8. Regular Training & Feedback – Don’t wait until the quarterly or annual review to learn what you need to work

on (and what you do well). Training and feedback should happen every week and a salesperson should be measured

on monthly progress.

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Ideas For Sales Training

Being an energetic salesperson myself, I know we can be some of the most fickle employees in your workforce. That doesn’t mean

we’re the most difficult as long as you keep us inspired!

Everyone needs training and motivation on a regular basis. Here are eight ideas for keeping your sales force motivated even if you are on a budget or running out of ideas for your more tenured employees.

8 Sales Training Ideas:

1. No agenda. Gather your sales force for an off-site meeting. Skip the agenda and instead let them create it at the start of the meeting.

Shut up and let them share their experience and ideas for a half day. If you promote camaraderie in these meetings, your team is also

more likely to help one another throughout the year.

2. Make them read something. Preferably the subject matter is about business or sales, but Huck Finn is always a good read. Then review

the book at the next sales meeting.

3. Send them to a sales seminar, speaker or conference. Ask me if you don’t have any ideas.

4. Bring in an outsider. A sales trainer or consultant has a unique voice and perspective on your business that insiders will not. Senior salespeople are tired of hearing their manager “preach” and listen a

little less every day. The outside expert can come in as a fresh face

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and voice but still echo the company’s same absolutes – along with a few new ideas.

5. Ride-alongs. Stop preaching and have sales management, the owner or the C-suite go out on some calls with the salespeople. Something is always learned and there is a new appreciation in both directions.

6. Buddy ‘em up. Have the salespeople go out on a couple of appointments with a peer. Give them a scorecard so they can give

one another quick feedback.

7. Record it! At least once a year, we should ALL be watching and listening to ourselves sell. Record your calls and videotape a mock appointment. I guarantee you that we’ll all find something to work

on.

8. Train the manager. Ask your salespeople individually how you can better motivate and manage them on a weekly basis. Have you ever

asked this question? We have some learning to do as well.

You should be doing ALL of these every 3-6 months.

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Overcompensated?

Are we overpaying salespeople? The short answer is no.

A great friend of mine and I have this discussion on a regular basis. He works for a Fortune 1000 company and is sick and tired of the salespeople who make big commissions. “They aren’t that smart…

they are always out of the office goofing around… they whine about everything…” I am biased, but my question in return is

always, “Then why don’t you get into sales?”

Salespeople usually have a “survivable” base income but they are in the game to make big money. They are the aggressive, persistent

risk-takers that almost every business needs. There are a lot of bad salespeople who make the good and great ones even more valuable.

Their territory, commission plan or even job can change at any point. So I’m not here to debate my friend’s question even if the

average salesperson may be a little spoiled. My message is defending their importance.

A salesperson is easy to measure. What did they pull in that translated to net income? Was the bottom line larger or smaller than their expense? I love metrics. I would hate having to figure out the

value of operations people who don’t have interaction with the client. It’s easy for all of us to see the return on salespeople. If their

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performance is accurately measured, an organization can see their ROI better than any other position in their company. If the numbers

don’t add up then it’s time to retrain or fire.

What is the alternative? You can boost your marketing efforts, but can you offshore a salesperson? Do you want to hire untrained

rookies at a lower price tag? Can technology somehow reduce your number of salespeople?

The consultative salesperson adds tremendous value to an organization and can hunt down opportunities that didn’t previously

exist. Why are you worrying about paying them $200K this year? Intelligent leadership is willing to pay productive salespeople more than themselves because of their immediate return and ability to

increase the overall value of the business.

Hire the best salespeople. Pay them and DO NOT CAP their commission structure. Give the higher-level salespeople leads so they can spend most

of their time in front of prospects closing deals. Train them and retrain them. Inspire them with occasional

outside help. Retain them by making them feel important and needed. Hiring, training, aiding and retaining salespeople is the only

answer for most businesses. I hope you are one of the smart companies that recognize this.

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The Most Important Metrics

As previously mentioned, I obviously have a strong belief in metrics. Sales management and salespeople need to be fully aware of the

bigger picture and trends. Sales metrics are the “buttons” we can all press to repeat successes and dramatically improve our sales

odds. You don’t have to overanalyze, but you should automate - via your CRM - the numbers, which can be easily tracked below. If you

are a Salesforce user, check out http://www.funnelsource.com for a little more gusto to your forecasting and sales pipeline. Manage every rep to enter their activities like their job depends on it (if it

isn’t recorded, it didn’t happen!). Every goal listed should be examined by the individuals and the team as a whole.

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The only eight sales metrics that you need to pay attention to: 1.

Total Conversations, Meetings or Demos, Proposals & Closes:

The math between these steps is critical to everything that follows on this list and will help you understand gaps and strengths on which to improve or capitalize. Here is an example: In a month,

Beatrice makes 160 calls speaking with a decision maker; she also goes out on 20 face-to-face meetings, delivers eight proposals and

closes two deals. Her ratio is 160/20/8/2. It takes eight “spoke-to’s” (not calls) to achieve one meeting, 80 conversations to close one deal, and 20 meetings lead her to eight proposals… Understand

these ratios for every salesperson. Understand these ratios for the entire team (the larger the sample set, the better – so be willing to look at annual numbers). Overall, understand what it takes to close business (and the average margin attached to those closes). If you can track these ratios, then you can set fair expectations for the

salespeople – and even better, become somewhat of a fortune-teller for sales results in your company!

Note that I want you to chart sales conversations, not the number of attempts it takes to reach decision makers. I would count emails

returned as spoke-to’s but don’t give your sales reps credit for left messages and outbound emails. It’s a great way for a salesperson to hide from management if all you're tracking is their attempts. Find

a way to track real conversations as these are what lead to appointments, proposals and closed deals. Chart these numbers

weekly and share them with everyone in the sales team.

2. The Effectiveness of Every Sales Activity:

Start with the team averages. How many conversations does it take to set meetings and demos? How many meetings and demos result

in proposals? How many proposals to prospects convert to closes? If you have a baseline high/low expectation pulled from your top producers’ results, you will start to see the gaps in individuals.

In our first full year, Blue Octopus closed 24 deals. We wanted to close 30 but we only delivered 40 proposals/presentations. Yes, our

close percentage was great, but the following year, we delivered

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over 100 proposals and doubled the number of deals. Everyone on your team should have a goal to improve a certain category based

on his or her shortcomings. Ideally, focus on a salesperson’s closed deals - but if they aren’t meeting goals, analyze the activity at the

top of the funnel to understand the cause and effect down the pipeline.

3. The Percentage of the Deals Won/Lost:

Blue Octopus' close ratio was 65% in that first year. It fell to 48% the next year but I was happy with that. Five years into running this business, I’m not sure what the right number is, but I know it’s

lower than 65% based on the sales structure of my business. This year our run rate is 45% so I suspect the right answer is actually

even lower (somewhere between 30-45%). Examine your win ratio by each sales rep and then the entire team. Does the number need to

go up or down? What will cause it to change? What will it take from the salesperson – from you – and from the team?

4. The Profiles of Clients Closed:

This isn’t exactly numbers data (unless you are focusing on SIC codes), but it is data nonetheless. If you win 50 deals this year,

examine the basic profiles.

What industry? Location?

Size of business (employee count and total sales)? Titles you are selling to?

Department?

Any commonality in personality types?

Which profiles result in better gross margins?

The more specific you can get, the better. In retail, you want to break this down even further into age range, income, ethnicity,

marital status, occupation – the list could go on and on (there is a $ reason Amazon, Wal-Mart, Clear Channel, Facebook and Google are

tracking our buying behaviors!).

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There’s tremendous power in understanding who your customers are and why they buy from you. It is also powerful in the closing

stages to provide your prospects with references of similar businesses that have purchased your product or service.

5. The Length of the Sales Cycle:

I’m sure that you have an idea of the length of your sales cycle, but it is often broad and based more on feelings than actual data.

Examine the closes made this year. When did they start in your sales cycle? How did they start? How long does it take to go from

prospecting to conversation to meeting to proposal to close? In many businesses, all four of these steps should be measured in average days. If you examine the profiles of your best clients, they likely

made a faster buying decision.

A salesperson’s number one job is to speed up the sales cycle - but they need help from you in understanding how to improve it. That

starts with precisely tracking the length of their sales cycle.

6. Closing Performance against Monthly, Quarterly & Annual Goals:

These numbers shouldn’t be very difficult to measure. There are only two questions that will arise if you aren’t on track to hit your annual numbers: (1) Does our sales force have the ability to close deals? (2) Are we making enough calls, setting enough meetings,

and pitching enough deals this year? #1 is complex, but #2 is fairly simple to drill down. I would much rather be working on coaching

good salespeople to become better closers as opposed to micromanaging them to make more calls and set more meetings!

7. The Number of Real Opportunities in the Pipeline:

There is a lot of qualitative measurement under this category. The length of your sales cycle, the profile of the prospect and the success of the individual sales rep should all factor into the

likelihood of closing a single deal. Let’s go back to our numbers: in 2012, we made 104 proposals and closed exactly 50 deals. If we deliver 30 proposals this quarter, next quarter I should be able to

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predict 15 closed deals. Throw in a little chaos, and I would predict the actual number to be 12-13 (ask me in four months!). Predicting

real close opportunities means applying a little bit of a fudge factor. Do I want to close 20 deals? Yes! Do I want to provide my

investors with a safe number for our budgeting? Yes, please.

8. The Number of Deals Forecasted to Close:

Remember the comments above about being a better fortuneteller? You are now equipped with a lot of data and should be able to break

it down by quarter in your forecasts.

I’m not sure I really believe in an annual forecast (I prefer six month forecasts). Predicting numbers 12 months from now is like throwing darts. Annual forecasts usually do not take sales turnover, economy and chaos into account (and every business has swings in all three

categories).

If you want to throw a dart at doubling your sales in 2015, you obviously need to improve the causes that will give you a shot at

making that leap. Are you doubling the size of your sales team? Are you plugging in a huge, new marketing effort? Are second and third year sales reps expected to make big leaps in performance? All of these come into play and your darts are more accurate as you tie

them into your historical and ongoing sales metrics.

If you’d like a broader perspective (beyond the numbers) on sales forecasting, check out a great Forbes article by Scott

Edinger: http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottedinger/2013/06/03/fo ur-principles-for-great-sales-forecasts/. He not only looks at the

metrics, but also presses that customer behavior, sales strategy and continual improvement are key to hitting your marks.

If you’ve done a great job of measuring all of the data in #1 through #7 above, then you should be able to make three forecasts: (1)

minimum expected sales (2) goal (3) and a stretch goal – ideally you can convince your management to do these in 6 month increments

and twice a year. I believe in setting all three of these and rewarding the team as they climb the ladder of success.

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Oh8

To crystallize the nuts and bolts of running a successful business, I developed the Eight Octopus H’s or Oh8. If you can’t raise 10

million bucks, this practicum is your next best option.

1. Have a solid business plan (fixed and flexible) 2. Hire the right people

3. Hold onto ALL of your good employees 4. Help them succeed 5. Harp on teamwork

6. Hack the problems (inside and out) 7. Hype your business process (written, posted and trained)

8. Heap the rewards (rinse and repeat over and over and over

again)

We usually make it too complicated. Review this list – and live and breathe it. They aren’t just nasty four letter words. Good luck with

Have, Hire, Hold, Help, Harp, Hack, Hype and Heap!

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Section 4

EVERYTHING

E

L

S

E

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5,286 Emails in Your Inbox

PandoDaily did an extensive examination of 38,000 email inboxes back in 2013 and found that the average Outlook user has 5,286

emails in their inbox. If you look at the their statistics, the numbers get even worse for non-Outlook users: http://bit.ly/1vmCwrt. I

would argue that emails are the #1 issue in regards to time management in the office.

On Monday morning, I sat down to my desk and had 147 new email messages and it was an uncomfortable start to my week. I deleted about 75% and acted on or filed the rest in about an hour. As I write this on Tuesday, I have 34 emails in my inbox (90% of users have more than 75 emails).

Only read your emails at the beginning, middle and end of the day and get your life back.

99% of your emails should only be “touched” once (see TRAF on pages 95-96).

Delete and sort quickly so that your inbox has meaning again. Create more folders (they are free, free, free!!).

Dedicate one evening a month to getting your inbox back under 25.

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Worst case scenario, just delete everything that’s over a month old and spend a half day sorting through anything that’s come in over the last few weeks. Wouldn’t it be great to have a clean inbox once again?

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Find More Time

I have used two methodologies for many years that are easy to remember. I hope you find some wisdom here that can be easily

applied to your life!

T.R.A.F – every email (or piece of paper) should fall into one of four categories:

T is for Toss - The easiest route to cleaning out your email is deleting them (or unsubscribing).

R is for Refer - Immediately forward the email with a request for someone else to act on it. Next step - delete.

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A is for Act – If it’s clearly intended for your response or consumption, then attempt to reply to it immediately (placing the

onus back on the sender for action). The two systems I have for the emails I can’t immediately work on – (a) I put it on my calendar (an easy click and slide from inbox to calendar) or (b) I print it up. Both

are easy memory devices for taking care of it in the near future. Worst-case scenario, I leave it in my inbox.

F is for File - I have an elaborate folder setup in my Gmail, but the great thing is that I can always go back and find it. If it’s an FYI that

doesn’t require you to act, why are you leaving it in your inbox?

The worst emails are the trivial ones that you have to touch more than once. I often fail to keep a clean inbox and on many Friday

afternoons, I have to sift back through the messages. Once a month, I sit at my desk for an evening until everything has fallen into one of

the T.R.A.F. buckets. If it’s a short stack, I’m rewarded with an evening in front of a movie. Can you see the bottom of your inbox?

The second system is based around a Stephen Covey original with four more categories:

I. Urgent, Important – Fire!

II. Urgent, Not Important – Diamonds

III. Not Urgent, Important – Bla

IV. Not Urgent, Not Important – Waste

I believe most of us know how to handle the Fires and Waste. The problem is that the Diamonds in category III (Important, Not Urgent) should be your second priority. Unfortunately, the deceiving Bla in category II (Urgent, Not Important) are typically done first (emails,

phone calls, your personal stuff that creeps into your work day). The Diamonds are critical. Your success in staying on top of them is

fundamental for your success at work and play.

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Whether you are looking at your day’s responsibilities, short-term goals or the bigger picture, focus on getting the Important

Diamonds completed before you get to the Bla and worry about the Waste. If you aren’t identifying them as they happen, periodically write down your activities and goals to figure out which box they

belong.

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Quit Golfing

As a middle-aged guy with three kids, one dog and a girlfriend, I decided that I had to find more time. Being the nerd that I am, I broke it down like a math equation; if I have 17 hours a day after sleeping, I figure I only have 119 hours to use. I could sleep less, but the reality is an adult needs more than 7 hours of sleep plus I need

some margin for error. Let's start with 110 hours...

W is for Work: 45 hours (best case scenario). Many of you have

commutes to worry about so add it onto this total.

F is for Family: 26 hours a week. I can sort of put my kids in a

box that many of you cannot. I have them 30% of the time, so I

broke that down to 104 waking hours a month divided by four

and that gave me 26 hours a week when I strive to be the

World's Best Dad (although I still haven't been nominated). By

the way, those of you that have them under your roof full time,

are you giving them 26 focused hours a week?

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R is for Refueling: 10 hours. Even if I quit golf, I still need a

little cardio every day. So there goes 2.5 hours a week. And

there's that stuff called food - so there goes another hour a day

or 7 hours a week.

M is for Maintenance: 7 hours. I'm not talking about the body;

now I'm talking about your environment. The Bureau of Labor

Statistics reported that "household activities" in 2013 cost the

average American another 2.4 hours a day. I'm cheating this

category and going with unswept floors and outsourcing some

of those needs and keeping it at 7.

In a normal week, I then have 22 hours of leisure time.

The Daily News reports that the average American spends 34

hours a week watching television (I hope they are scrubbing

floors and making dinner at the same time).

The normal golfer (my guess), plays 27 holes of golf a week.

2.25 hours per 9; that means another 8 hours are down the

hole. Add in the commute time and let's call it 9.

If you golf and watch as much television as the average

American, you are short 19 hours every week which means work, family, sleep, refueling and maintenance are being short-changed.

Do the math and figure out what you are doing with your free time.

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Would Google Hire Yoda?

Does Yoda or Homer Simpson have higher self-awareness? Who’s more motivated – Erin Brockovich or George Costanza? Today,

Google is hiring people based on their “emotional intelligence” or “EQ” and also offers a free training course for their employees. I’m

hearing about these concepts often so I decided to

download Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves on my iPad (to hopefully increase my EQ!).

Is it a bunch of fluffy, new world garbage? Is this another crappy Fish! Philosophy or the Who Moved My Cheese? of 2015? Or is there something to this emotional intelligence? I’m inclined to side with the modern-day hippies and give this movement some recognition.

It a nutshell, the book is a nice step-by-step on increasing your “EQ” in 4 areas:

o Self-awareness – Who am I?

o Self-management – What do I need to do to be who I strive to be? o Social awareness – How am I perceived?

o Relationship management – What do I need to do to be perceived authentically (your true self)?

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Each chapter is further broken down into 15-17 strategies per area. I’m the kind of guy that wants to read this kind of book all the way

through in a half day and then refer back to it in the future. The way the book is constructed, it’s easy to return to any of the

concepts. It’s certainly a business book but it carries over into all aspects of your life.

Know thyself – if you have read my blogs over the years, you understand that I am all about self discovery. Figure out who you

are, what makes you great and where you want to go. I don’t know how you’ll consistently improve at work and play without taking a

few personality assessments, reading a book like this and/or engaging in some self-study. It’s simply easier to understand others

when you really understand yourself.

I’m a kid still trying to figure out what he wants to be when he grows up. Regardless of your age or stage in life, I think most of you are as well. I’d recommend working on your EQ and picking up this

book as a great tool for your reflection and the journey going forward.

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What's Your Shape?

What do your librarian, Justin Bieber, Steve Jobs, Marilyn Monroe and Lady Gaga have in common? Very little…

In my face-to-face candidate interviews, I often ask the shape question – and because it’s kind of funny, it has been a topic of

conversation with friends as well. Draw the five shapes below, and ask the person… “Quickly (don’t let them think too long) – what is your favorite shape among the choices shown?” Do not let on that

it’s a personality “label”… the Squares and Squiggles don’t like being labeled!

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Squares: They are organized, work hard and love structure and order in the universe. Squares bring order to everyone’s universe! They dislike situations where they don’t know what’s expected.

Squares prefer working alone. They are logical, sequential thinkers and they often collect loads of data and file it so it’s easy to locate.

They have trouble saying, “I’ve got enough information,” and making a decision. They strive to label everything as black or white.

Your librarian is a square.

Rectangle: They are seekers and explorers who are always searching for ways in which to grow and change. Rectangles often ask

themselves “Who am I? What is the world about?” They are the most receptive of the five shapes to learning new things. Rectangles are the least attached to a specific ideology and often cause their co-

workers confusion from day to day. Most people go through rectangular periods when they’re in a state of change. My best

guess is the teenage youth becoming adults are

often running Rectangles – I’m going with Justin Bieber as a present day Rectangle.

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Triangle: A leader; decisive and able to focus on the goal. They are self-confident and carry strong opinions. Triangles can be dogmatic

and shoot from the hip. They like recognition and put stock in status symbols. American business has been run by triangles and

this shape is most characteristic of men. A huge positive is that they can communicate well with all of the other personalities. Steve Jobs

was a triangle.

Circle: They get their energy from other people and work well with others due to their ability to communicate and empathize. They

read people and can immediately spot a phony. Circles like harmony and have more difficulty in dealing with conflict or making

unpopular decisions. Circles can be swayed by other people’s feelings and opinions. They can be very effective managers in

egalitarian business structures. Circles like to talk! Marilyn Monroe was a circle.

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Squiggle: They are creative; a “what if” person who’s always thinking of new ways to do something. Squiggles are starters, but struggle with finishing because their mind never stops as they leap

from A straight to Z. They do not like highly structured environments and can’t tolerate the mundane due to their shorter attention span. If Squiggles don’t get excitement at work, they’ll cause it elsewhere in life. Lady Gaga is, undoubtedly, a Squiggle.

I’m a big fan of behavioral and personality assessments. What’s great about personality assessments is that they “measure” people

and, generally, quickly describe us. Assessments are helpful in interviewing situations - but even more importantly, they are a tool

for communication within your organization. If I’m a Circle and you’re a Square, we can hopefully poke fun at ourselves – and also objectively discuss the value and strengths we both bring to the

company or team. We’re all great and all a little crazy. Laugh at your weaknesses and focus on your strengths!

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Free Personality Exercises

The most successful people in business know themselves better than anyone in the room. Here are a few free or extremely cheap personality or behavior exercises that I would highly recommend:

DiSC Profile:

This is one of my favorites. It essentially determines your “score” in these categories: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance

– and then gives you an overview of the personality based on the composite score: http://www.tonyrobbins.com/ue/disc-profile-

styling.php.

Learning Style:

Understand your best learning style. Is it sight, sound, touch or movement that opens up your brain to new information? Learn your

top two: http://www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/LSI/LSI.htm.

Meyers-Briggs:

This one is a classic and I believe it’s timeless. Meyers-Briggs breaks down personalities into 16 categories and this particular assessment pegs your personality in one of four quadrants: Guardians, Artisans,

Idealists and Rationals: http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test.

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5 Love Languages:

Now this might sound corny, but I think this is a great exercise for figuring out how you relate with other people (and how they will

best respond to

you): http://www.5lovelanguages.com/assessments/love/.

A quick exercise for your next team meeting:

Are you a Thinker, Catalyst, Planner or Helper? Name your #1 and #2 and share and discuss with others inside your team. Here is a

similar assessment you can take online for

free: http://www.truecolorscareer.com/quiz.asp.

Strengths Finder 2.0:

If you still haven’t heard about this one, it’s time to spend the 20 bucks on Amazon and get on board! Tom Roth’s book contains a pass code in every NEW copy which you can use to go online and

take the assessment that will determine your top 5 strengths: http://www.amazon.com/dp/159562015X/?tag=googhydr-

20&hvadid=8045098284&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1

681895941308927820&hvpone=12.81&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=

c&ref=pd_sl_ed0zidzzj_b.

Live Right for your Blood Type:

This one is pretty amazing… After reading this book by D’Adamo two years ago, I’m convinced that our blood type carries a number of preset social and personality characteristics. Here is a link to the

book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Live-Right-4-Your-Type/dp/0399146733/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1379440717&sr=8-

7&keywords=eat+right+for+your+blood+type.

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Learn Myself:

The last assessment is fun and a little different from all the rest. It is 120 questions, but it only took me about 10 minutes to finish. It breaks your personality down into 5 separate categories and even compares your scores to other famous personalities (apparently

Jessica Alba, Andy Rooney and I have a few things in common!): http://www.learnmyself.com/.

All of these assessments aren’t necessarily appropriate for a new hire but use one or two for your newest employees – or have the

entire team take them and compare your results. What I really like about behavioral assessments is that they don’t label us right and

wrong, they simply describe why and how we think and act a certain way. Give them a try!

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Social Media Strategies

You need to think of social media as a critical marketing activity at the top of your sales funnel or pipeline. You should see the broader

spectrum under the “digital strategy” category – an extension of your web site (your primary brochure) and a critical component to SEO (search engine optimization). SEO is the HOLY GRAIL and free

social media is a part of it. If you can dominate your key words and be one of the first three UNPAID companies in your niche, then you may be printing money right now. Companies have to quickly figure

out SEO or they will fall far behind.

The 8 Social Media Tools You Need to be Using:

1 – Facebook fan page: Facebook was the #1 web site last Christmas (Google was the other 364 days in 2013). If you hadn’t

figured it out, Facebook is big. Huge.

2 – LinkedIn: If you are a businessperson shucking professional products and services, you need to be there. It should sell you like a resume, but it should also promote your company. LinkedIn is also a

valuable tool for sales research.

3 – Online Blog: WordPress, Tumblr and Blogger are the big three. I’ve heard rumors that Blogger may be pulled by Google, so I’d start

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with WordPress. Not a writer? Determine who is inside your organization. Don’t make this so cumbersome - A paragraph written

every week is a lot better than a perfect three pager written four times a year. Blogs need to be smart and spell checked, but they

don’t have to be perfect.

4 – Email Marketing: I would recommend Constant Contact or MyEmma as the best options. Constant Contact is generic but easy to use. MyEmma is “fancier,” more expensive, and a little harder to

navigate. Keep in mind that your blog posts can easily be good content for your email marketing (and vice versa).

5 – Twitter: You’ve probably heard of it, right? And you probably have a company or personal Twitter account that you don’t use. My answer for content here is #8 below. Don’t think of it as more work after you build it. Twitter may contain a lot of noise but it led me to two clients in the last year. There are also countless Twitter add-on

programs available including Twellow for searching and ManageFlitter for faster following/unfollowing.

6 – Google+: It’s on the rise and comes with some features that you don’t have on Facebook and LinkedIn. Google+ now offers company pages that you can colorfully customize, which I highly recommend.

I am still learning, but Google ain’t goin’ away folks so be there today for its evolution.

7 – YouTube: It is now for everyone. Here I am preaching to the choir with minimal Blue Octopus video production (it’s been on my

to-do list for two years now!). I have done it for my social media business and other clients in the past. You need all your videos out

on YouTube not only for business development purposes and overall branding, but also for recruiting great employees.

8 - Everything that is web-based can be potentially shared publicly online or merged with other social media platforms (Salesforce,

Constant Contact or Xobni are three great examples of all of this). It’s ALL digital strategy – here is a list of some of the sites that you may not realize can also work as top-of-the-funnel marketing tools

(in no particular order):

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Salesforce (or other online databases) evite

Pinterest (the fastest growing social media site in 2014) Jigsaw

Foursquare (it almost made my top 8 list above but there is Facebook check-in as well)

GoDaddy

Groupon, Living Social, and similar coupon sites bitly

Reddit

StumbleUpon Instagram

Path Klout

This is my “short list” of tools that I use for business. I read a great article on social media tools the other day that will give you even more to read up on and try: http://www.dreamgrow.com/69-free-

social-media-monitoring-tools/.

Of course, having these tools up and running is only the start. How will you keep them interesting? How can you maintain them and

better yet, be proactive with them? I’d be happy to help, but recommend that you simply start reading others’ social media

pages and playing around with your own platforms. If you can’t, then find someone under your company flag that has the time. If

you don’t have a marketing person that can do this, go out and find an affordable intern.

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A Social Media Dashboard

I wanted to share one format that can tremendously help your social media attack and overall lead generation ability in less time.

Blue Octopus' secret to volume of social media activity and organically getting to the top of Google after six years of work is a composite dashboard. This is the covert ingredient to what many

social media companies are doing for their customers besides outsourcing offshore to cheaper labor (which I’m not opposed to

FYI). If you decide to hire a social media partner, be sure they know their stuff and can teach you tips on Google Analytics (many of them

do!).

What is a social media dashboard?

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It allows you to write one post or tweet and have it go out to several social media sites (I key in on LinkedIn, Twitter,

Facebook and Google+ as they “own” 90% of the market). Dashboards let you to schedule future posts (for the rest of the

week… rest of the month) And much more…

Here is a list of nine options: http://socialmediafuze.com/9-social-media-dashboards-to-manage-multiple-social-media-profiles/

I haven’t used all of them, but I have used several and I’ve returned to Hootsuite. I like it because the first five social media sites you

link are free – and it’s as easy to navigate as any of them (don’t be fooled by the elaborate look). All I currently use it for is posting to

multiple sites and writing future posts, but it has a lot more features than that.

If not Hootsuite, just pick one and use it. In my opinion it’s like a sales CRM; any of them are better than not using one at all.

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Ideas on What to Tweet

People often ask me how I stick with posting and tweeting on a regular basis. How can I possibly have something to say almost

every day? It comes naturally to me, but I do get “Tweeter’s block” occasionally and have to consult my list to come up with ideas.

Ideas to keep it fresh:

1. Share data, a tip, or an interesting factoid

2. Re-Tweet a news article or current story on your area of influence

3. Start a poll, ask a question or ask for help to start a conversation

4. Tell everyone about an event you attended, will attend, or are holding at your company; or share a meeting you just had with

someone one on one and thank them in that post 5. Recommend a site or tool you found online

6. Just say something funny (be yourself, be authentic, don’t be a Target or Best Buy logo without personality)

7. Post inspirational quotes from someone famous or from something you read

8. Pictures paint a thousand words

9. Is there an event you are attending or hosting coming up?

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10. Publicly thank someone you've recently worked with on a project.

Consult my checklist whenever you are wondering what to share next. You need to build it into your routine and not force it, but by just doing it for a year, I basically created my system so that using

social media isn’t laborious for me.

Maintain a variety of types of tweets. If you try to pitch your product every day, people will stop listening. If you share

interesting nuggets and vary your approach, people will be drawn to you if they are interested in the same topics.

Lastly, be yourself. Don’t tell us you mowed the lawn or got the groceries, but I think being yourself and being real is interesting -Tell us what is happening in your universe that one hundred other

people aren’t talking about that day.

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Do the Opposite

523 years ago, America was “discovered” and the world became a little flatter, as Thomas Friedman would put it – and things would never be the same again. Christopher Columbus was a salesman

who had to knock on many doors before he received funding for his big voyage. “Let’s get to China by sailing West instead of East and I

think we might get there faster” (OK, so he wasn’t completely correct). He challenged leadership to look at the world upside down

and finally succeeded with his pitch to Queen Isabella of Spain.

George Costanza from Seinfeld was typically NOT a contrarian. But on one of my favorite episodes, George took a completely opposite approach, going against his instincts with every important decision.

Because it was unorthodox, he began to succeed in his work and social life. The moment he returned to his normal patterns, of

course, everything went wrong again.

So what the heck do Columbus and Costanza have to teach us about business and sales? Differentiation. Do the opposite. I

believe we are way too often stuck in a rut – doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. You are doing what

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your competitors do. You are selling the same way you did 20 years ago. You work hard, but not always smart.

Analyze a few of your business strategies and offer something to your customer that no one else offers.

1. Give a sample of your work away for free so they can see the difference in your product or service.

2. Understand their industry better than anyone and provide solutions specific to only them.

3. The million-dollar question - figure out what your prospects want that no one in the industry is offering.

For Blue Octopus, I offer a unique pricing model that shares the risk and no one else in my industry offers this.

I slow down my clients and require they dedicate a lot of time up front; we redefine who they want to hire, even if it becomes

painful, and even though they won’t probably meet the first candidate until 4-5 weeks in the future.

We ask candidates not only about their skills but questions about personality, culture and their overall career direction.

I allocate little time with everyone who contacts me, but instead commit most of my time to a handful of people who I

can really help.

In the end, I’m always trying to figure out what my key clients, prospects and candidates want. Otherwise, they don’t really care

what I have to offer. Be different. Do the opposite. Think like George Costanza and Christopher Columbus.

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Great and Happy

Who doesn't want to be great AND happy?

Call me CRAZY, but I don’t care what 99% of the world thinks about my passions. I want to have fun in work and at play. My business

needs to be unique. Either my style resonates with my audience or they disregard it and call my plain competitors. Either way, I have

raving fans that prefer my approach.

Find your inner happiness and live it - success and smiles will follow. Remember my earlier section on "Being Direct" where we reviewed

the Hedgehog Principle? Do something that you are not only good at (GREATNESS) - but enjoy doing (HAPPyNESS). If you can identify

those two things and apply a little elbow grease, you're also likelier to make more money in your lifetime.

So here are some random tips that have very little to do with work or sales but have everything to do with leading a happier, healthier

and greater life.

Exercise more. Drink more water. Pursue your wanderlust. Stop keeping up with the Joneses (who are they anyway??). Stand outside

today in the rain, snow or sunshine and take a few deep breaths. Make money where you are great and happy.

Eliminate ALL of the noise. Stop. Read. Talk. Sing. Listen.

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Watch (a few of my favorites):

Pursuit of Happyness Life is Beautiful

Amelie Big Fish

Forrest Gump (again) Rain Man (again!)

Kite Runner

Benjamin Button Kung Fu Panda 2

Bridesmaids

Dedicate time to:

Family Friends

Mentors Laughter

The hobby you never started

Eliminate:

Crap foods

Too much caffeine Too much alcohol

Drugs

Tobacco Addictions

What are the top 10 things in your life? Refocus on those priorities. You have plenty of time ahead to get it right.

The million-dollar question we should be waking up to every day is

How do you want to be remembered?

"Follow your goose bumps." Quincy Jones

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"What will be on my tombstone?"

A thousand thank you's...

to those of you who read my book before its release and shared a testimonial. And thank you to the big mouths that will spread the

word about this book! I especially want to thank Melanie Sawyer and Clare Lonetti who read, proofed and edited these pages more than

once! Thanks as well to my dog, Buddy, who sat by my feet as I typed just about every word.

I hope you were inspired and learned a thing or two while reading this book. My 2015 version of the e-Book can be printed or

distributed - so if you enjoyed Neutrinos, please pass it on! It's going to be in print someday and I will then be charging the big bucks - so

get it now while the getting is free.

I am available for speaking and presentations on sales and recruitment. Please reach out if you are interested.

Thank you for your part in my journey! ~Drew

Please visit https://www.facebook.com/salesneutrinos and share your thoughts - I'd like to hear your feedback!

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Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy

of individuals. I have tried to recreate events, locales and conversations from

my memories of them. In order to maintain their anonymity in some

instances I have changed the names of individuals and places, I may have

changed some identifying characteristics and details such as physical

properties, occupations and places of residence.

The author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the

information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher

do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss,

damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or

omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

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