Isn’t that the way it works? Anytime we try something new it’s tough getting started and yet after we do something several times, it actually gets easier and we even like it. Prospecting for example is still something people will find ways to avoid. When you get paid to prospect, such as lead development teams, you would think they are expert prospectors. Not always, just because they pick up the phone and make their 40-60 outbound calls every day doesn’t necessarily make them expert prospectors.

Where does it all start from? Your gut- that’s right. It’s who you are and what you decide you want to create.  You are the only person who can decide you want to make something happen, no one else can help. To prospect is to make a decision that you want to move something forward and create an opportunity.

It’s Indian Summer here in San Francisco and that means you can eat outside at trendy places such as Myth and watch cool design people walk by.  That’s what my buddy, Shelly Davenport and I did yesterday. The good news is Shelly has agreed to be a panelist for our upcoming Inside Sales 2.0; Report from the Front Lines session we will be presenting at the Sales 2.0 Conference in San Francisco next month. 

We selected Shelly for several reasons. She is one of the most innovative thinkers and leaders in the Silicon Valley High Tech Inside Sales world. She earned her stripes at Oracle, moved to build inside organizations at Arbor Software which became Hyperion and started the Inside organization for Salesforce.com many years ago.

Now she is at another innovative company,  SuccessFactors  and very well suited for her position. Shelly is one of the most ethical, straight-forward, professional women I know. She has integrity, she works hard and she is incredibly talented. It’s no wonder she is working with a company that is aligned with her values- check out the  SuccessFactors 10 core values. That’s right, If you get hired they have you read and sign the Rules of Engagement Letter

Lars is a visionary and I like what this company stands for, and it’s not wonder that it’s been voted one of the best places to work for. Their strategy is to: (1) Create a great product, (2) Get Customers (3) Tell the World.

It’s that time of the month, quarter-end when all sales engines are revving. Salespeople make their last desparate pleas to prospects and customers hold out and wait for the final negotiations. Get creative guys and try something new. The following includes 10 ways you can opt-out from discounting:

1. Call with something new- 

2. Remember the sale won’t close if you haven’t properly identified the pain or power in the sale.

3. Remind them each day they don’t have a solution in place, what impact will that make on their business. Examples such as lost productivity, more user complaints, low morale, more systems that need attention, etc.

4. You may be chasing the powerless, the unavailable, otherwise known as the No-Po’s. Make sure someone isn’t leading you on and you have patiently forecasted the deal for the past few months. Call high, wide, around, up and down.

5. Demonstrate ROI and explain how your solution starts paying for itself the minute they commit. What they expect to receive after one week, month or year.

When we think of salespeople, we think of big egos.  Not anymore as we learn that confidence and humility are the keys to success.

There’s a great interview with the author of Egonomics in Guy’s How to Change the World Blog. He interviews Steven Smith on his new book and dives into Ego- what is too much, too little, or just enough.

It’s mid-September and we are reaching the end of one of the most important sales quarters of the year. Egos are flying in many sales organizations right now at both the team and management level. Here are four warning signs to watch out for:

1. Being defensive- if you have been chasing a forecasted opportunity and hear back from your prospect they have decided to go with the competition. Take time to understand why, learn who made the decision and probe more. If you spend less time being defensive and more time trying to understand their position, you might salvage the deal.

2. Being comparative-when you are too competitive, you actually give too much of your power away to the competition. Instead, take the high road and don’t get caught in comparing your products or services but instead spend more time talking about results you can deliver.

3. Seeking acceptance- Every salesperson wants to see their name on top of the white board but working hard and being disciplined is the best way to get there instead of pushing others aside.

4. Showcasing brilliance-spend more time being intelligent, honest, loyal and professional.

Steve suggests we build healthy egos and strike up the perfect balance between ego and humility which he calls “ego equilibrium” my new phrase for the week.

Ever have days when you just don’t feel like prospecting? How about networking? That’s a lot more fun- it’s filled with curiosity, creativity and casualness. Whether I launch my LinkedIn profile, or spy on my daughter on FaceBook, or think about growing my customer base through SaleSpider or navigate into large companies with Spoke or Jigsaw, I’m ready!

Let’s start with the basics- network responsibly. Don’t just blanket your entire business base of contacts to ask to connect. In our webinar earlier this week on Social Networking, Sherman Hu from LinkedIn mentioned that Democratic Presidential Candidate, Barack Obama is putting his profile up on LinkedIn. It’s a bit of a stretch for me if I want to connect with him in terms of helping generate budget for some Fortune 500 company I’m targeting. Keep in mind what your goals and objectives are when networking.

Next, be creative. If you are only targeting people in your space, everyone starts looking the same. The key to networking is to be open to trying new paths. For example, if I’m always targeting Worldwide Training Sales Directors, I may try VP’s of Sales, VP of Sales Operations, Sales Managers. They will always lead you back to where you want to go.

Be curious- Take time to understand everyone’s hot buttons and helping them can help you. Yesterday I took time to speak with a CEO who is building a start-up company and connected him to a few other people. No, I’m not getting any business from him but as Justin says, “what goes around, comes around.”

Be casual- I like networking because you can be yourself and not work with any canned scripts. Any formality will just distance your prospects. Your authentic self is so much more attractive.

Don’t wait to build your social network, take the time to update your profile and the more you put into it the more you will get out of it.

Who has a wishing well in their backyard?  There’s an old European folklore to describe wells where it was thought that any spoken wish would be granted.  There is power in wishing that has been handed down through the ages.

We all have wishes- whether it’s to lose weight, exercise more, get a new car, buy a house, get a promotion, stop smoking, etc. I’ve been reading New Moon Astrology by Jan Spiller and it’s a great book that talks about the power of wishing. It illustrates using the powerful astrological timing cycles of the New Moon to increase the chances of your wish coming true. It’s all based around the New Moon each month and it just so happens that it’s today, September 11th from 7:00-3:00pm. 

This book helps you understand how to create a conscious goal with a strong intention towards a specific direction in your life. Wishing is really a matter of decided what we WANT to create and getting clear on our intention. This is critical in sales because I believe we make things happen based on our intentions.

Timing is everything so we only have one day each month where we plant this seed. Also, messaging is critical so the way we word our wish makes all the difference in the world. I’ll give you an example:

Let’s say you wish to have better Time Management. That is too broad of a wish so breaking it down such as having stronger Discipline in your life to get things done. You can either make wishes to eliminate procrastination such as, “I want all tendencies to procrastine easily lifted from me”; ”I want to easily find myself using time to my advantage in a way that makes me feel good about myself and the direction my life is going.” If your issue isn’t about procrastination and more about self-discipline, you may wish, “I want to easily find myself taking action on my ideas- seeing the next step and doing it”; ” I want to easily find myself bringing projects to completion”; “I want to easily find myself making wise decisions in terms of my timing and my actions.” 

Cast your 10 wishes today!

Last night was the the VMA Music Awards and everyone was eager to watch Britney Spears’s opening with her comeback performance.  Unfortunately, it seriously bombed. It was really bad, disappointing, and disastrous. The audience was shocked, saddened and angry that Britney let them down.

Okay, this is a performer who has been in front of live audiences before, didn’t she have any idea what she looked like performing in front of this audience? Unfortunately, she let herself down more than anyone else.

September is the most important quarter of the year in sales and the reason many people are drawn to sales is because they get to fly solo most of the time. It’s up to them each day to make something happen and bring in new opportunities to generate revenues. They get to ”rehearse” with strong work ethics that include daily discipline, solid commitments and synchonized momentum.  When they finally get to perform,  they shine.

Be the you that watches you because no one else will watch you on a constant basis. Don’t wait for your manager to call you to ask for your numbers or your forecast meeting or quarterly review. Self reflection, awareness and insight will help you improve to be the best you can be.

I dropped my daughter off at college last week and wondered when will I ever be able to check into a place for 4 years where I have instant friends, memorable teachers, fun activities around me and a dorm where everyone keeps their door open? I guess a Cruise ship comes closest to being in one place for awhile but I doubt I could set sail for 4 years.

Many inside sales professionals are very restless about their careers and expect to advance after 18 months. If they don’t get the right territory or get assigned certain named accounts, they threaten to walk. In Northern California Silicon Valley, there’s a lot of expensive inside sales reps who have been around and are pricing themselves out of the market. Inside sales is no longer a stepping stone to another position, it is now perceived as a career move where you can make really good money without ever getting on an airplane. Working among teams is like being in college and living on a dorm. You see your team members 40-50 hours per week, hear them on the phone and congratulate them when they get a big sale.

So may advise is to be patient, stay loyal and hang in there for the long haul. Look at your career with a longer-term focus.

I don’t think I’m shy but I’m not very good at public venues where you have to work a crowd. It’s completely different when I am training because I’m in control and have to manage the crowd, which I can do very well. That’s why I’m not good at face-to-face networking functions, walking over to someone, having them glance at my name tag, and opening with the line, “how you pronnnnnounce yourrrrr name, is it JJJJJJJozzzzziane?”  Okay, just because their name is Lisa or Bob, doesn’t mean they’ve never heard an unusual name. Then they usually ask, ”what’s TeleSmart?” and that’s when I have to get savvy about my cocktail pitch and say, “it’s a company that I work for” (that is my humble explanation) or sometimes I’ll say, “it’s a sales training company.” Eye contact shifts right after I repond and they start looking around for someone else to come along escorted by their possy.

Which brings me back to why I like to network in the privacy of my own space. It’s sort of connecting on my terms and not having to prove to a crowd that I’m cool.  That’s the power of social networking today. It’s meant for creative, resourceful and savvy salespeople who know how to connect with the right people.

On September 12th, I’ll be hostinig a webinar on Social Networks and have invited experts from SalesSpider, VisiblePath and LinkedIn to talk about business social networking in the sales profession.  Tune in and find out the days of cold calling expensive rented lists are gone.