After a long holiday weekend and lots of running around, you’re back to your cube at your desk staring at your monitor and wondering how your year is going to end. You are not alone, every manager has sent out forecast updates today and most are falling short. That’s okay, there’s still time and you can do it.

Staying active and fit during the holidays can get you going. Here’s some exercises you can do from your desk:

I like what the Diethack blog has to say- especially in his “arm shakey-skake” where you enlist some buddies to get on each side of you and pull your arms- should fun, here’s mine.

Here’s a YouTube 15- Minute Desk work-out that is detailed and I must admit, a bit exhausting.

Desk aerobics is the new exercise craze so get your cardio going with and try the 60-second aerobics.

Based on the retail results from this year’s Black Friday, I don’t think I was missed. Besides, I usually like to shop in private. The many years I spent in the fashion industry in my college days have paid off when it comes to shopping. I know exactly where to go, what to look for and when to buy it. I understand mark-down cycles and strategies and retail real estate. Black Friday is just a way to get the shopping mojo going- everyone is hungry for a shopping experience.

Today, I was hungry for a different type of experience as I spent half-day at St Anthony’s  serving up breakfast and lunch to San Francisco’s hungry and homeless. A group of volunteers gathered today to serve about 1500 meals to people who sat in line for hours on this cold November day. 

There is a language I was reminded of today, it is one of dignity and respect. It honors each person and treats them with the kindness and generosity and acceptance they deserve. I much rather be here today than on some crowded Nordstrom escalator.

Today is a day filled with gratitude. As I watch my life unfold, there’s so many things I wish could stand still and never change. They are simply perfect. One of them is the gift of what I’ve created with my company, TeleSmart. For the past 14 years, I’ve been privileged enough to touch thousands of people’s lives. I’ve worked with some of the most talented global inside sales organizations in the high tech world, listened to hundreds of managers committed to making a difference with their teams and been inspired by the new possibilities of communicating in today’s fast moving sales, service and support world.

My clients, peers, and partners continue to be my inspiration.  I appreciate every second you’ve invested in reading my blog, sitting through my trainings, allowing me to walk inside your cubicle for a coaching session, publishing my work and inviting me to speak at sales conferences.  I am a humble student who still has a long way to go and feel priviledged to carry the message forward.

I thank you today! 

My sister likes to chat on skype and a typical chat from her will look like this:

Hey sis

Are u there?

I want to ask you about coming up to the city the weekend of the 3rd, will you be around?

K and J want to come and we want to stay at your house. We can all have dinner together on Saturday night and stay until Sunday- can you hang with us? We want to try that new Japanese restaurant near your place. Maybe at 7:00pm?

What do you have going that weekend? You’ll probably be taking a few classes, how about a bike ride? We could all do a hearty ride together? Sounds, good, we’ll load the bikes up in the car- you’ll have to see J’s new bike? Have you been riding lately? Now that it gets dark early, does your bike have a good light? I’m sure you’ll be up for a ride with us.

Are you there? I’ll try you on your cell and in the meantime, look at your calendar and let me know if this date works.

I use this anology because it reminds me of salespeople who finally get a live call after dialing for hours and getting stuck in voice mail jail. Once they hear a living and breathing voice on the line- this launches them into self-selling utopia.

Have you ever sold from self-selling utopia? It’s a very comfortable, familiar and safe place to sell from. It’s comfortable because you don’t have to risk rejection, it’s familiar because you mostly do all the talking and it’s safe because if anyone is going to reject you, it will come from you first.  This is the way it works:

1. The salesperson engages the prospect with an introduction

2. Salesperson initiates discussion by asking a strong probing question that encourages the prospect to respond

3. The prospect begins to formulate their response but the salesperson interrupts by volunteering the answer and formulating another question and attaches a quick explanation of that question. 

4. The prospect is still attempting to answer the original question before tackling the latest question but gets side-swiped once again with a new question from the salesperson.

5. The prospect begins to shut down in their listening and starts to look for an easy exit.

6. The salesperson misinterprets the silence from the prospect as interest and now begins to push for an appointment.

7. The prospect is mentally exhausted and weakens their stance by accepting an appointment hoping to get the salesperson off the phone.

8. The salesperson confirms the appointment, explains what it will include, provides more information on preparing for the appointment and asks the prospect if they have any questions.

9. The prospect doesn’t even know where to begin with questions and isn’t exactly sure who this salesperson is and what their company does or how the solution can help their organization. They just want to get off the phone and feel warn out with the call.

10. The salesperson puts this appointment on the calendar and adds this prospect on their forecast that exists in self-selling utopia.  

  Last week I coached a very talented salesperson who had just lost his biggest deal of the year to his competition. He worked so hard on it, created the need, educated the prospect, designed a price structure and basically teed up the deal.   His competitor just showed up and grabbed the business at the final hour.

What to do with the competition? CRUSH it. The only way you ever get back is by crushing it. There will be more opportunities that you will win as I believe you can displace your competition by working hard, smart, being professional, and maintaining your sales integrity. You’ll be remembered in the long run.

 In today’s communications mediums such as phone, email, texting, IMing, blogging, and chatting- we are all trying to get our message through in this noisy world. What about whispering? When’s the last time you whispered into someone’s ear? I can only remember a few times as an adult when someone whispered in my ear- I have very real memories of that.  I remember my daughter and I used to tell each other secrets and whisper in each other’s ears. It felt so important and personal.  

 In the sales world, I don’t recommend coming away from a demo and whispering something in your prospect’s ear. Or when you first meet them, instead of shaking their hand, just leaning over and whispering something. Social Networking is a form of whispering as it’s subtle and deeper way of communicating. It’s highly personal too- for example if you are contacting someone within your network and someone comes forward and mentions some shady past business deal, that sticks more than anything. That’s like whispering in someone’s ear.

When prospects are considering your solution, they whisper around to learn more about you and your company. What they learn from friends, peers and colleagues is more than you intended and that will usually influence their decision.

On Saturday night, I felt so distraught with the oil spill that I went to a meeting to learn what I could do to volunteer and help. I listened to angry, disgruntled people rant about wanting to volunteer in the rescue efforts. Since I regularly paddle on the San Francisco Bay, this hit home for me.

So there I sat with a few hundred volunteers feeling angry and extremely frustrated. Our frustration was shared by all as we wanted to help but couldn’t- too many volunteers and no volunteer strategy in place. One woman in the audience said “we want to do something now” and another said “use us, we are here to help.”

As I sat and watched and listened to these heated discussions, I kept thinking about how demotivating it can be to underutilize people and their talents. We all want to make a contribution and help but when the expectations are unclear or the strategy hasn’t been designed, we feel useless, underutilized and plain frustrated. People got up to leave and walked out upset while others tried to sign petitions and others kept complaining.

Meanwhile, we’ve learned that 58,000 gallons spilled in the bay and more than 12,000 have been recovered.  511 oiled birds that have been rescued but 403 have died. A fundraiser has been announced and there’s more information on how to help.

How many times do you get excited about something and run it by someone who responds with “it will never work” or “I have a better idea” or “we’ve tried it before and it never happened?”  It’s like hearing stop, no, turn around.

These responses may come from people who are close to you and know you well such as a good friend, a business associate, your child, significant other, a parent or your boss. It’s not so much what they say but more what you start to believe and how worthless you begin to feel.

Although they may not do it intentionally and believe they are trying to help by claiming their know what is good for you, it’s their efforts that can neutralize yours. I see this happening all the time and yet we surrender our power to this. Why? Because we are comfortable? We believe it?

Wake up that flame inside you and push back when you hear NO by asking why and why not.