I am procrastinating and looking for every excuse not to do what I need to do. It’s amazing the projects one starts when we are avoding what what is in front of us.

Tony Robbins continues to be one of my favorite motiational speakers and his video at the TED conference last year is very inspiring. He doesn’t call himself a motivational speaker but instead refers to himself as the Why Guy- trying to understand what really drives you. What drives a salesperson to sabotage their success while another blows their numbers out? Why are some salespeople very happy coming in at 90% of their quota while some are hitting their accerlators. And I assure you it’s not just because they have a happening territory.

Last month I wrote about Rediscovering Your Insight Sales Self- which relates to this. In the many years of coaching and observing thousands of inside salespeople and listening to their self-talk, I believe it boils down to the decision they make to either do something or not. They must have this type of insight to understand why they hold back from achieving their goals.

Although there are a few days left to the month, there is still time to make something happen. How motivated are you to go out there and grab more business before your competitor steals it away? Check out this great video.

Have you ever worked in a transition job? It’s like the pit-stop job on your way to something bigger. You never have to question if you are in the right job especially since you signed up for something you knew would be temporary. And usually it’s because you just needed money or new experience- ah… the short-term commitments are usually the best. 

It was about 20 years ago, I worked for this company selling advertising and I was among 6 inside sales people hammering the phones all day. Since I knew how to sell by phone, I got the job on the spot and started the next afternoon. I was in my last trimester of my pregnancy and just needed a no-brainer job to keep me from buying baby clothes and eating hot-dogs.

One Monday morning, the owner ran into the office holding this large notebook and was so hyped from his recent training. He had just attended Art Sobczak’s Telesales College.  He was so excited about what he learned and promised to train us all on the new skills. So everyday during lunch, we were forced to sit around a table while the owner turned trainer extraordinaire and played one of CD programs.  I was skeptical and so annoyed- afteral, what could I possibly learn about selling by phone? I had done it since high school and knew all you had to do was pick up the phone and call people.

After a few days of sitting around the round table, I stopped and noticed how someone could actually create a business teaching people how to sell by phone and calling his company Business by Phone. For the next few weeks, we all sat during lunch listening to audios of the program and analyzing our calls. We started enjoying our sessions and started recording our calls and listening to them.  This was the first time someone put a microscope to what we did and really understood the unique science of selling by phone.

A few years later when I was considering launching a business, I thought of my knowledge base and was inspired by what Art had created. He was the pioneer in this field, a mentor to many and a smart businessman. Once I launched TeleSmart I realized if it wasn’t for Art trail blazing, companies like mine would not have anyone to follow.

This month, Art is celebrating his 25 years - congrats!!!! He is sharing the fun and sharing his generous offers on his extensive product line.  His books are easy to read, his CD program is inspirational and his mem-cards are fun. Check out his funny video and add some to your telesales library.

What can one do in 4 minutes? That seems to be the magic request these days for a demo, presentation, sound byte, first impression, song, rant, words of love, saving the world or even eating an entire meal. As statistics continue to prove that fewer meetings are being granted for field and inside sales teams and even demo and webinar requests are being denied when asking for 60 minutes. It’s actually a negative request- to ask 60 minutes of one’s time.

I’m excited about a new product out there called GoldMail - it’s the latest in messaging.  These guys have it going on. It’s super easy, you can create, deliver and track high-impact messages using PowerPoint, text and voiceover. I’ve been feeling my eblasts are getting stale, the response rate isn’t where it should be and everyone’s inbox has too much content in there. This is the next step from content as it includes sound and fun visuals.  I tried recording it and I wanted to get it to 2 minutes but it’s about 4 minutes. It’s my first pass at this.

That brings me back to the 4 minute rule- and how much can really be accomplished in 4 minutes. I’m giving you a choice: You can either listen to my GoldMail 4-minute compelling introduction and overview or to Madonna and Timberlake’s video titled “4 Minutes.”

I had this brilliant realization yesterday when talking with my sister who was struggling with some college financial forms she had to fill out.  

“I don’t do forms, I hire someone for that.” I said.

I have a hard time commiting any numbers to a box. Words, numbers, money, anything.  That’s probably why I stay clear from crossword puzzles- because they require I drop a letter into a box- equally as regimented for me.

 When salespeople forecast their numbers, it requires they walk a thin line between accuracy and hope. Here are some typical forecasting blunders sales reps make. Do any of these forecasting characteristics sound familiar?

1. Lowdown- The salesperson sets their sights low and seems satisfied with underperformance.

2. Overly Ambitious- Salesperson wants to keep reaching higher but tends to be unrealistic with their numbers.

3. Shy Sandbagger- They don’t share their strategy until the end- then they seem to pull in the deal when least expected.

4. Unpredictable- They lack focus and work on many opportunities at once; they are difficult to predict.

5. Bingo- They are consistent each month and you can count on their numbers.

Every year I join my good friends Ann and Alan at the San Francisco International Film Festival. This year the list of movies looks very promising. I can never keep up with Ann and Alan- they are true movie buffs. They watch over 100 movies- not on NetFlix but they actually go to the movie theatre.  And we wait impatiently for Ann to publish her Movie Picks each year- she assembles a high quality list that includes Comedy, Drama, Foreign, Documentary and Thriller.

I don’t go to as many movies because I’m usually busy choreographing a movie in my mind about something.  We all have a movie playing, don’t we.  I would compare this to making assumptions as this is our way of creating something in our mind. I believe assumptions get us into trouble. Assumptions are something we think or believe or assume will happen. Remember assumptions are not fact based, they are what we want to believe.  I have lost friendships because of my assumptions and have felt betrayed, disappointed and angry all because I assumed something that wasn’t. Someone said one thing and I believed it was something more. A promise that was made was only a promise but I assumed it would lead to something else and didn’t.

In sales we assume a lot. We stop listening too fast and move into assumptive mode. Our manager invites us to assume by asking questions such as, “if this deal were to close this month, how much would you forecast it?” We have a great conversation with a prospect who really likes your product/service and explains how perfect it is for them right now and we assume they will buy. This happens a lot more than you realize.

Check things out before the movie starts running in your mind. Spend more time on the moment and less time on what it could be or what it was.

 I was in Amsterdam last week for the 6th time and I got hit by a bike. It’s okay, the person I was walking with was very casual about it and said that you really haven’t truly traveled to Amsterdam until you’ve been hit by a bike. Bikes are everywhere, one is surrounded by cyclists speeding in every direction. Everyone rides these old worn out bikes. Nicely dressed women in skirts and boots ride their bikes. Men in suits on cell phones ride their bike. Children sitting in handlebars or the back seat ride with their mom. Parked bikes are everywhere and it looks so normal. I don’t think any look tempting enough to steel and how would one begin to decide which to steel.

This time I stayed at the Lloyd Hotel- this hotel used to be a Juvenile Penitentiary years ago. My room felt a step above a cell room, it was creepy. The oddest thing was the bathtub. It took up the entire room. No desk, closet, chair but one huge bathtub big enough to fit a family of four.  

I had a fantastic train the trainer session with Cisco who selected TeleSmart as their new hire sales training program. They will offer their global inside sales team members and inside sales channel teams Tools, Technology and TeleSmart for the 10 days of new hire. So last week I spent time certifying the global trainers. What a talented group, they were an absolute pleasure.

When Saturday arrived, I couldn’t wait to get back home. I had started packing days before because I wanted to make a quick exit out of the Lloyd Hotel and never come back. The red room with the tub would become a distant memory.

Wait, is that Robert Scoble walking out the same front door as me. Robert is one of the biggest blog gurus out there and now he is with Fast Company TV interviewing the coolest people.  I also like reading his wife’s blog, Maryam Scoble. We shared a taxi to the airport and talked- it was most excellent. Thanks Lloyd Hotel!