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.

 At holiday gatherings, I like standing under the mistletoe and waiting for a kiss. This simple ritual warms everyone’s hearts and brings romance in the air.

In sales, when we search for low-hanging fruit, it can seem like standing under the mistletoe. It is passive, we get a good feeling and we spend too much time waiting. There is nothing wrong with looking to sell low-hanging fruit but the problem is that nothing in sales is always that easy.

Closing a sale requires more skill than ever before. A salesperson must work and develop the opportunity, qualify it over and over and over and carefully listen for impact of not having the solution. They must present the solution based on the needs they identified and identify a compelling event to move the sale along. They must also become a resource for their prospect, an conduit for information and a champion in helping their prospect sell the solution internally. And when the sale actually closes, it’s a combination of luck, tenacity, motivation and very hard work.

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.

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.

I’ve been thinking of taking a workshop this weekend, the price is right, I have the time, I know it will be good. So what am I waiting for?  

Honestly, I’m waiting until it sells out and I can negotiate my way in. That’s right, no matter how many more choices are made available for us, we make our purchase decisions out of emotional reasons. Sure there is the fear and risk factor but there is also the prestige and competitive factor. I like this photo because it advertises condos that are sold versus the ones which are still left unsold. Will the few remaining ones sell faster?

Compelling events is what we need to talk about more often with our prospects. What is driving them to look at your solution? What if they don’t buy now? What will happen? Who will suffer? What problem will they have to address? Going, going, gone.

It’s been 18 months and 388 blog posts since I first ventured into the blogsphere. Today, my writing life is full and my blog is my business partner, my confidante, my inspiration and my mirror. 

Why do I blog? Mainly because I love to write and communicate my thoughts, ideas and values to the world.  I like to get up close and personal with inside sales people as well as field sales, service and support teams.

Sometimes I think I’m moving very slow on a highway that is racing. Other times, I feel I’m speeding in a 25 miles per hour zone. Today I am going at exactly the right pace.

I want to dedicate this blog posting to YOU. Thanks for stopping by and reading a post or two, thanks for the time you take to read and comment, thanks for your kind words of support and most of all, thanks for being my inspiration. 

I have compiled my top 50 list of favorite blog post- here is the best of the Life in the Telebusiness Blog:

1. Setting Appointments.

2.  Get More Live Voices

3. Change up your messaging

4. Oops, when you realize you’re in the wrong place

5. When someone goes radio silent on you

6. 5 ways to set your non-negotiable time

7. The Dynamic Duo

8. Keep in shape

9. Clues we lose

10. Telestressed?

11. 8 reasons to test your phone courage

12. Email rejections

13. Changes lead to uncertainty of power

14. Listening for red flags

15. Are any No-Po’s lingering in your forecast?

16. Learning your No-Po lacks power before they do

17. Betrayed by No-Po’s?

18. I just have one more question

19. When a No-Po has to protect their turf

20. Winning coaching qualities

21. Are you avoiding being coached?

22. Sales intuition

23. The cancelled sales appointment

24. Is voice mail in or out?

25. Key words and phrases that lack influence

26. Trend talk

27. Sales training is like going into rehab

28. The first few times it’s tough and then it gets easier

29. Are salespeople happy?

30. Notes on motivation

31. Mr. Unavailable is a No-Po

32. Sales yoga

33. Tuesday conversation with a No-Po

34. You finally get the appointment, now what?

35. Let’s talk about trust

36. Different messages= different titles

37. End of quarter sales stats

38. Watch out- it’s the No-Po entourage

39. You sound busy so I’ll let you go

40. 10 tactics for engaging a gate-keeper

41. Looking for motivation in all the wrong places

42. Unavailable power

43. When was the last time you…..

44. Sales 2.0 prospecting

45. Opt-out of desperate discounting

46. The 3 C’s of social networking

47. Sales 2.0; A Report from the front lines

48. Top 7 responses impatient salespeople hate to hear

49. What’s on your wish list?

50. Why do we can people who have no power?

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.

Jeffrey Gitomer is a prolific sales guru and in this YouTube video he asks the question: Why do customers buy from you? Is it because they like you? They believe you? They trust you? or they have confidence in you? Check out this video for the answer.