The best place to begin is to have some clear understanding of how you would make that decision…

Here is your ACTION STEP... to help you decide which FSBOs you are going to work with, there are four basic criteria they need to meet:
 
1. Is it an area you want to service?
2. Is it a price range that is selling?
3. Critical point: are they motivated to sell?
4. Are they people you want to work with?
 
Be selective… you are the professional. Be sure to do some extra digging with regards to point #3. It’s always prudent to ask them more than the simple Why? question. A good way to  find out more is to ask them… “What’s important to you about making this move?” Also, many FSBOs can be a bit antagonistic or defensive when you first contact them. Don’t let that faze you. At the same time… if they continue to be that way, walk away. You have to feel good about who you are helping. Only work with those people who are realistic, who respect you, and need to sell their home. NO Excuses.

Objection handling in sales often falls into the same scenario. The Prospect presents an objection that in their own mind prevents them from making a buying decision. It is the job of the Salesperson to provide an answer that will benefit the Prospect. Sometimes the objection handler offered does not solve the problem. Sometimes the solution the Salesperson offers is not accepted. Why?… It’s the same as the eyeglasses… it is not the right focus for the Prospect. What the Salesperson offered  did not do the job. Here’s some examples of multiple answers you could use…

Here is your ACTION STEP…sometimes no matter what you say initially will be rejected. This is why every Salesperson needs to have two or three objection handlers for each common objection they receive. Here’s an example of three very effective answers for the same objection:

Objection: “Before you come over, I’d like to know… what’s your commission?”

Response #1. Mr./Mrs. Seller, that’s a great question. Just so you understand, I haven’t even seen your home yet and that’s the first thing we will talk about when I see you tomorrow night at 7 PM. I will cover everything at that time but just so you’re comfortable, I assure you… you will be very satisfied before I ask you sign to the agreement, fair enough?

Response #2. Thank you for asking Mr./Mrs. Seller… while I understand that you need to know the answer to that, at the same time isn’t the most important question… “How much am I going to net on the sale of my property?”

Let’s discuss that tonight and we will factor the commission in… along with everything else we talk about when we create our strategy to get your home sold for top dollar, fair enough?

Response #3. My commission is anywhere from 0 to 7%. What we decide on will be based on how we price your home and what selling strategies we decide to use. I’ll cover all of that when I see you tonight at 7 PM, okay?

(Above responses taken from the “All the Right Words” CD package)

Every Salesperson has their favorite objection handlers. They are usually their favorites because… they work! (the eyeglasses are the right focus for their customer). In case the favorite does not work then you need to have two or three backups (they need different eyeglasses). Just make sure you are prepared with a variety of responses. Remember that an objection is simply a question in the mind of the Customer that remains unanswered. Your job is to answer their question. You will do that by making sure you have more than one response. Don’t end up with all your eyeglasses in a box somewhere. Make sure you have lots of alternatives for your Customers. Help them “see the light”. NO Excuses.

The mind works the same way as the remote (even faster)… if you don’t like the channel you are on, you just change channels. Fast and easy. Salespeople have a remote controller at their beck and call at all times. If you don’t like the channel you are watching (i.e. the Customer or Sales situation), you just push a button on your remote and change the situation. This remote gives you amazing power over your life and your future!

Here is your ACTION STEP… every Salesperson is in complete control of what channel they are watching. You are never a prisoner of the program that is currently showing on the screen. It is your job to make sure that you are not stuck on watching a show you don’t enjoy. You can change the channel any time you want! Use the “remote” you always have available. Here’s some examples:

CHANGE THESE CHANNELS

1. Get rid of those people who don’t respect your time

2. Stop dealing with Customers who are not motivated to buy

3. Stay away from business associates who are negative or abusive

4. Look in the mirror… should you “change the channel” on the image you present?

5. The first part of your day… are you turning your personal TV on soon enough?

6. The Morning Show… are you watching a “productive” channel or just frittering away your time?

7. Is there a workout or exercise program on your TV every day?

8. Mandatory Viewing… find an “asking for business” channel to watch every day

9. Change channels if the “financial advice” channel you are currently watching is not putting money in your bank

The metaphor should be clear by now… you have your own remote and you are not just a spectator. You are in charge of what you are watching on your own personal TV. If you don’t like what you see, use your remote and change the channel. No one else is telling you what to watch. It is 100% up to you. Find a program you like and turn it on. You no longer have to be subjected to those programs that don’t serve you well. Use your remote…use it immediately and use it often! NO Excuses.

I pondered his query for a few moments and then shared my conclusions:

“Andrew, there are not four or five Basic Elements in Sales. There are only 3… CONSISTENCY – SKILLS – SYSTEMS”.

That’s all, only three. Let’s look at them a little more closely:

1. CONSISTENCY is doing the things you need to do on an ongoing basis day after day after day.

– Starting work at the same time with the same attitude, with the same energy level and always looking for business

2. SKILLS is communicating effectively with different Customers in different ways.

– Prequalifying, asking questions, objection handling, making presentations, closing, and asking for referrals

3. SYSTEMS is having a series of repeatable processes in place to ensure optimum efficiency.

– Lead generation, lead follow-up, advertising and marketing, money management, building your skills

The hard part is not identifying these three items, the difficulty comes in mastering what it takes to become Consistent, Skillful, and Systematized. This is where the 90% versus 10% shows up. This is how the best Salespeople (10%) separate themselves from the competition (90%).

Here is your ACTION STEP… the four steps to success using the 3 basics:

1. Initially you must make sure that you are Motivated on a personal level. Do you have clear Personal Goals? That is essential. Also, are they written down? Personal motivation is what is needed to help you through the tough times, the times when things don’t go as smoothly as you had hoped. You draw on this motivation to ensure that on an ongoing basis (Consistency) you do the right things (Skills) in a repeatable fashion (Systems).

2. Consistency… starts with doing the same things every day. The simplest approach is to have a Daily Schedule. Every time you find yourself fighting this approach, you are eroding your consistency. The simplest daily schedule starts with this mantra… “the mornings are for lead generation and the afternoons are for lead servicing”. Consistent Salespeople find a way to make this work and inconsistent Salespeople find excuses to justify why this doesn’t work. It is a choice that the Superstars always make correctly. 90% or 10%?

3. Skills…is a never-ending journey. You never “get there”. By definition, once you stop learning then you start regressing. The key is to be consistent in your skills enhancement. It needs to be part of the daily schedule referenced in point #2 above. Role-playing, practicing your presentation, and developing new material are all parts of this necessary growth. Also, you have to make sure you “keep your ego in check”. That way you will avoid ever thinking that you have nothing more to learn. 90% or 10%?

4. Systems…are what allows you to continually increase your production without increasing the number of hours you work. Systems provide the predictability and the ease of expansion that are so necessary if you are to grow your business and take it to new heights. Every time a new requirement arrives on the horizon, you just plug in your existing system and the big jobs become little jobs. This way you become no different than any large corporation. This way you can adapt to change much more quickly. 90% or 10%?

The irony of looking at the three main basics (C + S + S) is that even though Sales really is this simple and straightforward, only a very few Salespeople do not fall into the trap of cutting corners! The most successful Salespeople understand that there is no shortcut when it comes down to the Basic Elements of Sales. 90% of all Salespeople take the easy road, 10% of all salespeople take the simple road. The “easy road” does not pay nearly as well as the “simple road”. Which highway are you on? Make sure your GPS has you on the 10% road. NO Excuses

Great question! Who’s going to do the tough task? Who is going to tie the bell around his neck? Doesn’t this question come up for you sometimes? In Sales, there is no shortage of great ideas. New methods of prospecting, embracing Social Media, inspirations for marketing and advertising, etc. Often, what to do is not the challenge… taking action is the issue. At some point it all comes down to “tieing the bell around the neck of the that darned cat”.

Here is your ACTION STEP… as a Salesperson, there are certain times in your business that you come to the conclusion that “I’ve just got to do this. It’s time to get on with it.” It’s when reality hits that you get stalled (“Who’s going to bell the cat?”). Example…let’s say the task is the following… Getting my morning under control, looking for some new leads and making a minimum of 10 contacts each day. In other words, “I’d better get prospecting on a consistent basis!” Here’s some suggestions on how you can “bell that particular cat”. Here’s the formula…

IDEA + RESOLVE + A PLAN = DOING IT (I + R + P = D)

1. Make the decision that you need to start prospecting daily (in this case let’s assume it is “active” prospecting – telephone vs. “passive”, meaning e-mail, etc).

2. Decide how many people you are going to  contact (in this case 10 contacts per day). That means you will need approximately 40 phone numbers per day to achieve that result. 40 dials will take you approximately 90 minutes (including the anticipated 10 conversations). You can also include face-to-face contacts.

3. Who are you going to call…what are your options? Call the better opportunities first. Start with past clients, centers of influence and then go down the list of probables (in real estate it would be for sale by owners, expireds, old leads, old expireds, and “just listed/just solds”).

4. Critical Point #1… get the phone numbers ready before you start. There’s lots of sources… your personal database + outside lists (Canada 411.ca, USA 411.com, Telelisting, MOJO, etc.). These lists can be accessed/purchased very economically, often with the “do not call list” indicated.

5. When are you going to do this? Pick a time of day that you can set aside with the fewest possible interruptions. The best time is before the “snakes get out of the box”. A proven suggestion is 9 AM to 11 AM. One thing for sure… the later in the day that you do this, the less chance of being consistent. Put this timeslot in your daytimer for the next 21 – 28 days. (Create the habit)

6. Critical Point #2… know “what you’re going to say” in advance. Have your anticipated “conversations” on the wall in front of you before you start.

7. Get someone to hold you accountable. Stop trying to do this on your own! If it was that simple, you would have done it already.

8. Critical Point #3…  this is where you “bell the cat.” One step at a time, start with telephone call #1… be your word and do exactly what you said you were going to do—on time! Pick up the phone and make the very first call. The first call is always the toughest. Trust me, it gets easier. Give absolutely no thought to doing it the next day. Look after today and tomorrow will be that much more natural.

When you break it down to these 8 steps, it all seems so simple. Your job is to keep it that simple. Don’t complicate things by listening to that voice in the back of your mind that keeps telling you…”This is ridiculous, there must be an easier way”. The easier way is what you’ve been doing up until now. As Dr. Phil would ask… “How’s that been working for you?”. One final tip… get your phone numbers ready the day/night before. That way when 9:00 AM arrives the next day, you will be raring to go! Set yourself free, follow all the above steps and “tie a bell around your own personal cat”. Shortcuts not allowed. That’s for the “mice” that don’t make it. 

NO Excuses.

Comedian Bill Cosby had a great line years ago… “I don’t know the secret to success but I do know that the secret to failure is trying to please everyone!” 

Many Salespeople say they believe that but then agonize over the minority who do not do not like them or reject them. How long do you struggle with this issue when it happens in your business? How long does it take you before you are able to say… NEXT? How quickly do you bounce back?

Here is your ACTION STEP… a big part of being a Commissioned Salesperson is dealing with the rejection that “comes with the territory”. Everybody reacts differently to the disappointment and frustration of things not working out the way they had planned. Here’s some guidelines on dealing with the downside of being in the Sales Business:

Dealing with It…Understand That…

1. If you are not prepared to deal with disappointments/losses on a day-to-day basis, if it eats you up and puts you in a funk everytime… you’re in the wrong business.

2. 80% of the time you can learn from the rejection you receive… “What would I do differently next time? How would I change my presentation? What questions did I neglect to ask?"

3. 20% of the time there is nothing to be learned from the rejection you receive… something was going on with your Prospect that had nothing to do with you. You had no control over the outcome. Pull "an Obama". Just smile and say NEXT!

4. “The higher you climb on the ladder of success, the more people will dislike you. Climb high enough and people might dislike you passionately. Let that be okay”… Darren Hardy, Publisher, Success Magazine

5. If you are not as high on the ladder of success as you want to be, maybe it’s because you are spending too much time worrying about everyone liking you. Get over it, give yourself a free pass.

6. Cut yourself some slack. It’s okay to be wrong sometimes. Commissioned Salespeople are notorious for “beating themselves up”. There is nothing to be gained from self-abuse. All it does is get in the way of you moving forward. NO Excuses on this one.

7. What Affirmations are you using? Everyone has hundreds of self-talk statements that go through their minds every day. Make sure you have some powerful conversations with yourself (I am a great Salesperson! I move past adversity every time. My mindset and my attitude are my biggest assets. I eat rejection for lunch!). Tip: say these out loud – much more powerful.

8. Unrelated yet totally related… make sure you are exercising regularly and eating healthy foods and avoiding sugar. By following a healthy regimen you are arming yourself with the strength needed to deal with periodic unpopularity. It’s going to happen anyway so why not be prepared?

If Barack Obama can live with 49% unpopularity don’t you think you can live with 15% or 20%? Remind yourself today that Bill Cosby is right… it’s a short road to failure if all you’re trying to do is satisfy everyone else’s needs. There is certainly some truth to be found in the  mantra that says… “the more rejection you get, the more success you will have”. To put things in a more humorous note… maybe one of your goals this year should be to become more unpopular! That way you’re going to get a lot more acceptance, right? It all goes back to working on your mental toughness and accepting the reality that Commissioned Sales is both highly rewarding and comes with a price. Pay that price and you win every time. NEXT! NO Excuses

Geoff went on to share a fascinating story with the whole Seminar audience….

“In the radio broadcast business we worked extensively with scripts. It became second nature for everyone to practice their delivery over and over using scripts. It was never questioned, the wisdom of knowing what to say in advance was simply accepted. By taking the thinking out of what to say, we eliminated hesitancy and inconsistent delivery. This was mandatory to be a top-notch radio personality”.

What Geoff then told us was even more intriguing. He went on to say that when he became a Commissioned Salesperson he resisted using scripts.

“I thought it would not be necessary any longer. I felt I had enough experience, that I would know how to communicate effectively. After three months of struggling I surrendered and invested in scripts that would address all the things I was dealing with every day in my new career. Needless to say, everything turned around at that point. My familiarity with using scripts paid off and I was able to convert this material into my own style very quickly. Eureka!… It worked. Funny how I resisted what I knew was the right answer all along.”

Here is your ACTION STEP… there’s not much more to say for this Daily Sales Tip. There is really only one other point to make… knowing what to say is one thing… practicing it is another! Here are some statistics recently distributed by publisher Darren Hardy that show how infrequently most Salespeople take the time to practice their scripts…

Hours Spent Training Vs Hours Spent in Live Performance by Professional Groups

1. NFL Football Player… 15 hours practicing to 1 hour performing

2. PGA Golfer… 9.5 hours practicing to 1 hour performing

3. MLB Baseball Player… 6 hours practicing to 1 hour performing

4. Classical Voice or Instrument Performer… 5.6 hours practicing to 1 hour performing

5. AVERAGE NORTH AMERICAN SALES SPECIALIST… 0.12 hours practicing to 1 hour performing (that works out to roughly 8 minutes!)

Statistic #5 is pretty embarrassing, isn’t it? On the other hand it really does open up the door for some pretty exciting overachievement. Because most Salespeople don’t practice, that leaves a tremendous amount of room for you to stand out! So the message is very clear… take Geoff’s advice and get comfortable using scripts to help you develop What to Say & How to Say It plus be one of those rare Salespeople who actually practicestheir craft every day. NO Excuses

Watch Geoff's White testimonial  HERE and see how "All The Right Words" changed his sales game! 

What happened?!! Simply put, they got Complacent. They “took their foot off the gas” and as a result, the whole team lost momentum. When you lose momentum, it takes a while to get it back. You can’t just turn it on a moment’s notice. Complacency is insidious! In Sales it can creep in very easily and “infect” your results almost immediately. I call this a Sales Transmitted Disease (STD). As the expression goes… “Nothing fails like Success”. This happens when you stop doing what made you successful.

Here is your ACTION STEP… everyone can fall prey to this “disease”. Sales is a very up-and-down business. You have to be very careful that you protect yourself from letting Complacency creep in. It is all around you and the danger is always there. Some suggestions to make sure that you do not get “infected”…

COMPLACENCY BUSTERS

1. Start every day at zero… yesterday is in the past

2. Don’t read your own “press clippings”. Save that for December 31

3. Track your results… have a chart on your office wall indicating how many more “deals to go” to reach your monthly/annual target

4. Follow your routine…what are you supposed to be doing today? What are you supposed to be doing right now? There is nothing in your routine that said… “You are amazing! Why not practice being lazy today?”

5. Consider your BIG Priorities… who in your personal life is depending on you to perform at a high level today?

6. Think back to the last time you had insufficient commission checks coming in… do you really want that to happen ever again?

7. Taking your “foot off the gas” is another form of self sabotage… STOP IT!

8. Keep the mornings under control… don’t let the “snakes get out of the box”… ever! Stay on schedule.

Avoiding Complacency is all about mastering and overcoming the “boredom of repetition”. The skill of doing the same things, the same way, at a consistently high level is not easy… but it is tremendously rewarding! If you focus on point #1 + point #8 above you will never get “infected” again. Resolve to be your word and keep those promises you made for yourself every day. Stamp out Complacency before it gains any power over you. Stay healthy! Play your own personal hockey game” full out every day. No more Sales Transmitted Diseases. NO Excuses

Here is your ACTION STEP… at the start of the year we put together a plan. The goal was to ensure that Jerry won all three “races” that he entered (Hard Wok Derby, Database Stakes, & Daily Routine Stakes). Here was the plan: 

BK’s THOROUGHBRED PLAN

1. Know exactly how many transactions you intend to complete by December 31, know how much money you intend to earn.

2. Identify and quantify the activities required to reach those targets (contacts made, appointments set, listings taken, listings sold, buyer sales).

3. Create a daily and weekly schedule to support the year-end targets using the above activities.

4. Have solid accountability in place to make sure that everything happens as planned.

This skills required to win all three “races” had to constantly be improved on an ongoing basis. Here was the strategy for each of the three races: 

TRIPLE CROWN STRATEGY

1.The Hard Work Derby… all successful Salespeople must work hard. We had a specific weekly schedule in place that made it very clear on two fronts…a) when to work and when not to work & b) what specific tasks were to be performed when working (lead generation, lead follow-up, buyer showings, listing appointments, negotiating offers). We tracked his activity on daily basis. There was no slacking off during work hours… none! Jerry won this race because he worked very hard all year long, on the days he was supposed to work.

2.The Database Stakes… all successful Salespeople must build up a large Database of past clients, centres of influence, and referral sources. Jerry started the year with a list of approximately 125 names. His assignment was to add one name per day from one of two sources…a) clients identified from his new transactions & b) individuals identified from his ongoing prospecting (20 contacts per day). By the end of the year Jerry had over 260 names in his Database. He won this race because he never lost sight of the need to expand this very valuable source of business. I had him track this number on an ongoing basis. Much of his $129,000 increase in Sales came from winning this race!

3.The Daily Routine Stakes…all successful Salespeople must be consistent in the pace they set while running this “race”. Jerry set a solid pace right from the start in January and never let up. Why did he win this race?… Because most of his competitors were not consistent! Too much start/stop/start/stop. This race is the toughest one of all to win… those who figure out how to stay consistent and keep up a steady pace (i.e.: ROUTINE) always end up in the winner’s circle. I made sure that Jerry came to work at the same time every day, started his prospecting at the same time every day, and kept his mornings clear. He learned very quickly that the competition always had an excuse as to why they couldn’t do that. Once Jerry had his routine in place, winning became much easier.

There you have it… the formula for winning the Triple Crown in Sales. Use the same strategy to run those three races and you too will be a Triple Ground Winner!

One final caution… don’t look for shortcuts. You have to stay on the racetrack and run the complete circuit. It basically boils down to 3 things … work hard, build a database, and create a routine of consistency (hence the Triple Crown). It worked for Jerry, it has worked for dozens of other Superstars I have Coached. It will work for you… are you up to the challenge? NO Excuses

THEIR PROBLEM OR YOUR PROBLEM?… how much are you affected by what others tell you that you can or can't accomplish? How do you react when someone says…"No way, you'll never be able to do that"? Sadly enough, too much of what "isn't done" is as a result of someone else's advice! Here's a great quote: Author Sheldon Calhoun shared a terrific insight recently…

"When someone tells you that you can't do something, perhaps you should consider that they are only telling you what they can't do."

Like a lot of wisdom, sometimes the simplest statements have the most meaning. Consider what Sheldon is saying. Their problem doesn't need to be your problem. The corollary of his input is that just because someone else feels they can't do something doesn't mean you can't! Just because something is impossible for them doesn't mean it is impossible for you. History is full of people who accomplished the impossible… the Wright brothers, Neil Armstrong (US Lunar Space Mission), Spencer West (climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with no legs), Michael Phelps (22 Olympic medals), etc.

Here is your ACTION STEP… exceptional Salespeople are doing "impossible" things every day. In this case the definition of "impossible" relates to the degree of difficulty for that particular individual. In other words, what's a tough task for you? The good news is that you don't necessarily have to "go where no man has ever gone before". You just need to follow the path that others have created on their journey for success. This is called "modeling". Here's some examples for Salespeople:

SALES MODELING YOU CAN DUPLICATE

1. Using Social Media as part of your lead generation program

2. Saving 10% of everything you earn

3. Avoiding negative people/situations "like the plague"

4. Changing jobs or careers if it's not working out

5. "Resetting your Thermostat"… creating higher Sales Targets

6. Deciding to follow a schedule no matter what

7. Committing to being one of the 5% who actually learn what to say and how to say it

8. Losing that 20 pounds to give you more energy

9. Following up more aggressively with that hesitant prospect

10. Ignoring the Market and just doing it

Let's go back to Mr. Calhoun's statement. The best way to overachieve it is to do things that most people will not do. The reason they will not do them is because they believe that THEY can't do them. What they can cannot do has nothing to do with you. What you can do has everything to do with what you believe is possible. This all starts with your desire to succeed. It's as simple as following these steps…1.Wanting, 2. Deciding, & 3. Doing (through Modeling). Pick something you want to be different in your life, find someone who is already done it, and just do exactly what they did. There is a post script here… once you have done it, you have the satisfaction of knowing you accomplished something that the non-believers believed you could not do. It's a great feeling! NO Excuses.