Yesterday was National Cookie Day, at least according to the guy outside the restaurant where I was eating. His job that afternoon was to let everyone know it was National Cookie Day and that they could get a “free” cookie inside.

I had one of the cookies, actually two. They were good, very good.  But they weren’t free.  You had to go inside to get one. Therefore, the “cost” of a cookie was to deviate from your destination for 30 seconds and go inside the restaurant.  That’s a low cost, but it isn’t free. I saw a number of people say no. They didn’t think the cookie was worth the cost of deviating.

Nothing is free. Things can be cheap. A 30 second deviation from your destination is pretty cheap for a warm chocolate chip cookie. But, it’s not “free.”

When we say “free”, what we are really saying is it doesn’t cost money. We’re saying you don’t have to pay in dollars and cents. When we advertise “free” we’re saying we’ll take something else in exchange of money.

When we don’t ask for money, we’re asking for something else? It’s usually; time, attention, or information (name, email, phone, etc)

These things don’t lack value. Ask anyone what their time is worth and many will tell you it’s more valuable than money.

Free isn’t free. It never is. When you say “free,” be clear about what your asking and  make sure what your giving is worth what your taking.

I’ve seen it over and over. The best sales people know EXACTLY what matters and the spend their time working on those things. They ignore the rest

The best sales leaders help sales people focus on what matters. They take the rest off their plate.

Selling is complex. A lot of things compete for our time. Knowing what matters is the difference between the good and the great.

Know what things matter and work really hard on them, ignore the rest.

That’s all!

Despite my fondness of “good” sales training, sales training operates from an interesting premise. The premise; sales people need to learn something NEW and that good sales training teaches us something we didn’t know.  I call teaching us something new, sales education, not sales training.

Training is the strengthening of our existing skills. Training is the work we do to keep existing skills sharp. In sports, training is the weightlifting, running, core strengthening, diet, film study, and the PRACTICE we do everyday to stay sharp. Training is much more than adding a slider to your pitches, learning the cross-over dribble, learning a new swim stroke, a new defense, a new batting stance, a new way to cover a receiver, etc. Training is more than learning something new. It’s getting better at what we are already good at.

Sales training lacks actual training. Traditional sales training focuses on teaching us new things not honing our existing skills. That’s probably why 87% of the information sales people acquire during training is forgotten within 30 days.

Most sales training is focused on developing new skills.  Each sales training delivering the “new and greatest” next thing. This is good once in a while, but sales needs more than that.

What sales people need is a way to hone what they are already doing. A way to stay sharp. A way to stay on top of their game.

For me it’s reading. The more I read about the industry I’m working with the sharper I am. The more I read about finance, business, psychology, the web, social selling and more, the better sales person and sales leader I am.  I can’t figure out why, but It’s a fact in my world — reading is my training.

I’m not convinced traditional sales training can actually train sales people. Traditional sales training is more like an education. It’s like adding the new pitch to your repertoire or learning to cross over dibble.  The training sales people need everyday, the training that keeps them sharp is personal. It has to focus on making them better at what they already do.  It has to be created by the sales rep. It has to fit their strengths, their weaknesses, their style and their needs.

I’m a fan of traditional sales training. I love learning new things. However, in most cases, sales people don’t need to be educated in new things, they need to do what they are doing now, better.

How do you stay sharp?  How do you “train” everyday?  If you don’t have a training regiment, you should.

Train like athlete, it’s half the battle.

My newest one, Twitter For Sales is up now too.

My goal with the ebooks and the other content in A Sales Guy U is to give you an edge in making quota. Think of it as free training and or sales education.

The books are easy to read, targeted AND will help you make your number, isn’t that why were here.

Check it out. I’ll be adding more regularly.

Enjoy!

“Why?” and “Who?” have books named after them. They are getting some pretty good airtime.

“Where?” certainly gets it’s time in the spot light. Everyone loves “where?”. Where do you want to meet? Where is the party? Where are we going to do this? “Where?” is loved.

“How?” on the other hand is treated like the red-headed step child. I don’t think we like “how?” very much. “How?” isn’t asked as often. “How?” doesn’t get much board room play. “How?” seems to always be left for later.

“How?” should get more play. “How?” holds us accountable. “How?” is an ACTION word.  Without “how?” nothing gets done.

• How are you going to do that?
• How are going to find the new employee?
• How are you going to implement the new sales process?
• How are you going to save for your dream trip?
• How are you going to find your next customer?
• How are you going to build the pipeline?
• How are you going to build a good marriage?
• How are you going to raise your kids?
• How are you going to get that house on the beach you’ve always wanted?
• How are you going to grow revenue by 20%?
• How are you going to make quota this month?
• How are you going to lose weight?
• How . . .

“How?” is that nagging little word that get’s everything going.  Maybe, that’s why we don’t use it as much as the others. Because, once we do, we actually have to do something. Hmmm!

To be good at sales, we have to be emotional. We have to feel our customers pain. We have to feel their anxiety. We have to feel their fear. We have to feel their confusion. We have to feel their anger. We have to feel their frustration. We have to feel their excitement. We have to feel their confidence. We have to feel their relief. We have to feel their comfort. We have to feel their joy. In sales we have to feel what our customers feel.

I’m talking about more than empathy.

I’m talking about full blown, in the gut, emotional connection. You have to jump in celebration when they jump in celebration. You have to lie awake in bed fearful of losing a big customer, as they are lying in bed awake afraid too. You have to cry when they cry. You have to get fucking pissed, when they are fucking pissed. I’m talking about you, being completely, utterly, emotionally connected to your customer and their world.

When we truly feel what our customers feel, then and only then can we be the best sales person we can be.

Be emotional damn it!

Knowing how hard it is to sell and the perception challenge sales people face, I thought I’d write a letter to our prospects on behalf of all sales people, in hopes it might change a few minds and soften the stance of our prospects.

Dear Prospect,

I know you are super busy. I know you don’t have enough time in your day to get the things done that you need to get done, never mind talk to me; a stranger you’ve never met who’s asking you to give up even more of your time. The truth of the matter is, I want to help you. I want to make your life easier. I want to give you some time back. I want to improve your business. I want to make you more competitive, help you grow and create a better work environment for everyone. I believe I can accomplish this and it’s the only reason I continue to bother you.

I know I look like a pest. I call and email you once or twice a week asking for a few minutes of your time. Please understand, it’s my job. Just as it is the job of the sales people at your company. They too are calling their prospects asking the same. But know, despite my pestering, I believe I can really help you and all I’m asking is for an opportunity to prove it.

Here is my promise. If you give me a few minutes of your time, I promise to come prepared. I promise not to ask silly, time wasting questions. I will have done my homework and understand your business. I will be focused on your goals not mine. I promise I won’t pitch. I promise I won’t bore you with my companies history, number of employees we have and how long we’ve been on some list. I understand, it’s not about me, it’s about you.

If you are willing to fill in the blanks and share the information about your business I can’t get on my own, I promise to listen. I promise to apply the information you share to a solution that makes your world better. I promise that if my product or solution isn’t a fit, I’ll tell you quickly and move on. I won’t waste your time by pushing a solution that doesn’t bring value. If there is a fit, I promise to do the work and show you. I promise to bring valuable, unique, relevant information to the table that will help you get the most our of our engagement. I commit to teaching you and your organization how to improve your business and what is available to you to meet your goals.

I get it. Introducing a new solution or product creates change. It creates more work. I will do everything I can to minimize the impact of change. I’m not going to create more work for you.

Let me say it again.  I know I appear to be a pest. But, I honestly believe I can help you. I’ve done my homework. I’m focused on your business goals and objectives. I will help you educate others in your organization. I will prepare you to address the naysayers. I will make sure my solution can be easily measured. I want you to see the value. If I can’t bring value, if my assumptions are wrong, I will quickly move on and give you your precious time back. I’m not here to waste your time, I promise.

So what do you say? Have I convinced you?

Great, then let’s get down to the business of making your business better.

See you tomorrow!

Thanks

Your Sales Rep

Selling is tough on the ego. It gives your self-esteem a pounding. Almost everyday sales begs you to quit. It calls you a wimp and dares you to throw in the towel; many people do.

Most sales people don’t throw in the towel however. They take the pounding and yet have this amazing ability to get back on their feet and get back in the fight. Sales people learn not to take everything personally. They’ve learned that failure is part of the game. They accept the fact that some people just aren’t going to like them and there is nothing they can do about it. Sales people know that selling is NOT an easy game and they love it.

Sales isn’t easy and the best sales people wouldn’t want it any other way, pounding and all.

I chose to start writing this blog 3 years ago. It started A Sales Guy Consulting. I chose to move to Vail from Boston for one season in 1989, and then chose to stay in Colorado. I chose not to got back to Boston. I met my wife in Colorado. I chose to marry Ellen and not any of the other woman. I chose to have 3 kids. ( I didn’t choose to have 3 girls. I wouldn’t choose to change that.) I chose to go back to school after being out for 15 years. I chose not to snowboard. I chose to become a ski instructor. I chose to get my level 1 and level 2 PSIA certifications. I chose to buy a used car instead of a new one. I chose the amount of money in my savings account and I chose to spend what isn’t. I choose to read a book a month. I choose to read only non-fiction. I chose not to go to Chicago this weekend for what I know was a great event with a number of great sales bloggers. (That may have been a bad choice. ) I chose to get up today at 6:00 a.m.  I chose to do this post today, rather than an another one I had in mind. All of these choices have been mine and have framed my life and will continue to frame it. I can’t change that. It’s done. The decisions I make today and tomorrow, just like the decisions above, will shape my life even more.

Everyday we make choices, it’s how life is designed. We can not move through life without choosing. Life is peculiar in that way. From the moment we wake up we construct our day, choice by choice, like masons laying bricks. Each choice setting the foundation for what happens next. Many of our choices seem insignificant and require little thought, but still shape our life.

Our choices bring us closer to some people, and move us further away form others. They get us closer to the things we want and take us further away from those very things. Our choices can be both conscience as well as beneath our awareness. Yet, they are still our choices.  The key is to be as aware as possible of our choices. It’s to know why we are making the choices we do and what we expect to get from them. It’s to be honest with ourselves in assessing the choices we’ve made to date and those we will make tomorrow.

When we are aware of our choices we make more deliberate choices. Deliberate choices fit well into the structure of our life. They get us closer to where we want to go. Making choices without awareness is like rolling the dice, some end up being good for us, others, not so much.

When we are honest with our choices, we can measure them for success. Honesty holds us accountable for our choices. Yes, it was a good choice. No, it wasn’t a good choice. Yes, it was a conscience choice. No, it wasn’t a conscience choice. Yes, I should make that choice again. No, I don’t want to choose that path again.

Life has been given to us to design one choice at a time. We will make billions of choices in our life. Choosing is unavoidable. Being aware of our choices moves us in the right direction. Being honest with our choices, keeps us from moving straying off course.

What time did you get up today? Did you spend time with the kids and your spouse. Did you clean the house? Did you play words with friends. Did you work on Sunday? Did you buy those new shoes? Did you save an extra hundred dollars this month? Did you start blogging? Did you read a new sales book? Did you make an extra 50 calls? Did you go to the gym? What choices do you make? What choices are you going to make today?  Are you going to be aware of them? Are you going to be honest about them?

Our choices are very different when awareness and honesty are added. How do you choose?

That’s a great question.  How much we pay is determined by how much value we place on something.

This is my take on value:

Value is measured NOT by how badly you want it, but by what you are willing to give up for it.

The more value we place on something, the more we’ll give up for it.

The problem with value is everyone sees it different. What I value in something may not be what YOU value. This is the challenge for sales people.

Anthony Iannarino, over at The Sales Blog, had a great post yesterday about value creation.  He is spot on. Creating value is a powerful differentiator and at the core to growing revenue.

What makes selling value so hard for sales people?  Knowing what each unique prospect values most. In Anthony’s post, he talks about the value he received by taking a Town Car from the airport.  A comfy ride, a newspaper, and a bottle of water is what Anthony values, but is it what you value? Is it what the woman’s who was sitting next to Anthony on the plane values? Is it what my grandfather would have valued?  (That I can tell you would have been a resounding NO!) It’s hard to know what people value in a product.

We all value things differently.  The same product can have five different value propositions for five different customers. Knowing which to lead with is where the sale lives.

Creating value is important. Knowing what your customers value however, is how you make the sale.