“Ban the guns!” is something that we will continue to hear for days/weeks/months/years.

It seems as if these shootings, bursts of violence are becoming more common.  The first inclination is to blame the abundance of guns in this country.   This opinion is not without merit, however I don’t think this is the whole story.

So what gives?

On one side, people will claim that guns don’t kill people, but people kill people.  This is true.  Guns don’t pull themselves out, nor do the triggers move themselves.  People will always be there to aim and shoot.  A gun sitting on a table in my house may very well be scary to me and my family, but it is quite harmless if nobody is there to activate it.  People will also claim that we have the rights to bear arms.  This is true, however I hardly envision our founding fathers looking at our current predicament with anything but puzzlement at how we got here.

On the other side, people will claim that if it weren’t for the abundance of guns, we wouldn’t have the problems that we have today.  The argument is even more effective when you think that lives would be spared if these people who fly off the handle didn’t have access to such a quick and convenient weapon.  Guns are pretty easy to use once you have them, which is why I would never want a gun in my house.  While I don’t agree to a national ban of guns, I do agree with a ban of guns in my house.  Gun ownership takes a large amount of responsibility, and frankly, I don’t want that.

So what is the exact problem here?  Is it the people, or the guns?

When my son was 4 years old, we got a phone call from his nursery school.  We were told that he had bitten a child in his class, and that we would have to pick him up.  We were horrified at the idea that he resorted to biting another child.  Who taught him this?  It was only later, that we found out the reason he had bitten the other child, and it wasn’t because he was hungry.  He had bitten the other child because he had no other way of expressing his anger.  He had a tough time communicating his feelings and the only way he could express himself was through biting another child.  We were told that if we just helped him communicate his feelings, the violent behavior would cease.  Years later, and we are glad to say that our son is no longer munching on his classmates.

In my opinion, Americans have lost our way.  Growing up, I remember fondly that there was an abundance of respect for other people’s opinions.  While we may not agree on things, we were always taught to verbalize or opinions, and when all else fails, move on.  I vividly remember watching politicians in the 70s and 80s who didn’t agree with each other.  While they didn’t agree, they were always civil.  I believe in my heart that we lost our civility towards each other, whether it is in politics, religion, and even in sports.  We just don’t understand how to deal with people on the other side of the fence. 
So, what is the solution? 

1. We must understand that we need to teach conflict resolution better in this country.Whether it is teaching children in the school how to cope with difficulties, or using our legal/police assets in a more constructive manner, things have to change.
2. Our politicians also need to understand that the rhetoric needs to cease.Watching this election cycle through social media tells me that the more polarizing these politicians get, the more crazy people respond.I have seen seemingly normal people go bat-shit crazy on social media due to the fact that they don’t agree with a different political opinion.
3. We need to find a way to limit the availability of guns to the most at risk people.This is the hardest, as only a complete ban on firearms is the most effective way, and there is absolutely no possibility that this could occur.Mental health in this country needs to be a priority.If this means that we spend more money on making sure that the mentally ill members of our society get more care, thus increasing our taxes, I am all for it.
4. We have to realize that unfortunately, these things happen in a free society.With these freedoms come responsibilities.If we do not act responsibly with these freedoms, then we must be punished.
5. The solution to this doesn’t happen overnight, however if we sit and do nothing, things will only get worse.

Dear Michael,

While I know that you are probably not going to believe what I am writing, you need to know something.  I know exactly how you feel.

13 is an incredibly tough age.  Your hormones are raging, your armpits are smelly, your confidence is at an all-time low.  Here is some advice that will hopefully make it through that thick skull of yours.

1. You think you are scared of girls?  They are scared too.  Every move they make, every word they say, everything they do, they scrutinize in their heads.  This is what it means to be a teenager.  You feel awkward…I get it.  We have all been there.  If you really want to impress the girls, be confident.  In my many years of experience, I have come to find out that confidence is the biggest key to success in everything that you do.  You may not know it yet, but the ability to speak with people and look them dead in the eye is going to be your key to success.  I happen to think you are a very smart kid…and other people do as well.  If you don’t feel that self confidence, then fake it until you make it.  That girl that you asked to dance last year at the 6th grade dance?  She said no, not because of you.  She said no, because she was scared too.
2. Be an empathetic person.  When someone tells you about a problem they are having, keep the conversation about them.  Don’t try to relate it to a story about yourself. 
3. On that note, be sure that you are kind to everyone.  You will find in life that some people think they are better than everyone else.  It is important to treat everyone with respect, whether they have a lot, or whether they have a little.  Everyone deserves respect.  You will meet the same people on your way down, as you met on the way up.  Be nice to people.  Oh, and always tip well.
4. Avoid the negativity:  In life, you will find people of all types.  One type, which I have grown accustomed to are the “Negative Nancys”.   These people always want to tell you why things cannot be done.  These people never understand what it takes to achieve something.  They will always find a way to discount someone else’s accomplishments in order to make themselves feel better.  Avoid these people, as they will suck the life out of you.   
5. Study Hard:  While your grades in middle school don’t seem like they will have an effect on your future, I can tell you that your study habits that you exhibit now will.  When you get home from school, finish your homework.  Then you will have time to “futz” around.  Also, don’t get in the habit of waiting to study the day before your test.  It rarely works.
6. Eat healthier and exercise more.  It’s much easier to play with your video games, and watch TV.  It’s much more fun to eat pizza all the time.  Take it from me, you only get one body, and you better prepare it for the marathon of life.
7. Two ears, one mouth:  You were given these for a reason.  Listen twice as much as you speak.  You LOVE to talk, but sometimes you would be better served to keep that trap shut. 
8. Read books.  Read lots of books.  Novels, self-help, business books.  Read autobiographies written by people who rose up to accomplish things.  Find people who inspire you, and then call them on the phone.  Get in the habit of reaching out to these people.  NOBODY is out of reach.  When you get them on the phone, ask them for advice.  Ask them for the keys to their success.  You would be surprised by the answers. 
9. Find your passion, and become an expert.   
10. Don’t sweat the petty stuff, and don’t pet the sweaty stuff.  Today’s strife will be forgotten in a week.  If you dwell too much on the things that go wrong, you will not find success.  Everyone has a very short attention span, and for every mistake you just made, someone else made a bigger one.  Learn from the mistakes and move on.
11. Listen to your parents.  They know what’s right…and while you may think they don’t know what you are going through, they do.  It wasn’t that long ago when they were 13.  They have dozens of years of experience that can help them understand you.
12. Pick up that guitar and really practice.  Chicks dig guitar players.

Signed,
​
46 year old Michael

Recently, I have been re-introduced to a nasty part of sales.

A competitor (in fact, multiple competitors) have resorted to lying to our prospects.   As a professional salesperson, I have always tried to take the high road.  This last time was different.

Setting the Stage:  I get a call from a close friend, who tells me that a competitor of mine sent him an email, which contradicted everything I have told him about what my company does.  I asked him to forward it, and he obliged.

I really couldn't believe what I read.  Lie after lie, I was dumbfounded.  I guess if I saw one or two lies, I could let it slide.  What I saw were multiple lie about my company and the services we provide.  It was almost as if this other salesperson had no idea what we did, but decided to throw everything out there.  He almost had me convinced (not really)

My friend, after reading this said "Some of this must be true, right?".  "All of you salespeople spin things in your favor".

Actually, no.

REAL SALESPEOPLE rely on the truth.  Sure, there are many levels of truth.  For example, I may tell someone that the service we provide cannot be duplicated by another company.  This statement is somewhat true.  Sure, any company can provide the product that you can, but unless you are selling a commodity, each company has a somewhat unique offering.  The company that I work for has an extremely unique product offering.  Being completely honest and forthright with a prospect is my best tactic.  If I lie, the prospect will figure it out eventually.

My response to this email was calculated:  I went through the email, line by line.  Explaining (with evidence, of course) that each line was more incorrect than the last.  I then explained that I would be willing to do a "bakeoff" with the competitor, detailing the differences.

I would love to hear from you, as to how you would handle a situation like this.


How do you respond to your prospects when they report what the competitors are saying about you?


Also, are you now pre-emptive when you walk into meetings, asking what they have heard about your company from the competition?

If you are anything like me, you sometimes hold on to prospects longer than you should.

Here is a great example. There is a guy whom I have been trying to sell my services to for 7 years. I believe in my heart that he is going to buy from me some day. I just am not sure when. Because my company has a 90 day no touch rule, I have been enabled to reach out to him periodically...just to say hello. That way, if and when he buys, I will be the guy he buys from. As long as I reach out to him and mark my territory, another sales rep in my market can not contact him.

HERE'S THE PROBLEM:

1. The guy is not a great prospect.
2. The dollars are low
3. He has given me no indication that he is remotely interested in the product, and
4. He doesn't even return my calls.

So every month, I take time out of my busy schedule in order to mark my territory with Larry and a host of other BOB prospects (Bottom of the Barrel), just to make sure that my cohorts don't contact him.

Is this one off the habits of successful salespeople? Not a chance.

__________________________________________

So at the end of 2014, I had an epiphany.

I went through the process of moving my prospects to one of 3 different categories.

1. KEEP IT: This is the group of prospects whom I believe that will purchase this year. These people / companies should have my services, and given the chance will purchase my services. They have either told me that they are going to buy, or I know in my heart that they will.

Accompanying this list, is a plan of action for each. How am I going to do it. What can I do to make it happen (more planning than "make a phone call"). What is it that they need, and what can I do to fulfill that.

2. MOVE IT: This one is a little tricky. They may very well buy this year, but it will likely not be from you. Does your personality clash with theirs? Is this better sold by someone else in your office? Is it unlikely that you can strike a deal with them?

There are a number of prospects that I have met with in the past who were not impressed with me, and maybe a fresh face could be the difference maker. People buy from people they like...and some people may not like me (I know this is hard to believe...)

You have an opportunity to move it. Ask a cohort in your office if they want to pair up with you on the deal. Ask another salesman if they want to trade an opportunity with you. Chances are, someone in your office has the same situation going on.

3. TRASH IT: This is a tough one. Some people will never buy. Never.

I have prospects who will never buy our product. I would say that I spend way to much time on the liars, than the buyers. These people are the ones who

• always forget about your meeting, and then you wait around for them to show up.
• always cancel the meetings with you because something else came up.
• tell you in the meeting that they will purchase, but go radio silent for months on end.
• always poke insanely ridiculous holes in your product in order to save face.

Put these prospects on your trash list. I may email these people during budget time, but I would rather spend my limited energy on real prospects.

______________________

Every quarter, evaluate your list. Should you move people around? YES. Timing is everything in sales.

What this should do is give you a clear indication of where you should focus your energy for the next quarter.

As always, if you find this post useful, please share it via social media...For more helpful hints, go check out my book at https://www.salesdog.com/the_3_wows.asp or on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N491Z0I/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb

In my many years of selling, I have come to one realization. Not everyone is going to buy from me.

I always heard the adage "That guy doesn't take 'No' for an answer". I always thought that this was the way salesmen should act. Taking a "no" means you are giving up, right?

Wrong.

Taking "no" for an answer and doing nothing with it IS GIVING UP.

Taking a "no", and finding out "why" is your best chance of success in the future.  Not every one who I present to is going to buy from me today. The truth is that there are many reasons why someone is not going to purchase my product or service...and that should be OK with me. I have found, however, that most of my long lasting clients said no to me initially. Working through that and working on a long term strategy has been the key to my successes. Today's "no" is not necessarily tomorrow's "no".

Let's back up.

Five things are generally needed for me to make the sale.

1. Money: The prospect has to be able to afford my product. If there is no money, there is no sale (or what will turn into a failed sale). For example, a man who is thirsty in the desert cannot possibly buy your water if he has no gold. Even if the need is immense, no money, no purchase.
2. Need: The prospect should have some sort of pain, and a need to change that. For example, if your prospect has no need to improve their process, there is a low likelihood for them to stray from the status quo, especially if it costs them money.
3. Solution: My product / service has to fulfill that need. Preferably better than anyone else. For example, if your prospect needs a tool to help them complete payroll, then a CRM solution doesn't really cut it, even if it can do a little bit of the payroll.
4. Timing: Timing is key. Timing assumes that all the planets are aligned, the resources are in place, and the solution can be used sufficiently. For example, if property tax appeals are performed in the spring, you probably won't get a signed contract in the summer for a property tax solution.
5. Decision Maker: Finding the person who can make the decision is a no brainer, right? Often times, I see salespeople talking to the wrong person. In fact, when I ask salespeople why a prospect said no, a common response is that the person ran it by their boss and was given the "Heisman". If your prospect doesn't have the ability to say "yes", then you shouldn't accept a "no"

So when someone says no to me, am I happy? Do I give up?

Not a chance.

When someone says no to me, I ask a couple of questions.

• "When I was showing you the product, we both agreed that it would help you with the payroll issues that you are having. Can I ask what changed?"
• "I understand that you decided to go with XYZ Company. Can I ask what led to that final determination?"
• "I was pretty confident that we would be doing business with you. is there anything that I could have done different?"
• "It seems like the timing isn't right for us to work together. I still haven't given up on you. When should I follow up with you so that we can be a possibility for the next budget cycle?"
• "My product isn't for everybody...I get that. Is there anything that I can discuss with my management that would help us win your business in the future?"

SO HERE IS THE KICKER:

It is the end of the year. In 2014, you got your share of "No's". December is a good time for your prospects to re-evaluate the way they do business.

Before you walk out the door on Friday, place a call into all of your 2014 prospects. Ask them this very important question.

"I am going through my notes on my meetings from 2014, and was wondering why you made the decision to not move forward with us, and is there hope for us doing business in 2015?"

For more helpful tips on sales, check out my book at http://www.salesdog.com/the_3_wows.asp

As some of you know, I am a pretty big college football nut.  

I enjoy the rivalries, and I enjoy the enthusiasm that players, fans and alumni have for their teams.

This morning, I read that Nebraska fired their pretty successful coach Bo Pelini (that really is him with the cat above).  Bo had a 67-27 record...which would seem like a pretty good one in college, right?

So when I heard the news, I wondered why an athletic director would make this decision...even after a season where Nebraska boasted a 9-3 record, and just beating one of their rivals Iowa on Friday.  Ndamukong Suh, a famous football player for the Detroit Lions, who was coached by Pelini was puzzled by the firing of a guy who seems to be doing a good job.

Isn't this the kind of success we strive for? 

And then I read this quote. Shawn Eichorst, in his second year as AD at Nebraska,  recognized that, if Nebraska expects to reach its desired position in the Big Ten and beyond, it's not about beating Iowa (a middle of the road football program).  It's about being above the rest of the teams in their division, conference and even the country.  

So this is what I take from this.  

EVEN THOUGH, Bo Pelini has provided the University of Nebraska 9-10 wins per season on a consistent basis

EVEN THOUGH, Bo Pelini has taken Nebraska to bowl games more times than most

EVEN THOUGH, Bo Pelini has beaten Iowa again:

IT WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH.

Shawn Eichorst made the brave decision to move past good in search for great.  He decided that Nebraska fans and his department were not going to settle for a good team.  He wants great.  He wants better than good.  He expects it.

So how does this relate to sales?

Easy.  Many salespeople are good.  You probably know some good ones.  Why be content with what some would consider good.  Strive for better.  Strive for more than just selling more than most.  Strive for the pinnacle of your profession.

December is upon us, and it is up to you to come up with a plan to not only beat Iowa, but to beat everyone else in 2015.  In the coming weeks, I will post articles on writing your 2015 sales business plan.

Start doing some research and get working on your plan to not only do well in 2015, but to kick 2015's butt.  Channel your inner Shawn Eichorst, and take yourself from "Good to Awesome".

As some of you know, I am a BIG proponent of what is happening here in Detroit.

Detroit has been the butt of jokes for years, but honestly, I find no reason to raise my kids anywhere else...

This video has all the excitement the I see on a daily basis here...AND ONE OF MY BASIC RULES is that you should always be excited about your product.

Please share....

Last week, I had a philosophical conversation regarding activity that leads to sales.

I was told that the more sales activity that you have, the more deals that will close.   There is no doubt that more activity leads to more sales...but that activity has to be meaningful and productive.  "Checking the Box" is another term for doing an activity only for the sake of doing the activity, not because we think it will lead to sales success.  Meeting with a prospect who doesn't have the likelihood of buying your product just so you can say you had a meeting is a great example.  

We can't just "check the box" to sales success.

A couple of months ago, I posted to my blog about which metrics should matter....Click here or scroll down to find that blog post.

So what is the deal with the gears?  

Simple.  In order to increase your sales, you either need to meet with more people OR YOU MUST CHANGE YOUR CLOSE RATIO.

Easy to say, but hard to do.  Aside from meeting with the right people, here are some other ways you can change that ratio in your favor.

1. Ask relevant questions:  I know a lot of salespeople who "show up and throw up".  In our company, we have had sales trainers who have emphasized going into meetings with a script.  While having a script and a talk track is important, it is even more important to ask questions and modify your pitch based on the answers to those questions.  
2. Take great notes:  During your meeting, be sure to write down key comments and buying signals.  You should have a great list at the end of the meeting detailing exactly what your prospect's pain, needs, and how your product/service fits.  When you have your follow up conversation, discuss those points.
3. Ask for the business:  This one always baffles me.  In the quest to not get the dreaded "No", salespeople won't ask for the "Yes".  Have you ever found yourself skating around the question, and settling for a non commitment?  Channel your inner New Yorker, and ask for the business.

For more helpful sales tips and tricks, check out my book