You're Going To Be Great At This!

This is the time of the year when I go through my calendar and look through my appointments (as well as other activities like networking events, luncheons, etc) to see how efficient I was. This information also gives me insight on places to improve my work. While I use Google calendar to remind me of appointments, I still use an old-fashioned "week at a glance" paper calendar as well. For some reason, writing things down makes them stick in my brain better. And when I review my year I can just pull out the book and see each appointment. One of the advantages of using an appointment book is that when I'm done with a client, I can make quick notes. For instance, if they gave me a referral or two, I jot that down. Or I may note that a client needs to be put on the back burner for a while. Whatever. Just document what happened while it's fresh in your brain. A few years back I worked with a large life insurance company that encouraged us to treat clients to meals.

So we've learned to find a need for a problem. And if  we don't have a problem we can actually create one and the need for the solution. (See previous post on those crazy coat hangers!)  Now that we've created a need, we need to take care of the second step of this process - Create a sense of urgency! Here's the predicament we have in sales . We have a product, which is some sort of a solution to a problem the client is having. The client acknowledges that there is a problem and, yes, they should fix it. But not right now. Maybe later. Call me in six months. You put them in your tickler file because you don't want to come across as high-pressure or pushy. When you check on them in a few months they give you some lame excuse and still not taking action. What happened? Have you wasted your time dealing with a prospect who isn't going to buy? Probably. When I have a long drawn out sale that never goes anywhere I do I a quick "autopsy" on my work. It

If you need something, you typically go to the store and buy it. If you don't have a ride to work you can purchase a car. But what if you didn't need a car? Or better yet, what if you don't feel like you'll ever need one? How would car manufacturers ever make money if people just didn't feel like buying cars? The answer to this dilemma is that you need to create a need for your product or service. Have you ever watched a commercial on TV for one of those cheesy mail order products? "Oh, the hassles of wire hangers!" you hear the announcer say while you watch a grown man wrestle with 57 coat hangers as if he's never seen one in his life. "Never deal with that headache again!" Honestly, I didn't realize that people had problems hanging up their clothes, but come to think of it, it is a problem after all. What happened? Someone created a need to solve a problem that never really existed. And now you need to order this product or you&

Tis the season and for some of us it can be good or bad. In my industry (life insurance and employee benefits), it can be a very slow time of the year. People have their priorities in other places, like buying gifts for people they don't like. Yet for a many in sales, it can be the time of year when they make bank. When I worked retail many moons ago, the holiday season was busy and that translated to my bonus, which came just in time to do my own personal shopping. Car lots do well as they have their "year end" sales events. And if you're in real estate, selling can still be worthwhile. As Rachel Frentsos says in her blog , "While spring and summer are considered the 'peak seasons' for real estate, many buyers are still shopping this time of year. There are several advantages to keep in mind if you're thinking about buying or selling this season - especially the benefit of less competition." And that's a great point! Many of your c