- Part 2-

By Bill Blades William Blades, LLC Gold Canyon, Az.

accounts that merit an all-out effort. Then list every action you'll take with deadline dates. Do more for them than anyone else has done before. Many salespeople settle in after they land an account. Catch those settledin salespeople flat-footed.

(what's in it for me) and don't believe in the give to get philosophy.

(17) Encourage your corporation to invest in training and one-on-one education. They invest in equipment, but few are progressive enough to invest adequately in training and education. If your employer is too short-sighted to understand, invest in one-on-one training for yourself. It's not a cost. It's an investment. It will come back to you in big-time dollars.

(18) Take a little quiet time once in a while. While serving as vice president of sales and marketing, I used to send the entire sales force off, twice a year, to a park, hotel room or wherever just to think. No phones. They took their annual plan, day planners, position descriptions, etc. They were to think, "What am I doing that I should not be doing?" and "What am I not doing that I should be doing?" The brain works much better when there is no stress or interruptions.

EI'ERE are 10 more activities that llthe top 2% of sales performers do-and do well:

(11) They look and act the part. Kennedy beat Nixon in the first televised debate, because Kennedy looked the part and spoke with vigor-or "vigah," as he pronounced it. He had it all that night: dark suit, tanned appearance and enthusiasm.

Nixon sweated and looked pale in his gray suit. Historians say that the election was won that night, even though radio listeners thought Nixon won the debate due to his content. Get a consultant to help you with your appearance, style and actions. Then get an engineer to help you with the technical side. Not the technical first.

(12) Prepare and stick to a plan. 98Vo of salespeople operate without a solid plan because they say they don't have time to plan. Start with a 12month plan and work it backward into quarters, to the month, to the week and then by the day.

Who will your next l0 clients be? When will they come on board? What vyill they buy? And how much will they buy? And how am I going to make it happen? I'm not talking about an unrealistic marketing plan, but a sales action plan. And review it weekly to beat deadline dates.

(13) Develop a Target Account Program. Identify three, five or l0

(14) Keep a voice recorder on your front seat to capture ideas that suddenly pop into your head. Use it to dictate letters while driving. One, you don't want to forget the ideas. Two, you save time by not dictating the letters in your office.

(15) Manage your time as if it is your major currency-because it is. Spend major time on major things, such as Target Accounts. Spend minor time on minor things, such as minor accounts. Don't invest the same amount of time on a $50,000 client as on someone who can buy $500,000. Harness your time so you have more time to make more money. I wrote this article on the weekendnot between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on a weekday. That's client time.

(16) Choose your role model carefully. Pick someone who is in the top l-2Vo. It may even be a competitor. Ask, "Who am I currently hanging around and what are they doing to me?" If you make $50,000 and truly want to make $150,000, do you hang around someone earning $50,000 or someone earning $1 50,000?

New entries to the speaking and consulting professions call constantly asking for my help as their role model. They hardly ever offer to help me in return. If I ask for their help, I get "I'm too stressed out" or "I'm too busy." These individuals will never make it to the top. They think WIIFM

I spend 100 days a year providing one-on-one executive and sales coaching-without interruptions. The sessions are better than classroom training, because we focus on the specific challenges for one specific person. Go alone or iurange for one-onone coaching. Use your brain not the odometer or frequent flier miles.

(19) Conduct a needs analysis with every prospect and every client. Ask questions such as, "How can I personally serve you better?" With a longtime prospect, try, "Sir, I have been calling on you for 17 months without success. I must be doing something wrong. Will you please tell me what it is?" Whatever the questions are, listen intently to every response, take great notes and act. Great selling is listening, not talking.

(20) Be open to change, really open, because being in the top 2Vo will probably require radical adjustments. This is a fast-changing world. Be ahead of the curve or leave the profession. We change jobs, friends and spouses. Why not ourselves?