Saturday, January 30, 2010

Hire a Coach!

I know, it sounds like this is a commercial for me. It's not. It's my advice to you about something I've seen work for Salespeople and Business people for the over 18 years that I've been in the Coaching profession. I've also seen the difference in my production when I've had a Coach and when I haven't.

When you read this post, read it from a place of possibility as to what's possible for you by using what you're reading. When you read it from that place, rather than I'm trying to get you to hire me, you will get SO much more out of it. Then if you see value in what you've read and don't see me as a possibility as your Coach, go out and find another Coach. Just get one so you can use what you'll get from them to increase your productivity and effectiveness toward your goals.

What's the benefit of having a Coach? I'll tell you what I've seen and what my clients have told me over the years regarding the benefits. First, you have two people working on the same thing; your goals. When two are working together, the POWER to create expands dramatically. Individually, you're Powerful and your Coach is Powerful, yet when you bring those two Powers together working on your goals, you expand that Power exponentially. The Coach's only agenda should be that you attain your goals. When that is in place you have both you and the Coach with the same agenda, you attaining your goals.

Another aspect of what makes Coaching so effective is the accountability factor that is in place. You will make commitments to your Coach regarding the actions you will take toward your goals between Coaching appointments. By you having your Coach knowing and holding you to what you committed to will most likely have you taking more actions toward your goals. THE MORE ACTIONS TAKEN TOWARD YOUR GOALS, THE MORE OF YOUR GOALS YOU WILL ATTAIN!

Another benefit of having a Professional Coach is they can see things that you perhaps can't see. Sometimes we're blind to our own actions. By having a Coach to have you see and correct something that may not be working for you will have you be more effective in attaining your goals.

All these and MANY more benefits of using a Professional Coach makes it a GREAT investment for you, not a cost. Your Coach shouldn't cost you anything in your sales career, they should be one of the BEST investments you make in you career.

TRY IT YOU'LL LIKE IT!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

The Art of Scheduling!

How many times have you gotten to the end of your day, and asked yourself: "What did I accomplish today that I wanted to accomplish?" If the answer to that question isn't to your liking more often than not, it's probably because of your scheduling practices or perhaps the lack of scheduling.

One of the most important tools you can use as a Sales Person or Business Owner is EFFECTIVE scheduling. Scheduling is the road map you will use to get to your destination (Increased Income)!

If you're not using some type of scheduling tool, it's time to start. Whether it's paper or electronic, it NEEDS to be done and done consistently.

The day before (my favorite time) or the morning of, before you start your day you NEED to list the 6 most important items that you NEED to do to increase your income, either for that day or for the future. Once you've listed them you NEED to prioritize them in order of importance toward the increase of income. You then NEED to schedule them in your appointment book "AS IF" they were appointments. For example: If you have on your list to call 3 past clients for the purpose of resigning and/or getting referrals, you NEED to schedule that activity at a particular time that you will call them, 10-11 AM, 1-2 PM or whatever. If you have prospecting calls to make, and you better have, you NEED to schedule the time to make them.

Once these activities are in your calender, you NEED to hold them as an appointment, just like you would hold the importance of a meeting you have scheduled with someone. These items if listed properly, are probably the most important appointments you have throughout the day, as they are the items that are going to keep you continuously moving toward and attaining your goals.

Everything you deem as important on your list NEEDS to be plugged in as an appointment. I can't stress that enough! Then, all you have to do is open your schedule and you will be taking MORE of the actions that will have you attain your sales goals. When you take MORE actions toward your goals you will create MORE of your goals.

Start today to practice this method of effective scheduling and COMMIT to have it be a part of your daily activities and you will get good at being in CONTROL of your day, rather than having your day be in CONTROL of you!

PS If there are any topics you would like me to cover, let me know and I'll make a point of giving my input on the subject.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Sales is not a dirty word!

How often have you heard or even thought of Sales as something that could be construed as negative? Over the years you have probably formed an opinion of Sales or Sales People, and some of them might be negative opinions. Opinions like: "Sales People are not ethical. They only think of themselves. You can't trust them. They don't have my best interest at heart, etc." If that's what your conversation is about sales and you're in sales you probably are creating a quandary. A quandary is when you want to attain something and another thought or conversation is pulling you in the opposite direction of that something you want to attain; it creates a state of perplexity or uncertainty. For example: If you are in Sales and you have a negative conversation or outlook on sales, you will always have something pulling at you that will diminish your Power to attain your goals.

These quandaries are not usually conscious to us, they are usually unconscious to us, yet they are debilitating us from operating at 100% of our Power. Another example could be that you think others have the same negative reaction to Sales People and that puts you in an inferior position (unconsciously) when you are interacting with these people. Especially if your PERCEIVED thought of negative as relating to sales or sales person lines up with your negative PERCEIVED thought of what you think another has about sales or sales person.

Can we overcome this quandary situation? Of course we can! Just as we can overcome ANY of the situations in our career that are not working for us. Not working meaning, they get in the way or hinder our SUCCESS. How we overcome this quandary situation is to create a NEW definition of Sales or Sales Person. The old definition (Negative) moved you away from creating your goals. We NEED to "make up" definitions or meanings that are Positive (moves you toward your goals).

From here on in I want you to have a NEW definition of Sales, Enrollment or Sales Person. The new definition is: "A Sales Person helps others get what they want for their HIGHEST good." Not our highest good, their highest good. You NEED to keep telling yourself, over and over again that what you do is for THEIR highest good and you NEED to make sure you are doing the best for them, and your sales will multiply tremendously and the number of people you are assisting with your product or service will multiply tremendously.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Self Motivation!

I was asked the other day about how to stay motivated regarding goals, so I thought I'd write on one of the most important things you NEED to do as a Sales Person, Business Owner or whatever else you may do for a living. What you NEED to do most is to MOTIVATE yourself to take the actions that are in alignment with your financial goals.

Definition of Motivation (mine): The art of talking yourself INTO action, no matter what your feelings tell you. A lot of times we let our feelings control what we do or what we don't do. We let our feelings make our decisions for us, such as: "I feel fear. I feel tired. I feel rejected. I feel overwhelmed. I feel dejected." etc. Your feelings are not the best source of your motivation, your thoughts are.

As a Personal Coach for over 18 years, I've taught my Coaching Clients that thoughts create feelings. Change your thoughts, change your feelings. For example: If you feel you don't want to do what will get you the results you want, you are thinking something negative about your taking action. It could be you won't do it right, you might get rejected, you may look foolish, etc. Whatever your negative thought is, creates your negative feeling. You NEED to change your negative thought (it moves you away from what you want) to a positive thought (it moves you toward what you want).

Your thoughts are "Made Up" by you. I know they seem real and I know they then manifest the subsequent reciprocal feeling, yet they are made up by you. Because that's so, you NEED to make them up so they propel you into action regarding the attainment of your goals, rather than making them up so they deter you from taking actions regarding the attainment of your goals.

TALK YOURSELF INTO TAKING ACTION, RATHER THAN TALKING YOURSELF INTO NOT TAKING ACTION!

How you will know if you're motivating yourself is by the amount of action you are taking toward your goals. Not enough action will not have you attain your goals. It's called "Sowing and Reaping." To the extent you sow (take action) will be to the extent you reap (create your goal)!

You NEED to have the attainment of your goal drive you, not your feelings. Keep your goal as the motivator to do what you need to do to attain it and you WILL attain your goal!

Have a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous, Joyful New Year!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

BELIEVE In What You Sell!

In order for you to be successful in your selling career, you NEED to believe in what you sell, and to believe in yourself. If you have doubt or reservations about your product, service or yourself, you won't be as effective in attaining the results you want. You will have an internal dialogue that will be pulling you away from what you want, not consciously but unconsciously.


How do you believe in what you're selling and yourself? First off, I'm going to assume you are selling a product or service that is good for people and helps them enhance their lives in some way. In order for you to "cement" a powerful motivating belief within yourself, you NEED to "declare" (speak or think) to yourself continuously a conversation that is in alignment with the good your product or service is and/or will do for your prospects and clients. As a Personal Life Coach, I've been teaching my clients to change any thoughts they have that can cause doubt to thoughts of CERTAINTY. A good rule of thumb to remember is: "When doubt is present, results are less. When certainty is present, results are greater." Doubt will limit your actions and effectiveness, certainty will enhance your actions and effectiveness.


Each day, each moment tell yourself (WITH FEELING) how much you believe in yourself, your product and service and how you are assisting others in getting what THEY want by your selling to them. DECLARE your intentions of the outcome you want to have happen, before you take any action toward that outcome. YOU FIRST HAVE TO SELL YOURSELF, BEFORE YOU CAN SELL A PROSPECT!


As with all that I teach in the art of selling, you HAVE to practice the habits that are going to make you more productive in order to have them occur habitually for you. Whatever you practice on a consistent basis, you'll get good at. If you practice effective habits, you'll get good at them. If you practice ineffective habits, you'll get good at them. That being the case, you NEED to practice EFFECTIVE habits that are in alignment with your financial goals. These postings are written to teach and/or remind you of the habits that will be effective for you, and to give you the "how tos" to make them an integral part of your sales career.


Have a GREAT selling day!

Clement Pepe
Success/Life Coach