Small changes yield big results
A little effort can yield a big payoff over time if you are serious about changing your life. Time management expert Don Wetmore offers these suggestions for changes to reduce stress, improve your life and expand your horizons.
- Read 15 minutes a day. You can probably read about 10 pages in 15 minutes or about a book a month. After a year, you will have read 12 books - as many as the average person reads in a lifetime.
- Learn a new word each day. Use that word several times to commit it to your vocabulary. You'll add thousands of new words to your vocabulary in just a few years.
- Set out your clothes the night before. It takes the same amount of time to do it at night as in the morning but you'll get the task out of the way and have one less hassle when you start your day. Do a daily act of kindness.
- Compliment
someone, send a congratulatory note or do someone an unanticipated favor.
Your reward will be the reactions you get. Over time, the positive feelings
you inspire in others will give you a support network of friends and
well-wishers.
Source: www.balancetime.com
Making a purchase is a deliberate if unconscious process that salespeople should understand in order to be most effective. Psychologists have determined that consumers make buying decisions in a precise order.
1. The sales person. Prospects make a decision about whether the individual proposing the sale is likeable, has good judgment and can be trusted.
2. The company. Prospects must have a level of comfort about the company, its reputation for honesty and its ability to back commitments.
3. The product or service. Prospects must decide whether what the sales person is offering feels a genuine need or solves a problem.
4. The price. It is interesting to note that price is fourth on the list, not first. People do not buy price; they buy value.
Sales professionals should understand the buying process, allow prospects to talk about their needs and remember that value outweighs price in their client's decision making. Successful salespeople know time is money
What traits do successful sales people share?
They know how to manage their time. Good time management is the best predictor of sales success according to many studies. Here are some tips to help you maximize your time for best results.
Invest time in self-improvement. According to industry estimates, 80 percent of a salesperson's success is the result of training and technique; 20 percent comes from product knowledge. The more adept you are at presentation, negotiation and customer service, the more successful you will be.
Focus on prospecting. No one really enjoys making cold calls or sending out blind inquiries. Yet that is the source of your future sales.
Avoid getting bogged down in paperwork and follow up. You should aim to spend a significant amount of time every week looking for next quarter's clients.
Plan every day in advance. If you plot out the next day as your last task before leaving the office or during a quiet period at home, you'll have a jumpstart when you arrive at work the next morning. Planning will help you get momentum because you will begin work focused rather than distracted by unfinished details.
Determine your hourly value. Everybody has the same 24 hours each day and most people know how much they want to make. Calculate your hourly rate based on your desired income. Knowing that figure will help motivate you to make the best use of your time.
Set performance goals. If you must make 25 calls to gain three new customers, you'll need to contact 5-6 people every day to grow your clientele by 3 customers a week. Figure out how many calls, presentations and proposals you need to make daily or weekly to reach your goals.
Confirm appointments. Nothing is more wasteful than visiting a client only to discover that he is unavailable. Call or email your appointments the day before.
Avoid procrastination. If you wait for the better time to make that call, draft that proposal or satisfy that difficult client, you will never get it done.
Time is money and how you control your time will largely determine your success.
Did you know that the brain recognizes colors before it can process words? Use that fact to your advantage and color-code important dates on your calendar or file folders. If you mark meetings in red, sales calls in blue and reminders in yellow, you can make a beeline to the information you need. The same is true with folders: if you color-coded your personnel materials, marketing files and background/historical information, you can find what you need that much more quickly.
If you suspect your employees are experiencing burnout, here are some warning signs to look for: Bad moods on Mondays
- Frequent absences or sick days
- Snapping at other employees or customers
- Complaints of insomnia or health problems
- Heavy drinking
- Diminished productivity
- Inability to bounce back after weekends or vacations
Talk to your employees if they are exhibiting these signs to see what changes you can make that might re-energize them and help them focus on their work.