The Power of Giving to Get

Never underestimate this power because it can be one of the most important things you learn. Learning how to give takes discipline and a unselfish attitude. Sometimes I think the competitive nature in all of us is to win at a "whatever it takes mentality" therefore someone must lose. The problem with that is no one will ever want to be around you. You will not have any loyal followers or friends which in the end can truly hurt you. I recently learned that if you show people you care and give a little bit, your return can be much much larger than what you invested. I was taught this by one of my mentors and it has consistently worked for me in many cases. The golden rule of giving to get is you have to be genuine and want the other person to win as well. There has to be a certain value associated with what you are giving in order for this method to work. Isn't it sad that it is so rare for someone to give out a helping hand and show their concern for your success. I personally think there should be more givers out there in the world but that is just my personal opinion. I for one have always been afraid to give because I always feared loss but it is so far from the truth. This law is used in the most effective sense in selling or even in offering a product or service. Look at selling you have to give enthusiasm, energy, and a great offer in order for you to make a commission. The same goes for businesses, the most succssful ones in the world are the ones that keep giving their customers the best products and services. This power can be applied in anything never forget that. It's all relative.

Seizing the Opportunity

When an opportunity shows up are you ready to seize it? Have you done all of the things that you can do to prepare you for your big break? Opportunities always seem to come when things are going tough and it seems like there is no break coming your way. It's funny how life works. Everything always works out but during the trials and tribulations they seem like they will never end. It's about having that faith to go through no matter what, just keep going forward is all that matters. Think progress and all of the people you can inspire while taking the actions towards your goal. I know that is my personal goal is to inspire to have people push their limits higher and higher. A friend of mine once told me there is no limit that you put in place with any goal you seek but the limit in your own mind, anything is possible. When you doubt yourself is usually when it is time to make that scary decision of saying yes to the uncertainty and doing the very thing you fear. Always look for the opportunities in everything you do because more often than not there are many of them waiting to be seized. Thank you

Accepting Status Quo ?

A question you can ask yourself today and everyday is are you accepting the staus quo? Be brutally honest with yourself and ask in what ways am I holding myself back? A lot of times I have learned that the only limits we put on ourselves are by things that we have heard from others and what has been done. Just because someone else has not done it does not mean that it cannot be done. Everyone has a brilliance inside that sometimes including myself does not let out, out of fear of rejection or not being accepted. Write down what your goals are and ask what are some other creative ways I can go about solving some of the obstacles that are in my way. Do not let ANYTHING stand in your way to allow you to accept the staus quo. If we are not moving forward we are moving backwards. This can be applied to soo many different aspects of our life not just business. Are you accepting status quo in your relationship/marriage? Are you accepting status quo in your workouts? Are you accepting status quo in your career/business? Are you accepting status quo in your spirituality? I know one thing that I do not ever want to do is accept where I am at as my final destination because that is an illusion. There is no destination only the journey and I know one thing I am becoming a better person because of it. Do not be afraid to be different or challenge the "facts" to push the limits. You may be the person who finds the breakthrough for something that changes the world and that may be a lofty goal or maybe that is your limited thinking that is talking to you, get rid of it and gooooo for it.

Greg Marshall

Showing Appreciation in Business and Life

Showing appreciation in business and life are so very much the same. There are so many things and times that you can take for granted. A lesson I have learned while studying some very interesting philosophies are that taking a step back to realize all of the great things that are happening in your life. There is a plethora of things right now either teaching you a lesson and/or guiding you through your life. Appreciate the hard times just as much as the glorious times because without the hard times you could not possibly be where you are at right now. They shape and mold you to be the best person you were meant to be. Do not forget to appreciate all of the people that were put in your life at the exact moment to teach you and give you support. Memories of coaches, parents, strangers, and friends all come to my mind especially when I face a challenge that I am unsure of and they guide me through. Appreciation is very much underrated and it is not shown enough in our society because we are all sooo busy doing things that seem so important yet, we don't stop to thank. Thanking someone for helping you or loving you or believing in you can truly make the receiver feel great. It reminds me of a song that Kanye West sang where he quotes "no one gets the flowers while they can still smell them". Always always always thank and show appreciation to people because none of us could do the great things we want to do alone. And when I say no one I mean even the most powerful figures in the world could not do what they do alone. They too have felt insecure, vulnerable, not good enough but still made it through because of someone or something believed in them. Today and for the rest of your life show appreciation tell people you value them and most of all enjoy it because it is what life is all about. THANK YOU

80/20 Add More Time In Your Day.

Have you ever felt like you do not have enough time in the day? I am here to tell you that you do have enough time it's just your priorities are not in line. Well something that I have studied and stumbled upon was the pareto principle which is the 80/20 rule. Now what this rule states is that a small percentage of activities yield extremely highly desirable results. It all stemmed from research stating in many different aspects of life and wealth accumulation that 20 percent of the activities you do give you 80 percent of the results. This is astonishing because it is sooo true. Make a list of the things that you do throughout the day (especially you too busy people out there) and do a test. The test is find what activities are actually inching you closer to your goals and which activities are time fillers. Now obviously the first thing you have to define is what are your goals? Most people do not even know what their goals are in the first place. But once you know what your goals are then you can start to become proactive and actually gain more time. Yes I said it add more time in your day. How is that possible? Because I can guarantee you, you waste a lot of time just like the rest of us in the world. There is plenty of time it's just that you are too busy "going with the flow" with no definition. Start valuing yourself and your time and completely eliminate all non essential things you do so you can live your life.

Greg Marshall

Entrepreneur's Journey

There are many things that go on in the life of an entrepreneur. Taking the jump is not an easy task and it is full of risks and insecurities. So many things go on in your mind when you are going through the path of running your own business. Everything you see on tv makes you believe that being the owner and boss of your own company is all glitz and glamour. There are sacrifices to be made and feelings of doubt and not knowing what is going to happen next can certainly creep in at any time. The desire to be successful and to be free is what drives me. There is nothing more important to me in the world than to be able to push your limits and see just how far you can actually go. So many times in my life I have wanted to do something great to be recognized as someone of great value to the world. To bring value and change people's lives can be quite a lofty goal but it is something that I deeply desire. Everyday presents a new challenge and I am growing and you know that uncomfortable feeling you feel when you are going to present a speech or play that big game? I am feeling that daily and its because I have faith. I have faith that with all of the life lessons I have learned and continuously learn I will arrive at my goals of success and peace. Peace of mind knowing that everything that happened in my journey was the perfect thing to happen to me at the right time. A higher meaning is out there for me to achieve and it can be now or ten years from now I know I will achieve it.

Greg Marshall

Hollywood, California Hustling Lesson

The funny thing about life is you can literally learn a lesson from anywhere. I was in Hollywood, California last night and I was watching some break dancers do their thing. The funny part about it was there was a group of five of them and although they were pretty talented there was one guy who was the leader. He was the one that was asking for all of the money and got it most of the time. He was by far the least talented but since he was not afraid to ask for the money and he was exceptionally confident, people had no choice but to pay him. That is a PHENOMENAL lesson to be learned there which is, all the rewards in life do not always go to the most talented, but to the one who is the most bold and confident. This guy has no idea that he has motivated me and taught me a very valuable lesson. We should all take a page out of his book and push more to have that boldness and confidence because we should always remember, what do we have to lose?

Sales Reality!!

Sales is all about the reality of the situation and how to solve problems. Think about it selling is purely about asking and understanding the situation as it is and making a point to find the real world solution. Often times we can get caught up in a sugar coating of handling an objection or concern when what the person really needs is a caring dose of reality. Think of a situation where you were unsure of a solution and a friend or mentor gave you the answer and it was not necessarily what you wanted to hear but you knew you needed it. You were thankful for the honest advice and it could have solved your problem or even changed your life. You have to remember it is natural for human beings to want to take the easy road and avoid change. Everyone is guilty of it including myself and as salespeople remember we are doing people a disservice by sugar coating a problem or pretending that it is not very urgent. Keep in mind that in the selling situation you are the doctor and you must make the prescription. Do the right thing and sell people in the reality state.

Selling Benefits

The way most people buy is they see a product or service and they think what will that do for me? Most people do not buy features they buy benefits. If you want to be more successful in selling then find out what is important to the person and show them how you can get the end result the person is looking for. There is nothing more annoying then going through a sales pitch and the salesman is telling you about all of the features a product or service does and you are not interested in any of those. In a way that is disrepectful to the person because it shows you have no interest in them and only one interest which is to sell them something. People are extremely scared to be around salespeople because most salespeople have absolutely no concept of how to bring about their offering. The usual way that people are sold are they get an offering and then get it shoved down their throat and then put in a situation where everyone feels uncomfortable. This is not selling! Ask them great creative questions see where the want or need is and provide that for them.
Look for the reasons why you bought many of your possessions and it is because they fulfill something for you. Whether it be emotional or just a plain need you bought it because you felt it would make you happier and your life more important. The values people have say alot to what's important in what people buy so find out what people charish the most and you will know exactly what they are looking for.

A.I.D.A Principle

A ttention - are you unique enough to grab the clients attention.

I nterest- does the product spark enough interest to benefit the client.

D esire- does the client want it bad enough to do anything to have it.

A ction- have you done your job well enough and asked a closing question.

In every sales situation you must evaluate if you have done your job thoroughly and hit all of these points. These are the sales basics that many people get away from. There will always be the latest close and the "new" way to sell but remember just like anything else in life remember the basics. Get really good at the basics and know this principle inside and out and you will be successful.

You have to be closing all the time !

Goals

Before you can actually start to achieve anything, you have to have goals laid out in order to measure them. There is nothing more important to creating success than having exciting goals that you are willing to push for. The goal has to be something that has a real value to you and if you accomplished it you would be extremely excited. A reason I believe most salespeople get unmotivated is because they do not have anything to strive for and lets face it sales is an exhausting game to play. If you do not have something at the end that you are striving towards that is worthwhile, then you are following the recipe for disaster. The hardest times I have ever had in sales are when I have reached a specific goal but then failed to come up with another goal to strive for that is exciting. True sales closers push themselves for higher and higher goals to achieve and its that inner drive to do one better than the last time that keeps us going. Think about some of the records that your organization or industry has and think what would it take to be on that elite list? How would you feel? I can tell you how I felt when I hit certain milestones, I could not sleep at night. I never felt such an overwhelmingly great feeling in my life because all of that hard work paid off in a great fashion. My personal goal goes above and beyond monetary goals, my goal is to be the most influential closer that I can possibly be. To me nothing is better in the world than competing against yourself and seeing that improvement. Take a moment and think what sales goals do you want to achieve? What will it take to achieve those sales goals? What can you prove to yourself? What can you prove to others? What benefit will you gain from achieving your goal? These are deep questions that will reveal personal needs that must be met. For me, its the need to feel like I am contributing or making an impact in others lives. WHATS YOURS?

13 Characteristics of True Sales Closers

1. Energetic
2. Focused
3. Optimistic
4. Aggressive
5. Understanding
6. Relentless
7. Charismatic
8. Helpful
9. Caring
10.Persuasive
11.Leader
12.Sympathetic
13.Student

Leveraging Your Sales Ability

Do you want to get even more powerful as a sales closer than ever before? Try teaching other people to close just like yourself and you are in the first stages of creating a sales empire. Think about it, if you were to be giving enough to share all of your expierences and expertise into someone else it can really make not only the person A LOT money, but also the company money. This automatically makes your value as a closer 2 or 3 times as much because every business and industry is always looking for great salespeople. Not only that, but by teaching other people it keeps you sharp on your sales game and you know the more practice you get the better you get. Some things to note is you must really test your patience because teaching people what you have learned over time in a shortened period can be overwhelming for the student. This will make you such a powerful closer because the attributes of a real closer are a mixture of many characteristics which patience is one of them. It can be a very exciting and fulfilling experience to see a person come up in the ranks and it's all because of your teachings. Talk about influencing people's lives.

Today's Sales Economy

In this tougher economy as salespeople we truly have to step up our efforts. We need to understand people are in a panic right now and are severely afraid to spend their money on unnecessary items. So what does that mean? We have to ask the right questions, we have to build the true rapport, we have to make sure we have the clients and only the clients' best interest in mind. When people talk to salespeople we have to dig deeper and see what can truly make this client feel more comfortable when they sleep at night. Maybe it can be that new outfit that makes them feel more confident, maybe its that gadget that makes their work easier. Whatever it is, it is your job to find it and tailor your presentation and products to the customer. So many times including myself salespeople fall into the rut of thinking whats in it for me? That is the wrong question to ask when you have a prospect in front of you especially in times like this. Sales is a tough game and only the strong will survive or maybe the new generation of salespeople will be born. A generation that serves their clients so well and treats them like they are the only person in the world. The true sales warriors can see this time period as a time to fold or they can see this time period as a time to prosper and truly get people involved with some wonderful ideas and new products to change the world. Take the lead for prosperity is out there for the taking.

Kaizen Sales Method

Kaizen is a japanese philosophy that simply means the constant improvement on a day to day basis. In order to be the most successful you can be as a salesperson you must have the committment to being the best. There is just no other way to become the best than to just make the decision and do it. Sometimes it can be hard but often times I feel the constant satisfaction from knowing that I am getting better and better each day. Sales is a profession and a lifestyle which can equate with so many things. Each and everyday you can strive to be perfect but there will always be something that can be worked on to take it to the next level. Personally I have realized that by working on my craft daily it gives me the satisfaction as an individual that I am working toward a worthy goal. There may be some areas that can use some improvement and if you break it down to the mini tasks on what needs to be worked on daily a small amount of effort done consistently can surprisly grow to great accomplishments. As a mentor once told me "never get stuck in your own box". To all you salespeople out there who are in this profession to make a true difference use the kaizen sales method and watch your sales soar.

Doing What You Do Best

The times when you feel the happiest are going to be when you are doing what you do best. It gives you the confidence and the positive aura that really draws people to you. There is no doubt that if you were to dedicate your entire day to the things you do very very well you will be successful and happy. You will be in sync with your inner values and be highly satisfied at night when you look in the mirror. From a personal note when I devote all of my time to selling and helping people a different energy goes through my body. I feel excited, I feel like a professional athlete or performer feels when they are in the zone. If you focus on what you do best you will only prosper more and more because people love to do things that they are good at including myself. Give it some thought on what you do best and find ways to delegate other responsibilities to others so you can focus 110 percent of your effort on your strengths.

Inspiration

I am going to talk about inspiration. Have you ever felt it? Do you know what it is? Well for years I have been a motivated individual and have had a burning desire to improve myself and to take it to the next level. In many books that I have read there have been countless times they have mentioned "inspired action". I never really knew what that was until now. Inspiration is when a part of you inside is driving you to go to the next level. This feeling feels almost uncontrollable like an unfulfilled need that will not go left unnoticed. It is a feeling that when you feel tired, inspiration takes over and gives you the energy to keep going. It's when times feel tough and it seems like there is no way and this "inspiration" finds the intelligence and mental toughness to get you through. As salespeople we have all felt it. A goal that you wanted to achieve for more than just financial being or material wants, but an inner desire to feel that success. To feel that feeling of accomplishment is irreplaceable, every man and woman that has ever felt that will go to great lengths to get this feeling. Only "inspiration" can do this, when you get this feeling inside don't ignore it, use it to your advantage. Salespeople out there remember one thing, know what your true inner goal and driving is and go get that magical feeling of accomplishment! I AM PROUD TO BE A SALESPERSON

5 CRITICAL STEPS TO CLOSING A SALE

1. ASK FOR THE SALE- take charge of the situation confidently because the prospect wants to be led into the right buying situation and they need the salesperson's help in order to achieve that.

2. LISTEN TO THE OBJECTION- before the salesperson jumps in and assumes they know the objection already, take a moment to hear the client out and see where the problem lies.

3. ISOLATE THE OBJECTION- there are several ways to go about this but the number one thing that must be done is figuring out what the objection is because if the salespersons tries to overcome the wrong objection both the client and salesperson will be frustrated and the sale is not made.

4. STATE THE OBJECTION BACK- the power in this is to see if the salesperson and the prospect are on the same page and there is a mutual understanding. If that trust is built between the prospect and salesperson then the chance of the sale is more likely.

5. ANSWER ALL PARTS OF THE OBJECTION- thoroughly go through the objection and make sure that nothing is left out as far as questions and concerns that the client has.

Asking for the sale

Asking for the sale can be absolutely intimidating if you are not accustomed to asking for the money. So many things are going on when its time to go through with the sale not only in the prospects mind but also the closers mind. Something that I have realized with this part of the sale is it is true that the inner belief of the salesman will dictate if he/she gets the sale. The inner belief of the sales person can be felt by the customer I am a firm believer in that. If the salesperson believes he is worth every penny and more when he asks for the money he will get the sale. If the person feels he/she is worth very little then when its time to ask for the money the customer will feel that energy and not buy. It all comes down to the confidence and how you present yourself. Many of my mentors in selling have hit on this topic and it is so important that it must be talked about. Some steps that have helped in improving in this area is knowing your product/service inside and out, integrity selling, and believing in your product so much that you would sell your own mother the product because you are so excited about it. A great question to ask yourself when you wake up in the morning is would I feel comfortable selling this to my mother? If the answer is no maybe you might want to look at selling something else.

The Importance of Trust

Trust in a sale is so important and obvious that I believe it often gets overlooked. For instance, when making a sale especially a larger order sale the time spent on the presentation and getting to know the prospect is crucial. Put yourself in the situation of the prospect if you are in a sales presentation and the amount of the investment is large wouldn't you feel more comfortable investing that money if you were able to get to know the sales rep and all the details that are involved. If the sales process is rushed it can kill a sale because there is not enough time to build real trust in not only the salesperson but also the product. The prospect will be left to think why is this person in such a rush to get me to buy?! Some tips on building more trust so that you can comfortably ask for the larger investment is ask more quality questions, spend more time with them demonstrating the benefits of your product or service, and use stories and testimonials of other clients.

abcclosers.com

Being in the "moment"

There are those times when the sales process seems almost effortless. This time frame is what is called being in the "moment". When doing a presentation the only person that matters is the person that is in front of you. If you can discipline yourself to ask creative questions find the areas that are the most important to the prospect and customize the presentation towards those areas, you are well on your way to having a successful career. Many times I have been in the prospects shoes when another salesman is trying to sell me and the only thing that seems to matter to him is what he has to say. That is the wrong way to go about it because it makes the prospect not only feel like the salesman does not care. but also it diminishes the rapport and trust which is key. If you do not gain the trust of the client in a sales presentation you can forget about earning their business. Some of the things that have worked in the past is forget about your quota forget about all worries outside of work and think about one thing and that is how can I find out where the pain is in this person and alleviate it in the best and most efficient way. Remember if you are a true sales superstar you care about people and their well being !!

Never Ending Learning

The funny thing about sales is the act of personal improvement and learning never ends. It is like the game of baseball you will never get a hit everytime and you will never sell every prospect but it is a never ending pursue of perfection that keeps you going.Every presentation can be done just with a little more enthusiasm, or you could of made one more follow up call. Learning comes from the discipline of reading or listening to tapes and cds of other successful people that have paved the way before. I believe it is extremely important to look at your performance on a day to day basis and truly find where your weaknesses are as well as your strengths. A key note is to not allow your ego to get in the way of a true measure of your strengths and weaknesses. Some of the most valuable information that you will ever receive will be from someone looking from the outside in. The best person to evaluate your performance would be someone who is either more successful than you or an honest person who is not afraid to hurt your feelings. It can be hard sometimes to do this evaluation but it is worth its weight in gold.

The champions sales mentality

The key to getting the sales that you really want is having that positive attitude on a day to day basis. Think about the biggest sales days that you have ever had and I guarantee that your mentality was a relaxed and positive outlook and that energy was transferred into that clients. Its true you get what you think about if you are thinking of successful sales processes and how you can benefit your customer you will definitely put off that vibe and earn their business. The goal is to make yourself stand out from the other average salespeople who go out and just go through the motions without actually being the positive professional that people need. If you are serious about having big sales days and a big sales career every morning when you wake up think about what you want to accomplish and know that you will accomplish it