Are Your Best Years Behind You or Ahead of You?
It seems like an obvious question doesn’t it? If I were to ask a hundred people on the street they would all say their best years are ahead of them. But would they really feel that way or would that just be the politically correct thing to say?
I was doing my annual New Year’s cards for my daughters. One daughter is 18 while the other is low 30’s. I believe the future is so bright for that generation that they should feel blessed — they have some many great years in front of them.
I actually believe that although most people do not.
And as I wrote their cards, I wondered aloud whether I felt that way about myself at 55 years old. Can I honestly look in the mirror and say that my best days are ahead of me when I’ve had 55 years of a great life?
I have some rather long lifelines in my family (my dad lived to be ninety-seven and his mother ninety-five) and when people ask me when I’m going to retire I tell them retirement for me would be certain death.
So, for those of us that are in our 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, how do we ensure that in fact the best days are in front of us?
Here is a list:
- Stay current. As we get older it becomes harder to stay current with the new technology/social media/web world but we must. I know several people who have not been able to figure it out on their own but they have hired technology coaches. Great idea.
What Can You Do With A Psychology Degree? These Things
How many times have we heard, “What in the world can you do with a Psychology Degree?” My seventeen year-old daughter is exploring colleges right now and is somewhat interested in psychology (because she really likes her high school psychology teacher-maybe not a good reason but, what the heck?)
And yet when I talk to fellow parents – some of whose children actually majored in psychology – I get that look of disdain and shaking of the head. And although they don’t say anything I know what they are thinking
“What in the world can you do with a psychology degree?”
Sales Action And Running Prospect Meetings
Whiteboard Wednesday returns to its roots this week with Bill (who’s actually in front of a whiteboard) discussing how to handle a sales call when there are many of them and only one of you. He gives you a simple technique that few use that will help you begin on the same page.
And Bryan Neale rants a little bit about his fat wallet (except for there’s no money in it….only receipts). The essence of this rant has to do with taking action.
How to Close Six Months of Business in Three Weeks – The Advanced Selling Podcast
One of our clients did just that. In fact, he began as a podcast listener, just like you.
How did he do it? Well, there is no replacement for hard work but there are some lessons here that we can all learn from our friend who had a great three weeks in his business.
Bill and Bryan will tell you about him and how he has changed his thinking in this week’s podcast.
If One More Out-of-Work Sales Person Calls Me…
OK…so the headline might be a little harsh (and maybe I’m a bit grumpy tonight). But I must tell you — that while I’m happy to help out-of-work sales people network, I’m frustrated with their general lack of creativity when it comes to job hunting.
Let me see if I understand this…you fancy yourself as a great sales person…and you’re looking for a job…and you network with me…and you expect ME to hand over my database and go out of my way to call my contacts to ‘see if they’re hiring’ — and all you can do is hand me a resume?
That’s the extent of your salesmanship?
You Can Do Better Than That
As I’ve said before in this blog, the sales person of the future MUST be a good marketer–not just a good closer. And the best way to demonstrate your marketing prowess is in how you position yourself when hunting for a job. Yet most are clueless.
My Great Idea…Met With Luke Warmness
So, I got called the other day by a friend of a friend who was “networking.” I told her to go to LinkedIn (she was all over LinkedIn) and put up a Google app that allows you to create a PowerPoint presentation to exhibit your know-how.
How To Manage The Sales Process
One of the most common issues companies have is in managing (controlling) the sales process once it begins.
In this episode, you’ll get advice from all angles!
- Brooke talks about how to begin the sales process.
- Bill addresses some trends that both sales managers and sales people should pay attention to.
- And Bill and Bryan address the finding of customer problems in a clip from their live Advanced Selling Podcast event. (You can listen to the podcast “Roadmap to Revenue – 10 Components To Sales Growth” from the live event at: http://www.advancedsellingpodcast.com/roadmap-to-revenue-10-components-to-sales-growth/)
Enjoy!
I Love “Low-Hanging Fruit”
Why does “low-hanging fruit” get a bad rap. Why shouldn’t every business-to-business sales organization be totally focused on low-hanging fruit? Answer: They should. In my world (the world of sales training), low-hanging fruit is defined as the following:
- A business that has a problem that they are totally committed to admitting and fixing, and they don’t need a salesperson convincing them that they should do something about it.
- A business organization that has the funds to devote to solving the problem. (In other words, they have the budget and/or will spend money to fix it.)
- A company that is open-minded and looking for outside help in solving of inside problems. (Some companies aren’t, and if you’re an outsider then ditch them and move on.)
- A client who doesn’t see you as a vendor—but sees you as a provider of a valuable solution that will improve the wellbeing of the people at the company. (The instant you get into you vs. 10 other bidders, get out.)
- A company that gives you access to information and people. (They don’t hide the CEO, the CFO or the COO because there’s a policy that they don’t see salespeople.)
Believe it or not, there are companies around that have these characteristics. And if you define these as low-hanging fruit, then have at it. I would suggest that if any one of these elements is not in place, then you have to reach too high, which will take more time, which will cost more money, which will rob someone else in the market of your value.
