She was a recent college graduate and I asked her what her degree was in.

Her reply, "Statistics."

I said, "Uhh... statistics... now what are the odds of that?"

I then waited for her to insert the laughter... she didn't. Instead, I got the, "You aren't very funny Mr. Speaker Man." Oh well, the brief conversation became much more brief after my attempt at humor.

However, the conversation did get me thinking about numbers and statistics. How many sales people know their closing ratio? How many sales people know how many calls it takes to get an appointment? How many know exactly how much they have sold this year? How many know what their commission on that is? How many know how many appointments they have gone on? How many know what percentage of those have become repeat customers?

I will answer this question - the TOP sales people know the answers to these questions. The poor performing sales people do not know the numbers. They have no idea how many presentations that they need to give to make a sale. They don't know the numbers because the numbers aren't good and they would rather avoid looking at the bad news. However, it isn't bad news...it isn't good either. It is just news and news that you need to become better.

If you want to become a top performing sales professional - KNOW YOUR STATISTICS and then begin to use those statistics to motivate you and keep you on track to your goals.

I hope all of you begin to know your statistics - Uh... now what are the odds of that? (Insert laughter here)

Go for More this Week!
Ron White

P.S. Today's issue is going out to more than 43,095 weekly subscribers. If you enjoy this week's edition and find it to be valuable, then if you would do me the favor of forwarding it to your friends, family and associates, it would be very much appreciated. If they would like to subscribe, have them send an email to: ronwhite@yoursuccessstore.com
 

In This Issue.....

1. How To Be The Top Sales Person For Twenty Years by Ron White
2. Quotes of the Week
3. Make Your Customer Feel Important by Brian Tracy
4. Did You Miss the Last One? My Next Memory Training Workshop is Coming in September!
5. More Information

1. How To Be The Top Sales Person For Twenty Years by Ron White

It all started when I was 14 years old, my sales career that is. I took a job as a newspaper delivery boy. It was exciting for a 14 year old to have money in his pocket and to understand the value of a dollar. I was no longer reliant on my parents when I wanted to go to a movie or purchase a Slurpee, and I took every advantage of my new freedom and cash flow.

Being a paperboy not only required that I deliver a daily newspaper it also introduced me to door-to-door selling. On Saturdays the paper route manager would load her van up with 10 teenage boys who delivered papers and we would drive to a new neighborhood and do what we called ‘crew working’. This simply means door-to-door sales. I wasn't an instant success, however, very quickly I did develop a sales presentation, and as a result that first year I sold more newspaper subscriptions than anyone in the history of the newspaper, and I was 14 YEARS OLD! I sold nearly 96 subscriptions that year and the average was 25.

In my time with the newspaper I was the number one salesman the entire time. Since then I have had other sales jobs and every time I have always been the number one salesperson. To this day, almost twenty years after my paperboy experience I make it a goal to outsell those in my circle. I don't do it to prove I am better. I do it as an internal competition for myself and as a motivator to keep me from stagnating.

So how do you maintain the level of number one sales person for a period of twenty years at every sales organization that you go to? There are a lot of factors. However, two of the most important are:

1. NEVER wing it!
2. Understand that buying is an emotional decision

First of all, the sales person who does not know EXACTLY what he is going to say, exactly what questions he is going to ask and exactly how long his presentation will be, is setting himself up for failure. I can't believe my ears whenever I hear speakers say, "I was preparing what I was going to talk about right before I spoke." or "I didn't know what I was going to talk about until I got here." When they say that there is almost arrogance in their voice that says, "You know I am so good and so knowledgeable that I can just decide what I want to talk about at the last minute and wing it." The sales professional with this attitude is no professional. He is more impressed with his ability and knowledge than the size of his commission checks. On the other hand, the top sales professional is concerned with how much product he moves.

If your goal is to be a top producer, then understand that you must be prepared. Decide what questions are thought provoking questions, memorize those questions and ask them to your prospect. When they are engaged and thinking then you win. When you are winging and just spouting information, the odds of them being engaged decreases significantly.

Next, understand that buying is an emotional decision. Brian Tracy tells the story of a couple who are looking to buy a home. As the couple walks up to the home the woman exclaims, "Wow! There is a cherry tree in the back! I have always wanted a cherry tree!" The salesman makes a note of this and walks them into the home. The husband says, "The kitchen is too small" and the salesman replies, "Yes, but look through the window and you have a perfect view of the cherry tree." The husband walks into the backyard and says, "We don’t want to have to take care of a swimming pool." The salesman says, "Yes, but you can put a chair right here and sit under the cherry tree anytime you like." The husband was using logic and the salesman emotion. The couple bought the house because of emotion.

One tragic mistake many salespeople make when selling is that they talk constantly about themselves and how the product has helped them. While this is good to a limited extent, notice the difference between:

"I took this seminar on memory training 15 years ago. I tell you what; I use this all the time. I used it to give my speeches without notes, memorize people’s names and much more. I have appeared on television and radio because of this training. It has made me a low end celebrity!"

Or

"I want you to imagine this. You go to this seminar and when you leave your children are able to memorize their school work in minutes. I know they're smart and so do you. They are taught what to learn…and not how to learn. Let's teach them together how to learn and watch their confidence and self-esteem shoot through the roof! Next, how many times have you been at a baseball game and you see someone that you have sold a home to and you can't remember their name? You are embarrassed, and they don't feel special. Now, flip that around - you sell a home and 6 months later recall their name. You have made them feel important, significant and special. At this point, you earn their referral business and are well on your way to earning a fortune!"

Notice the difference between the two statements. The first statement is a salesperson stating what this seminar has done for them! The next statement is the same information worded another way. In the second statement, you are getting the prospect to visualize themselves and their family experiencing the value of the product. When you do this you have their emotions. When you talk about yourself you do not have their emotions. Yes, you may be your favorite subject; however, you are not your prospect's favorite subject, and the earlier you begin talking in terms of them the earlier you will get their emotions.

So in review: prepare and get their emotions and you will be the top sales person in your organization for the next twenty years!!

-- Ron White  

Ron White has spent over a decade training business professionals and students how to improve their memory, grades and income. He has appeared on FOX television, broken a Guinness Record by memorizing a 28-digit number in 75 seconds, been a guest on over 35 radio programs in the United States and Canada, and his articles have appeared in print across the country. Ron's live workshops sell out every time at $349 per person. For more information about Ron's latest release, Speed Reading or his other products including his best-selling, Memory in a Month program, How to Develop the Mind of Einstein or Write It On Your Heart - Simple Steps to Scripture Memory or to purchase his complete package, plus a Free bonus – visit http://ronwhite.yoursuccessstore.com or call 877-929-0439.


 

2. Quotes of The Week

PREPARATION

"The foundation of confidence in virtually every field is preparation." -- Brian Tracy

"You cannot speak that which you do not know. You cannot share that which you do not feel. You cannot translate that which you do not have. And you cannot give that which you do not possess. To give it and to share it, and for it to be effective, you first need to have it. Good communication starts with good preparation." -- Jim Rohn

"One of life's most painful moments comes when we must admit that we didn't do our homework, that we are not prepared." -- Merlin Olsen

"From product knowledge springs the expertise to work with clients in the effective and professional manner that earns high income. Invest ten minutes daily reviewing your product information or using your product so you know it inside and out." -- Tom Hopkins

"It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared." -- Whitney Young, JR.

"The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes." -- Benjamin Disraeli

"The ideal attitude is to be physically loose and mentally tight." -- Arthur Ashe

"Man must be prepared for every event of life, for there is nothing that is durable." -- Menander of Athens

"By chance, you will say, but chance only favors the mind which is prepared." -- Louis Pasteur



3. Make Your Customer Feel Important by Brian Tracy