Here are some questions to ask yourself to see where the gap is:

Are you a master at your craft? Consider the length of time that you’ve been with the company. Do you know everything that you can about your product and your service? How are your relationships with those within the company? Are there people who can do you favors, even for your clients, that you should get to know better? What about your competition? Do you know them inside and out? Do you know their weaknesses and their strengths? Do you know how to get a sell away from them in a tactful manner by emphasizing your strengths where they are weak?

What time of day do you get in the office versus your co-workers? Are you wondering in the office at 8:30 or 9am and settling in to have your coffee? Are they at the office at 7:30 and getting coffee and catching up on the news an hour before you even get into the office? Are they on the phones already when you’re just getting ready to look at the paper? Consider getting in earlier or planning your day the night before so you can get into the office and start communicating with your clients the second you get to the office.

How much is email taking you away from your work? Are you spending part of your day reading jokes, and watching YOU TUBE videos that are entertaining, but are keeping you away from your work? Did you know that even if you DON”T read your emails, just having to delete them is taking valuable time away from your work and making a profit for your company? Consider putting everything in the JUNK file that doesn’t pertain to business and put a sign on your desk that you’ll only check email 1x an hour or late in the day. See if this addiction that has hit most people in America can free up some of your time.

Have you had instability in your life this past year? Have you had major stress or changes in your life? Has anyone closed to you died? Have you changed jobs? Have you moved? Have you gone through a major life transition like a divorce or become and empty nester? Has anyone close to you been relying on you emotionally and you feel drained? Sometimes, our emotions can be dragging us down and we don’t even know it. If this happens to be you, consider getting in a therapy group or counseling, or finding a support group to help you process these changes and the emotions that follow. You can be doing everything you’re supposed to be doing in business, but the sadness you feel might be leaking through your attitude. Get support where you need it. None of us is an island and no one expects anyone to go through tramatic times completely alone.

How is your attitude? Are you depressed that your sales are sagging and you get down about that? Are you angry about something at work or do you have problem clients that you’re trying to avoid? How is your relationship with your boss and those in the office? Your attitude may be negative if you’re going through a slump and it’s going to take dramatic measures to get your attitude back in a place that is positive and care free. Consider listening to motivational tapes every morning on the way to work , in your car or when you get up in the morning. If you’ve got the news on, you’re probably getting more negative messages than you are getting positive messages, so you need to take control. This tiny step can change your sales figures literally overnight. For a great resource go to: www.nightengaleconnent.com

Are you a gabber or a closer? How much time are you spending socializing and reading or doing busy work versus spending time with your top customers or reading about sales or learning about your product? Start putting a clock by your desk to monitor your phone conversations and evaluate where your spending your time throughout the day. If you’re socializing more than your making calls to customers or working, then it’s time to alter some of your habits. If you need to connect with others emotionally, schedule 15 minutes a day to make your personal calls and keep them short and sweet. Time management is one huge area to be constantly on top of for long term success.

What are you listening to? What are you reading? If you spent 1 hour a day listening to a motivational tape or reading a book to enhance your learning, in one year, you’d probably triple your income by learning success secrets of the superstars. Go to the library and check out books and tapes. Turn off the radio and TV and start educating yourself every day. Trade great books with others, and keep a book with you at all times so when you find yourself standing in line or waiting for someone, then you can use the time wisely. You can become an expert in your field and 5 others in one years time!

Are you getting enough sleep? Often times we might get into bed in plenty of time to get a good nights sleep, but spending time with Jay Leno is often more enticing than turning off the lights. Eating well, exercising and sleeping enough are basic self care items but if one of these is unbalanced, then your body isn’t going to have the energy to keep it going when things get slow. The body will slow down and stop and then it takes 2x as much effort to get it going. Make sure you get at least 7-9 hours of sleep, drink plenty of water, take your vitamins and exercise at least 3 days a week.

I’m Unorganized but I know where everything is. Organized Chaos? That’s just an excuse for those of us who don’t have great organizational skills. And when you’re not organized, you spend precious time looking for things and trying to GET organized. What you need is a good system. So sit down with someone who can help you get a system in place, and then do your best to implement it and use it every week. Some sales people have an administrative person come in weekly to file, or to throw away things that aren’t useful any more. But they keep on top of things and it helps them throughout the week. This precious time saver can not only save time, but loads of frustration.

Are you in the wrong field? . Is there a chance that you stand on the sidelines longing to do something different and feeling jealous that you’re in the wrong field? If this is you, no matter how organized you get, you might never have the heart, soul and passion for your job. This might take some time for you to discover your true passion, but it can be done in mini steps by talking with others in other professions or at other companies, going to the bookstore to see what subjects intrigue you, and by searching the internet for other careers and jobs that might suit your personality better. Try things out first.. read about them, and study about them and then talk to people who are doing them. Perhaps you might have to take a salary cut to start a new career, but in the long run, you’ll be happier with doing what you truly WANT to do, rather than just working to bring home a pay check.

It’s time to bring in Mary to jump start your business!

Hiring Mary Gardner as a coach will help you develop your clients into RAVING FANS!!! (Mary spent years learning the sales industry as a sales professional in addition to being a natural born sales person. When she was a kid, she outsold every kid with every school and swim team assignment from calendars to candy, she won every contest. As a professional lecture agent, she was constantly winning contests and being awarded contracts from her clients. She had an 89% return rate of clients which is incredibly high.)

Mary will help guide you through client meetings, conversations, and teach you tactics that will bring value to your clients. She will brainstorm with you about your office, your marketing, your PR, your attire or your products so you can become and innovator in your field. Her strategies are unique and her system is fun.

Your return on investment (ROI) will happen quickly when you hire Mary to help you develop your clients into RAVING FANS! And you’ll have fun while doing it!

Contact Mary at 407-644-4046 or email her at mary@marygardner.com for rates and availability.

Yesterday I was in the office with a new sales team that I’m coaching. I sat with the sales manager for quite some time and quickly uncovered a few glaring areas that are standing in the way of this team moving forward. Because this team has been doing things the same way for several years, they didn’t have fresh eyes to see where they could be saving some time and making more money.

In this down economy, they’re having a tough time getting on the phone to make cold calls and have seen companies cancel contracts to save money. Because they’re experiencing this rejection, it’s tarnishing the real amazing benefits that their company offers others, which is the ability to MAKE money and to SAVE time. They’ve been focused on the wrong things emotionally, so what we’re implementing are a few things in the very short term that can get this team back in the saddle, feeling the love for their products and services once again.

We’re setting up a conference call with a few customers who are in love with this company. They’re satisfied customers who are regularly using the products and services but don’t have the need to be on the phone with the sales team anymore. They’ve moved way beyond a regular sale at this point. They’re customers who are content with the company. So, we’re going to get the whole sales team on the phone with a few customers and get a conversation going to hear the stories how the products have been used and integrated into their businesses. It may sound like they’re preaching to the choir, but not really. They’ll be motivating this team, and to remind them, that they represent an awesome company and product and group of services.

Next, we’re having a sales contest! This contest is a short term, one week contest focused on outgoing calls. I call them CONNECTION CALLS which mean they’re at least 2 minutes a piece. This is plenty of time for a connection to take place and for the sales pro to get a bit of information.. either a new name, a referral or a bit of information that will help them develop a relationship with the right people.

The award will be a night in a hotel and dinner for two. When I originally presented this idea to the CEO, he didn’t think that something so small would motivate this seasoned team who can easily afford this on their own. But what he doesn’t understand is that this will be a FREE Trip! And even the celebrities who are multi millionaires love getting free stuff! Everyone does!

So, we’re off and running. The coaching has breathed some fresh air into this team by reconnecting them with the happy customers and by bringing about a short term and fun contest. In just in one or two short sessions, this team is getting their juices flowing and gaining the excitement once again.

For a coach, this is where the excitement starts to build. When you see enthusiasm returning to a team that has been a bit stale, you know you’re on the right track! It’s exciting to see, because you know, that right around the corner, that calls will be made with a fresh new attitude… and that with all of that positive energy, that sales are lurking right around the corner!

Go get ‘em guys!!! I’m cheering you on!!!

Yet, you have to bring in customers!

What are you going to do?

Many of my current or former clients fit the above description. Many of them finally contacted me, a coach, when they were in trouble because they had no idea where to start. They decided that they needed help sort through the challenge set before them.

And guess what? They survived! And not only did they survive, but they thrived! As soon as they realized that they didn’t need to change their personality, become a raving fan, or over the top, they relaxed and settled into learning what they had to do.

I’ll take you through a typical client and what they learn to do.

I recently coached a gentleman that was trying to make partner in his law firm. He had been told upon his hiring that he’d be responsible for attracting business to his company. He bluffed his way through the interview by mentioning how many people that he knew and how many big cases he had worked on successfully. He didn’t mention that the business wasn’t his, or that he was terrified of calling all of the people that he knew and asking for business!

When he and I got together I asked him to start by naming all of his strengths. We went over all of the benefits that any of his clients or future clients would get by working with him. I had him post these in his desk so he’d never doubt how talented he really is in work.

Next, we outlined what sorts of clients he should secure and then wrote a list of any current or former friends or colleagues that he knew. We developed an information sheet on each of them which would be later transferred to a contact management system such as ACT or Goldmine or Constant Contact. On each of the sheets, he had write about the person. He wrote down anything he knew about them professionally or personally. These ranged from where they went to school to their spouses names, to their hobbies.

Next, we put them in order from “A” Accounts (The really big ones) down to “D” accounts (Barely worth calling) and everyone in between. When all was said and done, my client had a list of about 25 people on the A list and those were the ones that we focused on.

Those names went into the computer. We then called and got all of their current information such as emails, secretaries names, firms, etc. He then wrote a letter that was sent to each of them announcing his new position and then said that he would soon be giving a follow up call to say a quick hello. The letter was written in a casual manner, and not too formal. It definitely did NOT look like a form letter from a law firm!

Over time, my client redeveloped these people into friends. He did it by meeting them to play basketball, going to networking events with them, or inviting them to political speeches. He was able to get tickets for a few of them to different events and basically became a resource to the whole legal profession for most of them. He became a FRIEND to these individuals, their firms and as a result, guess what happened?

He started bringing in business of course! Not only that, but several associates wanted to know what he was doing and how it all started.

Developing into a sales professional is a scary thought for someone who is afraid of sales. But turning into a resource for your friends and colleagues is not only fun, but a great way to learn and grow your business.

Mary Gardner, President of Lifestyles Communications Inc. Lifestyles Communications Inc. is dedicated to helping individuals understand and succeed in the new virtual, internet and global marketplace. Mary has coached and consulted for executives, professional athletes, entrepreneurs, and individuals in interpersonal communication tactics, business communication, public speaking, and has spoken professionally throughout the country. If you have a coaching question contact Mary at mary@marygardner.com or web: www.marygardner.com or www.lifestylescommunications.com

I realized that we have become friends through the process of business. I know how many kids he has, about his divorce and about his previous marriage. I know what his wife does professionally, and I know what his own parents do professionally. I know his buttons and his hot points and I know that he is slow to negotiate and that he also has a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

I know that the best way to work with this client is to be as friendly as possible, but as firm as possible. Give a little but not so much that I am backed into a corner. I know that he has a soft side as well as a very deliberate business side, and that he often uses silence to get his way. He makes his opponents wait for the answer so they’ll break.. or back down.

Today I’ve realized how valuable that it is so really KNOW your client. It’s not enough to know what they do in their jobs or profession, but to really KNOW them as people. For instance, how does he/she deal with conflict? Do they have a mate at home? Does he value her or does he take advantage of her? Is he there for his kids or is he merely a figure head? Knowing these things may tell you how attached he might get to be with his clients and customers. The better relationships he is able to develop at home, the more he’s learned about business, that’s for sure. Keeping a long term marriage and having kids makes a person much more malleable. It requires endurance over the long haul and the ability to be flexible because you won’t always get your way.

What about his hobbies? Does he have them? Is he overly meticulous about them or is it more for fun? Is he talented at something that is unusual? How much dedication did it take to learn or accomplish it? What about his alma matter? Did he go to a college that he is proud of? Was it nearly impossible to get into the university or did he go to the local state university that was convenient? How did he or she pick their profession? Were they talked into it by their parents for the practicality of it or did they experience it during an internship?

These things can all be important to you as the account executive, sales person or executive. Knowing your client as a PERSON is probably the greatest asset that you can develop over your competition. They might be selling their product or their service, but if you know the client, their likes and dislikes, their moods and their work habits, you’ll know when to call, when not to call, when to push a little harder and when to back off. You’ll know when to endorse your client’s strengths and when to give him information that he needs to make a decision. In the beginning it takes time to read the moods, habits and the personality of your client, but after time, the relationship becomes established and many times the bond can’t be broken without someone making a serious blunder.

I’m also coaching a consulting/recruiting company whose job is to book people within other organizations. One of the most important things that they’ve done is to study up on the cultures of each organization. What sorts of people do well there? Do they value individuality and creativity or more of the corporate type? Do they want out of the box thinkers and dressers versus the person who will fit into a new organization with no problem.

Sometimes, taking one look at a person, you’ll know if they are a leader or a follower. You’ll know if they can deal with corporate politics or if they’d prefer to mesh within the organization and not create waves. Other times, it takes time to find this out.. but it’s always good to know before you place a client in the wrong culture.

Another sales organization I’m working with books people with people! They are a dating organization! Their job is to figure out who actually might be a compatible mate for one another. I’ve discovered while that much of this goes on instinct, its up to the account executive to do a complete job of getting to know the candidates before they set up two people. Just the fact that two people are nice does NOT equal chemistry. There always needs to be that respect factor figured in. Respect for their individual choices they’ve made in life and for their accomplishments. When people are looking for that perfect “someone” they don’t want to settle. They want the cream of the crop. So pairing up people who are equally as accomplished is harder to do. Philosophy on life is another place to review well. Do they take charge and go after life? Do they take risks? Have they followed their dreams or a very safe path of employment and life? There are benefits to both, but often times, one won’t mesh with the other.

My friend Elisa has used their service a few times. She’s an electric and motivating personality. She’s accomplished a lot as an entrepreneur and has traveled a lot nationally and internationally. She’s been matched with some very nice people, but they didn’t have the worldliness or the culture that she’s become accustomed to. She didn’t know how to put her finger on it, so I told her how she could better position herself so they’d know how to “pitch” her. (An old agent’s/publicist’s trick! )

Tell them: “Elisa is an accomplished, world class traveler and professional. She is cultured and sophisticated but her down to earth style puts people at ease. She’ll be most comfortable with a man who has been married before, has children, and who is successful himself. He should have financial stability and like to travel, know the time and commitment kids take, and to meet new people and have fun.”

Taking the time to know the person is the most important thing that any sales person can do. The upfront time that it takes to do this can be extended if the relationship is conducted over the phone. If you are lucky enough to get to meet the potential client in person or at a conference, see if there is anyway to spend time out of the office at lunch or at a conference together. Building that bond in the beginning can create lots of money in your pocket in the end. And while it’s nice to get new business of course, it’s also great to do business with people you’ve gotten to know, like and enjoy.

The sales person over promises.

Yells at the technology person to cough up the work and to hurry up.

The technology person explains how much work that is, how complicated it is and asks what is the priority.

The sales person says: DON”T GIVE ME DETAILS.. DON’T COMPLAIN.. just do the work.

The sales person complains about the IT person.

The IT person has a breakdown.. And calls Me.

I have to explain to the IT person how NOT to get TOO detailed. I explain how the sales person can be pushy, and barge in and expect the world to stop because he/she has a client or a sale or an emergency, and that the sales person does NOT want to know everything the techie has to do to get the job done.

Just tell the sales person the date of expected arrival or when the problem will be fixed completely.

Let the sales person call and talk to the voice mail or send an email.

Don’t’ drop everything the second the sales person calls. Handle several of the calls together to save time.

I then talk with the sales person. I explain that the techie is handling thousands of things. I explain that the techie isn’t able to handle so many requests out of turn. The sales person must weigh the importance of each call, and preferably lump the questions together in order of priority.

After calming both sides down, there is usually an agreement to talk things out. Both parties have to listen without jumping in and getting frustrated.

I’ve had two identical situations occur this week. Two separate clients. Same situation. Techie upset that he doesn’t get the level of respect he deserves. The sales pro is upset at the slow turn around time of the techie.

I am so glad I understand this. I’m a sales person and think in big picture and my husband is a techie so I know how to talk with him and have educated him on how to talk with me.
At one point, I told him to get some new friends because I couldn’t be his “technical soulmate” too. He understood this and now he has an employee who he enjoys talking technical stuff with.

I’m glad. It stretches my brain in ways that I don’t enjoy. It stresses me out. It causes me to have friction within the conversation. Oh no, we are right back where we started!