This is what’s on my mind today…

I’ve been evaluating the “sales process” inside my head and thinking about what has worked best in the past. One of the recurring themes I picked out was that any time I have “let things play” out and simply rely on my charm - the sale has happened.

At the same time, when we’ve been in “crunch mode” it always seems that the sales take longer and even if they happen - they feel very pushed and lead to more dissatisfaction for both parties in the end (versus building a strong relationship first).

What led me to this thought was this last weekend. I spoke at a seminar hosted by arguably the largest company in our industry. It was an honor enough to just be invited, however it seems to be turning into much more than that.

I was such a hit at the event that their CEO has already struck multiple follow-up conversations with me including a potential Joint Venture. See, I’ve been wanting to find an “in” with them for over 3 years, but frankly always avoided it because NO ONE in our industry (yes, NO ONE) has had any luck - even names that are much bigger than mine.

Some how, all of a sudden, the tables have turned in the sense that “I” feel as if the sale is coming from the other side (which is a great position to be in). You see what happened here was that I presented my value before anything. I made them realize that there was money in working with me and my company before EVER making them feel like “I was trying to get the best of them…”

The best salesman is always the one that lets the customer feel as if it was their own decision to buy the process, when in reality, he/she held their hand and led them right to the decision. By mistake (not purposely), I think I may have done the same thing here…

All in all, try changing your mindset from “selling” to “relationship building” - show value first, let them see what life could be like with you and/or your product then slightly pull it away. The sale seems to get much easier that way…

Popularity: 40% [?]

Be honest, how many times a day do you check your e-mail?

I’m preaching today, but honestly, I should listen to my own advice because I am addicted to  e-mail. However, I’ve had periods of time (when I travel), where internet is not available and my productivity shoots through the roof.

Here’s how most of us entrepreneurs and CEOs work - we have multiple windows open and one of them is surely our Outlook/Gmail/Hotmail or some other form of e-mail. To make matters worst, we have it set-up to ALERT us when there is a new mail, a small noise that we soon to respond to like little dogs do to a whistle.

E-MAIL KILLS YOUR PRODUCTIVITY…

Period - no question or argument about it. If you’re checking your e-mail more than twice a day (this includes me), you’re not being productive or efficient.

Let me give you an example…

Have you ever noticed how quickly you respond to phone calls? You might be in the middle of an important meeting, but you’ll STILL sneak in a peek to see WHO is calling and you may even actually pick it up! Especially if you’re in the middle of doing something that does not involve another person, you’re 90% likely to get interrupted by the phone and answer it.

Why?

I think it’s because of that sound, we’ve just been trained to answer.

Well, that’s the thing with e-mail now. Most of our computers make a sound or alert us. So, we’ve been trained to respond (like little dogs).

You should not spend all day checking e-mail, do NOT let it interrupt your work time. Bottom-line, think about how many of the emails you respond quickly to - how many of them are actually that urgent?

Here is some advice to DE-e-mailize yourself:

1. Turn OFF all e-mail alerts.
2. Check e-mail only twice - morning and evening.
3. Schedule blocks of time where you actually shut off e-mail completely.
4. Put an auto-reply in your e-mail that tells people your “checking schedule” and give them a phone number to call in case of sheer emergency.

Try putting those into place, one by one (I will try too). I bet you get twice as much done with half of the stress.

By the way, do the same with chat programs (unless you run a virtual company like me, then it’s critical). 

Popularity: 49% [?]