Salesopedia Media

So say sales professionals!

The latest poll on Salesopedia asks, “Can mindset trump the economy?” With two days of voting left, 87.5% have indicated “absolutely!” Only 9.4% aren’t sure and one pessimist has said “good luck.”

What do you think? You have until Sunday night to register your opinion. Right now results confirm sales producers and sales managers are on balance an optimistic and confident lot. I agree and whole-heartedly believe mindset can trump the economy! mebeliVote now.

Clayton Shold
Salesopedia

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Joanne Black talks about the recession or how she puts it, “leaner times.” In this podcast she describes her “5 killer steps” to recession proof your business. These five steps are practical and relevant. As everyone seems to want to talk about slower times, learn how to use this conversation to your advantage. Joanne explains how to be purposeful and active so it will energize you and lead to positive results.

Joanne Black is the author of No More Cold Calling™ The Breakthrough System That Will Leave Your Competition in the Dust. A leading authority on referral selling who has been consulting with individuals and companies since 1996.

Clayton Shold
Salesopedia

 

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Every year The Caldwell Partners’ compiles a list to celebrate the achievements of the sharpest young minds in Canada. I enjoy reading through the profiles of these successful people who cover a broad spectrum of industries and vocations.

They were asked “What is one piece of advice given to you early in your career that you still draw upon?” As I read through them I thought many are applicable for those in sales or sales management, here is a sampling:

“Treat your employees as if they are your most important customers.” - Court Carruthers

“Keep it simple, have alternatives, be prepared, keep your head up, and don’t coach in the NHL.” - Scott Saxberg

“The easiest way to appear honourable is to actually be honourable.” - Yuri Fulmer

“If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well (from my Dad).” – Carolyn Rogers

“Focus on improving yourself (or your own business) and never put down others (or competitors).” – Mark Cohen

“Try to provide others with the kind of environment and opportunities to grow and succeed that you have been provided.” - Patrick Spence

Congratulations to all of those selected as the Top 40 Under 40, you are an impressive lot.

Clayton Shold
Salesopedia

You might have noticed a new listing on my blogroll today. Brad Trnavsky is back with a new site and blog. Based in Everett Washington, his day job is Director of Recruitment for a mid-sized college, when he’s not there he puts on his sales management super hero outfit and strives to help sales professionals “increase their income without compromising their values.”

Brad has created an interesting site that encourages you to sign up as a member and actively contribute your thoughts and opinions which gives it a dynamic community feel. In talking with Brad earlier last year he is a big promoter of social networking and he has clearly woven this component into his site. Take a few minutes and check out Sales Management 2.0, you might recognize a few familiar faces, and then slide over to his blog for some interesting posts and links. Good luck with your venture Brad!

Clayton Shold
Salesopedia

One of the challenges most salespeople face is how to shorten their sales cycle. A shorter sales cycle logically translates into more sales. An increase in productivity leads to an increase in income, who doesn’t want to be part of that equation? Tibor Shanto tackles this issue head on. A strong proponent of process improvement and activity management Tibor details the one item that is a powerful catalyst in achieving a shorter sales cycle. Listen and learn what it is and how to make it work for you.

Tibor Shanto has over 20 years of sales, executive, leadership and sales operations experience in financial, information, content management and professional service industries. As Principal of Renbor Sales Solutions Inc., Tibor works with leading corporations in Canada, USA and the UK, helping these organizations realize sustained revenue attainment through improvement in sales strategy and execution.

Clayton Shold
Salesopedia

Business Expert Webinars (BEW) has been in the works for many months. Lee Salz has been very busy behind the scenes pulling this website together. What he has done is amassed a consortium of business experts, best-selling authors, award winning speakers and business gurus. He as over 100 experts on board who already have 700 plus webinars scheduled!

Each webinar is 60 minutes and taught by a live presenter on the phone and is supported by a presentation delivered over the Internet. These are not infomercials, but solid content that digs deep into the subject matter. You walk away with actionable information you can use immediately. This is a great way for adults to learn valuable information in a very affordable way, without leaving your office.

I personally know many of the experts Lee has attracted to Business Expert Webinars. I encourage you to visit the website and see for your self the quality of the presenters and the breath of subject matter available to you.

Clayton Shold
Salesopedia

More survey results from the sales poll on Salesopedia.com.

The commentary is mine. The opinions are yours.

Thanks for voting!

What is your preferred method for finding new clients?

Referrals ……… 68.3%

Networking …….16.7%

Lead Lists ……… 8.3%

Cold calling ……. 6.7%

Are you remembering to ask for them?

Do you find closing sales?

Like a 5 km run ……… 56.5%

A walk in the park …… 26.1%

More like a triathlon … 17.4%

Mostly joggers, a few strollers, and fewer yet find it iron wo/man tough.

How organized is your day?

I do ok …….…….. 61.3%

Don’t ask ……..… 32.3%

To the minute ….… 6.5%

Yup, answered by sales people!

I consider myself a:

Optimist …… 58.1%

Realist …….. 41.9%

Pessimist …….. 0%

Interesting split between optimists and realists.

Best Questioning Technique?

Ask then shut up ………………… 52.8%

Use open-ended questions ……. 41.7%

Determine feelings ………………… 5.6%

The message here is use opened ended questions then listen.

What is your best edge?

Attitude ………………….……. 54.8%

Communication Skills …….. 35.5%

Perfect Process …………..….. 6.5%

Attire ………………………….… 3.2%

Attitude rocks, communicating well helps … and I know you already are well dressed.

Remember to vote every week on Salesopedia.com.

Clayton Shold
Salesopedia

Dr. Greg Stebbins tells you how to get the Sales Edge. He explains the difference between a sales person and a sales professional. He outlines four key points you need to know if you want to excel in sales. A strong believer in continuous learning and sharing knowledge, you will find Dr. Stebbins has a straightforward communication style. His insights of people, on what creates trust, on how motivation can work against you, and on the powers of observation are all reasons to listen to this podcast.

Greg Stebbins is a master at improving the greatest asset of any business—its people. With more than 30 years of business experience, he applies a wealth of knowledge, know how, and high impact ideas to the challenges his clients bring to him. He is author of the acclaimed book “People Savvy for Sales Professionals.”

Over 20,000 sales professionals have benefited from Greg’s expertise and training. He has consulted on strategic planning, leadership development and organizational culture for dozens of organizations, large and small, profit and not-for-profit. Greg has developed his dynamic approach through real-life experience and dedicated research. A published author, he brings with him an MBA in finance, a Masters in psychology and a Doctorate from Pepperdine’s School of Education and Psychology.

Clayton Shold
Salesopedia

 

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Back in January we featured this promotion and it was so successful it crashed the server! So it is back by popular demand but only for one day! I’m recommending this remarkable book that will teach you exactly how the top pros are selling more — right now! Every day!

Top Dog Sales Secrets is the highly acclaimed bestseller written by 50 leading experts for professional salespeople, entrepreneurs, business owners, sales leaders and executives … anyone who wants proven and powerful ways to dramatically increase their sales.

One reader said, “One of these top dog secrets can earn you a fortune.” Another said, “It’s like reading the best ideas from 50 sales books all in one book.”

TODAY ONLY - April 22!

When you get your copy of Top Dog Sales Secrets today you will also receive $3,000 worth of valuable sales and marketing tools. This is powerful stuff. You’ll get downloadable e-books, white papers, articles, and reports, all yours from top sales and business growth leaders. Take a look at your complimentary bonuses here.

This is a one-time deal so I encourage you to get your copy of Top Dog Sales Secrets and your valuable bonuses today. You will be glad you did.

Click here to learn more.

Clayton Shold
Salesopedia

P.S. You have no risk. Your “extreme satisfaction” is guaranteed by the publisher. Don’t miss this deal.

A few weeks ago someone told me “the Salesopedia website is really a blog!”

Up until that point I had always figured the Salesopedia blog was a blog and the Salesopedia website was a website. Sure each had a link to the other but they were separate real estate on the World Wide Web.

I asked the astute sage what he meant when he made the comment. He responded, “Your website is like a blog to me, it changes frequently and features a bevy of guest authors.” Salesopedia does present five different author’s articles every week, along with a guest podcaster which gives us the opportunity to change the articles around at mid week. In our conversation I admitted having to stretch my imagination to think of the website as a blog. He asked why. I said on a blog you have people commenting on what I write, we don’t on the website.

This revelation caused the Salesopedia think tank to come together and analyse this observation. In our collective wisdom we decided to make the website look and feel more like a blog. You will now find a comment section at the end of each article. I encourage you to share your thoughts after you read an article. It is great feedback to the author and allows you to agree or disagree with the perspective or provide your own additional insights on the topic.

I guess I now have to think about making this blog look more like a website … naaaa.

Clayton Shold
Salesopedia