Business Leadership Skills 02 (Feb 13 - Apr 15)

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The Most Important Choice You Will Make by Craig Ballantyne

Every time you say yes to something, you are saying no to something else.

When you say yes to more work, you say no to more time with family.

You must think about the right choice. How you spend your time is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make.


Source: HSI

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The Key to Sales Success by Brian Tracy

If you ask any top salesperson, they will tell you that the vital key to sales success is listening. Reflect on that for a moment. How good are your listening skills?


Learn to Listen Well

A vital key to sales success is listening. The ability to listen well is absolutely indispensable for success in all human relationships.

The ability to be a good listener in a sales conversation is the foundation of the new model of selling. It leads to easier sales, higher earnings and greater enjoyment from the sales profession.


Being A Good Talker is Not Enough

Many salespeople have been brought up with the idea that, in order to be good at your profession, you must be a glad-hander and a good talker. You have even heard people say, "You have the 'gift of the gab'; you should be in sales!"


Focus On the Other Person

Nothing could be further from the truth. As many as seventy five percent of all top salespeople are defined as introverts on psychological tests. They are very easy going and other-centered. They would much rather listen than talk.

They are very interested in the thoughts and feelings of other people and they are quite comfortable sitting and listening to their prospects. They would much rather listen than talk in a sales situation. Poor salespeople dominate the talking, but top salespeople dominate the listening.


Practice "White Magic" With Everyone

Listening has even been called "white magic." It is too rarely engaged in by business people. When a salesperson develops a reputation for being an excellent listener, prospects and customers feel comfortable and secure in his or her presence. They buy more readily, and more often.


"Influence People and Get What You Want - Using Only Your Words"

It's a simple fact - the most successful people in the world are also the best communicators. Your ability to communicate with others will account for fully 85% of your success in your business and in your life.


Practice the 70/30 Rule

You've heard it said that God gave man two ears and one mouth, and he is supposed to use them in that proportion.

Top salespeople practice the "70/30 rule." They talk and ask questions 30 percent or less of the time while they listen intently to their customers 70 percent or more of the time. They use their ears and mouth in the right ratio.


Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, resolve today that, from now on, you are going to dominate the listening in every sales conversation. Become comfortable with silence.

Second, practice the 70/30 rule in every sales conversation. Listen 70% of the time and only talk and ask questions 30% of the time.


Source: Brian Tracy International

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"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."

- John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States

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The Truth About Selling

One of my favorite Zig Ziglar quotes is, "Timid salesman have skinny kids."

What he meant is that we must be confident - and skilled - in our sales presentations.

And everyone, like it or not, is "in sales."

No matter what your career, no matter what your industry, your entire day is based around persuading other people to help you or do things for you. You are always selling.


- Craig Ballantyne

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"Leadership is getting players to believe in you.

If you tell a teammate you're ready to play as tough as you're able to, you'd better go out there and do it.

Players will see right through a phony. And they can tell when you're not giving it all you've got."


- Larry Bird, American NBA basketball player

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Building Self-Confidence by Brian Tracy

Did you know that highly creative people tend to have fluid, flexible, adaptive minds?

Here are three statements that creative people can make easily and which you learn by regular practice.


Admit It When You Are Wrong

The first is simply, "I was wrong." Many people are so concerned with being right that all their mental energy is consumed by stonewalling, bluffing, blaming and denying. If you’re wrong, admit it and get on to the solution or the next step.


Face Up to Mistakes

Second, non-creative people think that it is a sign of weakness to say, "I made a mistake." On the contrary, it is actually a sign of mental maturity, personal strength and individual character. Remember, everybody makes mistakes every single day.


Be Flexible With New Information

The third statement that creative people use easily is, "I changed my mind." It is amazing how many uncomfortable situations people get into and stay in because they are unwilling or afraid to admit that they've changed their minds.


Be Willing to Cut Your Losses

If you get new information or if you find that you feel differently about a previous decision, accept that you have changed your mind and don't let anyone or anything back you into a corner. If a decision does not serve your best interests as you see them now, have the ego-strength and the courage to "cut your losses," to change your mind and then get on to better things.


You probably already know that the most successful people have incredible levels of self-confidence. They've accomplished great levels of success and happiness in their lives and seem to be uns toppable in everything that they do.

The fact is, that when you develop unshakable self-confidence your whole world will change for the better.

You'll have the confidence to take whatever steps necessary to make more money and enjoy a higher standard of living. You'll be more powerful and persuasive with other people. And you'll be more popular and likable.


Action Exercises

Here are two ways you can break out of narrow thinking patterns and become more creative.

First, be willing to admit that you are not perfect, you make mistakes, you are wrong on a regular basis. This is a mark of intelligence and courage.

Second, with new information, be willing to change your mind. Most of what you know about your business today will change completely in the coming years so be the first to recognize it.


Source: Brian Tracy International

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"An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive business advantage."

- Jack Welch

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"If you bring value to the table, other people who add value will be attracted to you. If you remove value from the table, people who add value will shy away from you".

- Simon Black

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The 4 Obstacles to closing sales by Brian Tracy

Did you know that there are 4 common obstacles that salespeople face when closing sales?

There are several other reasons why the end game of selling is stressful and difficult, but there are a few that are most common.


Fear of Failure

There are several other reasons why the end game of selling is stressful and difficult. First and foremost is the fear of failure experienced by the prospect. Because of negative buying experiences in the past, over which you could have no control, prospects are conditioned to be suspicious, skeptical and wary of salespeople and sales approaches.

They may like to buy, but they don't like to be sold. They are afraid of making a mistake. They are afraid of paying too much and finding it for sale cheaper somewhere else.


Fear of Criticism

They are afraid of being criticized by others for making the wrong buying decision. They are afraid of buying an inappropriate product and finding out later that they should have purchased something else.

This fear of failure, of making a mistake in buying your product, is the major reason why people object, hesitate and procrastinate on the buying decision.


Fear of Rejection

The second major obstacle to selling is the fear of rejection, of criticism and disapproval experienced by the salesperson. You work long and hard to prospect and cultivate a prospective buyer and you are very reluctant to say anything that might cause the prospect to tune you out and turn you off.

You have a lot invested in each prospect and if you are not careful, you will find yourself being wishy-washy at the end of the sale, rather than risking incurring the displeasure of the prospect by your asking for a firm decision.


Customers Are Busy

The third reason why the end of the sale is difficult is that customers are busy and preoccupied. It isn't that they are not interested in enjoying the benefits of your product. It's just that they are overwhelmed with work and they find it difficult to make sufficient time available to think through your recommendations and make a buying decision.

And the better they are as a prospect, the busier they tend to be. This is why you need to maintain momentum throughout the sales process and gently push it to a conclusion at the appropriate time.


Inertia is Hard to Break

The factor of inertia is the fourth reason that can also cause the sales process to come to a halt without a resolution. Customers are lazy and often quite comfortable doing what they are currently doing. Your product or service may require that they make exceptional efforts to accommodate the change or a new way of doing things.

They perhaps recognize that they would be better off with your product, but the trouble and expense of installing it hardly seems to make it worth the effort. They see no pressing need or urgency to stop doing what they are doing and start doing something else with what you are selling.


Everyone Buys at the Same Time

The good news is that everybody you meet has bought and will buy, new products and services from someone, at some time. If they didn't buy from you, they will from someone else.

You must find the way to overcome the natural physical and psychological obstacles to buying and then hone your skills so that you are capable of selling to almost any qualified prospect you speak to.


Source: Brian Tracy International

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"Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman - not the attitude of the prospect."

- W. Clement Stone