3 Keys to Success

Good Monday morning to you -

I'm going to keep this short today as I'm sure we all have a mountain of things to do today.

I wanted to share three things that I have pulled from the hockey world and been able to apply it to life and business. Craig Anderson's  stunning performance last night reminded me that to attain success we need to focus on three things:

Numer Uno: Be on Fire

What I mean by that is this: You've got to have a fire under your ass. If there isn't one, light it. If your firestarter isn't working so well and the kindling won't lite - Go to the store, buy some firestarters, a zippo and git 'er done.

Numero Dos: Have Fun

It's an incredibly simple concept yet many of us forget that we need to enjoy what we're doing. If you're unhappy in life, at your job, or whatever position that you are in, make a change. Why spend your life miserable and not enjoying yourself? I've been fortunate enough to have some great relationships with colleagues as well as people such as Paul Castain, Kelley Robertson, and Jim Kozak. I'm having a blast and there is no question I perform better under these circumstances. The same was true when I was playing in goal. If I was stressed out, worried about the end result, and what we used to call "pucker bum", I turned in to a sieve. When I was able to go out, have fun, and let my skills do the talking, I was unstoppable. If you were fortunate enough to see the game last night between the Colorado Avalanche and the San Jose Sharks, it was clear Anderson was having the time of his life and possessed all three things I am proposing here today as keys to success. A 51 save shutout is virtually unheard of. The only other comparable feat in my memory was Tuukka Rask's 52 save, 1-0 overtime victory in the Bronze Medal game of the World Jr. Championships a few years back which I witnessed in person.

Numero Tres: Have Confidence

If you don't believe in yourself, why should anyone else? That is all I have to say on the confidence issue. 

Lighting the Fire

In closing, I'd like to share with you a video that will get your blood boiling, the fire under your butt raging, and send shivers down your spine. It was originally shared with me by my goalie coach, and mentor Pascal Valana. So, please enjoy The 212 movie. 

Rock horns up, Jedi sticks glowing - Let's Go!

Something Great

Hi there -

It's been a while since my last post but I felt there wasn't much point spitting out blabbering garbagio.

Today I'd like to take a moment and commemorate the memory of a great Canadian, Terry Fox. It was 30 years ago today he dipped his leg into the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean and began his "Marathon of Hope". His goal was to raise $1M for cancer research. Today, over $500M has been raised.

 

Little did Terry know that the world would grab hold of his courageous efforts and support him on his quest to conquer cancer. He became a household name across Canada, the United States, and now in 40 countries across the World, we celebrate his legacy with the Terry Fox Run.

This proves that a single person with a big dream, a goal, and the willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve that goal can change the world. Unfortunately for Terry, he passed away trying.

I challenge you this week to dream; and dream big. I challenge you to try something new, something different, maybe even a bit obscure. Find what motivates you and go get it. I saw a quote this morning that said "We are all gifted. Unfortunately, many of us never touch the wrapping paper and see what's inside".

Perhaps a visit to a spiritual leader could provide you with some insight or a different perspective on life. Try setting up a meeting with a Rabbi, Priest, Monk, or Nun. I myself am not religious but think these people have a very unique view on life and it can certainly help. Alternatively if that sort of thing is not for you, try skydiving, snowboarding, wakeboarding, rollerblading, or whatever tickles your fancy. Life is too short to not get out there and try things. Mix it up a little and see what your ROI is. I bet you will be surprised.

It's time to get off your duff and make a difference. To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world. Remember that. And, if you need a refresher, go back and read my "Be Legit" piece. This applies to not only business's but people on a day to day level. Seriously, just be a good person. I think we all can agree on that.

Have a fantastic week and go kick some ass.

Waking Up on the Wrong Side of the Bed

Do you ever wake up and think to yourself "something feels a little different today"? This can be a great feeling or one that says "oh man, this has bad news written all over it".

Well, last week sometime the sales team here at antarctica|DIGITAL definitely woke up on the marketing side of the bed. We decided to run a little experiment and create our own e-mail campaign. You got it, sales running marketing. As a team we wanted to drum up more qualified leads (as most sales teams would say they want to do) and more importantly we wanted to understand the role of marketing and how it is done. It has come to my attention and is quite evident that the line between sales and marketing is becoming ever so thin and blurry. The white picket fence that used to up in the front yard has been smashed, bulldozed, crushed, and the house it belongs to repossessed. We are about to launch the campaign and are really looking forward to seeing the results.

Regardless of the final outcome, it's important to understand all aspects of the sales cycle including the very wide start of the funnel that is marketing. After all, they have to have come from somewhere if they're inbound. This gave us a much better understanding of where they have come from and their level of knowledge.

I recommend this exercise to expand the boundaries and increase the ability and adaptability of sales. This doesn't just have to be about Sales and marketing. Whatever area or department you are in, it will help you with your job to understand the role of other members of your team.

Hope you are enjoying the Olympics as much as I am. Vancouver is alive with Canadian pride.
!Go Canada Go!

Olympics & Sales - Connected?

With just 3 days until the games begin here in Vancouver, the city is alive and the spirit can be felt from coast to coast, across the United States, and around the world. People from all corners of the globe are filling the streets in anticipation of the ultimate test of athletic performance in winter sports. These are the top dogs, the best of the best, and they want gold more than anything.

Let us look back to the summer Olympics - Beijing 2008 -

Two athletes stand out for me;

 

Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt.

These two athletes were without question the best at their sport and peaked at the right time. Usain and Michael are arguably the two best Olympians ever.

I was involved in competitive hockey for many years and understand what it takes to be the best. It takes hard work, dedication, perseverance, and a mindset that no matter what brick wall or (excuse my french) A-hole coach, manager, owner stands in the way, you must become a raging bull and bulldoze through it.  The same attitude must be applied not only to your work life, but your personal life as well.

It's about wanting to get to achieve your goals and dreams. Sure it sounds cliche. I'm the first one to admit it.

We all know about how to set goals and work towards accomplishing them. How many of us actually have a daily reminder? There are very few people who are the best at what they do.

Michael, Usain, and (yes I'll go there) Tiger Woods have shown us that with an action plan and a road map to success, we can accomplish things we never thought possible. You can see in their eyes before the competition begins, they know they are going to win. It's a mindset that we all have to attain and begin to believe in ourselves that (pardon the Obama quote) "Yes We Can".

Today, take on the role of an eight year old planning your Olympic dream. How would you go about doing that? What would you need to do to get their? Translate that into what you want in life, business, sales, sport... whatever.

Please leave a comment, stay tuned, and you like, follow me on twitter @admrebak

Go Canada Go

Go Canada Go

Go Canada Go

The Power of One

Thank you for tuning in. Today i have a special post for you guest written by Kelley Robertson. Follow him on twitter @FearlessSelling and also subscribe to his blog.

I hope you enjoy. 

Please leave a comment : )

The Power of One

One is a very tiny number. However, it can have a tremendous impact on your revenues. Here are some ideas to consider:

§  Make one more cold call every day. One extra call a day equals 260 calls in a year. How many meetings could you set up with this number of calls and how many of those meetings could you turn into sales? Consider your current conversion ratio and think of the impact on your business.

§  Ask one more question during each sales call. Before you start “pitching” your product or service, ask your prospect one more question. This question might give you the additional insight you need to more effectively position your product or service.

§  Pause for one moment longer than usual before responding to a prospect’s question or request. Known as the pregnant pause, this often prompt the other person to blurt out something they had not intended to say. The secret behind this strategy is that most people are uncomfortable with silence and will begin talking to fill the “dead” air space.

§  Get to the office one hour early. Remember the expression “The early bird gets the worm”? That one extra hour first thing in the morning can be the most productive time of the day. You have a better chance to reach decision-makers, there are fewer distractions, and you can often achieve more in that 60 minutes than in several hours.

§  Address objections one more time before giving up. Too many sales people give up too soon when faced with objections. I’m not suggesting that you beat your customer into submission in order to close the sale. However, I do recommend that you tackle each objection one more time before you give up.

§  Send one more email to the prospect who has been sitting on the fence. Sometimes, people need that little push and encouragement to move forward. But, in many cases, their time is occupied by other projects and priorities which means they are not focused on your solution. Gentle reminders are often appreciated providing you don’t follow up so frequently you appear to be stalking them. Even though they may not be ready to make that particular buying decision, you will help keep your name in their mind.

§  Ask for an endorsement or testimonial one more time. Endorsements and testimonials are greatly underutilized by most people in business today. Quite often we ask a client for a testimonial but because they have other priorities, they forget. Call them or send an email and politely request the testimonial again.

§  Suggest one more idea to help a customer improve their business. Schedule a breakfast meeting or lunch with your customers but instead of trying to sell them something, focus on learning more about their particular challenges. Offer solutions that do not include your products or services and your customers will begin to see you more as a partner than a supplier.

§  Invest one day per month developing your skills. Many of the most successful people in business invest in themselves. They attend workshops, conferences, and participate in webinars and tele-seminars on a regular basis. Considering that the majority of people do not invest in developing their skill, you can quickly out-pace your coworkers and competition.

§  Read one book every month. Expanding your knowledge will help you become more successful. Read books related to your industry or that will provide insight to helping you improve your skill in a specific area.

§  Send one more thank you card or note. Very few sales people make the effort to thank their customers. You can stand out from the crowd by sending handwritten notes to thank customers for their most recent order, meeting with you, or sending an on-time payment. You can also send a note when you see their company mentioned favorably in the news.

Although it is a tiny number, one can make a very powerful impact both on your top line sales and bottom line profits. One extra sale every day, week or month – depending on your business, can make a significant impact on your sales by the end of the year.

The next time you think about giving up on a high-potential prospect consider the fact that you might be just one phone call, one email, one letter or one meeting away from making the sale.

© MMX Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.

Get your FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to Kelley’s free newsletter, “59 Seconds to Sales Success” at www.Fearless-Selling.ca. 

Kelley Robertson, author of The Secrets of Power Selling helps sales professionals close more sales at higher profits. Kelley conducts workshops and speaks regularly at sales meetings and conferences. Contact him at 905-633-7750 or Kelley@Fearless-Selling.ca.


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