Tag Archives: encouragement

You have to be Crazy !!!

20 May

“You Have to be Crazy !!” ,” I mean just nuts to work for Straight commission, I mean man thats just insane. ”

Have you heard this rant before? Chances are good you have.

Ive heard it from nearly every relative I have at one time or another.

Heck, to be honest, there were lean times when I said it to myself !!

Over the years I have reached a rather different conclusion. I personally feel your crazy to work any other way.

Consider this simple equation

Passion + Effort = income

More Passion + More Effort = More income

Where else but the world of SALES can this

    always

be true ?

At the local factory I could come in on Monday, work with Passion and Pride and make no more than the guy beside me who nurses his hangover and sits around all day. Talk about CRAZY !!

To top that off My income would be dependent on the company’s deciding that I needed more.

And then deciding When I needed it.

Just insane !

Who has it better than us?

Sell like your living depends on it

Donnie

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FINANCE LESSONS !!

6 May

REPOSTED FROM LAST YEAR BY REQUEST

I have had the privilege of working with some of the best Finance and Insurance professionals in the business.

I have been mad at them, happy with them, frustrated with their process, and even amazed by their ability,

but most of all ,I have learned from them

It’s math not magic
failing to take into account the proper financial structuring of a deal, may make the deal look great on the front end, but it virtually guarantees you are wasting the customer’s time. Successful delivery requires that the LTV ( loan to value) and the initial investment meet bank criteria. Even the best of the best can’t overcome poorly structured transactions. This forces your finance Manager to work backwards in your deal. He/She is forced to Change the details of the transaction, and present the new details to a customer you failed to prepare. This will cost you money, time, and the trust of your customer.

Protecting Information is Everyone’s job
Sales people tend to see this as the sole responsibility of a Finance professional . It is a complete disrespect to your client not to care for and secure all of their personal information. You may think it is clever to photo copy docs for your records, but it is not only unethical, it is illegal. This seems easier for a new Sales person to grasp than an “Old dog” so listen up old dogs, The days of keeping open files on your previous customers that include their credit criteria are gone !! If you cant get this any other way, imagine that the clerk at walmart is taking home your bank card information ” Just in case” . Not a great thought is it? STOP doing this.

Rates and Terms are not determined by the F & I dept
Whether they are good or bad, at the end of the day it is the customer’s credit record that will determine the tier he falls into ,and the rates that are available to him. Often sales people think that Finance determines the rate based on the profit they would like to make. While there is mark up in rate, the tier and base rate are determined based on the customer’s prior credit history and the level of risk the bank is willing to take.

Faking it is NOT making it
You may think boosting income or job time or other factors on a credit application is a slick way of getting around the system, but it will in fact introduce you to another system. The Unemployment system, or worse the Prison system

There is no room for Guesswork
Finance is an exact science, guessing at the payment and quoting “ scenarios” are not doing you or your customers any justice. In fact they frustrate the process and the client. Get your finance manager involved when questions of rate and term surface. You’ll find your customer enjoys being given the facts as they are, and not your best “guess”

The Finance manager is your team mate, they are not an obstacle to your success they are in fact a catalyst for it.

Abusing their system, and asking them to work out side of ethical lines will short circuit your career.

Take some time and learn what it is that they do, how their process works, and how to make the it work for you and your customer.

Sell like your living depends on it

Donnie

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“You work too much”

30 Apr

I sat quietly as I listened to my 26-year-old Daughter lecture me on the perils of working “too much”.

“You miss out on so much Dad , You just need to slow down.”

I didn’t argue, and I certainly didn’t mention that I was about to extend my work day by an additional hour for Daylight savings time… I just smiled .

Finally I put my hand on her shoulder and said ” Sweetie, I have seen the damage of working too little.”

I just don’t know how to achieve great success without hard work !!
And I have found that the absence of hard work always equals an absence of success.

I have compiled a small list of things I don’t think you can ever have “too much” of

- Effort - Every time I apply more effort I reap more reward. NEVER FAILS !!

- Passion – When you love what you do it is infectious , You feel it, Your Customer feels it, And Your Family benefits from it

- Integrity – There simply is no such thing as being too honest

-Loyalty – A forgotten principle in todays Market place . Loyalty to the customer, and to the Company are high on my list of personal priorities .

- Drive – My cell phone is set to send me a message every Morning at 5 am it simply says “Get it All”

What would you add to the list?

Sell like your living depends on it

Donnie

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An Unfair competitive advantage

9 Apr

We all want it , That edge over our competitors.

That quality that sets us apart and makes us attractive to our customers and magnetic to our prospects.

They notice when we have it, They ask questions like “Where did they come from ?” and ” How did they suddenly get so good ?”

In the world of selling this edge is the product of a simple formula.

- Put in the work

The unattractive work, the time and effort needed to follow up, prospect, and develop. This is the hours of time on the phone. The sitting up late stuffing the mail outs. It’s the craigslist ads , the Sales blogs, Youtube videos, The bulletin board ads , and the list seems to go on and on.
It is the networking, The referrals , The constant reaching for new opportunities.
This work isn’t as pretty as the “close” , It doesn’t grab the head lines and the back slaps. No one gives out plaques and trophies for leg work, but it will pay off.

You’ll seem to come out of no where with a solid customer base, and a sales book to match. Your Customers will know you by name , and be certain, Your competition will too.

- Stay with the work

Dance with the one that brought ya !!

Often Sales people plateau.
We reach a level of success and the fundamentals that brought us here seem to take a back seat.
We get caught up in the spot light. We like the awards and the accolades, and who doesn’t?!. We enjoy being told we are a Selling machine. We like the paychecks, and the perks. This is a great feeling . The top of the field is the greatest of views.
BUT…
We need to look beyond the moment, be ready to fight once again, and be steadfast in our commitment to staying at the top of our game

But we need to realize that we are never invincible . Remember what made your competition vulnerable? They didn’t put in the work !!

Sell like your living depends on it
Donnie

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READY – SET – GO !!!

5 Apr

There we were, four boys about twelve years old, lined up in a row , facing roughly a block of of neighborhood road.

My little sister was the starting gun. She called out with all the authority her little voice could muster ;

“READY”

A quick few breaths , A short little dance hopping from foot to foot…

” SET”
Down into a stanced position crouched, eyes on the goal…

“GO!!!!!!!”
We were off racing for the pride of the block, who would win , who would have that sacred title FASTEST

(Admittedly, it wasn’t usually me .)

No, I didnt drag you down memory lane to show you I wasnt a fast runner.

I hoped to paint this picture in your mind, as I relate it This Great profession of ours.

You see one thing we all have in common at the “Starting line” of our Day, is that we all want to win. We sometimes have different definitions of what a win is, but we all want to win.

READY
Is your mind right? is your attitude positive? Have you gotten enough sleep? Eaten a good breakfast? Have you spent some time in quiet preparation for your day ? Did you plan today’s events yesterday? Are you studied up / prayed up/ and propped up?

SET
Now is the time to narrowly focus on the goal. Summon the Greatness within you, and see yourself with the victory. You CAN do this . You WILL do this , There is no one and nothing that can convince you that you are anything less than the very best at what you do .

GO!!!
Dont hold back, give it every thing you have . Let the Wisdom and Strength that is inside of you Flow to the outside. Overcome fear and doubt and LAUNCH yourself into VICTORY.
Who is better? Who is Stronger, faster, and able to rise above the average ? YOU ARE

Sell like your living depends on it
Donnie

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5 things you don’t have time for

25 Mar

I will admit this could be a longer list,

But if you are going to be successful in sales ( Or life for that matter) , You simply Cannot make time for :

Gossip :
If you allow yourself to be the recipient of garbage, you will smell like it soon !! I have met sales people so devoted to the latest “news” that they soon became the latest news. Even if you are reasonably certain that the information you have is true, Learn to keep your mouth shut when damage to another is the only possible outcome. And in the words of Sandra Blanz ( My Mom and first mentor) “If they will talk to you about someone else, They’ll talk to someone else about you .”

Bitching
Complainers are a cancer to any organization. They will de moralize a Sales team and Crush the greatest of effort. I am amazed that they never run short of dis satisfaction. It seems everything bothers them . I once overheard a Sales person tell another ” Man we just have too much inventory, This place is turning into a candy store.” That same sales person complained later in the year when I dropped a line that was under performing. I recommend promoting constant complainers to the position of customer.

Blame
It was the weather, the ad campaign, the inventory, The Management, the customer . IT WAS YOU !! take ownership of your failures. Blame will rot you from the inside out. We all stumble, We all fail. You just can’t waste precious time dwelling on the past. Dust your self off, learn from your mistakes and Get busy !

Desperation
Desperate people do desperate things . It is a far better use of your time and energy to stop, take a breath and formulate a solid plan for success. Acting out of desperation will cost you profit and customers. Be careful not to develop commission breath . Remember the fundamentals that have brought you success in the past and apply them.

Destruction
To be more specific , self-destruction. Doing or saying that thing which will result in your certain failure . Among those that fail in our profession you will find a wide range of self-destructive behavior . Drug and alcohol abuse, gambling, Theft, dishonesty and many more . These are the tools with which failure builds its strong hold in our lives. Stay grounded , keep your moral compass pointed true North. You will lose much more than time slipping down these paths

Sell like your living depends on it
Donnie

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IT’S NOT WHAT WE DON’T KNOW…

27 Feb

With nearly 28 years in Sales and Sales Management, I find myself training teams, and thinking to myself, ” These guys know this stuff”.
I have had many “old dogs” say to me ” Donnie I saw

    trainer’s name here

teach this 20 years ago. I usually reply, “so did I and Now I have the pleasure of repeating it” .

The strongest mentor in my life was a guy named Roger. He was the kind of Trainer that would sneak up on you. He had a lesson for you when you didn’t see it coming.
He would wait until the deal was done, and the ink was dry, then he would say something like…

” Donnie, You needed to slow down and lower your voice, and make your Customer feel special.”
WHAT ??!!! “I just closed the deal Roger !”
” I know Donnie,” He would Counsel, “But that is all you did.”
He then would go on to explain what I missed and where a further opportunity might have been.

He Started this routine the first week I worked for him as a sales person , and the last week I worked for him as a GM, 20+ years later, he was still taking the time to teach as the opportunity arose.
“You see Donnie” He would say, “It is not what we don’t know that hurts us, It’s what we know and don’t do.”

I think about this Statement often, As I watch talented, educated, Well trained Sales people fail to reach their potential. They immediately Start looking for a book, CD, or Training program with a “FRESH” approach. Nothing wrong with that , But more often that not, they find that new book is just full of the same old truth’s they should have been sticking with.

We know Follow up is Critical
- But we tell ourselves we are too busy, we wait at the front door for a “gift” from God, While our customer base finds out that our competition is having a sale.

We know Product knowledge is Important
- But we tell ourselves that the customer is so well educated that they know more than we do. We end up looking silly and giving up profit to fix mistakes. Knowledge always equals profit !!

We know Our Customers want to feel like we care
- But we are off to the next deal !! far to busy to stop and share a kind word, ask for their referrals, or talk about their frustrations. After all that’s what the service department is for.
( Side note , Nationally they trade every 3 to 5 years, did they trade with you ????? )

What is it that You know, but aren’t doing?
Take Massive action, get busy doing right, and

Sell like your living depends on it
Donnie

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Holding yourself accountable for greatness

25 Feb

Holding yourself accountable for greatness

OK I know this is a simple title but I am going to introduce an exercise that I really want you to take seriously.
We spoke previously about the Greatness that is inside of you. That leads naturally to addressing the task of getting that Greatness to the “outside”.

In terms of unlocking and performing at a level of Greatness , you will have to go through a cuople of tough exercises

1. Discovering your worth
what it is that you deserve, What are you working for? What are you worth …
*Step in front of a mirror ( preferably at home and when you have lots of time )
* Ask yourself ” What am I worth? “
DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO LEAVE THE MIRROR UNTIL YOU HAVE AN ANSWER IN MIND
(hint its not all about money)
NOTE –> This question isn’t for your spouse, its not for your boss, It is for you. This isn’t about any one’s opinion, assessment, or goal. This is about you
Your raw honesty, Your dreams, Your aspirations, The VALUE of your effort .

2. The Second question will come quite naturally ;
If I deserve these things, Why don’t I have them
No excuses, no blame, just raw honesty .What or who is holding you back? How many opportunities to improve have you missed? What obstacles have you allowed to stand in your way? what is keeping you from being great? IS IT YOU ?????

This is tough, but if being great was easy, everyone would be operating that way.

3. Develop a Plan of action
This isn’t a “resolution” to be lived a while and forgotten. This is a Life altering plan that will shape your future and it should be treated as such
– What needs “fixed”
– What will it take in terms of committment
– What will it take in terms of Work
– What is a reasonable time table
– Who can you lean on for direction and assistance
– Where is your passion level? ( Are you ready to do what it takes?)

Of course I do not have the room here to go much further into this but I think you can see the Path

Sell like your living depends on it
Donnie

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a better life !!!!!!!!!!

20 Feb

The ” not so secret” all time solution to a better life !!!!!!!!!!

WOW what a title!!!!

Sounds like I have a formula here that may just change your life, That’s because I do.
This formula is inside of a container that you already have with you, as a matter of fact that container is YOU

I have met a lot of sales people in my life, some just seem to know how to get that inward fire stoked, while others, try as they might, cant seem to get it burning
These poor guys try it all, energy drinks, loud music,jogging in place, they manage to get their blood pumping for a short burst… but soon find they burn out.
If this is a picture of you, the situation is very simple , you just haven’t learned a basic truth.

THERE IS GREATNESS INSIDE OF YOU
We have all heard of the men and women who against incredible odds, and impossible circumstances manage to survive. Things like being lost in the wilderness, Trapped in demolished buildings, Stranded on snow covered mountain tops.
We have read the stories of the people who lift cars off of children, run through blazing fire to save a loved one, or some other feat of heroism.
These folks are built just like you and I. They are wonderful complex human beings.
They are People who find Greatness inside of themselves.

So what about you? do you think you were skipped in this department ? Absolutely not !! This tenacity, this determination, this supernatural charge of energy is waiting inside of you.

Unlocking it starts with your unwavering conviction
You cannot be willing to accept less than greatness in yourself.
Don’t rest your head on the soft pillow of self pity, it will lull you to sleep and you will be doomed to a career filled with mediocrity and average success.
You must push yourself to be better today than you were yesterday. You have to get up every morning and find within you that determination and drive that will carry you to the top of your selling game.
I am not a doctor, nor a professional trainer. I am not a guru by any one’s standard . But this I KNOW , without the sincere conviction that you are capable of great things, you will never achieve great things
You cannot be willing to accept less than greatness in yourself.

You must call your self to action
Develop the daily routine of “Calling yourself to the task at hand. I will give you a daily affirmation that I believe will help you to do this. You are welcome to use it “as-is” or modify it as needed.

TODAY I WILL ACCEPT NOTHING LESS THAN ALL I HAVE TO GIVE
I WILL NOT ALLOW FEAR TO STOP ME FROM TRYING
I WILL NOT ALLOW FAILURE TO STOP ME FROM WINNING
I WILL APPROACH MY TASKS TODAY WITH ENTHUSIASM AND DETERMINATION
I WILL SUCCEED

Believe it !!!! LIVE IT !!

Sell like your living depends on it
Donnie

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WHAT DO THEY SEE?

6 Feb

I am always surprised to see myself in pictures and video. I don’t look at all like I expect to look. I don’t feel like a guy with grey hair and a gut…

But the camera doesn’t lie does it .

Consider for a moment that the way we see ourselves professionally, could also be very different from how others see us.

We may see our selves as a vocal advocate for improvement
And others may see us as a constant complainer.
How does this happen?
offering a steady presentation of problems without offering solutions, or even an attempt at helping , may very well seem to our co-workers as just general bitching.
Changing that image requires a shift from ” This is broken” to ” How can I help” .

We may see ourselves as a most valuable asset working tirelessly on building our sales book
And others may see us as someone that doesn’t care about the success of his overall team
The very definition of an asset is one that adds value to the whole of a team or organization.
Blindly selling with a total lack of respect for the support process behind you is destructive.
When you sell this way, you will constantly give up your profit to make the customer happy with the service disconnect YOU CREATED. Thus reducing your contribution and lessening your worth .
Changing this image will require that you take a look at EVERYONE involved in your Customer process. Recognize and respect their contributions to your success and communicate effectively with them

How do “they” see you?

Share in the comments some other ways we can change / improve the perception of our team mates

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