What Does Sales-Rep Job Hopping Mean to You?

July 9, 2018 jeffbeals

By Jeff Beals

Workers in the United States are choosing to leave their jobs at the fastest rate since the internet boom 17 years ago, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article, and it’s paying off for them in the form of bigger paychecks and more satisfying work.

The Labor Department reported that 3.4 million Americans quit their jobs in April, near a 2001 internet-fueled peak and twice the 1.7 million who were laid off from jobs in April. The job-hopping phenomenon is not limited to certain industries, instead occurring across the economy. Workers are buoyed by a strong economy and the lowest unemployment rate in years.

As you might imagine, young people are switching more than older employees. Approximately 6.5 percent of workers under age 35 changed jobs in the first quarter of last year, according to the article, versus 3.1 percent of those ages 35 to 54.

What does this dynamic employment market mean to you?

If you’re an employee, it means that you may have more choices now than at any other point in your career, perhaps ever. But you now have the “curse of choices:” some employees may agonize over leaving a comfortable or safe job versus chasing a new opportunity that pays more and offers more enjoyment/career satisfaction.

If you’re looking to hire or retain talent, your job is getting harder, and it’s probably going to get worse in the future. There is growing evidence that artificial intelligence (AI) is actually creating more jobs than it kills thanks to the massive productivity gains it causes.

So how do business leaders make sure they have enough talent in a talent-scarce environment where workers are becoming more restless?

First and foremost, you need to create a motivational culture that people don’t want to leave. Second, compensation needs to be competitive. Third, you need to recruit perpetually. Recruiting talent is the lifeblood of a company. Even when you’re “full up,” you need to keep recruiting at least a little because personnel situations can change fast.

This is especially true if you lead a sales team. More than 26 percent of sales jobs are expected to turn over this year. Even during down economies, it’s difficult to find talented, motivated sales people who are willing to work on commission.

Here are a few ideas to help you find the sales talent you need:

Look for a vendor who is good at selling. That talented salesperson who sells things to your company might enjoy becoming a part of your company.
The same thing goes for a client. Obviously, you have to be very careful about this, but if the situation is right, there might be a sales rep from one of your client companies that might be a good fit for you.
You can post ads online, but for many companies in many industries, this turns out to be a waste of time and money.
Engage a recruiting firm? Some companies have a lot of success with this. Other companies prefer to bird-dog for sales reps on their own.
Good, old-fashioned networking is the best way to bird-dog for reps. The key is to network efficiently and with the end goal in mind. Only network at events and in places that are target rich. Otherwise, you’re wasting your time.
Seek referrals from your current reps. Ask your reps, “Who would you like to work with?” Some companies give incentives to reps who recruit people.
Social media is critically important. You most likely won’t directly fill vacant sales jobs solely through social media, but it will help. Social media builds brand familiarity and credibility.

This is important: If you’re a sales leader, be sure to sign up for my webinar, “How to Recruit Rockstar Sales Reps,” which will take place on Thursday, August 16th at 10:00 a.m. Central Time.

We’ll share with you:

The simple, right-in-front-of-you places you can find top-shelf sales reps
How to get prospective sales reps excited about your company’s culture and growth opportunities
How to differentiate yourself from all the other companies competing for the best talent

It’s only $49, and each attendee will receive the “Recruiting Blueprint,” a printable resource which provides you with a step-by-step process that will help you win the sales-rep recruiting race!

Click here to register!

Jeff Beals shows you how to find better prospects, close more deals and capture greater market share. Jeff is an international award-winning author, sought-after keynote speaker, and accomplished sales consultant. He has spoken in 5 countries and 41 states. A frequent media guest, Jeff has been featured in Investor’s Business Daily, USA Today, Men’s Health, Chicago Tribune and The New York Times.”

Here’s Why Should You Choose Jeff Beals as Your Next Speaker:

“Jeff Beals has presented four different topics at five of our internal events this year. At each event, the audience of commercial real estate principals and agents was completely engaged and motivated the entire time. Jeff facilitates his training sessions in such a way that each member of the audience was able to relate and understand how to apply it every day in the field. Jeff is brilliant, and we have hired him to continue speaking at our events next year!” – Lindsay Fierro, Senior Vice President, NAI Global, New York, NY

“Jeff Beals is a consummate pro. With short notice, he put together an engaging, fun, sales-focused presentation full of specifics – just what our exec team needed. We’ll ask him back for annual company retreat again next year.” – John Baylor, President, On to College, Lincoln, NE

“You brought great value to our event. The workshop was a huge experience for our attendees by giving them the opportunity to improve their work in the critical environment in which we are living today. Your talent as a speaker and your qualities as a person made the difference during your time with us. I would certainly recommend you to anyone who asks.” – Ana Paula Costa, Educational Planner, Febracorp, Sao Paulo, Brazil

(402) 637-9300

What Do Sales Reps Fear the Most?

July 1, 2018 jeffbeals

By Jeff Beals

Which part of the sales process is most difficult for you? Which part intimidates you?

Hubspot.com set out to determine which part of the sales process causes reps to struggle the most, and the survey results were quite interesting:

Prospecting 42%

Closing 36%

Qualifying 22%

That is the exact order I would have predicted before I even read the study. The only thing that surprised me was that prospecting didn’t have an even higher percentage.

When speaking to sales reps, I sometimes like to conduct an unscientific survey of the audience. With a show of hands, I ask them which part of the process is their least favorite. “Prospecting,” usually gets 60 to 70 percent of the votes.

Why is prospecting more intimidating and less enjoyed than other parts of the sales process?

Well, to start, let’s look at the definition of prospecting:

“Prospecting is the art of interrupting someone when they don’t expect to hear from you in order to provide them with something they need that they might not yet know.”

The key word in that definition of “interrupting.” Most people are uncomfortable interrupting someone especially when it’s a stranger who is not expecting to hear from you.

And we know that when you interrupt someone, you are risking rejection, one of humanity’s biggest phobias. If you research, “top 10 phobias,” the fear of rejection pops up frequently.

Most people HATE being rejected. As social beings, the avoidance of rejection is a powerful motivation. It’s hard-wired into our DNA. It’s a matter of survival, because people need other people to survive. That was especially important in prehistoric times when primitive humans banded together to raise food and protect themselves from external threats. If you didn’t fit into the tribe, you were left on your own to fend off predators.

Even though we have evolved into sophisticated beings with technology at our fingertips and complicated social structures to protect us, it’s hard to shake our ancient traits. While a fear of rejection helped us to survive 5,000 years ago, it can hinder us in today’s competitive business environment.

How can you overcome your natural predilection to avoid rejection at all costs and push forward as an effective prospector?

Envision success – Like an athlete preparing for a big game, you have a higher likelihood of succeeding if you picture yourself doing well in advance.

Keep it in perspective – It’s not the end of the world when you get rejected. It may have meant life and death in primeval times, but in the 21st century, it’s just a speed bump. You will live to fight another battle.

Externalize it – For most of us, it’s normal to take rejection personally, which means we internalize it. Try to see the rejection as something outside of you, external to your life and your personality. A sales rejection is NOT an indictment of your personality.

No self-fulfilling prophecies – Avoid a defeatist attitude. To avoid being disappointed, some sales practitioners start to assume the prospect won’t pan out before even contacting him. That can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, meaning you’ve lost before you even begin.

Build a big list – Make sure you have a large number of leads in your pipeline, so you’re not too dependent on any one lead or prospect. Rejection hurts more when you don’t have any other prospects to take the rejector’s place. Plus, too few leads make you desperate.

The right kind of leads – Study who you have been targeting in the past. Is it really the right group of people? Should you be targeting a different prospect profile?

Have a plan – Those sales reps who have a well-developed personal plan for prospecting tend to fear rejection less. A good plan means you have a dedicated prospecting time and a step-by-step system you follow when engaging new cold prospects.

Persistence – Because most prospects are so busy, it is now taking about 9 attempts to get a cold prospect to return your call or email. However, most sales reps give up after 2.5 attempts. If you give up too soon, your pipeline will be too skinny, which makes you too dependent on too few leads.

Here’s Why Should You Choose Jeff Beals as Your Next Speaker:

(402) 637-9300

How to Use the “Farming” Technique in Your Prospecting

June 25, 2018 jeffbeals

By Jeff Beals

There is a long-time real estate sales concept known as “farming” in which residential real estate agents choose a certain geographic area to place particular emphasis. It typically is one neighborhood or subdivision consisting of several hundred houses. This area becomes the real estate agent’s “farm.”

There’s nothing to stop such a real estate agent from doing deals outside her “farm” in a variety of neighborhoods throughout the city, but she places particular prospecting focus on the one neighborhood. She memorizes all the houses in that subdivision and tries to get to know all the current owners. She becomes the specialist or expert in that neighborhood. She makes sure every homeowner in her “farm” has calendars, pens and other tchotchkes with her name and contact information on them. If the neighborhood has a Fourth of July parade or a block party, she’s there.

The hope is that anyone thinking of selling a house in the neighborhood would think of the agent and list the house with that expert agent.

There are other forms of real estate “farming.” Some agents “farm” an organization like Rotary, a school’s PTA or a country club as a way of finding clients. Farms don’t necessarily have to be geographic.

Professionals of any industry can learn a lot from real estate farming not just from a selling perspective but from a personal branding or self-promotion perspective.

While professionals like you and me probably won’t focus on a residential subdivision as we build our personal brands, there is much to be gained by farming your industry or your community.

Real estate agents, as well as salespeople in a variety of other fields, should develop spheres of interest. These would be groups of people they work with, socialize with or share some other common interest. These spheres of interest help salespeople find new clients.

Having a sphere of interest is similarly important for anyone trying to build a bigger and better personal brand, because just like a real estate agent you too are selling. What’s the difference? You’re selling yourself.

So, what’s your “farm?” How do you define it and who “lives on your farm?”

Here’s Why Should You Choose Jeff Beals as Your Next Speaker:

(402) 637-9300

The Bad Words You Should Never Use in a Sales Call

June 8, 2018 jeffbeals

By Jeff Beals

During the summers in high school and college, I worked as an outbound telemarketer.

I hated it, but because I was a good salesperson, it paid a lot more than the typical summer job.

For four hours each evening, I’d sit in a call center with 150 other college kids (and a few adult “lifers”) selling a vacation membership program to unsuspecting people who made the mistake of answering the phone.

There was a catchy little phrase we telemarketers used to say to each other back in those days:

“Smile, dial and push trial.”

What did that mean? The vacation membership program came with a 30-day trial. If you were not completely satisfied, you could get your money back as long as you cancelled in the first 30 days.

Our employer didn’t allow us to push trial, instead preferring us to sell the membership on its merits. From the telemarketers’ point of view, however, it seemed so much easier to make a sale if we could simply say, “Hey, if you don’t like it, you can always cancel it within 30 days!”

Well, our employer was correct. It’s never good to put a lot of emphasis on free trials.

In fact, a recent Gong study listed the term “free trial” among the worst words you can use in a sales call. Uttering the words, “free trial,” to your prospective customer decreases your likelihood of securing the next step in the sales process by five percent.

Here are the other taboo sales-call words:

1. “Show you how”

2. “We provide”

3. “Competitor”

4. “Billion”

5. “Discount”

6. “Roadmap”

7. “Contract”

8. “Absolutely” and “perfect”

9. “Implement” and “implementation”

10. “Payment”

11. “However”

12. “For example”

13. (Your company’s name)

As I consider these worst words, a few observations come to mind.

Prospective clients don’t respond well to anything that demands a commitment, comes across as cheesy, makes them feel overwhelmed or is focused on the seller rather than the buyer.

When choosing the words you’ll say in your next sales call, use collaborative words and focus on what your client values rather than what your company offers.

Here’s Why Should You Choose Jeff Beals as Your Next Speaker:

(402) 637-9300

Avoiding the Fake Listening Trap

June 1, 2018 jeffbeals

By Jeff Beals

Ask any sales professional about the key to success, and there’s a good chance they’ll say, “You have to listen to your client.”

As a sales strategist, I meet with many successful sales reps, managers and executives. I always ask them about the secret to successful selling. The answers tend to be similar. One time, after yet another of them mentioned the importance of listening, I responded with a slight tone of frustration in my voice:

“Everyone says that listening to the client is the most important skill a salesperson can have,” I said, “yet few salespeople actually bother to listen! It’s a cliché. Yes, you have to listen to your clients, but most salespeople do a lousy job of it.”

The sales leader responded, “You are right. The key is to listen and TRULY HEAR.”

Salespeople think they are listening but they are really just pretending to listen. They’re going through the motions and not really comprehending what the client or prospective client is trying to communicate.

The more I pondered this, the more it reminded me of an experience I had back when I was in graduate school and working for the university as a graduate assistant.

An Ear-Opening Experience

Each month, we grad assistants were required to attend professional development sessions. The topic during one of those sessions was “active listening.” The presenter was some sort of “active listening guru.”

What she said made sense…Stand or sit with an open stance – arms not folded and legs not crossed – and lean slightly toward the person who is talking. Nod your head and show interest with your eyes and facial expressions. Make reaffirming noises to assure the speaker that you are actually listening. And finally, paraphrase back the last few words of each spoken paragraph.

If you do those things, the presenter said, you will be engaged in the conversation and will make the speaker feel understood and appreciated.

At one point, the presenter said it was time for all of us to role-play what we had just learned. She told us to pair up with another audience member and move our chairs so we were staring at one another. The presenter informed us that we would each take turns speaking and actively listening.

I was paired with a fellow grad student named Sandy. We agreed that Sandy would talk first and I would actively listen first. The facilitator blew a whistle to indicate it was time to start. As Sandy spoke, I monitored my posture and all my non-verbal messages. I nodded. I showed interest with my facial expressions. I paraphrased back certain words. I made sure my arms were not folded for even one second. All in all, I was pretty good at this active listening stuff.

Or so I thought.

As soon as the facilitator blew her whistle indicating it was time to switch roles, it suddenly occurred to me: I hadn’t the foggiest clue what the hell Sandy had just told me!

How You Can Truly Hear

I was so focused on the mechanics of good listening that I never really HEARD what she had to say.

This happens to so many professionals on an almost daily basis. People intend to listen to their clients, but in the end, they don’t truly hear.

How can you fight this tendency and not fall into the fake-listening trap?

It’s not easy, but here is what works for me.

When I begin a conversation with a prospect, current client, colleague or some other professional who might refer business my way, I set my brain to “listening mode.” I tell myself that the person in front of me is going to say something that will have a direct impact on my success. It’s my job to find it. I try to approach the conversation like a detective who has to keep digging until he finds the right information. My ears are constantly searching for cues and clues.

That may or may not work for you, but it helps me a great deal.

Whatever technique, you use, the sales experts are right: you DO have to listen and truly hear. Showing interest in a client helps build a trusting relationship. Discovering what the prospect values makes it possible for you to do business with them.

The key is to “listening with intention,” not just going through the motions making it look like you are listening.

Here’s Why Should You Choose Jeff Beals as Your Next Speaker:

(402) 637-9300

Ego Management: How to Make the Smartest People Part of Your Life

May 25, 2018 jeffbeals

By Jeff Beals

You have probably heard the saying, “To be successful, surround yourself with people who are smarter than you are.”

For better or worse, that hasn’t been terribly difficult for me. I’ve been blessed with many intelligent, talented people in my career – colleagues, bosses, direct reports and friends. I’m a better person and a more successful professional because of the gifted people in my life.

Whether you’re at work or in your personal life, surround yourself with smart and talented people. If you are in a leadership position, hire people who are smarter than you.

Of course, that is easier said than done.

Surrounding yourself with more talented people can be very intimidating. And a blow to the ego. And even threatening! Nevertheless, move forward with faith and conviction that you will be better served by teaming up people who are better than you at certain things.

Hiring Talented People

As a leader, have no fear of hiring people you think might pass you up some day. It is better to be seen as a person who brings in and develops great talent than a person who protects the status quo by hiring mediocre or under-performing people.

Don’t Hide the Light under a Bushel

When you do end up employing an ultra-talented, hardworking individual, don’t try to hide them or prevent them from moving up just because you don’t want to lose them. Great talent rises to the top. Let the exceptional person move up. In the long run, it will benefit you as they will remember and appreciate the role you played in boosting their career. A former employee who makes it big can become a huge ally for you in the future.

Friends and Colleagues

Regardless of your professional role, identify talented friends and colleagues and build close relationships with them. Another old saying tells us that you tend to become who you hang out with. “You become the sum of your five best friends.” Spending time with exceptional people makes you more exceptional.

Have a Mentor and Become One Too

Mentorship is one of the best professional development tools in existence. We benefit both by being mentored and by mentoring others. Find a successful role model and use that person as your mentor. Some mentors don’t even have to know they are your mentor – just study them and do the things they do. Other mentor relationships might be more formal. At that same time, mentor someone yourself. You actually become better in your work by teaching and coaching junior colleagues. As I once wrote in a previous article, you don’t know it until you’ve taught it. Mentorship is a classic win-win situation.

Different Intelligences

Here’s something that might help salve a bruised ego resulting from hanging around smarter people: There are different kinds of intelligence.

Just because a colleague is smarter than you in one area doesn’t mean he or she is better in another. Perhaps you struggle with creativity and idea-generation but have superior analytical skills. Team up with the creative person and together you can accomplish more. You might not be as quick to pick up operational details as a certain person but maybe you are better at building relationships and navigating institutional politics.

When it comes to intelligence and talent, we all need to identify our top strengths and biggest weaknesses. You can maximize your strengths and mitigate your weaknesses by joining forces with people whose abilities complement your own.

Accountability

If you hire a team of exceptional people, it will be important to have a culture of accountability in your office. Top performers expect to be held accountable and they expect that other employees in the company will be too. Perhaps the most important person to hold accountable is yourself. If you hold yourself to a high standard as a leader, your talented employees (even the ones more naturally gifted than you) will respect you and hold you in high esteem.

Speaking of “accountability,” I’m offering a webinar on June 5th at 10 a.m. Central Time called “How to Hold Your Sales Team Accountable.”

You’ll learn HOW TO:

1. Use 4 simple metrics that make it impossible for sales reps to hide weekly output and results
2. Implement 11 steps that will create a culture of sales accountability in your company.
3. Get reps to buy in to your accountability plan.

Investing just one hour of your time and only $49 will translate into bigger revenues, less stress and a happier work environment for everyone!

You are not going to want to miss out on this. Register TODAY!

(402) 637-9300

How Do You Know If Your Company Lacks Sales Accountability?

May 18, 2018 jeffbeals

By Jeff Beals

Nobody wants to be micromanaged, but today’s ambitious professionals do crave some level of accountability. That’s especially true of sales practitioners, because they know accountability helps them make more money.

While people thrive when working in a culture of healthy accountability, 91 percent of sales reps nationwide say “lack of accountability” is a major problem in their companies. In fact, 46 percent of managers worldwide do a poor job of holding their teams accountable, according to a Harvard Business Review study.

What about your company? Do you have a lack of sales accountability in your organizational culture?

It can be difficult to discern whether your company has a sales accountability problem, because you’re so close to the situation. When you’re immersed in your work on a daily basis, it’s hard to get an unbiased look at what’s really happening.

That’s why I’m providing you with the following list of factors that indicate your company may lack a sales accountability culture:

1. Plateaued or declining numbers.

2. Difficulty retaining top producers.

3. Difficulty recruiting top producers (Talent attracts talent. Similarly, a lack of talent in an office is patently obvious to highly talented prospective employees).

4. Sales managers who appear to be more interested in building friendships with team members instead of being bosses.

5. The sales team lacks clear, quantifiable, unambiguous and regularly monitored goals both for the team overall and for each individual rep.

6. Sales managers aren’t having at least monthly one-on-one meetings with each sales rep. If they do have these meetings the sales managers aren’t getting specific information from reps about results and pipeline progress.

7. Sales managers utter vague, meaningless “motivational” phrases such as “We are tracking behind this quarter and need to take up our game to the next level,” or “Let’s get after it!”

8. Sales reps do not engage in healthy competition among themselves.

9. Sales reps talk more about their busy activities (like meetings, emails and phone calls) than their actual results.

10. There is confusion and ambiguity about sales procedures, territory divisions, new product launches, etc.

11. Basic procedures keep getting changed for no apparent reason, which makes reps less confident and motivated.

12. Social loafing has crept into the sales department. “Social loafing” is the tendency of individuals to put forth less effort when they are part of a group. Because all members of the group are pooling their efforts to achieve a common goal, each member of the group contributes less than they would if they were individually responsible. This is more likely to happen in departments in which a lot of team-based selling takes place.

Do you see any of these problems in you company? If you have one or two of them, you will want to address them, but your performance is probably fine. If you have several of them, you got some work to do immediately. A strong culture of sales accountability pushes all sales reps forward and maximizes revenue.

The good news is that you can hold your team accountable and it doesn’t have to be difficult or uncomfortable!

P.S. I’m offering a webinar on June 5th at 10 a.m. Central Time called “How to Hold Your Sales Team Accountable.”

You’ll learn HOW TO:

Investing just one hour of your time and only $49 will translate into bigger revenues, less stress and a happier work environment for everyone!

You are not going to want to miss out on this. Register TODAY!

Perpetual Prospecting Is the Key to Beating the Sales Cycle

May 11, 2018 jeffbeals

By Jeff Beals

Do you invest in the stock market?

If so, you’re probably aware of the constant waxing and waning that characterizes the life cycle of the stock market. What goes up eventually goes down and what goes down eventually goes up.

If you’re a long-term investor, you tend to wait out the market cycles and instead count on the long-term growth that has always happened in the market over extended periods of time. If you’re a short-term investor, you may be playing the cycle, hoping to buy or sell at precisely the right time.

Either way, the stock market goes up and down. When markets are optimistic, investors begin to feel enthusiasm, then exhilaration. Eventually, it starts to feel like you’re invincible, that every investment you make pays off. That false belief compels some investors to make reckless decisions and take questionable risks.

Just as the stock market reaches its feverish peak, the bull market ends. Most people don’t realize it right away, and investors often go through a period of denial. But eventually pessimism sets in, which leads to panic and then despair: the bear market. Of course, when people are depressed at the bottom of the trough, that’s when things slowly start to trend upwards, starting the whole cycle over again.

Sales practitioners tend to go through cycles quite analogous to the stock market: highs and lows, peaks and valleys.

At the peak of the prospecting cycle, the “bull market,” you have so many deals to close and so much easy business that you’re tempted to put off prospecting activities. Of course, that eventually leads to an empty pipeline. When you realize you have no prospects in the pipe, you prospect like crazy, which eventually leads to another up cycle.

If your personal sales cycle is too volatile, you are putting yourself under a great deal of stress. There’s one secret to evening out your cycle while keeping your revenue going up each year: perpetual prospecting.

Prospecting is the key. It’s the reason 20 percent of sales reps do 80 percent of the business (In some companies, it might be closer to 10/90). It’s the reason why some sales reps do well even during a recession. Prospecting separates the good from the great.

I like to define prospecting as “the art of interrupting someone when they don’t expect to hear from you in order to provide them with something they need that they might not yet know.”

As that definition implies, there is one aggressive part of prospecting: “interrupting someone.” But the rest of the definition implies that sales reps are doing prospects a favor by introducing them to something important: valuable products and services.

If you want to be a better prospector, and consequently make more money, here are five quick pieces of advice:

Prospect Life Your Life Depends on It

Your sales life DOES depend on prospecting. Ideally, you should consider prospecting to be a mindset, a way of life and a fundamental part of your company’s culture. When things are going well and you’re closing so many sales you can hardly keep up, you still need to carve out at least a little time for prospecting.

Be an Opportunity Detective

Turn over every rock and scratch the dirt. Opportunities are often buried layers below the surface. Keep in mind that every person you meet could potentially lead to business and that prospects can theoretically be found any place you go.

Apply Discipline to Your Prospecting

In order to make sure you prospect perpetually, block out a couple periods of time each week that are reserved for prospecting activities: telephone calls, personalized direct emails or showing up at prospects’ offices. This time should be a non-negotiable calendar commitment not to be interrupted or rescheduled unless it’s an emergency.

Be Obsessed with Prospect Value

When you engage cold prospects, you want to talk about things you believe they value instead of talking about you or your company. For instance, too many sales reps start prospecting messages with statements such as: “We’ve been in business since 1910,” or “We offer a full suite of IT solutions.” Instead, research the prospect before contacting them and talk about what they value and then be ready to explain how the outcomes/results of your products and services satisfy those values.

Plan Ahead

Nobody plans to fail but sales practitioners regularly fail to plan. I recommend you map out your weekly prospecting plan on Sunday evening or early Monday morning. Decide who you’re going to contact and research those prospects ahead of time. That way, when you get to your dedicated prospecting time, you’re focused on communicating instead of digging through websites and looking up LinkedIn profiles. If you do anything other than communicating during dedicated prospecting time blocks, you’re wasting the prime calling hours.

Here’s Why Should You Choose Jeff Beals as Your Next Speaker:

(402) 637-9300

How to Be an Omnipresent Prospector

April 29, 2018 jeffbeals

By Jeff Beals

The most successful sales professionals tend to work long and hard. A significant chunk of those hours is typically dedicated to prospecting: networking, making phone calls, responding to emails, hosting guests, visiting people who refer/recommend them to clients and developing raving fans who champion their cause.

No matter how busy you may be, you need to get out of the office and show up at networking events especially if you work in outside sales. We need to reach out and engage the world around us. As a rule of thumb, you need to have meaningful encounters with prospects in your network every day.

I admit that’s a demanding standard.

The good news is that these encounters don’t necessarily have to be at formal functions held in formal venues. Your sphere of interest is ubiquitous. Strike up conversations with people around you. Reach out to people and get to know those who might refer a desirable prospect to you some day.

The majority of prestigious, big-time clients can only be reached through relationships. They do not commonly walk into your office asking to be your customer. They are not amenable to cold calls that are made without the benefit of a trusted referral, and they rarely respond to cold emails no matter how artfully you write them. You have to go out and meet them face-to-face in the places where they live, work and play.

“Big elephant” clients know they are important, and they expect to be wined and dined, so to speak. They are big deals and expect to be treated like a big deal. That requires sales professionals to go out into the world and actively communicate. Getting access to the highly desirable clients requires you to be among your sphere of interest on a regular basis.

Get out there and meet everyone you can. Ask questions. Be like a detective turning over every stone, looking for any shred of evidence that can help you make the sale. Great salespersons are seemingly “everywhere.” They live their lives so actively that other people feel as if they see them everywhere.

How do you know if you are doing enough networking, also known as “face-to-face prospecting?”

If someone ever says to you, “I see you everywhere,” you know you’re doing something right.

Jeff Beals shows you how to find better prospects, close more deals and capture greater market share. Jeff is an international award-winning author, sought-after keynote speaker, and accomplished sales consultant. A frequent media guest, Jeff has been featured in Investor’s Business Daily, USA Today, Men’s Health, Chicago Tribune and The New York Times.”

Here’s Why Should You Choose Jeff Beals as Your Next Speaker:

“Jeff Beals has presented four different topics at five of our internal events in 2016. At each event, the audience of commercial real estate principals and agents was completely engaged and motivated the entire time. Jeff facilitates his training sessions in such a way that each member of the audience was able to relate and understand how to apply it every day in the field. Jeff is brilliant, and we have hired him to continue speaking at our events in 2017!” – Lindsay Fierro, Senior Vice President, NAI Global, New York, NY

“Your workshop was a huge experience for our attendees by giving them the opportunity to improve their work in the critical environment in which we are living today. Your talent as a speaker and your qualities as a person made the difference during your time with us. I would certainly recommend you to anyone who asks.” – Ana Paula Costa, Educational Planner, Febracorp, Sao Paulo, Brazil

I’m in Phoenix and had breakfast earlier this morning with our semi-retired sales representative who is doing some continued work for us here. He attended your sales meeting last week and told me that in 43 years of selling, you were the best he had ever heard. Thanks for a great experience.” – Drew Vogel, President & CEO, Diamond Vogel Paints, Orange City, IA

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Face-to-Face Selling Is Still Powerful in a Virtual World

April 26, 2018 jeffbeals

By Jeff Beals

National associations are famous for holding big conventions each year. Some conventions are so big they attract tens of thousands of attendees.

As you might imagine, it takes a great deal of work to pull off one of these major events. Programs need to be planned, speakers booked, volunteers recruited, attendees encouraged to attend and logistics squared away.

One of the biggest decisions is where to have the event. When a meeting planner is looking for a venue for a convention or an industry meeting, they consider a number of factors:

Quality of the meeting facilities
Nearby attractions
Proximity of entertainment and restaurants
Ease of transportation

And then there’s the hotel. Planners prefer a hotel that is either big enough to host the event itself or is right next door to a major convention center. The hotel must be nice-looking, offer a range of amenities and have an adequate number of rooms.

But there is one thing that is an absolute MUST in order for a convention hotel to make the cut: it has to have a large, full-service bar.

Yep, that’s right. A great bar and lounge area in the convention hotel is generally considered a non-negotiable requirement. Why? It’s not because convention attendees want to drink more on the road than they do at home (although they typically do). It’s because of something much more important – an age-old, primitive business practice known as networking.

Isn’t that interesting? Organizations spend large amounts of time and money making everything just right for a convention, yet one of the most important parts of the experience comes when attendees retire to the bar after the last general session and simply network – build ties and bonds with their colleagues from other cities, states or countries.

They share ideas, refer business and counsel one another. Despite the many sophisticated and highly valuable things modern business meetings offer, much of the value that comes from the event occurs in the evening in the crowded hotel lobby bar.

We professionals think we are so sophisticated, yet we’re still hopelessly tied to our ancient social instincts. You know what? That’s okay. People make business interesting. People make business meaningful. People make business worthwhile.

No matter how sophisticated we become, nothing is as effective as in-person learning and one-on-one networking. Those companies and professionals that remember this tend to do better and sell more products and services.

We have access to live webinars, digital recordings, interactive online learning programs. Nevertheless, people still love to experience events in person. They still benefit from taking continuing education courses in a room full of people from a qualified person standing there in the flesh.

Think about it…We have so many ways to deliver our sales messages to clients via mass media, social media and sophisticated email campaigns. Nevertheless, sales practitioners still have to call prospects on the phone one at a time or show up at their offices to make a pitch.

It’s easy to say “no” to an advertisement, a tweet or a mass email. It’s harder to say “no” when someone sits down with you, listens to your needs and wants and personally explains why their product or service will benefit you and your unique situation.

Don’t be misled and lulled to sleep by all the wondrous selling/marketing tools at your disposal. While those technologies certainly help, you still have to reach out and shake hands if you want to make it big.

The next time you go to a convention, test this out. Enjoy the speakers, take notes at the break-out sessions, attend the awards banquet, but at about 9:30 p.m., stroll through the hotel lobby bar. Notice how many people from your convention are there. Join the conversation and build long-term collegial relationships that can enhance your success for years and years to come.

Jeff Beals shows you how to find better prospects, close more deals and capture greater market share. Jeff is an international award-winning author, sought-after keynote speaker, and accomplished sales consultant. A frequent media guest, Jeff has been featured in Investor’s Business Daily, USA Today, Men’s Health, Chicago Tribune and The New York Times.”

Here’s Why Should You Choose Jeff Beals as Your Next Speaker:

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