Welcome, Gang!  Today we’re talking about a new topic; it’s one I’ve touched on before but never given much time to here on the podcast.  We are talking about Demonstration and Presentation Skills.  Over the years, I have done workshops on this subject.  It’s an important one for anyone in sales and many other fields.

EVERYTHING is a presentation!  Many of these opportunities are not scheduled speaking events but informal encounters.

Remember, there are three reasons why someone is not a great presenter:

• “I don’t know what to do.”  Communication is the solution.
• “I can’t do it.”  Training is the solution.
• “I won’t do it.”  Motivation is the solution.

How do I become a great presenter?  Go to Toastmasters International!  I recommend this because it provides a great training ground where you can learn the fundamentals of professional speaking.

There are Five Reasons Why Toastmasters is a Great Training Ground:

1. They have a great process.
2. It is a supportive community.
3. They teach you how to “think on your feet.”
4. They help us “clean up” our speech.
5. It’s a lot of fun!

I follow-up those suggestions with some cautions:

• Find the right club for you.  They are NOT all the same.  Visit www.toastmasters.org to find one near you.
• Commit to doing the first ten speeches as fast as you can.
• Decide if you want to stay on with Toastmasters.
• Beware of the “lifer” Toastmasters who will tell you there are hard and fast rules for speaking.

Listener Question of the Week:  You always talk about vision.  How do I get a bigger vision for my sales career moving forward?

Quote of the Week:  Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it.  Autograph your work with excellence.

Welcome to the podcast.  I just got back from Ft. Worth, TX with the Keller Williams team and had a great conference.  I really wanted to talk to you today about mastermind groups.  I have been able to spend some time with Ross Bernstein, Sam Richter, Ed Robinson, Michael Hoffman, Jim Pancero and Anna Liota through the mastermind groups that I am in.  It made me realize that I need to share with you the value of the mastermind groups.

Why Should You Create A Mastermind?

1. Enables you to get around people that are smarter than you are.
2. Different people with different businesses bring different perspectives.
3. You have people willing to challenge you and willing to be challenged by you.
4. You can hold each other accountable for taking the action to make you better.

5.    It is a great community to build and you can enjoy each other while growing is outstanding.

How To Create a Mastermind

1.   Keep the group fairly small.  5-9 seems to be the perfect number. 
2.   Agree to meet a certain number of times per year and block off your calendar for that.
3.   Introduce your business; including where you are and where you want to be, and the     obstacles preventing you from getting from point A to point B.
4.   Ask questions of each other to clarify.
5.   Present ideas and solutions to act on.
6.   Your job is just to receive the ideas without any rebuttal, and take notes.
7.   Have each person present at least one best practice.

Consider putting together a mastermind group to help you grow to a place that you would have never imagined before.  

LQOW:  “I am beginning to get a little overwhelmed and I can see that it’s going to be really tough moving forward.  What are your suggestions?”  Helen -  Atlanta, GA

Hey, Gang!  Welcome to another podcast!  My topic today is The Power of Scripts, which comes from the work I’ve been doing with Keller-Williams Real Estate.  Why do we need scripts?  The answer is because they allow us to take advantage of every situation and leverage it to our benefit.  

For example, KW teaches scripting to its associates to the point of making an initial introduction to a client, emphasizing the appointment time and the punctuality of the associate.  

KW teaches the Bold Law, which is that spontaneity is a conditioned reflex.  When the client says A, then we are prepared to say B.  Your response becomes automatic because it’s been practiced over and over again.

Remember, there are three types of salespeople:

• The UI—Unconscious Incompetent, who is no good at sales but has no clue that they are no good.
• The UC-Unconscious Competent, who is good at what they do, but have no idea why they are good.
• The CC—Conscious Competent, who is good at what they do and know why they are good.

Here are Four Steps to go through to write scripts to be outstanding in every interaction:

1. Write out the script.
2. Memorize the script.
3. Internalize the script.
4. Customize the script.

Listener Question of the Week:  What if someone you think a lot of doesn’t believe in what you’re doing?

Quote of the Week:  Successful people don’t fear failure.  They understand that it is necessary to learn and grow.  ---Robert Kiyosaki

Hey, Gang!  I’m adding something new to the podcast, so from time to time, I’ll be bringing you interviews with outstanding sales people.  I think it’s beneficial to add different voices and different views to help you.  The first of those is an interview with today’s guest, my son, Jason Jacobus.  Jason works as a sales rep for Buckley Oil Co. in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.  Jason is a husband, a father of two young sons and has just finished his MBA from SMU.  As a sales rep, Jason is very intentional and strategic, and I think you will benefit from his knowledge.  Let’s hear from Jason!

Jason covers the following about his sales career and practices:

• Buckley Oil is a chemical distributor with which Jason has been employed for almost five years.
• Jason’s coverage area includes Texas and Oklahoma, and his contacts range from yard foremen to executives and company owners.
• When Jason began his career, since he wasn’t familiar with the products, he focused on building relationships, asking good questions, and vertical markets.
• An example of a vertical market would be to take the success in sales from one type of client, and then saturate the market with cold calls to competitors in that same market.
• The advantages of vertical markets are that you know where to focus time and energy, you have better understanding of your products and markets, and you gain credibility based on your clientele.
• Jason says he was “ignorant” in the beginning, and that turned out to his benefit.  He simply called on anyone and everyone and gained a lot of new clients.
• Jason loves cold-calling!  He uses his closing rate to figure how many cold calls he needs to make each day to meet his goals.
• Some people have great fear in cold-calling, but Jason knows the uncertainty is just “POTD”—part of the deal.  “Some clients may not see the value in my product yet, and it’s up to me to show them!”
• Jason, like any salesman, has to compartmentalize his time and battle to allocate it properly.  He has some great tips to share!

Jason has advice for new sales reps:  

• Gravitate toward those who are “doing it well, and find out why they are successful.”
• Focus on “making the calls, and increase your volume until you see the compounding effect.”

His advice for experienced sales reps is to “get back to basics.  Don’t rely on preconceived ideas and don’t think there is only one way to do it.  Widen your focus.”  Jason says that his success comes from the fact that he loves what he does, loves hard work, and loves the opportunities it creates.  You won’t want to miss this interview with Jason!

Listener Question of the Week:  What if you are burned out and have lost your enthusiasm for what you’re doing?

Quote of the Week:  The only way to do great work is to love what you do.  ----Steve Jobs

Hey, Gang!  I’m recording this from the Podcast Movement 2015 Conference in Fort Worth, Texas.  My topic today comes from a question I was asked after recently attending the National Speakers’ Conference in Washington, DC.  I will tackle this question and give several answers, so please join me.

*Why do you go to these “learning” events?

• We have a lot to learn!
• There are things we can do better!
• It’s affirming to know that there are some things we ARE doing right.
• Presentations from other successful people give us INSPIRATION.
• Being around others allows us to make great connections.

I challenge you to look for places you can go to learn new things!  The benefits are endless!

Listener Question of the Week:  I’d love to go to a conference like the National Speakers’ Association Conference, but my company doesn’t pay for stuff like that.  What are your thoughts?  Don’t you think they should pay for it?

Quote of the Week:  “To be successful, failure is a requirement.”  --Pat Flynn

Hey, Gang!  Thanks for joining me today!  My topic today is “Four Things to Learn  from a Learning Experience.”  By learning experience, I’m referring to a convention, conference, or training program.  I just returned from the National Speakers’ Association Conference in Washington, DC: Influence 2015.  I’ve been in the professional speaking business for 23 years, and this was my 15th convention.  Is it time wasted?  Absolutely not!  There are nuggets to take away from each of these gatherings and ways that they make me better at what I do.  Next weekend I’ll be in Fort Worth for the Podcast Movement 15 conference, and I’ll be looking to learn more!

Here are some things we can learn from these experiences:

• It’s good to be around “the best of the best.”  Being influenced by these top people from various fields gives inspiration and affirmation to what we do.
• There is ALWAYS something new to learn.  I’m even learning how to use new technology to engage more listeners!
• Take advantage of every opportunity to teach what you’ve learned.  No matter your age, you have an audience that can learn from your experiences, so don’t be shy!
• There are important connections to be made with the other people there.  Your life can be greatly enriched by these connections.

I hope you are inspired to attend conferences and training when possible, and learn, learn, learn!

Listener Question of the Week:  What’s the one thing we can do, that we might not have thought of, or might not have come to our mind, that can make us more successful in sales?

Quote of the MONTH:  “People who think they are, are.”---Betty Flanagan

Hey, Gang!  I’m excited about this subject for our conversation today.  Being in sales is an awesome career choice!  Why?  There is a lot of money to be made, and sales careers offer more freedom than any other job.  You also get to help people with goods and services and meet some of the coolest people anywhere.  If you’re good at sales, then you’ll never be without a job.  Almost anyone can learn to sell, and most sales jobs don’t even require a college degree!

So, what’s the problem?  Why do so many people struggle to have a successful sales career?  Here are the four reasons:

• They lack the resiliency to bounce back from adversity.  They end up depressed.
• They lack the responsibility for their actions and results.  They end up being the victim.
• They lack the humility required to constantly learn and grow.  They end up being passed over and left behind.
• They lack the BIG WHY needed to overcome the first three reasons.  They end up in a place where NONE OF THIS MAKES SENSE!

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?  Look at the four reasons in reverse:

• Find a BIG WHY that drives you.
• Put yourself in a position to learn.
• Set goals, make commitments, create a plan, and live up to it.
• Build resiliency to a level at which you can handle anything.

Go out this week and put these into practice to accomplish great things!  Visit our website to leave your feedback and questions.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Listener Question of the Week:  What is the craziest thing you’ve ever had happen on a sales call?

Quote of the Week:  “Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another.  And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives.”   ----Daniel Pink

Welcome to today’s episode!  I’ve been working on a brand new project with Keller Williams real estate focusing on lead generation.  This has led me to today’s topic, which is FOUR KEYS TO EFFECTIVE COLD-CALLING:

1. Stop calling it “cold-calling!”  Instead of the negative connotation, let’s call it PROSPECTING.  It basically means looking for new people with whom to do business.
2. Have a good list.  This can be a random list, a targeted list, or a database of clients.
3. Use a good script with a legitimate reason for calling.  This begins with a good referral or third party endorsement, has a clear purpose, asks a good question, and ends with a clear objective.
4. Have a big WHY.  The WHY includes the financial reward for what we do, the freedom to grow and build, and the ability to make a difference for others.

Listener Question of the Week:  I have a meeting with a client that I want to do business with in a couple of weeks.  I’m excited about it, but I know he buys from a very strong competitor in our marketplace.  How do I get past that obvious hurdle?

Quote of the Week:  “Become the person who would attract the results you seek.” ---Jim Cathcart

Thanks for joining me!  Have you stopped to think, “Why don’t I accomplish my sales goals?”  There are three basic reasons why people don’t do what they are supposed to do:

• They don’t know WHAT to do.  The solution is COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE!  Set clear goals and expectations.
• They CAN’T do it.  The solution is TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN!  If you’re a sales manager, then you train your people; if you are a salesperson, then you LEARN, LEARN, LEARN!  Focus on mindset, strategies, tactics, and skills.
• They WON’T do it.  The solution is MOTIVATE, MOTIVATE, MOTIVATE!  This is by far the most difficult of the three to solve.  There are only three motivators: pain, pleasure, and sense of purpose.  The sense of purpose is the big WHY?  It’s what drives us to bring value to the lives of other people.  Pain and pleasure are motivators that are short-lived, and they can only take you to the next level.  Sense of purpose is the only motivator that can take you to THE TOP!

So, what can be said about that person who IS #1?

• They know where they are going.
• They are trained, and they keep training to get there.
• They have a sense of purpose much bigger than a paycheck.

Listener Question of the Week:  Hey, Jim.  You’re a coach, right?  Why would someone in sales, like myself, want to hire a coach?

Quote of the Week:  “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.”---Vince Lombardi

Hey, Gang!  July is here, and the summer heat is upon us!  It’s a great time to look at sales and what you expect from the SECOND HALF of 2015.  I just returned from an amazing Coaching Skills Camp, and I am energized and enthused about sharing a great sales correction technique with you today!  It is based on the following acronym for GROW:

G---Goal:  What was my specific goal for this year?  This is my personal sales goal; it could be revenue, houses listed/sold, cars sold, cans of paint sold, units sold, new customers in my database, numbers of new leads, profits, margins, etc.

R---Reality:  How does the reality compare to the goal?  Where am I RIGHT NOW in reaching my goal?

O---Obstacles:  What is keeping me from reaching my goal?  This is a time for harsh self-evaluation, but not a time to blame others!

W---What do I need to do about it?  Do I need to set new, specific goals?  What part is actually within my control?

Ask yourself the following questions: 

 What do I need to do in the NEXT six months to change my trajectory and reach my goals?  

What do I need to do to make up my deficit RIGHT NOW?  

Do I need to change my mindset, acquire new skills, or find new resources?  

Remember, this is not a time to trash the original goal!  We still want to achieve it!  Put this tool into practice and GO GET THE MOST OUT OF THE LAST HALF OF 2015!

Listener Question of the Week—What is the one thing that you see that differentiates the outstanding sales professional from all the others?

Quote of the Week:  “If you want to reach a goal, you must SEE the reaching in your mind before you actually arrive at your goal.”