Master Deal Maker Secrets

Visit http://JohnBlakeAudio.com to Learn How to DOUBLE Your Enquiry-to-Sale Conversion with The Lead Flow You Already Have.

Today I'm really excited because we have Heather Monahan with us. She is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, keynote speaker, creator of the Creating Confidence podcast, and founder of Boss in Heels. In this episode, we are going to talk about confidence.

As you know, confidence is key to being successful in sales, the majority of the communication that happens in sales is non-verbal and the non-verbal part of it comes from mindset, which has confidence as its core element.

That's why I wanted Heather to come to the podcast and talk with us about the role confidence has in the sales environment.

She has dedicated a lot of time and thought both to business and confidence. She spent the last three years learning about the latter; some people think of her as an expert in the matter although she does not agree with that completely. Besides from that more recent curriculum, she has 25 years of experience in the sales business, especially running companies, which is what she considers to be her expertise.

She had a lot of experience in revenue generation and leadership before diving into the subject of confidence. She started when she was fired from her Chief Revenue Officer position since then she has been working on building her own business and learning.

Given her experience in both of these areas we are going to discuss common misconceptions around confidence and most importantly, Heather is going to share with us her thoughts on what should a person do when he or she doesn't feel confident, or as confident as wanted, besides other very important points.

Her journey has amazed me, and I think you will have a lot to think about after listening to her story and her thoughts. So, if you are interested in learning more about confidence and Heather, I encourage you to listen to this interview.

To DOUBLE your lead-to-sale CONVERSION with the leads you already have, go to http://JohnBlakeAudio.com for his exclusive, free, no-fluff, audio training and companion PDF guide.

Inside you'll get word-for-word email followup templates, phone scripts, and more that you can put to use today.

Visit http://JohnBlakeAudio.com to Learn How to DOUBLE Your Enquiry-to-Sale Conversion with The Lead Flow You Already Have.

Today we are going to talk about what I call The Inevitability Principle, this is an idea that I like a lot because of its simplicity and because of what it actually means.

You know, we've talked about some complex ideas in the past because we had to. Because there is some important stuff that we must know if we want to make our businesses work. Even if it takes us a while to get our heads around these complex ideas we all know the deal is worth it.

This time, however, things are a bit different.

The Inevitability Principle is very easy to understand. It says that if you take enough steps in a particular direction, toward a specific goal, at some point the outcome becomes inevitable, so provided that you can continue to push and insist in that particular direction, the odds will be in your favor, eventually.

So, there are so many cool things about this but the thing I love most about it is that it's underpinned by the idea of never giving up.

I think that nowadays it is particularly important for businesses to look at the big picture. Being able to identify all the elements that have a role in today's economy means that some news, some theories, and ideas can bring you down, yes it happens, I think we've all seen it. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have nothing to do about it, it can even become a good thing if you know how to work over them with the elements that you have and come up with surprising results.

On the other side, there are also theories and ideas that are a bit more uplifting. And I think it is important to deal with those too because they can open your eyes to something you hadn't previously considered.

That is the case in today's episode, taking enough steps in a particular direction will at some point result in an inevitable outcome. In other words, you need to keep heading that way but also, you need to take advantage of the opportunities that will occur.

I've found it very useful over the years and I have an interesting story to tell you which I hope will make you see all the elements involved.

So, if you want to listen to it and to know more about The Inevitability Principle, I encourage you to listen to this week's episode, I'm sure you will get a lot of value out of it.

To DOUBLE your lead-to-sale CONVERSION with the leads you already have, go to http://JohnBlakeAudio.com for his exclusive, free, no-fluff, audio training and companion PDF guide.

Inside you'll get word-for-word email followup templates, phone scripts, and more that you can put to use today.

Visit http://JohnBlakeAudio.com to Learn How to DOUBLE Your Enquiry-to-Sale Conversion with The Lead Flow You Already Have.

I think we all have dreamed of having clients that are renowned all around the world, to work with the big corporate names. Is it impossible? Absolutely not, but how can you get them?

Well, that is precisely what we are going to be talking about in this week's episode.

These ideal clients won't come to you through your normal marketing for obvious reasons. You have to use a specific strategy if you want their attention so, today we are going to go through the five steps that you can use to make it happen.

Remember when we talked about what you represent to the client, especially at the start of the process? Well, here it comes into place once again. Who is a better client? The one that sees value in you because of who you are and how you work, or the one that sees you as a mere commodity?

You know the answer so, that is one thing to think about. Who are your best clients and why are they the best? If you could, which ones would you duplicate? Working through this imaginary process will help you see what is that you are looking for, hence what clients are the most ideal you can get.

So, identifying them is the start, and luckily there are so many ways to get to this point. It can be as easy as driving around an industrial area looking at all the different buildings and different signs. This can be a great place to say "you know, I could help them, they'd be a good client" so, even the streets are a good place to write down potential contacts that you would like to work with.

Either industrial areas or job boards can be an awesome place to start, only if you know what you are looking for, and for that, there are some things to consider as well. How can you tell if you have your eyes set on a good client if you don't know much about them? Well, some indicators can help you with that too.

If we were comparing two prospects, neither of them seem familiar to you but one of them has very clever advertising while the other hasn't any. Is this a hint you should consider? Most definitely, and I'll tell you why in this episode.

So, if you want to get your business to bigger places, and if you want to know what the five steps that will take you there are, and how you should work through them correctly, I encourage you to listen to this week's podcast, I'm sure it will help you along the way to getting your ideal clients.

To DOUBLE your lead-to-sale CONVERSION with the leads you already have, go to http://JohnBlakeAudio.com for his exclusive, free, no-fluff, audio training and companion PDF guide.

Inside you'll get word-for-word email followup templates, phone scripts, and more that you can put to use today.

Visit http://JohnBlakeAudio.com to Learn How to DOUBLE Your Enquiry-to-Sale Conversion with The Lead Flow You Already Have.

What should you do when a client has just asked for your services? What do you need to know about anyone who comes to you? This week's episode is dedicated to answering these questions. I think it is a very fundamental topic as it relates to a key moment in the sales process.

We're going to talk about how you should approach a sales conversation regarding the fact that you are potentially going to work with someone else. I think you need to know some things about your potential clients before you get started, otherwise you are going to find yourself in a very confusing and frustrating situation later.

After years of experience and a lot of work and thought invested in it, I found there are 5 fundamental questions that should be asked, especially at the start of your process. These questions will allow you to gauge the motivation that your potential clients have, and also, help you locate what position you're in, according to their eyes.

I can think of two possible reasons why somebody would come to you. First, because they found you on the internet; and second, because of a suggestion, which means you were referred by somebody.

You might think this is irrelevant but believe me, it is not, at all. For the person who found you on Google, you represent nothing more than a commodity, at least at that point; on the other hand, the one that came because of somebody's referral has another picture of you. We are going to be talking about each one in-depth so you have the elements to go from there.

I've called these "power questions" because they really are. Besides providing you with lots of information they also help your clients locate themselves and their influence in the process.

Most of the time people have to be asked about themselves in order to get them to take a closer look. This is key in the sales process because it gives both parties context, and it creates an environment where you and your clients can look at the whole picture, making the rest of the journey as smooth as it can be.

Working together to solve all the issues they bring in is great, but you all must have very clear what the causes are and what the reasons that have brought them with you are if you want to make the most of this relationship.

So, if you want to know what these 5 questions are and how powerful they are, I encourage you to listen to his week's episode.

To DOUBLE your lead-to-sale CONVERSION with the leads you already have, go to http://JohnBlakeAudio.com for his exclusive, free, no-fluff, audio training and companion PDF guide.

Inside you'll get word-for-word email followup templates, phone scripts, and more that you can put to use today.

Visit http://JohnBlakeAudio.com to Learn How to DOUBLE Your Enquiry-to-Sale Conversion with The Lead Flow You Already Have.

When you own a business, working on developing it is one of the toughest parts of the whole process, but it is also where you should be paying more attention since working it right will get you to grow faster and expand, however, it is also one of the things we normally don't think about. Where is the business developing? Is my business going in the right direction? If not, which direction should I go?

So today I ask you. Have you been thinking about your business development? Have you thought about where you need help, regarding your business, right now? Some people do, others don't. So, if you are one of those people who feel kind of lost in this topic, or if you just want to keep growing, in this episode I will share with you the 5 key areas where your business should focus.

These 5 key areas are: lead generation, which is something that everyone who is in business or in sales will always need; lead nurture, which is mainly about your process with people; your conversion process, which is all about the sales process; then we have your product and service delivery, which I know I can't be telling you much about it since you know it better than I do, but it might astonish you what you have been missing about this; and last but not least, your retaining system.

Paying attention to these areas will get you consistency in your business, a good flow of income and clients; so once you listen to this episode, I encourage you to pay attention to how your business is doing in each one of these, and then, give yourself a mark, from 1 to 10. This exercise will allow you to realize which areas you are struggling with right now and where to look and evaluate.

So, go ahead and listen to this week´s episode to get an upgrade in your business.

To DOUBLE your lead-to-sale CONVERSION with the leads you already have, go to http://JohnBlakeAudio.com for his exclusive, free, no-fluff, audio training and companion PDF guide.

Inside you'll get word-for-word email followup templates, phone scripts, and more that you can put to use today.

Visit http://JohnBlakeAudio.com to Learn How to DOUBLE Your Enquiry-to-Sale Conversion with The Lead Flow You Already Have.

How great would it be if we could always hit our goals and get consistent results regardless of the circumstances? I know it sounds great, but reality has always had other ideas.

As we've discussed before, the business world has taught us that there are always ups and downs. It is pretty difficult for everybody to maintain the same levels of profitability and success without suffering from the eventualities that occur in the market.

That is why today I want to talk to you about how you can get out of a sales rut.

If you have been in this business for a while, then this is not a strange scenario. I've been in that situation a number of times over the last thirty years, and I've learned that when people get stuck and they don't know what to do is mostly because they tend to get too in their heads, too outcome-based in terms of wanting to get a sale.

We all know that numbers are important, but we also know there is much more to sales than that.

Being so focused on getting things done can make you lose the connection with the clients that you have. Don't get me wrong, solving problems and giving value to your clients is awesome for you and also for them, but it can make you shift away from the human aspect of what we do. It can become too mechanical or clinical, and trust me, that is no good at the end of the day.

This mind shift, that happens often without us knowing is actually detected by potential clients. Instead of attracting them to making business, we suddenly become repellent. Let's be honest, who would like to buy from people that are so obstinate about the way they make sales?

As we've discussed previously, the way your clients see you is essential for your success. So, I thought that it would be great if we talked about this in today's episode because if you find yourself in a situation where your sales plummet to the ground it can be really hard to get out if you are so centered on the results you are not getting.

Remember that there is much more to sales than that. With that in mind, we are going to talk about what you should do if you find yourself in conditions like this. These strategies are very effective, and they are also really simple.

So, if you are interested in learning precisely what to do in case of a sales slump, I really encourage you to listen to this episode.

To DOUBLE your lead-to-sale CONVERSION with the leads you already have, go to http://JohnBlakeAudio.com for his exclusive, free, no-fluff, audio training and companion PDF guide.

Inside you'll get word-for-word email followup templates, phone scripts, and more that you can put to use today.

Visit http://JohnBlakeAudio.com to Learn How to DOUBLE Your Enquiry-to-Sale Conversion with The Lead Flow You Already Have.

When I get called into a business because they need help to sort out some issues, the people in charge often say to me: "I want to get more out of my team and I want my sales manager to become better at getting more out of my team".

When this happens my first question always is: "Is there an agreement on what represents the ideal behaviours that would underpin great results in this business? "Unfortunately, I've received a no for an answer more than once.

This scenario is not the one we want for our businesses, that's why today we are going to talk about an absolutely essential topic, the Team Code of Conduct.

What is that? you may ask. Basically, it is the optimal alternative to this problem.

In most businesses, there is often, pretty much always, an agreement on what the actual goals of the game are. This is what we want for our own businesses because it is key to have everybody on the same page in order to accomplish those goals.

If the team knows exactly what the core values are, they know what is expected from them, and they also know what to expect from their teammates then they all together maximise their possibilities because the impact of one crucial element is drastically reduced. I am talking about the factor of interference.

In business, results in an organisation are a function of potential subtracted by interference. Which means that if there is interference, because there is no agreement, because they don't know what is expected from them, then their performance is going to be largely compromised.

Keep in mind that when something isn't clear, when there is no explicit code about what the values, the accepted behaviours, and the targets are; people make their own.

How can we expect great performance when everybody is doing what they think is best, without any consensus on the way things are going to get done? Personal interests may come before the whole team's well-being.

It is pretty straight-forward, right? Well, having the information is just a part of it. Getting to realise all the things you are doing wrong and turning them into their positive equivalent can be hard, but only if you want it to be that way.

For instance, you can ask yourself and your team what are the unacceptable behaviours around your workplace, how can you flip them to their positive equivalent? If you are usually late for meetings, what is keeping you from getting there on time? If there is no communication between your team, what is going on and what has to be done to make great team-work happen?

There is more complexity beneath the surface of an issue than you may expect, so if you are interested in getting to the core of this particular one and most importantly, in making things right for you, your team, and your business; I encourage you to listen to this week's episode.

I'm sure you'll get valuable knowledge and ideas out of it.

To DOUBLE your lead-to-sale CONVERSION with the leads you already have, go to http://JohnBlakeAudio.com for his exclusive, free, no-fluff, audio training and companion PDF guide.

Inside you'll get word-for-word email followup templates, phone scripts, and more that you can put to use today.

Visit http://JohnBlakeAudio.com to Learn How to DOUBLE Your Enquiry-to-Sale Conversion with The Lead Flow You Already Have.

As in any field, in the business world, there are many concepts and terms that can be overlooked when opposed to one another, as far as its functionality concerns. Sometimes we make some words equivalent to others when they actually mean completely different things. I don't intend to talk about this topic in general but to point out a distinction that we all must have very clear, just in case.

Training is not the same as coaching, you probably already knew that, but it won't hurt talking more about it in today's episode. If you didn't know, this will be even more educational for you.

Having this difference clear is crucial if you are a business owner or a salesperson because it is common to turn a blind eye on the subject, although this applies to any kind of business.

The issue I think comes from the easiness of just completing a task, a simple training for example, over the investment that constant work requires. The repetition of this scenario can build a pragmatic preference for one of these when there is clearly a more fulfilling option.

You may be familiar with the situation wherein a board meeting someone requests training in a specific matter, another person is assigned to the task of finding such training, and eventually, the team spends a day or two working on their skills.

Don't get me wrong, a little bit of something is better than nothing at all. However, this way of doing things seems more like an easy out for the whole organisation when instead, things could be done more thoroughly by recurring to different resources.

I read a study done by a consulting company that stated that training alone can produce a twenty-two percent improvement in results whereas training combined with structured ongoing coaching can improve results by up to eighty-eight percent.

You know the drill; numbers talk, and in this particular case the distinction we are talking about reaches a very high level of relevance given this fact.

That's why today we are going to talk about the things we have to consider when the matter of training is brought to the table and what I think is a better way of providing knowledge and tools for your team.

If you are interested in learning more about the difference between training and coaching as well as the role of each one in your business, I invite you to listen to this week's episode. I'm sure you'll get something out of it regardless of your line of business.

To DOUBLE your lead-to-sale CONVERSION with the leads you already have, go to http://JohnBlakeAudio.com for his exclusive, free, no-fluff, audio training and companion PDF guide.

Inside you'll get word-for-word email followup templates, phone scripts, and more that you can put to use today.

Visit http://JohnBlakeAudio.com to Learn How to DOUBLE Your Enquiry-to-Sale Conversion with The Lead Flow You Already Have.

As a result of the way our world is organized, in the market as well as in other areas there are always going to be things that escape our control, even if we work hard trying to get them right.

Living in society brings many challenges but also possibilities. We've learned to live with others and to work with others and we cannot, for one moment, forget about that. That scheme has built our culture and our world the way we know it today, which is why I think it's very important to talk about this topic.

The circle of influence and the circle of concern.

I first learned about this in Stephen Covey's book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People", and the whole idea of this is learning to locate those areas where you do have control over situations and those where you don't.

For instance, in a business, you have control over how many calls you make or arriving at appointments on time. However, you have no influence on the success of your competitors or the availability of certain products, to mention a few.

This may sound very obvious, and it might be. But there are some problems that begin to make themselves visible when you try to push things from one circle to the other. Trust me, I've been through that.

At one point in my career, I had a bit of an issue when a brand I was representing changed their clothing range completely for the following year, even when the range they had at the time was selling like hotcakes. I knew that was a bad decision, but that's not the point.

After they eventually found out they made a big mistake I couldn't get my mind over it. Even worse, I couldn't stop pointing fingers and complaining all the time.

I was indeed right when I predicted its failure, but that incredible sense of righteousness that I had wasn't taking me anywhere. It literally meant that I was staying stuck in the situation.

That's why I think it's important to talk about this in today's episode so that you don't make the same mistake I did.

I was completely immersed in that circle of concern which kept me from seeing other possibilities where I did have control over. Being bent on revolving those thoughts and blames constantly in my head was using time and energy that could be better spent elsewhere.

I know that at the moment we don't really have much control over what's going on in the economy and in the world, but we do have control over how we respond and how we decide that we play our cards.

So, if you are interested in learning more about your circle of concern and your circle of influence and how to shift your way of thinking so that you actually start to see new opportunities, I encourage you to listen to this week's podcast.

To DOUBLE your lead-to-sale CONVERSION with the leads you already have, go to http://JohnBlakeAudio.com for his exclusive, free, no-fluff, audio training and companion PDF guide.

Inside you'll get word-for-word email followup templates, phone scripts, and more that you can put to use today.

Visit http://JohnBlakeAudio.com to Learn How to DOUBLE Your Enquiry-to-Sale Conversion with The Lead Flow You Already Have.

Along the way, we have talked about many different topics concerning sales and business, however, people ask me, quite frequently, about the best sales books I know.

On some occasions, we have had guests with us who share a bit about theirs, but we haven't really dedicated time to the bigger spectrum.

Today I decided to make room in the podcast to answer that question and to spread the word about some really good ones that are out there. So, we are going to talk about the 10 best sales books market leaders own that others don't.

These are all great books but do not think, by any means, that other titles I left out are not worth a good read. In fact, I had a very tough time narrowing it down to just ten. But these are the ones that I refer to the most.

There are some books here that changed the way I sold forever. Mainly because they brought a unique perspective about specific parts of the sales process, which in my case was really eye-opening.

Here you are going to find authors that were ahead of its time in many areas, coaching anecdotes from people who have learned to turn failure into success, and others that write in such an enjoyable manner that you get completely hooked to the story - In case you were wondering, yes, you can make a book about sales based upon stories.

This is just a fraction of what these ten books talk about, the range they cover altogether is astonishing so, if you are looking forwards to reading them I can guarantee you'll find an enormous amount of valuable knowledge and information that will place you on a more solid ground, hence you are going to have a wider vision of business in general, which will help you develop yours and thrive in this very complex world.

As I said, I chose these ten because I've found myself going back to them constantly, be it in thought or in action. I can tell you that since I applied what these writers are saying, my approach to sales and my overall vision towards it has changed for the better. So, these are not just words on paper that work in very specific circumstances, some of these words are timeless ideas, that no matter how long ago they were written they're still adequate for today's world. Others are completely new approaches and that is why I have no doubt in my mind you are going to learn some serious stuff if you read them.

So, what I want to do is talk about each one of those books and also give you a bit of an insight as to what you can expect if you were to read them. If you are interested in knowing what these are I encourage you to listen to this week's episode.

To DOUBLE your lead-to-sale CONVERSION with the leads you already have, go to http://JohnBlakeAudio.com for his exclusive, free, no-fluff, audio training and companion PDF guide.

Inside you'll get word-for-word email followup templates, phone scripts, and more that you can put to use today.