Simplify Your Sales meetings. Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

Episode 120, The story behind walking 10,000 steps a day and how you can apply the same principal to your business.

 

I was at work and saw a co-worker walking by my office. I said hello, how are you? She replied, getting my 10,000 steps in today. Then the next day, I played golf and asked Anne whom I playing with you riding or walking? Anne said, let's walk the course; I need to get my 10,000 steps in today. 

 

Well, my curiosity got the best of me, and I had to find out the story or who invented the term 10,000 steps? I am guessing many of you listening can relate to finding a way to hit that magical number. Or those over-achievers are listening who find a way to exceed 10,000 steps! 

 

The premise behind walking 10,000 steps is to focus on a goal to achieve each day.

 

So who invented the term 10,000 steps?

 

The 10,000 steps a day target seems to have come about from a trade name pedometer sold in 1965 by Yamasa Clock in Japan. The device was called "Manpo-key," which translates to "10,000 steps meter". 

 

It was a marketing tool for the device; you got to love great marketing! Fifty-six years later, it appears to become a way of life for many. It's even included in daily activity targets by popular smartwatches, like Fitbit, Garmin, or Apple watches.

 

Research has since investigated the 10,000 steps a day target. The fact that study has shown this step target improves heart health, mental health, and even lowers diabetes risk, may, to some extent, explain why we have stuck with this arbitrary number.

 

But while some research has shown health benefits at 10,000 steps, research from Harvard Medical School has shown that, on average, approximately 4,400 steps a day is enough to lower the risk of death and improve your overall health. 

 

So what do the 10,000 steps have to do with your business? It sets a daily goal for you. 

 

What steps and how many do you need to take to ensure you have a productive day—a day that you are mentally engaged and feel good about your efforts. Build momentum and consistency for your business.

 

I was thinking about how we could apply the same principal to our business. Most people don't walk the 10,000 steps at one time. They break it up throughout the entire day. What if you did the same. Break your day into four focuses: 8am-10am;     10 am-Noon: 2pm-4pm and 4pm-5pm.

 

Here are a few steps you can take to stay focused on each day!

 

Beginning of your day. Set Priorities for your day!

To some people, just showing up every day is a success! It's crucial that you take a few minutes to establish the main priorities in your day. 

 

But it is vital that you set your expectations for yourself.

 

Here are some good questions to ask yourself when setting your priorities:

 

*What would I need to accomplish today to make it a great day? Set an appointment with a new client? Convert a pending account? Renew a contract from a current client?

 

*How can I maximize my time today to have a productive day? Limit my distractions so I can focus on prospecting and growing my current accounts?

 

Taking a few minutes to clarify your priorities will significantly help you plan a prosperous day because you will know exactly where you should spend your time.

 

Do it every day! Drink Coffee - yes- but also Prospecting!

If you want to succeed in business or sales, you'll need to get good at prospecting and lead generation. Unless people are calling you, it's our job to create those opportunities. Make sure you schedule your prospecting time at a time during the day when you are most productive. Create focused time to do this and block out the distractions. Revie

Simplify Your Sales meetings. Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

Episode 119, We discuss creating filters to help you focus your time and energy on the accounts with spending potential!

 

I have a question for you. Do you or your sales team spend their time chasing rabbits or elephants? I know, I hear you. Has Lisa lost it talking about Rabbits and Elephants versus Sales and Marketing?  

 

By the end of the podcast, you will have answered the question for yourself moving forward.

 

Let's see if this scenario sounds familiar, especially if you're in sales. You prospected an account and met with them to share how you could help them. Your thinking, I have the perfect recommendation for them based on their pain points and needs. Your thinking to yourself, this may be the easiest sale yet. And they share they have $4,000 to invest in your program. UGH.

 

So what do you? Go down the Rabbit Hole with the client. You want to make a sale! You give it your best effort to help them solve an issue that done right would cost $25,000. You know how the story ends. They don't get the results they need and either cancel or don't renew your program.

 

The topic of chasing Rabbits vs. Elephants was discussed with one of my account executives during our coaching session.

 

We were reviewing her target accounts she was looking at converting to customers. I always ask the question, Why are you targeting this particular account. Reasons tend to vary. So I asked her to look at her targets a little differently.  

 

I asked her, What Filters are you using when deciding who to call? She hesitated, well I think they are an excellent fit for our products. I said, tell me more. At that moment, I knew she might be spending time chasing Rabbits down holes versus looking for Elephants.  

 

This is a friendly reminder to revisit your sales filters. Discussing what filters you should use to determine your best customers is a great discussion in your next sales meeting or one-on-one coaching sessions if you are a manager.

 

What are your filters? I am not talking about Coffee filters. The filters you put in place that determines which accounts you should focus on getting a meeting!

 

The top three filters I recommend:

You want to review your or your companies most successful clients. Do they have the dollar potential and resources? How much do they spend to get results? It will help you understand the time of investment it takes to have a successful program. 

Access to the decision-makers.  You don't want to spend your valuable time sharing all your great ideas with the person that doesn't have the authority to say yes.   

Are they a fit for your product or service?   Are you stretching some of your clients to fit, or have you discovered specific categories that tend to excel when working with you?

 

Here are a few other filters you may want to consider when determining where to focus your time and energy.

 

Quality versus Quantity. You know the 80-20 Rule. 80% of your billing and income tend to come from 20% of your accounts. Success leaves clues. You want to focus your time on those accounts that make up your income and find more of them.

 

Schedule time on your calendar to focus on developing new accounts.  Spend focused time researching companies that you know you can help. It takes focused time to research and find the decision-maker to start a conversation about supporting and solving their needs.

 

Find the Elephants.  Think Big! It is a mindset. What you focus on, you tend to get. Identify the larger spending potential accounts. Yes, it may take more time, but we are looking for long-term, successful partnerships.

 

Happy Customers! If you missed Episode 115, I

Simplify Your Sales meetings. Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

An episode from the Three Word Podcast Vault!

 

In Episode 118, You will learn how to create a language of Leadership with your team.

 

I share my conversation with Erik Therwanger, who shares how he began his career by serving in the US Marines, where Leadership, Honor, and Integrity became his foundation. He created the Think Great Collection series from his life experiences and applied it to business.

 

The 3 Pillars of Business Greatness provide business leaders with the Shared Languages you can create with your teams for predictable and profitable growth. Erik teaches you how to Position yourself and your team for success. 

 

Achieving and maintaining a competitive edge is vital to the long-term success and relevancy of any business. While every organization is unique, yours can achieve more significant results by focusing on the right combination of critical factors- what Erik calls the 3 Pillars of Business Greatness.

 

1. Leading - Assess and develop leaders at all levels while increasing engagement throughout your entire organization.

2. Planning - Create a Flight Plan and build the Flight Crew required to elevate your business to new levels of success.

3. Selling - Transform the mindset and results of your team by creating a high-performance sales engine.

 

To learn more on how you can implement the 3 Pillars of Greatness or contact Erik Therwanger at [email protected] or

 call 952-807-3887

 

If you think someone could benefit from this episode, share it, rate it, or subscribe for Free at Itunes or Spotify, so you don't miss out on the next three-word podcast.

 

Learn more about how to Simply Your sales meetings using 3-word topics at http://www.threewordmeetings.com .

Simplify Your Sales meetings. Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

Episode 117, The Three Keys to getting your email opened!

 

I had a new employee stop in my office to get my phone and email script advice. His role is to set up new appointments by targeting businesses not currently doing business with us. So, I asked him to share with me his script and thoughts? He read it out loud to me. Once he finished, I asked him this question. Based on what you shared, would you give yourself the appointment? He laughed and said probably not.  

 

I went on to share that we are trying to create a conversation! One of the hardest things to do is to set a new meeting up by phone. We want to do this first, but you may need to go with email if you keep getting voicemails or are blocked connecting. What do you do next? We send an email.

 

What is the key to email? Keep in mind; not all emails are created equally! Some get opened, and some do not! I recalled an article published by Hubspot that shared some key insights to getting your email opened.

 

The three keys are that Sending the right email to the right person at the right time is the key to getting your email opened. Sounds easy, right? 

 

Think about this: when you send the right email, you have a better chance of converting your leads into customers because you're sending content to the right person when it will provide the most value to them. 

 

But it's not always easy to send the right email every time you press send because not all of your leads and customers are the same. Some leads are ready to buy, and others work with other vendors or are in the research stage, and the same goes for your customers: You might have active and dormant customers, old and new customers. 

 

The Right Email - It's all about content! What you send needs to build trust and deliver the right content to that customer. Think about emails you receive and take action on.  

 

The Right Person - You need to segment the content you are sending based on their similarities and needs. You may have an email for new prospects, one vertical focused, or for your current customers that you want to stay connected and relevant.

 

The Right Time -I am sure you have heard the phrase, "Timing is Everything." Keep in mind where your customer is in the buying cycle. For example, you may be looking to build awareness and educate a new prospect versus someone at a decision stage looking for more information before switching vendors.

 

The foundation of sending an email, you must answer the following two questions.

 

1. Why are you sending them an email? Your goal should be to connect, build awareness or provide relevant content to help them and their company.

2. The value you're delivering to the person on the other end of the send. What value does your email offer them? Keep in mind that many of the prospects you are targeting may already be working with another vendor.

 

Think about the emails you open. Why do you open them, and what value do they deliver to you?

 

Have you heard of the word AIDA? It stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. It gives you the structure to your emails and the best way to communicate with the customer through the buying cycle.

'

Attention - Step one is getting their attention.  It's the headline of the email that draws you to read it or open it. Keep in mind that you have seven seconds to make an impression with your email. Subject lines need to create curiosity, urgency, relevance, or special or exclusive offers. Keep your subject lines short because 77% of emails are read on phones.

 

Here are some examples of subject lines.

"10 Bizarre money habits making Millennials richer."

"Don't open thi

Simplify Your Sales meetings. Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

Episode 116, Five tips that have the client saying yes to you!

 

This past weekend I played in our Country Clubs - Club Championship. This event is towards the end of the season to see which Male and Female member is the best. 

You play over two days, and the player with the lowest score wins. Sounds easy, right? I was competing against Marianne, a former University of Cincinnati College golfer about 20 years younger. Yes, I am a member of AARP! Ha! 

 

I love competing! Your energy is high, a bit nervous, or, as I call it, excited to play. I understood that I would need to play 36 perfect holes to have a chance to beat her. So after my first nine holes, she had a lead of nine strokes - not my best performance. She was playing lights out!

 

I knew I needed to turn things around for the next nine to compete, and I did. I was one-under-par coming into the 18th hole. Playing the best nine holes, only to triple-bogey the last hole. For those of you that don't play golf, that's not good. Day two begins, and I am only off six strokes behind, so I am still in it. We both start birding the first hole, and then we approach par 3; I hit my ball in the water, chunk the chip, and give her four more strokes. But I keep telling myself to keep competing until we play all 18. By the way, she is having the round of the summer, as she shared with me. So what do I do? I keep focused on what I can control, which is my next shot. She ends up shooting a 74, her best round of the year and wins the Club Championship.  

 

But what I learned more than anything is that I enjoy competing at a higher level. Why? Because when you compete against the best, you get better! In the end, you're competing against your personal best! You learn and grow from every situation you put yourself in. 

 

You may have heard the phrase, "Golf is a game of inches." Just like the Club Championship, only one person is holding the trophy. In business, one person wins over their competitors. The value you create and deliver is how you will be measured. The salesperson and sales organization who can solve the client's problem wins the business! If you can solve the problem before it's a problem, that is even better.  

 

Think about this. Right now, your competitors are calling on your clients. Some of these competitors pose a threat to the future of your relationship and income. Your competition intends to take the business for themselves and their company. Sometimes they achieve their goal, and you lose business. Do you know how I know this is true? Because you are calling on companies that belong to your competition. 

 

The question is, When and how do you Compete to win? I read an interesting sales blog from Anthony Iannarino.

 

The first question you need to ask yourself is, are you committed? What I mean by that is that you are all in!

 

Commit to being all In: Are you playing it safe, playing small, or are you all in to win? Become someone worth buying and doing business with! Here is when you know you're all in. You do what needs to get done when no one is watching! To win in sales, you have to believe you are competing. It isn't enough to show up. 

 

Focus on Creating Greater Value: There is no reason to focus on your competitor. You cannot do anything about them or their approach, even if they always win by lowering their price. The way that you compete for a client's business is, in large part is creating more significant value than your competitor. You win by being more valuable to your client than your competitor. 

 

Create a Preference to Work With You: We need to spend more time on this concept to win the busin

Simplify Your Sales meetings. Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

Episode 115: Learn a New Approach when asking for a referral!

 

I had to share a story from this week about a guy named Seth. I was in my office when Heather called me from the front desk. She said someone wanted to talk to a manager. As most of you are aware, I work for Hubbard Cincinnati and 2060 Digital. We had recently just moved into our new facility, which is super exciting. I grabbed a business card and headed down to meet someone I thought had an interest in advertising.

 

I noticed a sharp-dressed young man about 25-26 with a leather briefcase on wheels. I greeted him and asked how I could help him. He shared that he was in sales for a large clothier, was on a call, passed our building, and found the building impressive. He said that with the remarkable building, they must have some well-dressed employees. I have to say, and I did smile thinking old-school sales approach. Seth walked with no appointment and was fearless. He talked with Heather at the front desk to better understand the top executive and other opportunities. He was wise to gather as much information as possible to see who could be a potential customer.

 

In that short time gathering information from Heather, he had a name of our top executive in the building that would be his best target. Next on his list was me. I invited him to sit down to learn more ( Learn more about his sales ability to see if he would be a fit for our sales team).

I asked if he grew up around here. He grew up in Indiana and moved here to attend College at the University of Cincinnati, where he majored in business. He was in medical sales in Ortho but didn't like seeing all the surgeries. So he joins Tom James. He had great enthusiasm, and our conversation was effortless. I decided to challenge him and said, with Covid and so many people working from home, don't you find it challenging to make sales?

 

He smiled and said his target consumer is always fashion conscious. They are top-level executives, managers, salespeople, and athletes who need custom clothes because of their size and want to look on top of their game. He then went on to suggest I would look great in a pencil skirt with stilettoes shoes. I chuckled and asked Heather, who was listening to our conversation, Hey Heather, could you see me in a pencil skirt? Laughing. He then went on to share that they launched a new casual line. More people are wearing fitted jeans, button-downs, and blazers. I have to say I was so impressed that he was ready to handle any objection.  

 

He asked if he could follow up with me as he had another meeting with a CEO. He asked if he could call and set another time to share his recommendations he thought I would be interested in and any other of our salespeople.

 

He went on to ask if I would have five minutes before he had to leave to answer a few questions. I said sure. He handed me a white legal size of paper.

 

I looked at the piece of paper with about 12 questions.  It was titled Client Appreciation list. Very clever as it was his way to ask for a referral. He said that when you ask someone for a referral, you can see them searching for someone they may know. They typically reply, let me think about it. I wanted to make it easier for you. 

 

According to one Dale Carnegie stat, 91 percent of customers say they'd give referrals if asked, but only 11 percent of salespeople ask for them.

 

Seth had very targeted questions to match his consumer.  For Example:

 

Client Appreciation List - Help you gain new customers from referrals.

 

WEALTHIEST FRIEND WITH A GOOD ATTITUDE: ________________ 

MOST FASHION CONSCIOUS FRIEND: _______________

Simplify Your Sales meetings. Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

Episode 114, Learn what makes a perfect sales call!

 

What makes the perfect sales call? A call that is planned out in detail before you call or connect. One of my first managers, Perry Samuels, would say these three words when I targeted a new customer for a first meeting, "Don't Skip Steps." He believed that following specific sequences of steps would benefit you and the client.

 

No matter where you are in the sales process creating a foundation for your sales calls is critical. It is so essential to master the conversation with your new prospect or your client. A phrase shared with me early in my career was, Question your way to the sale. The question is how the best way to do that is?

 

You need to master the best questions to ask your new prospect or client.  

 

For example:

What is the prospect or client's current situation? Have you discovered the Valid Business Reason why they should meet with you? See if you can't answer this question, you should:

 

Ask yourself what background research should you do before you call or meet? Research, Research, and Research!

 

Your background research should have two focuses: Who your client is and How you can help them.

 

The first connection can be a phone call. For example, Would you be open to a brief phone call to see if it makes sense for us to meet? I have identified a few areas in which our company can successfully help you. You will get a chance to learn more about their needs, goals, and budget.

 

So how should you research your clients to prepare for the meeting?

Educate yourself on their company and industry.

Have well-thought-out questions to ask about them. 

Gather evidence of relevant clients you've worked with to show you're a good fit and not going to waste their time.

Research your client on their social channels. Engage with them on Linkedin and Facebook to see what they are posting. See whom you have shared connections to that can do an introduction. You may discover interests or causes you have in common.

Research recent changes in their industry (shifts in consumer behaviors towards their products, market opportunities, create ideas to help them solve a problem. For example, finding qualified employees is an area in our team is assisting companies. We are sharing the latest technologies in finding these employees so companies can continue to generate sales.

Research their competitors to look for an opportunity for your client. Is there an idea or opportunity they take advantage of to help grow sales or solve a problem? 

Research If they are a publicly-traded company, review their earnings reports to see an opportunity.

 

Next question you should ask yourself.

 

What are your goals for meeting with the client?

These will be different conversations.

Is it a discovery meeting where you get to know each other and build rapport while learning how to help them?

Is this a current client that you're sharing a new product or service line that can benefit them?

Are your reviewing results from the prior month, the quarter where you share the results of working with you and your company to gain a renewal?

Is there an opportunity in other divisions of the company that you can expand? We work with owners of businesses and VP'S. Gaining an introduction to the HR Director to help with their recruitment is an area of opportunity.

 

What is your desired outcome for the call?

You need to be clear with your intentions of what you need from each exchange.

Understand the next steps after your meeting. The timelines and decision-makers needed for you to get a yes on the program you presented.

Clarify what the client needs are an

Simplify Your Sales meetings. Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

Episode 113, Learn the secrets to getting in front of new prospects faster!

 

Don't Give Up! 

Three words to remember when trying to get in front of new prospects. If you want to learn the best practices of earning the first meeting, you will love this podcast!

 

I share a conversation with Kim Alexandre, a Media Consultant, Coach, and experienced Sales Trainer from The Center for Sales Strategy. She shares her secrets on getting in front of new prospects faster.

 

Key takeaways from our conversation.

 

Become a mental Post-It note in your prospect's mind

The importance people skills play in your approach.

What to do if you frequently misread situations ask for more infield coaching days with your manager.

Create a self-help plan.

 

The benefit of being persistent with a purpose

Learn how to avoid feeling like a stalker.

Using the buyer persona to determine your best approach.

Don't be afraid to "take a break" or "break up." Most of us are super competitive and want to fight until we close them. Stop; there may be a time that you break up. 

 

Make the first impression 

Humanize your approach at the beginning.

Subject lines matter to gain the client's attention.

Nailing pre-text of your subject line to gain their attention.

 

If you think someone could benefit from this episode, share it, rate it, or subscribe for Free at Itunes or Spotify, so you don't miss out on the next three-word podcast.

 

Learn more about how to Simply Your sales meetings using 3-word topics at http://www.threewordmeetings.com .

Simplify Your Sales meetings. Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

Episode 112, Are you a Super Hero at work?

 

We all love Super Hero's like Superman, Superwoman, Batman, or the Avengers. But is being a Hero at work the answer?

 

So I have a question for you. Do you consider yourself a Hero Leader or an Interdependent Leader? If you are not sure, you will look at how you lead differently by the end of this podcast.

 

I participated in a 100 Wise Women Breakfast where we discussed this topic in great detail. The group included women like myself across various industries in leadership roles. Also included were Rising Professionals who were new are a few years into their job to gain different perspectives on Leadership.

 

We broke into small groups and discussed a Ted Talk: A Guide to Collaborative Leadership by Lorna Davis.

 

In the TED Talk, "A guide to collaborative leadership," Lorna Davis explains the difference between what she calls "hero leadership" and "interdependent leadership" and how the world requires collaboration to solve complex challenges.

Link on her talk below:  

https://www.ted.com/talks/lorna_davis_a_guide_to_collaborative_leadership?language=en

 

She describes the "hero leader" as someone who presents the image of having the right answer all the time. In these situations, followers often are not engaged, assuming they have no role in achieving a solution. Yet, Davis shares, "in a world as complex and interconnected as ours is, we must rely on one another…we must have radical interdependence."

 

During our group discussion, we discovered that many of us work with Hero leaders vs. Interdependent Leaders. We shared different ways we could focus on what we each could do to become more Interdependent Leaders.  

 

I started to reflect on how I lead. I made several shifts in how I coach my team. For example, I do weekly coaching sessions with my team where we meet in my office, discuss their business and any ideas to help move their business forward. It's a very collaborative meeting. But I started to think, could the environment feel or be more productive if our discussions were not in my office. I decided to meet in an open space at a table that feels more were in it together. Other account executives would walk by and smile.  

 

Another example is always looking for better ways to serve our clients, creating better processes, and growing revenue. We selected five team members to join another manager and me at breakfast ( outside the office) to get their insights and recommendations on the complex issues we were facing. We didn't need to be the Hero's. In most cases, the team has better ideas to help us solve the problems. Plus, if it's their ideas, they are more likely to be a part of solving it. As a team, we become more Interdependent. These are a few examples of what I have implemented.

 

I thought I would share her three ( yes 3) essential differences between "Hero leadership" and true collaboration through "Interdependent leadership."

 

They set goals differently.

A hero sets a goal that can be individually delivered and measured.

 

An interdependent leader instead sets goals that are impossible to achieve by one company or one person alone. They work with others in the industry to solve shared problems.

 

They announce goals differently.

A hero only announces goals when the plan to achieve them is carefully crafted and precise and when there is a certainty of meeting the goal. The stage sets up for "the big win."

 

Interdependent leaders and collaborators are willing to share their goals before they have a plan. Often, these goals they set are unable to be met without the help of others. These announcements are oft

Simplify Your Sales meetings. Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

Episode 111, It's all about how to compete at the highest level. Learn the one sales secret to your success!

 

This week the Toyko Summer Olympics begin! Team sports like basketball, soccer, and individuals giving their all in Track and Field, Swimming, and wrestling. After training for over four years, each athlete has one moment to compete for a chance to stand on the podium that declares they are the best! We get to witness the best athletes in the world competing for the gold medal. 

 

I was thinking about all the processes these athletes undertake in their sports to reach the Olympic level. To make the Olympic team is hard, and only a few get to that level. The percentages vary by sport. For example, to compete in Swimming, it is .0013% to compete.

 

"There are about 10,000 athletes in the Summer Olympics. With the world population at about 7 billion, the chances of making it that far are about 1 in 562,400," says Bill Mallon, past president and co-founder of the International Society of Olympic Historians.

 

What skills are needed to be an Olympic-level athlete?

A great advantage would be if you had the physical abilities to excel in a sport, and speed, strength, endurance, and coordination are vital. One of the most significant advantages to success is determination.

 

So I started thinking about what Traits Olympic athletes have with the top 1% of sales performers.

 

Determination.   You must have a never-give-up attitude.  Despite all of the setbacks athletes face, they keep coming back better than ever. The same is true for top sales performers. They turn a setback into a comeback. They take the opportunity to learn from their shortfalls, learn from the experience, and prevent it from happening again.

 

Stay consistent.   The top performer stays focused and consistent. They understand that every day may not be award-winning. But what they do realize is the staying the course and remaining consistent will have a long-term payoff.

 

Prioritize your training.  Top sales performers prioritize their training. They invest in themselves by reading sales books, blogs, online courses, and listening to podcasts. They attend conferences and have a desire to find a better way of doing business. 

 

Be Goal-oriented  The goal that Olympic athletes are working towards is a Gold Medal. In sales, we are working towards a plan as well. It may be a financial goal or a goal of contribution. Understanding what must get done each day - the daily goals are necessary to achieve that overall goal. For sales leaders, this may be as small as being proactive with just a few calls a day, but it pays off big time in the long run. Define your long and short-term goals and find the discipline to track your progress.

 

As I shared earlier, 1 in 562,000 can compete in the Olympics. What is the top 1% in sales doing to compete at a higher level?

 

The bottom 99 percent and the top one percent of salespeople have something in common: they are both creatures of habit. The bottom 99 percent talk about their products or services to clients. They sell features, benefits and ask for the order. Yes, these sellers have conviction, energy, or enthusiasm.

 

But the top one percent of salespeople train differently than the 99%. See, they focus on one critical skill that sets them apart from others. They consistently repeat this behavior over and over because they know it is their secret to sales success? 

 

The top one percent of salespeople ask the right questions. 

 

The best sales talents don't pitch their products and services, and they ask questions. They ask intelligent, strategic questions immediatel