Sales by 5 Blog

The Power of Themes in Your Company

Having focus and clarity in your business can help you achieve new heights.  Here is a quote from Verne Harnish:

Virtual Technology Corporation exceeded their sales goal by $1.4 million; Dial One Printing added five points to their gross margin; Capital Recovery Group increased sales on a new service offering by 2000%; and ICC/Decision Services saved 160 hrs per week of work among fourteen employees allowing them to take on additional business without adding to headcount.

You have an opportunity to have the same, remarkable outcome as the companies above, by implementing a theme in your company.  What would your theme focus on? Overtime? Retention? Morale? Check out the checklist to see how you're company is doing.  If you need help, call us!

When Someone's Face Lights Up

We recently interviewed a great person for a PR position. You could tell that her passion was event planning, because she glowed when speaking about it. She organized events... just for fun. This is special!

Next time you are in a meeting, or conversation and you notice someone light up (eyes open wider, they lean closer, smile more), pay attention! You have found a passion or strength that they may not have realized. Say something about it! Here are some questions to ask: Does it matter when/how/why you do this activity? Does it matter who you do this for? The specifics are important! Pay attention to this - help someone light up every day!

Handful of Rules, Repeat.

How do you get everyone focused in the same direction?  Have a hand full of rules and repeat them often. We all have too much clutter in our lives!  Have a hand full of rules that you and your team can use - written down! 

International Growth Guru, Verne Harnish taught me this in 2001. I have lived it since then at home and at work with great success.

The One Thing

Often times the most important thing or the “ONE THING” is forgotten. Ours is inspiring others. I inspired 11 people today, personally, that I am aware of. That is what matters for us. What is your “ONE THING?"

Make Your Advice Valuable

Do you find it frustrating when people ask you for advice, then ignore it?  Here's a way to increase the likelihood that people will listen to you.  Next time someone asks for your advice, request that they pay you a small and odd amount of money, say $1.08 - in cash.  Why?  The person will be required to get the exact change, meaning they have to put work into receiving the advice.  Once they do this, your advice now has true value, rather than being free.  "Hey, I can't just ignore this stuff, I worked for it!"  The value of your advice has just multiplied.

Many of my friends ask advice all the time and I give it. I do not send them a bill and they do not listen but, end up asking the same advice the next year just re-worded. When you pay for it, like your first car, you appreciate it. If it's free, it's worth nothing.

Work - Do you have to go OR do you get to go?

Good Friday I was asked if I had to work today by several people. I said "no, I do not get to work today. I got to work yesterday."

Today I get to go to work again. It'll be great. I choose to make it great! Do you get to go to work?

If you get to go, why do you feel that way?  Are you playing to your strengths?  Do you love being around the people you work with?  Pay attention to this feeling, focus on it and make work great!

Make Good Friday Live Up To It's Name

Take some time out of your busy schedule today and do something remarkable for someone who doesn't expect it or doesn't deserve it or who can't return the favor.  As my friend Bob says, be "up and at 'em and ready to be bold!"  Come back on Monday and tell us what you did to inspire someone!

Using Psychology to Sell - Keep the Money Coming

Here's a great tip, especially helpful for non-profits.  When you are working on a giving campaign, you have one group that has been donating and another group that hasn't.  How do you best inspire each group to continue to give/begin to give?  According to Koo and Fishbach, the best strategy is to tell those that have been giving how far they've come (ex. we've raised $2 million dollars so far).  For the group that hasn't been donating, it is best to tell them what still needs to be accomplished (ex. we need to raise $3 million dollars to reach our $5 million dollar goal).  Put this new data to great use, then come back and tell us how it worked!

Catch the full article here - Dynamics of self-regulation: How (un)accomplished goal actions affect motivation.

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More information here - Inside Influence

Core Values - Start Living Them

Companies usually start small, with employees that are passionate and know the right thing to do in tough situations - it just feels right.  Somewhere along the way, when those same companies start bringing more people on board with the growth, the same heart can be lost and those tough situations get more gray.  Laying out your core values as early as possible AND living them can be the difference between a decent company and a great company.  The next time you see someone living the core values, recognize them for doing so!  If you have core values and you know that you haven't been practicing what you preach, then start today.  Make today's decisions match your core values - hire/fire/promote by them.  Each time you do this, trust is built - you are doing what you say you're going to do.

Selling Smart - Promise Only What You Can

I wanted take my family on an RV trip, and hoped they would like it, if not; it had no chance of happening again.  My options were to sell them or let them sell themselves. Step one; show the RV, a 39 foot diesel pusher that was new, cool, and loaded. The RV was the focus, and the RV Park was not. We had never done this before but had seen scary RV parks next to busy highways!

I have learned a few lessons in my life, and one is selling an experience that I cannot promise/guarantee is a great way to un-sell anything in the future. I then showed the ride (my only promise) and let them sell the rest to themselves!

The outcome...it was a giant hit! Expectations were met, the RV was over the top cool and we ended up river front on the Frio River with the best campsite in the park.

Next time you need to sell something you can only partially promise, focus on that.  Let the rest take care of itself.  You never know when you might stumble on a winner.