Is Coaching Effective?

It has been a few months since I posted any content on this site. I have been writing but it has been for several other sites. I wanted to share a recent excerpt found in Entrepreneur Magazine.

“A business coach will enable you to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses, and they will help you build a road map for success. This can be absolutely critical for people who have never run a startup before, and it will also give you the necessary tools to properly manage current and future employees. An industry study found that CEOs who consent to business coaching are able to improve their working relations by 77 percent, and this ultimately leads to a 53 percent boost in productivity and increased profits of 22 percent.”

Is this true? Yes…but. The issue is whether the individual will act on what they learn. Here is an example.

Just finished a coaching engagement with a client that had his best commissioned month ever in the sixty years his company has been in existence ($98K). He likes to give me credit but he did all the work. I have clients who learned the same action who did not get the results because they did not implement what they learned. It is all about action.

Here are some of the articles I recently published.

This article discusses how minor changes can lead to massive results.

https://www.hershpr.com/sales/one-degree-difference-become-a-sales-leader-and-grow-sales/

Enjoy and I look forward to reading your comments. Feel free to share these articles and help others.

To Your Success,

Ron Finklestein
ron@businessgrowthexperience.com

Did you have a Sacred Moment Today?

Did you have a Sacred Moment Today?

An elder woman and her coworker are working at a newsstand and there are 30 people demanding their attention. They all want their newspaper – now.  The coworker is frazzled and frustrated because everyone wants her attention. She cannot keep up with their demands.  She is getting angry because no one is patient – she can’t keep up. The elderly women next to her is so serene in dealing with each interaction and her coworker cannot understand how she keeps her composure with so much going on around her. She decided to ask her coworker how she cannot be angry or frustrated by the demands of the job.  She asks, “How do you not get frustrated and flustered by so many people demanding your attention?” The elderly lady replies, “When I am attending to a customer no other customer exists for me. I am taking care of one person and trying to make their day special by giving them my undivided attention. I know there will always be someone wanting my attention but the person in front of me is the only person in the world that I pay attention to. You are not seeing the person you are working with, you are seeing all the people you are not working with.” The elder woman learned that each interaction she has is a sacred moment.

We are blessed to have sacred moments every moment of our lives, if we allow ourselves to recognize them.

Before we go too much further, let’s become purposeful and define what I mean by a sacred moment. A sacred moment is simply a moment of truth with a customer, a customer interaction (this is not the only time we can experience a sacred moment): a telephone call, an email (yes, an email interaction if well thought out can be a sacred moment when the customer reads it,) a face to face meeting to review a project or determine next steps or simply selling them a paper or a cup of coffee.

Many time we do not interact with our customers unless there is a reason. Something is wrong, they need information only we can provide, something changed, or an emergency occurs. Something happens that requires you or your company to address a situation for your customer.

You can do what Google does and ignore their customers (who made them billions.) I have not been successful in finding someone from Google I can talk with. This is both frustrating and counter-productive.

Or you can do what Zappos does. I recently purchased some shoes from Zappos and the customer experience was delightful. The customer service representative listened, responded as needed and as a result his efforts, I experienced a sacred moment. I did not have to fight, argue or wait on hold.

How you treat each interaction with your customer can make their day and yours. It can be a sacred moment to them and to you. They want to be heard and you need to hear them. They want to be understood and you need to understand them. That want something that typically only you can provide.

You have an opportunity to positively impact someone in a powerful way, and in that moment, a sacred way.

What does this mean for you?

It means your customer feel heard and understood. They will be loyal. I left Google and went to Microsoft because I could talk to a person.

It means when they talk about you they remember how you made them feel. They become advocates and will become word of mouth marketing machines for you.

Anyone one in sales knows they your prospect does not care how much you know until they know how much you care.   They will be loyal and buy more.

Our family members want to feel heard and understood.

Our friends want to feel heard and understood.

Our customer are no different.

It is about being present and listening. It is about follow-up.

It is about doing what is right.

Is it a simple concept? Yes. But it can be difficult to implement. Why? Because we are inundated with people demanding our attention. We are distracted by Facebook and Social Media. We have someone else demanding our attention, there is the phone ringing, the email flashing, and the next text message to address.

It is about making each interaction a sacred moment for both you and the person you are with.

Ron Finklestein

330-990-0788
ron@businessgrothexperience.com

Ron Finklestein is an international author, sales coach, trainer and consultant helping companies grow sales and increasing revenues. His company has been selected top sales training company for 2013 and 2014.

Sales Tip 11 – Hey, What’s up

Hey, what’s up?

Someone who bills themselves as a social media & LinkedIn expert (her words not mine) asked to connect with me on LinkedIn. I accepted this request.

The email I received from her had only this question, “Hey, what’s up?”

Maybe I am showing my age but I have no clue how to answer this question. Is she asking about work, my family, what I am doing right now, what I do, or who I do it with? It left me feeling confused and wondering if she thought she was on Facebook (I perceived Facebook communication to more informal.)

I replied, “I do not know how to answer this question,” trying to gain some clarity in what she was asking.

I get the reply, “what do you do?” This made we wonder if she read my profile since it clearly states I help companies grow sales and increase revenues. I replied, “I help companies grow sales and increase revenues with sales training, coaching and consulting.”

Her reply, “do you have a web site?” Again, if she read my profile she would know that. I replied, “I have several of them.”

This whole process could have been shortened if she did a little homework (such as read my LinkedIn profile.)

If you want to engage me in a dialog please be clear. Tell me what you do and why I need your service. Don’t send me an email and ask “what’s up?” I do not know you. Tell me why I should invest in a relationship with you.

If you think you can help tell me why. You could say something like, “I looked at your web site and here is where we can help.” Please specify which site you are referring to as I have several. If you do not mention the site I will assume you did not look or you would be specific. This is important because this is where the sales process begins.

Finally, don’t make me work at understanding what you do or why I should care. If you don’t know your business well enough to answer that question, get some help. Especially if you are selling social media marketing services. If you can’t market yourself how would I expect you to market my services?

We are all busy people and we want and need help that will take up closer to our goals. I think we appreciate being approached with a meaningful well thought out message.

LinkedIn is a powerful marketing tool. Use it with the respect and responsibility the members deserve.

With that being said, I invite you to go to <a href=”http://www.businessgrowthexperience.com”>www.businessgrowthexperience.com</a> and download my free report on the Six Questions Prospects want Answered BEFORE They Buy. It will help you answer my questions above.

If you would like a free sale assessment please fill out the form below:

Ron Finklestein

330-990-0788
ron@businessgrowthexperience.com

Sales Tip # 6 – Are you Likeable?

Sales Tip # 6 – Are you Likeable?

We all know people buy from others they know, like and trust.

If that is true, and I believe it is – are you likeable?

If you are likeable what do you do to be likeable?

Recently, I was meeting with a seasoned business pro. It was our first meeting. He was semi-retired and we were talking how his assessments would help his clients make great hiring decisions. He wanted to see if I was someone he could introduce to others when the need for sales training was identified. We had a very good discussion. I listened as ho told me about his assessment and the positive impact they have when used.

When the time came he asked me how he could help me.

I pulled out my one page document that outlines what problems we solve and who we want to meet and showed it to him. He pushed it back and said, “It is too detailed.”

I pushed it back and said, “I get a lot of business using this document!”

He said, “It is not the document that gets you business.”

Trying to be open-minded I asked, “Why do I get the business?”

He only said “you’re likeable.”

I paused – what do you say to that?

We finished our meeting and on the way home I asked myself, ‘what did I do to be likable?”

I listened. I was interested. I asked questions for clarity. I really wanted to learn what he did.

I was not satisfied with what I was thinking.

I decided to ask a group of well-respected and accomplished business associates how one is “liked” – from their perspective. They are from all walks of life, of different ages (24 – 61) and they all sell into different markets. They included Mike Lemmeyer (home improvement) from K Guard, Tim Plonski (Financial Services) from JK Investments, Dave Kuhner (Marketing) from Team Kuhner, Bob Powers (Financial Services) from Primerica, Paul Stefunek (Retained Search) from Paul Lawrence & Associates and Ron Finklestein (Sales Training/Consulting) from Business Growth Experience.

After a very interesting discussion here is what we came up with:

  1. Smile – Smiling indicates a high-level of trustworthiness.
  2. Listen – Don’t listen to prepare for the next thing you are planning to say but listening to understand.
  3. Eye contact – Making eye contact indicates you are present in the discussion.
  4. Look the part – You must dress as one in your industry would dress. For example, plumber in a tuxedo would raise a red flag whereas a plumber dressed a plumber makes sense.
  5. Communicate effectively – Don’t make others guess at the meaning you are trying to communicate.

It seems so simply and I understand how difficult it is to be effective in all five areas. Please let me know your thought and the actions you take to be likeable so others may learn.

To your likeability,

Ron Finklestein
If you like this article, check out my newest website: Make a Difference. Here we focus on growing sales, leadership and personal development.

 

 

 

The Definitive Sales Playbook: How to Grow Sales and Create Lifetime Customers

The Definitive Sales Playbook: How to Grow Sales and Create Lifetime Customers

Dr. Tony Alessandra and I are proud to announce our newest book  The Definitive Sales Playbook is now available on Amazon.  Brian Tracy was kind enough to write the Foreword.

The book was the outcome of a sales membership site Tony and I built with the help of TruNorth. The book reflects the different modules available in the site. The book is designed to be help new sales reps increase sales through the use of best practices, remind seasoned sales reps what they did to be successful and help take existing sales reps to a whole new level in their sales performance.

If you are interested in our sales training or coaching program please contact Ron Finklestein. To learn more about Ron Finklestein  or Dr. Tony Alessandra just click on the highlighted links.

I included the Table of Content for your review:

Introduction

Nine Behaviors of Successful Salespeople

The Platinum Rule ®   — Treating Others the Way They Want to be Treated!

Building And Maintaining Rapport Throughout The Connecting Phase

Building And Maintaining Rapport Throughout The Exploring Phase

Building And Maintaining Rapport Throughout The Collaboration Phase

Building And Maintaining Rapport Throughout The Confirming Phase

Building And Maintaining Rapport Throughout The Assuring Phase

Negative Preparation Leads to Positive Results!

The Power of Testimonials

Lead Generation with Social Media

Blogging as a Sales Tool

What is the number one thing that business owners want from their sales rep?

Behaviors of Non-Performing Sales vs. High-Performing Sales Reps

Why Goals Fail

How to Build Trust Quickly

Why People Won’t Buy From You!

Question #1: “What do you do?”

Question #2: “How are you different?” or “What’s in it for me?”

Question #3: “Why are you the right and safe choice?”

Question #4: “What do you do better than anyone else in the world (in your industry)?”

Question #5: “Why is that important to my prospects?”

Question #6: “Why buy from me?” or “Prove it.”

Sustaining Motivation

Bite-Sized Training

Selling by the Numbers

Identifying Lucrative Prospects

Identifying Your Best Prospects

Incoming Prospecting

Visibility Strategies for Incoming Prospecting

Prospecting

Asking for Referrals

Knowing Your Competitive Advantages

Your Competitive Advantage Statement

Contacting by Phone—Key Telephone Skills

Using the Phone as a Prospecting Tool

Contacting Prospects Online

In-Person Contacts

Common Up-Front Objections

Skills For Responding To Resistance

Three Steps to Successful Sales

Identify Customer Needs

Question Topic Categories

Exploring Important Topics

Ten Tips for More Effective Questioning

Identifying Success Criteria

Ten Commandments of Powerful Listening

Active Listening

Types of Decision Makers—Understanding the Cast of Characters

Features versus Benefits

Five Key Elements of Presentations

Proposing Solutions

Price Concerns

Product Concerns

Postponement Concerns

Product-Price-Postponement Concerns Worksheet

Negotiating Tips

Confirming The Sale Signals

Benefit Summary

Stairs of Customer Loyalty

Commitment To Your Customers

Effective Communication With Customers

Enhancing the Customer Relationship

Thirteen Ways To Assure Customer Satisfaction

Monitoring & Measuring Success Criteria

The Annual Check-Up

Expanding Your Sales

Time Analysis Questions

Return On Time Invested

ROTI Account Classification

Appendix A — Quick Reference Guide

Building Rapport Throughout the Sales Process

About Dr. Tony Alessandra

About Ron Finklestein

 

Click here to purchase the book  The Definitive Sales Playbook.

Click here to learn more about our sales training and sales coach

 

To your success,

 

Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788

 

What I learned at my Sales Lunch & Learn

What I learned at my Sales Lunch & Learn

I do a monthly lunch and learn sales coaching program each month. In an effort to reach more people I recorded the session and posted it on YouTube. The link is below. I do not plan to keep this public long so if growing sales is important to you, take some time to watch/listen to this video.

After a short while, I will make this video private and only my client will have access to it via Google Plus.

This video was recorded live as part of a coaching session to private clients of Ron Finklestein and the Business Growth Experience. Ron discusses some challenges sales people must overcome, what business owners expect from people selling to them and nine actions they must take to become more successful. To learn more on implementing these actions please check out our sales training web site at http://www.businessgrowthexperience.net.

If you prefer personal coaching, check out http://www.businessgrowthexperience.com and download our free report: Six questions Prospects Want Answered Before they buy.

If you work in Northeast Ohio and want to attend one of these Lunch & Learn events please click here  http://saleslunchandlearn.eventbrite.com.

 

http://youtu.be/nv_sfMZ8Vz0

Can I invite you to coffee?

Can I invite you to coffee?

I give myself permission to call people I want to meet and invite them to coffee.

Here is my approach.

“Hi Bill, this is Ron Finklestein. I been hearing good things about you and I would like to buy you a cup of coffee. I have no agenda others then getting to know you a little better. Are you open to having a cup coffee?”

I have never been turned down using this approach. It is not unusual for this meeting to be schedule out a few weeks but I have never been refused. I do this once a month and I do it for me. I want to learn what others do to be successful so I can be more effective at helping my client grow, prosper and get results.  

There are some things you need to know when you do this. Be authentic, don’t use it as a ruse to get in front of them and sell them something, be open to what you can learn, and be a good listener.

I recently did this with a gentleman who recently sold his business.

We had a great meeting and he told me why he met with me. “I never had anyone just want to have coffee with me who approached me the way you did. I was curious.”

During our discussion I asked him how I might help him achieve his goal. He said, “I never had anyone ask me that question before.”

I could tell there was something he wanted to share so I waited for him to make up his mind. Finally he told me that he wanted to get into coaching and he was concerned because he had no methodology. We then talk about my methodology and how it was created. I told him I could shorten his process if wanted to license my approach.

He had to leave to catch a plane and told me he would read some material and let me know next week if he wanted to proceed and learn more.

This all happened because I reached out.

I do group sales training and I shared this story with them. None could believe I would set up meeting without the purpose of getting business. I explained to them that you can have different purposes in meeting others: curiosity, networking, referrals introductions, problem solving, asking advice, etc.

The universe works in mysterious ways. I just follow my path and if I like someone I tell them. If I want to learn more I ask them and I never leave a meeting with someone I just met without asking these two questions:

  1.  What are you hoping to get out of our meeting today? I ask this because they are meeting with me for their reasons and it is useful to know what they want.
  2. What is your goal and how can I help you achieve it. People are surprised by this because most do not have goals. This helps bring some clarity to the meeting.

Give yourself permission to call someone you find interesting and ask them to coffee. Tell them you the truth; that you have no agenda and you just want to learn about them.  Watch how both you and the other person change. Be prepared to create some new meaningful relationships and be open to whatever the situation offers.

To Your Success (However you define it)

Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788
www.businessgrowthexperience.net (my sales training membership site)
www.businessgrowthexperience.com (my consulting site)
www.ronfinklestein.com (about me)

 

 

 

50% of the People Will Hate You!

50% of the People Will Hate You!

I am reading John Smoltz’s autobiography. If you are not familiar with Smoltz, he played professional baseball for over 20 years. The book focuses on the last year he played.

Smoltz is a very competitive individual. He did not like to lose, He loved playing for Atlanta and he would do what was necessary to help his team win (as long as it was legal, moral and ethical.)

What is compelling about his story is that he was not afraid to fail.

When he failed in a game (gave up 8 runs in 2/3rd of an inning) he would go back to the bullpen and make the necessary adjustment. He would take the changes he tested in the bullpen and implement them in the game. Many players would make the adjustments in the bullpen and never implement them in a game situation. His point is that these changes must be implemented or why do them.

The book is about his ability to fail forward to achieve success.

I see the same thing with my sales coaching. Many people learn the material but they never apply it. They are afraid to fail.

I remember when I wrote my first book. I waited for six months after it was ready before I released it. I was afraid of what others would think. I finally released it. That started a creative streak that lasted five years. I wrote four books in five years: Two of them went international. That would not have happened if I let my fear of failure control my behavior.

As a result of that work, I team up with TruNorth and Dr. Tony Alessandra to create a sales training web site that will be available in late January 2013. That would not have happened if I did not get over my fear of failure. Here is the press release!

Fear of failure is simply a belief. It is a belief that you can release if you choose to. It simply means you acknowledge the fear and do it anyway. As Dan Kennedy once said, “50% of the people will love you, 50% of the people will hate you. Ignore people who hate you and focus on the people who love you.”

To Your Success,

Ron Finklestein

330-990-0788

Go to www.businessgrowthexperience.com and download your free report. “Six Questions Your Prospects Want Answered Before They Buy”

 

This is why I do what I do!

This is an unsolicited email from a client in my sales training program. It helped me to remember why I do what I do.

Good Morning Ron;

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I wanted to take  a few moments out and write to you because I had one of; if not the best holiday I have EVER had.  I was sitting here this morning reflecting over my weekend trying to figure out what was different this year so I could recreate it for Christmas! My realization is I was what was different this year.

To give you a brief history I come from a very broken home.  I have actually been on my own since I was 16 years old ( I left on my birthday) I had a lot of abuse both mental and physical from my parents and step-parents alike.  My father was an addict (recovering since 2003) and my mother is still an alcoholic, a functioning one but an alcoholic none the less

I love my parents but one could say I wasn’t dealt the best hand in life.  I have always tried very hard to look at things in a positive light and honestly I just never wanted to end up like my family.  I have always wanted to be the “one who got away” as corny as that sounds.  The way I see it is some people get parents and families who guide them in the ways of life. I figure I was given people who showed me what NOT to do in life.

Enough of that…Going through the program I really have been changing.  I have changed the way I am speaking and most importantly the way I have been listening.  I have learned that my mother is a socializing socializer to the extreme it is her show and if you just sit back and watch the show for a bit it doesn’t drive you crazy and she tends to tone it down some,  if she thinks she is getting the attention she so clearly needs.

My father is a director to the Hitler extreme and as long as he feels he is running the show life gets A LOT easier .  So in short thank you Ron.  Thank you for bringing some calm to my life and an understanding of my parents that I have never been able to have.

 

Thank you for the email

Ron Finklestein
here is the program this person is in http://www.businessgrowthexperience.com
330-990-0788
ron @ Akris.net

15 Things and Some Feedback

I wanted to share with you some articles to help you grow sales and share with you some good news.

First the good news: We open a Business Growth Experience Sales Rainmaker office in Solon. This office will be run by Tom Schroth. This is important to you as a client, because you can attend any of our sales training session, in any office, as part of your membership in the Business Growth Experience. Our goal is to make life easy for you and you can expect more announcements. To find out more call Tom @ (440) 836-4211 / tom@tomschroth.com.

Many people have wrong ideas of what selling is all about. We challenge these myths in this brief article entitled: 15 Things I wish my Mother told me about Selling

If the hyperlink does not work just click here: http://businessgrowthexperience.com/?p=801

Many people go about asking for referrals in a way that leaves a bad impression. Here is one I recently encountered that I want to make you aware of so you do not make the same mistake. The article is called: How to Alienate your Referral Partners

If the hyperlink does not work just click here: http://businessgrowthexperience.com/?p=781

Many people in sales understand how important it is not to take things personally. When you realize it is just feedback you can respond as the situation calls for not jump to conclusions.

If the hyperlink does not work just click here: http://businessgrowthexperience.com/?p=768

To learn more we are conducting a workshop on how to grow sales. It is 10/10/12 at the Wellness Center in Montrose. In this workshop you will learn some of the common “secrets” successful sales people know and use daily: Six reason prospects do not buy, the one major hurdle we must all overcomes, three proven ways to grow sales and so much more. There is no charge but registration is required.  We are filling up fast and I would encourage you to sign up now while you are thinking about it. We are limited on space and we are only allowing ten people into this event. If the hyperlink does not work just click here: http://becomearainmaker.eventbrite.com/

Lastly, we like helping people grow sales, increase revenues and shorten the sales process. As a result we are making available to you a eBook to simplify your sales process. If you are having trouble getting in front of the right people or closing the sales, this report is for you. It is called Six Questions Your Prospects Want Answered BEFORE They Buy. Just go to WWW.BUSINESSGROWTHEXPERIENCE.COM to download your report.

To Your Success,

Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788

ron @ businessgrowthexperience.com

p.s. please drop me an email and let me know how you are using the articles I post. I will share selected comments going forward as a way to share ideas transfer knowledge.

Who Should be Your New Best Friend?

You New Best Friend.

Most people are not excited to see a sales rep walk into their office. Defenses go up almost immediately.

This is strange to me because I get more new ideas, market intelligence and industry news from the sales reps who visit my office than from other places.

They see so many more people than I do.

They visit so many more companies that I do.

They see what others are doing that works.

They see what others do that doesn’t work.

Being a good sales rep is not just about selling your product or service. It is about helping the people you meet be more successful.

On a side note, there was a study done on what customers want from their sales rep. This study indicated that the customer wants accountability from the sales rep. In different words, they want the rep to be accountable for the success the customer will achieve when they buy the product or service.

Next time a sales rep comes into you office ask them how they are accountable for the overall success of the product or service. In our sales training we offer a 100% return on investment guarantee. We want to be held accountable. Want to learn more? Call me, Ron Finklestein, at 330-990-0788 or email me at ron@businessgrowthexperience.com

 

Grow, prosper, and get results with,

Ron Finklestein
www.businessgrowthexperience.com
330-990-0788

Why is Sales so hard?

Why is Sales so hard?

I do a lot of sales training and I heard two common complaints:

  1. Sales is hard
  2. I hate sales

Sales is hard if you do not know who your ideal customer is and why they should buy from you. To understand why your clients do not buy, download your free report at www.businessgrowthexperience.com.

If you hate sales and you need to sell to make a living you have two choices:

  1. Find a new profession
  2. Understand that selling is the faster and easiest way to change a persons’ life for the best.

If you do not believe your product or service will profoundly change someone’s life for the best, you have the wrong product or you are in the wrong profession.

To learn more, check out www.businessgrowthexperience.com

Sincerely,

Ron Finklestein

330-990-0788

ron@businessgrowthexperience.com

 

Customers Lie

Customers Lie!

We, as sales professionals, are constantly told that customers lie. They never address the reason customers lie nor do they tell what you can do about it.

Customers lie because they do not want to hear how stupid they are if they do not understand how your product or service will help them.

Customers lie because they feel you will take advantage of them if you learn some sensitive piece of knowledge.

Customer lie because they fear you will charge a higher price if you knew how painful the situation really is.

Ok, customers lie because they need to protect themselves. They lie because we, as sales professionals, have lied to them. I cannot tell you how much sales training I have received where the instructor would say something like, “tell them what they want to hear, even if it not true, to get the appointment. You can always fix it later.” We wonder why customers feel the need to protect themselves. I refuse to be party to this kind of mind-set.

As a sales professional, we need to change that. We need to act with the best intentions and the highest effort to do what is in the best interest of our customers. We need to understand their problems and help them solve it.

As a sales professional, we have to assume they are lying to protect themselves and it is our job to act with honesty, integrity, and while having the best interest of our customer in mind at all times so they do not have to (or feel the need to) protect themselves. They understand we are on the same team.

As a sales professional, we must understand how to build rapport quickly and effectively because building rapport is the first step in building trust.

As a sales professional, we must always treat the customers the way they want to be treated so they understand why your product or service is the right and safe choice for them.

If our customers are lying to us we need to stop blaming them and implement actions that allow them to trust us.

If our customers are lying to us we must look inside and see what we are doing they makes them want to lie to us. Then we need to fix it.

To learn more check out www.akris.net

Call me if you are not getting the desired results.

 

Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788
ron@businessgrowthexperience.com

www.businessgrowthexperience.com

 

 

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