Thanks to Dale Carnegie of Hawaii

Thanks to all the talented salespeople in Honolulu for attending the recent sales success program!

Are You in a Dip?

You have to check out Seth Godin's new book. It is pure genius. You know how it goes, often new project (or jobs, or hobbys, or companies) start out exciting and fun. Then get harder and less fun, until it hits a low point-really hard, and not much fun at all. And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle. Maybe you're in a Dip-a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it's really a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try. What really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts.Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt-until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons. In fact, winners seek out the Dip. Check it out at The Dip

Let Your Customers Buy

Most salespeople refuse to do the hard work that makes selling easy, They do the easy stuf0f, which makes selling HARD! How do you let them buy? Ask more, talk less, be friendly, use tasteful humor, know your client’s motives, talk mostly about their desired OUTCOMES, not your company, product features or service benefits. create attraction by writing about timely relevant stuff, maintain a current Internet/social presence, Be a valuable resource to your clients and prospects. When you do this you will find you don’t have to resort to selling because you will be attracting qualified buyers. Yea, selling requires work because we are not really selling... we’re LETTING THEM BUY!

The Risk Adverse Leader

I know that these days it is more difficult than ever to encourage team members to take some calculable risks. Even leaders and managers these days are hesitant to encourage risk-taking of any kind. And even the most committed employees are having difficulty balancing their professional and personal life so risk taking is on the bottom of the list. Technology seems to have placed GREATER demands on our time and face-to-face relationships are more important than ever. The current economic and social pressures seem to be pulling at one another. Add to that the generational differences and managing risk, productivity, satisfaction and engagement is a double-edged sword for many leaders. In such a risk adverse environment how can we encourage team members to take risks?

I wanted to take this moment to mention that it is our duty as managers to help our team members to make the best decisions in terms of risk tolerance. This almost always means that we need to KNOW their personal goals, circumstances and current challenges. Often managers and leaders shy away from asking too many "personal questions" or challenging team members to take risks. This is particularly true in rabid HR compliance states like CA and NJ. Let me just say the consequences of taking NO RISKS is even higher. Just as critical, consider the dis-service we are doing for our employees when we avoid this kind of discussion or back-off challenging them.

Here is an article written a while back but discusses this in greater detail. Hope you find it to be valuable. Risk Taking Culture

What's Really Effective in Sales?

Next Monday I'll be doing an interview with Morrrie Shechtman, author of Working Without A Net and Fifth Wave Leadership, about this very subject. We'll discuss a study of over 6000 salespersons in 100 different industries, and the conclusions it draws about different sales styles and their effectiveness. This show will be available Monday, December 5th at 4 PM Pacific Time at www.smallbusinesshour.com.

If you missed my show last week, you can also catch a great interview I did with Lloyd Chapman from the American Small Business League. He is one of the few true small business champions out there that has no political agenda, other than to see the government stop giving our tax dolars to giant corporations, and instead to do business with actual small businesses. His lawsuits have forced the federal government to release data showing that they have never met small business contracting mandates. We discussed why politicians from both major parties talk a good game about small businesses while actively working to make things harder for the little guy, and what you can do about it.

If you have any topics you'd like to hear me discuss on future shows, please let me know. Thank you, and have a terrific weekend!

Co-creator of ACT! to appear on the Small Business Hour

I just wanted to let you know that this coming Monday, October 24th I'll be interviewing Mike Muhney, the co-creator of ACT! We'll discuss ways to create lasting relationships that go beyond basic on-line connections.  Tune in at www.smallbusinesshour.com on Monday at 4 PM to hear this show.

We also recently interviewed Steve Strauss, author of The Small Business Bible about creative ways to fund your small business. You can browse our library with highlights from our years on CBS Radio and our last two years of online exclusive shows on our website at www.smallbusinesshour.com, or find us on iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/the-small-business-hour-as/id332118693

I hope you can tune in, and if you have any suggestions for future topics for the show, please send me an e-mail to let me know. 

Factoring replacing traditional funding

Today I was quoted in an article in Bloomberg Businessweek on factoring as a method of funding for small businesses.  Unfortunately, many small businesses find themselves forced to turn to factors for funding. Here is my quote from the article:

Mark Deo, Torrance (Calif.)-based executive director of the consulting firm Small Business Advisory Network, says many entrepreneurs he consults with have turned to factoring, not only because they lack access to credit but also because they are having problems getting new business. “Factors are oftentimes the only source of funding for desperately needed cash, but it is very sad that business owners who have worked for years to build their businesses are entertaining factoring just to fund new purchases, equipment, or improvements,” he says.

You can read the full article here.  Leave me your comments on factoring below, or send me an e-mail with your thoughts.