Okay, here is another golf anecdote. For all you non-golfers, I promise to make this relevant to your sales success. Golfer Phil Mickelson fired his long time coach last weekend. Yesterday, Mickelson won the US Players Championship. Phil will be the first one to tell you he got a lot out of his old coach, yet he either learned everything the coach had to offer or he needed to learn other things the coach wasn’t covering. Either way, the impact was not the same so a change was required.

As a sales executive, did you ever look at yourself as a coach to your customers?  If not, you may want to reconsider that.  Coaches find out the goals of their clients and the obstacles they face.  They act as confidantes and provide a learning experience that enables the client to explore new ways of doing things and getting better results.  Isn’t that what sales is all about?  Helping your customers learn new ways of achieving better results and showing them how to do it.

If you ever lose business again from an existing customer, ask yourself where did the relationship start to lose its value for the customer?  Did the customer feel they have maximized their results with you and that the competition offered better results?  Did you take the customer for granted and stop doing the things you did to get the business in the first place?  Often, when a customer goes to the competition, it is usually for reasons that a coach on top of things could handle and prevent.

Has your customer fired their coach lately?

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Lanny Bassham won a gold medal in shooting at the 1976 Summer Olympics.  Now,  golfers are flocking to him for help!  What in the world can a rifle shooter who has never played golf and does not have a degree in psychology offer professional golfers?  He offers them the ability to strengthen their game.

One’s game does not only involve skills.  It involves the mental aspect of handling all the issues that pop up during the game.  In involves your reactions to these issues and how you move forward.

After failing himself at the 1972 Olympics, Bassham interviewed several Olympians and started collecting data on the strategies they used to win. His major observation was the champions were not focused on outcomes; they were focused on the execution of the process.  For those of you have heard me speak, you are probably thinking this goes against my belief that sales people have to be outcome oriented.  Not at all!  You need know the outcomes you are after and be dedicated towards achieving them.  Once you have them identified, the emphasis must be on the process and execution.  If you have no strategy and if you don’t execute, you probably will not achieve the outcomes you are after.

According to Bassham, the key to execution in golf is concentrating on each hole, one stroke at a time.  Have your mind stay in balance and focus on the process and strategy of how you are going to address the next shot, not your score.  By focusing on your score, other things start creeping into your mind and before you know it, you start swinging too hard, you take your eye off the ball and probably start doing all the things you know you should not be doing.  By focusing on the process and keeping your mental game strong, you tend to improve your performance significantly.  The reason Bassham is becoming a cult figure among professional golfers is the fact that after working with Bassham, they have all seen significant improvement which has led to championships and higher rankings.

So how do you apply this to sales?  After you have figured out the outcomes your customer is after and the outcomes that are desirable to you, how well do you focus on the execution?  Below are 7 scenarios.  See if you can relate to them and ask yourself how well you would handle them and execute the process of making the sale.

1. Customer says they are not interested:  Are you focused on the prospect of losing the sale and you start blabbering about all the reasons he should be interested; or do you find out why he is not interested?
2. Customer throws you an objection:  Is there fear of a possible loss resulting in your telling the customer why the objection isn’t valid; or do you find out what is behind the objection?
3. Customer wants a lower price:  Are you focused on closing the deal just to get the deal; or do you restate and enhance your value proposition to get the “right” price?
4. Customer says he likes your competition better:  Do you focus in trying to outsell your competitor on features; or do you find out what is missing for the customer and provide a solution they are not currently getting?
5. Customer says he has no need:  Do you focus on selling your features to get your outcome, the sale; or do you find out what where your customer is going and the challenges they are facing which will open up new opportunities for you?
6. Customer is angry because of failed expectations:  Do you concentrate on explaining to your customer how it wasn’t your fault; or do you find out on a scale of 0-10 where you customer’s satisfaction is, where he wants it to be and what you need to do to reach his satisfaction level?
7. Customer is not returning your voice mail or e-mail:  Are focused on getting the appointment and leave another voice mail with your name, phone number and request for a meeting ; or do you leave a voice mail with your request and the outcomes  they can expect from meeting with you.

The above scenarios are very common, yet only a represent a fraction of the situations a sales executive will likely run into over the course of his career.  The bottom line is:  Asking questions, listening and the ability to negotiate are all critical skills one needs to excel in.  Equally, if not more important, is your mental game.   How do you respond to the actions of the customer and your market?   Identify the results you are after, but then shift your concentration to execution and process.  The key to flawless execution is taking it one step at a time and always remembering the customer comes first.   Their perception is what counts and your actions better be good enough to handle the task at hand.  You cannot do this if you are always thinking about the score.  It will only force you to work harder, listen less and fall short of relating to the customer.

There is one guarantee in sales:  Exceed the expectations of your customer every step of the way and the desired results will appear!

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Ronald E. Karr, President of Karr Associates, Inc., has accepted an invitation to be a diplomat for the Weizmann Institute of Science.

The Weizmann Institute based in Rehovot, Israel, is a center of scientific research and graduate study, addressing crucial issues in medicine and health, technology, energy, agriculture and the environment. Its 2,500 scientists, students, technicians and engineers pursue basic research in the quest for knowledge and the enhancement of the human condition.

Mr. Karr will join leading figures from the worlds of business and community in marshalling support for an organization that is one of the leading institutions dedicated to developing new advances in science.

According to Mr. Karr, “When one chooses an organization to support with time and energy, choosing the Weizmann Institute was a clear cut and easy decision. The work done by this prestigious institution pays back tremendous dividends for the support it receives, dividends that positively affect the world population.”

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When David Zappone was trying to get a job interview in the 1970’s, he realized the manager looking for the right candidate was likely to receive hundreds of resumes. He decided to tape his resume as a way to ensure his resume made it to the top of the pile. David recorded the reasons why he should be the one hired for the job and it worked! He was brought in for an interview. There was only one thing on the manager’s desk when they met, a tape recorder with David’s tape in it. The manager simply pressed the play button and started the recording. The rest, as they say, is history.

http://www.ronkarr.com/titan_principle_book.html”>Get more information on how to get noticed

David Zappone today is a successful executive with Timber Trading Group. He has always thought “outside of the box” to get himself noticed. As you struggle on a day to day basis to get heard by the people you are trying to influence, ask yourself if you are doing it in a way that is innovative and impressive. Simply going through the motions of trying to be heard will often not result in differentiating yourself from the competition. Thinking about how you can stand out from the crowd and allowing yourself to be creative is essential. Most of us do not do this simply because we don’t take the time, are not willing to take risk, or allow ourselves to be stopped by negative thoughts.

Whatever you do, remember one thing. People like to be impressed, intrigued and stimulated. Let your true talents shine and think of ways you can present yourself in a unique manner that will be noticed. You can’t influence others if they don’t hear you to begin with.

Ron Karr is a professional speaker and consultant who for
15 years has motivated and provided tools to executives on
how to sell more in less time at higher profit.

For more information, call 1.800.423.5277

or click here www.ronkarr.com

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As we climb out of the rubble of debris in NYC and Washington D.C., we rejoice in the fact that the spirit and backbone of freedom and democracy is as strong as ever.

Below are references to Titans who have sacrificed their lives in the name of freedom and democracy.

*202 NYC Fire fighters who perished while trying to save lives from the initial attacks on the World Trade Center

*73+ NYC Police Officers who perished while trying to save lives from the initial attacks on the World Trade Center

*The thousands of lost souls who perished while going about their daily routine in NYC and Washington DC

*260+ passengers and crew of 4 airplanes that were turned into suicide bombs

*An unknown father in the World Trade Center who called a day care center saying he was about to die and wanted to say goodbye to his 4 year old son

*Thousands of Americans and others who are volunteering their efforts, time and blood

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