ARE YOU IN SALES & MARKETING?

If you are in business, then every hand should be raised in the affirmative to the title question.  Peter Drucker said, when it comes to growing a business there is marketing and then everything else.
 
A powerful first step in becoming a better marketer, is to recognize and grab a hold of the fact that you are in the sales and marketing business.  You better get good at it!
 
This week we will stand on the shoulders of 3 giants in sales and marketing to learn more about how to improve your selling skills.
  
BIO ON BRIAN TRACY - Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International

Brian Tracy International is a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations.  Brian Tracy’s goal is to help you achieve your personal and business goals faster and easier than you ever imagined.

Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 4,000,000 people in 4,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 40 other countries worldwide. As a Keynote speaker and seminar leader, he addresses more than 250,000 people each year.

He has studied, researched, written and spoken for 30 years in the fields of economics, history, business, philosophy and psychology. He is the top selling author of over 45 books that have been translated into dozens of languages.

He has written and produced more than 300 audio and video learning programs, including the worldwide, best-selling Psychology of Achievement, which has been translated into more than 20 languages.

He speaks to corporate and public audiences on the subjects of Personal and Professional Development, including the executives and staff of many of America’s largest corporations. His exciting talks and seminars on Leadership, Selling, Self-Esteem, Goals, Strategy, Creativity and Success Psychology bring about immediate changes and long-term results.

Prior to founding his company, Brian Tracy International, Brian was the Chief Operating Officer of a $265 million dollar development company. He has had successful careers in sales and marketing, investments, real estate development and syndication, importation, distribution, and management consulting. He has conducted high level consulting assignments with several billion-dollar plus corporations in strategic planning and organizational development.

He has traveled and worked in over 80 countries on six continents, and speaks four languages. Brian is happily married and has four children. He is active in community and national affairs, and is the President of three companies headquartered in Solana Beach, California.

Brian is also the President of Brian Tracy University, a private on-line University for sales and entrepreneurship.

WISDOM FROM BRIAN TRACY ON SALES & MARKETING

Think of yourself as a resource to your clients; an advisor, counselor, mentor and friend.
 
The only pressure that you use in a professional selling presentation is the presence of silence after the closing question.
 
Concentrate on the activities of prospecting, presenting and follow-up; the sales will take care of themselves.
 
Make a habit of dominating the listening and let the customer dominate the talking.
 
Approach each customer with the idea of helping him or her solve a problem or achieve a goal, not of selling a product or service.
 
Telling is not selling; never make a statement if you can phrase it in the form of a question.
 
Satisfy the deep subconscious needs of your customer to feel important, to feel valued, respected and worthwhile.
 
Never criticize, condemn or complain in a conversation with a customer or prospect.
 
Combine the dual qualities of empathy and ambition in every sales relationship.
 
Treat objections as request for further information.
 
Keep your sales pipeline full by prospecting continuously. Always have more people to see than you have time to see them.
 
Describe your product in terms of what it “does” not in terms of what it “is”.
 
Checkout http://www.briantracy.com

DAILY PRAYER 
Lord, thank you for Brian Tracy and Brian Tracy International.  Bless all the associated businesses, bless Brian and his family, protect them, and continue to use Brian for a mighty purpose.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Being a selling expert is not one of my highest strengths, so this week I bring you expertise and wisdom from three of the best in the business.
 
By modelling the best, you can accelerate the speed at which you get better and have a much more profound impact on your customers, your business, and your bottom-line.
 
Grace and peace multiplied to you.

EXPONENTIALLY GROW YOUR INFLUENCE SKILLS
 
OK - yesterday we started the ascent up the mountain of becoming a master influencer.  Today, let us roll up our sleeves, stretch out our legs and move onward and upward.
 
The main focus today - to find a way to cause understanding and belief in a new point of view and propel yourself and/or others into action!
 
“One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears — by listening to them!” 
- Dean Rusk
 
A NEW WAY OF THINKING ABOUT INFLUENCE
If you are like most people, you have learned to become better copers than influencers.  Even though you face several influence challenges in your life, you feel stumped, or unsure, or unable, or unwilling to wade into the deep end of conflict, confrontation, and generally sticky stuff.
 
Today, we provide you with the knowledge — and provide your answer to one of yesterday’s key questions:  Are you able?
 
First, an overview of the process to be a master influencer:
     >>>> 1) Discover the high-leverage vital behaviors
     >>>> 2) Identify the source of influence behind the behavior your are trying to change
     >>>> 3) Change the way you change minds
     >>>> 4) Design an influence strategy using individual/social/structural forces
     >>>> 5) Make the change inevitable
 
Now for more details on 1 and 2 (3, 4 and 5 tomorrow).
 
Discover the High-Leverage, Vital Behaviors:  Before the masters of influence develop a strategy of how to change/influence someone, they first carefully identify the specific behaviors they want to change.  The objective here is to identify and then give special attention to a handful of high-leverage behaviors - thus the “Vital Behaviors” label.  Sound like a daunting challenge right off the bat, just do four simple things:
     1. Ask, in order to improve the existing situation, what must people actually do?
     2. Assess the best - what are the key behaviors of those getting the best results
     3. Look for positive deviance - go into the center of the family, organization, or community
that you want to change; discover and study settings where the targeted problem should exist but doesn’t; identify the unique behaviors of the group that succeeds.
     4. Look for recovery behaviors - when someone that normally does the right things right, gets off-track, but self corrects and gets back on-track, find out what they did that likely caused them to get off-track, and more importantly what did they do to get back on-track.
 
Here is an example - Dr. Ethna Reid from Salt Lake City studied 20 years of data from a public school district’s reading tests of 1st grade students that was proving to be unbelievably accurate in predicting how well students would succeed throughout their school career.  After much effort, Dr. Reid found there were certain teachers whose students consistently performed much better than the average projections, and other teachers whose students dramatically performed much lower than the average projections.
 
The key difference, you ask?  The teachers with the students performing better than average - were performing 2 vital behaviors that the other teachers were not.  First, they rewarded positive performance by their students far more frequently than their counterparts, and secondly, they rapidly alternated between teaching and questioning or otherwise testing.
 
Not to get off track from our influence message,
did you grasp the significance of that last paragraph??? 
 
Of all the differences that could and did exist between top teachers and the rest, only two vital behaviors really accounted for the gap in performance of their students! 
 
Not a teacher yourself, so what’s the relevant point to me, you might be saying — oh really, what aspect of your life doesn’t require you to teach.  Do you lead, show the way, or otherwise instruct anyone in any area how to do something - your kids, your spouse, your co-workers, your friends, your neighbors, your church, your volunteer group?  Doesn’t all influence involve some aspect of teaching?
 
Identify the Source(s) of Influence Behind the Behavior you are Trying to Change:  Behind each vital behavior you’ll find at work — one or more (out of twelve) different sources of influence that fall into three categories:
     > Category 1: Personal
(Sources of Influence: a. Contrast; b. Reciprocation; and c. Commitment & Consistency; and d. Scarcity)
 
     > Category 2: Social
(Sources of Influence: a. Social Proof; b. Liking; c. Authority; and d. Recognition)
 
     > Category 3: Structural
(Sources of Influence: a. Rank; b. Rewards; c. Accountability; and d. Environment)
 
*** Wish there was room to expound on these, but alas, I only asked for 7 minutes of your time, 3 times per week.
 
“Where all think alike, no one thinks very much.”  - Walter Lippmann
DAILY PRAYER 
“… let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Heb 4:14-16
 
Father, when we are working to change ourselves or influencing and helping others to change, we are most definitely in time of need.  Thank you for your instructive and inspiring Word.  In Jesus name, Amen.
    
Getting tired of the climb up the influence mountain?  Take a break, enjoy the view, but don’t give up, the summit is near!
 
Grace and peace multiplied to you,
 

EXCELLENCE IN CHARACTER

For the past few weeks we have focused on principles and skills for leaders to be more effective, including dreaming, goal-setting, better planning - outcome/purpose/rewards/actions, etc. This week we wrap this package of leader skills up with what matters most - character, which is the summation of the principles you have down on the inside by which you live your life. It is an evaluation of an individual’s moral qualities.

LEAD DOMINOES and BIG ROCKS!

Sounds like we are going to play some kids games, but I assure you that today you are going to learn how to get control of your schedule by changing how you approach planning your time.
 
Big Rocks Go In First
Yesterday we introduced the OPRA - outcome-focused, purpose-driven, reward-motivated, action-oriented, approach to planning.  Today, let’s dive in deeper.
 
One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of the group of high powered overachievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.” Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?”

Everyone in the class said, “Yes.”

Then he said, “Really?” He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was on to him. “Probably not,” one of them answered. “Good!” he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?”

“No!” the class shouted.
Once again he said, “Good.” Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?” One eager beaver raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!”

“No,” the speaker replied, “That’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.” What are the ‘big rocks’ in your life? Your children; Your loved ones; Your education; Your dreams; A worthy cause; Teaching or mentoring others; Doing things that you love; Time for yourself; Your health; Your significant other? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you’ll never get them in at all. If you sweat the little stuff (the gravel, the sand) then you’ll fill your life with little things you worry about that don’t really matter, and you’ll never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big, important stuff (the big rocks). So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the ‘big rocks’ in my life? Then, put those in your jar first.”

SO — you must:
     >  first determine your big rocks - your outcomes and put those in your schedule first
     >  make sure you understand your driving reason why in your life - your purpose
     >  then create a list of rewards for how you will celebrate progress.  Any thought, feeling, emotion or behavior is that is consistently reinforced will become a habit.
     > determine your actions to achieve your outcomes (more on this below)
    
Find the Lead Domino - then Put it to Work
After you have gone through the OPRA planning approach you are likely still sitting and staring at a long list of actions.  So, you may be thinking what was the point - we went through this OPRA thing only to get back to the same place of having an endless to-do list.
 
First of all, your action list is different than a to-do list because it is a result of focusing on your outcomes and purpose, not just a big brain-dump of everything you can think of that you need to do.
 
Secondly, we are not quite done with implementing OPRA - there are 3-key steps of how to turbocharge your action list:
     1) prioritize the list based on asking - what is the 20% of these actions that would make the 80% of the difference in achieving your results (what are the lead dominoes, that if done first, if knocked over first, would likely knock over most of the other things needed to accomplish your desired outcomes;
     2) ask yourself how can you leverage yourself - what other resources do you have available to help, what actions could be done with a minimal amount of your time and brainpower; and
     3) group or chunk together the actions that relate to the same outcome, then determine which of those grouped actions are must do’s vs. would like to do — then attach the must do’s all the while you are keeping yourself keenly focused on your outcome.

Big Rocks & Lead Dominoes First - It will change your plan, your schedule, your life!”

DAILY PRAYER
Father, thank you for the gift of living at a time and place where we have so many opportunities.  Help us to identify and focus on our big rocks and lead dominoes.  Let the OPRA planning approach become a habit that we use to plan and schedule our day, week, month and life.  In Jesus name, Amen.
 
This message purposely has been scheduled to arrive during your lunch time (on the east coast).  Let it soak in first thing this afternoon.  Apply it beginning tomorrow morning.
 
Get out of the sand and gravel business and start with those big rocks and lead dominoes!
 
Grace and peace multiplied to you,

THROW AWAY YOUR TO-DO-LISTS!

To-do lists might keep you focused on what to do next, they may even provide you with a sense of accomplishment, but are they really helping you lead the life you want?
 
This week we will focus on how to turbocharge the way you plan and manage your time, to help you get profoundly better results.
 
Are You Spending Your Days Wisely — On Purpose, In Pursuit of A Great Dream?
It might have been the finest speech ever by a Hall of Famer:
     “The core of my journey to baseball’s Hall of Fame was a dream that took shape in my heart one day while sitting as a child on the front steps of our home.  That was the day on those front steps at the age of 12 that Ozzie Smith determined it was about time to decide what he was going to do with the rest of his life.  That was the day I started dreaming about becoming a professional baseball player.
     Luckily, I didn’t experience the dream for a moment and then dismiss it as foolishness.  Unfortunately, that is the way many great human potentials are forever lost.  Simply because we don’t give our dreams time to take root in our minds.  Too quickly we seem to cover them with a blanket of doubt and they are forgotten.  I, instead, let the dream come into the playground of my mind.  I embraced it, I embellished it to the point where I even selected the position I would play.
     And finally, after dancing with this beautiful fantasy adventure, I took ownership of it and the dream now ordained became a part of my future destiny.”
 
Introducing O-F, P-D, R-M, A-O —- the alternative to your endless to-do lists!
It is time to think differently, to plan differently, to accomplish differently.  This new approach to planning your life, instead of just planning your time consists of four new behaviors, integrated together into a planning system abbreviated as “OPRA”.  No this isn’t a typo of missing the “H” from Ms. Winfrey’s first name — rather it stands for the four components, the new behaviors required of you, that will form the strategic approach to planning and managing your life instead of just managing your time:
Outcome-Focused
Purpose-Driven
Reward-Motivated
Action-Oriented

Those who succeed always start with a clear end in mind - they are totally clear about the final result they wish to achieve.  When you have developed an outcome-focused, purpose-driven, action-oriented, results-accountable plan for your week, your day, or for any goal or project, then you will have created a plan that if followed will certainly bring your dreams into reality.
 
The first step is to figure out what you really want?  What is your outcome?  An outcome is a specific, measurable result that you want to produce - not the activity to get it done, but the actual result you are after.  When you have a clear outcome and consistently focus on it, you will immediately experience a change in your behavior.  With a focus on the outcomes you are committed to, you will find yourself consistently moving toward the result you are after (as compared to madly pursuing the checkoff of endless items on your to-do list).
 
The second step is to determine why you are committed to achieving this outcome, result or goal.  Your purpose will become your driver, the emotional reason why you will want to, why you have to follow through and do whatever it takes to create the outcome you desire.  Your purpose will create the emotional juice that will give you the drive and momentum to create the result.
 
The third step is to identify the specific rewards that you will give to yourself as motivation along the way.  Make it fun, make it a quest, make the rewards matter.  That doesn’t mean the rewards need to be big or expensive (although they could be - perhaps for accomplishing the full outcome), but rather have several smaller rewards along the path to success.  Let this be one way you create fun and joy on the journey.
 
The fourth step is to determine how specifically you will achieve your result or goal.  What do you need to do to make it happen.  These actions are the specific activities that you must complete to produce the outcome you are committed to achieve.
 
Albert Einstein said “The definition of insanity is to keep doing what you have always done, expecting to get a different result than what you have always gotten!”

DAILY PRAYER
Father, help us to transform our minds and think differently.  Being busy is not what You intended for our lives.  In Your Word, Proverbs (NLT) has much to say about planning: 
   16:9 — We should make plans - counting on God to direct us.
   19:2 — It is dangerous and sinful to rush into the unknown. 
   24:3-4 — Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts.
   27:12 — A sensible man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them.  The simpleton never looks, and suffers the consequences;
   16:1 — We can make our plans, but the final outcome is in God’s hands.
In Jesus name, Amen.
 
Tomorrow we will explore in more detail how to apply OPRA to your life.  In preparation, write down all the wild ideas you have of what you want to do, to have and to become.  If time, talent and finances were all unlimited, if you knew you could not fail, what would go on your list?  Push yourself, come up with 100 things on your own personal wish list for you, for your life, for your legacy!
 
Grace and peace multiplied to you,