Sales Processes Produce Predictable, Repeatable Results

Sales People and Sales Companies that are consistently Top Performers understand that developing a good Sales Process will produce Predictable-Repeatable Results and those results are Increased Sales, Increased Revenue, and Increased Profits. 

For the past 20 years I have started my Sales Training Seminars sharing with the participants that “If you build good habits, plan, then execute, you will succeed.” and “No planning and no execution = Failure.”  I then add that choosing to not have a plan is really developing a Plan to Fail.

The same is true about a Sales Process. The Top Performing Salespeople and Sales Companies develop a Sales Process so that they can achieve Predictable – Repeatable Results.  Those results are Increased Sales, Increased Revenue, and Increased Profits.  

Salespeople and Sales Companies with no documented Sales Process also get Predictable – Repeatable results.  Those results are consistently up and down cycles in sales and revenue.  They also have a continuous turnover in salespeople which means they find themselves consistently hiring and training, and repeating the process over and over. 

Top Performers develop Sales Processes that are documented and followed step by step, beginning from the time marketing creates a lead, the lead becomes a prospect, the prospect is prequalified and becomes a potential customer, the potential customer is given a prepared presentation that is personalized to show the value of the product or service to the customer, any objections are overcome so that the customer says yes. Then the process documents how to place the order and finishes with following up with the customer after the sale to make sure they become a long term customer, producing not only revenue but increased sales through a referral program. These Sales Processes produce Increased Sales, Increased Revenues and Increased Profits that are Predictable and Repeatable which translates to well trained, successful salespeople who stay with the company because they understand that if they follow the Sales Process they will be successful.

A Sales Process is developed based on the Salesperson or Sales Teams CPSI, their Sales Ratio of Contacts to Presentations, to Sales, to Income.

Every Top Performer understands that there are a limited number of actions that will produce the maximum amount of success which is ultimately gaining a sale.  They build the Sales Process around those actions. Top Performer Salespeople and Sales Companies develop Top Performer Sales Processes because they want to create Increased Sales, Increased Revenue and Increased Profits Predictably and Repeatedly.

Your Sales Process or lack of a Sales Process is creating Predictable-Repeatable Results.  Are they the results you want?

 Jeff Raver is a John Maxwell Certified Speaker, Coach and Trainer and has been training and coaching Top Performers for over 20 years.

 If you are ready to develop a Top Performer Sales Process contact Jeff at Jeff.Raver@BeginToWinNow.com for a FREE Consultation.  

Focus May Be Simple But It Isn't Easy

Today as I spoke with a new Coaching Client, I heard a too familiar story. They said they know they have the ability to be very successful and that they have a lot of untapped potential but they struggle staying focused on a plan to succeed.

Focus seems so simple and although it may be simple it is not easy.

I hear this from nearly every one of the people I coach. Focus seems so simple and although it may be simple it is not easy. Lack of focus and clarity is the reason people like Tiger Woods, Oprah, Peyton Manning, and most successful athletes and business people hire a coach.

As a Coach it is my mission to help each of my clients to find their “Why”, their true calling and purpose. I then help them develop a plan to reach their true untapped potential by staying focused on what is important. I help them understand what is important and what is standing in their way of succeeding and I hold them accountable to do daily what it takes to become who they want to be.

If this sounds like you, then you need a coach.  

If you believe you have the ability to do more, be more, and have more but you are struggling with focusing on what is important, you need a coach.  If you are having a challenge holding yourself accountable to do what must be done to reach your goals you need a coach.  Most of my clients are business owners or Presidents of their companies.  They have a lot on their plate every day and they get distracted from what their goal is.  They then get frustrated and discouraged.  If this sounds like you, then you need a coach.

As a Coach it is my responsibility is to provide content, insight, tools, wisdom, framework, ideas, and feedback.  YOUR responsibility is to move from awareness to action and accountability.

If you are interested in what a coach can do for you contact him for a Complimentary  1 hour Coaching Session (Up to a $300 Value). 

Jeff Raver has over 25 years experience training and coaching Top Performers and is a John Maxwell Certified Coach and Speaker.

Jeff Raver President of Begin to Win

Jeff.Raver@BeginToWinNow.com

You Have an Undefeated Record Of Surviving Challenges

Are you stressed? Worried? Upset?  Well, you shouldn’t be.  Do you realize what your track record is of surviving every challenge you have ever faced?  You are undefeated.  That’s right, you have survived every challenge that you have ever been presented with.  If you are alive and reading this then you survived and that means you are undefeated.

Facing problems is scary.  We stress, worry, get upset and let those problems affect our lives.  If we realize that we have survived every previous problem we have ever faced then we will look at each one differently.  If we look at our past and the problems we faced we will realize that we always made them worse than they really were.  At the times we faced them, we probably imagined the worse case scenario.  We then began preparing for the worst.  We actually began planning to Not Survive The Problem.  But we did survive.

Somewhere between realizing the pending problem and it actually happening we were living in fear.  What is fear?  FEAR usually stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear can stop us from thinking clearly.  Fear will affect the way we treat our family, friends and co-workers.  Fear can be so bad that it affects our health.  But once we get past the fear we begin to think more clearly and we begin to change the label from it being a problem to a challenge.  Challenges are something we understand that overcoming them will make us stronger. 

What ever you are facing right now that has you upset, worried, or stressed is really another challenge.  We need to take a deep breath and let our past experiences help us figure out how to handle the challenge and how we will survive one more time. Every challenge we have ever faced has helped prepare us to overcome the next one.  We have to realize that we are capable of figuring it out and making a plan to overcome that challenge.

What problem, challenge are you facing today? Push the fear of the unknown aside and realize that you have survived 100% of every challenge you have faced so far.  Take the time to write down what you are facing, how it will affect you and what can you do to minimize it.  Quit reacting to your challenge and begin responding to it.  Whether it is a professional challenge, a health challenge or a personal relationship challenge, there is an answer and the odds are highly in your favor that you will survive it.

You are undefeated and you need to remember that and face every challenge as a winner.  You are more than a survivor, you are a champion at overcoming and surviving challenge.  Think like a champion and the answers will come to you.  We attract what we think about.  If we think about the negatives then we will attract fear.  If we think about solutions and being successful at overcoming our challenges then we will attract answers and solutions.  

Quit stressing, quit worrying and quit living in fear of what may happen.  You can handle it.  You have handled every other challenge and you are undefeated.

Jeff Raver is a John Maxwell Certified Speaker, Coach and Trainer and has been training and coaching Top Performers for over 20 years.

 If you are ready to lift your Sales  & Leadership Lid and become a Top Performer contact Jeff at Jeff.Raver@BeginToWinNow.com for a FREE Consultation.  

We Should Listen to Learn not to Reply

God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth.  I think He expected us to listen twice as much as we speak. 

Today too many managers and salespeople believe they have all of the answers and that they need to share those answers with everyone regardless of what the people around them are saying.  These people only listen to respond.  They either interrupt the other person or impatiently listen but only with the intent to respond with the answer they already have conjured up in their mind.

Great Salespeople and great Leaders are great listeners.  Great Salespeople and great Leaders know “People don’t care what we know, until they know that we care.” People know we care when we ask questions and we listen to learn.  Great Salespeople and Leaders listen with the intent to learn and they ask questions.  They are listening to learn the needs and concerns of the person or people they are talking with.

Great Salespeople and great Leaders understand that we hear with our ears and we listen with our heart.  Think about the people you love to be around.  I bet they are people who are great listeners.  They want to know what is going on in your life and they want to hear about your joys and your concerns. A Great Salesperson or Great Leader makes you feel good about yourself.

Are you looking to become a better Salesperson or a better Leader?  If so begin to practice being a better listener.  The Top Performers in the world are great listeners but they weren’t born that way.  They learned how to listen and how to listen to learn vs. listening just to respond.  Take a good look at yourself, are you a good listener? If so then I know you will be in total agreement with this article.  If not, it is not to late to become a good listener.  Start by not responding until the other person has finished.  Then think about what they said and why they said it.  Only then do you respond and if you want to be a Great Salesperson or a Great Leader, ask them a question about what they said.  Then that person will know that you care about them.

Jeff Raver is a John Maxwell Certified Speaker, Coach and Trainer and has been training and coaching Top Performers for over 20 years.

 If you are ready to lift your Sales Lid and become a Top Performer contact Jeff at Jeff.Raver@BeginToWinNow.com for a FREE Consultation.  

The Person I Know Who Most Understands Intentional Living- Happy Birthday to Her!

The past couple of months I have been blogging and posting on Social Media about Intentional Living.  I recently started a Master Mind Call weekly to discuss the principles of John Maxwell’s new book, Intentional Living.  I have had many people ask me just what does Intentional Living mean.  This week I have been thinking about who is the one person I know who truly lives life intentionally.

…what does Intentional Living mean?

I have decided that the one person I know who not only lives their life intentionally now but has been living life intentionally for most of their life is my youngest daughter Brittany.  I have 3 daughters and all 3 are very smart, positive, motivated young ladies but Brittany has always lived her life with more focus than about anyone I know.  She realized her “WHY” at a young age.

She realized her “WHY” at a young age. 

Next week Brittany turns 21 years old but she has been a mentally mature young lady for many years.  Last week Brittany was accepted in the Teacher’s Program at Indiana Wesleyan University where she is a Junior.  When she was very young playing with dolls she would always line them up and read to them and “taught” them school lessons.  From the time she was in elementary she has always said she was going to be a teacher, not that she wanted to be a teacher but she was going to be a teacher.

In Jr. High she realized that to attend the college of her choice she would have to get great grades to be admitted and also to qualify for scholarships.  Every night when she came home after school while in Jr. High and High School Brittany would go to her room and do her homework before anything else.  At the time she was also in dance, choir, band and very involved with the children at church, but her studies always came first. In high school she began taking College Prep and College Credit courses and finished high school as an Honor Student and one of the top in her class and she chose to go to IWU to get her degree in teaching.

Britt is a detailed person.  She always keeps her schedule complete weeks ahead and plans her classes and study time and works 3 part time jobs while carrying a full load  at school.  The past 2 years she has consistently made the Dean’s List as she intently continued her pursuit of becoming a teacher.

While until recently, Brittany may not have understood the phrase “Intentional Living”, but she has been the epitome of it, for years.  She always goes after what she wants, calculates the path to get their and understands and accepts the sacrifices that may come in accomplishing her goals.

The past few months Britt decided she wanted to get in better shape and lose some weight (she looked great before she started), but she didn’t just go on a diet.  She studied what foods were good and bad and what foods were needed for the proper nutrients and calorie intake and began eating correctly and exercising and walking daily.  Today she has lost the weight she wanted to lose, is in best shape she has been in for years and did all of it the correct way.  She calculated in detail and tracked what she ate and her exercise daily.  She now knows more facts about proper diet and foods than anyone I know.

Intentional Living, is knowing your “Why”, creating a plan to make it happen, and working that plan every day, every week, every month for years.

That is how Brittany has always lived, Intentionally.  I used to think she was the most stubborn kid I knew.  Everyone who knew her would always talk about her “Attitude”.  When she was 2 she would walk around saying “Attitude Dude”. Now I know she wasn’t stubborn, she was intent on what she wanted and how to get there.

John Maxwell may have made me keenly aware of what it means to Live Intentionally with Significance but my own daughter Brittany has modeled it for me to see for the past 10+ years.

Next week is Brittany’s 21st Birthday, so Happy Birthday to the most Intentional Living person I know today. Thanks for having “The Attitude” since you were little.  What we called attitude is now recognized as Intentional Living.

Brittany I know you are going to make a difference in this world by adding value to others in a Significant way. 

Signed “One Proud Dad”.

Jeff Raver is a John Maxwell Certified Speaker, Coach and Trainer and has been training and coaching Top Performers for over 20 years. If you want to know more about Intentional Living contact him for a FREE Coaching Session at Jeff.Raver@BeginToWinNow.com

"Increased Revenue" The Cure Labeled As Sales

This past week I was in Las Vegas for a Wireless convention.  While there a business owner came up to inquire about hiring me to conduct sales training for his company’s Sales Teams.  As always I asked what his company expected from Sales Training and his reply was very interesting.  “Revenue”, he said. “Increased Revenue will cure nearly every challenge of every company here at this convention”(Over 1400), he said.  He went on to say, “Although we do pretty well in sales, (They are one of the largest in the industry), we need to increase revenue and I believe your sales training can increase our sales by 20-25% minimum and that would mean a tremendous increase in Revenue.”

“Increased Revenue will cure nearly every challenge of every company here….”

There are many reasons given for needing Sales Training but I had never heard it put quite this way.  What he said made all of the sense in the world. The #1 Reason for Sales Training is to increase sales.  If you increase sales you increase revenue.  If you increase revenue, you can now increase purchasing, hiring, upgrading systems and equipment, and you can grow.  In other words, Sales Training allows your company to GROW.

#1 Reason for Sales Training is to increase sales.  If you increase sales you increase revenue.

At the same convention after a Sales Training Session with over 100 attendees a couple of gentlemen came up to me and asked for my card and said they were interested in hiring me to train their employees. When I asked if they had a Sales Team, one quickly replied, “We thought we did until we heard your presentation.” They went on to say that although they had a Sales Manager and a Sales Trainer they had never heard Selling presented in the way I had just presented it.

Both companies were very successful, they both had Sales Teams and a Sales Manager.  Both companies executives said they realized their Sales Managers were very skilled at selling and managing Sales Teams but they weren’t professional Sales Trainers.  They each realized the need to have their Sales Teams  professionally trained.

They each realized the need to have their Sales Teams  professionally trained.  

Too many Sales Teams are trained in detail on how the product or service works but are never properly trained on how to present to the customer, they are never taught how to listen to the customers needs and how to build a presentation that presents the benefits of the product or service to the customer.  They are never taught how to overcome objections and how to close the sale.  But they are expected to sell. Selling is Simple but it isn’t Easy.  Top Sales Performers understand that there are many skills to selling and they make sure they learn each one and use them daily.

I don’t think most executives understand the need to train their Sales People properly but yet they expect them to sell.  To many times these same executives spend most of their time looking for ways to increase their revenue when the answer is right in front of them.  Proper Sales Training leads to increased sales which leads to increased revenue.

Selling is Simple but it isn’t Easy.

Proper Sales Training leads to increased sales which leads to increased revenue. Top Sales Performers raise revenue by increasing sales. Top Executive Leaders understand the importance of  Sales Training. 

Jeff Raver is a John Maxwell Certified Speaker, Coach and Trainer and has been training and coaching Top Performers for over 20 years.

 If you are ready to lift your Sales Lid and become a Top Performer contact Jeff at Jeff.Raver@BeginToWinNow.com for a FREE Consultation.  

10 Things Top Sales Performers Never Do

We all know about the 80/20 Rule in Sales.  20% of all Salespeople sell 80% of all products or services.  It has always been that way, no matter what the product or service and where they are selling.

That 20% are the Top Sales Performers.  I have taught and coached Top Performers for over 20 years.  The Top Performers plan on maximizing their opportunity to sell every day.  They have a plan to sell and that includes not only what they do daily but what they don’t do.  They will not do anything that could jeopardize the sale. They understand the value of every  opportunity to present their product or service and they maximize that opportunity.

Here is a list of 10 Things Top Performers Never Do:

1.  God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth.  A Top Performer will never talk more than they listen.  They understand that to be a great salesperson they must be a great listener.
2. They never use the word DEAL.  Top Performers understand the word DEAL, is a negative so they change the word to Opportunity.  Prospects are leery of a DEAL but look forward to an Opportunity to save money.
3. They never use the word COSTS.  Top Performers understand that the word COSTS paints a picture in the prospects mind of removing money or a credit card from their wallet.  They change the word to INVESTMENT.  COSTS is a negative meaning loss of money and INVESTMENT is a positive word which causes the prospect to expect a Return on their INVESTMENT.
4. They never use the word SIGN.  Top Performers know that we have all been told to “Never SIGN anything until you read the Fine Print because that is where THEY WILL GET YOU!”  The word SIGN is a negative and Top Performers will replace the word SIGN with OK or APPROVE.
5. They never say the word “NO”.  Top Performers understand that they are guaranteed that if they never hear the word NO from the time they begin their presentation until they end their presentation they will get the sale. They are not going to be the one to break the guarantee.
6. They never launch into a presentation without getting the prospect’s name.  Top Performers understand that people like to hear their name and they want to use it as often as possible during the presentation.
7. They never leave their home or office without their Presentation Manual.  Top Performers understand that there is never a bad time to give a good presentation and there is never a good time to give a bad presentation.
8. They never argue with the prospect.  Top Performers understand that the prospect will always get the last word in an argument and if that word is NO they lose the sale.
9. They never talk politics.  Top Performers understand that 50% of all prospects favor one political party or the other and in talking politics they are most likely going to offend 50% of their prospects.
10. Last but maybe the most important.  Top Performers will never lie to the prospect. They understand that prospects buy from people they Like, Believe and Trust and they understand that if they get caught in a lie that the customer will not like, believe or trust them and not buy from them.  Top Performers understand that there will always be more prospects and more presentations and there is never a time to lie to a prospect just to get a sale.

Top Sales Performers have a plan to maximize every opportunity to get the prospect to benefit from the purchase of their product or service and they work that plan daily. 

Top Performers see their Untapped Potential and they are willing to work their plan to achieve that potential.  Top Performers live every day with the intention of becoming all they are destined to be.

Jeff Raver is a John Maxwell Certified Speaker, Coach and Trainer and has been training and coaching Top Performers for over 20 years.

 If you are ready to lift your Sales Lid and become a Top Performer contact Jeff at Jeff.Raver@BeginToWinNow.com for a FREE Consultation.  

Earning Sweat Equity In Yourself

What is sweat equity?

sweat eq·ui·ty noun NORTH AMERICAN informal   an interest or increased value in a property earned from labor toward upkeep or restoration.

Most of us understand sweat equity.  Sweat Equity means rolling up our shirt sleeves and doing something and expecting to receive something other than money in return. If we contribute hours or labor to a company in return for shares of stock in that company then we are earning sweat equity. In contributing our skills increases the value of the company then we expect a return on that investment, and if not money, then we expect to receive sweat equity.

Habitat for Humanity  uses the term “sweat equity” to refer to the hours of labor their homeowners dedicate to building their homes and the homes of their neighbors, as well as the time they spend investing in their own self-improvement. Habitat homeowners begin their sweat equity after being accepted into the program, and they must complete a minimum of 400 hours before they can move into their homes.

If we understand the term Return On Investment “ROI” then we should understand the ROI on investing in our own personal growth.  If we intend to be Top Performers, then we must be willing to put in the sweat equity to achieve that growth.  Am I saying we must do “manual labor” and “sweat” to grow personally and professionally?  No , but we must be willing to get out of our comfort zone, to stretch ourselves and to invest in doing things that will aid our personal and professional growth .  Investing in our personal and professional growth may mean not doing some things that we enjoy.  We may have to play less golf, take less vacations, be away from our families a few more days a year but investing sweat equity in ourselves will add value to ourselves.  It will restore our mental attitude which will mean our families will enjoy us more.  We will be better leaders to those around us when we invest in ourselves.

Top Performers and Top Leaders understand that when they do the things needed to grow personally and financially they will gain value (Equity) in themselves.  Top Performers and Top Leaders practice their skills daily, they read books, they attend seminars, they get the proper rest and sleep, they eat correctly, they have mentors and coaches.  Top Performers and Top Leaders are willing to do more than the average person is willing to do.

What are you doing daily, weekly, monthly to invest in your personal growth.  To have a plan to grow personally and professionally is to “Live Intentionally.” 

If you invest sweat equity in yourself you will increase the value of yourself.  Top Performers understand that they must never stop growing and investing in their growth and they are intentional in living to grow every day.

Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?  Are you tired of seeing others get the promotions you wanted? Are you ready to put in the “Sweat Equity” to get what you want and where you want to be? If so, do something today to start that process.  It doesn’t have to be big but you do have to “Begin”.  Begin to Win Today.

I am not saying it will be easy, but I know it will be worth it. 

Top Performers see their Untapped Potential and they are willing to put in the Sweat Equity to achieve that potential.  Top Performers live every day with the intention of becoming all they are destined to be.

Jeff Raver is a John Maxwell Certified Speaker, Coach and Trainer and has been training and coaching Top Performers for over 20 years.

 If you are ready to lift your Leadership Lid and become a Top Performer contact Jeff at Jeff.Raver@BeginToWinNow.com for a FREE Consultation.