Today I want to talk to you about how to sell more…of anything. As you can guess, I have been a part of a lot of sales meetings and the number one question I get is this, “How can we boost our sales?” I have a very simple answer. If you want to sell more, you have to tell a better story. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling automobiles, financial services, or B2B software programs, the top salespeople always have the best value proposition.
Today’s lesson is this. You have an idea you think will revolutionize your division or propel your company into the Fortune 100. How do you pitch THAT IDEA to the boss? Step 1: Take the time to put your proposal in writing. And be organized. State the problem. State how that problem is currently being solved (or not) and finally, explain why your idea makes sense.
I want to talk to you today about how you can get the equivalent of an MBA What I mean by that is you can get a NO COST business education just by watching television. Here’s how: Flip around your channels and see if you get any these business related TV shows. The Apprentice, Shark Tank, The Profit, Billion Dollar Buyer, Bar Rescue, Undercover Boss, Flip or Flop, or the West Texas Investors Club.
Today, I want to give you a simple solution for what could be complacency creeping into your company. First, I want to assure you that MOST successful companies battle complacency at some point. So let’s take a little quiz. Do you notice your company isn’t as reactive as it once was? Are your team leaders starting to take shortcuts instead of performing at their normal world-class level. Are leaders complaining about burnout?
Today, I want to talk to those of you Certified Financial Planners about what you can do to differentiate yourself from the so-called bigger firms. First of all, it may shock you to know that in most industries, BIG fears SMALL. It’s sounds counter-intuitive but if you operate a smaller office, in a local community, you have an enormous advantage. You are a name, and a face, and have a place of business in your community.
Today I want to talk to you about what you can do to sustain your business for longer than 15 years. I picked 15 years because that is the average length of time a company is able to stay on the S & P 500 list today. (in 1980 the average age of an Standard & Poors 500 company was 48 years) But a 15 year lifespan means that a company falls off the S & P 500 list every two weeks. 75% of the S & P will turnover in just 11 years.
Today’s focus is on presidential candidates Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders but this is not a political rant or an endorsement. Leaders need to know WHY they have become national phenomenons…in spite of the fact that Trump insults everybody and Sanders is a socialist. Why does this matter to you? Because you would love for your products and services to become as popular as they have. So the let’s see what we can learn from these two men.
This week I want to talk about how about a simple question. Do you make it easy for people to buy from you…or do you make it hard? Look, I know you have demands coming at you from all sides because, as leaders, we’re expected to drive growth, manage people, and cut costs. If revenue is lagging – or costs are escalating, we call a meeting and strategize, we buy industry research, and we hire third-party companies to compile Big Data.
So, today’s lesson is this: Is it really possible to achieve a culture of customer greatness in just 30 seconds? Let me put it to you this way. When you meet someone new how long does it take for you to size up that person? 15 seconds? 30 seconds? Or how about the reverse, how long does it take other people to form an opinion about you in 30 seconds? For those of you who say, “I don’t care what people think about me” then I’d urge you to consider the value of 30 seconds.
I created the Relevant Leader’s Club is to keep you relevant, as a leader. Being relevant is very different from just being current. Current is being aware that your business is changing…but being relevant is making sure that you matter to your team and your customers. If you don’t matter they will leave you and nobody will care. Staying relevant (as a leader) is where I know we can have some fun.