After more than 20 years of selling and prospectingjust this fall a colleague of mine drew an analogy between sales and a job interview – an analogy I hadn’t thought of until then.   It’s a fascinating comparison.

All of us have been on job interviews before.   And my guess is that we could all catalog the characteristics that are critical for a successful job interview, including:

• Greet your prospective employer warmly and with a firm handshake
• Come prepared with great questions to ask about the organization, about the culture of the work place, about the employer’s needs for your position
• In advance, prepare answers to key questions that you will be asked – so that you don’t have to “wing it” when you are in the interview
• Commit to spending 80% of the time listening to what they have to say, and about 20% of the time talking  (NOTE:  Some of you will disagree with this parallel – don’t we typically spend more time talking when we are in a job interview? Consider how much you would learn and how much credibility you would build with the prospective employer if you listened and asked questions about their organization, rather than always talking about yourself.)
• At the end of the interview, discuss clear next steps

What if we considered our next sales meeting in that same way?  For those of you who are new to sales, this might be an excellent illustration to help you think about your role in a different way.  As a sales person, we often get stuck in the mold of “I need to sell something.”  By looking at your sales meeting like you would a job interview, however, you can reframe your role into one of asking questions, building a great relationship, and leaving a good first impression.

Just last week, a colleague and I were talking about going on a sales call together to talk with a new prospect.   He needed to understand what process I would use with the prospect.  We talked about that first meeting, and the need for open dialogue, lots of questions, a focus on the prospect, and the opportunity to build a relationship.   Then we discussed what would happen next.  He stated, “So your goal would be to determine what the client needs in that first meeting, so that you can then propose a solution in the second meeting.”  “No,” I replied.”  He asked, then, “What do I want the next step to be?” “I want to be invited for a second meeting,” I said.

Think about the last time you interviewed for a job.  Sure, there are times when you go on a job interview, and then get offered the job in the second meeting or call.  But often, does it not take several rounds to get to that point?  When you go on a sales call or to a prospect meeting, what do you want the next step to be?  Perhaps, by reframing your sales process to align to how you would interview with a prospective employer, you can approach your sales calls in a different way.   And, perhaps good sales is about making good impressions, listening more than talking, and discussing next steps (which may mean just another meeting to continue the conversation)

Do you agree?   Does the analogy hold up for you?  And what did you learn from this discussion about the parallels between sales and interviewing for a job? 

This week and next we’re highlighting marketing as a part of the release of a new coaching group. Going forward in your marketing is like going forward in most everything. If you believe you canyou will. If it’s part of your comfort zone, you will do it easily. You will make time for the marketing activities. If you believe you deserve the rewards, then you will gravitate to them. And there is the crucial element. So often we feel blocked from success. We feel it’s just out of reach. We try and we work hard. But we stay stuck. Do you feel like you truly deserve the success you seek? Let’s break that down into a number of questions that might highlight contributing factors to the resistance many of us feel.

The ‘hard work’ mentality. Were you raised to believe that everything, or at least anything worthwhile, would require hard work? Therefore, you now feel that nothing can be achieved without hard work? If something doesn’t require hard work, then you haven’t earned it and don’t deserve it. Therefore, you must work hard (whether or not it’s really needed) just to justify to yourself that you’re entitled to the rewards. Without the hard work, you don’t deserve the success. All you need to do is look at someone who wasn’t raised this way (many of the millennials – people under thirty who achieve quite a lot effortlessly such as Tim Ferris, author of the 4 Hour Work Week)

No clear vision mentality. When a prospect or client says he feels blocked from the success he seeks, I ask him, “If you were to achieve success, what would your day five years from now look like? Take yourself through a day from morning til evening. Describe it in detail.” People have the hardest time putting themselves into the picture of a successful future. They don’t think it can be real and so they can’t envision it. They are afraid of wishing for too much. The more real you can make it for yourself, the more attracted you can be to the success that creates it. You create a comfort zone with achieving success so it comes about more naturally. Your future may not turn out as you describe. It may turn out better or different. But without you having a big enough dream with real details, you can’t move into it.

The silver bullet mentality. Many individuals think “if I could find the one thing that’s holding me back, then everything would turn around.” They are looking for the one paradigm shift, the one mental button to push, the one attitudinal habit left over from childhood that needs to be changed. Asking the right questions really helps to find the sources of resistance. But overcoming the blockages takes gradual change, shifting attitudes so you feel like you deserve the success, putting one foot in front of the other through goal setting and achievement, and getting used to functioning at increasingly higher levels of success. Do you reach a tipping point where the critical mass of your accomplishments all comes together? Yes, if you get out of your own way.

‘I have to do it myself’ mentality. Some people call this the ‘solo entrepreneur mindset’ or the ‘pioneer spirit’. It’s the attitude that you can create anything and control the future by yourself. It really is a control and trust issue. Success rarely if ever is achieved by one person working in isolation. It’s been shown over and over in books galore written about successful people. They relied on others. They succeeded as a team. They shared their resources and grew together. They pooled their ideas and supported each other’s moral. They challenged each other to raise the bar, think bigger, go for the gold. That shared energy, created momentum and made achievement more fun. They created accountability to each other. If you’re not part of a mastermind group, have an accountability partner, have a coach, use someone that you trust to help you such as an assistant, then you are sabotaging yourself and keeping yourself at a small level. People think, I can’t afford an assistant. Perhaps you should think, ‘If I want success, I can’t afford not to have an assistant.’

Successful marketing is all about knowing what to do and then doing it. If you’re not seeking out answers about what to do and then committing the time and energy to get those activities done, then check your attitudes about deserving success. They are getting in your way.

You can learn more about the ‘Magnified Marketing Multiplies My Money’ coaching program by signing up for a teleclass that will tell you all about it. You can listen to the recording if the timing doesn’t work with your schedule. The steps leading to success will be presented here on a silver platter. If you don’t take advantage, is it because you feel you don’t deserve success? www.drivingir.com/get-more-clients

Here's some useful information for Valentine's Day (and any day)!! These are gifts that will be truly treasured no matter who you call your Valentine.

Maybe you have a spouse or significant other. Maybe you have a business partneremployees, customers or strategic partners. Recognizing and addressing these issues can improve your customer loyalty, employee loyalty and things on the home front. Here's a test to see if you can identify issues that come up in personal and business relationships. (clue: Read with emotion!!!)

1. 'You never ________ when I'm talking to you.'

2. 'You always take me for granted. You don't even know I'm here. All I want is some __________.'

3. 'I never see you. You're always working. When are you ever going to spend some ________ with me?'

4. 'Don't you ever want to try anything new? Don't you ever want to do anything different? Why are you so resistant to ________?

5. (Clue: the same word is used twice because it's a biggie and it bears repeating twice.) Scenario: There's only one TV working in the house. It's Superbowl Sunday and you want to watch the game and she wants to watch a movie. You both want __________ of the TV. So you wrestle for the remote _________.

6. People fight about this all the time usually because there is not usually enough of it. Sometimes you save it and some times you spend it.____________

7. 'Let's get this project done. We work well together. We make a good __________.'

Here are the answers.

1. Listen. When we listen, we show that we value the other person's words. The best salespeople are the best listeners. The best managers are good listeners and incorporate the employees' suggestions so the employees take ownership of implementing solutions. The best parents and spouses are good listeners. Give your Valentine the gift of listening.
2. Attention. Everyone likes to feel unique and special. Customers like when you know their names and their kids' names. Our loved ones like when we go out of our way to give them something that is reminiscent of who they are and of our relationship. Attention is proactive, a real reaching out to make the other person feel special. Give your Valentine the gift of attention.
3. Time. You only have so much of it and it would be a shame not to give it to those who mean the most to you. Kids spell love T-I-M-E. Building customer trust takes some time also. Give your Valentine the gift of time.
4. Change. Some people love it. Some people hate it. But it is always with us. Being adaptable and flexible means that you open yourself up to other people's views and suggestions. You take a walk in their shoes and try on a new experience or perception. You take a risk and face your fears. Who knows, you might learn something? As the business world is changing so quickly, you'll be doing yourself a big favor. Give your Valentine the gift of your ability to change.
5. Control. There are always power plays. We're human. We're competitive. We like to be right. Why? Because we need self validation, because we want to build up our pride, because we think it builds our power. But power and respect are earned, not demanded. You can get more control and influence through offering listening, attention, time, and openness to change than through trying to exert control. Give your Valentine the gift of 'being right' and see what happens to 'control'.
6. Money. Employees seem to want more pay. Customers seem to want discounts. People seem to want things that require money. But if you look at customer loyalty studies, customers are more interested in the personal connection. If you look at employee loyalty studies, employees value money number four behind interesting work, full appreciation for the work they do, and a feeling of being in on things. Loved ones want you, your time and your attention. Certainly some money is necessary. But it only becomes all important when listening, attention, time, openness to change and sense of control are not present. Give your Valentine the gift of keeping money in perspective.
7. Team. Everyone wants to feel included. Everyone wants to feel they are making a contribution to something bigger than themselves, that their lives have meaning. Doing things together provides that opportunity as well as shared experiences, trust, recognition of talent and leadership. Whether it be cleaning up the apartment or rolling out a new product, give your Valentine a chance to participate on a team.

If you want to be a hit this Valentine's Day, or if you want everyday to be Valentine's Day, personally and professionally, focus on giving these seven gifts every day.

Your challenge: Give 3 of these gifts everyday. Then increase it to 4, 5, 6 and 7 over time. At first it may be difficult depending on where you're starting from. But after awhile, you'll get such rewards from giving these gifts that you'll look for opportunities to give more. If you ask anyone who's done it, you'll hear that the giver gets much more from the experience than the receiver. Happy Valentine's Day!