Three Word Podcast

Episode 100: Hope is not a Strategy!

Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach.  Simplify Your Sales meetings. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

In Episode 100, we shift one word to help us take action.  Stop Hoping, Trying, and starting Doing!

 

I want to talk about the three words  I am sure you have personally used throughout your career or starting to hear from those you coach.  Those three words are, " I am Hoping" followed by, " I am trying." I was in a one and one coaching session last week, and we were reviewing his pending business.  My goal in our coaching sessions with my team is to focus on a few accounts to brainstorm or collaborate on converting them to customers. Or discover what may be keeping them from saying yes to the solution-oriented program we presented.

I asked him about a particular account he had presented marketing solutions to and asked him about his confidence in converting them.  He replied, "I am hoping that they say yes in a day or two." I replied that Hope is not a strategy!  He laughed and then went on to say; I am trying to get them to say yes.  I paused for a moment, then told how we need to shift from Hoping and Trying to Doing!   I mean by this, what action do we need to take to convert or close the account? 

 

Most of us want to control our destiny.  Here is an interesting fact. 
80% of sales require five follow-up calls after the meeting. 44% of sales reps give up after one follow-up. It takes the proper persistence to stay connected with the client after your first meeting. Our goal is to provide a solution to our customer's problems and needs.  But, think about this, only 13% of customers believe we even understand their needs.  Remember, It's all about them, not us. (Research by the Brevetgroup)

 

Again, we have to start doing this first to stand out from your competitors and shorten the gap of the five-call follow-up to close the sale?  

 

Tell a better story! Tell a better story about solving their issue at your first meeting. Storytelling is one of the most powerful techniques you have to communicate and motivate. Using stories to support your recommended program will further connect with a prospect and significantly increase your ability to close deals. Give examples of how has your product or service helped other companies?  Share a case study of success from a current client. If you are presenting to an analytical decision-maker, share more data to support your recommendations.  Implementing your recommendations with ABC Company converted 100 form fills on their website in ten days and resulted in twenty new clients!  Follow up with this statement, "Is this the type of growth you would like to experience?" Or you could say, "this has been a great conversation, and it sounds like a perfect fit. Let's get started."

 

I believe that the best sales presentation isn't a presentation. It is a great conversation that converts a prospect to a customer. We have to figure out how to create a genuine connection with our prospect or client, engage through storytelling, and ultimately solve their problem. Or provide a solution they are not currently getting from their current vendor. People love and remember a good story!

 

So what do you do if you don't get a yes at your first meeting? You get Commitment for the Follow-up Call.  One of the most important ways to set yourself up for success is to schedule a  follow-up sales call to get a commitment from the prospect to speak again, so you don't get ghosted.  You created the next action step of doing something!

 

What else can you be doing?
Call Mid-Week. The best time to make follow-up calls is mid-week. This is the most effective time to book appointments and plan to call prospects on Wednesday or Thursday. Mondays and Fridays are typically the worst days to call, as people are busy getting started and finishing the workweek.

 

What other action can you do?

Call at the Beginning or the End of the Day. What time of the day you call is essential. You want to call at the right time when they're available and receptive to speaking with you. The beginning or end of the day is best. People tend to have more time when they are getting their day started or winding down.  Do not call at lunchtime, and mid-day are the worst times to calls. But, I would recommend taking your current clients to lunch and further nurturing your relationship.

 

What else can you be doing?

Make Multiple calls.  As I shared earlier, it takes at least five calls to get your prospect to take action.  Most people give up after one attempt!  But not the Three Word Podcasters. See, our prospects are not waiting by phone. They get distracted; they have other priorities that become more important than talking with us. Plus, they are talking to other vendors. Our job is to show them that we are worth their time.  Something else we need to do is make sure we listened to their needs and provided a better solution to helping them solve their biggest challenge. Share our solution with confidence and enthusiasm.

 

And more importantly,  follow up, Don't Give Up! 

So no more Hoping or Trying!  It's all about Doing!

 

If you think someone could benefit from this episode, share it, rate it, or subscribe for Free at Itunes or Spotify, so you don't miss out on the next 
three-word podcast.

 

 

Episode 99 Are You Living Your Dream?

Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach.  Simplify Your Sales meetings. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

Episode 99,  This episode is all about whether your Living Your Dream or Building Someone else's.

 

I met a friend for lunch, and I was so excited to see her and catch up.  I said, how are you?  She replied Living the Dream!  

 

After our lunch, I thought about the difference between these three words on my way back to the office.  "Living Your Dream" or " Living the Dream."  I think most of us have heard the phrase "  I am Living The Dream."  In essence, it means leading an ideal life, especially when it comes to our careers.  The Life you have always wanted!  Let's shift our focus to " Living your Dream."  We live in a country that embraces the belief that any person can accomplish any dream or goal through a commitment to hard work and perseverance.

 

The truth is we are born into a world that embraces this possibility.  Even as children, we are taught to think about what we want to be when we grow up—the pressure on high school students heading to college having to decide on a career for the rest of their lives. One thing is for sure; we need to make certain that we stay focused on living our dream, not our parents, or what others want for us—the Life we have planned for ourselves with the goals in mind that we see for ourselves, what will make us happy and give our Life meaning.

 

I wanted to be a Professional Golfer on the PGA and play like Tiger Woods or Justin Thomas.  Well, I know there could be limits to living that dream.  I realize I can practice golf 12 hours a day for years and not be as good as Tiger Woods.  And very few of us have the talent to become an Oscar-winning performer. Living your dream is all about what you want out of Life. 

And the past year, I believe, has taught all of us that Life is short, and we don't want to spend it Building someone else's dream- focus on what you want to achieve with your time and talents.

 

I was thinking back on one of my sales leaders, who seemed like he was going through the motions at work.  I asked him how he was doing in one of the coaching sessions, and he replied I am doing okay. He shared that his father had been ill and that the two had always had a strained relationship.  His father was a successful surgeon, and he was in Radio sales.

 

His father had taught him that living the dream was all about financial success, expensive homes, and extravagant vacations.  See, his father had a plan for him to follow in his footsteps to become a doctor. Although he had the benefit of enjoying these luxurys', he had a different path he wanted to go. He went into sales, which his dad met with disapproval. See, he felt he could still earn a high income without losing his authentic self.

 

I remember asking him what makes you happy?  What are your dreams? He shared that he had dreamed of being in a band and owning his own consulting company.  He was more of a free spirit and not much on the corporate settings of rules and expectations—more jeans and tee-shirt guy. I asked him what was stopping him from living his dream.  He didn't want to disappoint his father, especially now that his father was ill and not in good health.

 

I expressed my sorrow that his father wasn't doing well, and I explained that perhaps the moment is now.  Take the step to start fulfilling his dreams. I do believe Life has a way of shifting us to where we need to go next.  Life Happens for us, not against us! I told him to think about it over the next few weeks and determine if working at the radio station made sense.  Well, weeks later, he turned in his resignation, and I was thrilled.  Don't get me wrong, I loved working with him but knew his heart was not in it. I told him how proud I was of him for having the courage to start building his dream?  Today, he is playing in a band and owns a very successful consulting company.  

 

See Dreams Do Come True!

 

My advice to you is this; Life is short; take the time to review where you are today and where you want to be tomorrow, a month or year from now.  Write down your vision and create a plan of action to Living Your Dream. I can think of countless people in my Life living their dreams.  They are in Bands, CEO'S, Consultants, Coaches, Teachers, Healthcare workers, In Sales helping their clients,  In Realestate,  others Helping Restaurants Market themselves, Running Non-Profits.  You could say the Live To Give!

 

The only difference between you Living Your Dream is this -Your passion is waiting for your courage to catch up!

Episode 98, The Perfect email that a new target customer will open!

Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach.  Simplify Your Sales meetings. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

Episode 98, You will learn how to write the perfect email when targeting new customers.

 

In episode 97, Mastering the Meeting, we discussed a strategy of what to say when calling on new accounts if you missed it due to being on Spring Break or a much-needed vacation, a great episode to listen to revisit.

 

I thought it would be a great follow-up podcast to discuss what you do if you cannot connect via the phone. I would think most of you listening would say, attempt two is sending an email. The question is, have you perfected the best method when sending your email?

 

Let's think about emails you receive. Which ones do you tend to open? I guess that you click on the emails that mean something to you? An email that will add value to your life. It saves you time, saves you money, or solves a problem your experiencing.

 

This is the same process our new customer targets go through as well. How can you be more successful in getting them to open your email so you can share with them a solution your products or service can provide.

 

But remember, it takes about eight attempts today to connect with a decision-maker. You always have to be prepared as to what to say, whether it's voicemail or email. We don't want to miss that one opportunity. I have researched for us as the best email approach to use.

 

See, your message matters! In my opinion, Caryn Kopp from Kopp Consulting has a proven sequence she uses when making calls to CEO's.

 

Many of you listening may be targeting CEOs, CMOS', Marketing Directors, or Business Owners. It all comes down to six sentences! I want to share an example of what Caryn would write in an email when targeting companies that want to reach CEO's.

 

"Hi, this is Caryn Kopp from Kopp Consulting. We do new business development, and we can help get you initial meetings with your most important prospects. In fact, one of our clients was recently awarded a place on the Profit 100 list. They grew over 100% in the last three years and credited our Door Opener Service® for landing large national accounts. If this kind of growth is important to you, let's find time to talk about how we can help you as well. Please call me at 908-781-7546, and I'll speak with you soon."

 

Let's take a look at each sentence so you can model her success to help you be more prepared when sending your email.

 

Sentence One

In the first sentence, state your name and your company name. This information is crucial because if the listener deletes the message right after that, you still create awareness and an impression for you and your company, which is essential.

 

Sentence Two

Next, explain exactly what you do using language that is relevant and compelling to your potential client. This is your hook. It is also one area where she says sellers make mistakes. Avoid industry jargon and fluffy, vanilla phrases (e.g., "best in class"), creating a disconnect with prospects. A word or phrase that is meaningful to you isn't always as meaningful to them.

 

Sentence Three and Four

The third and fourth sentences are your statement of expertise and credibility. When developing these phrases, ask yourself: Why would decision-makers want the meeting? What is it about what I do that would benefit them that they would willingly make time on their busy calendars to discuss how I can make their lives better?

 

Sentence Five

Now it's time for the call to action. What do you want? Do you want a 15-minute phone conversation? Do you want a meeting? Do you want a returned phone call? Be specific in your ask.

 

Sentence Six

Last, give your phone number, conversationally—no need to repeat it. Put spaces in-between the digits and then say whatever goodbye is most comfortable for you.

 

Here's is a tip before sending your first email. Once you know what you are going to say, leave yourself a few voicemails for practice. Remember this formula: Language + delivery = outcome. In addition to being conversational in your delivery, it's important to vary your messages over time. You cannot leave the same voicemail a second time for the same person. As time goes on, add more information that also makes an impact.

 

I encourage you to walk through this strategy with your team in your next sales meeting. Discover the best approach to closing the attempts it takes to get in front of the correct accounts and decision-makers.

 

Stay with your conversational script and remember that you may leave 20-30 voicemails in a day; your prospect hears only one of yours. Make your message Matters!

 

If you think someone could benefit from this Episode, share it, rate it, or subscribe for Free at Itunes or Spotify, so you don't miss out on the next 

three-word podcast.

 

If your company needs help opening doors to CEO's give Caryn Kopp Consulting a call to learn more .http://www.koppconsultingusa.com

Episode 97, A proven strategy to setting the first meeting!

Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach.  Simplify Your Sales meetings. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

In episode 97, Learn a proven strategy to set your first meeting!  Rethink Your Approach!

 

I love this time of year. It's Masters Week in Golf, where the top players are looking to win one of the most prestigious golf tournaments and a chance to slip into the Green Jacket.

 

As most of you are aware, I am a major sports fan. I grew up playing soccer, basketball, and softball. As I entered the business world, I began to play golf. It was a significant advantage in business to play. You had the opportunity to spend four-plus hours with a prospective or current client building a relationship.

 

I learned the game playing with my brothers. In golf, you have a handicap that is a numerical measure of a golfer's potential. Better players are those with the lowest handicaps, and mine is currently 12. I want to get in the single digits; 9 is my first goal. So you may be wondering why I am sharing a story about my golf game.

 

For me to get better, I needed to rethink my approach if I wanted to play better. Golf is a game of inches. There were several factors I needed to consider. My first thought was to hire a golf coach to learn to perfect my swing and then practice what I learned on the course. So off I went to Golf Tec, and Ashley videotaped my swing to see our starting point. In golf, there are many opportunities where I can improve. My tee shot, in the fairway and putting on the green. So we started with me learning the mechanics of a golf swing. So, I made adjustments with my swing. We practiced indoors for several weeks until the weather improved me to play outside.

 

So off I went to play to try the new swing. I was mentally thinking about all the shifts in my swing. I hit a few good shots, and others looked like I never played golf. The couple I was playing with said you might want to get your money back. You were a great golfer. Not sure why you took lessons. I laughed and said it's a process, and I am sticking with it. It would have been easy for me to revert to what I knew and play okay. But my goal is to improve.

 

I started thinking about how we could apply the same principle in our business.  

 

What can you do to Rethink Your Approach?

 

Perhaps when setting up that first meeting with your prospect. Are you having success with your current approach? Is there an opportunity to Rethink your approach? According to Zoom Info, only 2% of cold calls result in a meeting! It takes, on average, eight attempts today to connect with a prospect.  

 

Let's Rethink about the Who, Why, When, and How!

 

It starts with the Who – Are you targeting the proper accounts and the right decision-makers? Review your list of target accounts to identify that are calling on the person who can say yes. In most cases, 25% of your targets are not a good fit.

 

Why -  this is important. Why should that decision-maker meet with you? We have to communicate why we are more valuable to them than their current vendor! What is your Valid Business Reason for them to make time for that first Conversation? Keep in mind on average, only 1% of companies are in the market today for your product or services. 

 

Is it time to rethink your approach?  

 

It's called Give to Get! You offer something of value, so the prospect gives you the opportunity to a conversation or first meeting. 

 

Examples of something valuable to share:

• How trends are impacting their business ( Consumer behaviors or Local market conditions)
• Industry benchmark reports
• Insights on their target consumers' desires, wants, or habits that have changed.
• If your in marketing, a creative concept to connect to their consumers. Help them tell their story more effectively.

 

Rethink your approach to being a Viable Alternative to their current vendor

I can imagine that most of us have made new calls and heard the following," We are not interested right now; we are happy with what we are doing." Let's face it. Most people are satisfied with their current vendor. So if you don't have something that can impact their business, it will be challenging to get the meeting. But how do you position yourself to become an option? 

 

Caryn Kopp - CEO of Kopp Consulting, helps companies get in the door using this strategy.  Answer these three simple sentences. 

Everybody can, and you fill in the blank, but not everyone can, and you fill in the blank, for example, and you fill in the blank.

 

An example of what Caryn's company says: "Anybody can say they can get you some meetings, but not everybody can say they have a 20-year history of getting executive-level meetings to discuss big engagements on behalf of their clients. For example, one of our clients had 20 meetings in 18 weeks and closed a sale in the fourth quarter, which is unheard of in their industry; that's what we can do." 

 

Your message will matter when calling on new accounts. You have the opportunity to Rethink your approach and implement a proven process that Caryn designed to earn that first Conversation.

 

When – The timing of when you reach out to your prospects is vital. Wednesday and Thursdays are proven to be the best days to connect on the phone. Plus, a bonus is that the hours between 4 pm-5 pm are the best times to create engagement. Depending on your industry, the times could vary. Think like the customer and rethink when would be the best opportunity to connecting with them.

 

How -  And there is one final thought on how you will do it. Perfect your message first! Be consistent and persistent! Your energy and enthusiasm will be the difference to you getting the prospect to say yes! 

 

If you think someone could benefit from this Episode, share it, rate it, or subscribe for Free at Itunes or Spotify, so you don't miss out on the next three-word podcast.

 

 

 

Episode 95 Three Tips to growing your business by 10%!

Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach.  Simplify Your Sales meetings. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

In episode 95, Learn the Three Step Process to Progress.

 

There are 3 Steps to Progress - Yes, you know I love 3's.

 

Remember, our happiness is all about us making Progress. When we challenge ourselves to find better ways to serve our needs, we can better serve others, including our customers.

 

Here are three simple steps you can take to continue your path of Progress.

 

1. Create a clear and compelling vision for the results you desire and discover the path to where you want to be.  So, let me ask you a question. What is your vision for yourself and your business? Where do you want to be? If you're in sales, it may be to generate more income. Next question, how much more income? Write the number down. I have a sales leader I am coaching, and she shared with me her vision to generate One Million Dollars in Digital sales, "Million-Dollar Baby." Now I know what her vision is, and we created a strategy to get her there.

 

2. Get the best strategies, tools, and coaching to help close the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Be honest with yourself. Where are you today with your business? We are completing the first quarter if your company is on a calendar year. For others, your year may be ending in June. Are you are track? Ask yourself what I need to do to close the gap of where I want to be? Ask for help from your Manager. This is not a sign of weakness but strength. By collaborating, you may discover one new idea that you may have missed. If your a manager, connect and collaborate with another manager in your company from another market to give you a different perspective. 

 

3. Spring into Action!  Understand the direction you need to go and follow your blueprint for success. Develop a winning attitude. Your attitude is controllable. Conquer your fears. Change the beliefs that limit your success. Your thought habits control your commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, resilience, happiness, and confidence. Be aware of them, decide which ones are unproductive, and then commit to change. With time and effort, you can become the person you want to be.

 

For example, if you wanted to grow your sales by 10%, how would you apply the 3 Steps of Progress.

 

Step one is to be clear with your desire to grow your business by 10%.

Step two what are the best strategies, tools, coaching to help close the gap to get you to your goal? 

 

I would recommend the following strategies.

Increase Prospecting

Commit to spending 10% more time each day prospecting. Your prospecting efforts must increase and be more focused if you expect to generate more sales. Determine how many new prospects you need to target to convert a new customer. You may need to target ten new clients to earn one the first conversation or new meeting.

 

Upsell Existing Accounts

Commit to increasing each current client by 10%. While a new business can be a great revenue source, your existing customers can be a much more accessible source to increase your sales. Review your client list to look for any new opportunities or products/services you have to impact their business. 

 

Do the basics.

Even the best of the best have room for improvement. Be more creative in your prospecting, how you reach out to prospects, how you present your solutions to helping their business. The key is to stay consistent. Do the basics every day, so it becomes a way of life for you.

 

Maximize your time.

Start your day with your goal in mind, grow your business by 10%. When reviewing your calendar, are there items scheduled that maybe stealing time from you? What can you delegate to others? Review the activities needed each day to get you to your goal. Think about this, just one hour a day used more productively adds up to more than six extra weeks of productive time a year.

 

Sell with passion and purpose. 

If you want to grow your business by 10%, you need to get excited about it. Passion with purpose is the way. Know both what to do and why you're doing it every step of the way. Whom are you targeting and why? What are you going to share with them that will help their business and why? What are you going to ask them and why? What is your proposal or solutions going to do for them, and why?

 

Every day we can learn something new. We can implement a new process,  just do it with Passion and Purpose!

 

If you think someone could benefit from this episode, share it, rate it, or subscribe for Free at Itunes or Spotify, so you don't miss out on the next 

three-word podcast.

 

 

 

 

 

Episode 94 Learn 5 Tips to getting the prospect to meet with you now!

Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach.  Simplify Your Sales meetings. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

In episode 94, Learn the 5 tips to earning the meeting with your prospect now!

 

There is a process with payoff when you follow a proven strategy.

 

When reviewing your list of prospects, the goal is to answer three questions before trying to secure the first meeting.

1. Show that you know something about Their business.
2. Give the prospect a reason to meet with you.
3. Give the prospect a reason Why they should meet with you Now!

 

Following the 3 P's, you will be on your way to meeting more prospects faster than your competitors.

Purpose: Why are we meeting? Why meet Now?

Process: Process vs. Product?

Payoff: How will we benefit from spending this time together?

 

So let's think about the Purpose of your meeting. Why should they meet with you, Now? Google is our gateway to finding meaningful reasons as to why they should meet with us. You have to be resourceful in finding that reason, so you earn the meeting this season. 

 

Just securing an appointment is one of the most challenging steps in the entire sales process. Yes, having a referral, a case study of proven success, or an industry success story makes this Process a little easier.

 

But, what if you don't have those? It would be best if you discovered a VBR that is relevant and timely for your prospect.

 

In my search to help us find a more effective way to get our prospects to meet with us now, I discovered five tips that The Center for Sales Strategy recommended.

 

 

1. Prospect's Website

Most of us look at clients' websites' home page. But let's look for any current or upcoming initiatives that you could help enhance. What about sponsorships or charities they're involved? Go to the bottom of the page and look for the news section. There you may find new announcements going on with the company.

 

2. Industry News

What's going on in their industry right now that may be a significant challenge for them? How might you help with this? If you don't know off the top of your head, do a quick Google search for recent news in the category. Industry websites — check or subscribe to stay up to date with how your prospect's industry is doing. Competitive gains — Has a competitor of theirs done something that will potentially affect your prospect's business?

 

3. Consumer Behavior Trends

Think about their target consumer. Are there any recent trends that could be affecting the way they may purchase their product/service?

Start broad if you're not sure of their exact target. Think generational trends: millennials, boomers, etc. Call and say that you have discovered a real need to reach adults 25-34 and see their company answering the needs.

 

4. Social Media

Yes, most companies have a Facebook page. Think beyond their page and check out to see any initiatives and how they interact with their consumers. Read the shared comments to know if you see a trend or need.

Use LinkedIn to connect with the decision-maker and join groups relevant to that industry. Pay attention to discussions among the group. Ask questions if you have any – their answers may help you get in the door with your prospect!

 

5. Timing

Is there a seasonality of their product or service? For example, if they're about to enter the slow season, how might you help them increase sales and stay top-of-mind?

Use Google Alerts. Set up a Google Alert, so you receive a daily/weekly update every time your prospect shows up in the news. There may be something in the future, if not now.

 

You may need to combine a few resources to create that sense of urgency in the prospect's mind. Now you have established a solid reason why they should meet, now. 

 

Now let's discuss the Process!

 

Many of your competitors, not the three-word podcast listeners, focus on leading with their products when trying to earn the meeting versus focusing on the Process.

 

Product pitchers or package pitching is what these clients come to expect or, as Jennifer Darling says, " Pitch Slapping them.

 

Let me give you an example:

 

Product pitch: " I would love to talk to you about an idea that we created to deliver results for your business." In this case, you talk about the results they have achieved for others.

 

Process pitch: "We have a powerful process that's worked very well with many companies like yours and helped them to achieve new customer conversions." In this example, you talk about HOW you achieved the results for your clients.  The How - Now!

 

Can you hear the difference? You can lead with Product, Product, Product or Process, Process, Process.  

 

In your next sales meeting, talk with your team about if your team is product pitching or sharing a proven process when securing the first meeting.

 

Finally, the Payoff! 

This meeting's intended payoff is for you to share the Purpose and the Process you offer clients to help impact what is important to them.

 

Why should they want to meet with you now —and not the other way around? Because you have the answers to these three words: Purpose, Process, and Payoff!

 

If you think someone could benefit from this episode, share it, rate it, or subscribe for Free at Itunes or Spotify, so you don't miss out on the next 

three-word podcast.

Episode 93, Why Mom's Know Best when it comes to business!

Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach.  Simplify Your Sales meetings. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

Episode 93,  I share four business lessons I learned from my 90 Year old Mother.

 

This week my Mom will celebrate her 90th Birthday!  I think about all the groundbreaking inventions over the last 90 years that she has experienced and have changed how we do business—the things we use today and the evolution of the products to help save us Time and be more productive.

 

One would be - Always be Prepared!

 

She taught me to have my clothes ready the night before, anticipating me waking up late ( which, if you know me, that would never happen- 4 am club). Have your lunch packed the night before, and always leave earlier if you experience heavy traffic. If you're not early, you're late.

 

We were talking about my first job interview. My Mom was with me on my first interview at a radio station in Wilmington, Ohio, WSWO, and WKFI; We Keep Farmers Informed. Yep, that's where it all started 34 years ago. See, the station was about 50 minutes away from where I was living. We role-played in the car about the questions I may get asked so I would be prepared to answer them. I went in for the interview, and when I returned to the car, she laughed and said Soy Beans are at a great price. I was happy to share that the interview went well, and I went on to get the job-She was preparing me for my first job post-college! Still, today, is your hair pulled back, lipstick on? She asks which clients are you meeting with and am I prepared for the call? My response, of course, Mom!

 

 

Another Lesson - Show Up!

 

Today we talk every morning before work. My Mom would say, don't call me during work hours unless your hurt. The company is paying you to do a job, and it doesn't include talking with your Mother.  

She would also say give the company more than they expect. Showing up is the first step. Step two is to add more value than they expect or hired you to do.   

 

Another Lesson - The Power of Communication!

 

What I have come to appreciate about my Mom is her ability to communicate. She expresses how she feels - a straight-to-point storyteller. I believe working full Time and raising six kids can create a more direct communication path. Perhaps, that comes from her years as a telephone switchboard operator and then working for Air Care - The Helicopter dispatcher at University Hospital. She had to get straight to the point and be transparent with her communication as lives depended on her.

 

In business, think about how you communicate. Are we listening to those you lead or your customers? Technology has provided us with many paths to communicate or miscommunicate our message. Smartphones are one form of communication. For many of us, we used to have to make calls from a Phone Booth; then pagers were invented, someone would page you when they needed to get a hold of you, then you had to find a phone booth, then the invention of the bag phone you could have in your car was groundbreaking to now the smartphone that we never leave home without that fits in the palm of our hands. The old pager now is texting messages to our phones.

Outlook calendars, CRM's, email, Zoom calls, Micro-soft Team, google documents. All inventions to improve our production and performance.

 

Strive for the face-to-face meeting with your team and your clients. Then resort to the tools available to stay connected and continue to educate and communicate how you can help.

 

She reiterated the power of a handwritten Thank you note. It is so easy to send a thank you text or email. If you want to stand out-, make the Time and send a thoughtful handwritten thank you note- it will make a different impression.

 

I talked with Mom about her 90th Birthday and all the people, products, and innovation she has experienced the last nine decades!

 

And one stood out more than others - Time!

 

As my Mom shares with me, Time is the most incredible resource you have in life and business. How you spend that Time will determine your success and contributions. The Time you invest in learning new and better ways—the Time invest in building your relationships with family, friends, co-workers, and customers matters! Even at 90 years old, she said time flies. She went on to share that Time is limited; make sure you're spending it wisely!

 

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Episode 92, 7 Reasons Why your clients don't want to meet with you!

Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach.  Simplify Your Sales meetings. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on simplifying sales and business meetings with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

The question is finding out what they are resisting. Let's keep in mind our goal is to earn that first conversation! So we can reach the next meeting!

 

Please think about this. 1% of companies are in the market to buy something today. That means 99% of other companies may need your product or service tomorrow. So until we find the 1% of customers that need us today, we may be facing sales resistances from the other 99%. That is a lot of sales resistance!

 

 

If you're in sales, you must expect to face some sales resistances; we all do. The question is, what are they resisting, and how do you over-come it?  This would be a great exercise to walk through in your next sales meeting.

 

7 Reasons Why your clients don't want to meet with you:

 

1. I don't need your product?  Most clients are already working with a vendor or may not need your product or service right now. That may be true, is there an opportunity to say a benefit to meeting with you, can be to validate the current vendor they are working with or discover how they can improve your current doing? We need to identify what your prospect must believe in buying from you.

 

2. Your product is not a good fit?  I would bet about 25% of your list prospects are not a good fit for what you have to offer. In the media industry, we are very clear on who is consuming our product every day. For example, we have a female-driven radio station that targets Moms with kids. I need to remove the clients I am targeting that want men 18-34 or 55+. Why? Because they have other options that may be a better fit. So Step one remove those targets and replace them with accounts or categories of business in your wheelhouse. Create case studies of proven success that you can share with them. Focus on the clients that can benefit from your product or services, so you are a good fit!

 

3.  I don't know your company? Unless your Apple, Amazon, Mercedes, or State Farm may not be familiar with your company. We may get some sales resistance when calling if they have never heard of our company. What can you do to make them more familiar? Market yourself and your company. If you missed Episode 91 on how to the 3 Strategies to generating leads on Linkedin with Jennifer Starling, I highly recommend listening to that podcast. Perhaps sharing a competitor's name, you do business with can bring fewer resistances to moving forward to learning more from you. Find a better way to market yourself, so you become more top of mind.

 

4.  Your price is too high?   You mean you haven't heard a client say you're not charging me enough, changing the proposal, and raising your price? Most of us listening has listened to the price resistance before? Our price is only too high when we have not proven that investing their dollars would have a payoff for them. What proof of performance can you share, so they stop resisting? A great way to address that would be Sharing proven case studies from other clients; other markets are having success is a great way. Client testimonials sharing I invested X thousand and got an X return. Digital Marketing shows you the metrics for every dollar spent. Every smart decision-maker expects an ROI. 

 

5.  This is a Bad Time to buy.   Perhaps many of you have heard, Not Now? Try to uncover the Why? Why is now the wrong time to buy? I don't know about you, but most first calls don't result in, " Thanks for calling, I was waiting for your phone call, I cant wait to meet with you and hear about all your solutions to helping me"! More than likely, you will face resistance. Ask are you happy with where your sales currently are? Could they be better? I find it's only the wrong time when you don't have the right tactical plan to accomplish what they need.

 

6.  Resistance to Listen.  Are we tuned into what our client is telling us? Or are we thinking about what we will say next? Asking probing questions and repeating what they say shows them you are listening. Getting clear on how you can help them is critical.

 

7.  Your product or service is not a good fit.  Remember, about 25% of the prospects on your list are not great leads. Determine whether your product or service is a good fit. If it is not, they move on to clients that are a better fit for you. Identify the categories that are performing well for you and your company. Ask your best customers the number one reason they do business with you, of course, outside working with you! You may find verbiage to use when reaching out to other prospects.

 

 

So expect a little sales resistance. Research your prospect before you call or email them so you can identify the Why, the problem they have, or the opportunity or solution you can provide! Remove the 25% of accounts that are not a good fit. Keep marketing yourself and your company. Provide proof that working with you is a great decision!

 

And remember, to exist, you must persist!

 

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Episode 91, Learn 3 Strategies to Increase Your Leads with LinkedIn

Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach.  Simplify Your meetings. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on how to take their sales and business meetings to the next level with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

In Episode 91, Learn the 3 Strategies to Increase Your Leads with LinkedIn

 

Podcast Guest: Jennifer Darling

LinkedIn is exploding right now with opportunities for you to build significant influence. 

 

This podcast has strategic and tactical ideas on how to upgrade your LinkedIn profile to enhance your professional brand, create expert status among your target market, showcase your skills, and connect with prospects to grow your business. 

 

You’ll learn why LinkedIn is different (and better for your business) than other social media platforms and why having the right words in your profile is critical to your business. You’ll receive tips on how to measure your Social Selling Index to ensure you’re maximizing your social power and measure your presence. You’ll also discover how to take advantage of LinkedIn’s publishing tool, which is phenomenal for increasing your searchability on Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

 

Other vital discussions are how to find more prospects using LinkedIn. The three most important things you can do today to become more successful using this platform.

 

 

Jennifer’s Bio:

Jennifer Darling is a revenue-generating machine! She brings over 25 years of experience in advertising sales and sales management and running her own business to show salespeople (and non-salespeople) how to market themselves to get more sales. 

 

She went from the corporate sales manager at media giants Comcast, NBC, and FOX to building her own successful business as a professional speaker, trainer, consultant, and coach. Jennifer's LinkedIn success includes 10,000 views of her LinkedIn articles, including one article that generated over 6,000 views worldwide, 1,000s of views of her LinkedIn videos, and generated above 10,000 views of shared updates, all with the power of the free version of LinkedIn. She’s generated leads that resulted in $10k, $100k, and 1 million dollar proposals for herself and her clients.

 

She was named one of SweetFish Media’s Top 50 Female Sales Speakers and Voted 2020 Best In Show by the Professional Convention Management Association, Convening Leaders. Jennifer is a professional member of the National Speakers Association.

 

Contact Info:  Connect with Jennifer and receive your Free LinkedIn Tip Sheet.

Jennifer Darling

916-204-3923

jennifer@jenniferdarlingspeaks.com

www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferdarlingspeaks.com

 

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Episode 90 Tom Brady's secret to winning the Superbowl!

Lisa Thal is an Author, Speaker, and Business Coach.  Simplify Your meetings. She wrote the book "Three Word Meetings."  Lisa coaches leaders on how to take their sales and business meetings to the next level with fun and interesting 3-word  topics to get your sales team motivated and inspired.  She has over 34 years of marketing, sales, and leadership experience.

 

Episode 90 - This episode focuses on Tom Brady's secrets to winning the Superbowl and how you can apply the same system to your business!

 

I decided to do a little research to see who were the most winningest quarterbacks of all time. 

 

Quarterbacks with the most Super Bowl wins all-time:

• Tom Brady – 7.
• Joe Montana – 4.
• Terry Bradshaw – 4.
• Troy Aikman – 3.
• Eli Manning – 2.
• Peyton Manning – 2.
• Ben Roethlisberger – 2.
• John Elway – 2.

 

This year's Superbowl story was the youngest QB Patrick Mahomes vs. The oldest QB at 43 years old - Tom Brady.

 

How does he do it? More importantly, what can we learn from him and apply it to our business?

 

I love what Tom Brady said about the Superbowl.

"Playing well matters. The team that wins is not going to be the most experienced team; it's going to be the team that plays the best," Brady said. "So we've got to prepare the best, we've got to execute the best, we've got to perform the best under pressure. If we do that, we'll be champions. And if we don't, we won't be." Well, we know how that story ended. They won!

 

Here are three sales lessons we can all learn from Tom Brady.

 

1. Tom Brady believes he will win

It doesn't matter whom he is playing or what the situation might be. He thinks he will win. So the question is, do you believe you can win? If you're in sales, do you believe you have the best solutions to help your clients? Do you think you deserve the opportunity to have a conversation with a prospect on your list? 

 

If we don't believe in ourselves, what makes us think customers should believe in us? Believing in ourselves starts with the realization that our goal is to help others. Sales are not about selling; it's about helping others. When we make assisting others in our mission, then we'll finally be in a position to believe in ourselves.

 

2. Tom Brady leads others to share his beliefs

His confidence is contagious. Tom created a culture of Seeing is Leading!

The first step we must take as a leader is you must SEE.

You must SEE all others as people with all the values, needs, and hopes you have. Those people on Tampa's Team were Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, and the entire offensive line!

 

The Bucs wanted to win a Superbowl in their hometown!

 

You must realize that leading someone does not involve getting them to do what you want but putting a value on what they want. 

So as a leader,  always try to see others as people.

The ability to see those around you as they are and to recognize their needs or wants, and desires is the first step to being a true leader.

 

That leads me to my final point. Yes, it would help if you believe in yourself and those around you. But that may not be enough to win a Superbowl or your next sale. The question is, how prepared are you?

 

 

3. Tom Brady is always prepared 

How did he prepare? He spent 12 days alone in an empty house leading up to the game. That's the most focus time that Tom created on what he needed to do from a football standpoint." What a commitment to be away from his wife and family.

 

I hear you saying, yeah, Lisa, we don't have 12 days to focus on one sale like he did to prepare for one game. I hear you. The question is, do you have 12 hours or 12 minutes to put focus time on what you need to help prepare you?

 

The other most impressive thing about Tom Brady is the work he does when no one is looking when the cameras are not following him. The food he eats, the workouts he puts in every day to maintain his strength, and the mental preparation watching hours of film on his opponents to maximize every opportunity. He Practices until he knows he is prepared. He puts himself in the best position to lead his team to win! To play well, you must put yourself in the best possible place.

 

We may not be playing for a Superbowl, but we are playing to win. So the question is, how much time do you spend preparing to become the best in your industry? How much time do you spend visualizing your sales success? How often are you scheduling time to practice so you can play at a high level and improve your sales skills?

 

How do we set our people up for Superbowl success? 

The most important questions a leader can ask. 

What do you need from me?

Followed by how can I support you?

As a leader, we set the strategy, select the best talent and then empower them.

Three things we can focus on as leaders.

(1) Their development

(2) Their accountability to achieve success

(3) Reduce or eliminate roadblocks that interfere with their success.

 

In the end, Tom Brady believes he will win. It doesn't matter whom he's playing or what the situation might be. He is always more prepared than his competition, he leads by example, and Tom thinks he will win every time.  

The question is, do you!

 

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