Mark Hunter's Blog, page 61

9 Traits of a Sales Leader

Being a sales leader is something we all desire to be. I don’t think anyone who is committed to being in sales wants to be seen as a sales follower. Can you imagine walking up to a customer and saying, “Hi, I’m your new sales follower.” I can only imagine how the customer would respond. Your job, regardless of your title, is to be seen as sale leader.

A few years ago, I was working with a sales team in Trinidad. As we dug into a particular issue, it set me on a mission to simplify and narrow things down.  After that meeting, I created the 9 traits of a sales leader.

Great sales leaders:

1.  Demonstrate trust

2. Create a motivating environment

3.  Set and communicate clear goals and objectives

4.  Support and empower others

5.  Commit to follow-through and execution

6.  Listen attentively

7.  Remain vision focused

8.  Foster a team environment

9.  Focus on people not tasks

To make it easy for you, I’ve created the 9 Attributes of a Great Sales Leader info-graphic. I am happy to share.

Take a few minutes to review the list and put yourself in the shoes of your customer. Ask yourself:

” Would I appreciate having salespeople call on me to exhibit these traits?”

“As a salesperson, would I like my manager to exhibit these same traits?”

Sales at all levels is about leadership. This coming year, I’m committing myself to be more focused than ever on these. Leadership is a journey; it’s never a destination for one simple reason— it’s about people. People are anything but consistent.

In the months to come, I’m going to challenge you to take one of the 9 traits and focus in on it. Work to define what it means to you and to those you lead. The world is crying out for leaders who value others. As you take time to reflect on these traits, you will notice a common point in all nine —people. Leadership is about being 100% focused on others. How focused are you on others?

One of the best ways to be focused on others is to ensure you are fully prepared. This is one of the main reasons I’ve been talking so much about my Master Class on Setting Goals, Achieving Goals, and Mapping Your Plan for Success in the New Year. I’m encouraging you to take advantage of this valuable information now to help set you up for your best in the new year. To gain access to the Master Class content and ensure you are preparing yourself for 2019 and beyond, check out the Master Class: https://lp.thesaleshunter.com/order-mc

Are you planning a sales kick-off meeting for 2019?  If so, give me a call and let’s talk about how I can help your team not just achieve 2019 goals, but blow past them.  I still have some available dates, so call and we will make it happen.  Sales is not a solo activity. Sales is a team sport. Let’s make your team the best it can be. You can call me at 402-445-2110 or email me: Mark@TheSalesHunter.com.

Don’t forget a coach can help you excel in your sales career. Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

The Gift of Sales

Each morning, I have the honor and privilege to engage with others. Today, like every other day I will encounter people who expect to hear from me; however, many others may not respond, answer my call or even be interested in what I have to offer.

I never view what I do as a job. I don’t even view it as a profession. To me, sales is a gift that is more like a lifestyle. It is a privilege. Each and every day, I live for the opportunity to engage in conversation with another customer or prospect.

There will be people who appreciate how I have helped them and of course many more who don’t even understand. Regardless of how someone may treat me, I never take it personally. I always continue to believe in what I do.

Each day is full of exciting, new experiences and opportunities that I savor as if it’s the greatest experience and opportunity I will ever get to have. At the end of each day, I always look back with gratitude for the people I’ve talked to regardless of how our conversation went.

Sales is like nothing else. There might be some who look down on salespeople. I, on other hand, am proud of what I do and look highly of others who feel the same way towards sales.

The challenges I face are only temporary. I view them as opportunities that help move me towards even more success. I’m proud of what I do, but humble in how I serve, because I know my success is based on the success of those I serve. As great as my success has been in the past, it is meaningless. Only what I do today or in the days to come matters.

I am thankful this is what I’ve been called to do and my prayer is that I am able to continuing doing it for years to come. I know there are many still to be served. Sales is about having influence and impact. That is my primary goal with each person I meet every single day.

The gift of sales is something I’m thankful to have received. I hope you too enjoy your gift of sales.

As we near the end of the year I can’t help but feel thankful for you. I count it an honor that you’ve chosen to take a few minutes to read my emails and blog posts. You’ve given me a gift by placing your trust in me and I hope you value my gift to you.

This time of year I often think about the ultimate gift that was given to all of us: the birth of Jesus. That is what we celebrate, because He is the gift of hope and life! May you take time this year to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. For me, my faith is at the core of what I do and that makes my communication with all of you each week that much more important.

Wishing you the best and may we never forget the “reason for the season”!

 

Mark Hunter, CSP

“The Sales Hunter”

 

Many of you have asked if you can still take part in my master class titled “Setting Goals and Achieving Goals-Mapping Your Plan for Success in the New Year”. Yes, you can still sign up for the program. I strongly suggest you do, so you can achieve your best in 2019! Signup now!

 

Don’t forget a coach can help you excel in your sales career. Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

Sales Motivation Video: Your Passion Fuels Your Motivation

Your level of passion is a key driver of your motivation.  Are you passionate about life? Are you passionate about serving others? The person who is passionate about life will find themselves having more opportunities because of how they approach things. When you are truly passionate about serving others, it is amazing what your motivation levels will be.

Check out this short video to see what I mean:

Are you planning a sales kick-off meeting for 2019?  If so, give me a call and let’s talk about how I can help your team not just achieve 2019 goals, but blow past them.  I still have some available dates, so call and we will make it happen.  Sales is not a solo activity. Sales is a team sport. Let’s make your team the best it can be. You can call me at 402-445-2110 or email me: Mark@TheSalesHunter.com.

Don’t forget a coach can help you excel in your sales career. Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

How Important is Integrity in Sales?

Does this question shock you? I hope it does. What may surprise you is how often I am asked this question. On multiple occasions, I have been approached  and the individual was quite serious. They are asking because in their mind, for one reason or another, they feel integrity is not something necessary to be successful in sales.

Any salesperson questioning the need for integrity is not a person I want on my sales team. Not only do I not welcome them as my team member,  I don’t want them in sales.  Integrity is not an optional trait; it is a core value and it must be at the foundation of everything we do. Integrity is not something you turn on or off like a light switch.

Salespeople frequently ask me, “If integrity is a core value then how does the customer see it?”  My response is, “they see integrity in everything you do.”  The customer sees integrity in how you respond and the truthfulness you exhibit in everything both seen and unseen to the customer. Integrity is evident in how you process each decision and especially how you handle things in your personal life.

Integrity is not something you live by in your professional life and ignore in your personal life. The only way you can have integrity as a core value is to model integrity as a core value in everything, regardless of what it is.

If you are a customer, would you want to deal with a salesperson who does not exude integrity? Of course not!  This is why there are people who view sales in a very negative manner. Sales is the greatest profession —you know I’m passionate about it.   My passion reaches down to the root of excavating any salesperson in our profession who does not see integrity as a core value. We simply cannot have it. Our customers are too important.

Your goal this week is simple and yet difficult: let integrity be your compass.  This week, ensure each decision you make and each conversation you have is centered around integrity.

Are you ready to have me speak at your next sales kick-off meeting?   The calendar for 2019 is filling up!    Call me at 402-445-2110  or email Mark@TheSalesHunter.com  to have me at your next event or sales meeting.

And don’t forget a coach can help you excel in your sales career. Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

What’s Holding You Back?

Will 2019 be your year? When I mean by that is: will it be your year that you achieve a level of success you didn’t think was possible? Years ago, people believed it was impossible to run a mile in under 4 minutes. The belief was that humans could not run that fast. The problem was nobody told that to Roger Bannister. He broke the 4-minute barrier on May 6, 1954. Today, the record time for a mile is: 3:43:13 held by a Moroccan named Hicham El Guerrouj.

You’re probably reading this on your smart phone right now. Hey, let’s not forget that not long ago the idea of a smart phone probably seemed like a dumb idea to many people. If the human mind can imagine it, then it can be done; however, your goals for the upcoming year must not just be in your imagination but something you can actually achieve. The next question you should ask yourself is: are my goals as lame as eating healthier or as big as breaking the 4-minute mile record?

Every year, I go through a process of setting goals and frame each of my goals around a key word. Last year, my word was “significant.” I set out not just to try to impact others but to significantly impact those around me. I still haven’t decided what word I am going to use for next year.

I am sharing this with you, because goal setting and more importantly your plan to achieve your goals is more than merely an exercise. You shouldn’t just go through the exercise but rather you must make it part of your DNA.

I understand that you cannot change your DNA. You’re born with it, so you have to live with it. However, it’s important that you shape what you do and who you become around your DNA. You need to view your goals in the same way as your annual DNA, and then build all your activities around those goals. If you don’t do this, life will simply take control of you. And if you’re going to achieve what you imagine, you must take control of your life.

If you’re serious about setting goals and achieving them, you should join me in my goal setting master class. This class will be a focused course that guides you step by step through this vital process. I promise one year from now you’ll be sitting here celebrating your huge success. Join me to find out more and take control of your life! Register now!

Join me in making next year everything you want it to be and more! 

 

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

Sales Motivation Video: Are you Credible and Believable?

Sales is about establishing viable relationships. Your customers will never believe you until you first have established credibility. Why would anyone choose to do business with you if they don’t believe you? Sounds simple and yet, too often salespeople fail to realize the importance of this. This is one reason we have to take time to understand and learn about our customers. By communicating in a manner they deem credible, we not only show we care, we show what we have to say is worth caring about.

Check out this 58 second video on building credible sales relationships:

Are you planning a sales kick-off meeting for 2019?  If so, give me a call and let’s talk about how I can help your team not just achieve the 2019 goals, but blow past them.  I still have some available dates, so call and we will make it happen.  Sales is not a solo activity. Sales is a team sport. Let’s make your team the best it can be. You can call me at 402-445-2110 or email me at Mark@TheSalesHunter.com.

And don’t forget that a coach can help you excel in your sales career! Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

Sales Leadership and the Business of People

Would you like to know a sales leadership secret?  There isn’t a secret sales process. The business of sales is fundamentally about people connecting with people.  Sales is about people doing what they do best, helping others.  Does the simplicity of this surprise you?  I’m passionate about sales because when we help people, we’re serving them. With each person I meet, I earn the right, privilege, honor and respect to meet with that person again. My goal isn’t to simply sell, it’s to connect with and serve others.

Watch this 40-second video on connecting with people:

Nearly every week, I find myself on several flights encountering people going all directions in the mosh pit we refer to as, an airport. During my time in each airport, there are people navigating the journey well and others who are clearly not making the best of their own journey.  As the holidays draw near, life can get stretched in so many ways. It is during these stressed times, we need to be the sales leaders we are capable of being.  When I’m sitting on a flight, regardless of how a person is handling their own situation, I can’t allow it to derail me from my ultimate goal to earn the right, privilege, honor and respect of whomever I encounter.

I challenge you to think about the journey you are on and those around you. Who will you come in contact with today? What can you do to help make their day a better day?  Sales leaders don’t have to think about this second question, it is baked into their DNA. The ability to help others is what leadership is all about. It’s not complex. It’s not a secret process that requires years of learning.  No, sales is a process we all can do everyday with each person we meet.

You might say, but how does this impact my sales? And I would say, it is the foundation from which your sales are built upon.  The outlook you have and your view of others is what sets the tone for how you will see each sales opportunity.  It’s not good enough to only be in “sales mode” when you’re in front of a customer.  If that’s your approach, you’ll never see the full opportunity. To be your best in front of customers means to be your best in front of everyone—even in an airport.

So, what is sales? Sales is people connecting with people in order to serve.

Are you ready to have me speak at your next sales kick-off meeting?   The calendar for 2019 is filling up!    Call me at 402-445-2110  or email Mark@TheSalesHunter.com  to have me at your next event or sales meeting.

And don’t forget a coach can help you excel in your sales career. Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

Sales Success in the New Year

What will it take to win starting Jan. 1 and what is the plan you need to implement?

Take the time to dig into the below 11 questions now to help you significantly increase your level of success in the new year.   You can choose to wait and see what the new year brings or you can be pro-active and be the one who makes things happen in the new year.

1. Realize sales is a mind game and it starts with your mind. Who is the voice you need to get out of your life and who do you need to let in?

2. Who is the customer you need to drop that is taking up too much of your time for little profit or no potential for profit?

3. Narrow your focus. Don’t try to prospect everyone, but rather be selective.

4. Set your prospecting time and stick to it! Prospecting will never become a priority until you make it priority in your calendar.

5. Manage your day based on your calendar. You control your time. It’s the most valuable asset you have.

6. Streamline your selling process by simplifying your forms and processes. You can’t afford to have your time consumed with activities that bring no value.

7. Create your dream team. Who can you reach out to? Sales is not a solo activity. Sales is a team sport and you need to make sure you have great teammates.

8. Focus on the big opportunities in the 1st quarter. Play big in the 1st quarter, as it may take several quarters for the opportunities to materialize into business.  Focusing on big opportunities early in the year will increase your probability of having them generate revenue this year.

9. Create multiple relationships with all of your larger customers and prospects. You can’t afford to rely on only one contact at your major customers, because that person may leave.

10. Build your quarterly plan based on a 12-week quarter and your annual plan based on 11 months. This will allow you to use the last week of every quarter and the last month of the year to begin setting up the next quarter or year, rather than stressing out trying to make the current quarter or year.

11. Make time for yourself. Take care of yourself and you can take care of your customers. Sales is not an activity. It’s a lifestyle.

And don’t forget that a coach can help you excel in your sales career! Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

Things you must think about when setting goals…

It’s that time of the year when people are starting to think about next year’s goals.  Setting goals is not just an activity. Setting goals is really a mental mindset. Anyone can write goals, but only those with the right mindset will be able to set goals that they have the potential to achieve.

In addition to having the right mindset, you must have a process that will help you achieve more than just one goal but a lifetime of goals. Here are some thoughts to think about as you begin setting your goals:

*Note: this content is just a sample of what I’ll be covering in the Goal Setting Master Class on December 12. See below for more information and to register!

It is easy to set goals higher than what we are able to accomplish in a day, week or even a quarter. Conversely, we tend to set goals lower than what we can achieve over the course of 3 – 5 years.
If you fail to take control of your life, then you will go through life doing nothing more than reacting to what is thrown at you. If you take control of your life, you will be able to accomplish and become a whole lot more than you realize.
Everyone accomplishes goals. If you’re not accomplishing your goals, you’re accomplishing someone else’s goals.
You’ll never achieve anything until you take the first step. What project have you not started because it feels too big? Take that first step.
Remember that 20% of what you do results in 80% of your success.
The issue is not that you’re too busy. Are you using your time effectively by being busy doing the right things?
You don’t have a time management problem. You have a priority management problem.
The greatest success you’ll ever accomplish will not be the success itself. It will be the journey to that success.

Now, join me for the very special master class on this key issue of goal setting and and learn how to maximize your performance. You really need to join me for one reason: your future is counting on it to be successful! Here is the link!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

Sales Motivation Video: Motivate Yourself By Changing Your Outlook on Life

Others cannot motivate you, but you can certainly motivate yourself by making a change in how you view life.  You will change your output in life when you change your outlook on life. This principle is simple but overlooked far too often. When you prepare yourself for success through how you see your circumstances, it is amazing how much more success you will have.

Check out this video to see what I mean:

Are you planning a sales kick-off meeting for 2019?  If so give me a call and let’s talk about how I can help your team not just achieve the 2019 goals, but blow past them.  I still have some available dates, so call and we will make it happen.  Sales is not a solo activity. Sales is a team sport. Let’s make your team the best it can be. You can call me at 402-445-2110 or email me at Mark@TheSalesHunter.com.

And don’t forget that a coach can help you excel in your sales career! Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results