Brandon L. Clay's Blog, page 21

The Bottom Line!

Back in 1998 when my two boys were small they broke a toy they had just gotten for Christmas.  They casually tossed it into the corner and began playing with something else. "Do you realize the value of that toy? "I asked. Two blank faces...about 9 and 7 years old.  Young...but old enough for a lesson on money...and time. "It cost about $20." Two blank faces...now one angry face.  "That means your uncle who earns about $10 an hour had to work how long to pay for this?" "Two hours," they answered in unison. "Not quite that simple," I began.  "Your uncle runs his own carpet cleaning business.  He has to spend time and money getting to and from his clients.  He has to spend money to find clients.  On top of that, he has to pay taxes...15%" "It may have taken him 5 hours to make this $20," I concluded.   Two quizzical looks turned to looks of enlightenment...  "What do you have to say now that you understand the value of the toy you discarded?" I said with a hint of satisfaction knowing another teachable moment had been successfully completed. They conferred with whispers for a moment, knowing that their answer would be the difference between another speech...or a spanking. The oldest one stepped forward to issue their official response...  "You mean our uncle only makes $4 an hour?"  As I did the math in my head I realize I had just been bested by two small children.  They had cut through all the things I had tried to show them to get down the only thing that mattered; I wanted them to see he ran his own business... I wanted them to see he had to advertise and market... I wanted them to see he had to do administrative things to manage his business... I wanted them to see the impact on taxes on his business... What did they see? The only thing that really matters...  THE BOTTOM LINE...  What's yours?   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Que Sera Sera!

What are you doing today?   Working?  That's great! Sales call?  Even better! Do you even know what you are doing today?  Do you have a plan or are you living the Que Sera Sera life?  Yes, anyone in Generation "X", "Y" or "Z" won't feel me, but anyone born before 1982 will remember Doris Day's song...what does it mean?  "Whatever will be...will be".   The old-schoolers in the house will know that Doris Day's mother in the song was referring more to love and destiny - who knows what the future will bring is the theme.   As poetry, it is a beautiful sentiment, but as a way of life for a sales professional...it is deadly! Each day you have to have an agenda of what your day will hold.  You have to know in dedicated blocks how you are going to utilize the precious commodity of time.    "Failing to plan is planning to fail" Alan Lakein Each day contains 24 hours, each hour is 60 minutes and each minute is 60 seconds.  Each one of those seconds is a potentially life altering moment.  No, I am not being dramatic.  Each second matters... In a second...you could decide to hit the snooze button and decide to skip the gym...again. In a second...you could internalize the bad call you just had and decide to call it a day...at 2pm In a second...you could see your golf clubs in the corner and decide to call your buddies for a round...Monday morning.  What is the common theme above? Activities take minutes and hours...and days... Decisions take seconds. What really drives your path to success is not actitivities...it is decisions.  A daily plan means your decisions are already made for you.  If you break them, it is an blatant disobedience of what YOU have defined as the necessary tactics for your success. So for the next few Daily Crumbs, I am going to spend some time...talking about time. Take 3 seconds and decide you are going to be a better time manager. 3...2...1 Great...but for one more day... Que Sera Sera!   Until 86,400 seconds from now, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Threat of Tornadoes!

Want to see me shut down and get real quiet? (that is no small feat!) Tell me a there is a threat of tornadoes! Threat of rain...let the rain fall (unless I am playing golf!). Threat of thunderstorms...let the sky light up for all I care. But if the weatherman forecasts the threat of tornadoes... let's just say it's not pretty!   The word "threat" conjures up so many things and certainly all negative.   What threatens the success of your business? More importantly...what are you going to do about it? Not the most positive thing to think about, but the best time to get ready for them is before they happen.  As the final segment of your SWOT Analysis, you need to take inventory of the things that could derail your efforts. One final visit to our $100,000 objective, list the Threats; Threats in prospecting for the clients you need. Threats in closing the prospects you find. Threats in getting repeat business and/or portfolio selling more than one product Threats in getting referrals If you can, measure the Threat level and have a contingency plan.  Watching "War Games" with Matthew Broderick back in the 80's was the first time I was made familiar with Defcon threat levels - 5 was "safe" and 1 was "imminent". Let's say your Threat in prospecting  for new clients is getting 1.25% response rate on direct mail.  As you monitor each week, you have to have an action to combat the effects of changes in your results.  Anything below 1.25% should put you on alert...anything below 1% should put you in FULL alert!   Make sense?  Realize most threat do not come to fruition. The weatherman even gives odds to the threats... 40% chance of rain...which means there is a 60% chance it won't.  "Expect the best, but prepare for the worst" Zig Ziglar The best thing you can do for these odds is to have back-up strategies and contingency plans. If there is a threat of rain you carry an umbrella...or like me, you build a basement...just in case of the Threat of Tornadoes!   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Opportunityisnowhere!

Happy Monday!  What do you see in the above? "Opportunity Is No Where." or  "Opportunity Is Now Here!"  Don't you hate these optical delusions sometimes? (not a Freudian slip either!) Yes, it depends on your perspective of the moment if you see Opportunity or not...in the words above or in your situation. Make no mistake, opportunity is all around you.  The obvious ones are the ones everyone can see.  They are crowded, have reached critical mass or saturation. That is what makes it look like "Opportunity is No Where". Some opportunities are not so obvious or they are catered specifically to you; the way you do business or your unique Strengths. They have to be discovered and uncovered but as I always say,"   "A Solution Is In Your Situation."  The best way to extract new opportunity from the current environment is to take inventory of them.  For consistency of this exercise, let's go back to our $100,000 objective, rank your opportunities in several areas; Opportunities in prospecting for the clients you need. Opportunities in closing the prospects you find. Opportunities in getting repeat business and/or portfolio selling more than one product Opportunities in getting referrals Unique opportunities will require work to leverage.  What makes an opportunity crowded is that the path of least resistance means more people want to get in.  When there is "free and plenty" they will be many.   Look outside the box at your industry.  Solve a tougher problem than others are willing to tackle...it will take work but will be worth it!  "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Thomas A Edison   Review a previous opportunity that didn't work out.  To have success requires three components - Opportunity, Timing and People.  If you tried something before and it didn't work, the timing may have been off or you needed to develop a particular skill or learning.  Like the child with the shoe from yesterday...it may be time to try again.   "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." Henry Ford    Opportunity is special in that it will open it's arms of access to anyone willing to put in the effort.  It gives special reward to those who are early and eager. Opportunity is fickle in that it will let anyone in...even those not fully prepared or with the right motives... That is what damages a noble profession like sales.  Opportunity never says "enough is enough"... that cry for change is what leads to innovation and ingenuity when the opportunity needs to Evolve.
Review your opportunities.  Some of them will require innovation and ingenuity and you will see them "pop out" of your environment magically.

In a "Eureka" moment you will have a flash of inspiration and see that 
"OPPORTUNITY IS NOW HERE!"    Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

HELP!

What is your weakness? Silence... No one wants to admit weaknesses. It makes us vulnerable...embarrassed...exposed. Ever watch a child learning to tie their shoe?  Whispering the instructions to themselves, tongue stuck out to aid in concentration. Frustration sets in and they give up... But when you try to tie it for them or give them instruction...what do they do? "Noooo...I can doooo it!" they exclaim in defiance. Where do you need help? In the SWOT Analysis, a Weakness is not a sign of failure but an indicator that you need to learn to tie your shoe!  Going back to our $100,000 objective, rank your challenges in several areas; Weaknesses in prospecting for the clients you need. Weakness in closing the prospects you find. Weaknesses in getting repeat business and/or portfolio selling more than one product Weakness in getting referrals  Many of the Weaknesses can be outsourced or delegated.  If you are weakest in prospecting you may need to work with a company for lead generation.  If you are not great at administration that helps you keep up with clients for repeat business and referrals you can hire an assistant (yes, they will pay for themselves!)...or use a Client Relationship Management tool (CRM). Many of your Weaknesses need Skills Development.  If you are not a good closer then you may need sales development training. Do you have a manager or colleague that you can observe in action...or better yet...observe you? I have done 100's of workshops with 1,000's of sales people and do you know that the most hated exercise is?   You guessed it...role playing!   No one wants to have other people watch them learn to "tie their shoe", but it is one of the most powerful ways to adopt new improved behavior.  Trust me...we all need some improvement in some area of our lives and there is no shame in asking for and getting help.  We watch with pride as our child remains persistent and even stubborn in learning something new that we all take for granted.  "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. Thomas A Edison   I Repeat...Never Give Up!   Raise your hand, raise your voice and scream it after me...   HELP!   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

What Can You Do?

When I was very young, we used to play a game called "Punchinello"... A group of children would be in a circle with everyone clapping rhythmically and saying the line... "What Can You Do Punchinello, Punchinello?" They selected a person randomly who would then have to jump in the center of the circle and...  Do Something!  Most would do a dance move trying to show off their best stuff...others would freeze not knowing what to do (hey, it's happened to me...that is a lot of pressure!)  Question... What Can You Do?   If I asked you to measure your Strengths and skill sets against your identified Objectives and goals for the year, what would you tell me you can do?  Back to our SWOT Analysis - Strengths are those things you can do well or that would give you an advantage in achieving your objectives. For example, let's say you have an objective of earning $100,000 and you need 250 clients with average commission of $400. In this example, you need to rank your ability in several areas; Strength to prospect for the clients you need. Strength to close the prospects you find. Strength to get repeat business and/or portfolio selling more than one product Strength to get referrals You get the picture? Many of the Strengths you need are quantifiable and measureable (such as close rates)...others you will have to be honest with yourself (are you really prospecting for new clients...are you really asking for referrals?) I am a believer in Strengthsfinders 2.0 as a tool to get a baseline on what your natural strengths are...my profile was dead on! It gave me the additional insight I needed to integrate the things I do best into my objectives...in sales and life.  If you don't know what your Strengths are and your Objectives requires certain unidentified skills, it will be tough to reach them.  Don't worry if there are some skills you need that you don't have today...we will take care of those over the next couple of days. The key now is to take a full inventory of what you do best...  What Can You Do?   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Join the SWOT Team!

Happy Friday! Yesterday, I told you Never Give UpI  You are taking my advice...right? The best things in life are worth fighting for and you are more than well equipped! Now we need to work on your tools for the battles you will face now that you have decided to continue fighting (or fighting at a higher level!). If Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Commando" takes inventory of his arsenal of weapons before he takes on his adversary.... If Captain Kirk always asks Scottie how much power are in the auxiliary engines before firing his photon torpedoes at the Klingons...  If Barney Fife checks his front shirt pocket for his one bullet...  Then you should know what you are working with!  The most powerful thing you can do when trying to reach a goal is to take inventory. Over the next few Daily Crumbs I want us to take inventory...not of products or clients...but of you! I want you to join the SWOT team! In the business world, this inventory is called a SWOT Analysis.  It is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.   
This exercise is not designed to be an assessment of why you can't do something....it is designed to reveal what you have, what you need and what is in the way to reaching your goals. I have done many of these exercises in classroom environments and people hone in on Weaknesses and Threats.  Certainly, we have to be mindful of areas that are challenging, but with your Strengths and Opportunities you will identify how to compensate for Weaknesses and Threats.   You will have a clearer picture of how to succeed.  So we will dive in deeply over the next few days, but today, I want you to think broadly about your business...your objectives, strategies and tactics you are engaging currently.   If you are hitting the mark...congratulations!   If you are falling short, the SWOT analysis can help you Expand areas of Strengths and Opportunities and Evolve the challenges of Weakness and Threats.   We are after the ONE thing you can improve now to meet your goals and objectives...let's go deeper looking for it...   I know it is here somewhere!   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Never Give Up!

Have you ever wanted to give up? Ok...dumb question...more appropriately a rhetorical one (yeah...I knew the answer already!).   EVERTYONE has wanted to give up at some point (probably several times) in their lives. It could be those last 10 pounds, getting your kids to act right, passing the licensing exam...or giving up on your dreams.   Wanting to give up and "throw in the towel" is part of what makes us human...it is the power of choice.  The animals in nature don't get to decide...instinct rules.   By instinct (I feel like some of you need this) I am telling you today... NEVER GIVE UP! I met an extraordinary man two days ago who has only been in sales 6 months. He is a well educated man who speaks several languages, has a degree, and has worked in multiple high-level jobs all over the world... At age 53, he decided to get into sales due to a series of life events that lead him in that direction.  Now less than 6 months into his career he is highly competent and confident and it shows in his production.
Why am I using him as an example of never giving up?
Because for all his life's experiences...all his educational pedigree...all his background and contacts...
He was on the verge of giving up.   Less than 2 months into his new career, things looked bleak .  He had only closed one sale (to a friend) and he didn't feel he was getting what he needed to be successful in this business...and the financial clock was ticking.   Intellect told him to dust off his resume and go back to what he had been successful in...   But something on the inside of him (instincts) said...Give It Another Try.   The series of events that happened in the next 30 days make for a Hollywood movie (or a great book like Sales Crumbs!), and you may have guessed his current "ending"... In less than 30 days he was #1 in agency, now closing in on that distinction for 3 months.  He is setting higher goals for the year and feels unstoppable!  I always say that most people are only ONE ingredient away from breakout success...this man found his because he did not give up... Will you find your missing ingredient? Only if you are ready to fight for it! You have the power of choice to trust your instincts...I know that they are telling you to FIGHT ON! NEVER GIVE UP! Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

I Still Got It!

By now, everyone knows I ran a half-marathon on Sunday. Guess what I did on Monday? I went on two sales calls. Yes, I can hear most of you... "Those that can "do"...those that can't "write books and blogs".  But based on my success... I still got it! Here is my I Still Got It Top Tips for a successful sales call; Ready and steady yourself before the sales call.  Be early and do an activity that will relax you, like listening to some music that puts you in the right state.  Read affirmations that remind you of how great you are. Sounds cheesy but try positive self-talk.  If you don't believe you are great...who will? Read industry articles.  You should always have something current to discuss that is positively impacting your industry. You should be the subject matter expert! Remember the three R's - Relax, Relate, and then Release.  Don't be in a hurry to jump in and engage "Selling by Telling"...the conversation will eventually turn to the product!  In the relating stage, remember that you have "two ears and one mouth" and use them proportionately!  People love to talk about their lives. That includes things they love and enjoy - and yes, some even enjoy talking about their problems (have you ever seen Jerry Springer?). Listen with empathy and begin weaving your product into the discussion as appropriate. You have to share elements of your life.  Real relating is not a one way street. It should be a genuine exchange but not too deep...don't worry...they have not forgotten why you are there! You need objections to close a sale.  In the Release phase you might be met with an objection or two, but work through them patiently until you hear the "cue" to expand on your product. Objections actually help strengthen the impact of your solutions.  Use personal stories and testimonials.  These are powerful ways to convey the effectiveness of your solution. Honestly relay how your service or product truly changes people's lives all the while reinforcing your mission statement. Yes, I understand a sales call is a dynamic exchange that is not cookie cutter or one that can be reduced to a formula.  These are just the momentary musings of a sales professional... That's' I Still Got It!!!   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Life Rules

Did you count your blessings today...I did.  I do every day and suggest in some way...small or great you do too .  I lost a friend last night and while he had lived a good life and had known what he was facing for years...the day came too soon.  I had the great pleasure of addressing his sales team every Christmas for the past 3 years and while I told him it was my honor (no charge)...he always gave me a gift.  He was a sales professional well into his eighties and was married to the love of his life well over 50 years.  That alone should tell you a lot about him.  Here are some simple Life Rules as I saw them exhibited through his deeds...  #1 - Love your spouse.   50 plus anything goes "beyond love" into a realm of dedication and commitment few of us understand or will ever experience.  We joked that my age was less than his marriage...wow!  #2 - Love your job.  At a time when he could have just "phoned it in" he was still running his agency.  He called me often to brainstorm and figure out ways to help his team become more successful.  He was always concerned about their welfare and success.  I have always said sales is a profession from which you never have to retire...and he never did.   #3 - Smile often and never get mad.    When I met him professionally back in 2008 (and we weren't friends yet), I had to give him news that I knew impacted him negatively...about opportunity and money.   His reaction?  He smiled, patted me on the back and said, "Brandon...it's ok...we will make money another way."  #4 - Make people feel important...because they are.  No matter the venue, he always stepped back from the spotlight.  He always highlighted others lauding praise and thanksgiving on their accomplishments and contribution.   It may not have always been a swanky affair, but he always made you feel...important.  I know it shouldn't take a passing to make us feel thankful for what we have, what we do and the loved ones in our lives but it cant help but give us a deeper reflection of those things.  That is my state of awareness right now...my sore knee...big deal...  The 8,000 words due today that will not get done...it's ok...  The inbox of unanswered emails...they will wait...  Someone is without their husband...their father...their friend.  It can all wait until tomorrow to allow me the chance to cry...one day for my friend.   Until tomorrow...