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1.    Make the Telephone My Best Friend – If you want to succeed in sales, there is no getting around it.  The phone is your number one productivity tool.  That’s why there are 10 Things I Love About Cold Calling!

2.    Use My CRM to Work and Track All of My Leads – Effective use of your CRM ensures that you are touching every prospect and client with purpose and at the right time.  If you are not using your CRM, start today.  If you Want Long Term Success… Build Your Pipeline!

3.    Become a Master at Following Up With Prospects – This is where great sales professionals separate themselves from the pack.  There is a basic principle for winning… Just Follow Up!

4.    Develop My Ability to Ask Great Questions – Questions are the basis for uncovering needs and building value.  Have you given your prospects a High Five lately?

5.    Focus On Being an Excellent Listener – Great questions are supported by an ability to listen effectively.  You have to Listen Like a Detective.

6.    Only Talk About the Things That Are Important to My Prospects/Clients – If you spend time talking about anything else, you are wasting precious time.  Try to look at things from the other person’s perspective.

7.    Be “Coachable” and Follow Through With Direction I Receive From My Boss – Why do so many people have a problem with authority?  Your boss has your best interest in mind.  Your number one business relationship should be with your manager.

8.    Be a Positive Force and Leader On My Team – The Shield says it all

9.    Exceed My Goals Every Single Month… Quarter… Year – Sometimes the simple statements make the biggest impact.  After a recent layoff, I once heard an executive say, “People can’t be in a sales job and not sell anything.”  If you are in a rut, revisit the suggestions for How to Beat a Sales Slump.

10.   Use the Power of Self-Reflection to Get Better – Most sales people do a lot of driving.  There is no better time to think of ways to keep improving.  Develop a system for Perfect Selling.

What other tips can we add to this list?

I hope everyone is well rested and ready to hit it on Monday.  I want everyone to begin selling for February.  January has come and gone and now we need a renewed sense of urgency to begin driving BIG revenue numbers for February.  I cannot stress the importance of having a successful quarter (and why wouldn’t you want to make the most amount of cash possible?). 

As of noon today, it doesn’t look as if I will be going to the corporate office on Monday and Tuesday.  They are swamped with year-end and I don’t think we will be able to devote the kind of time necessary to strategizing, so it will be pushed until the week after.  So, I want everyone to be at our Monday meeting at 8:00 a.m.  Please do not be late.  Going forward, I do not want to have to wait for anyone to begin our meeting.  We will resume at our normal 8:30 time beginning the following Monday. 

I want for each of you to also come in with a strategy for our new quarter.  I have spoke to each of you individually today either by phone or email regarding your numbers.  The expectation should be crystal clear…you know what you need to do, what I want to know is, how are you going to do it?  Please have this prepared when you come in for your one on one immediately after our 8:00 a.m. meeting.

Expectations for 2009

1.)  Dress Code:  I know I allowed casual dress in 2008 when we didn’t have appointments, this will change for 2009.  I did this as an experiment and I’m going to change it as it does not promote the idea that we are here to conduct business.  Is it comfortable to cold call in jeans…yes, but what sort of attitude does it promote in our office setting?  Casualness.  We need to be as nimble and ready to close and pick up business ASAP! 

Here’s an example:  I was in the office on Wednesday when I got a call from operations regarding one of our accounts.  We were missing paperwork for one of our clients.  Well, I needed to go pick up the business, but I was in jeans and a sweater!  It caught me off guard, and if I had been dressed at least with slacks and a dress shirt, I could have gone immediately to pick up the business.  This situation really made me change my mind, so going forward, we are back to business attire in the work place everyday, unless I decide to relax it (for blitz days, etc.)

2.) Working from Home:  I was very clear about this policy in a previous email, but need to revisit it one more time.  There will be times when I allow this, but only if I give you permission to do so.  I have never believed in working from home, except when you’re the only rep for a company and you must work from a home office. 

Each of you is reimbursed every pay period for travel.  When you don’t have an appointment, the company is essentially paying you to drive to work…so, I expect you to be here no later than 8:30 unless you call me first. 

3.)  Vacation/PTO:  When you request a vacation day, I need to know at least two days in advance.  Also, when you request it, do so in the form of a request.  I do not feel it’s appropriate to tell me that you are taking a day off…it needs to be asked.  If we are in a crunch period, I may suggest another day that is more appropriate for your business.  You are expected to come to work everyday. 

4.)  Attitude:  This is the most important.  I think we have a team of WINNERS, not losers.  This being said, I know we will lose some deals, but we will win more than we lose.  Please keep and maintain a winning attitude.  To be a winning sales person is to maintain a positive attitude…it’s 100% mental! 

If you have the will and the drive to win…then you will!  Do we get stressed out?  Of course, but that’s when it’s time to talk to me and take a step back…I will help to bring you back in the game.  I take care of myself in this respect (I went and got a massage when we lost “ABC Company”…it’s important to treat/pamper yourself from time to time) and I will sometimes demand you do the same…you need to stay healthy and mentally fit so that you can be the best that you can be.