Strategies for Success Newsletter

 

Selling Strategies: Strategies for Success Newsletter May 2008 No. 29

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Published by Emily Huling Selling Strategies

www.sellingstrategies.com

Copyright 2008 Emily Huling. All rights reserved.

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In this May 2008 issue:

 

  1. Thoughts from the office
  2. Thoughts from home
  3. Have you read…
  4. 2008 public speaking engagements
  5. Business growth opportunities and tools

 

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1.     Thoughts from the office

 

When you know what to do, why don’ t you do it?

 

Ron, a salesperson, gave me a call to inquire about my sales coaching program. He had been selling insurance about five years. Although he had attended numerous industry specific and public sales seminars, Ron complained that he was stuck at a moderate income level. I asked a few questions about his employer and work environment. He told me his firm had suitable sales support and insurance markets.

 

From my website, Ron had reviewed my coaching program outline and sales development materials. He said he didn’t see anything new that could help him. He challenged me. “What can you do for me that will be different?? How will you help increase my sales and revenues?”

 

I took a deep breath before responding. I replied, “Let me ask you this. If you know all of this, why aren’t you doing it? What’s holding you back?”

 

That’s a question many of us should be asking ourselves about different situations in our lives.

 

-I know I should quit smoking.  What’s holding you back?

-I know I should build stronger relationships with my clients. What’s holding you back?

-I know I should exercise. What’s holding you back?

-I know I should be more patient and understanding with my coworkers. What’s holding you back?

-I know I should complete my work more accurately and timely. What’s holding you back?

-I know I should earn a professional designation. What’s holding you back?

 

Like Ron, most of us not only know what we should be doing, we already know how to do it. So the question to be asked is not the how question, it’s the why question.  Why aren’t we doing it? What’s holding us back?

 

Ron told me he’d have to think about the answer to that question. I let him know he could call me back anytime.  I left him with one final thought. When the student is ready, the teacher appears.

 

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 Keeping promises to yourself count double. EH

 

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2.     Thoughts from home

 

Purposeless Purpose

 

Playing with two small children makes me appreciate curiosity.  My young cousins Quincey and Nathan spontaneously and eagerly move from interest to interest. From coloring to car races, building blocks to make-believe buses, those kids, like all unencumbered children, enthusiastically embrace the world around them.  I’m jealous.

 

Like many adults, I’ve lost that spontaneous curiosity urge. My tendency to have goals and plans for most everything leaves me feeling accomplished, but I’m starting to wonder what I’m missing by having too much direction. Even when I don’t have a purpose, my brain kicks into purpose mode – so my new purpose becomes not having a purpose.

 

This was written for no purpose.

 

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Soft Market Selling - Exceeding Client Expectations  Listen and Learn

 

How well do you know your clients? Today's buyers have new and higher expectations. Learn how to uncover what's important to your buyers now and for the future. Discover new strategies to grow and retain business in this challenging market.

 

For detailed program information and to order this audio program, go to www.sellingstrategies.com.

 

Newsletter readers save 20% off the $59 program cost. Use coupon code news11 at checkout. 

 

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  1. Have you read…

 

100 Words to Make You Sound Smart from the editors of American Heritage Dictionaries popped up as a book recommendation for me from Amazon.com. For $5.95 I couldn’t resist. John and I shared an entertaining hour playing word games. We tested our knowledge for meaning and using the word in a sentence.  During that time, there were no words we hadn’t heard, we correctly defined 90%, didn’t know about five of them, but to our surprise we had been misusing several words.  A couple of our stumpers were philistine and capricious.  If you know them, good for you. If you don’t, time to get out the dictionary.

 

There is a series of 100 Word books ranging from what every high school graduate should know to words every lover should know. Next time you’re ordering books online, add one or two of these to your shopping cart to have fun and learn something new. 

 

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On the road in 2008

 

Here are my currently scheduled public speaking engagements and conferences I’ll be attending.

 

 

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Business growth opportunities and tools

 

  1. Producer sales coaching and mentoring program

 

This coaching program provides three months unlimited access to me. Contacts include scheduled phone calls, course assignments using my books and audios, weekly activity and results reviews, and a dozen other topics to increase business. Our goal is to shorten the learning curve and create a sales process for long-term success. Full details on acceptance, topics, and cost are on the website. www.sellingstrategies.com

 

2.     Increase sales and profits with improved written communication skills – audio seminar

 

Write On! Business Writing for Insurance Professionals. This four-CD audio program offers tactics, tips, and techniques to write concise correspondence, create proposals that close sales, write articles that get published, and reduce e-mail overload. The program includes audio, slide presentation, handout, and quiz. Listen on the go or conduct your own in-house workshop. For detailed program information and to order, go to www.sellingstrategies.com.

 

Newsletter readers save $20 off the $119 program cost. Use coupon code news11 at checkout. 

 

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Selling Strategies: Strategies for Success Newsletter is published by Emily Huling Selling Strategies. For further information contact emily@sellingstrategies.com.

 

© 2008 Emily Huling. All rights reserved. Feel free to share our newsletter if copyright and credit are always included.