Selling Strategies: Strategies for Success Newsletter December 2007 No. 24
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Published by Emily Huling Selling Strategies
Copyright 2007 Emily Huling. All rights reserved.
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In this December 2007 issue:
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1. Thoughts from home
Hooked on coupons
John saved me. My cousin Lisa called to ask me if I wanted another Entertainment Coupon book this year. I’m sure you know the books. The schools sell them to raise money. The merchants offer two-for-one or discount coupons when you patronize their establishments. What a deal! For $20, you can save thousands if you use all the coupons. Restaurants, Home Depot, golf, bowling, movie tickets - you name it, there’s a money-saving coupon!
I’ve bought these books for the past five years. Even though it’s in my car, I always forget to use them until September when there are only three months left until they expire. John will tell you that in September, I pull this voluminous book out and start planning how I can maximize my $20 investment. Our conversations go like this. “John, don’t you want to go bowling?” “Emily, we don’t bowl.” “John, let’s golf at this new course.” ”Emily, it’s fifty miles away and it’s only good for Tuesdays after 1:00 PM.“ “John, let’s stop at Casa Hugo Taco.” “Emily, you don’t like Mexican food.”
It’s so frustrating! I love using coupons! It’s the first thing I look at when I get the Sunday paper. I clip, I sort, I file them. Even better, I use them at the grocery store. So it’s incredibly maddening to have a whole book of unusable coupons.
But John saved me. I was out and he took the call. He told Lisa I didn’t want a coupon book this year. I don’t think I could have done it myself.
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Speaking of coupons….
New Audio Seminar with a Special Coupon Offer for Newsletter Readers – Use Coupon Code news11 to save $20
Write On! Business Writing for Insurance Professionals. This four-CD program offers tactics, tips, and techniques to write concise correspondence, create proposals that close sales, write articles that get published, and diminish 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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2. Thoughts from the office
Insulting your coworkers
Most people wouldn’t knowingly insult their coworkers. Many of us have learned the hard way not to ask a woman when the baby is due or ask if the baby picture on the desk is a grandchild. It’s called the open mouth, insert foot insult.
There are other business insults that occur between coworkers every day and people don’t even realize it. Here are five examples:
--Not giving your coworker your full attention
--Verbally or non-verbally invalidating an idea or suggestion
--Not giving a coworker credit for contributing to a project
--Not including a coworker in building client relationships
--Doing work that falls under a coworker’s job responsibilities
These put-downs undermine attitude, working relationships, and career growth. Some reminders to end these slights:
--Give coworkers your undivided attention when interacting on the phone or in person.
--When a coworker suggests an alternative idea, pursue their thinking to learn how and why they feel their suggestion is valid.
--Recognize accomplishments. Go the extra step and acknowledge good work to your coworker’s boss.
--Involve coworkers in client relationships. Make joint visits to the account. Include your coworker in the strategy and decision making on an account.
--Provide learning opportunities using non-critical work. Start coworkers on test projects with clear instructions and adequate time. This builds knowledge, self-confidence, and trust.
Make a conscious effort to replace coworker wrongdoings with praise and support.
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New offering in 2008 – Guided Sales Coaching and Mentoring Program for New Producers
This coaching program is four months unlimited access to me. Contact includes scheduled phone calls, course assignments using my dozen books and audios, weekly activity and results reviews, and a dozen other topics to increase business, 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
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Working with you is Killing Me Freeing Yourself from Emotional Traps at Work by Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster
If you are annoyed or frustrated with a colleague or work situation, I highly recommend this book. Through real-life case studies, Crowley, a Harvard-trained psychotherapist, and Elster, an entrepreneurial consultant, give us advice to break free of emotionally-draining problems. Their practical advice may not change the situation, but it equips the reader with strategies to regain control over personal emotions and alleviate conflict.
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We all have so much. Please consider giving charitable contributions instead of holiday gifts. EH
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On the road in 2008
Here are my currently scheduled public speaking engagements and conferences I’ll be attending.
NAPSLO Mid-Year Conference, Scottsdale, AZ February 20-23, 2008 (attending)
Agency Management CIC, Louisville, KY March 20-21, 2008
AMS User’s Group, Reno, NV April 13-16, 2008
NAMIC Management Conference, Asheville, NC June 22-25, 2008 (attending)
Agency Management CIC, Indianapolis, IN July 24, 2008
AASCIF Annual Conference, Park City, UT August 17-20, 2008 (attending)
NAMIC Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA September 28-October 1, 2008
Agency Management CIC, Charleston, WV October 15, 2008
Agency Management CIC, Birmingham, AL November 6, 2008
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Selling Strategies: Strategies for Success Newsletter is published by Emily Huling Selling Strategies. For further information contact emily@sellingstrategies.com.
© 2007 Emily Huling. All rights reserved. Feel free to share our newsletter if copyright and credit are always included.