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Thorough and strategic preparation is the foundation for successful selling. You’ve heard that, but do you believe and DO it?

Have you wondered why something as simple and proven as preparing for pitch meetings is often overlooked?

It’s because your “I got this!” kicks in… and makes you believe you do.

The worst feeling in the world is walking out of the meeting mumbling, “I shoulda done more homework.”

Prep is a controllable variable.

Close your eyes and picture yourself around your Thanksgiving table this November, surrounded by family, friends, and great food. Your Q4 will be “in the books” by then.

…the food and drink will taste so much better if you nail the last quarter of the year…right?

The feeling you don’t want to have come late November – or whenever your Q4 selling ends – is that you ran out of time.

Study the calendar hard to understand the time parameters of your Q4 selling season…and then work on Q4 today!

According to the book Marketing Metrics, you have a 60 to 70% chance of selling to an existing customer and a 5% to 20% probability of selling to a new prospect.

However, just because your client bought once doesn’t mean you’ll skate through the renewal process. Often, you’ll need to work harder to secure a second contract.

Your renewal strategy should include the following:
1. Examine the data on how your client used your product or service,
2. Talk to your account managers to learn what they learned from interacting with the client,
3. Dust off your probing and qualifying skills…

Email hit rates will always be minuscule, but it’s a good practice to step back a second before hitting “send” because there’s always the chance you’ll get a response!

Consider these two essential facts about email communication:

1. Quality and accuracy are much more important than reply speed. You get no brownie points for replying to every client email in 3.4 seconds. Take your time to make your notes clear and brief.

2. Email is a lousy conversation tool. (Eeesh…the back-n-forth-n-forth-n-back.) Email convos get soooooo tedious and always create confusion. (Don’t assume you can’t get your prospect/client on the phone.)

How ya feeling…1-10?

It’s okay if you’re closer to 1 than you want to admit…especially if you’re suffering from a Summer Weekend Fun Hangover!

When you feel slow, it’s easy to remain in the slow lane. But you gotta fight that. Remember, you dictate the pace…you establish your sense of urgency.

Easing into a week is not really a thing. You can’t afford to waste a drop of time in this competitive arena. Mondays are 20% of your workweek…more if you’re taking a Summer Friday this week!

Monday through Friday, you compete…hard. AND YOU LOVE IT. (Good!)

One of the reasons you’re in sales is the fulfillment you get from being in the game.

So, how do you keep your competitive edge M-F and then relax and become mindful on the weekends?

Simple: you just do. You create boundaries and stick to them. M-F you go hard, and S/S you chill and rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul.

Take Steph Curry, for example. Whether you actively follow the NBA or not, you know he’s a hyper-competitive baller. And yet, when you watch him play, you see he’s having fun too.

Summer Fridays are great, right? Even if you’re working today, everything feels more relaxed.

However, Summer Fridays come with mixed messages and can mess with your head.

“Go ahead, take Friday off…but, you’d better blow out your number this quarter. Hey, where ya going?? You’re actually taking the day off??”

Whether or not your company or manager transmits conflicting signals, your quota doesn’t care what day it is.

So…what is the best way to play the Summer Fridays game?

You don’t need the latest research to convince you how physical fitness can help you sell. And you certainly don’t need a PhD to know that if you stare at your computer all day, you’ll feel like mush by 3 pm.

The brain needs oxygen and blood to perform optimally…so why are you sitting on your butt all day and letting the oxygen and blood pool in your butt?

Try “exercise snacks” – short, frequent bursts throughout the day! They’re better for ya than chips and crackers.

On this day in 1937, the world’s first shopping carts were introduced at Humpty Dumpty grocery stores in Oklahoma City.

Alleluia.

Carts hold STUFF…more stuff than your arms can hold.

Sales is about MORE. Shopping carts = MORE.

Commission checks…MORE stuff you can buy.

More solutions for your customers?? …more stuff for them and you.

What about more effort? …more strategic thinking by you? Where does that all fit?

Physical or online…shopping carts are cool.

Your manager has just invited you to a meeting with HR, which explains your weeks-long stomachache. You’re about to be PIP’ed. (Arrrfff.)
While you may not be surprised, it’s not fun to be told you’re on a Performance Improvement Plan.

Alas, your world is not ending. Breathe!

The lemonade you’ll soon be making marks a new phase of your professional growth: you’re gonna get a big lesson in what it means to *fight*.

(If you’re nowhere close to a PIP right now…GOOD, but *learning to fight* is a superpower you still need to develop.)