3 from the Dog

Last night as I was reviewing emails, I found this from SalesDog.com:

Why the Next 60 Days Are Critical
by Doyle Slayton

The next 60 days are critical to our success. There are very few times during the year that are as important as September, October, and early November.

The window of opportunity is short and you have to take full advantage. By the second and third week of November many of our prospects go into holiday mode. We begin to hear that all too common refrain, "call me after the first of the year." This response can be a winner or a killer. If you power through these next 60 days with tons of prospect appointments, your schedule will be packed through the end of the year, so prospects who shoo you off until next year won't negatively impact your success. In fact, you have two possible scenarios with these folks. Either they have no interest, or they have a legitimate reason to buy in January, February, or March.

The next 60 days will determine your success for the next 6 months! Use this time to give everything you've got—where you feel like you've got nothing left to give—knowing that when the holidays come around, you'll have time to rest, recharge, and have a powerful pipeline awaiting your return!

Dayle Slayton is an internationally recognized Sales and Leadership Strategist, Speaker, and Blogger. He is the founder of SalesBlogcast.com, the online community where business professionals network, share best-practices, and make each other better!

Make Sure You Get Paid
by Joe Guertin

Account receivables are not evil, but a lot of salespeople avoid it, rationalizing that it can hurt their customer relationship. For the most part, that's usually not true. It's just an excuse. Nobody gets mad at the grocery store, gas station or department store when they tell you the total and you make a payment. Here are some tips to make getting those receivables easy.

1. Be up front -- real early. When you're closing the sale, go over accounting responsibilities (who'll be paying and what your company terms are). Write all of this information down with the customer if you can. And get to know that check writer!
2. Head off problems early. When an account goes over prescribed terms, check into it. It doesn't have to be negative when you contact their accounting person saying that you "just wanted to follow up to make sure you got last month's invoice, because you're always so prompt."
3. When overdue, be upfront. Let's say you have to follow up on an overdue bill. It's best not to mention it as a throwaway at the end of the conversation ("By the way, did you send out that last payment?") People are smart. They'll know that was the reason for your call and might see your hesitation as a weakness. Not a great relationship-builder there.

Now, more than ever, keep your skills sharp, and you'll keep your income healthy.

Joe Guertin is President of The Guertin Group, a sales training firm that delivers customized training on all aspects of the sales process. Learn more at www.GuertinGroup.com.

Staying Competitive
by Andrea Nierenberg.

Today more than ever, the power of follow up, follow through and staying on your client's radar screen will keep you 'top of mind' and someone they may call on first when the need arises. Here is a suggestion for keeping in touch: Make a point to find out your clients' and contacts' preferred method of communication.

While email is our total business communication tool, when I ask this question, many people still say, "phone," so make a point to call them first besides sending an email. I now find that some of my contacts also prefer text messaging, so make sure you get your fingers moving and stay current.

I write down in my database the preferred method of communication for every client and contact. Then I use my Power of Three everyday: I send 3 additional emails, 3 additional phone messages and 3 additional text messages just to stay in touch and be on their radar screen with an article, note or a thank you.

Andrea Nierenberg is the president of The Nierenberg Group, a business communications company with a total process for educating, motivating and connecting people. Learn more at www.NierenbergGroup.com.

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