To become and remain a professional in the business of selling, you must recognize that you are in charge of your own training and act on that fact. Build on your strengths and correct your weaknesses. If you are not sure of what to learn first, there is certainly someone in your life who will gladly assist you---your manager, your spouse, your children, a trusted friend, me.
Here are six skill areas that I strongly recommend you consider developing or strenghthening:
1. Negotiation - Do you consider yourself a trained negotiator? Trained negotiators can quickly and effectively analyze the details of situations and determine the best route to take. If that brief description doesn't fit you, make an effort to find a book, tape or seminar on the subject, and then schedule the time to learn from it.
2, A Second Language - Consider the part of the country in which you live and go to work in and those people you do business with. As our country continually redefines itself by its people, be aware of the advantages of being able to communicate with others in their native tonques. Today's projections show that spoken English, Tagalog and Chinese languages are on the increase. To be able to offer our fine services to more about them, their language and their cultures.
3. Voice - Since our clients choose to "own" our products or service based on what we say and how we represent them, doesn't if make sense that we train our voice to give the highest level of professional presentations. If you've never considered voice training before, tape yourself giving a portion of your sales presentation or handling an objection and then listen to it. Most of us hate the sound of our voice on tape. Just imagine how our clients must feel when listening to us. To project our message with clarify and power, consider at least one session with a voice coach. They can be found in our local Yellow Pages or through a quick search online.
4. Public Speaking - Many sales professionals find that giving short speeches in their communities helps build their name recognition and their business. Public speaking is also a great way to build your confidence. Try your skills out by speaking to your child's class about what you do or a hobby you have. Teachers love it when the students can learn first-hand about careers. Join Toastmasters International or enroll in a Dale Carnegie Course. There are local chapters in just about every city. they provide excellent opportunities to sharpen up your skills and meet other business professionals with whom you might do business or share referrals.
5. Memory - Having a good memory is critical to anyone on today's world, but especially so to those of us who meet many new people every week. Make a game of it in our career. Challenge ourselves to remember as many people and their stories as we can. There are some great courses and books written on this subject. Even if you learn and use only one small strategy, I guarantee you'll see the benefit of having done so.
6. Math - Don't shrink on me here. I know there are a large percentage of people who hate math. However, in business, we need to know some basic math skills really well. How does it look when you take a client to lunch and you have to think really hard to calculate the tips? Do you think that will raise any doubts about your competency in the client's mind? Of course it will. Also, when prospects or clients tell you their financial needs, you have to be quick on the uptake in understanding which is the best plan to recommend to him that will solve his need within a budget that he said he can afford. Practice your math skills. Every time you hear or see a number in a conversation, or even in a bit of advertising, take a moment ot work with the number and see what it means. Compute the amount of insurance he would need to solve a given desire. How much is the premium in terms of percentage to the face amount? I know that most of us know how to compute the commission we will earn from a given sale, right? Don't stop there. Play the numbers game often, and you'll get better at winning.
Choose just one of these six areas and dedicate yourself to improving in it this month. Then, next month, choose another. Once you get started on this journey of self-education, you'll be amazed a what you learn and how simple things can have powerful impact on your overall success in life.
SIX SKILL AREAS
NEGOTIATION
A SECOND LANGUAGE
VOICE
PUBLIC SPEAKING
MEMORY
MATH
Once you get started on this journey of self-education, you'll be amaze at what you learn and how simple things can have powerful impact on your overall success in life.
All of a sudden he felt a chill and got goose bumps all over him, for in his mind's ear he heard the voice of Jesus answering him, "You asked Me what I am doing about those beggars? Well, I created you and you made your wealth, what are YOU doing about it?"
The lesson here is: You were given the opportunity to work in this career. A career that can help people secure their families as well as themselves against future financial hardship while at the same time making a comfortable income for yourself and your family.
Question: "What are you doing about your career?"
THAT'S WHY YOU'RE HERE
A rich man riding his Mercedes Benz on his way home from a Sunday service stopped at the traffic light and witnessed a little beggar girl begging for money from passengers in a jeepney. Just as the traffic light changed to green, a coin was thrown to the little girl who scrambled after it with full disregard to the moving vehicles.
When the rich man got home and sat down in his air-conditioned dinning room, he suddenly remembered the little beggar and got all choked up. He rose, went into his bedroom where he had his altar. Standing in front of a picture of Jesus Christ he asked, "What kind of a God are you? Why are there so many beggars around, children at that? What are you doing about it?
All of a sudden he felt a chill and got goose bumps all over him, for in his mind's ear he heard the voice of Jesus answering him, "You asked Me what I am doing about those beggars? Well, I created you and you made your wealth, what are YOU doing about it?"
The lesson here is: You were given the opportunity to work in this career. A career that can help people secure their families as well as themselves against future financial hardship while at the same time making a comfortable income for yourself and your family.
Question: "What are you doing about your career?"
Side-By-Side With the Master
A mother had a 10-year old son taking up piano lessons. One day she wanted to encourage her son be serious about his piano lessons, took him to a piano concert by the well-known entertainer, Liberace.
In the big concert hall, the mother saw a friend in another row, so she left her son for a while to greet the friend. The son left alone, wandered off to look around the concert hall. He saw a door that led to the back stage and went in.
The mother returning to her seat found her son missing, she started looking for him when the house light dimmed and the curtain opened. There on stage was her son sitting y the grand piano and as the spotlight hit him, he started playing "Twinkle, twinkle little star."
The mother was so embarassed she was about to dash up on stage when out stepped Liberace in his colorful costume. Liberace went up to the boy and whispered, "Don't stop. Continue playing." and the boy did.
Liberace stood behind the boy reached over with his left hand and started playing the bass notes and then reaching over with his right hand started adlibbing on the melody and together they were playing a wonderful new version of "Twinkle, twinkle little star."
At the end of the music Liberace lifted up the little boy and bowed to the audience who were on their feet giving them a standing ovation. The mother of the little boy just stood there with tears streaming down here eyes.
The boy was able to play that children song so differently because he was assisted by the master of the keyboard.
Have we been a "master" to our Financial Advisers? People we work with? People who looked up to us? We, our self can be like that little boy and place ourselves in the hands of our Master.
Recruiting Graduates in Their First Employment
Field managers are faced with a multitude of challenges when it comes to recruiting, but the main ones are:
. Scheduling enough time to recruit (a perennial problem for us all).
. Generating a sufficient number of qualified prospects who can become interested enough to take action.
Let's look at some updated recruiting "truths".
1. A collge degree proves only three things:
. The graduate has the ability to set goals and then achieve it.
. He or she has a reasonable degree of intelligence.
. Someone, or something, had sufficient resources to finance four years of tuition and related expenses.
2. Most graduates don't make a career of their first job out of college.
3. Job changers can be excellent prospects for you. These graduates don't expect to work for 30 or 40 years, and then retire.
Many college graduates spend only one and one-half to three years in their first job before discovering one ot the following:
. Their guidance/ career counselor must have exaggerated.
. Their job doesn't measure up to their expectations.
. The real world has changed their concept of what a career should and could be...
Job changers can be Excellent prospects they don't expect to work for 30 or 40 years... then retire
At the end of the music Liberace lifted up the little boy and bowed to the audience who were on their feet giving them a standing ovation. The mother of the little boy just stood there with tears streaming down here eyes.
The boy was able to play that children song so differently because he was assisted by the master of the keyboard.
Have we been a "master" to our Financial Advisers? People we work with? People who looked up to us? We, our self can be like that little boy and place ourselves in the hands of our Master.
Recruiting Graduates in Their First Employment
Field managers are faced with a multitude of challenges when it comes to recruiting, but the main ones are:
. Scheduling enough time to recruit (a perennial problem for us all).
. Generating a sufficient number of qualified prospects who can become interested enough to take action.
Let's look at some updated recruiting "truths".
1. A collge degree proves only three things:
. The graduate has the ability to set goals and then achieve it.
. He or she has a reasonable degree of intelligence.
. Someone, or something, had sufficient resources to finance four years of tuition and related expenses.
2. Most graduates don't make a career of their first job out of college.
3. Job changers can be excellent prospects for you. These graduates don't expect to work for 30 or 40 years, and then retire.
Many college graduates spend only one and one-half to three years in their first job before discovering one ot the following:
. Their guidance/ career counselor must have exaggerated.
. Their job doesn't measure up to their expectations.
. The real world has changed their concept of what a career should and could be...
Job changers can be Excellent prospects they don't expect to work for 30 or 40 years... then retire
These graduates in their first employment are exellent prospects for you. Why? The reason is simple, yet powerful. their first job experience has given them the maturity needed to evaluate your career opportunity more realistically.
How do you look for graduates in their first employment? And how do you avoid creating first employment for graduates.
First, visit the career planning and placement officer or whoever is incharge of this in your alma mater. Borrow or offer to buy a Yearbook that is three years old. Using the Yearbook you have an idea what the prospect looks like and you also have an idea of his family's financial background from his residential background from his residential address.
Get in touch with these prospects. They should be receptive to what you have to offer - a solid company, good products, good training and high income potential. In short an outstanding career opportunity.
If you have to recruit recent college graduates, avoid under-selling the career. In the tight job market that graduates are facing today, the freedom to be your own boss and unlimited income opportunity can sound like a dream come true.
Make sure to give these prospects a large dose of reality up front by emphasizing the training they will have to go through and what will have to go through and what will really be required of them in order to succeed.
Finally, remember for one to succeed in this business they must possess these three things:
1. Those who have their finances in order.
2. They are in good health.
3. The are responsible and reasonably intelligent.
Guide Questions
What college or university should I approach to get the Yearbook from?
What is the profile of the recruit that I desire --?
Male of female?
Single of married?
Graduate of what course?
