How much time do you spend improving your abilities?

Some people call this professional development.

The biggest challenge I’ve seen with recent university or college graduates, is that they think that some think they know it all. Many United States Colleges or Universities use the word commencement for the ceremony that awards their graduates the diplomas. I like the use of that word because commencement means the time at which something is supposed to begin. It means that now is the time to begin the other part of your education – the real life learning experiences in relation to your career.

That is why I like the use of the word professional development. No matter what you do, if you upgrade your skills and abilities you are showing that you take your job or profession seriously and by taking courses you are showing you want to improve – to be professional.

What can you do today to show your dedication to advancing in your career?

How much information do you give to your prospective client’s?

I believe that less is better.

Let me tell you why. If you find that you are giving your prospects a lot of information it is because you have not qualified them or understand what their needs or wants are.

The more information you give them, the more you will find that they get mind-overload. That is where they have all this information and are having difficulty in making a decision.

Our responsibility as sales/marketers is to understand our prospective clients and then give them what they want. Once you grasp this concept you will find that you are a better buyers’ assistant.

Wouldn't this be great?

Is it easy for you to say ‘no’ to requests?

Are you thinking that you don’t have an option?

Every person who owns a business has an option about what they are going to do and who they are going to work with. Let me give you an example; let’s say a very miserable person comes into your store. Do you want to have them as a client? Of course not! So you do have options.

So how do you say ‘no’ respectfully? I believe the best way is to be politely blunt. That is to say; ‘Mr. Prospect I don’t believe that we have the right connection to work together on a long-term basis. Due to this I would suggest you look to some of my competitors for your needs.’

Not only will you have helped them, but you will have taken a great weight off your shoulders of having a client that you don’t feel comfortable with.

Doesn’t this make sense?

Does your schedule reflect what is important to you?

Do you plan your day or week in a way that shows what is important to you?

I believe it is time that we all took a step back and looked at how we are living our lives. The reason for that is because if we are ignoring what is most important in our lives, we will lose. What do I mean by that? I mean that if you are ignoring for example your family, before you know it, they will be gone from your home and all those years that you could have bonded with them will be lost. As you know you can’t get back that time, can you?

The same is true in all areas of your life, isn't it?

Do you now see how important it is that your schedule reflects what is important to you?

How many times do you make an effort to contact your clients?

Is it 2 or 3 times?

According to Chet Holmes (a sales and marketing specialist), decision makers are now exposed to over 30,000 commercial messages daily, as compared to only 3,000/day ten years ago. According to the research it now takes 8.4 attempts for a salesperson to get in front of a prospect, while 10 years ago, it took only 4 tries.

So the question is; is your effort to contact your clients effective enough? If not, what are you going to do to make it more effective?