Dale Rothenberger, VP of The Winters Group & Associates

The impact of social media to our marketing and sales channels has created an atmosphere where people will gladly tell us things about themselves and their business; while at the same time has made sales more difficult because we have lost that personal connection.

Maybe it was my Dale Carnegie training, or just that I like to talk to strangers and learn about them ……. Whatever the cause, I am routinely getting into conversations anywhere I go. (In my 2-1/2 hour flight this afternoon, I discovered that my seatmate is in the mail and fulfillment business, and now he knows all about the Winters Group & Assoc. and we’ve agreed to talk again next week.)

Ok, so I’m outgoing (and inquisitive). But I also have a habit of wearing a name badge in most business settings. I find that it makes me approachable and it breaks down barriers. Being approachable is priceless.

But you don’t need to have a nametag to walk into a room and tell people who you are. By the same token, everyone I talk to gets a business card from me. (And if I think they are connected to someone who might be a “likely prospect” I will give them two cards and ask them to pass the second on to that person.)

It’s all about getting to know who your customers are before you can sell to them. (Or is it that they are buying, we are not selling at all).

One rule remains unchanged: If the salesperson invests more time uncovering his prospect’s process and timeframe for taking action in the early stages of the selling cycle, he’ll spend less time later trying to solve “problems” that don’t need solving.

In today’s world, every lead needs to be qualified. Just as important, every prospect needs to be nurtured to the point of when ready to buy, we’ve gained top of mind position.

For more information on The Winters Group and Associates, visit www.wintersmg.com.

Brian Sullivan, President of PRECISE Selling

You can’t do that. You are out of your league. They are going to think you are stupid. It’s not your place. Leave well enough alone. There is nothing wrong with playing it safe! No doubt we have all heard words like this at times in our life. But I have realized something about top performers like explorer Gary Guller. They have a way of simply ignoring those who doubt themselves and doubt others. They will NOT let the negative influence of others affect their rise to the top. And I have noticed another thing about top performers. While getting to the top is fun for them, often the real blast comes from helping others reach beyond their perceived potential.

For example, on May 30 2003, one armed climber Gary Guller reached the summit of Mt. Everest, dropped to his knees and cried, realizing he just made history. But perhaps an even greater moment in his life came just seven weeks earlier when he, despite the odds, led a team of disabled explorers to Everest Base Camp at 17,500 ft. And here is something most folks don’t know. Only 1 in 10 climbers ever reach the base camp of Mount Everest…and these people did it in wheelchairs, with prosthetic limbs and a host of other disabilities.

So what’s the point? Well no doubt Gary and his team of very “abled” explorers heard the naysayers say there was no way it was possible. They can’t do that. They are out of their league. But Gary would tell you this. Don’t believe it when others tell you that you are not capable. They are WRONG. How does he know? Because he saw the tears of thanks in the eyes of the disabled friends he led. He stood on the top of the world, witnessed the greatness of the human spirit and looked down at a world full of potential. The potential that is in YOU right now. So this week, as your own doubtful mind or the cynical minds of others tells you how so many things are impossible, fight back! Because this is the year you will turn your potential into amazing possibility. See you at the TOP!

Brian Sullivan is the author of the book 20 Days to the Top. To learn more, go to www.preciseselling.com.

Peter Ebner, Founder of Ebner Seminars

If you expect to be successful in print sales you must deal with a decision maker. So makes someone a decision maker? The decision maker is not the individual that can give you the order, nor is it the person that can sign the check. The decision maker is the individual that has ….

To listen to Peter Ebner’s sales tip of the week, click here.

Craig McConnell, President and Founder of PrintGrowPro, Inc.

I received quite a number of email responses to my March 28 blog that dealt with the concept of going ‘cold turkey’ with your communication devices for some period of time — an hour, two hours, a day? My suggestion was that this ‘found’ time could be used to think, to plan, to prioritize, or to review your goals. I am a firm believer that this exercise will greatly increase a sales reps long term productivity (think Stephen Covey’s thoughts about ‘sharpening the saw”) and income. However, most of the comments were of a similar vein: “no way; not going to happen; can’t risk it.”

Our tendency as sales people is to buy into society’s need for instantaneous, non-stop communications (think Blackberry, Ipad, Iphone, Internet – wired and wireless, cell phone, Facebook, MySpace, LINKEDIN, PDAs, CRMs, etc.), can be physically and mentally exhausting. It can also actually be a ‘crutch’ that keeps you from doing things that might actually grow your business.

By the way, as an aside, it is also dumb and dangerous: texting in the car? Reading emails while driving? Think those actions through the next time you get behind the wheel (Go Oprah!!!!)

Ask yourself if you’ve become a slave to technology. What is the first thing you do every morning? Read something motivational? Meditate? Exercise? Are addicted to your communication device? The receipt of an email does not mandate an immediate reply; it may not mandate a reply ever.

My brother, who is the assistant principal at an elementary school in Tampa, recently shared with me his frustration with parents who drop their kids off at school in the morning talking on the phone (there is no “have a great day”, “learn something new”, “I love you”, “be safe”) and pick them up in the afternoon still talking on the phone (there is no ‘how was your day?’, “tell me about school“, “great to see you”, etc.). Continuous, non-stop contact and communication is not essential – especially in this situation.

Have a great day and go sell something!

To read more from Craig McConnell or for more information on PrintGrowPro, Inc. please visit http://www.printgrowpro.com/.