SalesGiants interviews Daniel M. Wood, author of Double Your Income

Daniel M. Wood, author of Double Your Income,
www.lookingtobusiness.com

Daniel M. Wood believes that becoming successful is a confusing journey. It is a dream most of us don’t dare believe will become reality. We don’t know what to do or how to reach the goals we dream of. Frankly we don’t even know the definition of success and sadly we often don’t even dare to try, out of fear that we might fail. 

But you can follow in the footsteps of others who have succeeded and emulate them. You can find a path that suits you. You can use techniques that have helped hundreds. Doing that will make you believe in the dream again. Start garnering the tools you will need on your trip to success in this interview with Daniel M. Wood.

About your e-book:

1) Daniel, let's begin by talking about your e-book, Double Your Income. What's the idea behind the book? Why did you write it?

I started righting my e-book at the same time as I started my blog, for the same reason, I have worked in sales close to 8 years now and I have learned a lot. The most significant thing I have learned is how much I like to coach and help others.

This has affected my whole life, not only in work, but I also coach a Norwegian baseball team.
I have found my passion.That is why I started this blog and I wrote the e-book Double Your Income - to give a baseline for what mindset is required to succeed.

2) In a short sentence, who should read your book? What kind of advice should they be looking for?

It is written for young salesmen who want to quickly move into the top 1%. It is about the mindset you need to succeed.

3) On the other hand, who shouldn’t? What will readers NOT find in your book?

I am at the moment writing a new e-book "How to make selling easy" which talks about the sales process and goes more in depth into the details of selling. If you are looking for hands on techniques and practices this book will be much more to your liking.

4) What's the first thing someone should do after reading your book?

Do an inventory of yourself: what are your strong points? Your weak points? What do you need to improve? Step 2 would be to take action and start improving.

About your website:

5) What has been the most popular article posted in your blog ? Why do you think that is?

My breakthrough article that brought my traffic from about 20 visitors a day up too about 150 visitors per day is http://lookingtobusiness.com/personal-growth/how-to-activate-your-subconscious-mind-and-unlock-its-potential it really changed my blogging situation.

In it I discuss how you can unlock the door to your subconscious and get more out of your life. How you can solve problems 24 hours/day and quickly improve on any task you wish to improve.

The reason it was so popular is (part luck) that it is something we all want to do, we all want to improve and get better. We want to improve 24 hours/day. That is why the TV-shop training bands you see where you just plug it in and it works out your abs whilst you watch TV are so popular.  They help you improve even when you aren't working on it actively. That is what I shared in the article.

6) Besides your website (http://www.lookingtobusiness.com/), what other sales websites would you recommend?

There are a lot of great sites out there and it is hard to just pick 1 or two. I have made many friends since I started blogging and most of them run great blogs. I would recommend you take a look at:

- www.thesaleslion.com 

- www.thesalesblog.com 

- www.partnersinexcellenceblog.com 

- www.fearlesssellingblog.com 

- www.thejfblogit.co.uk 

- www.salesandmanagementblog.com 

7) How about your preferred sales/business books?

If we only look at sales and business, meaning books by Napoleon Hill on personal development would not be counted, I would have to say Philip Kotler’s books are a must read and I am a big fan of Brian Tracy.

   

About you:

8) How did you get started in sales?

Actually it started with me looking for a job over the summer. I had applied for about 10 different jobs in lots of different industries, they all turned me down. Then one day I read this article in the newspaper "Contacts is what gets you a job". So I started asking all my friends if they knew someone or somewhere I could apply.

One of my friends had heard of a company well known for their promoting from within and great salaries, he advised me to apply. I sent in my application and 2 days later I was at the office, it turned out that it wasn't a summer job, but I was making more than both my parents together, so I figured I might as well stay in the industry. I worked there for 4 years before moving on.

9) Most memorable sale?

My first larger deal. I had been working for about 6 months for the company. I was doing alright and was seen as a promising future salesman. The month before I had spent 2 weeks getting this one prospect to try out our products (we sold job board ads). He bought a small package of 2 ads and used one at once. The second we saved to later.

After 2 weeks he called me up and said, "Daniel, you know ad packages?" "Yes?" "Well, uhm..." 10 minutes later he had bought a package of 30 ads. It was the largest sale that month and the easiest sale I have ever made.

10) Most disastrous sale (or funny situation)?

This is also a story from the beginning of my career. It wasn't a sale but it was a pretty surprising situation.

I was still selling job board ads. I called up a company and started to introduce us. Quickly the customer started asking questions, trying to catch me saying something untrue. He asked me "How many visitors per month do you have?" I thought he said "visits" so I answered 200 000 visits per month. Little did I know that he had already visited our page, found out about page and seen where it says 60 000 unique visitors/month.

He went mad, he just started screaming and screaming saying I was a liar. I tried to reply, trying to explain that I hadn't meant unique visitors. But he kept cutting me off. At last I got stood up and started screaming back and then just hung up.

The whole office was looking at me (I generally am a pretty quiet salesman) and then burst out laughing. I didn't know what to say, but I started laughing as well.

About your work as a sales expert:

11) What is the biggest mistake you see as a sales expert?

Every time I have been at a seminar with my colleagues or held a seminar myself you see everyone nodding in agreement. Thinking the advice given is great and should be used. But once the seminar is over, nothing happens. People go home and keep on doing what they were doing before, not everyone mind you, but much to many.

12) What is the best sales advice you have ever received?

When your customers are evaluating your offers they won't do it rationally, they do it based on emotion, they aren't looking at the features of your product, they are looking at you. You have to be someone they want to do business with.

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To know more about Daniel M. Wood, author of Double Your Income, visit http://www.lookingtobusiness.com

SalesGiants interviews Gavin Ingham, sales motivational speaker

Gavin Ingham, Sales Motivational Speaker

For the last 10 years, sales motivational speaker Gavin Ingham has been helping sales people to explode their sales performance by turning self-doubt, fear and lack of motivation into self-belief, confidence and action. With his inspirational approach to sales psychology and sales motivation Gavin combines commercial experience, personal excellence and sales technologies in delivering personal and business sales success.

1) Gavin, what kind of customers do you usually work with and how do you help them exactly?

I have two specific customer types and in both cases I help them to improve sales motivation and performance. Firstly, I work with companies and organizations speaking at sales conferences, AGMs and away days helping to motivate and inspire. My aim is to ensure that they not only have a great event but that I leave a lasting sales buzz and energy which means more sales. This could typically be anything from a 45 minute opening or closing keynote address to a 3-hour sales boosting session. 

My second type of client is anyone and everyone who sells whether they are a salesperson, a business owner, an entrepreneur or a professional. Through my books, audio programmes, video training, open seminars and blogs I help people to make quantum leaps in their sales results and in their lives.

2) In a short sentence, what companies should be interested in your training services?

In short, any company looking to increase sales. Not quite as short, corporate organizations looking to set their next sales conference alight and individuals and smaller companies wanting to increase sales results.

3) On the other hand, who shouldn’t? What will companies NOT find in your training?

I don’t work with anyone who is not committed to getting results. I hate whiners, whingers and losers and I have no time for people who want to blame the economy, the market or someone else other than themselves for their lack of sales results. Don’t work with me if you don’t want straight talking advice!

4) Besides your website (http://www.gaviningham.com/), what other sales websites would you recommend?

That’s a difficult one. I am a voracious reader so my favourite websites are any sites with books on… I particularly like Amazon for books, Nightingale.com for programmes and Youtube for video shorts. More and more speakers and trainers are getting the message that they need to add value first so there is a lot of good stuff out there.

5) How about your preferred sales/business books?

I have read upwards of a thousand sales, personal development and business books and I liked many of them for different reasons at different times in my life. I usually only recommend books to individuals and like to ask a few questions before recommending. Put on the spot and asked to recommend books that are a good read for everyone I would recommend:

Unlimited Power by Anthony Robbins because it was pretty much the first book I ever read in the field, NLP The New Technology of Achievement by Steve Andreas and Charles Faulkner and The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. Reading is not just about great books but also about keeping positive ideas and strategies moving in your head. It’s about growth and development and surrounding yourself with good karma (!) so even bad books can be good!

    

6)  How did you get started in sales?

Like many people I got into sales by mistake… I kind of fell into it. I found myself without a job and someone suggested that I had “the gift of the gab” and should “try my luck in sales”. It took me a while to realize that it was the gift of shutting the mouth I needed rather more than the gift of opening it. And soon after I realized that luck has little to do with it. I was fortunate that I was quite good straight away but I then had to work hard to work out what I was doing that was working so that I could improve my performance and getter even better results.

7) Most memorable sale? 

One sale that sticks out is one where I met with an HR Manager who was using their nephew as their sole supplier. I didn’t know this at the time so I gave it all that I had. When I didn’t win the sale I kept persisting and eventually won an opportunity which I capitalized on and won the business. I later found out that it had caused something of a family rift. If I had known of the relationship at the time, I am not sure that I would have persisted as stubbornly! Maybe I would have given up and said to myself that it was an impossible situation. What this experience demonstrated to me was the importance of believing that you can succeed and employing the right tactics and strategies with 100% conviction.

8) Most disastrous sale (or funny situation)?

Early on in my career I did several deals and was something of an overnight sales superstar but it all went seriously wrong when I then failed to land 18 deals in a row. My boss at the time was pulling his already sparse hair out and was going bald much faster than he should have been. I knew that tenacity, persistence and commitment to my personal development would win the day but I was sure glad when the awaited deal arrived.

9) What is the biggest mistake you see as a sales expert? 

There are actually several core mistakes that salespeople seem to make over and over again. Here are three…

A)     Too much “Me! Me! Me!” Most salespeople go into sales meetings thinking about how they are going to make the sale, how they are going to convince their client to buy, how they are going to close the deal. This is wrong. When you visit a client the meeting should be about them, about their business and about what is important to them.

B)      Putting clients under too much pressure. After making their pre-packaged, pre-prepared sales pitch most salespeople turn to a tried and tested close. Sales trainers still teach this BS. If you feel like you are putting your clients under too much pressure than you probably are. No-one likes to be pressurized into making a purchase. 

C)      Not adding enough value. Salespeople all talk about selling on value and not price but many have no idea what this means! If you want to sell more then you need to work out how you can add value for each and every one of your clients and prospects.

10) What is the best sales advice you have ever received?

That would be courtesy of Mrs. Ingham (my Mum) and is more of a way of living. It’s as good advice now as it was when I was five, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again.”

Success Strategies of Top Salespeople – Goals and Plans

 BY JOHN AT GOSELLGO

What success strategies do top salespeople use when it comes to goal setting and planning?  How can you implement the same techniques of top achievers to increase your sales?  It’s simple, follow these six basic rules for setting goals and making plans and watch your sales soar.

Set Goals Based on What’s Important in Your Life

Don’t let life just happen.  Ask yourself, what are my life dreams?  Then set goals to make them a reality.  Goals provide focus and direction to ensure you’ll live a life based on what’s important to you.

Set Exciting Goals that Create Passion

Imagine how difficult it would be to be passionate about a goal such as “increase sales by 10 percent”.  Is this goal exciting to you?  Probably not, so let’s try rewriting the goal.  First, think about what inspires you and incorporate it into your goal setting process.  If spending time with your wife is important and you like to travel here’s an example of how you might rewrite the goal: “Increase sales by 10 percent to earn a bonus of $5,000 which will enable me to take a dream trip to Australia with my wife by March 1st”.  Now that’s exciting!

Set Aside Time for Goal Setting and Planning

Set aside time each day to review your goals and write down tasks to help you achieve them.  Early in the morning is an excellent time, when it’s quiet before work day distractions.  Devote time to reading positive, uplifting messages including; books on sales skills, positive thinking and other material geared toward self-improvement.  Then review your goals and write down what needs to be accomplished for the day.  Do this every morning to start your day with the right attitude and moving in the right direction.

Set Specific Goals with a Deadline

Be accountable for your objectives and set specific dates when they’ll be reached.  For larger goals, break them down into smaller tasks with target dates leading up to your end goal.  For example, a daily goal of making five sales calls, or 20 phone calls, may be less overwhelming than selling $1 million.

Review Your Goals When Planning

Keep your list of goals close by and refer to them often.  Top salespeople incorporate tasks into their daily plans that help them reach their objectives.

Prioritize Your Tasks

To be effective in selling, focus on activities with a high return on investment to get a clear idea of what needs to be done on a daily basis.

During you planning session, write down all the tasks you’d like to accomplish.  Next, review each task and decide which is the most important.  Repeat the process and list your six or seven most important tasks in order of their importance.  Work on your highest priority tasks first  and do it on a consistent basis.

Conclusion

Try following these six rules of goal setting and planning.  Set aside time each day to think about how you want to live your life and go to work setting your goals.  Figure out a plan and work it.  When you do, you’ll soon find yourself in the top echelon of salespeople everywhere.

John Sligh is a Salesman and Founder of GoSellGo.com - a blog about everything related to selling for salespeople everywhere.  For free tips on sales, self-improvement and motivation visit John today at http://GoSellGo.com

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Twitter: @GoSellGo

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsligh

Site: www.gosellgo.com