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	<title>Distinctive Coaching for Small Business Success - Oak Park/Chicago, IL and Beyond &#187; Upgrading skills</title>
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		<title>Three Sales Lessons to Stop Missing Out on Tons of New Clients That Want to Hire You</title>
		<link>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/super-easy-technique-to-avoid-lost-sales/</link>
		<comments>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/super-easy-technique-to-avoid-lost-sales/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 14 Aug 2011 15:16:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason Rosado</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales Training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Upgrading skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lead generation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/?p=1266</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I don&#8217;t know if you&#8217;ve experienced this, but it sure happens to me all the time.
This even happened yesterday when I met someone that I was very interested in having speak at one of my networking events for small business owners. But you see&#8230; 
She unknowingly messed it all up in a big way and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I don&#8217;t know if you&#8217;ve experienced this, but it sure happens to me all the time.</p>
<p>This even happened yesterday when I met someone that I was very interested in having speak at one of my networking events for small business owners. But you see&#8230;<strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>She unknowingly messed it all up in a big way and blew her chances at getting a lot of business. </strong></p>
<p>And at the same time, she also killed my impression of her.</p>
<p>*********************************************************************************</p>
<h4><strong>Are you closing the door on sales that<br />
you didn&#8217;t even know you had locked up?</strong></h4>
<p>*********************************************************************************</p>
<p>This is <strong>one of the biggest and easiest mistakes to make </strong>for us small business owners while networking as well as during a sales conversation that costs us dearly.</p>
<p>I used to make this same mistake all the time.</p>
<p>Often. And I had no idea I was doing it.</p>
<p><strong>It was costing me lots of clients that would have hired me.</strong></p>
<p>Then I finally figured it out and learned to do the exact opposite of what my instincts were telling me. But that was after years of working with sales and marketing gurus, and I was finally able to connect the dots.</p>
<p>Most small business owners never know they are doing it, and if you&#8217;re one of these people, it&#8217;s costing you clients, time, energy, money and reputation.</p>
<h6><span style="font-weight: normal;">I&#8217;ll explain in detail below how to avoid doing this one thing, and give you</span></h6>
<h6><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><strong>THREE SIMPLE SALES LESSONS</strong> <span style="font-weight: normal;">to handle the situation </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">and</span><br />
give you a HUGE SALES LIFT <span style="font-weight: normal;">instead</span>.</h6>
<p>*********************************************************************************</p>
<p><strong><em>Does this sound familiar:</em></strong></p>
<p>You&#8217;re at a networking event. Or maybe just met someone at a social gathering.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re having a really good conversation. It definitely seems like they are seriously interested in hiring you, and you go to put it over the top.</p>
<p>Then you hear a &#8216;maybe&#8217;, or more likely &#8220;Ok.. I&#8217;ll call you.&#8221;</p>
<p>And then&#8230; Nothing.</p>
<p>How frustrating is that?</p>
<p>VERY!</p>
<p><strong>You probably have just talked yourself out of a new client, and you didn&#8217;t even know it.</strong></p>
<p>Or maybe you do, but you just can&#8217;t figure out what went wrong. And that&#8217;s even more annoying and upsetting.</p>
<p>And then you start questioning if you are wasting your time at networking events, or if people just don&#8217;t &#8220;get&#8221; what you offer.</p>
<p>Or maybe you figure next time you need to explain your services more&#8230; but it doesn&#8217;t work any better, and you lead yourself into a cycle of doubt, rejection and disappointment.</p>
<p>Like I said, I&#8217;ve been there, done that and bought the t-shirt.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s extremely discouraging.</p>
<p>Not only can this happen easily and often while networking, but it also can happen during a sales conversation.</p>
<p>And when this happens, <strong>you are MISSING GREAT OPPORTUNITIES to get more clients</strong> and move your business forward.</p>
<p><em><strong>Here&#8217;s what I&#8217;m talking about:</strong></em></p>
<p>Human nature is to get excited when someone shows interest in your services, so your natural reaction is to show your expertise, prove your worth, and get them eager to hear more, follow up and to hire you.</p>
<p>And when you see that they really do NEED you to help them, then the adrenaline REALLY gets pumping!</p>
<p>So you go into high-gear, and agree with them, and tell, explain, convince, and set up a time to talk&#8230;</p>
<p><strong>But you don&#8217;t get the sale!</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>Maybe they even blew off your appointment or call. But I mean, after all, they were the ones that started it and said they were interested.</p>
<p><strong>WHAT&#8217;S UP WITH THAT?</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>Well, when someone shows a lot of intrigue, excitement or says they are curious about what you do or working with you, <strong>the worst thing you can do is go into &#8220;hyper-sales mode.&#8221; </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>At this point, it&#8217;s common to automatically throw out every single benefit you can think of and talk about everything that your service can do for them.</p>
<p>And here&#8217;s what you think you&#8217;re doing: agreeing with them, educating them, and driving their desire; being honest, straight forward and helpful.</p>
<p>Sometimes you even start dropping your price right away or bringing up why you are much better or cheaper than your competitor.</p>
<p>Again, you&#8217;re just being of extreme service to them and showing your value. Then they almost HAVE TO BUY.</p>
<p>It makes so much sense. Right?</p>
<p>Wrong. In fact&#8230;</p>
<p><strong>DO NOT DO ANY OF THE ABOVE!</strong></p>
<p>Instead, the best thing you can do is fight that urge and excitement, and<strong>ask a simple question of them</strong>.</p>
<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>SIMPLE SALES LESSON #1:</strong></em></p>
<p><em><strong> </strong></em></p>
<p><strong><em>&#8220;AN EFFECTIVE AND CARING SALES PERSON LISTENS<br />
80% OF THE TIME AND TALKS 20%.&#8221;</em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em> </em></strong><strong><em><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;</strong></em></strong></p>
<p>For instance, if your prospect says, &#8221;That&#8217;s interesting. I think that might help me,&#8221; or even, &#8220;Wow.. I need to talk to you!!&#8221;</p>
<p>The best thing to come out of your mouth next is something that<strong> gets you more information, gets them talking and reinforces their excitement </strong>all at the same time.</p>
<p><strong>Do this by asking a question that digs deeper.</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong>So let&#8217;s rewind and try that again:</p>
<p>You tell them what you do, and they say,</p>
<p>&#8220;Wow.. I need to talk to you!!&#8221;</p>
<p>You reply:</p>
<p>&#8211;&gt; &#8220;What makes you say that?&#8221; or</p>
<p>&#8211;&gt; &#8220;What is it that you find most interesting?&#8221; or</p>
<p>&#8211;&gt; &#8220;How would that be helpful to you?&#8221;</p>
<p>You see, when you go into &#8220;super-over-drive convince-and-close&#8221; selling mode, not only do you seem incredibly desperate and needy, but you also focus on all the benefits of your service <strong>AS *<em>YOU*</em> SEE THEM</strong>.</p>
<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>SIMPLE SALES LESSON #2:</strong></em></p>
<p><em><strong> </strong></em></p>
<p><em><strong>&#8220;YOU ARE NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN<br />
YOUR INTERACTION. YOUR POTENTIAL CLIENT IS.&#8221;</strong></em></p>
<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;</strong></p>
<p>Even though you may have been in business for years and &#8220;have seen it all,&#8221; you don&#8217;t know exactly what&#8217;s going on in their mind and what it is about your offering that really piqued their interest.</p>
<p>And YOU MIGHT BE WAY OFF BASE with what you think they see as the benefits, and the low price, and the additional services, and the easy process, and, and&#8230;</p>
<p>You are now <strong>selling all the wrong things</strong>, and what they really want was lost way back there.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>And they feel like you don&#8217;t understand them, and it&#8217;s not a fit.</strong></p>
<p>But, if you stop and ask a question that digs deeper into WHAT THEY SEE as the benefit and how your service solves a problem they have, you are able to:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Get more and better information</strong> on their buying criteria</li>
<li><strong>Let them reinforce the value </strong>of your service from their own perspective and situation</li>
<li><strong>Demonstrate how committed you are to listening and understanding them</strong> &#8211; their concerns, fears, wants, needs and desires</li>
<li>Show that you are<strong> professional and polished</strong></li>
<li><strong>Close the sale</strong> much easier</li>
<li><strong>Get paid what you&#8217;re worth, </strong>without discounting your prices</li>
<li><strong>Increase your value and be a much better service provider</strong> to them as your relationship continues to grow.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>This process is 100 times more powerful</strong> than just feverishly rattling off every reason in rapid-fire fashion as to why YOU THINK they MIGHT be interested, and in the process completely turning them off and killing your closing chances, not to mention your reputation.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s based on this simple truth -</p>
<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>SIMPLE SALES LESSON #3:</strong></em></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p><em><strong>&#8220;PEOPLE DON&#8217;T ARGUE WITH THEIR OWN INFORMATION.&#8221;</strong></em></p>
<p><strong><em><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;</strong></em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em> </em></strong></p>
<p>So let them sell themselves, with just a little help from you filling some info gaps here and there, and acting as a guide and sounding board.</p>
<p>You&#8217;ll get a much more enthusiastic buyer, an easier close, and a happier, more grateful new client!</p>
<p><em><strong>Jason E. Rosado<br />
</strong>Small Business Growth Coach<br />
(773) 829-1276<br />
Jason (at) DistinctiveCoaching.com </em></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<div id="_mcePaste"><em><span style="color: #008000;"><strong>Helping small business owners to make the important jump</strong></span></em></div>
<div id="_mcePaste"><em><span style="color: #008000;"><strong>&#8220;from Struggling Service Provider to Successful CEO!&#8221;</strong></span></em></div>
<div><em><span style="color: #008000;"><strong>So you can get more clients and make more money,<br />
while working less hours, feeling less stress, and loving what you do!</strong></span></em></div>
<p><em><br />
</em></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Because we all need a hand from time to time</title>
		<link>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/because-we-all-need-a-hand-from-time-to-time-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/because-we-all-need-a-hand-from-time-to-time-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:28:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason Rosado</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[In the Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Upgrading skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[avoid burnout]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[improve skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/?p=1196</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sign up to get these and other helpful articles and announcements  sent directly to you:

 
Running your own business can be really tough.
There are so many things to do, so many people to connect with, so many action items to execute, and so many little things you just don&#8217;t want to fall through the cracks.
And [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Sign up to get these and other helpful articles and announcements  sent directly to you:</em><em><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?m=1104796466543&amp;p=oi" target="_blank"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1209" title="Join Email List" src="http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/word/wp-content/uploads/Join-Email-List.jpg" alt="Join Email List" width="211" height="30" /></a><br />
</em></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>Running your own business can be really tough.</strong></p>
<p>There are so many things to do, so many people to connect with, so many action items to execute, and so many little things you just don&#8217;t want to fall through the cracks.</p>
<p>And keeping up with it all can be really tough.</p>
<p><strong>That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s so important to build your Power Team.</strong></p>
<p>These are the people that you know, lean on, and can easily refer them to others. You know the quality of the work they do or the product they sell and the value of the help they provide.</p>
<p>Because we can&#8217;t do it all alone.</p>
<p>And this is also what networking is all about &#8211; helping others.</p>
<p>Some of us have huge, wide and deep networks, and some of us are just starting out to find these people, get to know them and develop relationships.</p>
<p><strong>Not everyone is there yet&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>I&#8217;ve been fortunate enough to be out and about &#8211; networking, speaking, volunteering, working, playing, and so on &#8211; getting to know literally thousands of people over the past several years.</p>
<p>And every networking event I attend, every social function my family goes to, every conference I speak at, I keep meeting more and more incredible people! And I know that I can&#8217;t keep them all to myself, because that would be doing them a disservice and it would be doing you a disservice.</p>
<p><strong>So I want to share something really special with you:</strong></p>
<p><strong>My own network of high quality, easy to work with, top-notch professionals.</strong></p>
<p>But because I know so many people in different industries and locations, I&#8217;m not just going to list everyone&#8217;s name, website and phone number.</p>
<p>If you have a need, a want or something you&#8217;ve been procrastinating on, I want to make it really easy for you to move forward.</p>
<p><strong>Here is a list of people </strong>(in no particular order) that can help you.</p>
<p>If one or more piques your curiosity, please reply and let me know which category. I will reply to you with all the information I have on those people, and if you&#8217;d like, I&#8217;ll even see about making a personal introduction.</p>
<p><strong>- Mortgage Broker<br />
</strong>Whether you&#8217;re a first-time home buyer or thinking about a lowering your current bill &#8211; right now you can save hundreds or thousands of $$ each month.</p>
<p><strong>- Chiropractor<br />
</strong>Put your body back in a state of pain-free healthy balance, rest and repair.</p>
<p><strong>- Realtor<br />
</strong>Looking for *the* perfect home for you &#8211; based on your tastes, your life, your dreams.</p>
<p><strong>- Handyman<br />
</strong>If it needs fixing, I know the guy (sorry ladies.. don&#8217;t know any female handywomen off the top of my head &#8211; but let me know if you are in that category!)</p>
<p><strong>- Web Designer<br />
</strong>If your business isn&#8217;t online, you don&#8217;t exist to many of your potential clients. Marketing is about adapting. If you can&#8217;t easily make small, fast changes to your site, you probably need some help here.</p>
<p><strong>- Insurance Provider<br />
</strong>Making the wrong call (or no call) can cost you thousands, easily.</p>
<p><strong>- Accountant / CPA / Bookkeeper<br />
</strong>Tax time!! But beyond that, you can&#8217;t know everything, and these sensational people that I know, do!</p>
<p><strong>- Estate Planner<br />
</strong>Waiting to get your or your parents&#8217; affairs in order is a recipe for disaster. And fighting among loved ones is no way to live after someone close dies.</p>
<p><strong>- Book Publisher<br />
</strong>Want to be immediately recognized as an expert in your field? This gentleman can make it happen &#8211; and make you a published author in the process.</p>
<p><strong>- Personal Banker<br />
</strong>This one is very difficult to find a great mix of personal service and capability in today&#8217;s world! My team delivers.</p>
<p><strong>- Health Consultant<br />
</strong>We need to fight off terrible health problems from diabetes, smoking, childhood obesity and so many other personal and environmental hazards. Not to mention swimsuit season is right around the corner. Eeeeek! Start now.</p>
<p><strong>- Financial Planner<br />
</strong>&#8220;Those that fail to plan, plan to fail.&#8221; Seriously, how can you reach your goals if you don&#8217;t have a plan and support from someone extremely knowledgeable and proven in the field?</p>
<p><strong>- Career Coach<br />
</strong>The job market is TIGHT. You need every edge you can get &#8211; resume, interviewing, job search and networking &#8211; they all need to be systemized and in top-noth form.</p>
<p><strong>- Home Inspector<br />
</strong>My wife and I found out the hard way when we bought our home &#8211; ASK FOR A REFERRAL WITH THIS ONE.</p>
<p><strong>- Business Growth and Development<br />
</strong>You can probably guess that I can help you here. Yes, I am taking on new clients this spring, so ask me if you want to explode your business.</p>
<p><strong>- Marketing Consultant<br />
</strong>You NEED to have a marketing system in place if you want sustained, dynamic growth that won&#8217;t stress you out.</p>
<p><strong>- Leadership / Executive Coach<br />
</strong>With tight budges all around, managers and leaders are expected to get more done with less resources. And employees are not always motivated and happy. You need help here.</p>
<p><strong>- Day Spa<br />
</strong>You need to look your best. Feel your best. Be your best! Hair style, color, cut, massage, no-chip nails, health tips and more &#8211; for men and women!</p>
<p><strong>- Property Investment<br />
</strong>There are several people you can work with &#8211; you can find them all over. But how to you know whom to trust? This isn&#8217;t something you want to leave to chance. Ask me about my team of experts.</p>
<p><strong>- Support Staff<br />
</strong>Virtual assistants and interns are great ways to get more done in less time, and without breaking the bank. Let me point you to some fantastic help.</p>
<p>And so many more&#8230;</p>
<p><strong>Just reply and let me know how I can help you</strong> to meet these and other qualified people that will take your business and your life to the next level and beyond!</p>
<p>To your success,</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" title="BizCoach Jason Rosado" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/187564_619976562_7201744_n.jpg" alt="BizCoach Jason Rosado" width="108" height="163" /></p>
<p>&#8220;BizCoach&#8221; Jason Rosado</p>
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		<title>How hot (or cold) is your business going to get?</title>
		<link>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/how-hot-or-cold-is-your-business/</link>
		<comments>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/how-hot-or-cold-is-your-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Jan 2011 22:56:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason Rosado</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goal setting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Upgrading skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lead generation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/?p=1159</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Buuurrrrrrr&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..!!!!!
It&#8217;s zero degrees in Chicago this morning.
But the weather is looking up. I checked the daily and monthly averages, because I am getting really tired of this cold. I can&#8217;t wait for it to warm up!
January is the coldest month of the year for my area. And on average, January 20th is the coldest day of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Buuurrrrrrr&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..!!!!!</p>
<p>It&#8217;s zero degrees in Chicago this morning.</p>
<p>But the weather is looking up. I checked the daily and monthly averages, because I am getting really tired of this cold. I can&#8217;t wait for it to warm up!</p>
<p>January is the coldest month of the year for my area. And on average, January 20th is the coldest day of the month. So guess what?</p>
<p><strong>It&#8217;s damn cold out, but it&#8217;s all uphill from here!</strong></p>
<p>And even as I write, the temperature just went up 1 degree. We&#8217;re making progress.</p>
<p>The hardest part about getting through the cold winter is that I have no control over whether it will get warmer or colder.</p>
<p>That is really hard to swallow. Even though I&#8217;ve been doing this for almost 40 years, it only seems to get harder &#8211; knowing that I have absolutely no control of my environment.</p>
<p><strong>I&#8217;m so glad that&#8217;s NOT how it is with my business.</strong></p>
<p>Things business-wise are very warm indeed!</p>
<p>And I have the satisfaction of knowing that it&#8217;s due to my own work. It&#8217;s all in my control. Even when it feels like it&#8217;s not &#8211; it really is.</p>
<p>The smarter and more motivated I work, the warmer it gets. (And notice that I didn&#8217;t say &#8220;the harder I work&#8230;&#8221; because in my book, smart and motivated work trumps hard and uninspired work any day!)</p>
<p>If I don&#8217;t have enough clients, I simply go to a networking event, give a presentation or send an email out to my list. And *poof* &#8211; more clients appear. Now obviously, there are certain things I need to do and say at that networking event, during the presentation or in that email. But because I know how to do it, have built my marketing message, my track record of helping clients my brand and what I stand for, it&#8217;s relatively easy to get new clients.</p>
<p><strong>It wasn&#8217;t always that way for me. I had to learn A LOT OF LESSONS the hard way.</strong></p>
<p>And for many small business owners, it&#8217;s never that way.</p>
<p>But it can be! It should be very easy for most small business owners to get new clients. That is, of course, if they are working smartly and are inspired.</p>
<p>So now that winter is starting to fade (thought I still can&#8217;t control the weather myself!), what do you have planned for January 21st through the rest of the spring to make sure YOU ARE IN CONTROL of your own &#8220;warmth&#8221; and your own business success?</p>
<p><strong>Do you know what you are doing &#8211; daily, weekly, monthly &#8211; that will result in &#8211; *poof* - more clients?</strong></p>
<p>Are you confident and proven in your networking conversations and email offers to your list? Do you even have a &#8220;list?&#8221; (This is EXTREMELY important to build your client funnel.)</p>
<p>Are you using technology wisely and leveraging relationships of marketing and referral partners to gain clients?</p>
<p>These are all in YOUR CONTROL. And you should be using them, and using them well.</p>
<p><strong>After all, the weather will get warmer, but ONLY YOU CAN CONTROL if your business heats up.</strong></p>
<p>So, what will it be – bright, warm and sunny, or cold, damp and miserable? It’s up to you.</p>
<p>Want help with this?</p>
<p>I&#8217;m working on a new FREE Special Report that outlines my best secrets <strong>to help you get more clients right now</strong>. That&#8217;s right, I&#8217;m giving away the step-by-step actions to the things you can do right away to get more clients that are eager to work with you.</p>
<p>If you want to get on my email list and <strong>be one of the first to get this incredible, business-changing report</strong>, just sign up for one of my two existing Special Reports:<br />
<strong>- <em><a href="http://www.DistinctiveCoaching.com">&#8220;The Business Success E-Series&#8221;</a></em><br />
-  </strong><a href="http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/social-networking-special-report/"><em><strong>“Untangling Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and More”</strong></em></a></p>
<p>You&#8217;ll be EXTREMELY GLAD you did!</p>
<p>Stay warm :)</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>&#8220;Fantastic 5 Keys to Delivering a Kick-Ass, Sales-Generating Presentation&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/fantastic-5-keys-to-delivering-a-kick-ass-sales-generating-presentation/</link>
		<comments>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/fantastic-5-keys-to-delivering-a-kick-ass-sales-generating-presentation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 14 Nov 2010 16:56:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason Rosado</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Netiquette]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales Training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Upgrading skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BizCoachJason]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[lead generation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[linkedin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[motivating others]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[sales growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seminar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/?p=1143</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of the single best ways to connect with potential clients in a way that they get to understand how you can help them is to speak to groups of people – a very powerful way for others to get to know, like and trust you.
This can be done in person via speaking engagements, workshops, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>One of the single best ways to connect with potential clients in a way that they get to understand how you can help them is to speak to groups of people – a very powerful way for others to get to know, like and trust you.</p>
<p>This can be done in person via speaking engagements, workshops, classes, networking events; on the phone on teleclasses, teleseminars, etc.; or on the web through webinars, social networking, blogging, newsletters, Fan Pages, and so many more methods&#8230; </p>
<p>Over the years, I have given hundreds of presentations. And I&#8217;ve learned something VERY IMPORTANT that I want to share this with you:</p>
<h4>To make sales from your presentation, just giving a killer speech isn’t good enough.</h4>
<p>Below are my <strong>“Fantastic 5 Keys to Delivering a Kick-Ass, Sales-Generating Presentation!” </strong>as posted on my &#8220;Small Business Daily Success Tips&#8221; on <a href="http://facebook.com/GrowYourBiz">http://facebook.com/GrowYourBiz</a>: </p>
<p>11/8/10<br />
MONDAY “Tip of the Day”: BizCoachJason’s Fantastic 5 Keys to Deliver a Kick-Ass, Sales-Generating Presentation: <strong>Key #1 &#8211; “Make a great first impression!”</strong> How important is this? Our subconscious mind tells us whether we like someone or not based on an intuitive first impression. If it’s a bad impression, it can be overcome but that can be *very* difficult. Get started on the track, right away. And remember to SMILE!</p>
<p>11/9/10<br />
TUESDAY “Tip of the Day”: <strong>Key #2 &#8211; “Make a BOLD promise!”</strong> Grab your audience’s attention in a big way! Tell them what’s in it for them to spend their precious time, attention and energy listening to you. You’ll gain acceptance and enthusiasm, and make it more fun for you and them. And you better deliver on your bold promise!</p>
<p>11/10/10<br />
WEDNESDAY “Tip of the Day”: <strong>Key #3 – “Learn something about your audience”</strong> This is a really important component of your talk to make sure you are delivering value and building the relationship with your audience members. You need to know who you are talking to and what their challenges are, even when you invited a specific group of people.</p>
<p>11/11/10<br />
THURSDAY “Tip of the Day”: <strong>Key #4 – “Involve your participants” </strong>People learn in different ways. Engage your audience members by involving them and making them a part of your presentation. Make it fun for them. Give them an experience, not just a lecture, and they will learn, remember and enjoy it exponentially more.</p>
<p>11/12/10<br />
FRIDAY “Tip of the Day”: <strong>Key #5 – “Provide a Call to Action”</strong> Without this, you can give a magnificent, stellar presentation and GET NO SALES. I’ve been there, done that. I’ve seen too many others fall prey to this as well. YOU NEED TO MAKE AN IRRESISTIBLE OFFER and tell your audience EXACTLY what to do to accept. This makes it a win-win!</p>
<p>Now go out there and create massive value for your target market by giving kick-ass presentations that will serve you and serve them!</p>
<p>Remember, to get even more sales, marketing, social media and other business success tips:<br />
- Go to and &#8220;Like&#8221; <a href="http://facebook.com/GrowYourBiz">http://facebook.com/GrowYourBiz</a><br />
- Introduce yourself and your business on The Wall<br />
- Come back each day to read and comment on the tips. This will grow your skills and your business as well as your own social networking connections and effectiveness.</p>
<p>To your success!<br />
<em>BizCoachJason Rosado</em></p>
<p><em>P.S. For more tips on using social networking to build your marketing and sales funnel, provide huge value to your prospects and build your business quickly, check out the special report <a href="http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/social-networking-special-report/"><strong>&#8220;Untangling Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and More&#8230;&#8221;</strong></a></em></p>
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		<title>The Three-Step Business Networking Formula: Common Sense or &#8220;Midas Magic&#8221;?</title>
		<link>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/three-step-business-networking-magic/</link>
		<comments>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/three-step-business-networking-magic/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Sep 2010 03:55:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason Rosado</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business ethics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Upgrading skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lead generation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/?p=1067</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last night I was at another business networking event where everyone was trying to sell me and only talk about their business. It felt like I was getting &#8220;pitched to death,&#8221; and a few times all I could think was, &#8220;I&#8217;d never do business with you&#8230;&#8221;
So here&#8217;s the question:
&#8220;Are these events &#8211; or &#8216;pitch fests&#8217; &#8211; really worthwhile?&#8221;
Why did I [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last night I was at another business networking event where everyone was trying to sell me and only talk about their business. It felt like I was getting &#8220;pitched to death,&#8221; and a few times all I could think was, &#8220;I&#8217;d never do business with you&#8230;&#8221;</p>
<p>So here&#8217;s the question:</p>
<p><strong>&#8220;Are these events &#8211; or &#8216;pitch fests&#8217; &#8211; really worthwhile?&#8221;</strong></p>
<p>Why did I go? Because one of the single best ways for a small business to market and grow is to network. BUT&#8230;  I also know something that most of these people don’t know.</p>
<p>And I want to share it with you. Because to be <a href="http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/word/wp-content/uploads/Business-Networking-Gold.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1095 alignright" title="Business Networking Gold" src="http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/word/wp-content/uploads/Business-Networking-Gold-300x214.jpg" alt="Take your business networking to the bank" width="210" height="162" /></a>successful with networking for your small business, you should know this too.</p>
<h4>In fact, It&#8217;s as good as gold.</h4>
<p>You see&#8230;</p>
<p>Most of these people ARE NOT going to benefit from attending.</p>
<p><strong>Well, that is until they meet you. </strong>Because you are not doing what they are. You are not behaving that way. You aren’t saying the same things that they are, and you aren’t going about meeting people the same way that they do.</p>
<p>Instead, you are doing what&#8217;s effective, enjoyable, easy and will get you results.</p>
<p>So naturally&#8230;</p>
<h4>&#8220;The best way to be effective and stand out while networking is to do the OPPOSITE of what everyone else is doing.&#8221;</h4>
<p>Here&#8217;s what&#8217;s typical:</p>
<p>Everyone you meet introduces themselves and gives a boring 3-minute or longer &#8220;elevator pitch.&#8221; They don&#8217;t really take an interest in or listen to others. Common sense tells you that they are not going to get much out of their time, money and energy investment. But you can. It&#8217;s all about opposites&#8230;</p>
<p>Here are the three action steps for a winning networking conversation, in order of importance. When you read this, it might go against what &#8220;logic&#8221; would dictate. But&#8230; Most people are trying to be logical, and just spinning their wheels.</p>
<p>This strategy has been field-tested by myself and my clients - and guess what? </p>
<h4>THIS BUSINESS NETWORKING FOURMULA WORKS:</h4>
<p><strong>1.) Learn about the other person.<br />
</strong>Find out their interests, dreams, desires, business and personal goals, likes and dislikes.</p>
<p><strong>2.) Be of service to them.<br />
</strong>After you&#8217;ve learned about them and their wants, find a way to help them get closer to those wants, in business or in life &#8211; it doesn&#8217;t matter which.</p>
<p>Offer them your assistance and ask if you can follow up to deliver it. Whether that&#8217;s over the phone, in person or over email, make sure to get their permission so they know what to expect and you start to build trust right away. </p>
<p><strong>3.) Let them know what you do and who you help.</strong><br />
Maybe <em>they</em> can help <em>you</em> right away, and maybe not. And maybe <em>you</em> can help <em>them</em> right away with your business, and maybe not. But it doesn&#8217;t matter. <strong><em>Building a strong foundation for a relationship is the key goal of effective networking</em></strong> and so much more important than getting in a sales pitch.</p>
<p>So why do this? What are the benefits of this technique?</p>
<p>First of all, this corrects <strong>one of the biggest networking mistakes</strong>:</p>
<h4>95% of people that attend a networking event NEVER FOLLOW UP! </h4>
<p>You never know where your next lead or referral will come from.</p>
<p>Why invest all that time, money and energy to go home, throw the business cards you&#8217;ve collected into a shoebox, and wait for something to miraculously happen?</p>
<p>Guess what? It probably won&#8217;t.</p>
<p>But&#8230; if you&#8217;ve offered assistance in some form or another that is not directly a sales pitch, then you have a genuine reason to follow up and schedule a next meeting. And the person has a reason to accept your invitation and look forward to the appointment. They know what&#8217;s in it for them, and they are likely to appreciate the help you are providing.</p>
<p>Secondly, after you are in the process of helping them get closer to something they really want, <strong>they are even MORE RECEPTIVE</strong> <strong>to hear about and take an interest in what you do</strong>. Now this is the perfect time to get that information across to them, especially if it didn&#8217;t happen during your initial meeting.</p>
<p>They will feel a sense of reciprocity, not to mention that you are building on the three main sales factors - Know, Like and Trust &#8211; as they become more familiar with you in a supportive, friendly process.</p>
<p>So go ahead and try this formula out at your next networking event, family gathering or social outing.</p>
<p><strong>You will LOVE using this &#8220;Midas Magical Touch&#8221; to turn your networking results to gold!</strong></p>
<p>To your success!<br />
Jason</p>
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		<title>Six quick sales tips you can use today&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/six-quick-sales-tips-you-can-use-today/</link>
		<comments>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/six-quick-sales-tips-you-can-use-today/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:06:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason Rosado</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales Training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Upgrading skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/?p=1078</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sales these days have really come down to helping people, and the more our economy shifts to a service-based economy, the more important it is to understand this truth.
Want to help more people and make more sales?
While teaching sales strategies to two different clients yesterday and today, both said to me, &#8220;Wow.. I need to unlearn [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sales these days have really come down to helping people, and the more our economy shifts to a service-based economy, the more important it is to understand this truth.</p>
<p><strong><em>Want to help more people and make more sales?</em></strong></p>
<p>While teaching sales strategies to two different clients yesterday and today, both said to me, &#8220;Wow.. I need to unlearn what my company taught me. No wonder I&#8217;m not getting many appointments set.&#8221;</p>
<p>I’ve also heard this before from past clients. And this can&#8217;t be coincidence.</p>
<p>These two particular companies are well known and respected ones – one of the oldest and best-known in the financial services industry and one very respected marketing company. Both teach their sales staff very specific strategies and scripts filled with phrases that boast of the company’s successes, accolades, and awards but do very little to engage the prospect’s dreams, wants and desires. They don’t connect the dots from what the company offers to what’s in the prospect’s mind and heart.</p>
<p>So how do you connect those dots? By asking great sales questions.</p>
<p><strong>Here are six quick tips to do it:</strong> </p>
<ol>
<li>Don’t assume you know your prospect’s pain and pleasure points &#8211; ask them. Even if you guess correctly, they need to be expressed in <strong><em>their own words</em></strong>, not yours, so they can relate both intellectually and emotionally.</li>
<li>Make an <strong><em>active sales experienc</em></strong>e for your prospect, not passive.</li>
<li>Create a <strong><em>sales conversation</em></strong> instead of a presentation.</li>
<li>Help your prospect <strong><em>get clear</em></strong> on what they want, how it will positively impact them and what the costs are for not acting.</li>
<li>Use check-in questions and <strong><em>assess the fit</em></strong> as you go.</li>
<li>Leave the <strong><em>decision-making power</em></strong> with your prospect. As you progress, ask them if they&#8217;d like to hear more. Don’t try to be sly or force a sale on them. If you’ve done a good job at helping them connect the dots, the buying decision (the &#8220;close&#8221;) is up to them. </li>
</ol>
<p>It doesn’t matter how good your product or service is if you can’t help your prospect make an emotional and intellectual connection. Your goal is help them to take action and have ownership of their buying decision. These steps will virtually guarantee that.<strong><em> </em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em><br />
</em></strong><strong><em>Jason E. Rosado</em><br />
</strong><em>Business Coach &amp; Speaker</em></p>
<p><em>Helping service-based small biz owners and sales professionals achieve your ideal business in 12 months or less. <strong><a href="http://www.achieveyouridealbusiness.com/">Want to get started?  Sign up for your FREE &#8220;Business Success E-Series&#8221;!</a></strong></em><em> </em> <em> </em></p>
<p><em>773.829.1276<br />
</em><a href="mailto:jason@distinctivecoaching.com"><em>Jason@DistinctiveCoaching.com</em></a></p>
<p><em>Website: </em><a href="http://www.achieveyouridealbusiness.com/"><em>http://www.AchieveYourIdealBusiness.com</em></a><br />
<em>Twitter: </em><a href="http://twitter.com/BizCoachJason"><em>http://twitter.com/BizCoachJason</em></a><br />
<em>Facebook Profile: </em><a href="http://facebook.com/BizCoachJason"><em>http://facebook.com/BizCoachJason</em></a><em> <br />
Small Biz Tip of the Day: </em><a href="http://facebook.com/GrowYourBiz"><em>http://facebook.com/GrowYourBiz</em></a><em>  </em></p>
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		<title>Last Week&#8217;s Small Biz Tip Of The Day &#8211; Digest</title>
		<link>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/last-weeks-small-biz-tip-of-the-day-digest/</link>
		<comments>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/last-weeks-small-biz-tip-of-the-day-digest/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 May 2010 19:35:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason Rosado</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Decision Making]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goal setting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Upgrading skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/?p=999</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last Week’s Digest of Small Biz &#8220;Tip of the Day” from http://facebook.com/GrowYourBiz
Feel free to comment with your thoughts, experiences, and share your insights with the other members. The more you share and post, the more exposure you get for your business…
* FRIDAY Tip of the Day: Prioritizing and efficiency -&#62; When making your To-Do list [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last Week’s Digest of Small Biz &#8220;Tip of the Day” from <a href="http://facebook.com/GrowYourBiz">http://facebook.com/GrowYourBiz</a></p>
<p>Feel free to comment with your thoughts, experiences, and share your insights with the other members. The more you share and post, the more exposure you get for your business…</p>
<p>* FRIDAY Tip of the Day: Prioritizing and efficiency -&gt; When making your To-Do list at night, place the thing that&#8230; <a href="http://bit.ly/b8HJZU">http://bit.ly/b8HJZU</a></p>
<p>* THURSDAY Tip of the Day: Getting More Yes’s to Your Networking and Sales Meeting Requests &#8211; Have you demonstrated&#8230; <a href="http://bit.ly/bkjSur">http://bit.ly/bkjSur</a></p>
<p>* WEDNESDAY Tip of the Day: When writing an online profile, bio or description of your business, be sure to relate&#8230; <a href="http://bit.ly/bg4lLN">http://bit.ly/bg4lLN</a></p>
<p>* TUESDAY Tip of the Day: Use the &#8220;Solution, problem, solution&#8221; format in your speaking engagements and sales&#8230; <a href="http://bit.ly/aOS2Qj">http://bit.ly/aOS2Qj</a></p>
<p>* MONDAY Tip of the Day: The biggest sales mistake that most people make is not asking enough questions. You need to&#8230; <a href="http://bit.ly/9o1L9K">http://bit.ly/9o1L9K</a></p>
<p>Have a great week!<br />
BizCoachJason<br />
<a href="http://facebook.com/BizCoachJason">http://facebook.com/BizCoachJason</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Increasing Your Sales Call Effectiveness and Baseball &#8211; What Do They Have in Common?</title>
		<link>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/sales-call-effectiveness-and-baseball/</link>
		<comments>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/sales-call-effectiveness-and-baseball/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:53:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason Rosado</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Phone sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Upgrading skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales growth]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/?p=926</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The other day someone asked me what the goal of a sales call should be. And it got me thinking about baseball.
Even if you’re not a baseball fan, stick with me here. I’m talking about how to implement your sales game plan to gear up for a long, successful season.
Actually, I’m more of a football [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The other day someone asked me what the goal of a sales call should be. And it got me thinking about baseball.<a href="http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/word/wp-content/uploads/Baseball-Sales.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-935" title="Baseball = Sales" src="http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/word/wp-content/uploads/Baseball-Sales-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p>
<p>Even if you’re not a baseball fan, stick with me here. I’m talking about how to implement your sales game plan to gear up for a long, successful season.</p>
<p>Actually, I’m more of a football and basketball fan myself, but this baseball analogy made too much sense to pass up.</p>
<p>But first, let’s talk about how your philosophy can impact your overall game.</p>
<p>I work with my clients to transform their sales philosophy so “sales” is equated with “service,” no matter where the prospect is in the sales cycle.</p>
<p><strong>“Sales = Service”</strong></p>
<p>The goal of your sales call is to find a way to offer help and work with that prospect (not “pitch to” them) towards realizing some value gained from your interaction. That value you provide should be appropriate and proportionate to your own business goals and needs.</p>
<p>So when you contact a prospect, the main question on your agenda should be:</p>
<p><strong><em>“How can I help this person make their job and life better?”</em></strong></p>
<p>This approach solves A LOT of confusion, anxiety and uncertainty, and it also creates a very effective, ethical and enjoyable sales process for both parties.</p>
<p>If the result of your contact ends up simply being the chance for you to give some advice, resources or other form of value, great. They’ll appreciate and remember you for it.</p>
<p>If the outcome is to set up a face-to-face, phone or web meeting to offer more time for an in-depth conversation, solution or advisory session, even better.</p>
<p>If your call ends up being a sale that’s going to solve all their problems, that’s obviously awesome.</p>
<p>But even if it turns out that they don&#8217;t need your help, that’s good, too. Either it isn&#8217;t and won&#8217;t be a good fit for you to work together, or it just isn’t the right time for them *right now*. You can assess that, so you know how and when to move forward with them, and that is time well spent.</p>
<p>Remember, it takes time to develop a relationship, and this is how successfully closed sales are built - over the course of productive and mutually beneficial interactions and conversations.</p>
<p>In terms of progress during the sale cycle, let’s get back to our baseball analogy, because this is where it gets really important and most sales professionals strike out:</p>
<p><strong>You don’t need to hit a homerun every time.  </strong></p>
<p>Actually, <strong>don’t even try</strong> to hit a homerun every time.</p>
<p>The risk/reward ratio is in your favor to just get on base &#8211; make small victories that build &#8211; rather than striking out most often with the hope you’ll hit one out of the park once in a while. Those probably won’t happen fast enough, and you’ll be out of the game in no time at all.</p>
<p>So by thinking and acting in terms of providing service when you’re up to bat, you’ll hear the crowd go wild, you’ll advance your runner, and you’ll safely cross home plate more often.</p>
<p>And the best part &#8211; Everyone wins.</p>
<p>Play ball!</p>
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		<title>Q: Is it better to excel at Sales Skills or Product Knowledge?</title>
		<link>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/q-is-it-better-to-excel-at-sales-skills-or-product-knowledge/</link>
		<comments>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/q-is-it-better-to-excel-at-sales-skills-or-product-knowledge/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:23:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason Rosado</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales Training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Upgrading skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales growth]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/?p=896</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This question was posed to a sales executive group. Here is my answer:
Sales skills &#8211; relationship building, problem solving and service skills &#8211; outweigh product knowledge importance.
In short order, your task list to close a sale is:

Get buyer attention
Tailor and deliver an enticing marketing message
Build the relationship, as well as your credibility, trustworthiness and likeability
Coach the sale through [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This question was posed to a sales executive group. Here is my answer:</p>
<p>Sales skills &#8211; relationship building, problem solving and service skills &#8211; outweigh product knowledge importance.</p>
<p>In short order, your task list to close a sale is:</p>
<ul>
<li>Get buyer attention</li>
<li>Tailor and deliver an enticing marketing message</li>
<li>Build the relationship, as well as your credibility, trustworthiness and likeability</li>
<li>Coach the sale through to completion</li>
<li>Follow up when promised</li>
</ul>
<p>Of course you want to have a good understanding of how the product or service works, and more importantly, how it will solve the prospect&#8217;s challenges, wants and needs. And you want to sound knowledgeable and professional, but the specifics about the product or service process aren&#8217;t as important because you can call on others in your company to answer those questions, if needed.</p>
<p>Researching info and getting back to the prospect in a prompt fashion with the requested data can even aid in building credibility. It&#8217;s much better to double-check something than provide incorrect, conflict or confusing information.</p>
<p>Happy Sales!<br />
Jason</p>
<p>Do you agree or disagree? Please post your thoughts and experiences.</p>
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		<title>Q: What is the best &#8220;client-getting&#8221; strategy?</title>
		<link>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/q-what-is-the-best-client-getting-strategy/</link>
		<comments>http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/q-what-is-the-best-client-getting-strategy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:50:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jason Rosado</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goal setting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Upgrading skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lead generation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[linkedin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meetup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business owner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.distinctivecoaching.com/?p=678</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Every small business owner asks themselves this question - usually more often that not.
I&#8217;m happy to say that recently a number of past clients have contacted and hired me again to help them with this very question, to get down pat the skills, strategies, motivations and action plans needed to make it happen. That&#8217;s always a wonderful [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Every small business owner asks themselves this question - usually more often that not.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m happy to say that recently a number of past clients have contacted and hired me again to help them with this very question, to get down pat the skills, strategies, motivations and action plans needed to make it happen. That&#8217;s always a wonderful sign and feeling.</p>
<p>I like to help my clients set up a system that involves online and offline networking, getting exposure as an expert in their field, and using various client attraction methods to really put the fun back into marketing and sales.</p>
<p>I recommend people find ways to engage past, current and future clients in ways that really resonate with them as individuals and appeal to their target client. Provide lots of helpful info &#8211; create newsletters or teleclasses, speak at events, organize networking gatherings, use Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Meetup, partner up with others that share the same target audience, and join a &#8220;leads&#8221; group.</p>
<p>Connect and build relationships based on mutual interests and joint benefits. It&#8217;s all there for the taking, and it can be a very enjoyable and rewarding experience!</p>
<p>If you would like more info on any of these ideas, please feel free to ask me. I&#8217;d be happy to help.</p>
<p>All the best,<br />
Jason<br />
<a href="mailto:Jason@DistinctiveCoaching.com">Jason@DistinctiveCoaching.com</a> <br />
773.829.1276</p>
<p>Helpful links:<br />
<a href="http://bit.ly/dcsnsr">http://bit.ly/dcsnsr</a> &#8211; Social Networking Special Report<br />
<a href="http://www.achieveyouridealbusiness.com/">http://www.AchieveYourIdealBusiness.com</a> &#8211; 5 Easy Steps to Grow Your Business</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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