Rules of surviving the sales and marketing world

SALES SURVIVAL Rules of Surviving the Sales and Marketing World Author: Keith Winfree 2010 1 Page 1 WINFREE BUSINESS GROWTH ADVISORS

Winfree Rules of Surviving the Sales, Marketing, and Business World Table of Contents 1. Stay healthy; it will affect your success if you are ill. Exercise and eat healthy. 2. Talk little and listen a lot. 3. Be strong; don‟t let anyone know you are hurting. 4. Build very few alliances with people that you can trust. 5. Work hard, very hard; give it all that you can muster. 6. Keep calm; ask what others think and don‟t scramble. 7. Get people to like you and trust you. 8. Besides hard work and effectiveness in what you do, being likeable is most important. 9. You don‟t have to be in control; let things happen. 10. Be a God-centered person and let your confidence guide you. 11. Be honest or don‟t say anything. 12. Stay focused on the goal and don‟t become over confident; stay humble. 13. Don‟t do anything stupid. 14. In the end, it is who is most complete that gets the money. 15. Don‟t believe everyone and remember people will lie. 16. You must continue to acquire knowledge about your profession. 17. You must care about the product or service and your client. 18. Be frugal and live below your means. Copyright 2010 KWCI LLC

1. Stay healthy; it will affect your success if you are ill. Exercise and eat healthy. On my way to the doctor for my check up, I already know what he will say. “Youneed to exercise for 30 minutes three times a week.” If I have heard that once, I haveheard it fifty times. Why don‟t I eat smaller portions? The size of the portions hasgrown over my lifetime from 6 oz to 12 oz to 20 oz. Why? So businesses can makemore money! The more volume per person the more money they can make. However,we all need to take responsibility for the serving size of what we drink. My wife, Cynthia, and I have started sharing to reduce the portion size and notwaste money. Another great idea is to drink or share a 12 oz. serving. Try the V8Fusion 100% Mixed Berry Juice for health reasons. Take a double dose of vitamins foryour age each day without fail. Walk two to four miles a day; don‟t worry about speedin the beginning. Why spend this time on this subject? In every race with a physical content thosewho became ill or physically hurt DID NOT WIN! If you want to succeed at anything youhave to be physically fit and stay healthy. You won‟t reach your goals if you are nothealthy. Even if you have tried 30 times to lose weight or exercise regularly, start again. It isthe way you can succeed. Be careful what you do. However, you will have to increaseyour speed of exercise at times. In most cases in business, steady can win the race.However, aggressive behavior at certain times wins the race. So many think we are notracing against others but against ourselves. The winner is usually healthy. Balance inlife includes this rule. Use it - work on it every week and put it in your calendar.

2. Talk little and listen a lot. I have observed the winner of a contest; they usually listen a lot. I like the idea thatwe have two ears and two eyes, and one mouth; therefore, talk only 20% of the time.You can talk yourself out of a first-place position by saying what you think. It is better towalk away than to say something you will regret. This has been one of my biggestmistakes. Many people are looking for something to finally break off a relationship. Most aren‟tconcerned with who is right, but who is out of control. Those who can control thetongue are mature; and usually the mature and steady win the race. It is like the phrase “if you listen you can‟t be wrong.” In sales or business, theprospect must sell themselves. Therefore, they have to talk to themselves or to you.So, you have to listen to allow them to sell themselves. So many people I have watchedover the years break this rule and come in second, or last, place. “Remember, always, talk little and listen a lot when you meet with your clients tofigure out the current problem they‟re facing. Then, deeply connect with your clients toprovide the best solutions to win the business.”

3. Be strong; don‟t let anyone know you are hurting. When you are seeking to win first place, you can‟t let your worthy opponent knowthat you are hurting. In the animal kingdom, he who is weak or shows weakness isusually the one that is eaten. He who is strongest is the one who usually wins. We canbegin to paint a picture of the top performance. Let us see what we have so far:  Careful concern for health through regular exercise and eating healthy  One who is seen to be silent 80% of the time, but who is an active listener  Don‟t tell your opponent that you are hurting. So, it is someone who is quietly dealing with their pain and hurt.

4. Build few alliances with people that you can trust. Why? I have observed that the more alliances you have, the more chances you havefor people to lie to you and confuse you. In history it was the alliance that broughtdeath and destruction to the Roman Empire. Jealousy, envy, and a sense of betrayalflows from broken alliances. Therefore, one can reduce that bad spirit by having fewalliances. However, it must be stated that you can‟t win without at least one alliance. Allalliances break down and new alliances have to be created to take into account thechange in the current situation. Be strong through alliances, but have very few alliances. “Remember, always, to build few alliances with people that you can trust. In thisbusiness world, everyone is seeking their own interest. That‟s why it is important tobuild your own circle of alliances, but have very few alliances.”

5. Work hard, very hard; give it all that you can muster. Working very hard has been passed down for generations. In working through manycompanies and different cultures over forty years, I have noticed that many people thinkand complain that they are working hard; however, they are only working maybe sixhours a day. Most salespeople do not consistently do 20-30 points a day in behavior – make 20dials. The key here is to do it for a day, a week, a month, and years. Many times when amature salesperson does 20-30 points a day they double their sales immediately. Othersrealize that they are saying the wrong thing, talking to the wrong people, or sayingsomething in the wrong tone or the wrong way. One of my associates told me thatwhen he learned this he made more money than he has ever made before in his life. The 20-30 point game is easy, but hard to do for many people. I won‟t say they arelazy, but I will say that they don‟t believe. This is why you must keep up the behaviorlong enough that you can see the cause and effect. You must be able to have 90 daysof data for the number of first-meetings-to-closes per month or quarter. When you knowthis at a deep belief level nothing can stop you in business. My hope for you is that youhave that level of belief. “Remember, always, work hard, very hard; give it all that you can muster. Nothingis free. For everything in life there is a price you have to pay! Work hard to earn yourwealth and freedom. We all know we need to work hard and give our best shot to strikethe success. Now give your best shot to what you aim to achieve in life.”

6. Keep calm; ask what others think and don‟t scramble. It has been my observation in many competitive situations that the person whoscrambles give the impression that they are weak. Stop and talk to your alliances, andask what others think. Many times it is best to proceed very carefully. “When one is very close to the edge of a cliff, one should put his foot down veryslowly and softly.” “Remember, always, keep calm; ask what others think and don‟t scramble. Whenyou‟re together as a team to win, you need to work together and seek the opinion ofothers. You always gain when you ask, since it provides different perspectives to makegood judgments in any given business circumstance.”

7. Get people to like you and trust you. In over fifty years of working with people, I have validated the truth of thisstatement. Many times salespeople miss this most important skill. Be helpful and kind toeveryone. Promise very little. However, be a high achiever and deliver more than youpromise. All things being equal, in a competition, people will put their faith in peoplethey like and trust. All things not being equal, they will put their business with peoplethey like and trust. “Remember, always, get people to like you and trust you. In this business world, togain trust is important. How? You need to work on building a trustworthy relationship.It all begins with relationship. Trust is built over time, with consistency, persistence, andunderstanding relationship interaction. When people get to know you better and find outwho you are, they will trust you.”

8. Besides hard work and effectiveness in what you do, being likeable is most important. A little technique that works is to tell people you like them and trust them. Peoplewant to be liked. Even someone you might not like, still tell them you like them at thefirst moment you can say it. Watch the reaction of the person; it is amazing how peoplewant to be liked. Your hard work and likeable nature together are a strong hand, or keyto outstanding relationship skills. “Remember, always, besides hard work and effectiveness in what you do, beinglikeable is most important. In this business world, when people like you for your service,and products that you offer, you actually put yourself on top. You can gain competitiveadvantage by simply focusing on providing your likeable actions to maintain your clientrelationship. Therefore, be a likable salesperson so that you can win more business.”

9. You don‟t have to be in control let things happen. People who are leaders, or what are called high “D,” need or want to be in control.People want a seat at the table or at least have someone listen to their opinion. If youhave a temptation to control ownership, ask if they want you to take the lead. Peoplewho take control without the group agreeing to that position of leadership are not likedand others will find some way to knock you down from that post. Just because peopleask questions about what you are doing does not mean they want to take control. “Remember, you don‟t always have to be in control; let things happen. Go with theflow! You can‟t make someone do something. If you do, you will lose in the businessgame. To win you need to learn to let things happen in a natural way. People don‟t liketo be controlled by someone else. Relax and learn to let things happen.”

10. Be a God-centered person and let your real confidence guide you. God-centered is in line with the idea of the Spirit of success. A God-centered personis kind and gentle. I call it a tone of nurturing in application to selling. Every great leaderis humble and knows that he or she must have a humble heart. (More on this in Section12.) I call a God-centered person a “10.” Their self-worth is based on their belief, nottheir behavior. Most unsuccessful people‟s identity is determined by their behavior; itdefines who they are as a person. A God-centered person‟s self-esteem comes from abelief that is infinite and a “higher good.” “Remember, always, be a God-centered person and let your real confidence guideyou. Without confidence, you won‟t be able to achieve your goals and become asuccessful person. Belief in God will lead you to the right path.”

11. Be honest or don‟t say anything. This concept of not saying anything is so difficult for most people. This rule hasbeen passed down from parent to child for hundreds of years. It is close to the truththat says “don‟t tell someone their problem, unless they want to hear it.” I haveexperienced that it was a real war if you just start telling people what they are doingwrong without asking permission. “Remember, always, to be honest or don‟t say anything. People seek honestopinions. Practicing honesty is important in business so that you can gain trust and goodrapport. Be honest with your clients, always! Don‟t lie or say anything negative, unlessthey want your feedback!”

12. Stay focused on the goal and don‟t become over confident; stay humble. Staying focused, for most highly driven people, is very difficult since this is differentfrom their natural behavior style. Goal oriented people are those that are usuallysuccessful, if they can stay focused. Once people follow this rule and become somewhat successful, they need toremember the God part, which is to stay humble. The greatest leaders in the world arethose that are humble. “Remember, always, stay focused on the goal and don‟t become over confident;stay humble. We have to consistently remind ourselves that being humble is a God-centered practice. We don‟t want to get our ego up too high and offend people.Sometimes, when you get too confident, people perceive that you‟re too cocky. Alwaysstay humble and win. People will value and appreciate you more.”

13. Don‟t do anything stupid. When I was younger, I would do something stupid about once a year. Now that Iam older it seems that it is not as often. Every time I do something stupid what happensto me is far worse than any pleasure I receive from the extreme behavior. I have beenfortunate to have someone to keep me in line. My good values are a focus point for me. Without my core values, I might not have known what was stupid; however, mostpeople know what real stupidity is in a person‟s life. “Remember, always, don‟t do anything stupid that will cost you. Sometimes, peopledo stupid things without knowing it can impact their life. Be a smart salesperson andwin! Don‟t do anything stupid to ruin your relationship with the prospect!”

14. In the end, it is whoever is most complete that gets the money. Watching human behavior for more than fifty years has shown that, in a largecompetition, the person that has it all, or is the most complete, usually wins the contest.We will move a 95% success rate to as high as 98%. I will take those percentages anyday. You don‟t have those percentages in the stock market. Real estate has an evenhigher risk; marriage has a higher risk. So, the truth here is to keep working until you are a workman that is complete. Mygrandfather was that kind of workman. I have continued to improve using a trackingmethod, an interview sheet, and a system. Having the right belief, behavior, andrelationship is what we call, “having it all.” Go for it! “Remember, always, in the end it is who is most complete that gets the money.Right belief, right behavior, right relationship = money, or the prize!”

15. Don‟t believe everyone; and remember people will lie. This rule is sometimes hard for people to accept. I have experienced that people doa lot more lying today. Even the people close to me have been found to say things thatthey do not intend to deliver. Buyers are liars. They think nothing about lying to a salesperson. What has beendiscovered is that the more questions you ask, the lower the percentage of lying.However, don‟t believe everyone and remember people lie. “Discover the prospect by asking powerful questions that will eliminate anyquestionable situation. Knowing people will lie, you can learn to master not falling intotheir trap by protecting and preventing it with your good judgment, questions, andintuition.”

16. You must continue to acquire knowledge about your profession. In watching what I call “Tigers,” which are highly successful people in every case,they continue to grow in knowledge about their profession. They also learn otherknowledge which supports all aspects of their life. Ben Franklin, the great inventor andone of the fathers of our country, believed that this rule was one of four keys to buildingwealth. “Remember, always, you must continue to acquire knowledge about yourprofession. Constantly learning and improving your knowledge is the key in life. Neverstop learning „til you die.”

17. You must care about the product or service, and your client. You must care about your product or service. This is another one of Ben‟s Rules forBuilding Wealth. A person who really cares usually doesn‟t say the job is complete untilit is fully checked to be correct. A workman, or salesman, must stay with the jobthrough implementation and follow-up with the client. This is the way to ensure that asalesman can get referrals. This is why most small business people work too hard ornever grow very large. “Remember, always, you must care about the product or service, and your client.You can‟t sustain in business if you can‟t deliver great product and customer service tocapture your client and his referrals. People constantly come back to give you businessbecause they like you and perceive the value and know that you care about them. Youwin the business because you consistently care about your product and your service.”

18. Be frugal and live below your means. The lack of frugality is why most salespeople and business people fail. It has beenthe reason that people have gone into debt. It would have been better to wait until theyhave the cash. Also buying used products in excellent condition is a smart addition tothis rule. We can do with an older car or a smaller home. Nothing wrong with repairingsomething. ##If you score yourself on each of these 18 points right now and find yourself below 80%you are at risk; so improve something quickly. If you are between 80% and 95%, youwill make a good living. But if you want more, improve something. I always tell myclient, figure out what you love to do to get above 95%. If you are above 95%, I cantake you to wherever you want to go. Go for the best in life and put in a little extra in your work, for the love of it. Youwill be found at the top of all business owners, salespeople, or marketers. We will seeeach other at the top. You can connect with one of our training centers at www.winfree.org or call 800-616-9260.

Rules of surviving the sales and marketing world

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