Archive for the ‘Sales Motivation’ Category

Make 2012 Your Best Year EVER!

December 5th, 2011

Make 2012 Your Best Year EVER!

Is the market going to be better for your products/services in 2012? Or will your sales team face another tough year to achieve their sales objectives?  Recently I have been writing/talking about an issue facing everyone-your salespeople, your management team and your customers/prospects=sales fatigue. After three challenging years and now that we are about to enter  2012, all the sales numbers go back to zero and with confusion in the market, most everyone I have interacted with seems both physically and mentally  tired.

Last week I was speaking to a group of sales leaders in New York, as we discussed this topic, the question was asked regarding what as sales leaders can we do to counteract this condition.  I suggested the following idea’s (you can find more detail in past blogs on these topics).

  1. Build belief in your company & products/services: invite a happy customer to a sales meeting and let them tell your team how great your company and products are and what they have done for their company.
  2. Make a change: repackage your products/services, alter pricing, even move the desks in your sales offices. Another idea, create a new company sales presentation that changes your messaging. Any short term change will alter the chemistry and make something new and fresh.
  3. Focus on increased levels of training:  build a sales training plan for the first 90 days that includes sales skills, product/services knowledge, CRM, etc.  Next, build an individual salesperson development plan where twice each year, hold a formal salesperson career development discussion and mutually, you and a salesperson, create an individual plan to increase their professionalism.  In our “Interactive Sales Manager Tool Kit” we include a Salesperson Development Tool.  If you would like a free Salesperson Development Tool, send me an email request.  Ken@AcumenMgmt.com

There is always a lot to do but planning this  week for 2012 results will greatly move you ahead of your competition and prepare you for making 2012-Your Best Year Ever! 

Here’s another tip: December 15th, 2011: Make 2012 Your Best Year Ever:  50 Business Tips in 50 Minutes

Join a panel industry experts for a fast paced webinar where you will learn 50 great ideas on the following topics:
• How to build a high performance sales team
• How to create long term profitable client relationships
• How to leverage the power of social media networks
• How to align your entire organizations sales and marketing initiatives with your customers’ needs
• How to set focus your business on success and profit

Find  out more and Register here or  http://tinyurl.com/bl4zoq8

Ken Thoreson “operationalizes” sales management systems and processes that pull revenue out of the doldrums into the fresh zone. During the past 13 years, our consulting, advisory, and platform services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated the sales efforts for partners throughout North America.

 Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance.      

Ken@AcumenMgmt.com   www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog:  www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Ingredients for Success: A Gourmet Life

November 21st, 2011

Sales Leadership: Be a Postive Force

July 31st, 2011

Sales Leadership: Be a Positive Force 

It’s been a tough past few weeks; it’s been hard to listen to the chaos in Washington DC, the impact on the US stock market, continuing war issues and the lack of strong economic growth.  Last week I wrote about the summer blahs and sales leadership’s responsibility, it included an idea to “pump up your mental power”.   Believe me; I was really excited to travel this week.

I am in Anaheim, CA at the National Speakers Association Conference.  What a great time of the year  to be in a location with positive people, positive messages and everyone willing to assist in providing idea’s, tips and recommendations to help you grow your business. I have the opportunity to sit in on breakout sessions, discuss ideas one on one and listen to the top speakers in my profession, not only do I get to hear their programs, but also observe their techniques and styles.  It is a positive push in the right direction.  As readers of my blog have read below, my Thoreson Theorem or mantra is:  Stay positive, Take Action.  My keynote program stresses the need for everyone to consider their personal philosophy and in the times we live in and as sales leaders we must remain a positive force within our organizations.  What are you doing to increase the positives within your organization?  I would like to read your comments below or send me an email:  Ken@AcumenMgmt.com

 Need some personal help to increase your positive vibes or to pump up your team?

 All of this is why I wanted to share with you the information below; it describes my new book titled: Success Simplified:

 This book has it all!!!  It includes fourteen chapters on increasing your success quotient.

 Success Simplified has been written by the individuals who have learned the secrets to success. Where in one book can you learn from Dr.  Stephen Covey, Ken Thoreson, Dr. Tony Alessandra Patricia Fripp.

 Ever wonder why you feel like you’re on a treadmill, trying to go faster and juggling many different tasks while trying to please everyone? You’re not alone! These days it seems that everyone is trying to grab the gold ring but the carousel is  going too fast and it’s too complicated to and competent strategies to reach out and actually grasp it. Maybe it is a matter of redesigning success. We each have the opportunity to choose what success is for us. What if you took command and chose your own meaning of success so that you could love the life you live?

 The insights shared by the authors in this book have the capacity to not only inspire but transform your life. Take advantage of the valuable information they have provided. You’ll be glad you did!

 “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, then you will be successful.”

—Albert Schweitzer

 Based upon my meaningful keynote program, the reader will discover the importance of creating a personal theme for their lives, finding personal and professional balance, and creating the three ingredients to create a menu for life:  1) the passion of impact, 2) breaking out and becoming more creative and 3) being real and being more.

 This book has been designed for everyone; it will create dynamic changes in your life and the lives of those you touch. You can also learn more on my YouTube Channel.

 Ken Thoreson, author of the award-winning Your Sales Management Guru blog and book series for sales leaders, renowned consultant, speaker and contributor to many publications, teams with best-selling authors Stephen Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People), Dr. Tony Alessandra (The New Art of Managing People), and Patricia Fripp (award-winning professional keynote speaker) in a new book about achieving and assessing personal success. Thoreson was selected by Tennessee-based Insight Publishing’s nationwide search to be featured in the newest book in its highly successful Success Simplified: book series. The book also features other well-known authors and speakers, each offering time-tested strategies for defining and achieving success in frank, intimate interviews.

 Ken’s chapter, based on his popular keynote address and 13 years as a business consultant, features his Gourmet Living: “no-regrets, do-over recipe for success” and the importance of building a menu for life. “Each person is in charge of designing what their own success looks like to make sure they love the life they are living,” says Thoreson. “From our experiences, we are constantly learning how to take actions that help us achieve that success. I encourage everyone to ask themselves, ‘If you had your life to live to do over again, what would you do differently, if anything?’ While we cannot relive our lives, we can take action to change the way we are living.”

 The chapter discusses how to find personal and professional balance by aligning the individual’s soul with their company’s goals. “For those who manage people, it’s about taking the no-regrets to a personal level and helping them understand their own goals and recipe for success,” he explains.

 Thoreson waxes about the three essential ingredients for building a menu for life: the passion of impact; breaking out and eight ways to become more creative; and learning to be real and more. He also describes in detail the four critical roles that mentors, risk, work, and creativity play in achieving success.

The first three titles in Thoreson‘s series of “Your Sales Management Guru’s Guide” books also have recently been published. Your Sales Management Guru’s Guide to Leading High-Performance Sales Teams, Your Sales Management Guru’s Guide to Recruiting High-Performance Sales Teams, and Your Sales Management Guru’s Guide to Creating Sales Compensation Plans for High-Performance Teams can be ordered at http://www.yoursalesmanagementguru.salesgravy.com, Amazon.com

 Acumen Management Group Ltd. “operationalizes” sales management systems and processes that pull revenue out of the doldrums into the fresh zone. During the past 12 years, our consulting, advisory, and platform services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated the sales efforts for partners throughout North America. Move up and move ahead!

 Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance.           Ken@AcumenMgmt.com   www.AcumenManagement.com Blog:  www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

 

Take Advantage of the Opportunity of a Lifetime

July 25th, 2011

Take Advantage of the Opportunity of a Lifetime

 Take advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime, during the lifetime of the opportunity! I use this phase in my keynote program on Gourmet Living; I have coined it as a Thoreson Theorem.  In each of our lives we all have special times or events that open the door to unique opportunities. They maybe a business that is taking off and bringing great rewards, or it could be a special time to share with old friends or relatives.    The important aspect of the phase to recognize the “time” factor and the action of “taking advantage”, many times I have noticed individuals not recognizing how little we have in our lives or failing to take action, they simply exist.

 While we can’t live our lives over again, we do have the freedom to do over the way we live our lives.  Domino pizza faced quality control issues and they are now “doing over” their recipes and services. In Gourmet Living I speak often about creating a Menu for Life where each of us can choose a philosophy of how we want to live life and to create a “mantra” or theme that will carry you on your day to day life experiences.  All of this becomes a Do-Over Recipe for Personal and Professional Success. Why is this important as we move into the last week of July?

Are you ready, excited and focused or are you feeling the blah’s? Last week I was interviewed on the topic of sales fatigue for Top Sales World www.TopSalesWorld.com . It is something I have noticed the last three and four months where sales leaders and salespeople are feeling the grind of the past 18-24 months and facing the next  5 months of exceeding sales quotas. If you or your sales team are simply showing up to work, you may need to consider Doing-Over your personal and professional goals, setting a new theme for your sales team for the next 5  months  and simply increasing the motivational factor for your team.  Gain what I like to call ‘fresh air”.  Remember professional’s will do what amateurs fail to do, the little extra’s that make the difference in their performance. The YouTube video below discusses 3 words, And Then Some....These three words are the difference between average performers and top performers.  I hope you enjoy the video, its 2 ½ minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0VKjUwE2TI

I hope you are excited and that everyone on your team takes advantage of the great opportunities that exist and their lives are all Gourmet.

Ken Thoreson “operationalizes” sales management systems and processes that pull revenue out of the doldrums into the fresh zone. During the past 13 years, our consulting, advisory, and platform services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated the sales efforts for partners throughout North America.

 Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance.           Ken@AcumenMgmt.com   www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog:  www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Gourmet Living: Your Life’s Pizza

July 5th, 2011

Gourmet Living:  Your Life’s Pizza

Ahh summer is here, the fourth of July was celebrated with parades, fireworks and many family and community get together’s.  I hope your weekend was a terrific time to celebrate America.

On Saturday,  we spent the evening on the dock, cooling off with frequent swims and feeling the light breeze off the lake;   about 6pm I went up to the kitchen and took out my pizza stone and made a pizza, with pepperoni, mushrooms, 2 kinds of cheeses, fresh basil and Italian seasoning.  Needless to say we finished it off as the sun was setting behind the hills of east Tennessee.

If you follow our blog or receive my monthly newsletter you know I speak often about food, finding your Menu for Life and the analogy of pizza and life.  All of our lives are made up of various ingredients-much like my Saturday evening pizza, but our lives are also made up of various slices that if balanced properly increase both our personal life as well as your professional life.  These slices of life relate to relationships, friends & family, fitness, communication skills, time management, etc.

To hear an excerpt from my keynote where I describe how to find balance in your life and begin to create a Gourmet Life listen to this YouTube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kTVC-jcT3Q

If you would like a copy of the Personal/Professional pizza to assess how you score in each slice of life, send me an email. Ken@AcumenMgmt.com

As you look on You Tube: search for “Ken Thoreson”, you will find 10 other short video’s from my keynote program: Gourmet Living.

Ken Thoreson “operationalizes” sales management systems and processes that pull revenue out of the doldrums into the fresh zone. During the past 13 years, our consulting, advisory, and platform services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated the sales efforts for partners throughout North America.

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance.           Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog:  www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

Building Culture to Increase Profits

June 27th, 2011

Sales Leadership: Building Culture to Increase Profits

Did you know that when you lose a salesperson, it costs you 4 times what you paid that person during their employment?   These costs include not only salary, but benefits, lost sales/profits, time of management support, training costs, and in many cases lost market presence and bad company image with repeated new salespeople calling on the same accounts (if you want the entire formula, send me an email and I will send it to you: Ken@AcumenMgmt.com)

In a recent WSJ column a graph was displayed showing the level of discontent of workers that are “seriously considering leaving their jobs”. They surveyed 2,400 workers and compared a study from 2005 to 2010 showing the percentages of discontent.

Ages                2005                2010

25-34               25%                 40%

35-44               24%                 33%

45-54               20%                 28%

These numbers are significant for two reasons; one: as the economy gets better and more jobs open up, plan and expect to lose people  and two: why should be people  be discontented?

As readers of this blog should know, my answer to point number one to build an on-going sales recruiting program. See previous blogs on recruiting or view my free video on my website.

The answer to number two is more challenging but is a critical role in the job of sales leadership, creating a positive culture of high performance. In many of my keynote programs I discuss the need for leaders to “align the soul of the individual with the goals of the organization”, this means that the leader must know the individual goals of each person and then you must show that person they can achieve their personal and professional objectives by assisting the organization in achieving its goals. If the salesperson wishes to purchase a boat, show them how they can earn the extra commissions to pay for the boat, HINT, create a poster with a picture of that boat with a bar chart that reflects the sales goals required to hit the required cost of the boat.  If is a college fund for their children you should know that as well.

In addition to the personal skills required by sales leaders, you will need to create the atmosphere where you reinforce belief in your organization. Previous blog on building belief would be a good read on this topic, but in summary focus on building success stories on where your product/service has greatly benefited your client base and share them at least quarterly.

Next, are you creating a fun atmosphere?  An office where people enjoy each other, laugh, share idea’s, talk about their lives and work together for the common good is essential.  One idea I have recommended at this time of the year is to have your sales team and/or management team cook a picnic lunch for all your employees. Make is a summer, once a month event, it’s a way to say thank you. Create a theme, some fun event, allow the president or others to simply give a short talk about a positive event(s) within the company and then everyone “get’s back to work!

If you have other ideas on building culture, please post them below and let’s build a library of ideas.

Focus on building a culture where your salespeople are earning top commissions, expectations for high performance are set, discipline, accountability, control are in place and a positive environment is a priority.  Your turnover will reduce, your profitability will soar.

Have a safe and fun 4th of July and remember why we celebrate that day!

Ken Thoreson “operationalizes” sales management systems and processes that pull revenue out of the doldrums into the fresh zone. During the past 13 years, our consulting, advisory, and platform services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated the sales efforts for partners throughout North America.

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance.           Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog:  www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

 

The Man Who Sold Hot Dogs!

June 20th, 2011

First let me state this: I did not write this week’s blog.

As sales leaders  we have 3 aspects to our job.  We must focus on the “role”  we play, we must focus on the “strategic” side of our job and we must focus on  the day to day “tactics”, the story below describes what the “role” of our jobs are, that is the culture and motivational aspects of sales leadership.  I believe  the story below helps every salesperson fight though the tough times and mental challenges we face  in everyday  life.

Yesterday a 22 year man won the US Open, a month ago, he went into the last day leading the Masters and lost. He fought through not only the physical side of his profession but also the mental side.   I hope you enjoy “The Man Who Sold Hot Dogs!

The Man Who Sold Hot Dogs

There was a man who lived by the side of the road and sold hot dogs.

He was hard of hearing, so he had no radio.

He had trouble with his eyes, so he read no newspapers.

But he sold good hot dogs.

He put up signs on the highway telling how good they were.

He stood by the side of the road and cried, “Buy a hot dog, Mister.”

People bought.

He increased his meat and roll orders.

He bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade.

He finally got his son home from college to help him out.

But then something happened.

His son said: “Father, haven’t you been listening to the radio?

There’s a big recession coming on.  The Middle East situation is terrible.  The domestic situation is worse.”

That made his father think: “Well my son’s been to college, he reads the papers, and he listens to the radio, he ought to know.”

So the father cut down on his meat and rolls orders, took down his advertising signs, and no longer bothered       to stand on the highway to sell his good hot dogs.

Sales fell fast, almost overnight.

“You’re right son,” the father said to the boy.  We are certainly in the middle of a great recession.  There just isn’t any business.”

(Need we point out the moral?)

This was received in 1974… BEFORE Email.

Ken Thoreson

Acumen Management Group, Ltd

423-884-6328

Ken@acumenmgmt.com

www.acumenmgmt.com

 

 

Creating a Vision for Your Life or How to Develop: Gourmet Living

April 4th, 2011

Creating a Vision for Your Life or How to Develop: Gourmet Living

After speaking at a sales conference this past week where my title was:  Gourmet Living, Creating a Menu for Life an attendee asked me a great question.  She said: “you spoke about creating a vision for your life and a passion for impacting the lives of others, I don’t have a vision for what my life should be like, how do I develop one?”

While somewhat surprised;  I realized many individuals have either lead a life that was somewhat easy and everything was provided to them and their expectations were to “float” until reality hits. And there are others that have lived in a very difficult environment, with limited options and resources and expectations for a better future were never considered. While there are expectations in each situation I have met individuals at many different ages and positions in life that have “stalled out” or have peaked and they are simply living, but not living life!

In my keynote I assist the participants in creating a Menu for Their Life; I blend my cooking and personal life experiences to challenge them to create a philosophy and purpose for their personal and professional lives. Motivational Sales Management Keynotes, Seminars and Workshops | Building a High-Performance Sales Organization

I have listed below five idea’s for you to take action on if wish to do more with your life.

One: make a commitment to leave your mark on earth a better place than when you arrived. Like a Boy Scout, you leave the camp site in better shape than when you found it. No matter your age or situation, determine what you can do in life to make this a better world.  This action will make you feel better and proud.

Two: create your list of both small and large dreams and then create a Dream Poster, with pictures of your dreams. This will keep your dreams active and allow your personal actions to work towards “marking them off’ as you achieve them. The Dream Poster can include anything, from travel, to toys, to even lifestyle changes.

Three: create a list of what you physically must do to actually achieve #2.  This step is where many individuals fail, everyone wants to succeed and achieve, but fail to understand there is price you pay for success.

Four: associate with people that are succeeding, people say you should not compare yourself to others, I think you should.  Compare your common characteristics; compare what they are doing that you are not. Work to improve yourself by focusing on your strengths.

Five: If you have reached a plateau in your life, or are in a rut, or have lost your vision for your life, start over at number one.

While these 5 steps may seem simplistic, they certainly will begin to create the excitement and passion you must feel to propel you to the next level.  If you want copy of our Menu for Life, send me an email; Ken@Acumenmgmt.com

Ken Thoreson “operationalizes” sales management systems and processes that pull revenue out of the doldrums into the fresh zone. During the past 13 years, our consulting, advisory, and platform services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated the sales efforts for partners throughout North America.

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance.       Ken@AcumenMgmt.com www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog:  www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

The Difference between Average and Top Performers

March 7th, 2011

The Difference Between Average and Top Performers

 In preparation to speak at a sales award banquet this week I was thinking about what kind of message I wanted to leave with the audience and in thinking though  a  variety of ideas I realized it maybe a common  concept that ALL sales leaders must reinforce to their teams. Whether it is a January Kick Off event, a Monday morning sales meeting or a quarterly salesperson review session, sales managers must sell the need to “Plan for Success”.

Planning for success means you build a sales organization that is not opportunistic in account management, prospecting, etc, but focused on a methodology to ensure success. It also means that there is an expectation or attitude from management that is transmitted to the team that WE will be successful, WE are winners, WE are better and WE work together. This is part of the emotional make up that creates an atmosphere that separates the average performing organizations from top performing sales teams.

What do you need to create this environment? A sales management system that reinforces what you expect and a leadership and management style that is focused only on accepting high performance-in all aspects of life. This means every salesperson must have a:

  • A yearly salesperson business plan
  • A Top 15 Account Plans –if appropriate
  • A rolling 90 day sales training plan
  • Formal monthly/quarterly salesperson reviews
  • Sales contests that drive fun, recognition and teamwork
  • Measurement systems that promote success and show effectiveness

 Every salesperson wants to be successful, as does every sales manager, everyone has good ideas, but execution becomes the key differentiator in success. You have to work on the methodology, but you also have to focus on the emotional aspects of success, I think you can summarize it this way:  the difference in success is 3 simple words:

 The difference between average performers and top performers are:                
                Top performers do what is expected… and then some…

                They meet their obligations fairly and squarely … and then some…

                They are good friends, helpful neighbors… and then some…

                They are thoughtful of others, they are considerate and kind … and then some…

                They can be counted on in an emergency…and then some. 

As you go about your week, make sure you do what is expected…and then some. 

In my new book: Leading High Performance Sales Teams, we discuss these ideas and others in greater detail, you can listen to a pod cast on the books also in our store: www.AcumenManagement.com

 Acumen Management Group Ltd. “operationalizes” sales management systems and processes that pull revenue out of the doldrums into the fresh zone. During the past 12 years, our consulting, advisory, and platform services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated the sales efforts for partners throughout North America. Move up and move ahead!

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance.           Ken@AcumenMgmt.com   www.AcumenManagement.com

Blog:  www.YourSalesManagementGuru.com

What a Grand Week for Personal Leadership!

February 21st, 2011

What a grand week for Personal Leadership!

 Last week in my blog I wrote about the importance for sales leaders to focus on building belief and the need for your sales team have emotional commitment to your company and your products/services.  On Tuesday I spoke on the first day of a three day national sales kick off conference for a firm in Raleigh NC. Even though I was leading off the afternoon with a keynote, I wanted to sit in on the first two hours in the morning to get a feel for the audience and theme for the event.

The first item on the agenda included a welcome by the VP of Sales but what created the perfect atmosphere was he began to randomly ask ten salespeople about a variety of their success stories about 2010.  They had NOT been prompted.     It was great to “feel” the mood in the room change from one of interest in the meeting to one of warmth, pride, teamwork and excitement about 2011!  This is a sales driven organization that is adding salespeople, increasing sales and creative marketing programs. In our sales management workshops we speak to the need for sales leaders  to create an annual Drive Statement, a phase that sets the tone or theme for the New Year, theirs   was “Soaring to New Heights”, doesn’t that really make the point!   This is a sales driven organization that is adding salespeople, increasing sales, winning market share and one that many competitive salespeople want to work for, it was a great experience for me to share my time and ideas on driving personal and professional success with this sales organization. The VP of Sales for this firm included the personal aspects of leadership as well as the professional requirements that builds great teams.

Next I spent Friday-Sunday at the National Speakers Association conference in Atlanta attending their Winter Conference. They normally hold two events a year and as a member I truly enjoy these conferences. It is also very strange, normally I am speaking at a conferences or leading breakout sessions for my clients, at this event I am looking at schedules trying to determine what events I feel I need to attend, taking notes, holding hallway and lunch networking events and absorbing a ton of information.  People like Brian Tracy attended and so many other great people that are willing to share information to enhance the level of professionalism of the industry. I attended a full day session on Thought Leadership, presented by Matt Church; he flew in from Australia to share his insights into the consulting, writing and professional speaking business. Throughout the weekend I met and listened to a variety of individuals with a wide variety of experience and expertise, including Alan Weiss, Sam Horn, Mark Sanborn and the last morning just 2 hours before the conference ended, sitting at a table, I leaned over to chat with a woman next to me and she simply asked me a question about my business.  I shared some information and she gave me a Break Through Thought for my keynote that made my time at the conference even thought I came away with two pages of to-do’s notes.

 My point in mentioning this entire conference is to reinforce that you must always work to get better, read more, invest in yourself and you never know who will give you that gem of an idea that will help you win the next sale or change your life. 

Just a note: Our three new books on Sales Management are available and our Success Simplified book on my keynote are available on our web site.

Acumen Management Group Ltd. “operationalizes” sales management systems and processes that pull revenue out of the doldrums into the fresh zone. During the past 12 years, our consulting, advisory, and platform services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated the sales efforts for partners throughout North America. Move up and move ahead!

Ken provides Keynotes, consulting services and products designed to improve business performance.           Ken@AcumenMgmt.com   www.AcumenManagement.com