Business development

Additional tips for attending business networking events

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More tips for your business networking

In an earlier column, I discussed some of the fundamentals of participating in a business networking event. Recent networking events reminded me of some additional steps you can take to ensure the event is a success for you and the others.

Invite others into your conversation. During one event I was seated at a table with three other networkers. As I left to get a soda, I noticed another attendee standing off by herself. I approached her and invited her to join us.

You recall those times when you stood by yourself, and how happy you were when someone approached to chat. Now it’s your turn. At various times during the meeting, glance around the room. Do you see another attendee standing by himself or herself? Approach and introduce yourself. It’s the professional thing to do, and it just may open the door to a business relationship. 

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8 steps to ensure more success in sales

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Want to know how to be more successful in sales? This column should help.

I had the pleasure recently of attending a seminar by Dave Behr. Dave, a 17-year veteran of Competitive Edge Seminars (one of Tom Hopkins’ firms), filled his 60-minute session with some of the best sales advice I’ve heard in a long time.

Scribbling madly, I managed to take some great notes from that presentation. Here are my 8 tips to help you become more successful in sales. Some may be familiar, others are new. All are valuable sales techniques.

1. Put the 80/20 Rule to work for you. Knowing that 20% of what we do makes 80% of the difference, concentrate on that 20% portion. “It comes down to activity,” Dave says. Several ways to become more successful: Make more sales calls, prospect more efficiently (for example, targeting higher quality prospects), or both.

Dave cautions against getting too aggressive with your new activities. Incorporate them over time. If you try to do too much in a short time span, you’ll become frustrated and stop.

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Overcome writer’s block with a simple strategy

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How to overcome writer’s block

Ever hit a roadblock while trying to write a column or article? As hard as you try, you just cannot come up with a topic. You’ve hit the brick wall that has bedeviled authors for centuries: writer’s block.

writer's block, overcome writer's blockWhat to do? Well, you could bang your head against the wall, but that would hurt a bit. And not really give you any good ideas, except on how to deal with a headache. Writers, after all, are problem solvers. Writer’s block is just one more hurdle to overcome. The following steps will help you come up with suggestions for your next column or article.

First, keep in mind what I call the Four Universal Themes. They are:
– Customer Service
– Increasing sales
– Decreasing costs
– Motivation/Inspiration

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3 principles to achieve, maintain peak performance

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In one of his videos, Brendon Burchard, author of “The Millionaire Mindset” and founder of High Performance Academy, invites viewers to create a video outlining their core principles. These are principles that we live everyday; that guide us and help us maintain a high performance level. He invites viewers to post a link to those videos on his Facebook page.

I took him up on the offer. My video outlines three core principles I live by: integrity, assisting others, and striving to succeed. These keep me focused in the right direction, but personally and professionally.

Integrity – Should be a given in everyone, but it’s important to remind ourselves everyday to be honest. Sometimes we want to cut corners to make a process go smoother. Salespeople occasionally are tempted to sell a higher priced solution. Or, sell even though another firm is better suited to solve the person’s problems.

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How to use visualization before a presentation or sales call

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Visualization involves imagining yourself participating in an exercise and realizing a positive outcome. Professional athletes and successful salespeople use visualization to help them prepare for an upcoming event or meeting.

They envision the process from Step 1 through to its conclusion. Along the way they “practice” what they will say and do, thereby helping to memorize their steps and dialogue. Just as important, because they visualize a positive outcome, they become charged up and more confident.

Another advantage I’ve found is that I think of new questions or points to consider. As I prepare for my meeting, I research the firm and generate a number of comments and questions. Prior to the meeting, I use visualization to “walk” myself through the discussion. I envision saying and asking certain things, and the prospect responding in a particular manner.

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