Table of Contents
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xv
WEEK 1 Start Now 1
Do the Hardest Thing First 1
Tell Everyone You Know What You Do 2
Remain Positive 3
Work For Today, Tomorrow, and Your Future 3
Stick to It 4
WEEK 2 Stay Put 6
WEEK 3 Cultivate an Entrepreneurial Mindset 9
Procure Tools and Resources 9
Market Yourself 11
Hire Employees (Assistants) 11
Build a Sales Team 12
WEEK 4 Project a Positive Attitude 13
Surround Yourself with Positive People 14
Seek Out Positive Ideas 14
Banish Negativity and Self-Defeatism 15
Master the Art of Positive Talk 15
WEEK 5 Set Goals 18
Associate with Fellow Goal Setters 19
Set a Goal 19
Set a Deadline 20
Break Down Your Goal Into Milestones 21
WEEK 6 Devise a Plan 22
Essential Elements of a Business Plan 22
Business Description 23
Market Focus 23
Situation Analysis 24
Vision Statement 24
Revenue Projections 25
Budget 26
Start-Up Money 26
WEEK 7 Develop Systems and Procedures 28
Document Your Job 29
Identify Procedures 30
Delegate the Work 31
WEEK 8 Hire an Assistant 32
Recruit Assistants 33
Screen the Candidates 34
Visual or Virtual? 40
Retain Your Best Assistants 41
WEEK 9 Prioritize 42
Stephen’s Not-So-Secret Secret 43
Rediscover Your A-B-Cs 44
Day Job, Night Job 45
WEEK 10 Know Your Product 46
Use Your Product or Service . . . IF Possible 47
Recruit Referrals 48
WEEK 11 Know Your Clients 49
Who’s Really Your Client? 49
Use What You Sell 50
Participate in Consumer Communities 50
Consult with Other Departments 51
Learn Your Customer’s Business 51
Gather Feedback from Clients 52
WEEK 12 Recognize the Difference between Customers and Clients 54
Be a Salesperson, Not an Order Taker 55
Customer Service Is Key 55
Become a Problem Solver 55
WEEK 13 Under-Promise, Over-Deliver 57
Ask! 58
Uncover Soft Expectations 58
Follow Up 59
Think Total Service 59
WEEK 14 Leverage the Power of Your Disabilities 61
Identify Your Abilities and Disabilities 62
Identify the Positive in Your Disabilities 62
WEEK 15 Turn Problems into Opportunities 64
Look for Trouble 64
Become a Problem Solver 65
Look for Problems in Your Own Business, Too 66
WEEK 16 Brand Yourself: You, Inc. 68
Nailing Down My Brand 69
Assemble a Marketing Packet 69
WEEK 17 Engage in Shameless Self-Promotion 72
Focus on Self-Promotion 73
Make It a Priority 73
Start on the Internet 74
Distribute Regular Press Releases 75
Draw Free Publicity and Positive Press 76
Invest in Paid Advertising 77
WEEK 18 See Business Where It Isn’t 79
Identify Unserved and Underserved Markets 80
Train Your Mind to Spot Opportunities 81
Build Business Synergies 82
WEEK 19 Brainstorm Problem Solving with Your Staff 83
Ask for Help 84
Don’t Get Hung Up on Hierarchy 85
Foster a Problem-Solving Atmosphere 85
Think Ends, Not Means 85
WEEK 20 Focus on Your Clients’ Success 87
Your Success Is My Success 87
Success Breeds Success 88
Your Mission Statement 89
WEEK 21 Write Notes to Your Clients 90
WEEK 22 Launch YourWeekly Hour of Power—100 Calls in 60 Minutes 93
Harvesting Pearls Called Referrals 94
No Selling! 94
No Interruptions! 95
Keep a Tally Sheet 95
WEEK 23 Master the 10-10-20 Technique 97
The Technique 97
Another Way to Network 98
Adjust the Technique 99
WEEK 24 Hone Your Networking Skills 101
WEEK 25 Market Your Home-Based Business 104
Bargain for an Advantage 105
Niche Marketing 105
Seek Feedback Constantly 106
Be Consistent 106
Set Aside Time Every Week for Marketing 106
WEEK 26 Master a New Technology 107
WEEK 27 Explore Marketing Opportunities on the Internet 111
Build Your Own Web Site 112
Build Communities through Blogging 113
Drive Traffic to Your Web Sites and Blogs 114
Add a Signature File to Your E-Mail Messages 115
WEEK 28 Reward Yourself 116
Create a Reward Collage 116
Reward Yourself before a Sale 117
Fine-Tune Your Reward System 118
WEEK 29 Find a Better Place to Meet Your Clients 120
Choose a Place with the Right Ambience 120
Set the Stage 121
Navigate an Office Meeting 122
WEEK 30 Improve the Way You Ask and Answer Questions 123
Ask Questions that Require Some Explanation from Your Client 124
Try to Answer a Question with a Question of Your Own 124
Break Down Bad News into Terms that Are Easier to Accept 125
WEEK 31 Perfect Your Tele-Sales Skills 126
Make a Lot of Calls 127
No Scripts 128
The “Mirroring” Technique 128
Have Something to Say When You Call 129
WEEK 32 Shadow a Top-Producing Salesperson 130
My Sales Mentors 131
Identify Prospective Mentors 132
Hire a Sales Coach 133
WEEK 33 Team Up with a Personal Partner 134
Choose a Partner 135
Develop a Plan 135
Meet with Your Partner 137
WEEK 34 Hook Up with a Mentor 140
Mentors in the Family 140
Mentors in the Neighborhood 142
Mentors in Your Office 142
WEEK 35 Jot Down Ideas for New Opportunities 144
WEEK 36 Nurture Relationships 147
Forget about the Money 147
Stop Hunting, Start Farming 148
Get Connected 148
Gather Contact Information 149
Keep in Touch 150
Give 150
WEEK 37 Launch Your Own Blog 151
Brush Up on Blog Basics 152
Test Drive a Blog for Free 154
Choose a Blog Host and Platform 154
Earn Higher Search Engine Rankings 155
WEEK 38 Try an Internet Lead Generation Service 158
Assess the Benefits of Lead Generation Services 159
Be Prepared 160
WEEK 39 Date Your Leads . . . or Someone Else Will 162
Create a System 162
Be the First to Call 163
Work on Your Follow-Through 164
Be Persistent 164
Date Your Clients, Too 165
WEEK 40 Build Trust in Online Communities 166
What Constitutes Social Media? 167
Tap the Power of Social Media Marketing 169
WEEK 41 Fire Your Worst Clients 172
When You Can’t Deliver 173
When The Customer Is Too Negative 173
When the Deal Doesn’t Fit Your Business Plan 174
WEEK 42 Attend a Convention or Seminar 175
I Learned the Hard Way 176
My First Convention 176
Attend Seminars and Workshops 177
Network 177
WEEK 43 Host a Seminar orWorkshop 179
Identify a Need in the Marketplace 181
Create Your Workshop or Seminar 181
Promote Your Workshop or Seminar 182
WEEK 44 Master the Platinum Rule 183
WEEK 45 Expand into Multicultural Markets 185
Test Your Cross-Cultural Competency 186
Follow Your Customer’s Lead 186
Take a Comprehensive Approach 187
WEEK 46 Avoid or Recover from a Sales Slump 189
Avoid Negative People and Situations 189
Set a Start Date 190
Be Committed 190
Make Marketing a Regular Activity 190
Keep Records 190
Talk to Your Manager about Your Sales Decline 191
Learn from Past Mistakes 191
Get Your Family and Friends Involved 191
Learn to Cope 191
WEEK 47 Build Your Own Sales Team 193
What Is a Sales Team? 193
Realize the Benefits of the Team-Based Approach 195
Are You Team-Ready? 196
Take a Lesson from Your Dentist 197
WEEK 48 Sharpen Your Team Management Skills 198
WEEK 49 Close a Sale the Right Way: Six
Follow-Up Steps 201
1. Save It! 201
2. When You Lose a Sale, Find Out Why 202
3. Stay in Touch with Them 202
4. Thank Them for Their Time 203
5. Ask for a Referral 203
6. Move On 204
WEEK 50 Become a Lifelong Learner 205
WEEK 51 Just Do It! 209
Plan 211
Delegate 211
Use Technology to Leverage Your Efforts 212
Know When to Take a Break 212
WEEK 52 Final Thoughts 214
About the Authors 216
Index 218
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