I shared this with my list a few weeks ago and I got such a favorable response that I decided I should share it with the rest of my readers here at Andy the Sales Coach.

Interview with Michael Dunlop - My Bucket List

I know this is a few weeks late but we are still in the very beginning weeks of 2010. I wanted to share with you a tradition that I have done at the beginning of each year since I was 14 years old.

This is not only an exercise that I enjoy but also continually benefit from all year long – creating and updating my bucket list.

I good friend of mine, Michael Dunlop, interviewed me for his website – www.incomediary.com – back in November about the importance of having a bucket list. You can listen here if you are interested:

PDF of Bucket List for Sales Professionals

I wanted to take this a step further so I put together a PDF of how to create a bucket list and and made it especially targeted for Sales Professionals. At the end, I also attached a sample bucket list to get you excited about creating yours!

So get out your magazines and create your own bucket list for 2010!  You can make a poster of what your goals are in all areas of your life – personal, financial, career – just about any aspect of your life!

If you have any questions please feel free to shoot me an email!

Best,

Andy

My buddy Tom Schaff and I were recently interviewed by the leading expert in Sales Force Development – Dave Kurlan. On Dave’s weekly radio interview show, Tom and I reveal the secrets on “our biggest deal ever” and present many insights into one of our upcoming programs.  How to Land Your Biggest Deal Ever with expert author, Tom Searcy, is a 2 day workshop that will be coming to both the St. Louis and Washington D.C. areas in the upcoming months.

If you are interested in listening to Dave grill us about what it means to land your biggest deal ever I invited you to check it out here:

You will be redirected to our interview on Global Talk Radio

Until next time!

Andy Miller

Sarah here! I hope everyone had a great holiday season and new year celebration. (I spent mine getting engaged in Puerto Rico!) Now it is time to get back into the swing of things and to make sure our followers are up-to-date with the new plans AMI has for the near future.

We are excited to announce that Andy is helping to bring an extremely popular national event to our DC Metro region! After having the pleasure to meet with Tom Searcy, author of Hunt Big Sales, and attending one of his powerful seminars, Andy knew that he had to help others get their hands on this information.  The focus of this seminar is to help CEO’s, VP’s of Sales, Sales Managers and top Sales Reps to land their biggest deal ever.

Sign up for Your Biggest Deal Ever in Washington, DC Region

More information on the event

The event will be held at the Reston Hyatt Regency Hotel in the Reston Town Center only minutes from Washington’s Dulles International Airport and the Washington’s beltway on March 2nd and 3rd. Spots are limited and selling out quickly! If you want to begin 2010 by landing the deal that will generate a majority of your yearly revenue goal then I suggest you take a minute to sign up!

Hello! It’s Sarah again

I hope this post finds all our readers well. I know Andy has been out of the loop for some time but I just wanted to reassure everyone that he is not gone for good.  Andy has been zeroing in on his main full time job of consulting to Business Owners and working with their teams one on one to get them back up where they belong – on top!

We have realized something over here at AMI – It is something that we have known for a long time but didn’t really know how to go about fixing it but I think we have found a solution There is one other reason why you have not seen anything from Andy in a long time – he is not terribly excited about writing. He is an amazing thinker and speaker but when it comes to putting his thoughts down in an “article” it is not really his cup of tea.  Do not get me wrong – he has and he can do it and well. However it just takes him a lot longer then he would like or has time for.

That is why you will be hearing a lot more from me. I am going to be interviewing Andy and either posting the videos or just summarizing his knowledge to keep it coming your direction as fast as possible.

Please feel free to contact me at anytime with question or comments (I have some more free time then Andy and can oftentimes get your questions answered a bit sooner) and I love to hear from Andy’s fans.

In the meantime, I am busy helping Andy to build a 26 week sales training course that will be available hopefully by early to mid October. If this is something you will be interested in please go to:  my sales training course and sign up! Hope everyone is doing well.

Until next time!

Sarah

Hello everyone! Sarah here, Andy’s assistant.  I know it has been a long time since Andy’s last post and we apologize for that. However, we are glad to report that it is simply because Andy has been very busy consulting, traveling and speaking all over the country. In our busy time we have managed to get up a permanent company website at www.andymillerinternational.com. What do you think?

I wanted to take a minute to touch base with our blog readers and update them on Andy’s status and successes. One of the exciting events Andy had the privilege of speaking at was Tony Robbins’ and Chet Holmes’ Ultimate Business Mastery Summit. (I even got to go along and work the event!) It was a major success and I know a lot of good friendships were made and networking connections built.

Also, if you have not checked out Andy’s monthly webinars on Business Experts Webinars you are missing out! Andy gives value-packed calls on very relevant topics that often leave the attendees with a dozen or so gold nuggets to take back and implement right away for major results. Make sure to sign up for his next one by clicking on the sign up banner on the right hand panel.

In Andy’s “free time” (haha) he has been busy creating two very powerful products in the areas of sales and marketing that are in high demand. The first one has been in the making for years and is on Andy’s specialty – Consultative Selling.  Andy has always felt very passionate about consultative selling and has studied, practiced and taught the concept extensively. His “in the making” product will be a home study course on Consultative Mastery Selling.

His second product in the works is another home study course on a topic that Andy has used hundreds of times in his consulting, training, managing, and even in his everyday life – how to adapt your selling style to match your prospects buying style.   Andy uses the DISC personality types and he is creating a product that is specifically for sales professionals. Once these products are completed we will send out the notice to our friends so make sure to sign up for Andy’s Newsletters to stay in the loop.

Okay well I think this is enough to get you updated for now. I may help take over the writing of some of the blogs but I promise to get you great content from the guru himself. Contact me if there is anything you would enjoying seeing on here!

All the best,

Sarah

Do You Suffer From Potential Big Deal Intoxication?

Every week I get a call from a desperate salesperson wanting help with the mother of all big deals. This deal has the potential to make his/her quota for the year or is a big company with lots of potential. The possibility of that potential makes the rep so fanatical that they throw all the rules and common sense out the window. Some times I refer to this as big deal intoxication. They poorly qualify the opportunity if at all.

They skip the steps of the sale process and start committing valuable company resources way too early. They call in the VIP’s to give extra attention when they prospect hasn’t earned the right for that type of attention and they are typically guilty of “premature presentation”. To make things worse they offer incentives, better terms and discounts with the hope of shortening the sales cycle and booking the deal this quarter. If this were a little deal or smaller company they wouldn’t make these mistakes but because of its potential size they are like a dog in heat.  If the sales rep had called me 6 weeks earlier I could have thrown a bucket of cold water on them and guided him/her through the process. With a little coaching they could have kept their emotions in check and helped them either win the deal or disqualify it quickly protecting their time, energy, resources and profit margins! So if you really want that deal and can leave your ego out of the discussion then involve your sales coach early and stop getting intoxicated by the prospect of getting the deal.

If you are interested, an article of mine was just featured in earning Executive Magazine. I teamed up with Brain Lambert of ASTD to write a white paper on Sales Force Enablement and how to maximize performance of organizations. The article that appeared in the magazine has was slightly altered to focus more on trainers so if you are a sales trainer you may be interested in checking out the the article, Increased Capacity Brings Sales Results on page 22 of Learning Executive Magazine.

 
If you are intertested in the original white paper that was written more for business owners, CEO’s etc or if you are looking for the Sales Force Enablement Checklist that accompanies this paper you may request a copy here or by selecting the resource tab above and then the Sales Enablement section. I will send you a free copy of the 23 page report (in a PDF) complete with a detailed checklist to help you get the most out of your organization.  This paper focuses on the three core areas of analysis for any organization – coporate analysis, sales management analysis and sales team anaylsis.

Thanks for your support!

Until next time!

Do you let this guy stop you from getting the deal?

Years ago I had a scheduled an appointment with the VP of sales for FedEx. I had done everything right…found his pain, set an agenda, confirmed the appointment and tied it down to make sure it didn’t get canceled. He knew I was flying in to meet with him and had confirmed the night before. However when I showed up for the appointment he wasn’t there. I was concerned because he had confirmed and I didn’t believe anyone would miss it unless an emergency happened. I had his assistant track him down and she found him at home. He said he decided not to come in that day and that was it. So now I had a few hours before my flight out and I decided to make the best of the situation. I pulled out my org chart that I had made and started calling around. Everyone was either in meetings or out of the office. So I decided to shoot for the moon and do a cold walk-in on the CEO, Fred Smith.

With a little detective work that even Scotland Yard would have been proud of I found out that the CEO was in town and was in his office that day. I found out what building he was in and took the campus bus over to his building. When I walked in it was about 10am and the security was tight. I knew I couldn’t just ask for the CEO so I asked for the Sales VP who I knew was not there because he stood me up. So the security guard started tracking down the sales VP and after a few calls got nowhere as I knew would happen. What this did was gave me time to get to know the security guard. While I was getting to know him I asked him where he liked to go for lunch and he named his favorite place. I asked when he liked to go and if it was crowded because I liked to avoid the rush and he told me when his lunch break was. So guess what. I left and returned when he was at lunch. When I walked up to security I said “Hey you aren’t Joe…oh yea it’s his lunch time”. The point is I sounded like I belonged there!  I told the security guard that I was there to meet with Fred Smith and they told me to take the elevator to the 6th floor and he was the hallway on the right. Earlier I had found out his assistant’s name so when I got up to his office and she was there I told her I was there to meet with Fred.  It was a good idea and I almost made it all the way but unfortunately at the last minute they realized what had happened and I was excorted out by security.

Ok so I didn’t actually get the meeting but what surprised me was how far I could get with a little tenacity and creativity.  My question for you is have you ever pushed the limit and been thrown out of an office building?  I am willing to bet the most of the time you are “playing safe”. I say go for it…shoot for the moon and see just how far you can get. You may be surprised.

Good Luck!

Have a Sales Question?

Over the years I have encountered all types of questions about selling. Some are pretty common but many times I have been asked very tough and intriguing questions.  Often I have my opinion as to how something should be handled. I recognize that there is more than one way to handle a situation so I am always in search of the best ways and practices. In my search for the “truth” I have had the good fortune of connecting with some of the best sales and marketing minds in the business. Until a few years ago, almost everything you learned about selling was based upon practical experience, conventional wisdom, some sales training and very little if any research. Now with Universities around the world offering degrees in selling they are compelled to research and publish their findings. I have been fortunate enough to have access to the latest sales research as it gets published.  Typically there is a 10 year lag between research findings and the sales force having access to that information. I have to admit the research is very academic and as about exciting to read as a scientific abstract on the cell division of an amoeba.  In spite of the dry reading there is one thing that I do glean from the research – proven statistical facts about sales practices… what works and what doesn’t.  This means that not only do I have my experience to answer the many questions I get asked on any given day, I also have knowledge and data to back up all types of questions.

So what does all this mean to you? I have decided to put together a little opportunity for all of my blog readers.  I invite you (and your colleagues, employees, friends etc.) to submit any questions you have (by filling out this form) at anytime during the week.  I plan to read through them and choose 2 – 3 of the best to answer on my blog each Friday.  This is one way I can give back to the sales community and dispel all the bad and outdated information that is out there.

Go Submit Your Weekly Question and don’t forget to check back on Friday to see if your question was chosen. (fyi – even if you question was not chosen this week there is always the chance that I may address it in a later post or in the weekly newsletters.) Ask away!

Machu Picchu

Sorry for the delay in posting. I took a long weekend and went to LA with some friends. For the last 15 years, every October, I go with 2 other friends on some exotic adventure trip. We have been trekking in Thailand, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Scuba Diving in Indonesia, on safari in Kenya, climbing volcanoes and gorilla watching in Rwanda, the Amazon in Brazil and last year’s trip was to Machu Picchu in Peru.

This year the plan was to go to Laos and Vietnam but we couldn’t go because of major health issues with our aging parents (all 3 of us). So the booby prize was a long weekend to LA for some sun and fun. We played tourist the whole time going to muscle beach, Santa Monica pier and the Getty Museum which is a must see if you haven’t seen it. (I’ll share some pictures when I get them uploaded).

Andy and Jayme Brooks

A special treat was driving up the coast to Venture where we went to see our good friend Andy Brooks. Andy used to be the executive chief at a high end restaurant in Washington DC (DC Coast) before moving to Ventura and opening up his own restaurant (called Brooks) with his wife Jayme. Andy is a great chief and a smart guy. In 18 months he had 6 articles written about him and won an award for the best wine list in California for under $150. I have always been amazed at how delicious and consistent his food is. I could go on and on but here is the thing that amazed me the most of all. Andy spent a lot of his evening talking going from table to table and giving each patron some special attention. Now Andy is a real outgoing guy so that is not too surprising but it is rare that I have been to a high end place and the chief came out to say hello.

 Andy knew how to read people and to give them just enough of what they wanted. Let me say that again. He wasn’t out there to get praise and recognition. He was out there to give each patron a unique experience in just they way they wanted it! Some patrons got a quick visit while others were more talkative and got a little extra time. Andy’s wife Jayme is an accountant during the day and greats people as the come to the restaurant at night. She is slightly on the quite side but a real joy to be around. She too knew how to read people. Each patron got a greeting that matched their style. Some got a hand shake, some got a hug and others received a warm and friendly hello. Both Andy and Jayme had mastered the platinum rule. The golden rule says treat others the way you want to be treated but the platinum rule says treat others they way they want to be treated. When you combine exceptional food (or product/service) with exceptional experience you get a following of raving fans. Isn’t that what we all want for our businesses? 

What do you do to adjust the way you interact with your customers and clients to enhance their experience? Let me know by leaving a comment at the end of this post.

Until next time!

Best,