5 Ways to Fire Up Your Sales

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Snowden McFall

Ignite Your Sales with These Quick Tips 

Never push a prospect- add value.

Never force or manipulate- demonstrate listening and caring.

Businessmen Handshake1.Truly listen to your customers
Everyone wants to be heard, and appreciated. Ask what their needs and concerns are, find out what successes they have had, focus on them and do whatever you can to help, even if it means you don’t get the sale, this time.  Be a valued resource and trusted advisor.

2. Use stories and customer testimonials -   Give examples of real people who have had a problem you solved. Tell the truth. And use customer testimonials to back up your stories. Always get written permission.  Here’s an example from one of my speaking programs: “Snowden McFall, may I personally say what a fabulous speaker you are. We all enjoyed your keynote speech. Productivity is certainly the topic of the decade. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” Mary Fisher - I asked her permission to use and she said absolutely.

3. WIFT Always focus on the benefits to that particular customer.  What is in it for them?  Why choose you over all the other competitors out there?  Demonstrate you understand their needs, fears and pain points and show you have
proven solutions for them.

4. Overcome objections by raising them yourself.
You know what the push-back is.  Overcome it by demonstrating why the objection is not valid, or how you have resolved it.  Show you think like they do.

5. Have genuine enthusiasm for your products or service. Nothing sells like genuine enthusiasm- it is rare and it is contagious.  Get Fired Up! about what you are sharing and keep that top of mind. Your Fire will spread and ignite theirs.

 

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The Ideal Jobs for Low Stress

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Snowden McFall

What Job is Right for You?

Do you thrive on uncertainty, love a challenge, and like the unexpected?
Or do you prefer consistency, even keel projects, predictable outcomes?
Your answer will determine which job style is right for you.

2 womenwhiteLRCareerCast.com has recently done a study on the jobs with the lowest stress levels.  Those include audiologists, dieticians, medical records technicians, hair stylists, university professors with tenure, multi-media artists, librarians and jewelers.

The ones with the most stress include jobs with unexpected and unpredictable conditions, like police, firefighters, airline pilots, military, newspaper reporter and taxi drivers.

For a complete look at the article, and expected growth in job categories,
go here: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/stressful-jobs/story?id=21441041#

For a free report on how to get and stay Fired Up!, go here http://firedupnow.com/top20tips/

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Don’t Let Email Run Your Life

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Snowden McFall

Manage Your Email Time and Reduce Stress

Say No

You don’t have to look at your email all the time….

I’ve heard so many professionals tell me in my speeches that they get hooked by their email and get stressed out.  Some even have an alarm that rings or chimes every time a new email comes in.  Turn that OFF!  No wonder your stress levels are skyrocketing through the roof!
Here are some simple ways to destress your email.

1. Remember Snail Mail?  You know, you go to your mailbox, pull out the letters, flyers and junk mail and trash about half of it before you even get home?  Do that with email.  Organize it into folders: important action, read later, associations,etc. and trash the rest.

2. Only check email 3-4 times a day- Do your HIGHEST PRIORITY money making tasks first always every day. Then check email at lunch, when you take breaks.  No alarms or flashes when you get a new one.  It’s probably spam anyway.

3. Use a SPAM FILTER.  One of my many email addresses (yes I get hundreds of emails every day) has no spam filter.  And now in addition to the Viagra ads, I get Asian character emails which I cannot read.  I keep that email only because I want to make it easy for people to reach me, but I have spam filters on all the others.

4. Have No -Email times every day.  Sunday, my husband and I went to the beach.  Ahh- glorious sunshine, surf, quiet and peace.  No email.  None- just focused time on my family.  Take time like that everyday.  Don’t make your children resent your phone.  It can wait.

 

For a free report on how to get and stay Fired Up!, go here http://firedupnow.com/top20tips/ 

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4. Have email-free times everyday.  We were at the beach on Sunday, and even though I have a smartphone, I did not read my email at all until late in the day. It was wonderful to have that freedom.  It lowers your stress and frees you to appreciate the people around you.

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70% of American Workers are Disengaged at Work

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Snowden McFall

Which Means They Are Not Happy and Not Productive- What Can You Do?

Man overwhelmed with photos

One of the most important areas to focus on when dealing with disengaged employees is really very simple:  Tie their work to your purpose.

Research on happiness shows people are most joyful and effective when they believe that what they do makes a difference.  Show them how the end results of their work benefit others.  What is the purpose of your business or corporation?  How does it make the world a better place?  How do they contribute to that?

Give very specific and clear examples of how their work directly impacts the lives of others. Let them know that every effort, no matter how small, results in this impact.  Give them a reason to come to work every morning and to share their enthusiasm.

Consider how to tie work to purpose:

• posting photos in the employee lounge of those who benefit from the work

• posting stories in employee Intranet about how the company makes a difference

• sharing testimonials from customers/ clients/ recipients of the work

 

Source: 2013 Gallup poll

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, please go to: http://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

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Unlimited Choice is NOT a Good Thing…For Your Business

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Snowden McFall

Have you ever been to a restaurant with a huge menu?  I have and it just frustrates me because there is too much to focus on.

SwitchcoverMost of us think that “more” is always better.  But recent research indicates that is not the case. In the book Switch by Chip and Dan Heath, authors of Made to Stick, cite several researchers demonstrating that too much choice paralyzes buyers.

• Too many choices overwhelm   Iyengar and Lepper share several studies where too much choice is “demotivating.” A gourmet store featured a line of exotic, high quality jams.  Customers tasted samples and received a discount coupon to buy a jar.  6 varieties were used on one trial; another featured 24 varieties. 30% of people in the 6 choice trial bought the jam; only 3% of people with 24 varieties bought the jam.

What does this mean for you and your business ?

• Limit the options  If you have a variety of services or products, cut down on the choices. Make them no more than 6, if possible.  Make it easy for buyers, patients and customers to decide.

• Be crystal clear about the value they will receive.  Differentiate between each option so they can choose what it exactly correct for them.

The old KISS method applies here.  Keep it simple & straightforward.

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©2013 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication or reprinting without permission and author reference

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Speak Kind Words- Avoid Gossip

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Snowden McFall

Have you ever noticed that some words impact you very differently than others? As Stephen Covey writes in the introduction to Aspire by Kevin Hall : “words sell and words repel, words lead and words impede, words heal and words kill.”  

Male Gossips 2What words do you use in your conversations with co-workers, employees, loved ones?  How about what you say to yourself?  Out of the 70,000 thoughts we have a day, many of those are negative and judgmental, especially towards ourselves. Become aware of the words you use and the tone with which they are delivered; you could make or break someone’s day.

And before you share some juicy piece of gossip, ask yourself these three questions:

- Is it truthful?

- Is is necessary?

- Is it uplifting?

 

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©2013 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication or reprinting without permission and author reference

 

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You CAN Achieve those Resolutions

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Snowden McFall

It’s almost the end of January and  many people are faltering on their resolutions.  And they’re not alone.  Usually, 75% of resolutions don’t make it.

But YOU CAN SUCCEED at your goals.  Here are two keys from legends Brian Tracy and Darren Hardy of Success Magazine, sprinkled with my experience over the past 30 years.

1. Get crystal clear about what you want.  Imagine it’s Jan 25, 2014 and this past year was the best year of your life.  What happened to make it that way?  Who was in your life?  What did you do?  So now what goals emerge from this that will help you get there?

2. Clarify, chunk and write down your goals.   Now you know what the big picture is, clarify it by writing it down.  That action alone is very powerful. For many people, weight loss and fitness are goals.  Perhaps Bob saw himself 75 pounds lighter.  That’s a huge goal. Reduce the goal to 50% likelihood – 33 pounds in 12 months that he keeps off.

 Now chunk that into smaller steps.

I am a fit and healthy 185 pounds on Jan 25, 2013.

chunk goals for Feb 2013

- walk at least 4 times a week

- cut back on carbs

- stop eating at 8 pm

As Bob is successful at each of the small chunk goals, he can then move on to the next ones.The key is to create a pattern of success.  It’s a cinch by the inch and a trial by the mile.

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©2013 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication or reprinting without permission and author reference


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New Study Shows Workers are More Stressed than Ever

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Snowden McFall
92% of  US Workers are Stressed
 
Stressed out Woman from Fired Up! and Stress ExpressA new study from ComPsych Corp shows employee stress has escalated:

• 60% of all workers have high stress, while 32% have manageable levels of stress.  Only 5% say they have low stress levels

• Causes of stress: 40% of workers blame workload and 34% blame it on who they have to work with
 
•   36 % lose an hour or more productivity due to stress daily &  40+ % waste nearly 30 minutes of work daily because of stress
 
• Absenteeism- 30% of worker miss between 3-6 days of work annually because of stress

Ways to beat stress:
 
• practice deep breathing 2-3 times a day- deep belly breaths
• sleep for at least 7 hours a night to extend your life, reduce stress & improve health
• exercise at least 15 minutes a day doing something- walking, yoga, dance, basketball
• stay away from negative co-workers
 


 

©2012 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication or reprinting without permission and author reference

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Make the Most of Your Millenial Employees

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Snowden McFall
Shaking handsMillenials are one of the fastest growing employee groups worldwide, and they have the most customer interaction of any age segment. Managers often wonder how to motivate them, since they crave flexibility and meaning.  Here are a few tips from expert Jason Dorsey:

• Give them at least 10 seconds of specific feedback a month from a senior person (they like communication)
 
• Make their first day at work memorable; start them on a less stressful day than Monday and pair them with a same gender peer for the office tour (they’ll ask better questions)
 
• Honor their birthday in a special way as they like to celebrate all month long
 
• Coach them to ask for opportunities to demonstrate their potential; they want to grow and move up
 

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©2012 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved.  No duplication or reprinting without permission and author reference

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Keep Your Employees with these Key Questions

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Snowden McFall

Have you read this book? First, Break All the Rules, What the World’s Great Managers Do Differently is a compilation of the findings of Gallup poll researchers who interviewed over 1 million employees, 80,000 managers and 400 companies.  The book makes several great points.

One is how to determine the strength of any workplace. Ask your employees these questions:

1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?

2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?

3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?

4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?

5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?

6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?

7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?

8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?

9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?

10. Do I have a best friend at work?

11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?

12. This last year, have I had the opportunities at work to learn and grow?

 

These are the  core elements needed to attract, focus, and keep the most talented employees.  The first 6 questions are the most important fundamental questions that often get jumped over.  That is a critical mistake, because those 6 are foundational before any employee can even consider vision, mission, and growth.

 

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©2012 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved.  No duplication or reprinting without permission and author reference

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