Happy Holidays

As 2010 draws to a close, I want to wish all of you a very happy holiday season thank you for all for a great year.

Tim Martin

Great Sales Blogs - The Final Chapter

Hopefully you'll have some down time over the holidays and perhaps have a chance to peruse some the great sales blogs I've posted here over the last week or so.  One of my favorites is the "A Sales Guy" blog.  The Author, Keenan Yll, is all about sales in all aspects of life and has some very interesting perspectives.  

If you're limited on time, hit these two links!

http://asalesguy.com/best-of/

http://asalesguy.com/asset-of-the-future/

Have a great weekend.

Tis The Season For Networking

The holidays are fast approaching and for many of us that means holiday parties are on the calendar.  Whether you're in sales, marketing or looking for that perfect new gig, parties are a great networking opportunity.  Here are a few tips to make the most of your event.


Pre-event:


1. Have your elevator talking points or speech well rehearsed to the point that they are conversational in tone and pace.
2. Business cards.  Bring them and have them in your jacket pocket. For the ladies, easily accessible in your purse.
3. Pen.  Unless you have a photographic memory...(most don't)


I know these three items seem like no brainers, but I never cease to be amazed.


At the event, there are some do's and don'ts.  Let's start with the do's.


Do's:


1.  Be sociable!  
2.  Introduce yourself with both your first and last name,  (I'm terrible with names!  It comes from my military background where everyone wears a name-tag on their uniform)  I find it helpful to do some type of name association like Frank Wells from First Bank or Mary Rogers the mortgage broker or whatever works for you.  (Remember that pen and use it!)
3.  Elevator talk.
4.  Listen
5.  Write down the key elements from your conversation.  (That pen again!  What a useful tool.)


Dont's:  There's only one really, really big one and I know this goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway...don't drink too much.  Ugghhhh we've all met "That Guy."


After the event, make sure you follow-up and deliver on any promises you made.  If you promised to call Marybeth next week, call Marybeth next week.  If you promised to send your resume to Bill Smith, send your resume to Bill Smith.  Follow-up is a key component to establishing trust and rapport. 


Happy Holidays!

Great Sales Blogs - Part 2

After publishing Part 1 of this series, I got a number of interesting comments!  I may have to change my name to protect the innocent but I will not be deterred!  My little blog is a little fish in a big pond which is the perfect introduction to the feature blog for this post; The Whale Hunters.

The Whale Hunter's Blog is one that I refer to often as I am in the business of hunting whale-sized sales.  Dr. Barbara Weaver Smith is sharp and presents clear and sage sales advice on a consistent basis.  I highly recommend a visit!

http://blog.thewhalehunters.com/

I hope you find value and look forward to your feedback.

Look for Part 3 tomorrow!

Great Sales Blogs - Part 1

I thought I'd end the year with some great content from around the web for all you sales pros out there.  If there's one thing I've learned over time, it's this:  Sales is 90% process and less than 10% Magic.  I learned this little tidbit of wisdom from one of the best sales guys I have EVER known.  His name is Tom Searcy and his business is hunting big sales.

Take a few minutes and peruse the best of Tom's blogs here:  http://www.huntingbigsales.com/best-blogs/. 

Over the coming days and weeks I'll be posting more great content from around the web as well as some original content I've been stewing over for a couple of weeks.