Smile through rejection.

Seventy percent of professional sales people have not been trained beyond product knowledge. Many people running businesses have not been in the sales trenches, and they do not appreciate how essential it is for sales people to be thoroughly trained in every aspect of the profession before they are sent out the first time.

No one would ever expect a carpenter to begin building without an apprenticeship under a master who teaches him/her how to use every tool and skill of the craft.

No one would expect a person to walk into a kitchen and become a professional chef without having undergone several years of careful training under a master chef.

But salespeople are sent out with little or no training, and are then astonished by the amount of negativity and rejection they get from prospective customers.

The turning point in my life was when I learned that sales is both an art and a science. It requires ambition and personality along with specific, proven sales skills. One without the other makes it impossible for a sales person to achieve his/her full potential.

It is estimated that fully 50 percent of new salespeople quit within the first year because they cannot stand the incredible amount of rejection they receive.

However, even though the rejection rate in sales is often as high as 90 percent or more, if you could be guaranteed one sale for every ten people that you spoke to, you would soon be rich.

Smiling through Rejection

One company I worked for started everyone off every morning with a contest. The contest is to see who can get rejected ten times first, before anyone else.

Like runners at the starting line, everyone gets ready with their telephone in front of them, and then the sales manager rings a bell. Whoever can get rejected ten times before anyone else wins a prize. All the sales reps immediately start smiling and dialing.

And you know what happens? Because they are so positive and often laughing during this contest, they lose all fear of rejection. Because they sound so positive, prospective customers want to talk to them more about their offerings. Over and over again, sales people "lose" this contest because they are too busy processing new sales.

Try it for yourself. From now on, start first thing in the morning and make it a game to see how fast you can get rejected ten times.

Some years ago I worked with a salesman who was about to quit his job because of the amount of rejection he was getting. The market was tough and he was making 20 calls to get a single sale. There were 19 rejections for every acceptance. He was becoming discouraged.

Then his boss sat him down and asked, "How much do you earn in commission from each sale that you make?"

He had been trained to track his average commissions, so he knew the answer immediately: $500.

His sales manager then asked him to divide 20 into $500 to get an average amount that he earned per call, whether the person bought or not. The easy answer was $25 per call. His sales manager then asked him, "In what other line of work could you get $25 for every person you call on the phone?"

Suddenly, the salesman's eyes were opened. He realized that he was earning $25 every single time he phoned someone, whether they were polite or rude, friendly or hostile. He merely collected the $25 when he actually made a sale.

From that day onward, he telephoned eagerly, all day long. After each call, if the person had said that they were not interested, he would say to himself, "Thank you for the $25!"

All his fear of rejection was gone. He was eager to make as many phone calls, and see as many people as he possibly could every single day. And do you know what happened? The more people he phoned, the better he got at prospecting. The more people he spoke to personally, the better he got at presenting. The more people he saw, the better he got at selling. The more people he presented to, the better he got at answering objections and closing sales.

That year, his sales ratios from contact to close improved from 20:1 to 15:1. They then improved from 15:1 to 10:1 to 5:1 to 3:1. His income increased almost 700 percent. He became the top salesperson in his branch, and eventually in his company.

Some years later, he retired as a self-made millionaire.

Make a Point to Get Rejected

Here's my point: Make it a game to get rejected as many times as you can, first thing every day. The more rejections you get, the sooner it will be that rejection doesn't bother you at all. At that point, if you are lucky, the dam will break. You will become a prospecting machine. You will be calling everyone, and at every moment. You will have more appointments than you can handle, and you will be making more money than you can spend.

Remember, every top salesperson started at the bottom. Everyone who is doing well was once doing poorly. Everyone who is at the front of the line started at the back of the line, and had to work their way up through hard, hard work.

There is no profession in the world like sales. You can start off in sales, at any level, and soon enjoy one of the highest standards of living in our society. All you need to do is work hard, continually upgrade your skills, and talk to lots of people.

Be coachable

Attend every VISION Saturday and any other training available as often as possibble.

Yours for success,

Leon Laugalis

"I talk to lot's of people, some say yes, my business grows."

Talk to Ten

Get one
Talk to ten get one
Talk to ten get two
Talk to ten get two
Talk to ten get three

You're getting better.

Afer a few years I managed to get three from 10.
Now if you are some peculiar genius you might talk to ten get four. But I managed to talk to ten get three. And that's how I built my business.

When I first started I would talk to ten get one - if you were better than me and talked to ten got three, if we had a 30 day contest I would beat you. You talk to ten get 3, I would talk to 100 and get 10.
Jim Rohn

Last week networking I spoke to 78 people, some already customers, some already IDs - spoke to 78 got 3. Three a week for one year, each adding, say 4 IDs in the year, - that's 750 new IDs for your team - each with just 6 customers - that's an extra £2250 a month going into your bank account after year one. Double it in year two. Double it in year three. Does this make sense? You up for this from next week?

Post MAD

Just to warn you that there may!!!!!!! Be some awesome announcements at MAD.
There will be a surge to book onto trainings after the event. Book yours and your teams spaces now to avoid disappointment.
There are new rulings out about training and booking and there will be no more squeezing people on at the last minute.
Once the trainings are full we can add other dates if necessary.
This MAD is going to be better than Express day.
Wish I was going now instead of moving house.
Regards
Jimmy Chapman

How to say ' HI'

Melanie Lindner, Forbes.com | April 19, 2008

Dr. Mark Goulston thought himself a coward. At parties he would stand by the chip dip, never approaching people and rarely meeting anyone new. "My father was shy," says Goulston, "so I grew up thinking that 'assertive' meant 'pushy.' "

A psychiatrist in Santa Monica, Calif., Goulston knew all about social anxiety--and still he couldn't beat it. Then his first child came. "I wanted to be someone my daughter would grow to look up to, and I didn't feel at that moment that she would," he recalls.

• Slideshow: Eight tips for making the first move
• Slideshow: Podium tactics from 28 public-speaking pros

So at the next party he and his wife attended, Goulston set a goal for himself: "to meet three new people and have them be glad to have met me." Twenty-five years later, Goulston, 60, writes and lectures about overcoming anxiety and guides patients through the process.

Most people have some level of social anxiety, especially when it comes to meeting new people. We focus on the embarrassment and the rejection rather than the opportunity of a new business partner, sales prospect or friend. For some, making the first move can bring on everything from tense muscles to a slamming heart.

"Some of us are wired to enjoy making the first move in a social or professional setting, while others are more inhibited," says Byron Reeves, communications professor at Stanford University. "But it has nothing to do with intelligence or potential for success."

Don't look for patterns. Some people can call upon their suave selves in a professional setting but clam up at social functions; others can do their best George Clooney at a party but break out in hives at the thought of talking to new customers.

The good news is there are ways to cope. Dr. Goulston's strategy is something he calls the "FTD delivery." Hook strangers by asking how they feel, what they think, or what they have done or would do about a given topic. Focusing on them is a form of generosity--not off-putting aggression.

Beyond the ego-stroking, there is another benefit to making the conversation all about the other person: It takes the pressure off you. "When a person is focusing on themselves--wondering if they are blushing, sweating or trembling--their anxiety level increases," says Dr. Andrew Gottlieb, a clinical psychologist based in Palo Alto, Calif.

• Slideshow: Secrets of the self-made
• Slideshow: Eight tips for handling rejection

In stressful encounters, self-induced head-fakes are powerful palliatives. Before approaching someone, look for physical characteristics that remind you of a close friend or relative, suggests Dr. David Barlow, founder and director emeritus of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University.

Maybe the person's hair is like your mother's; maybe he smiles like your best friend. Focus on the similarities, and you can convince yourself, if only for the moment, that you are comfortable with a complete stranger.

Another trick is to rehearse icebreakers with a friend before going to a meeting or party. Practicing in advance helps you brainstorm things to say and build courage, says John Baldoni, a corporate communications consultant in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Bottom line: Believe in yourself and leave the chip dip behind. Says Goulston: "The best thing you can do is be sincere, generous and helpful to people--and hope that they are kind enough to reciprocate."

• Slideshow: Body talk at work
• Slideshow: Tips for hiring outside the box

Austerity Britain: Families Cut Out Luxuries

From the pages of yesterday's Daily Telegraph - Can we help the average family? Of course we can - but you have to tell them what we have to offer... See my notes in the text...

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FAMILIES are having to cut back on groceries, eating out and holidays as the credit crisis starts to have a profound effect on household spending, research by The Daily Telegraph has shown.


With the cost of living going up by £1,800 a year for the average home, the first evidence has emerged that families are changing their spending habits to cope with the economic squeeze [many of them could be on your "no for now list", contact them again now... before someone else does!].


Middle-class consumers are turning to budget supermarkets, discount stores, low-price hotels and car rental firms, all of which have had booming sales in recent months [and to the Utility Warehouse Discount Club, when they know about us... you need to speak to people!]


While high street sales have fallen, Primark, the discount clothes retailer, has seen trade increase by 4 per cent. Aldi, the budget supermarket, has reported a 25 per cent increase in sales, with rising numbers of middle-class customers. Tavelodge, the low-cost hotel chain, has increased sales by a quarter, while the number of people making inquiries about British holidays has risen by almost a half. Restaurants have reported falling trade, with food stores saying that customers are opting for ready meals to make up for not going out.


The British Retail Consortium reported a 1.6 per cent fall in sales this week compared with a year ago, as clothing, furniture and electronics stores suffered most.


Mintel, the market research company, released figures showing that 57 per cent of consumers have trimmed their spending because they were unsure of their finances. Twenty per cent have delayed a family holiday, 16 per cent have put off home improvements and 11 per cent have failed to top up their savings.


Disposable income has been affected by a range of increased costs. Gas, electricity, water, food and drink bills, council taxes and mortgage payments have all increased by more than the rate of inflation. Together, they cost an average household £21,495 annually — £1,800 more than a year ago, said uSwitch, the price comparison website.


Figures released this week suggested that food shopping alone now costs the average family £600 more [and we can save that average family over £600 across all their utilities... IF you tell them and ask them if they would like to try our services!].


Retail experts said families were economising. Nick Gladding, an analyst at Verdict research, said: “It is clear that people are cutting back on discretionary spending. “Electricals, furniture and DIY items are all showing signs of the slow-down. There is going to be a cloud over the consumer economy all year. “And there are signs that middle-class shoppers are trading down, with discount stores doing very well out of people’s belt tightening.” [Yes we are doing VERY well - those of us who are telling people what we have to offer]


High street retailers of electrical goods and furniture have suffered very poor sales in recent months, with many consumers choosing to rent televisions, as well as designer handbags and works of art. DSG, the owner of the Curry’s and PC World electrical chains, issued its second profit warning since Christmas after finding that consumers were “shopping more cautiously”. The company said that although shoppers were buying flat-screen televisions, laptops and fridges in moneyoff promotions, they were shunning full-priced products. [We are giving away FREE laptops with our Broadcall Laptop tariff!]


Many budget operators have reported that they are benefiting from consumers trying to rein in spending. Primark, which sells £6 jeans and £2 sunglasses, has increased sales by 4 per cent. Trading at Aldi, the value supermarket is even stronger. Customer numbers were up 25 per cent over the past year, said Tony Baines, the managing director of buying. “People are more price conscious now,” he said. The supermarket said half of its shoppers are from the ABC socio-economic groups, with middle-class shoppers increasingly finding ways to trim sky-high food bills. Tesco, Britain’s biggest supermarket, has increased the proportion of goods it sells for less than £1 in an effort to win over budget conscious shoppers. Waitrose said it was selling more “restaurant-style ingredients” such as dry-aged beef and duck, as people cut back on eating out and now cook at home. Sales of its “As Good As Going Out” range of premium ready meals, which aim to replicate restaurant quality, are up 30 per cent.


Travelodge, the discount hotel chain, said bookings for the two May bank holidays were up 22 per cent on last year and that in January it sold five times as many rooms for the summer as in 2007. The strong euro, which has deterred people from taking holidays in Europe, combined with the credit crisis, has caused the sharp uplift in sales, the company believes. Guy Parsons, its chief operating officer, said: “There is no doubt UK travellers are switching to the budget sector. Brits book their foreign summer holiday in January but this year there looks to have been a change of heart with more deciding to stay within these shores.”


Its rival, Premier Travel Inn, said sales were up 10.5 per cent on last year. This is in sharp contrast to the overall hotel sector, where occupancy rates fell 1.3 per cent in three months. With rumours that more than 10,000 jobs could go in the City, many are switching to renting a lifestyle rather than buying one. [Boomtime for letting agents - have you got any in your business?]


Car clubs are taking off in London and other large cities, as people try to save thousands of pounds a year. These allow members to use cars at cheaper rates than would typically be available from normal car hire firms. They can also use cars for as little as an hour at a time. Zipcar, an American firm that entered the British market last year, has signed up 4,000 members. Paul McLoughlin, its general manager, said: “The credit crunch is forcing people to re-evaluate their expensive consumerist lifestyles.”


Fractional Life, the comparison website that lists 300 rental, leasing and collective ownership firms offering everything from boats to handbags, art and property, reported a 90 per cent increase in website hits in the past six months. Many professionals are hiring art rather than buying it. Ivan Tennant runs Art Lab, which charges from £15 a month to rent works by reputed artists that are worth up to £2,000. He said the number of private clients had doubled in a year. “For bankers who might lose their jobs but want to keep up appearances, it’s very affordable.” He stressed, though, that none of his current clients was in that situation.


Jo Hodge’s Bristol-based firm Handbags from Heaven, has increased rentals by 25 per cent. She charges £36 a week to hire bags by designers such as Jimmy Choo, Chloe, Gucci and Mulberry, that would sell at up to £1,000. Oxfam said sales at its charity shops were booming — up £1.2million on last year. “Our profits in the first quarter have been significantly higher than last year and we are in a very enviable position,” said a spokesman. “Economic downturn certainly has a lot to do with our increased sales.”


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You are in a recession proof business and if your business is not growing and your commission cheque is not growing every month then you are doing something wrong - probably being a secret agent and not telling EVERYONE what we have to offer. Get yourself booked on training as soon as possible and join those of us who, like the discount stores, are making serious money!

For those of you who are working the business - keep on going because it will get harder out there for most people and we have the ability to make a massive difference to so many peoples lives. Your income, as a result of helping others, will make a difference to your lives too.

Have a brilliant week and I look forward to seeing many of you and celebrating our many successes next week at MAD in Northampton.

Tony Griffiths

Know Your Business

Really pushing for SMD now for MAD, and moving house this week so if you want excuses to sit back and do nothing there you have it. But I don't do excuses so if not done it will not be for the lack of effort. Will my belief win through.
Tony , Ian and Allison are doing so well.

Its over six years I've been involved with this business now.
I paid £199.75 just the same as you.
I knew it was a long term plan a massive six years.
I have never give up.
I have had 100% belief in myself , the company but more importantly the leadership and the teams they run.
I like the fact that when lots of people make excuses we all work harder and the results believe me are awesome.
How long have you been in the business.
Do you know after 1.5 year in this business I was not even earning £500 a month. And I went for this believe me.

It now pays a hell of a lot more than that. I have had lots of ups and downs. More No's and verbal abuse than probably most of you put together.
But if it is to be it is up to me.
I know what this business has done for me or anyone else has anything to do with you.
But I hope that if I show you the way you will follow.
It will take time and effort, look where you are at with your full time job and how many years have you worked at that??
6 years part time effort in this gives your more time , more money and CHOICES!!!!
Be serious about the rest of your life nd be the best you can be everyday.
Have a Terrific time to get serious Thursday.


Regards
Jimmy Chapman.

How to Protect your income and have life long customers

1. Make them feel looked after !

   1. At the sign up meeting tell them you will be tracking this order through from start to finish and will give them a courtesy call(s) along the way

   2. Give them your business card/contact details and let them know they can call you at any time though you can’t access their confidential account

2. Quickest ways to get your order processed and you earning

   1. Scan in the document and send to the signup email

   2. Fax the document (slower than scanning)

   3. Send by post (slowest)

3. Check your genie

   1. Watch for your new customer to appear on your genie and under customer details. This way you KNOW the order has been received (and you are going to start earning). Things do go astray so make sure you know what is happening with your income !

4. When customer has gone live on the services

   1. Ring the customer and as was everything ok for them (you will know before hand if this is not the case – if you have checked your customer details), say you will call again when they get their bill and ask them to think of other people we can share our savings with and let you have this

5. When customer receives a bill – give them a short courtesy call (this is also to get referrals)

6. Make a note in your diary of any other services they could take but haven’t (for whatever reasons ie., in contract etc). Follow this up at the time and you will create more income for yourself and a life long happy loyal customer

7. Go back to the customer and invite them to have their utilities free through being a CGA, or maybe they would like greater earning through being an ID

YOU CAN CREATE CUSTOMER RAPPORT, LOYAL CUSTOMERS AND EARN MORE

Alison Cross

How to close your prospects now!

Hi,

Tom "Big Al" Schreiter here.

Oh no!

One hour of wasted presentation time and all you

have is an "I want to think it over, and I'll get back

to you?"

Why spend hours giving presentations, and not

learn the skills to close your prospects now?

You can take the stress out of closing your prospect

with these easy, rejection-free closing methods:

* The "Two" close - even works on recorded calls.

* The "Crack in the Dam" gotcha. You can't beat it, you have to face it.

* The three reasons for delay that you can eliminate now.

* What would you like to do next?

* What your dentist knows that you don't.

* Fear of loss is greater than the desire for gain.

* I don't have any money - maybe. Our beliefs just may be wrong.

* Don't sell features, don't even sell benefits, go to the next

level where it really counts.

* Subjective closing is where it really works.

* Three-way close. Perfect for meetings and in home presentations.

* Why word pictures put the desire into your tentative prospects.

* "I've done my job, and it's your life..."

* The ultimate guarantee that hurts!

Make sure to bring your entire downline. They can't wait to learn

the simple skills to make "closing" simple, easy, and fun.

If you live in the Coventry area, you'll want to attend.

If you have downline associates in this area, be sure to

let them know. They will want to learn this important skill

to turbo-charge their network marketing businesses.

For more information or to register, go to:

http://www.fortunenow.com/public/department33.cfm

Or, call (281) 280-9800.

Workshop location:

Coventry, UK

Wednesday April 30, 7pm to 10pm

Novotel

Wilsons Lane

Longford

M6 Junction 3

Coventry, CV6 6HL

Cost to attend: £10 at the door

Register now to reserve your seat:

http://www.fortunenow.com/public/department33.cfm

I hope to see you at this workshop.

Good luck recruiting!

Tom "Big Al" Schreiter

Runcorn COP

Runcorn is a new venue and on the M56 between Liverpool, Manchester and Chester.
THis will be my last presentation before MAD and hopefully as long as you all keep signing customers and execs my last event as an MD.
We all made a big effort for Walsall this month let's get Runcorn on the map and get there with your team and guests.

Have an awesome weekend.

Done ever move house and push for SMD in the same week.
I have signed 2 customers and 4 execs in the last 48 hours and I'm in the middle of packing.
What excuses have you all got for doing the same as me.
Be the best you can be every day . Its when your busy that the results count best.
Give yourself the edge every day. Do a little bit consistently! You can't make money and excuses at the same time.
Regards
Jimmy Chapman.

Who do they Know?

There was no way that Steve Critch could know them.
Steve signed up Mr Wheel - three more levels down an unknown ID signed a couple called Trevor and Karen. These two built a group of 75000 customers (pays about £30,000 a month) u up for that?!?!?

4,000 Estate Agents Fear Closure

The largest network of independent estate agencies (movewithus)
recently estimated that 4,000 of the UK's 12,000 estate agencies
could close their doors by December of this year.

They said the current climate gives fewer people the incentive
to purchase properties whilst first time buyers and families have
been forced out of the market altogether in some areas of the
Country.

The credit crunch has caused much of this with some experts
suggesting that we could see over 40,000 repossessions this
year alone.


This has led to three very important changes:


1. A very healthy demand for rental property

2. Reduced competition for repossessed properties

3. Thousands of distressed property sellers willing to sell their
properties below market value


For property investors, the credit crunch presents an enormous
opportunity to help people in distress and to quickly build
yourself an income producing portfolio of below market value
properties.