“Key areas such as decision analysis, IT tools, cross-functional and cross-organizational teaming, along with finance will remain in demand…and logistics managers should pursue coursework to prepare for the realities of the world in 3 to 5 years,” Stank says.

According to Stank, the key to growing your logistics career can be summed up in just a few words: “Stay thirsty, my friends.

Source: http://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/viewpoint_be_a_life-long_learner/

"Closing the sale: Action." quotes of the Week #13 - 6th Round

Sunday:

"You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."

Zig Ziglar

Monday:

"Be slow to commit and quick to deliver."

Source

Tuesday:

"Don't sell - SOLVE!"

Source

Wednesday:

"First, remember that closing starts at the very beginning of the sale." Good closers make good salespeople, and that requires pre-qualifying the customer needs, the salesperson knows what the customer is looking for, and will know ho to sell to that individual.

http://www.moneyinstructor.com/art/saleclose.asp

Thursday:

"Secondly, The objective is to do a litmus test to see if you still have the customer's undivided interest in how your products can help meet their needs. A few questions one might ask at this point are:

- Based on what I've told you so far, is there anything that concerns you that you would like me to address so we can move on from here?

- How does what I have told you compare to your current situation? Do you believe that we have a solution that would positively impact your company?

- What are the three things you are looking for that will drive you to change the way things you are doing now?

http://www.moneyinstructor.com/art/saleclose.asp

Friday:

"Third, as you are in the Education phase of the sale, you are in a unique position in which you are no longer asking as many 'need-identification' questions, and are instead educating your client as to how your product or service will provide value to their organization. The questions you should be asking during the Education phase are 100% closing questions such as:

- Can you see how our products/services can drive value to your organization?

- What are are thought about what we have discussed so far? Do you have questions I can answer for you? (When the customer has questions, that is a sign that they are still interested)

- What are the key deciding factors for you in changing product/service lines?

- What concerns, if any, do you have after I have shown you how our products/services can help you?

The answer to this questions will help you move to the Validation part of the sales cycle.

http://www.moneyinstructor.com/art/saleclose.asp

Saturday:

"Validation of the customer's comfort level in making switch to your company's products and services is one the most critical elements of the sale. This porting of the sale gives you the opportunity to ask "What Else Closes", which may include:

- What else do you need to know to help you make a final decision?

- What else?

- What else?

Keep asking "What else? until the customer says "I can't think of anything else right now. This is your opportunity to address their concerns or questions one by one. The 'What Else Close' helps you narrow down 'what else' might be on the customer's mind that they have not yet discussed with you. This close is quite effective in listing out each of the customer's concerns, and then addressing them from the beginning to confirm in the customer's mind that they are making the right buying decision in choosing your products.

http://www.moneyinstructor.com/art/saleclose.asp

Finally, the close. This should be simply getting the contract signed and sent back to you. If you have done all your homework up front 'pre-qualifying' to 'what else', the final close is a matter of receiving the contract that will drive your revenue and help your customers meet their needs! "

http://www.moneyinstructor.com/art/saleclose.asp

"Serving and prospecting." quotes of the Week #12 - 6th Round

Sunday:

"Prospecting is the lifeblood for the fulfillment of your why."

John Di Lemme, Network Marketing Trainer and Coach

Monday:

"A sale is not something you pursue, it's what happens to you while you are immersed in serving your customer."

Anonymous

Tuesday:

"Praise out of season, or tactlessly bestowed, can freeze the heart as much as a blame."

Pearl S. Buck

Wednesday:

"You can only govern men by serving them. The rule is without exception."

Victor Kiam

Thursday:

"News is like food: it is the cooking and serving that makes it acceptable not the material itself."

Rose McCaulay

Friday:

"Dwell upon the brightest parts in every prospect... and strive to be pleased with the present circumstances."

Abraham Tucker

Saturday:

"A merchant who approaches business with the idea of serving the public well has nothing to fear from the competition."

James Cash Penney

"Remember Faces & Names." quotes of the Week #11 - 6th Round

Sunday:

REPEAT: "Respond to the name with 'Hello, Bill' (taking care to substitute the person's actual name for 'Bill'.)

Source

Monday:

USE: "Say something to the person immediately, using the name you just learned: 'Bill, your are working on Metronome, as I recall. Was that your team that saved our necks last month.?"

Source

Tuesday:

"If you want to win friends, make it a point to remember them. If you remember my name, you pay me a subtle compliment; you indicate that I have made and impression on you. Remember my name and you add to my feeling of importance."

Dale Carnegie

Wednesday:

"The Name-Faced method for remembering a person's name includes 5 simple steps. Here they are:

1. Get the name.

2. Make the name concrete.

3. Find a distinctive feature on their face.

4. Make a mental picture connecting the name with the face.

5. Review the association.

Source

Thursday:

"Evaluate - Is there something unique about this person? Do they look like anyone I know? Do I know others with their same name? I'm focusing on first name here, though a unique last name can be really helpful too. Or a last name that rhymes with their first name. Or the same first letter. Try to picture the name. I actually think about typing the name on my computer keyboard and it helps me remember it. I evaluate where on the keyboard each letter is."

View Source

Friday:

"Ask questions - I like to get to know the person a little more, so I ask some questions of the person. Where they're from, what they do, what they're looking forward to about the conference. Something interesting about them. This is also a great opportunity to repeat their name a few more times, to keep it in my head."

View Source

Saturday:

"Deliver them to someone else - If you can introduce someone to somebody else and use their correct name (pronounce the last name too if you think you have it) and a few cool things about them (this is where your questions come in), you can remember someone forever... and you can be memorable to them. Deliver the other person with a smile, a nod, a handshake, a hug, whatever makes you (and them) comfortable."

View Source

Extra:

"Smile and walk away - Now that you've learned someone's name, and a little bit about them, and introduced them to someone else, now is the perfect time to meet the next person. Just smile and walk away, knowing you've made another connection, and you've connected your new acquaintance to another new person too."

View Source

"Smile: Happiness." quotes of the Week #10 - 6th Round

Smile. It is a simple act, but sometimes takes a lot of effort. A smile can cause boundaries to melt, hearts to warm up, and distances to reduce. Why don't we smile more often? Is it too tough to smile? The answer lies in our attitude towards life. If we are more accepting of situations, we will be able to smile more easily. Always wear a smile. Remember, without your smile, your attire is incomplete.

Souce:http://quotations.about.com/od/funnyquotes/a/smile.htm

Sunday:

"A smile is a curve that sets everything straight."

Phyllis Diller

Monday:

"Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."

Mother Teresa

Tuesday:

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."

Frederick Keoniq

Wednesday:

"The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."

Benjamin Franklin

Thursday:

"Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, than risk being happy."

Robert Anthony

Friday:

"If you have nothing else to do, look about you and see if there isn't something close at hand that you can improve! It may make you wealthy, though it is more likely that it will make you happy."

George Matthew Adams

Saturday:

"Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory."

Albert Schweitzer

"Appreciation & Praise." quotes of the Week #9 - 6th Round

Sunday:

"Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. Nothing else can quite substitute for a new well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They're absolutely free and worth a fortune."

Sam Walton

Monday:

"Admonish your friend privately, but praise them openly."

Publilius Syrus

Tuesday:

"Few people have the wisdom to prefer the criticism that would do them good, to the praise that deceives them."

Francois de la Rochefoucauld

Wednesday:

"A heap of epithets is poor praise: the praise lies in the facts, and in the way of telling them."

Jean de la Bruyere

Thursday:

"If you treat an individual... as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be."

Johan Wolfgang Von Goethe

Friday:

"Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you'll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you'll find that you have more of it."

Ralph Marston

Saturday:

"Feeling appreciated is one of the most important needs that people have. When you share with someone your appreciation and gratitude, they will not forget you. Appreciation will return to you many times."

Steve Brunkhorst

Frank Bettger wrote one of the best book on selling ever! It’s called How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling. He describes how he was on the verge of giving up on a career in sales. He found himself deep in despair. Then he started to discover these secrets, one by one.

Ben Franklin chose thirteen virtues that he wanted to make daily habits. Frank Bettger, the pro baseball player turned salesperson, practiced these thirteen secrets to turn his sales career around.

So here are Frank Bettger’s Thirteen Secrets To Success In Sales:

#1 – Enthusiasm
If you don’t FEEL enthusiastic, ACT enthusiastic. Soon, you’ll BE enthusiastic. Double your enthusiasm and you’ll probably double your income.

#2 – Order (self-organization)
Set aside time to plan how you will spend your time. Think about what’s most important. Then do those things first.

#3 – Think in terms of others’ interests
Find out what your prospect wants. Show him or her how to get it.

#4 – Questions
Questions get you further than comments. Let your prospect talk while you discover his or her wants.

#5 – Key issue
Find the prospect’s basic need or main interest. Then focus solely on it! Ask “why” and “in addition to that” to discover the key issue.

#6 – Silence (listen)
Good listening works magic in selling. Listen intently intentionally!

#7 – Sincerity (deserve confidence)
If you don’t believe in what you’re selling, neither will your prospect. Give your prospect the service you would want.

#8 – Knowledge of my business
Keep your mind young by continuing to learn about your business.

#9 – Appreciation and praise
Show people you believe in them and expect great things. Don’t go overboard – just give them your honest appraisal.

#10 – Smile (happiness)
Smile your best smile at everyone you see. Think about all the things you have to be thankful for … and smile. The world will smile with you.

#11 – Remember names and faces
Take a mental photograph of the person’s name. Repeat it immediately in the conversation and then silently to yourself. Associate his or her name and profession.

#12 – Service and prospecting
Take care of them and they will take care of you. Follow-up on all leads immediately.
Set up for your next contact on this contact.

#13 – Closing the sale (action)
Proceed through the sales process – Attention, Interest, Desire, Close. Conclude your presentation with the magical question, “How do you like it?” Welcome objections. Don’t be afraid to ask for the money.

Source:

http://biggsuccess.com/bigg-articles/frank-bettgers-13-secrets-to-success-in-sales/