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Conversations for Action...the power training with the secret keys to effective communication Newsletter for Success Golf and
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The Act! database is not just a contact manager. For 10 years I have been working with a number of companies around the country in developing Act! databases and selling ideas. Just as the folks at a real estate website called realhound.com said, "Use this book (101 Tools) for a winning sales strategy." The idea that Act! is about learning to build a sales strategy not just a database is something some people "don't know they don't know." A sales strategy allows the sales person to target phone calls, letters, e-mail and collateral material in conjunction with sales calls to shorten the sales cycle. JM Juran says in his book Quality by Design; "The purpose of a database is to record human interaction." This recording of actions and interactions, allows companies like WalMart and Southwest Airlines to grow faster and more profitably than their competition. You can do this and more if you use Act in a strategic way. When people use my books and consultations on Act! or sales training, they sell more and sell with less uncertainty because our work does not start with the customer is always right, but it does start with the customer wants value. I intend to give them value and more. The reason for this is that we work on Cross Training everyone in the sales loop. I learned the lesson that business people who outsell others are imaginative and communicate their vision. People like Charlie Trotter and Miyamoto Musashi's book, A Book of Five Rings, are resources for you and I
to emulate. These two people have a number of ways they talk about cross training. For example, Musashi use the skills of an architect to explain how to be a good leader. One of Musashi’s rules is know the ways of all professions. It is in this knowledge that leaders find small nuggets of value that move to
their field and gives the leader an advantage. This is what is the secret of mastery. Pay attention to masters of different professions and bring their knowledge to your work. You can put hundreds of ideas and actions into each field set up in Act. This is one of it’s hidden secrets. You fields are like having a master look over your shoulder. The Key to Success is Implementation A recent article in Business 2.0 told how many people and companies have great ideas, but that the success of them can be found in their implementation. It went on to say too many companies don’t follow their plans. One of the valuable tools in Act is how you
schedule actions to support your ideas and your sales strategy. The biggest benefit in working on implementation is that it can give you breakthrough actions. Some of these actions include, “What do you say, to a prospect, when you have nothing new to say?” Act will allow you to be fresh, timely and specific if you learn to build and use the database as Peter Drucker and J.M. Juran suggest. What is the proof these ideas of masters works? Often people think that TQM, six sigma or the ideas of W. Edward Demming are just fads in business. These topics come and go as the latest business craze. There are many people that think Sales Force Automation is a good example. If you are a company that has adopted one of these ideas you are ahead of your competition, if you are seeking an
edge then look to these companies. For example Toyota is legendary for using the Rules of Demming. A recent Dallas Morning News story said that import sales in Dallas and especially from Toyota and Honda have gained 35% in the past five years. This is happening in Europe too. Want to know what book the leaders of these companies have read? It is A Book of Five Rings. The suggests that leaders are relentless and never stop looking for ways to master a skill. It is not easy, but then
winning never is easy. What is the pay off for using these rules of life in Act? Some people have said that Act! is Outlook on steroids, but that is too simple. What Act is, is a tool for getting great ideas and using them to create habits. Habits are stronger than character and good habits puts a salesperson ahead of the competition even inside your company. Read some of the references people have written about the 101 Tools book or the Best Year Ever. These people built habits into their life using their computer as a TOOL to assist them and to evaluate their actions. You can do it and the book or coaching will help. Need a speaker for your next event or sales meeting? Contact Brad Sandy @ 800-735-5717 (800-Sell-717) If you are interested in advertising in our Newsletter
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The Zen masters say, "One day with a master is better than reading 1000 books." You can improve your sales and develop a life long strategy that
puts you in the 20% category.