#1: Look in the mirror. Truth telling begins with you.

Be honest with yourself. Quit blaming the company, your price points, the boss and the economy. Are you doing everything you can to succeed in tough times? Its not the most naturally gifted salesperson that wins business. It is the committed and disciplined salesperson that consistently wins business. Take the quiz below to check your commitment level to success.

" I have read or listened to an average of one business/sales book a month for the past five years.
" I have actively sought out advice from a mentor, my boss or a colleague.
" I slow down long enough to figure out gaps in my performance and what to do about it. (I.e. I turn off all my electronics and focus.)
" I give 110% to my clients, job and my team.
" I am optimistic and proactively work on positive self-talk.
" I have written down my goals with specific action steps and deadlines.
" I have increased my sales activity to compensate for longer buy cycles.
" I attend a minimum of two educational workshops eac

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Method 1 - Highlight the main benefits for a particular customer.

For example, one of STARs clients sells a service to retail establishments and simply says to prospective customers, "...if you use our service, your traffic will increase." This same client calls this approach Name That Tune selling for the simple reason that it only takes a few seconds to communicate the main message to the client.

Most sellers would sell more if they followed the same advice. When you state the main benefits for the client, say it clearly and concisely. Pause and let the prospective customer react.

Method 2 - Reassure the customer by citing relevant testimonials and references.

This method works well if the prospective customer hasnt heard of your company or hasnt used a similar product/service. Testimonials are worth their weight in gold. The key to success is to cite testimonials who are similar to the prospective customers business.

For example, it is fairly common for new prospective STAR clients to find us by sea

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Thats the difference coaching and training reinforcement can make on a companies ROI when it comes to sales training.

It goes without saying that practice and reinforcement are the keys to any success. You cant just practice your baseball swing for one day and think youre going to win the home run derby. The same theory applies to sales. You cant expect to be a great salesperson if you dont keeping practicing and improving your skills. Practicing once will not make you salesperson of the year.

Training reinforcement is the key to success. Seminars help employees learn new selling techniques and new ways to stay in front of customers, but a study conducted by Sales Performance International found that participants in sales training forget half of what is taught within 5 weeks. Managers need to take it upon themselves to implement regular training sessions so that employees can keep up what they learned.

Here are some things managers can do to make sure that their inside sales reps have sustainable sales training:

- Role play. While it may be an old method, it does help, and it gives employees an idea of how to act when they get into real world situations. Remember, practice is important.
- Group meetings. Have group meetings with your team to see what your employees learned that week. Employees can learn from themselves as well as from others.
- Coach. If an employee comes to you with a problem, dont solve it for them. Sit them down and ask them how they would solve it. That way, they have to apply what they have learned and what they know.

Learning and practicing has to be done constantly so that you can stay ahead of the competition. We stress training reinforcement so much because of the difference that it can make for you and your company.

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When you are in tune with your buyer everything you say or do seems to be right on the mark. The buyer gets the feeling that you really understand them and the road to a successful sale lights up like an airport runway. The opposite is also true. When you are not in tune with your buyer nothing you can do or say will seem to be right. When you push they pull and vice versa.

Master salespeople know the importance of empathy and tune in to their buyers as quickly as possible. Novice salespeople on the other hand, rarely make the effort. This lack of empathy between buyer and seller accounts for much of the negative experiences many consumers experience.

This kind of selling requires a genuine desire on the part of the salesperson to try and be of service. It is pretty easy to spot the salesperson with this kind of desire. These salespeople take an interest in the buyer on a more personal level. The empathetic salesperson asks more questions and better questions. They ask the type of questions that get the buyer to open up and talk about their situation.

Buyers like salespeople that reach them on a personal level. Everyone likes to be listened to and understood. When you demonstrate to your buyer that you are interested and paying attention they will open up to you and tell you what it will take to make a sale. Here are a few reminders to help you focus on your buyers;

(*) Focus your attention on your buyer. Do not allow yourself to become distracted.
(*) Look for something you like in the other person. What do you think their friends like about them?
(*) Get your buyer to tell you their situation, hopes and fears with well prepared questions.

Sell with empathy and increase your productivity

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Taking Care of You
Drink plenty of water.
Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.
Eat more fruits and vegetables and eat less that is manufactured in processing plants.
Avoid eating food that is handed to you through a window.
Live the 3 Es -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
Play more games.
Read more books than you did in 2009.
Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
Sleep for 7 hours.
Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Your Outlook
Dont compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
Dont have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
Dont overdo. Keep your limits.
Dont take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
Dont waste your precious energy on gossip.
Dream more while you are awake.
Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
Forget issues of the past. Dont remind others of their past mistakes.
Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
Make peace with your past so it wont spoil the present.
No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
Learn a new word every day.
Smile and laugh more.
You dont have to win every argument.

Your Relationships
Call your family often.
Each day give something good to others.
Forgive everyone for everything.
Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
Try to make at least three people smile each day.
What other people think of you is none of your business.
Your job wont take care of you when you are sick. Your friends

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You are great. You are far greater than you imagine. You are a unique entity given the power to create your own life. When you look outside yourself for self-definition you are giving your power away. However, when you understand and accept that you alone possess the power to define yourself and your life, there are dramatic changes. You will find new clarity, focus and confidence. Youll also find that using this incredible gift is both exhilarating and challenging.

You are in charge. Think of your life as a movie. You are the writer, director, producer and star. You choose your co-stars and extras. Whether the movie is a smash or a flop is in your hands.

Your thoughts determine your outcomes. This is one of the great mysteries. There are a lot of theories about this phenomenon but no one really knows how it works. However, it does work and reveals the astonishing power of your thoughts. If you think you are average, you are. If you think you cant win, you wont. Conversely, if you see yourself succeeding, you will. If you expect great things to come to your life, theyre on their way.

You bring others with you. Your courage and confidence to examine your life and make changes will have a profound effect on those around you. When you lift yourself up, others are lifted up too.

Your life. Your responsibility. The first and most important rule is to take responsibility for everything that happens in your life. Following this rule puts you in command. Winston Churchill said, "The price of greatness is responsibility." While Im certain he was talking about fighting wars and leading nations, his statement applies to your life as well.

You have the power. Life will inevitably send you your share of setbacks, problems, disappointments and losses. These things are beyond your control. How you react to them is not. Listen to the voice within you and realize you have a choice

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So whats the best way to do this?allnbsp; Before answering this question, its helpful
to understand why - in addition to the reasons above - prospects are skeptical
of what we claim.allnbsp; Here are a few:

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