Pick Up The Phone Already!

The new sales formula combines social networking with old-fashioned phone calls.

Although it might seem contrary to many, cold calling and social networking are a perfect blend of old and new tools that, when used in conjunction with each other, can really boost your sales.

Take the first step by getting involved in social networking to expand your contact base. This will provide the context and contacts for the cold calls you're going to make. The fact is, as our ability to communicate has expanded, we have become a global community. We can reach out to people around the world in ways we never dreamed of, using sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn. People craving community and connection, coming together to be seen, heard and understood, are changing how we do business.

This is the age of joint ventures and affiliate partnerships. We no longer have to struggle alone to grow our businesses; the trend is to move forward with partners. Why compete when we can collaborate?

As an entrepreneur, you are ideally situated to ride the wave by taking advantage of this new movement toward community. It's not only the internet driving us to be more social, it's a predictable trend in human nature. And it's this bigger human trend that is turning the internet into a social contact machine the likes of which we've never seen.

Here are some ways you can tap into this emerging trend to grow your business:

Think about whom you can partner with and how you can help each other to expand your reach for mutual benefit.

Investigate new ways to collaborate with individuals who are in similar industries or who were once your competitors. (There's even a name for this because it happens a lot. It's called "co-opetition," the combination of cooperation and competition).

Be creative and reach out with the intention of helping each other in the process. This is the key as we move into this new marketplace.

Learn about Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other networking sites through free online tutorials; learn how businesses are benefiting from social networking.

But don't stop there. Take this tool one step further to build valuable relationships and create strategic alliances that can propel you forward in ways you never imagined.

The Lost Art of The Cold Call

Remember AT&T's iconic slogan, "Reach out and touch someone"? It's more important now than ever. Social networking via the internet is amazing, but what if you took it another step? What if you picked up the phone and made a more lasting connection? This is the magic way to turn social networking into something that will differentiate you from others and boost sales.

Recently on Facebook, I found a college friend I hadn't spoken to in 20 years. I sent her a message to reconnect and then went to her info page and noticed that she works in advertising sales for a major corporation. It was fun to connect via message, but it was even more fun to pick up the phone, exchange stories about our lives over the past 20 years and ask for a referral to her vice president of sales. I'm a corporate sales trainer, so this turned out to be a really great lead for me.

Your first step might be to become friends with people online, but don't stop there. Make real connections with people and pick up the phone. If you can't find phone numbers, company names or e-mail addresses on their profile, send them a message and book an appointment to speak on the phone. Cold calls aren't really cold anymore. At worst they are "warm calls" because you've already discovered mutual interests and started building a relationship online. As social beings we tend to have a predisposition to like people who like what we like. So use the similarity of interests you've already discovered to build rapport.

One stumbling block is determining whom to call. Creating your list isn't as hard as you might think. In fact, you can use the social networking and business networking sites to create a comprehensive list of people and places to contact. You can use the sites to conduct searches for individuals and companies in your target market. LinkedIn, in particular, has an excellent advanced search tool.

Social media give us the opportunity to work together in new ways. Now's the time to work collaboratively in teams rather than as individuals. Take full advantage of all the tools available, both new and old. The internet and the phone are a match made in heaven.

For more information on how you can feel comfortable and easily pick up the phone, reach out to me: carolyn@essentialselling.com www.essentialselling.com

Telling isn't selling!

I am a myth buster.

You won't see me on Discovery Channel though, well not yet anyway. You will hear me busting the "myth of selling" through my classes, my writing and when you meet me. This is my goal: to change the way people sell. Selling is an amazingly creative and fun process and that is what I want to impress upon you. Not only that, the art of sales is the art of clear communication, listening and relationship building. Learning this has changed my life and the lives of those I "sell with" and it can change yours as well!


People think selling is about pushing your product or service on your client or prospect. Others still think that it is about telling their story, sharing about how their product or service has changed their life. It isn't. Selling is so much more. Selling is about building relationships and discovering who your prospect is as a human being. Beyond that, selling will help you to discover who YOU ARE as a human being. If you follow my Equation for Success: VISION + VALUE + KNOWLEDGE + TOOLS = SUCCESS you will understand your own VALUE as a human being and this will transform you in ways you wouldn't imagine. The art of sales is a collaborative process. In this process we learn about ourselves, about our prospects and we build strong relationships with ourselves and our prospects!

Think about it, you go to a networking group and share your story. What happens if the person you share your story with has a different story? The person you are speaking with might not have the same problem you had and you could easily lose them right here. You can start over, and start building from that place, but it will be six times harder to build this relationship because you haven't established trust.


Many companies teach their sales people to "share" their story to bond with potential customers and clients. I am the first to tell you that this is a myth. Telling isn't selling. Discovering is selling! Learn about your prospect first and then selectively share your story when appropriate. Be yourself and reach out to ask about your prospect and learn about them. Don't make the sale the primary goal, make learning about your prospect's needs the primary goal and you will make the sale.


If you don't make the sale, you will build a relationship and this will lead to a sale down the road or a referral and a bigger sale. Trust the selling process and have fun with it, don't push.


Selling can be transformative if you allow yourself to embrace the process. If you are connected to your VISION you will feel the passion that drives you and so will everyone you reach out to. What about your VALUE? I mean your VALUE beyond your product or service. When you understand your intrinsic VALUE and reach out to people grounded in this understanding you reach out in a powerful way.

This is a powerful place to visit, your intrinsic VALUE as a human being and why you are special. When you are able to truly appreciate your own VALUE then you easily lead by example. People are drawn to you and you can easily build powerful relationships with others, because you have built a powerful relationship with yourself. KNOWLEDGE is your bridge to your prospects and clients. When you add in the TOOLS you can only WIN! Selling becomes bridge building because we are touching people in a way that lets them know we care.


I believe that we can change the way people do business. Selling becomes a way of connecting that shows our clients or prospects we care about them, not only about the sale. We don't tell our story but we listen to theirs. We just relate to them as human beings and we offer them our presence and our clear communication. We don't tell them our story until they ask and they will. So, selling becomes so much more than just telling!

I would love to hear from you!

Reach out to me and tell me your stories and share your thoughts about the selling process and I can share them with my readers: carolyn@essentialselling.com

What is your definition of an expert?

Here is Webster's Definition of an Expert: "one with the special skill or knowledge representing mastery of a particular subject".

I believe an expert is someone that is always learning. I believe an expert is someone with an open mind, a creative mind, a flexible mind. I believe an expert is someone who is open to changing. I believe and expert is someone with an open heart.

Really an expert is someone who doesn't always have the right answer and accepts that someone else might.

The more open we are to learning the more opportunity we create for ourselves. In business we want to see all sides and have an open mind. We can be in service and offer a benefit AND get well compensated for the benefit we bring. We can be in a place that is cooperative not competetive.

An expert can see the doors opening and takes the steps forward to cross the thresholds. Along the way an expert helps others and this collabroation is what supports everyone's success.

I would love to hear your thoughts. What is your definition of an expert? Email me and let me know how.

I can post some of your answers in my next newsletter or blog post! So do send them along! Thanks for sharing...have a great day!!!

Email: carolyn@essentialselling.com

Our Community Is Getting Bigger!

Business is changing.

We are part of a global community now! We can reach out to people all around the world with sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. People are coming together, they are craving community and I believe this is changing the face of how we do business.

If you are an entrepreneur you are someone with adventure and openness in your heart and this new wave of coming together will support you as you grow your business. It is the time to take advantage of this new movement toward community and utilize all the tools available to broaden your reach.

This is the age of Joint Venture and Affiliate Partnerships. We don’t have to struggle alone to grow our businesses; the trend is to move forward with partners. Why compete when we can collaborate?

I recently returned from a unique event called CEO Space and their motto is “Collaboration NOT competition”. At this event, people actually came up to me and asked, “What are you doing and what do you need next?” rather than thrust their business card at me and ask who I know. This is quite a shift from your average conversation at a typical networking event.

This is the time to shift the global community and our global consciousness and work together in new ways. It is time to work collaboratively in teams rather than individuals. It is time to think “outside of the box” or completely do without the box.

Here are some things for you to think about as you look at this emerging model of business. Think about who you can partner with and how you can help each other expand your reach. Think about new ways to collaborate with individuals who are in similar industries, or who were once your competitors. As you reach out, keep in mind how you can help each other in the process. This is key as we move into this new marketplace.

Utilize all the social networking and take it one step further. Go beyond the emails, messages, newsletters and tweets. Be different, pick up the phone and make a real connection with someone. Then determine next steps to find out how you can help each other and further your careers together. This is really a win-win relationship.

It is so much fun to scour Facebook, look for old friends and post what we are doing. However, take full advantage of this amazing tool and really build valuable relationships by reaching out beyond the norm and create some partnerships that will propel you forward in ways you never imagined.

I know that sometimes people feel uncomfortable picking up the phone, but I can help with this! I teach people how to EASILY pick up the phone to reach out and build relationships, whether to build Joint Ventures or Affiliate Partnerships or to just reach your target market and sell more. For more, reach out to me, who knows, we might be able to work together and help each other along our paths. carolyn@essentialselling.com

For more information on how to attend a CEO Space Meet Up Group in the Los Angeles area contact me.

SALES 101

I was at a great event this past week.

The motto of this event is "Cooperation NOT Competition". What a great way to do business!

How many times do you go to a networking event and come home with a stack of cards that people basically threw at you? Recently this happened to me, I was at an event and an architect thrust her card at me and said, "Hi, I'm Beverly(not her real name) and I am a Real Estate Agent, here is my card, so if you know anyone let me know".

Wow. That was an ineffective sales pitch. Really, I just took her card and it is sitting here on my desk as I type this right now. I don't even know what to say to her to follow up and I AM AN EXPERT AT THIS. I know nothing about her and she knows nothing about me, there is no sense in that. How can we help each other grow our businesses using this model?

We can't!

I could feel her desperation, I could see her nervousness and really I could tell she didn't really know how to sell herself.

That is the problem with this model of competition, you have to sell yourself.

I believe that "Sales" is about building relationships and in order to do that you have to ask questions that lead you to the real answers. You can't solve a problem if you don't know what it is, right?

Why not give this "new model" a try at your next networking event. Walk up to someone and ask them, "Hi, My name is Carolyn (use your own name), what are you doing and how can I help you"? I bet you will get a warm response and this will be the beginning of a great relationship. This is the building block to sales!

Write to me and tell me about your responses and the quality of connections that you make. I bet they will be pretty great!

Good luck out there. Keep in touch and don't forget to visit my website to learn more about building relationships, the core of Essential Selling. www.essentialselling.com

Email me your stories and I can put them in my next newsletter! carolyn@essentialselling.com

How's Your Retention Rate?

I read an interesting article this morning about Twitter and retention statistics.

The article explained that after someone joins Twitter, that person might not come back for a whole month.

It got me to thinking. All these social media sites need to keep their users interested and coming back for more. With all the competition of Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and other sites popping up every day, the big question becomes: How do you keep someone interested?

This should be a question that you are asking yourself as you reach out to “sell” in the marketplace. Because, as we know if you have been following my blog, we ALL sell no matter what!

So, how do you keep your customers interested? How do you keep your customers loyal? How do you keep your customers?

Here are some tips that will help answer this very important question:

Remember you are building a relationship.

Selling is relationship building. People like to do business with people they trust and they like. Let your prospect know you care by asking questions to understand how you can help and answer a need. You can’t answer a need though if you don’t know what it is, so ask questions to uncover that need and THEN offer your solution. This builds trust and let’s your prospect know you care.

Keep reaching out:

Selling is about connecting and connecting and connecting. You can’t just reach out once and expect to make a sale. It does happen and when it does it’s great, but it is rare. What you need to do is keep reaching out to your prospects AND your current clients to continue to learn more and more. This takes discipline, organization and a great system. You need to have this in place so you can continue to keep in touch. In sales absence does NOT make the heart grow fonder.

Be unique:

What do you have that is original and different from your competitor. What is your brand? What is special about what you have to offer? In some cases, it could just be YOU. That is ok, take advantage of you. If you reach out from a place of confidence, power and good intentions, this will ring true for your prospects and clients. You will notice that more and more your prospects and clients will be drawn to you because you are genuine. You don’t have to push, just be yourself.

Use the phone:

You can build a relationship on the phone and selling is building relationships. So, use the phone. Reach out to people and differentiate yourself from your competition. Don’t just send an email or even a letter. Say hello, and build a relationship on the phone and in person!



I don’t know how Twitter will keep people interested. I do know how we can; by reaching out on the phone and in person, with the intention to be “of service”. This is what can make all the difference in a market flooded by social media, e-zines, newsletters, email marketing, voice broadcasting and tweets.

For more on how to reach out from a place of power and confidence, to anyone on the phone and in person visit my website and sign up for my next course: Essential Selling’s Cold Calling Wealth Building Technology™. www.essentialselling.com carolyn@essentialselling.com

Cold Calling IS Selling

I am on the phone a lot.

I practice what I preach. I make cold calls. I reach out on a daily basis and let people know that I am here to help. I love it.

As you can imagine, I speak to a lot of people. What I hear a lot of is, “I don’t like cold calling, I like to build relationships”.

I always chuckle, because by the time I get off the phone with these people I know quite a bit about them, and I have planted the seeds for a budding relationship.

The core of Essential Selling is building relationships AND cold calling is selling. So, to bring this to its logical conclusion, you can build relationships by picking up the phone and making cold calls.

I love cold calling because I can learn about a lot of different people. I can also make "friends" by cold calling. This is great, because people want to do business with people they like. I have so many people in my “rolodex” that I have known for years over the phone. When we finally do meet, it is as if we are two pen pals meeting for the first time. It is quite a lot of fun.

Cold calling is an incredibly affordable tool that allows you to reach out beyond people you meet at local events, networking and chamber events and conferences. It is a tool that enables you to laser focus your time and reach out to ANYONE in your target market ANYWHERE. You never know who will show up at your local networking event, but you KNOW who you are reaching out to when you create a target list of prospects to call.

Think about your day and your time and how easy it would be to take one or two hours out of your day, without driving to an event and just reach out easily to your target market. Great right?

Why don’t more people utilize this incredible SELLING tool?

Some reasons are:

Fear
Discomfort
Not knowing what to say
Not knowing who to say it to
Not knowing how to get through to the decision maker

Instead, people will continue to do the same thing over and over. It is time to do something new. It is time to reach out and touch as many people as possible. It is time to think in a creative new way and sometimes that is just as simple as picking up the phone and getting back to basics.

My next course starts on Tuesday April 21st at 12pm PST. If you are ready to MAKE MORE SALES, you might want to consider joining.

Check out some of the comments from people who have taken my course and reach out to me for more information!


"Essential Selling's "Cold Calling" is a powerful tool for growing your business! After completing the course I quickly began applying the practical telephone techniques to my marketing plan. As a result, within a few weeks a tremendous opportunity was uncovered that has allowed me to connect face-to-face with target customers who will benefit from SmartChoice Resume's service. Thank you Essential Selling!"

Dala Gorner
Smart Choice Resume



"I've never done sales, don't consider myself a big phone talker, and have dealt with poor confidence for the last few years due to depression and fatigue. So I have many obstacles to overcome. That's why I got very excited when I heard what Carolyn was doing with her cold calling class. I was looking for guidance just like this.

I decided Tuesday (today!) would be my first day out in the field approaching business owners. Doing Carolyn's first exercise (From her Essential Cold Calling System™) and clearly defining my WHY and my future vision was crucial in order to go out on my first day.

I spent about 2 hours writing a detailed description of everything I will have and be in 5 years. Even so I was still terrified and called Carolyn for some moral support and finally around 12:30, made myself get in the car and go to my first appointment. I almost turned around about 3 times, then I sat in my car for about 10 minutes deep breathing and reminding myself of my WHY and that I could do it.

So I finally got my butt out of the car and approached the businesses on my researched list. The 1st biz owner wasn't there, the 2nd wasn't either, but the 3rd one was and was very pleasant. We sat and talked about his business for 30 minutes, I even showed him the entire presentation. Although he did not buy the membership right there, I think he might later. I stopped there and came home elated and bubbling with excitement!

I am so very proud of myself for facing this seemingly overwhelming fear of talking to business owners. I'm going out again tomorrow and I'm going to talk to 10 business owner this time.

Looking forward to working more of the Essential Selling Cold Calling System with you Carolyn,"

Trista Thompson
Pre-Paid Legal

Contact me for more information! carolyn@essentialselling.com

HERE'S MY DEFINITION OF ATTRACTION MARKETING

Attraction Marketing is a term that you can find all over the internet!

This is the “new” model for network marketing, MLM’s and other businesses. Everyone is using the term and everyone is doing it so that they can become “the hunted and not the hunter”! This is a great concept. It works for certain businesses and certain products and services. The stars line up correctly and you make your passive millions.

I have a little bit of a different take on attraction marketing. If you aren’t on the top of the search engines, coming up in the first 5 places on Google or Yahoo, I don’t know how well attraction marketing will work for you. But let’s put that aside, because that only takes money and a good writer.

Let’s say you do get people coming to your website. Now what? Do they just buy your product? Or are they browsing? What if they have questions? Are you going to answer all their questions via email? How are you going to build the relationship?

Is your e-zine, newsletter, or email campaign going to be the one that will stand out from all the rest? Why? What is it about your correspondence that makes it better than the person that sent their e-zine five minutes before you sent yours?

I am not trying to be negative, this is just my opinion. In this frantic “attraction-marketing-market” it doesn’t matter how well written your e-zine is or how funny or cute, because the only thing that will differentiate you from all your competition is YOU!

This is what I mean about Attraction Marketing. If you want to attract someone to you then you need to be strong and confident in your communication and at some point your communication will need to be live.

Many of the people who have built their internet empires started somewhere and rumor has it that they started with talking to a lot of people; both, in person and on the phone. The people who have built their empires on the internet had to start somewhere. Just a little note, when they did start, there were a lot less people doing what they were doing, that is why they teach it now!

I am not saying that you shouldn’t utilize all the tools in your tool box and one tool is attraction marketing.

It is time for so much more. It is time for focus. It is time for direction. It is time to stand out and know your worth, your value, the benefits you can offer and how to build relationships! At some point you will need to pick up the phone, either to follow up or reach out. So, think about it. Are you ready for that? Are you ready to stand out amongst your competition as the one that offers the personal touch? Are you ready, as an expert, to offer the professionalism to follow up and reach out?

My definition of attraction marketing is this: If you reach out and know why you are reaching out and the value you offer someone and you have the knowledge to back it all up as an expert, you will naturally attract your customers to you. People will be drawn to you and even if they don’t work with you immediately, they will eventually! Or they might just refer someone to you!

Just my two cents and a different spin on attraction marketing to about.

Learn more: carolyn@essntialselling.com Stay tuned for my updated website...

INSIDE OUT NETWORKING

Everyone is doing what you’re doing, how can you set yourself apart and stand out?

When you go to a party, who do you remember? I remember the person that was nice to me; the person that was genuinely interested in me and was curious and asked questions. You know what, that makes me interested in them!

I can’t stand going to networking events and having people tell me how great they are, how great their product is and how I need what they have. How do they know?

Networking events can be crazy and frenzied with people pushing themselves on the other glazy eyed attendees. Frantic networkers are spewing 30 second commercials in every direction as if they are robots circling around the room looking for their next victim. They are hoping desperately to find that one fish to bite down on their hook.

Is this really conducive to building strong relationships, which, as we have established, is how you build your business? Is this how you are going to let people know what you have to offer? NO!

I have an idea, try something different and go against the grain and do what isn’t expected from you. Let’s make a pact right here that the next networking event we attend we will be the ones to stand out and be noticed by not trying to be noticed. What do you say? Are you in?

Let’s not talk about ourselves. While everyone else is pitching why not catch? Why not just listen, take note and remember what is being said. When you do follow up (and you must!) you will be armed with information and know just what to say to build a relationship.

This alone will make you stand out. You will be remembered because you listened and you weren’t pushing, you were just being. So take note of what they are throwing your way and catch it so you can then “throw it right back” to build a relationship when you follow up.

When I say “throw it right back” what I mean is that because you are such a good listener and you really can understand the nuances of what people are saying, read the sub-text, you are able to craft the perfect questions and lead your new friend down an easy path to buying your product. You are building a relationship because you are taking the time to build a relationship.

Think about it and give it a try. By remembering them you will stand out. You will be the one who noticed them and made them feel important and special. Let them turn the tables and ask you questions and want to know what you do. Focus on being yourself and just listening, being friendly and being approachable and turn the networking events inside out!

Just a note, you have to follow up to be successful. One out of two people aren't following up so you be the one that does! Then this will really work.

For more information on the right questions to ask, gently leading your prospect down the path of discovery and building a strong bond that leads to a sale, contact me. carolyn@esesntialselling.com

How do you feel about "selling"?

Many people don't like "selling".

They feel that “selling” means that they have to convince someone to do something they don't want to do or have to force their product or service on someone.

This is a misconception. Selling isn't pushing or forcing. Selling is a creative process. It is a dynamic dialogue between you and your customer.

You ask questions, you listen, you answer questions and ask more questions. It is an easy, casual, and professional, dialogue.

Don't push. If you start from the beginning, knowing that you aren't going to "CLOSE" your prospect, but learn about how you can help your prospect, then you should easily move from point "A" to point "B". Point "B" is your answer to your customer's need. You answer their need and you make a sale. You easily, casually and naturally make a sale.

No pushing, no pulling, no forcing, just an easy dialogue.

Is that what selling is for you? Is it easy and fun? Do you know which questions to ask so you can easily move from Point “A” to Point “B”? Do you know what to listen for in the answers?

If so, you are on your way to selling success. If not, you might want more information.

Contact me about my next course starting April 21st 12pm PST
Email: carolyn@essentialselling.com

KEYS TO SUCCESS

No matter your industry, no matter what you do or what your passion
is, there are some common threads to pull on the path to success.

I believe EVERYONE sells no matter what and the core of Essential Selling is reaching out to build lasting relationships that grow into increased sales, more money and referrals!

Here are a couple of tips to help you build strong relationships.

• It’s about them! It is important to understand that your purpose is to solve a personal problem or need for your customers and to serve them in an emotional capacity. Find out what that is before you just SELL HARD and “verbally assault” your prospect your prospect. If you want to build a relationship you can’t make it all about you!
  
• Be confident (not cocky)! When you are confident your prospects and customers will naturally gravitate toward you. They won’t be able to help it because your positive energy and excitement will draw them in! Confidence isn’t arrogance. When you reach out with confidence you reach connected to your passion and you understand your value. This is how you easily build relationships. Speak to your prospects as if you are speaking to a friend and the sales process becomes a natural conversation. Selling is an ongoing dialogue and should be relaxed. Self-serving manipulation is a real turn-off. So be yourself and connect naturally while being respectful and LISTEN.

Learn more about the Essential Selling Equation for Success

Join the Next Essential Cold Calling Class on April 21st.

Email me for more information: carolyn@esentialselling.com

Money Will Fall Out Of Your Phone....Starting Monday

If you are the biggest investment in your business, how much are
you willing to invest in yourself?

How can you build the business of your dreams? What do you need in place to be successful? How can you reach out to ANYONE and connect to create relationships that will support the growth of your profitable business? It's easy. If you are connected to what drives you, what drives your customer and what drives your industry, and combine that with simple doable tools and techniques. You can't lose. Selling and growing your business becomes this really FUN ADVENTURE!

When you invest in The Essential Cold Calling System you are investing in your success!

Learn to think in a fresh new way to attract more clients without the hard sell using the Equation for Success: WHY + VALUE + TOOLS + KNOWLEDGE = SUCCESS!

In this 8 hour telecourse you will develop:

• Ease and confidence so you can easily reach out on the phone or in person to anyone to build lasting relationships, the core to Essential Selling Success
• The ability to turn "cold calls" into warm "discovery calls" that are fun to build relationships with your clients and prospects
• An intimate understanding of why you love what you do and how that will drive you to unlimited success.
• A deep knowledge and appreciation of your value to your industry.
• The foundational cornerstones to build a prosperous business.
• The skill to easily talk to anyone about your product/service.
  The ability to turn an obstacle into a new beginning.
• A complete manual tailored to your business that includes all the documents you will need: introductions, scripts, daily planning and tracking system.

The Essential Cold Calling System breaks down cold calling and selling into simple and easy steps. Cold calling becomes a discovery expedition and you will reap the rewards. Join May's Class So You Can Start Making Money Fall Out Of Your Phone ASAP!

The class meets twice a week: Tuesday's and Thursday's at 12:00pm PST for 1 hour.

There are only a few spots left, so sign up now to Ignite your sales and ROCKET your business to success!!!

The Essential Cold Calling System is normally $600Sign up Now for The Essential Cold Calling System for the incredibly Discounted rate of $300 Sign up Now

Email: carolyn@essentialselling.com if you have any questions about building your business quickly!

Now, more than ever, is the time to invest in your
own success!

YOU CAN ROCKET YOUR SALES NOW!!!

This is the problem...

We are in a very competitive market and many business owners and entrepreneurs will fail because they don't know they are sales people. Even if you are in a network marketing company, direct sales company or MLM you are a SALES person. Yes you are sharing your story, but you are SELLING!

Let's face it, everyone sells. I don't care what you do. Think about the last "persuasive discussion" you had with your spouse. I rest my case.

As an expert sales trainer with Essential Selling, I am going to share three great tools from my Essential Cold Calling System that will help you build relationships to boost sales, which is the core of Essential Selling.

1. Pick Up The Phone. You have to pick up the phone to reach out and build relationships. The phone is one of your best and most affordable tools. So become best friends with your phone!
2. Ask the right questions. You have to know the right questions to ask to build relationships and trust so you can build your sales!
3. Then LISTEN for the right answers. If you listen and know what you are listening for you won't have to even "sell"!

For more information, reach out to me: carolyn@essentialselling.com

My next course, The Essential Cold Calling System starts MONDAY March 30th and is almost booked up. Contact me for a great DISCOUNT and learn how to ignite your business and rocket to success!

COMMUNICATION IS KEY!

How many times have you been on the phone or at a client visit and
have been misinterpreted in your communication?

Did you know that 93% of what you communicate and how it is received has more to do with HOW it is relayed than even the content? Often people let their bad mood, their fear or their frustration creep into the tone of their voice. So, no matter what they are saying it will be misinterpreted or at least fall on deaf ears. Many people don’t say what they mean or what they want to say for fear of how the other person will react. Or, if they do have the courage to speak their truth, they don’t do it in a clear and concise way.

If 93% of what we communicate is not in our words, this means that your tone, your body language, your energy and your mood can overshadow the CONTENT of what you are trying to communicate! And if your words aren’t even So, on top of that, if you aren’t being clear in what you are saying and how you are saying it is probably going to be impossible to get your point across to your intended recipient.

I teach my clients to not only communicate clearly, in their words, but in their attitudes as well! Here are some helpful hints that will put you in the driver’s seat when you communicate with your clients (or anyone).

• Listen
• Don’t be reactive. If you find that you are upset by something in the conversation, excuse yourself and gather your thoughts, calm down and call back. Take control of the call; don’t be at the mercy of anyone else’s upset or bad mood.
• If you are having a “bad day”, don’t get on the phone or in front of clients unless you can shift your mood/energy. If you can’t do this easily, get out of the office for a short time if you can, take a break and take a walk, read something inspirational, just clear yourself of that bad energy and then make the call.
• If you find you are nervous or anxious about a call, then you will need to shift your mindset and write yourself a script or some bullet points that cover what you want to say. This is especially helpful for making cold calls (a topic I will cover extensively in my Essential Cold Calling System course starting on March 30th)

Just remember that you learn from your mistakes and if only 7% of what you say is content, then you don’t have to be perfect and know everything, but you do have to be up beat, clear, concise and cheerful to get to where you want to be.

Email me with your questions. I can put your question in an upcoming ezine or can answer it here. carolyn@essentialselling.com

Email me for more information on my upcoming course so that you can learn to SELL anything, even yourself to find a job!

DO YOU KNOW THE EQUATION FOR SUCCESS?

This may be obvious, but it is interesting!

I was on my way home from the gym on Tuesday morning and I heard something interesting on the radio. It was that successful people work harder than people who aren’t as successful. I know, I told you this was obvious! But, how do they do that? How do they have the energy and drive to work harder than your “average bear”? It is because they are passionate about what they do! This is the nugget, the hot coal that fuels them all day long.

It means that they are connected to WHY they are doing what they are doing.

Did you know that this alone is enough to get people to where they want to go? They might get there stumbling and bumbling because they don’t have the experience or tools in place to support them, but they can get there just the same. It probably will take a while.

Now, what if you add VALUE to the equation? I mean that not only do you understand WHY you are doing something, you really understand on a deep level what VALUE you bring to your industry, to your clients, your community to the people you come in contact with on a daily basis. This is great, this gives you the confidence you need to reach out and build relationships. So now it becomes a little bit more easy to reach out and build business.

Let’s add something else, KNOWLEDGE. I mean the knowledge that you bring to your industry, your customers, your prospects and your community. These three elements: WHY, VALUE and KNOWLEDGE create a very solid foundation to build from.

The final component in the equation is nuts and bolts sales tools and techniques. With this in place you can harness all that passion and knowledge and direct it properly. You know how to manage your day. You know how to reach out. You know how to follow up and have the systems in place to support your growing business.

THIS is the equation for success: WHY + VALUE + KNOWLEDGE + TOOLS = SELLING SUCCESS!

This is what I teach! I am so excited about my upcoming course: The Essential Cold Calling System™. Starting March 30th my telecourse will start and you will leave with this very workable equation and all the tools in place you need to rocket to success.

Email me for more information: carolyn@essentialselling.com

It's Time To Get Back To Your ABC's...

Always Be Connecting

Ok, you have read all of the articles and know the motivational quotes by heart. You stand in front of the mirror every morning repeating, “I am successful, I am successful!” You have commiserated with colleagues and had "soul searching" internal conversations. You know what you have to do to succeed in these turbulent times…you have to MARKET. You have to go back to basics. You have to get out there and meet with, talk to and call as many prospects as possible. You feel it. You tell yourself you must do something that you might not have needed to do for years or maybe never, but then you find yourself in a cold sweat. Can you even remember how? YES, it's as easy as your ABC's Always Be Connecting!

Remember a marketing or sales call is really a rapport-building call. You know what? One of the most efficient, affordable and environmentally friendly ways of increasing your sales is by cold calling. What I don't get is that somehow people would rather spend 10 hours a week at networking events instead of picking up the phone and reaching out to targeted prospects.

I don’t get this. You have to drive over to the event, sign in and pay (at $15-$20 a pop this becomes a pricey proposition at five networking events a week). Then you scan the room and read the nametags hoping to find someone in your target market that hasn’t met your competitor yet. You then try your best to make at least one or two solid connections. You get your stack of business cards and then back at the office you have to reach out to these people and guess what, build a relationship. That means you are picking up the phone anyway and you still need the same tools, techniques and systems in place to support this process.

I go to networking events and I think that they are a great way to support the growth of my profitable business. I am not saying to stop that form of marketing, but why not make even better use of your time? What if you could reach out to your target market and within an hour a day make lets say 20 calls? That’s 100 calls a week and of those 100 calls you only connected with 10%. And of those 10% only 10% became a new client. That is still one new client a week, which is 52 new clients a year. And that is only for 5 hours of work during the week. See my point? The odds are in your favor.

Come on, we know it is a numbers game, especially in this market. So, make the best use of your time. I love cold calling and when I tell people I teach cold calling they roll their eyes WAY back into their heads and then spit out, “I HATE cold calling”. I hear you. I used to feel the same way. I was terrified to pick up the phone, but now, I realize that it is an amazingly brilliant tool and used correctly can build million dollar businesses! Really, I have seen it work for me and for others. So, now I look at cold calling as something fun, an adventure and an expedition. I can teach you how to love it too! Really, I can.

In this market (or any market) what you need is to be open, creative, smart, effective and productive. I teach you how to be all of these things in business. If you want, email me and I can send you some information or we can talk about how cold calling is such an amazing tool. It is cheap, easy (once I am done with you it is) and GREEN! Come on! There is no better way out there to build business.

It’s time to go back to basics, your ABC's Always Be Connecting to increase your business in any market!

Email for more information: carolyn@essentialselling.com

What if selling were like a treasure hunt?

For Immediate Release

Contact: Carolyn Ziel
Email: carolyn@essentialselling.com

What if selling your services or business was like a treasure hunt?

Let’s face it, in today’s market finding a job or a client is a numbers game. Do you know your call ratio success rate? It takes many more calls to find a job or sell a service or product in this market. If you could increase your call success ratio by 30% to 40% wouldn’t you do that? Carolyn Ziel, founder of Essential Selling, knows what it takes to be successful in this market and she can teach you how to do the same.

Carolyn has a new method to teach people how to market themselves and their businesses in this challenging economy with her Essential Cold Calling System™. She started her own recruiting business seven years ago after working for several larger recruiting firms since 1998. Her years in the trenches of executive search have given her a unique perspective of what it takes to do business over the phone. Her phone is her best friend and most valued business tool. In a job market flooded with applicants and services, cold calling is a way to rise above the crowd and get your resume, service or company noticed. Or if you are in a multi-level marketing firm, cold calling can be your best friend. Carolyn Ziel has taught sales teams with her unique Essential Cold Calling System™ and helped them raise their sales by 30% to 40% even in what people are calling a “down economy”.

“I have been in some sort of sales and marketing role ‘officially’ for over eighteen years. I have been a successful recruiter for over eleven years and have owned my own business for the last seven where I utilize cold calling techniques to build my business.” says Carolyn Ziel of Essential Selling. “The reason I say ‘officially’ is because I didn’t always know I was in sales. Actually, it took me about a year to figure out that being a successful recruiter meant that I had to be a successful sales person. I don’t care if you own a salon, a grocery store, a lemonade stand or run your own organization within a multi-level marketing company, you are a sales person. Actually, a persuasive argument with your spouse causes you to ‘sell’ your point of view. I grew up in the entertainment industry. My Dad was in production and was a producer. I always knew that was what I wanted to do when I grew up and I did for a while. I worked on film sets and in the production offices of several motion picture studios you might have heard of and on some feature films you might have even seen. All the skills that I used on the set to communicate effectively with the crew and the actors and the skills I used to solve some pretty tricky problems are all the skills that I use on a daily process in sales.”

Just think if you could increase your profits by 30% to 40% wouldn’t you want to try this amazing new system? Thinking on your feet, researching and problem solving are the skills of cold calling. But before you even pick up the phone Carolyn has devised a system that helps you demystify the process. By thoroughly examining your reasons for doing your business you will find key emotional connections that will drive you forward to success in your business. Her process takes you from understanding why you do the business you do, to establishing your value in the market place, research, formulating your introduction and finally using all of these skills on the calls with your prospective clients.

“When I first started cold calling I was terrified. I was new to recruiting and didn’t understand the industry. My boss, Frank, had asked me my interests and I told him. They were fitness, health and nutrition. “Great, you’ll place accountants’, he boomed. Frank was very intimidating. Rumor had it he was deaf in one ear and so he spoke very loudly. I was so nervous and insecure at the time. I didn’t tell him I knew nothing about accounting. I just nodded and said, ‘Okay’. I had no training; I didn’t understand anything about recruiting and knew nothing about accounting. I didn’t even know how to balance my checkbook. I found myself in an industry I knew nothing about, selling a product (a person) that I didn’t understand. I barely understood what cold calling was and so I didn’t understand the value of cold calling. I certainly didn’t know my own value.”

“Frank explained that my goal was to call companies and have the companies eventually hire the candidate (an accountant) that I was selling (describing) to them. Of course, there were a lot of steps in the process, but first I had to just start making calls. Frank put me in a conference room and dropped a huge hard covered yellow directory on the table in front of me with a bang. He turned to software companies and said, ‘Call these companies and present this accountant’. He handed me the resume of an accountant.”
“I had no idea what to say or how to say it and with very little direction I got on the phone. Frank told me to ask for people with the title of ‘Controller’ or ‘Chief Financial Officer’. I didn’t know what they did either. When I first interviewed with Frank he told me I could be successful at recruiting. I was operating on blind faith at this point. I didn’t have enough belief in myself, but I believed Frank, he was very convincing. I just picked up the phone and started making calls.”

What stops people from cold calling? In one word… fear. Given her first experience in cold calling Carolyn really understands those fears can be debilitating and she gives you strategies to over come them. “Once you transition from fear into activity, cold calling becomes like a treasure hunt,” says Carolyn. “When you shift your focus from yourself to a place of curiosity about the other person you can really begin the process of building profitable relationships.”

When asked why she loves her cold calling system she replies, “It’s a fun way to spend to day. I’m calling with the intention of helping someone solve a problem. I know that by reaching out and connecting with that other person I am offering value to their business and their lives. It’s a win-win situation.” Carolyn believes you could be one phone call away from a financial wind fall of success. What happens if you quit before you make that last call? What treasure could you find by talking to one more person? It’s important to know how to find the treasures through building your business with cold calling. By not calling you could miss an opportunity of a life time.

For more information or to set an interview with Carolyn Ziel email: carolyn@essentialselling.com