OH BOY! am I addicted to this genealogy stuff. I'm driving my husband crazy because I'm either on the phone or on the computer researching our family.
My husbands family wasn't too terribly hard to research. I've hit a few road blocks. I still can't find anything on his grandmother (the only grandmother still alive) She'd not even sure where she was born, but most likely OK or TX and the absolutely nothing on her mother other then her death.
Now my family on the other hand has been much hard then I expected. I have only been able to find one of my great grandmothers and her ancestors. Pretty much everyone else is eluding me.
I can't stress enough how important it is to maintain your family history and pass it down, so that others know where they come from and don't have to go through the lengthy search that I have had to go through.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Friday, June 24, 2005
Paterson Principle 2
Paterson Principle 2
Sorry for dropping this over the last couple weeks. I am starting to unravel some of the mysteries and myths in our family history. It's very addictive, but it's time to get back to business again.
Our Paterson Principle for this week is #2 SELF BELIEF. You must believe in your ability as a sales person, your company, and your product. When you believe and have the confidence it will show to others. However, if you have any doubts then others will see that and it will undermine anything you are trying to say.
The phrase "Actions speak louder than words" comes to mind.
Sorry for dropping this over the last couple weeks. I am starting to unravel some of the mysteries and myths in our family history. It's very addictive, but it's time to get back to business again.
Our Paterson Principle for this week is #2 SELF BELIEF. You must believe in your ability as a sales person, your company, and your product. When you believe and have the confidence it will show to others. However, if you have any doubts then others will see that and it will undermine anything you are trying to say.
The phrase "Actions speak louder than words" comes to mind.
- What do you believe in?
- How can you improve your beliefs?
- How do other (co-workers, family, friends) influence your beliefs?
- Are you associating with those who will influence you beliefs in a positive way?
- Do your beliefs come across to you prospects as strongly as your words? (they better)
Jeffrey Gittomer suggests that you go out and buy a copy of "The Little Engine that could" or go get the crayon marked one out of the kids room and read it. It's not just a kids book, it's a philosophy for life.
Read the book to your children. Spend valuable time with them and learn a valuable lesson for your self.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
SNIT Members
For the SNIT Selling North Idaho Toastmasters group that visit this site I will keep posting sales information for you. However, I will not be at the meeting for a while. So please send me emails or call me if there is information covered in the meetings and you want to continue to contribute to the growth of other sales professionals.
Word of Mouth
There is a lot to be said for word of mouth. So far I've noticed most of the business we have or are doing has come to us by word of mouth. I've drummed up a little interest by contacting prospects, but they aren't as likely to become a customer as someone who was recommended to you by an associate or a friend.
Word of mouth customers usually aren't pricing you with others for the best deal either, which makes them even more valuable. Let your customers and associates speak for you. What they say has more weight then what you say. How many times have you listened to a sales person (if you were really listening) and found yourself wanting to hit the off button because all they could do was brag about what they do.
So what's the point? Integrity, honesty, quality, service, personality, etc. had all better be your best. If you are at the top of your game then your prize will be greater then hard sales with empty promises.
Word of mouth customers usually aren't pricing you with others for the best deal either, which makes them even more valuable. Let your customers and associates speak for you. What they say has more weight then what you say. How many times have you listened to a sales person (if you were really listening) and found yourself wanting to hit the off button because all they could do was brag about what they do.
- We have the best quality. So show me
- We are honest and integrity. If you have to tell me that then most likely your NOT!
- We are better then So and So. I don't appreciate sales people who bad mouth the competition.
- We have the best service. Yea, and so does your competitor.
So what's the point? Integrity, honesty, quality, service, personality, etc. had all better be your best. If you are at the top of your game then your prize will be greater then hard sales with empty promises.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Summer Break!!!
Well the first week is over and I think I survived! This was the first week of summer break, so instead of two children (who I get a break from during nap time) all day I had three home all day. My two oldest are boys 3 and 7. I've broken up fights, taken away toys, heard cries, screams and yes.. no... yes.... no arguments, and heard "MOM!!!!" too many times. At least the baby isn't old enough to drive me crazy yet.
My other adventure has been researching our genealogy. It has been very interesting. I've been on Ancestery.com all week. The neat thing is to find census records, military registration cards, birth records, etc. of my ancestors that I can print a copy of. The most interesting discovery this week was when I found record of an older sister of my husband's grandfather that no one knew about.
I've also been doing a little bit of work this week to. I went out on a limb earlier. My husband had given a rough quote to a customer and I was reluctant to increase that quote, but knew I needed to when the project became bigger then we had originally thought. I called her and explained the price increase and surprisingly she understood and was glad to pay the extra!
I hope next week we will be able to get started on building our first standard ladder rack to sell to the dealers.
My other adventure has been researching our genealogy. It has been very interesting. I've been on Ancestery.com all week. The neat thing is to find census records, military registration cards, birth records, etc. of my ancestors that I can print a copy of. The most interesting discovery this week was when I found record of an older sister of my husband's grandfather that no one knew about.
I've also been doing a little bit of work this week to. I went out on a limb earlier. My husband had given a rough quote to a customer and I was reluctant to increase that quote, but knew I needed to when the project became bigger then we had originally thought. I called her and explained the price increase and surprisingly she understood and was glad to pay the extra!
I hope next week we will be able to get started on building our first standard ladder rack to sell to the dealers.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Family History
Our family history is an amazing thing! I have spent the last few days researching our family history. I'm finding it is not a very easy thing to do, but very addictive. I have always had a passion for history when it comes to people (not events). So I have embarked on a search for mine and my husbands families. Mostly my husband though since there are others researching mine.
My husband's history has been quit elusive. His family consists of many native Americans from Oklahoma. Since the Indians in Oklahoma didn't trust the government around the time of his grandparents births it has been very difficult to establish that they were even born or who their parents were, but I shall prevail in time. They don't even exists on the census until 1930 one grandparent showed up.
If there are any genealogy experts out there, especially when it comes to researching Indian history of Oklahoma, I would sure appreciate any advise you could give.
It will be interesting to see if my family and his ever meet at any point in Oklahoma. Our families migrated to California with our grandparents generation. So I will get back to looking into the past.
My husband's history has been quit elusive. His family consists of many native Americans from Oklahoma. Since the Indians in Oklahoma didn't trust the government around the time of his grandparents births it has been very difficult to establish that they were even born or who their parents were, but I shall prevail in time. They don't even exists on the census until 1930 one grandparent showed up.
If there are any genealogy experts out there, especially when it comes to researching Indian history of Oklahoma, I would sure appreciate any advise you could give.
It will be interesting to see if my family and his ever meet at any point in Oklahoma. Our families migrated to California with our grandparents generation. So I will get back to looking into the past.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
How well known are you?
Read Jeffrey Gitomer's article. Score yourself and then improve your week areas. I have a few myself I am working on. It's all about who knows you, and how they know you. What ever you do to become known in your industry and to your prospective customers always be sincere and honest.
" target="_blank">Gitomer Ezine #662
Please share with me how you become known. I'm working on this sense our business is brand new, so your advise will be appreciated.
" target="_blank">Gitomer Ezine #662
Please share with me how you become known. I'm working on this sense our business is brand new, so your advise will be appreciated.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Family and business
Family and business don't mix.... you wantta bet. Try it. I did.
I resisted for so long being a stay-at-home-mom until, with the birth of our third, I couldn't resist any longer. Now my husband and I are proud of starting our own business. Of course he still works his regular job until the business gets off the ground. While I'm the one doing most of the work marketing the business right now.
Last week I had to go out and personally make some sales calls to get some business happening here. I can't afford a baby sitter and my neighbor is neck deep in her lawn business right now. So I loaded up two of our three children and started my rounds for two days.
At first I was a little concerned as to how I would be accepted, but surprisingly I think it worked for me. It's not every day that a business owner or manager sees a woman walk through their door with her arm through a car seat handle with a baby in it, a portfolio in her other hand, and a three year old holding her pinky. Followed by "Maybe you could help me....... " as I hand them a business card.
In some cases the men (and it is always men I talk to in this truck accessories business, which further makes me odd) were fascinated by my children. It was a great way to catch them off guard and even break through to their human/fatherly side. I found it much easier to talk to most of the men then when I was selling printing last year and walked in in my suite, heels and portfolio. Maybe they found me less threatening as well, and more human.
Although I still ran into a couple old timers that took one look at me and weren't too interested. They wouldn't tell me no that they didn't want to do business or wouldn't refer us business, but you could tell by their complete lack of interest and occasional glance at the kids that they didn't have much faith in a mother doing business with her kids in toe. But these men were only about one out of ten.
Otherwise I enjoyed doing business with the rest of them. And the best part was I was able to do it with my children, a couple hours each day. Even my three year old thought it was great. Of course I think all the candy he got had a lot to do with it.
So who's to say you can't make your family a bigger part of your life and still do well in business. Not only will you be able to spend more valuable time with you children, but you will also be setting good examples for them. They will see how important family is to you, and they will also, hopefully, see how you do business and learn from it.
I resisted for so long being a stay-at-home-mom until, with the birth of our third, I couldn't resist any longer. Now my husband and I are proud of starting our own business. Of course he still works his regular job until the business gets off the ground. While I'm the one doing most of the work marketing the business right now.
Last week I had to go out and personally make some sales calls to get some business happening here. I can't afford a baby sitter and my neighbor is neck deep in her lawn business right now. So I loaded up two of our three children and started my rounds for two days.
At first I was a little concerned as to how I would be accepted, but surprisingly I think it worked for me. It's not every day that a business owner or manager sees a woman walk through their door with her arm through a car seat handle with a baby in it, a portfolio in her other hand, and a three year old holding her pinky. Followed by "Maybe you could help me....... " as I hand them a business card.
In some cases the men (and it is always men I talk to in this truck accessories business, which further makes me odd) were fascinated by my children. It was a great way to catch them off guard and even break through to their human/fatherly side. I found it much easier to talk to most of the men then when I was selling printing last year and walked in in my suite, heels and portfolio. Maybe they found me less threatening as well, and more human.
Although I still ran into a couple old timers that took one look at me and weren't too interested. They wouldn't tell me no that they didn't want to do business or wouldn't refer us business, but you could tell by their complete lack of interest and occasional glance at the kids that they didn't have much faith in a mother doing business with her kids in toe. But these men were only about one out of ten.
Otherwise I enjoyed doing business with the rest of them. And the best part was I was able to do it with my children, a couple hours each day. Even my three year old thought it was great. Of course I think all the candy he got had a lot to do with it.
So who's to say you can't make your family a bigger part of your life and still do well in business. Not only will you be able to spend more valuable time with you children, but you will also be setting good examples for them. They will see how important family is to you, and they will also, hopefully, see how you do business and learn from it.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Monday, June 06, 2005
Check this out!!
I think Gitomer and I are on the same wave length. Last week his caffeine Ezine related to my THINK! post.
Sales Ezine #657
How you THINK! What you dream, and your attitude can all effect your success or lack of!
Sales Ezine #657
How you THINK! What you dream, and your attitude can all effect your success or lack of!
How's you attitude?
It's Monday! It'll be a great day, right? If you have the right attitude it will. So did you take the time this weekend to examine your thinking? If you did then hopefully your stating today out with a new frame of mind. Think positive thoughts and you'll come across positive to your customers, prospects, and co-workers. It WILL have a domino effect.
Your exercise today is to be positive and watch the effect it has on others. Then when work is done, leave it at work, go home, and share your experience with us. Then set down to dinner with your family. Share precious time with your spouse and children. Then set aside an hour just for you. Do something that helps you relax and enjoy yourself, take a bath, read a book, ride a bike, go for a walk or jog, etc. Believe it or not exercising the mind and body is a great way to relax.
Then repeat it all over again tomorrow. Get in the habit of this every day and it will come naturally. When you master your attitude and are more positive you will see that you will be more productive, others will enjoy working with you, work will be much easier, you'll have more time, you'll be able to leave everything at work when you go home, your family will be happier with you, and you'll feel better all the way around.
Have a positively wonderful day!
Your exercise today is to be positive and watch the effect it has on others. Then when work is done, leave it at work, go home, and share your experience with us. Then set down to dinner with your family. Share precious time with your spouse and children. Then set aside an hour just for you. Do something that helps you relax and enjoy yourself, take a bath, read a book, ride a bike, go for a walk or jog, etc. Believe it or not exercising the mind and body is a great way to relax.
Then repeat it all over again tomorrow. Get in the habit of this every day and it will come naturally. When you master your attitude and are more positive you will see that you will be more productive, others will enjoy working with you, work will be much easier, you'll have more time, you'll be able to leave everything at work when you go home, your family will be happier with you, and you'll feel better all the way around.
Have a positively wonderful day!
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Warm Calling not Cold Calling!
Cold Calling is correctly named. It can seem cold when someone hangs up on you, or lies to you to get rid of you. So why not change your THINKING! and then your behavior?
How do you make the first contact with a prospect? Many people do it with a phone call. How do you approach that phone call? Look back on many of your previous phone calls. Look at your ratios. They may scare you, or maybe they look pretty good. But if your first approach is always a cold call then I bet your ratio is scary.
Now lets try something new. Now this may go against what you have been taught, or even what your boss expects. Why not turn that cold call into a warm call? If you have been in business and established enough it may be easy. If you are new in business you can still create warm calls.
For established businesses/sales person (team), send out a letter thanking your customers for their business and support. Let them know you would like to give business back to them as well and ask them to discribe their target customer. Then discribe your target cusotmer and ask for a referral. Also ask them if you can use their name when contacting the referral (hopefully they'll say yes). There is your warm call. Gitomer says something to the effect that your current customers are your best source of business, so use them. They do appreciate it. It makes them feel you appreciate them enough to ask their opinions and for their help. But don't forget to thank them with a return referral or a thank you gift/card.
Now if you are a new business, like myself, you can still create warm calls. This will also work for established businesses as well. Instead of using the phone for your first contact, send a letter. Tell them a little bit about your business, but not too much information. Make sure to put a catch in the letter. Something that they can't resist, or is memorable to them. Humor is great as well. Also let them know when you will be contacting them. This way they will be expecting your call and will be more willing to listen. This will also help you to feel more confident.
Another way to create a warm call is to go to other businesses that you know do business with you target customer. Ask them work with you to create a referral system. You refer customers to them and they do the same.
Recently I went in to visit one of the businesses I felt could help us get our ladder racks to the end user, a truck accessories dealer. I had sent him a letter previously. He instantly recognized the name, said he had received the letter and checked out our website. He informed me that he was interested in doing business with us as a customer rather then a referral source. Great for me I'd rather work on a wholesale level then go after the individual. He was already comfortable with our concepts that he had read on the website. He just wanted one change. Round tubing instead of square. I then let him know that we were in the process of making that change. At that he said "contact me as soon as you get that first rack built. I want to come look at it." At that we agree to meet again and become a team. The letter worked to warm him up to my visit, and give him a chance to be prepared with questions he needed answers to. It also lets your prospect know that you realize their time is valuable and you want to respect it.
I have also gone into businesses that work with contractors. They have been very open to putting my brochure and business card out in order to help us get our name out their. I have also ran into potential customers that way as well.
So if cold calling scares you then change your way of THINKING! to warm calls. Create partners in business that can help you with a referral system, instead of calling the end user directly. Send letters to warm up your end users.
Note: DO NOT forget to send thank you's to your partners in business or your customers, and return the favors as well. Here are a couple great ways to say thank you:
Designing Women Gift Basket
Cathy Borowski
208-667-2085
designingwomen@cdaonline.net
Internet Greeting Cards
"Uncover Your Mental Operation System/Belief 8 Upgrade Your Attitude 8 Take Specific and measurable Action 8 Attract the Right Prospects 8 Produce the Desired, Specific, and Measurable Results 8 Great Lifestyle and Extraordinary Performance"
How do you make the first contact with a prospect? Many people do it with a phone call. How do you approach that phone call? Look back on many of your previous phone calls. Look at your ratios. They may scare you, or maybe they look pretty good. But if your first approach is always a cold call then I bet your ratio is scary.
Now lets try something new. Now this may go against what you have been taught, or even what your boss expects. Why not turn that cold call into a warm call? If you have been in business and established enough it may be easy. If you are new in business you can still create warm calls.
For established businesses/sales person (team), send out a letter thanking your customers for their business and support. Let them know you would like to give business back to them as well and ask them to discribe their target customer. Then discribe your target cusotmer and ask for a referral. Also ask them if you can use their name when contacting the referral (hopefully they'll say yes). There is your warm call. Gitomer says something to the effect that your current customers are your best source of business, so use them. They do appreciate it. It makes them feel you appreciate them enough to ask their opinions and for their help. But don't forget to thank them with a return referral or a thank you gift/card.
Now if you are a new business, like myself, you can still create warm calls. This will also work for established businesses as well. Instead of using the phone for your first contact, send a letter. Tell them a little bit about your business, but not too much information. Make sure to put a catch in the letter. Something that they can't resist, or is memorable to them. Humor is great as well. Also let them know when you will be contacting them. This way they will be expecting your call and will be more willing to listen. This will also help you to feel more confident.
Another way to create a warm call is to go to other businesses that you know do business with you target customer. Ask them work with you to create a referral system. You refer customers to them and they do the same.
Recently I went in to visit one of the businesses I felt could help us get our ladder racks to the end user, a truck accessories dealer. I had sent him a letter previously. He instantly recognized the name, said he had received the letter and checked out our website. He informed me that he was interested in doing business with us as a customer rather then a referral source. Great for me I'd rather work on a wholesale level then go after the individual. He was already comfortable with our concepts that he had read on the website. He just wanted one change. Round tubing instead of square. I then let him know that we were in the process of making that change. At that he said "contact me as soon as you get that first rack built. I want to come look at it." At that we agree to meet again and become a team. The letter worked to warm him up to my visit, and give him a chance to be prepared with questions he needed answers to. It also lets your prospect know that you realize their time is valuable and you want to respect it.
I have also gone into businesses that work with contractors. They have been very open to putting my brochure and business card out in order to help us get our name out their. I have also ran into potential customers that way as well.
So if cold calling scares you then change your way of THINKING! to warm calls. Create partners in business that can help you with a referral system, instead of calling the end user directly. Send letters to warm up your end users.
Note: DO NOT forget to send thank you's to your partners in business or your customers, and return the favors as well. Here are a couple great ways to say thank you:
Designing Women Gift Basket
Cathy Borowski
208-667-2085
designingwomen@cdaonline.net
Internet Greeting Cards
"Uncover Your Mental Operation System/Belief 8 Upgrade Your Attitude 8 Take Specific and measurable Action 8 Attract the Right Prospects 8 Produce the Desired, Specific, and Measurable Results 8 Great Lifestyle and Extraordinary Performance"
Keith Rosen, MCC The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cold Calling
Friday, June 03, 2005
Paterson Principle 1
Here is your first Paterson Principle. Focus on this principle over the next week. Alone you won't see miracles, but it will help to improve your sales, not to mention you can even apply this one to your life.
1. Think!
Most people have no idea how to spend time in thought. Try writing your thoughts as you come up with them. John Paterson, Paterson's Principles
Everything you do requires you to think. Your thoughts help you to determine the outcome of your actions.
Twelve things to Think! About every day:
How can I uncover new customers?
How can I become a better presenter?
How does my customer profit from using my product?
How did I better myself today?
What did I learn new?
How can I serve better?
Is my attitude better today than it was yesterday
Are my customers loyal today?
How am I investing my time today?
Did I get a referral today?
Did I give a referral today?
Did I work on my legacy today?
THINK about taking action on each of the twelve thoughts.
Jeffrey Gitomer, Paterson's Principles
I suggest you take the time, if not at work, then this weekend. Set down with a legal pad and write a short paragraph to each of the above question, and then analyze your answers. Ask your spouse, or a friend to read your responses and give their thoughts. Ask yourself "am I thinking right?" If not then write down how you plan to improve your thoughts over the next week. Improving your thought will improve your actions.
A few things I want to draw your attention to. First is your attitude. Think about it, when you are feeling down others feel it. And who wants to buy from a soar sales person? Think about the good parts of your day. Don't ever bring the bad things to work with you, or you can watch your sales go down the drain.
Second, referrals. Give referrals daily, with out asking for one in return. I guarantee you that you will receive many when you're least expecting it.
"Exercise: Set aside THINK! Time -- make a THINK appointment every day, even if it's only 15 minutes. Decide in advance what you want to think about, and what solution you're looking for. I know, it sound hokey --but here's the gold:
Write ideas no matter how far fetched they sound -- just write for ten minutes straight. Your stream-of-conscious thinking will net you some amazing results." Jeffrey Gitomer, Paterson's Principles
Please share some of your thought, so others might learn from them.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Zero Money Relaxation
Sometimes it doesn't take a penny to relax and enjoy your family. But it'll cost you in the long run if you don't set aside the time to enjoy your family and let yourself unwind once in a while. The cost of stress can be; anxiety, depression, heart attack, high blood pressure, insomnia. This relates to my previous post. Before you can take care of others you MUST first take care of yourself.
Even as a mother of three I know the importance of this. I set aside two hours in a day just for me. First hour is 9:00 to 10:00 I exercise, then my second hour is in the evening at about 8:00 I take a nice long hot bubble bath with a good entertaining book and a hot cup of coffee. All of this costs me nothing, but it allows me to unwind and be healthy so that I have the strength to take care of my family and tend to my business.
You must first take care of yourself so that next you can tend to your family. Work should NEVER take priority over you family. If it is maybe its time to rethink your priorities. Children grow up so fast, and need their parents attention.
If both parents are alive then they are both needed. My husband works a full time job and then comes home for dinner with the family, and stays until the boys either get in their bath or go to bed, before he goes down to the shop to work. This gives him time to unwind from work and spend time with the boys.
Other ways to relax and spend time with the family can be going for a bike ride or walk on the trail, camping, game night, etc.
So take care of yourself and then take care of your family. When you get those two things to the top of your priority list and master them, then everything else will fall into place. Then an only then can you be successful.
Even as a mother of three I know the importance of this. I set aside two hours in a day just for me. First hour is 9:00 to 10:00 I exercise, then my second hour is in the evening at about 8:00 I take a nice long hot bubble bath with a good entertaining book and a hot cup of coffee. All of this costs me nothing, but it allows me to unwind and be healthy so that I have the strength to take care of my family and tend to my business.
You must first take care of yourself so that next you can tend to your family. Work should NEVER take priority over you family. If it is maybe its time to rethink your priorities. Children grow up so fast, and need their parents attention.
If both parents are alive then they are both needed. My husband works a full time job and then comes home for dinner with the family, and stays until the boys either get in their bath or go to bed, before he goes down to the shop to work. This gives him time to unwind from work and spend time with the boys.
Other ways to relax and spend time with the family can be going for a bike ride or walk on the trail, camping, game night, etc.
So take care of yourself and then take care of your family. When you get those two things to the top of your priority list and master them, then everything else will fall into place. Then an only then can you be successful.
How do you unwind, and relax? How do you create success?
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