The 3 Keys to Successful Sales Management

If you are a business owner or sales manager responsible for getting your team of sales reps to make their numbers or achieve sales quotas, then I feel your pain. If you're like many of the sales managers and owners I work with, then I know you're being pulled in many different directions. You're busy; you have endless meetings to attend to, reporting to do, and on top of it all you have many different personalities to deal with on your team, and each of them have different skill levels, motivation levels, etc.

It can seem like an overwhelming job.

Add into that you've probably never had any real sales management training or reinforcement, and your actual sales training that you are supposed to give your team probably isn't very highly developed either. I can just see you nodding your heads and thinking, "Yeah, you got that right. Now what?"

Well, here's what. Sales management is actually real easy and straight forward if you break it down to its three most important elements. If you concentrate on these three keys and actually make it a priority to implement them, your job will get so much easier, and, more importantly, you and your team will actually start closing more business and making their numbers.

Here's what they are:

1) Define your sales process best practices. Provide your team with clear, easy to follow best practices as far as sales techniques and skill sets go for your specific sale. Give them the specific scripts and rebuttals to follow, specific qualifying questions, proper closing tools, and make sure they are unambiguous.

In other words, identify what actually works in your selling cycle and what the best approaches are and then develop them into a solid selling system and make it company policy that this is the best way to handle every part of your selling process from the first call, to qualifying, to leaving voice messages and emails, to getting back to your prospects to closing the sale and handling objections.

You absolutely must make this selling system clear enough for anyone to understand and follow. Once you have this, then:

2) Implement and monitor the use of your best practice system. Think of a great football team. What do they do? The coaches come up with the best game plan (the system), and then they teach it to their players and practice every formation, every play and every technique. They drill it in over and over and they watch film of each practice and game to make sure their players are following the plan and using the best technique.

And that's what you need to do with your sales team as well. Once you've given your team the best practices, it's up to you to train them on it and reinforce adherence to it. You do that by observing your sales reps as they are on the phone with their prospects and customers. You record their calls and review them with them, and then you make sure they are using the best practices. If you do that - actually get your team members to use the best practices that you know work - then they will without a doubt get better and make more sales.

3) Discipline your team members when they aren't following your sales best practices. First, let me say a word about discipline. Discipline comes from the Greek word that means "to teach," not "to scold or make others feel bad." The proper role of a teacher, coach or sales manager is to point out when a student or sales rep isn't following the proven tools to succeed, and then to help them, or "teach" them to do it better. And that's where your skills as a manager (and where your time) will be most efficient.

You can do this in your one on one's with a rep, and you can do this in sales meetings where you can play recordings of reps who are doing it correctly, and you can do it by feeding lines to a rep while they're on the phone, or by instant messaging while you're listening in, etc.. The bottom line is that it's your job to give your team the right tools to succeed, manage them to implement them, and then to monitor and teach them to use them.

If you implement all three of the above keys in your selling environment, you will see the quickest and easiest return on your time and investment. If you miss one of these keys, then you will spend all your time wondering what's wrong, and your frustration with the team, with your company and with your efforts will only get worse.

Look at your current selling environment and see which one of these keys is missing. Once you find it, you'll now know what to do!

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If you found this article helpful, then you'll love Mike's NEW book, "The Ultimate Book of Phone Scripts." Buy now and get over$500 worth of free bonuses from top sales trainers like Tom Hopkins and many others by taking advantage of this SpecialOffer: http://mrinsidesales.com/booklaunch.htm Find out why Brian Tracycalls this the best book on inside sales available today!

The One Email Guaranteed to Get You a Response!

Ever had a client or prospect never get back to you?

Because you're in sales, then I know it's happened to you (or is happening with several of your clients or prospects right now!).

If you ever find yourself in a place where you've qualified a prospect, sent information to them on your product or service, and then find that they just won't return your calls or emails, then I've got a guaranteed email that will get you a response.

In fact, don't take my word for it. Check out this word for word email I received a couple of weeks from one of my readers who used this technique himself:

"Mike, just wanted to drop you a note and say thanks. Just one tip I took from you about your 'guaranteed email' worked so well I needed to say thanks.

'Should I stay or should I go'

I had a 30% response from a group of prospects I could not get on the phone a second time and did not want to chase. It worked like a charm and of the 42 responses I picked up 2 sales I would not have gotten otherwise. I also made several people smile that day. Thanks again for the technique! - Eric K."

You're welcome, Eric!

OK, so if you're ready to learn and use this technique, here it is:

(Note: this email technique was one I learned last summer when I spoke at the L.A. Chapter of the AA-ISP. One of the participants shared it with us and I've been passing it along ever since!)

Subject of your email: "Should I stay or Should I go?"

"_________ While I've tried to reach you, I haven't heard back from you and that tells me one of three things:

1) You've already chosen another company for this and if that's the case please let me know so can I stop bothering you,

2) You're still interested but haven't had the time to get back to me yet

3) You've fallen and can't get up and in that case please let me know and I'll call 911 for you...

Please let me know which one it is because I'm starting to worry...

Thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing back from you."

Is that great or what?? This works on so many levels including using a "Clash" song everyone can relate to in the subject line, to giving them options and an out in case they've decided not to work with you.

And, of course, you give people a reason to smile and that always relieves the pressure from the sales situation.

Use it this week and see for yourself how it works to get your prospects to get back with you and how it gets you deals. And then email me yourself with your results - I'd love to hear them!

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If you found this article helpful, then you'll love Mike's NEW book, "The Ultimate Book of Phone Scripts." Buy now and get over$500 worth of free bonuses from top sales trainers like Tom Hopkins and many others by taking advantage of this SpecialOffer: http://mrinsidesales.com/booklaunch.htm Find out why Brian Tracy calls this the best book on inside sales available today!

The Four Errors to Avoid when Putting Together Your Resume (Part Three)

How many resumes do you think an HR Director or hiring manager receives for each job posting they advertise for? Would you guess twenty? Thirty? I hate to break it to you, but if it is a sales position you had better revise your estimate way up. Try over seventy or eighty - and that is just in the first couple of days of posting the job!

Now ask yourself how hiring managers decide who to put in the "to call" pile or folder, and who to disqualify and delete. If you think that appropriate skills and experience are the most important parts of a resume, think again.

As you will see, there are many other factors that affect what qualifies a resume for a call back versus the delete button. Before we get into the best way to write and organize your resume, let us first start with the common problems you want to avoid - problems that can automatically get your resume disqualified regardless of your experience or appropriateness for the job.

Error Number One: Obvious spelling errors or out of date resumes. While this may go without saying, the first thing you want to do is thoroughly spell check your resume. Even one misspelled word can flag your resume - and you as a job applicant - as not being detailed enough or well prepared enough to be taken seriously. At the very least it can move your resume to the bottom of the stack.

Your resume is your written representation of yourself, and if you submit one with obvious spelling (or grammatical) errors, it raises the red flag that you may not be organized, detailed, or careful in your job either. Obviously, this is not the impression you want to give a hiring manager.

Error Number Two: It is important that you list the dates on your various jobs properly. Two things to be careful of here: The first is that none of your dates overlap; the second is that there is no time lapse between jobs is longer than two months.

The first is easy to do. If you worked at the xyz company from March of 2009 to July of 2013, then your next job should begin on August of 2013. Don't make the sloppy mistake of putting down that your new job started on July of 2013. This is a red flag that gets the hiring manager to wonder how you worked at two different jobs at the same time. If you happened to begin the new job sooner, or if you worked at both jobs during the same month, then just stagger the start dates so it appears contiguous.

There may be some situations where there was a three or four month gap between jobs. This isn't bad per se, but unexplained time gaps on resumes are red flags that put suspicions and doubts into a hiring manager's mind. What you need to do here is put in a brief description of the time lapse (and I mean brief - a sentence or two).

Error Number Three: Listing a history of jobs lasting two years or less. I can't tell you how many resumes I have seen where a job applicant has not been at a single job (or perhaps only one) longer than two years. When you list five or six jobs that you stayed at for 24 months or shorter, it screams to the hiring manager that they will have you for less than two years at their company as well. And this means that all the time, energy and money they will invest in you will be wasted because you will leave them in under 24 months. Even if you have good reasons for leaving your jobs every two years, it will look to the hiring manager that you are a short term player with a history of quitting often.

There are several things you can do if this represents your job history. The first is prominently display and describe the job that you were at the longest. For example, if you were at one company for five or six years, then make sure and describe how you took on more responsibility, talk about the production and awards you earned, and talk about the skills you used that are appropriate to the new job you are applying for.

In addition, if any company you worked for was taken over by a new company or renamed, then don't list this as a new company! Instead, mention it in your job description, as well as any other job title you took. Many people make the mistake of listing a new company as if it helps their experience, but it doesn't. What helps you is to show a potential employer that you are a long term player who is loyal.

If you do have a string of jobs that you stayed at for under two years, you have a couple of options. The first and best thing to do is to explain why you left each company. Here again, your answer needs to be brief and professional. "Found a better opportunity" is NOT the right reason regardless of whether it is true or not.

Much better reasons include things like, "Company reorganized and position was eliminated," or "Company slow down resulted in layoffs". These are both good, professional reasons that hiring managers can identify with.

If you did leave the company for a better opportunity, then you can state that, but always explain any increased job responsibilities or positions: "Was recruited into a team lead role," or "Was hired by ABC Company to head up new lead generation division." The point here is to show increased job responsibilities or positions which required better skill sets or offered job growth. Opportunities like this that show career advancement make you seem more desirable to the hiring manager.

Error Number Four: Making your resume too long. Many job seekers think that more is better. That is not the case with your resume. Similar to the above example of not listing too many short term job stays, what you want to strive for with your next resume is to keep it under two pages total. Even one page is preferable, if possible. The way you will do this is to limit the number of jobs - and years - you have been working.

I hate to tell you this, but listing every job you have had since you got out of High School is not what the hiring manager is looking for. In fact, by listing page after page all the jobs you have had, you will once again be raising a red flag that tells them that you tend to move around a lot. Furthermore, the only thing a hiring manager is looking for is current, similar experience. So listing many different types of jobs and companies - especially if the job responsibilities were different - is not going to help your cause.

The bottom line with the length of your resume, is you want to make it easy for a hiring manager to get through it. You don't want them to have to navigate three or four pages trying to discern which jobs are relevant and which aren't. The hiring manager doesn't need to know your first job was at McDonalds. What they want to know is how your current experience lines up with that they are looking for now.

To summarize the list of the four errors to avoid: The first thing you want to do is make sure your resume is free of spelling and grammatical errors. Your resume represents you - make sure it does this well. Second, you want your dates of employment to match up. In addition, if there are any lapses of employment longer than three or four months, be sure to explain these in a professional way. Third, make sure you don't list job after job with a length of time of two years or less. Remember, whatever you put down in terms of how long your average length of employment is, that is how long the hiring manager will think you will stay with them as well.
And finally, number four is to keep your resume short. One page is ideal, but one and half will do if absolutely necessary.

Now that you know what you should avoid, in our next installment of this series, I will tell you what you should do to write a solid resume that will put you on the top of the list of who to call back for an interview. What you will discover is that it is easier than you think - if you know what to do!

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Mike is the go-to inside sales trainer and phone script writer in the industry. He is hired by business owners to implement proven sales processes that help them immediately scale and grow Multi-Million Dollar Inside Sales Teams. If you're looking to catapult your sales, or create a sales team that actually makes their monthly revenues, then learn how by visiting: http://www.MrInsideSales.com

4 Ways to Get Out of a Sales Slump!

Let's face it - every now and then sales don't seem to be going our way and we can begin to get into fear about making our numbers, making our mortgage, taking that vacation, etc. While we may not be able to control the ebb and flow of sales, what's important is that we keep control of our attitude and expectancy level. In other words, keeping positive, reflecting on wins, and expecting success is what always drives a top producer through the seemingly slow times in sales.

I like to compare keeping my attitude up to how a pilot tries to stay on the radio beam when he's flying. A directional beam is projected to guide the pilot to his destination, and as long as he stays on the beam, he's safe and he'll make it through just fine. It doesn't matter that the weather may be temporarily blinding him or that he may not be able to see where he is or where he's headed, as long as he can locate and stay on that beam, he'll be all right.

It's the same thing in sales. If things are temporarily not going your way, or if you have to start prospecting again, or if that big client or if those deals didn't close, that's OK. All you have to do is to get back on the beam of being positive, expecting to close more sales, and continue to reflect on your sales goals. If you can do that (and that may sometimes be a tall order given the temporary appearances), then you'll be fine in the end.

What you can't fall victim to is negative thinking. That only leads to deflated attitudes, less activity, and poor sales skills. It tends to feed itself and you start looking for reasons to fail, and you often find them! You know you're "off the beam" if you're in fear, if you get agitated easily, if you become resentful of others or if you begin feeling depressed in any way.

If that happens, here are 4 ways to get back on the beam:

1) Reflect back on your previous wins. Get quiet and begin reliving all the times when you closed big deals, when you made your goal and when you got new clients and closed deals. Remember those feelings... This will immediately move you back towards the beam.

2) Remind yourself that your very next phone call could result in the biggest deal of your career. This is not only true, but by dwelling on it you'll begin to want to make more calls, and you will actually begin attracting that success to yourself.

3) Review your financial goals and begin imaging how you feel now that you've achieved them. Relish those feelings. Get excited about what you're enjoying now that you've reached your goals. This is visualization 101 and remember that your subconscious mind can't tell the difference between a real event and one vividly imaged with feeling.

4) Change your attitude into one of absolute service to others rather on if you're going to get a deal. Start each phone call with the thought, "I'm here to be of maximum service to this person." That will not only take the pressure off of you, but your prospect will feel it - and respond to you.

Any one of these techniques will get you back on the beam. If you combine all four of them you'll be out of your temporary slump in no time and you'll be closing deals like the top pro you know you are.

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Buy Mike's NEW book, "The Ultimate Book of Phone Scripts." and get over $500 worth of free bonuses from top sales trainers like Tom Hopkins: http://mrinsidesales.com/booklaunch.htm Brian Tracy calls this the best book on inside sales available today!

4 Secrets to Attracting What You Want

People ask me if I believe in the Law of Attraction. I tell them that not only do I believe in it, but I use it every day to attract the kind of life I want. In fact, using the Law of Attraction is as important a part of what I do as is picking up the phone and speaking with clients, conducting training programs, creating products, etc.

Actually, it's more important than all that. You see, I believe that it all starts in my mind first, and then that vision is what drives the actions and decisions I make and it brings the opportunities and situations into my life that allow me to fulfill my vision. People then ask exactly how I use the Law of Attraction to bring things into my life and I tell them I have and practice a simple 4-Step process that ALWAYS works for me in my life. And today, I'll share it with you.

Step One: The first thing I do is get somewhere where I can be quiet. I have a meditation space in my office, but I've done this in my car, in the parking lot, at the park, even in the lobby of companies. The important thing is to just sit somewhere and get quiet. Don't try to think about anything. Don't try to think of the right thoughts or of what you want or what you don't have or what you're afraid of. The point here is just to clear your mind for a few moments.

I do this by just counting five breaths. Once you're quiet, then you:

Step Two: Shift your mind and think about either: God. If you'd rather think of something else bigger than you, then great! You can think of The Power of the Universe, or The Great Spirit or The Law of Attraction, or the power that drives the waves in the ocean. Just think about a power greater than yourself.

Concentrate on this power and think about all its attributes. I like to think about how God is all around me and everybody else. I like to think of the infinite resources God has, the knowledge and power and how God always wants the best, the highest for me and all others.

Once you concentrate on this for a few minutes, then you:

Step Three: Think about what it is you want to accomplish. The key here is to think about what it feels like to have already attracted or created or achieved what it is you want. Think about how you feel, how others feel, and what it means to actually be living and being what it is you desire.

Feeling and emotion at this point are crucial. If you're able (and you will with a little practice) to actually believe that you've achieved your goal, then you've succeeded here at this step. After a while, this will be a really fun step, and you'll want to do this exercise over and over because it feels so good!

Step Four: Give thanks to God, or the Universe or whatever power you've thought about for brining this goodness into your life. This is an important step and learning to live in thanks and gratitude will change your life.

I've found that this last step has been the most important to help me maintain the feeling of "being" at the new level of achievement I am seeking. And it is this feeling of "being" that acts as the magnet bringing in the circumstances and opportunities into my life.

If you're looking for a way to create the life you know you are capable of achieving, then I highly recommend trying these "4 Secrets to Attracting What You Want." I know first-hand that they work, and I know they'll work for you, too.

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If you found this article helpful, then you'll love Mike's NEW book, "The Ultimate Book of Phone Scripts." Buy now and get over$500 worth of free bonuses from top sales trainers like Tom Hopkins and many others by taking advantage of this SpecialOffer: http://mrinsidesales.com/booklaunch.htm Find out why Brian Tracy calls this the best book on inside sales available today!

MLB and Recording Your Calls

I was reading an article by my favorite sports writer, Peter Kings, last week, and he had this small section about his recent visit to the Ranger's dugout:
"Thanks, Jon Daniels, for showing us around the ballpark in Arlington. What amazed me is the video sophistication. Behind the Rangers' dugout is a room with three video men and six stations where players can come in before, during and after games to see their at-bats, or to study the pitchers or hitters they're about to face. Six. I always knew baseball teams did this stuff, but we were shown how hitters, in a matter of seconds, can find any at-bat they've had against any pitcher - from a variety of camera angles."

What I immediately thought of was how this applied to inside sales and recording your prospecting and closing calls. Imagine how much better of a sales professional you would be if you could hear how you handle every type of sales situation you run into during the month.

How much, and how fast, would you improve if you could critique and correct how you handle the brush offs you get, the stalls you have to deal with when getting back with prospects, the objections you get when you ask for the order.

How valuable would it be for you to be able to hear yourself, real time, and to be able to improve your technique so that the next time you're in a similar situation you can handle it more effectively and close the sale? Recording, studying, critiquing and improving is how every Top Professional improves their craft, and it's how you should be doing it as well.

Here's a tip for those of you who make outbound calls and are afraid of disclosing that the call is being recorded because you're afraid your prospects won't want to talk to you:

"Hi this is ________ on a recorded line with (your company) calling. How's your Tuesday going?"

You see, it's easy to disclose your call is being recorded, and it's so prevalent today that no one will object.

The bottom line is that if you want to get better then you have to record yourself and you have to study, learn and use better techniques. It's what all other professionals are doing…

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If you found this article helpful, then you'll love Mike's NEW book, "The Ultimate Book of Phone Scripts." and get over$500 worth of free bonuses from top sales trainers like Tom Hopkins: http://mrinsidesales.com/booklaunch.htm Find out why Brian Tracy calls this the best book on inside sales available today!

The Gratitude List

Years ago I was taught a tool that helps me whenever business or life isn't going my way. While this is a seemingly simple tool, you shouldn't underestimate the power in it. You can use it anywhere and at anytime, and it will always work to restore your attitude and your perspective. It has the uncanny power to improve your mood and your outlook. And it always helps you generate the positive results you're trying to achieve.

Here's how it works:

Whenever you're in fear (any kind of fear - financial, emotional, professional, etc.), all you have to do is make a list of 25 things you're grateful for. I like to use a notebook myself, but I suppose a computer or smart phone would do. The point is to write down 25 things you are grateful for today.

Your gratitude list can contain many different kinds of items. Here are some of the things you may be grateful for:

Having a loving family

Having a job

Making money yesterday or last month

Having your health

Having access to fresh water

Being in a position to help others through your work

Going on a vacation or just coming back from one

Being able to spend time with your kids

Having your kids be healthy

Your ability to enjoy a good meal today

Your ability to be able to afford a meal today

Working for a company that creates or sells a great product that helps so many people

Being able to walk without pain

Being able to sleep without pain

Having a home to go to

Having access to all the technology we have

Knowing that the NFL finally starts in a month!

Having faith in God

Being blessed with good friends

Living in a country where you can do and become anything you want

Having options to completely change your life

Having access to great books, CD's and other material to help you accomplish your goals

Having money in the bank today

Being able to read

Being free to act, think and do as you please

And so many more things. I'm sure you could add some really great things to be grateful for in your life, couldn't you?

Why it works:

I love writing a gratitude list whenever I'm in fear about business or money. You see, because I'm in sales I sometimes forget that I'm not here for me and for what I can get out of it. Rather, I'm here to offer solutions that help other sales reps and companies do their jobs better and make more money.

When things slow down and I get into fear, I can get self-centered and focus on myself. When that happens things never go well. It becomes hard to make calls and take action when I'm only thinking about myself and what I don't have.

But as soon as I write a Gratitude List, something magical happens. Suddenly I remember how full my life already is and my perspective changes. In just a few minutes I transform my perspective, and I remember what I'm here for - to add value to your life.

Once I've completed my Gratitude List, it's easy for me to take the actions that generate business and abundance in my life - because now I'm thinking about you and how I can help you. It's that attitude that gives me the energy to keep prospecting. And it's that attitude that opens up conversations because people can sense when you're being genuine and want to help.

Hey, sales - and life - isn't always going to go your way. But when you can stop and appreciate how incredibly fortunate and blessed you already are, and get restored to what your true purpose is, you'll find that today it's easy and even enjoyable to take the actions you need to take to help others accomplish their goals.

And when you can help enough people accomplish their goals, you'll always exceed yours. So the next time you're struggling or just not feeling it, do what I do: Write a Gratitude List. You'll be grateful you did.

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Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales, works with business owners and inside sales reps nationwide teaching them the skills, strategies and techniques of top 20% performance. If you're looking to catapult your sales, or create a sales team that actually makes their monthly revenues, then learn how by visiting: http://www.MrInsideSales.com

Are You Managing the Right Activities that Drive Sales?

If you're in inside sales management, then you know all about metrics. In fact, whenever I consult with new clients the owners and managers automatically begin showing me their call monitoring reports. They show me metrics on how many calls a rep is making, how much average time each rep spends on the phone, what their conversion rate is, and on and on.

When they ask me what I think, I tell them I think they're measuring the wrong things. Now don't get me wrong - those things are important and they should be monitored. The problem though is that those metrics are not what drive sales.

You see, it isn't the activity around the sale that's important (and that everyone measures), but rather, it's the activity during the sale that matters.

In other words, as a manager you need to know exactly what and how your reps are responding and dealing with their prospects and clients while the sale is going on.

There are two times to monitor and coach this:

1) You can either monitor your reps while they're actually on the phone with a prospect or client, or:

2) You can record the call and spend time reviewing and coaching your rep as you go over their performance.

Both of these methods will give you the most important information of all: Are your reps using the best practice approaches to successfully handle the sales situations they run into 80% of the time when trying to sell your product or service?

You see, if your reps either don't know how to best handle these sales situations, or if they simply aren't using effective techniques and skills, or worse, if they just don't have the talent or willingness to consistently use proven best practices, then it doesn't matter how much time they spend on calls, or how many calls they make or how many leads they get out.

Again, it's how they perform during a sales call that matters most. And your number one goal as a manager is to know how each of your reps perform while in the sale, and then to teach them the most effective, best practice techniques to win more sales.

Once you've given your team the skills and techniques to succeed in your selling environment, and you've trained them thoroughly on them, then managing simply becomes a job of coaching adherence to these best practices (see numbers one and two above).

Again, it isn't the activity around the sale that's important, but rather, it's the activity during the sale that matters.

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Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales, works with business owners and inside sales reps nationwide teaching them the skills, strategies and techniques of top 20% performance. If you're looking to catapult your sales, or create a sales team that actually makes their monthly revenues, then learn how by visiting: http://www.MrInsideSales.com

How To Write A Simple Yet Powerful Cover Letter (Part Two)

Did you know that over 85% of resumes received by hiring managers arrive without a cover letter?

While that may not mean much to you, it means a lot to the people reviewing and vetting resumes for the job you are applying for. Resumes that are sent in without someone taking the time to write a cover letter appear to the hiring manager to be submitted almost blindly. It is as if the job applicant has sent their resume in to lots of jobs - shotgun approach - hoping someone might call them back.

This is NOT the kind of first impression you want to give a hiring manager.

On the other hand, those resumes that do arrive with a cover letter get extra attention and are often the first resumes an HR person reviews. A cover letter tells the hiring manager that you care enough about the job you are applying for that it is important for you to stand above the competition. When you take the time to write a cover letter, it also shows initiative and evidences your ability and willingness to go that extra mile. It signals that you are someone who is attentive to detail and that you are willing to do what others applicants (and workers) are not willing to do.

In essence, it shows that you are organized, capable, and professional. A well written cover letter tells the hiring manager that you are serious about getting the job, and it gives you the best chance (along with a relevant resume) of landing an interview and ultimately the job you really want.

While a cover letter is a huge benefit for job applicants, there are both things to avoid and some definite best practices you can use to insure your cover letter is heads and tails above anybody else's.

How to Address your Cover Letter:

Let's start first with what to avoid. The most obvious thing you want to avoid is writing a generic cover letter that is unspecific to the job you are applying to. Doing so erases any benefit of putting one together to begin with. The first thing you want to avoid is addressing your letter to the generic: "To Whom it May Concern." This, once again, just lumps you into the generic cover letter pile, and doesn't differentiate you from the other applicants.

To avoid this, try to find out the hiring manager's name or job title, and direct the cover letter to him/her. If this is not possible, then the following addresses are best:

1) Address your cover letter to the department head you are applying to. So if it is sales, use: "Dear Hiring Sales Manager," or "Dear Hiring Marketing Director," or "Dear HR Director." 2) If you don't know the department, then a good address is: "Dear Hiring Manager," or "Dear Human Resources Director." 3) If you do know the name of the hiring manager, then always use their name as such: "Dear Mr. Brooks," or "Dear Ms. Collins."

This is the kind of detail that takes just a minute or two to customize, but it makes a huge first impression on the hiring manager. Again, it evidences that you care enough - and are resourceful enough - to take the time to go beyond what the majority of job seekers are not willing to do. The inference is that you will also be more organized and detail oriented on the job as well. And this is the kind of person hiring personnel are looking for.

Next, the content of the cover letter is where you will make or break a good impression. Now, don't be intimidated here. The hiring manager is not looking for a college essay, nor are they looking for a sample of your writing skills. What they do want, however - and what you want to give them - is why you are uniquely qualified for this particular job. In other words, they are looking for relevant experience that matches up specifically to the position you are applying for.

Let me say that again because this is key: What the hiring manager is looking for is relevant experience of yours that directly relates to the specific job skills and duties they are hiring for.

And the good news is there are some easy, sure fire, best practices you can follow that will immediately give them what they are looking for. Here is how to go about it:

Number One: Carefully review each employer's ad description and pick out specific words and phrases that describe the skills and day to day activities they are advertising for. An example would be the phrase:

"Relevant experience in prospecting by phone, candidates should be prepared to make between 50 to 75 cold calls per day. In addition, the ideal candidate should also have experience in contacting existing or non-active accounts to expand and grow client base."

Once you see something like this, it is telling you exactly how to write your cover letter. What you need to do next is match up any (or as many as possible) of your past positions where you performed similar duties. And then include a brief description of that in your cover letter. For example:

"The skills and duties which you are seeking - specifically prospecting by phone and calling into non-active accounts - are exactly the kind of work I did at Sherman Rentals and ABC Financial. I am highly adept at cold calling and regularly average 68 prospecting calls per day.

"In addition, I was also responsible for calling into existing accounts and even won awards for my ability to reactivate and up sell existing customers."

Now how easy was that? By taking just a few minutes to highlight specific words and phrases and repeat them in your cover letter, you will be doing what 98% of your competition simply won't take the time to do. Your effort will get noticed and it will move your resume to the top of the stack.

By the way, if you didn't win any awards, then don't make it up! Instead, talk about the achievements you did accomplish and the results that you did get. Your goal here, again, is to match up your relevant experience that directly relates to the specific job skills and duties they are advertising for. Remember, the key is to use their exact words and phrases when describing your experience in your cover letter.

Taking this simple step is 75% of writing a powerful cover letter. The other part is to show a sincere interest in their company and job opportunity, and to keep it brief. Here is a complete, best practice cover letter that you can use as a template:

Dear Sales Hiring Manager,

My name is John Brown, and I was very excited to find your job listing on Monster.com. I have always been interested in the online advertising industry (whatever industry their company is in), and feel that I have the relevant experience you are looking for that would enable me to be highly successfully with your company.

The skills and duties which you are seeking - specifically prospecting by phone and calling into non-active accounts - are exactly the kind of work I did at Sherman Rentals and ABC Financial. I am highly adept at cold calling and regularly average 68 prospecting calls per day.

In addition, I was also responsible for calling into existing accounts and even won awards for my ability to reactivate and up sell existing customers.

I would enjoy the opportunity to learn more about the position of account manager you are advertising for, and look forward to exploring how my career experience can be an asset to your company.

I have attached my resume for your review and would be happy to discuss my experience or any questions you may have.

The best way to reach me is by my cell phone: (515) 555-1234. Alternatively, you can email me here: John@youremailaddress.com

I hope my experience meets what you are searching for, and look forward to hearing from you soon.

John Brown

Use this template for any sales job you are applying for. (Or any other kind of position as well.) Simply change the name of the company and type of job where appropriate and match up your skills and duties as discussed previously.

By taking just a few minutes to customize a carefully worded cover litter like this, you will instantly become one of - if not the very first - candidate that gets a call back. You will be very much in demand and soon you will have your pick of which opportunities to pursue. And having many companies who are interested in hiring you gives you the leverage to ask for and get things like a higher salary, a better commission structure and even a possible hiring bonus.

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Mike is the go-to inside sales trainer and phone script writer in the industry. He is hired by business owners to implement proven sales processes that help them immediately scale and grow Multi-Million Dollar Inside Sales Teams. If you're looking to catapult your sales, or create a sales team that actually makes their monthly revenues, then learn how by visiting: http://www.MrInsideSales.com

3 Rules for Successful Up Sells

If your product or service allows you the chance to up sell your customer at the point of sale (and seriously, what product or service doesn't??), then you instantly double and even triple your income if you know how to properly suggest and get your prospects and customers to buy more.

First, let's talk about what NOT to do:

1) First of all, you absolutely have to ask for the up sell in order to get it. I know that sounds like a "duh!" comment, but take it from me - out of the thousands of sales reps I listen to each year, a very small percentage actually do.

2) Ask for the up sell as an afterthought. As you'll see, timing is everything with the up sell. Don't wait until the very end of the sale to suggest one. You have to make it part of your original product offering as you'll see.

3) Ad lib it. You absolutely have to be prepared, polished and assumptive when asking for the up sell. Again, this is where many sales reps fall short as you'll see…

OK. And now here are the 3 rules for successful up sells:

1) The first thing you need to do is know exactly what up sell item or service you're going to sell with what product. If you sell many different types of products or services, then you may have a pair them in advance and be ready to offer the product that most likely fits or goes with what it is you're selling.

Take some time this week and map out exactly what specific product or service you're going to up sell with which product you're selling. And then stick to that and pitch that over and over again.

Case Study: I consulted with a blood plasma company once that sold everything from blood plasma, to flu shots, to disposable supplies. There was a lot to choose from in terms of up sell. We hired a new rep and he quickly became the number one producer because he decided to up sell the same bottles of blood plasma whenever someone bought blood plasma. In other words, he didn't try to them sell them gloves or needles. Here's how it went for him:

If the client bought two bottles, he would always say, "That's great. You know, we happen to have two more bottles of that left with the same expiration date. They come in a case of four - would you like me to just send you our last four bottles?"

Over 60% of the time they would!

2) And that leads me to rule #2: Be prepared with a scripted approach. The up sell is one of the easiest and most important parts of your presentation to script out. So many sales reps (like 80% of them), ad lib the up sell (whenever they think about it at all), and often aren't convincing nor persuasive.

But the top reps have taken the time to script out the most compelling up sell pitch they can, and then they deliver it with confidence and in an assumptive manner. This makes a huge difference. Here are some great ways to start your up sell script:

"________, I'll tell you what many of my clients are also taking advantage of…."

"That's a great choice. And did you know we're running a special offer on two or more cases? Yes, you can get free (shipping, package of wipes, promotional posters, etc…)…"

"_________while that policy is perfect for you, the smart way to go is to increase your coverage to 2 million dollars for just a $100 more a year. That would be your best move on this…."

3) The third rule is that timing is everything! The best time to suggest the up sell is right after your prospect or client has said yes to an order. Don't talk past the close, don't go over any other details, just go right into your up sell pitch.

The reason for this is that your client is in the "buying zone" at that moment and that is when you make your up sell offer. Don't worry, they won't cancel their first order - that's in the bag. What you want to do now is suggest an up sell (that you've scripted out and that is compelling) at this exact moment and then hit your mute button and listen.

There you have it. The three rules to effective up sells. Try them today and watch your sales - and your confidence - soar!

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Summer Sales Slow? Five Things to do NOW!

I don't know about you, but two days before July the 4th business slowed down and then after the holiday, it seemed to stop! We do have business, of course - very much like you - but the pace of business, the new leads and the urgency of the first half of the year seem gone…

What happened??

Summer happened, that's what. As I speak to clients and colleagues (who aren't on their family vacations) they tell me the same thing - many of their bosses, co-workers, suppliers or business partners are either on vacation, just coming back from a vacation, or just about to take a vacation.

In fact, many people I know are taking as much as three to four weeks off! (I just spoke with a potential coaching client, and when I asked him when he was thinking of starting our coaching relationship, he told me it would be after his month long vacation in August. He and his wife will be back right before Labor Day.

So there you have it. Business is seasonal. Kids get out of school. The weather changes. People have worked hard and are now ready to take some time off. Business changes and people seem to relax.

Does this mean companies aren't buying or planning for the fall? Of course not. It just means that they are going to begin doing things on their time table, not yours.

So here's what you can do to not only make sales now, but also set yourself up for the best finish of any year you've ever had:

1) Don't let up. Keep working hard - if not harder. Make more calls. Send more emails, stay later and come in earlier. The time you put in now may not seem to pay off right away, but in the fall you'll see the fruits of your labor.

It reminds me of the "dog days of summer" in NFL training camps. I still remember what Bill Parcells told his players in late December when they were about to begin a drive that would determine whether they got into the playoffs or not. He looked at his exhausted linemen and said: "This is why you lift all those damn weights!"

The effort you put in now will make the difference at the end of this year…

2) Connect with established clients. This is the perfect time to send a card, to make a call, and to talk with clients about things other than business. For example, where are they going for summer vacation?

Face it, if things are slow for you, they are probably slow in their business as well. How about asking what they are doing to deal with this period and what they are doing to get ready for the fall. And how about asking how you can help them do that? Set yourself to work with them when they'll be ready…

3) Work on improving your skill set, new product development or other part of your business that will make a difference in the second half of the year. If any of you have thought about developing a greeting card campaign to stay in front of your customers and prospects, this is the perfect time to do it!

Some of you know that I use Send Out Cards to keep in front of my clients and prospects, and did you know that you can now use that same system without a sign up fee? Click Here to find out how. Just use this number to try this system out for free: 83661

Why not design a card with a picture of yourself and family on YOUR vacation and send it to all your clients and prospects. That'll give you something to talk about.

4) Make goals for September through December and develop a plan of action to accomplish them. Develop an affirmation card and goal sheet of what you're going to earn, what it's going to feel like over the holidays to have accomplished it and begin smiling each day as you feel the feelings of having done it.

Remember, "Fear Pushes, but Vision Pulls." Use this time to create a compelling vision of the rest of the year for yourself and let that vision pull you through the summer…

5) Feed your mind a positive diet. This is the time to feed your mind every single day (and many times in the day as well). My favorite book to re-read during each summer is: "Beyond Positive Thinking" by Dr. Robert Anthony. You can get it on Amazon.com

I'll bet you have your own list of positive reading material you'd like to finally read. Pick one book tonight, put it on your desk and commit to reading it before Labor Day. That alone will make a huge difference for you.

The most important thing to remember during the summer is that "This too shall pass." If business has slowed down, that will change. And if you take advantage of any of the five suggestions above, you'll be the most prepared to prosper when it does…

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If you found this article helpful, then you will love Mike's bestselling book on what it takes to become a Top 20% producer: "The REAL Secrets of the Top 20% - How To Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone." (Recommended by Jeffrey Gitomer!) Get a Special Offer and read about it by clicking here: http://www.mrinsidesales.com/secrets_and_CD.htm