Chet Holmes believes that there are two things that are required if you want to have success in business and in sales. The first is what he calls "pigheaded discipline." The second is to focus on mastery. Doing 12 things 4,000 times will generate far better results than doing 4,000 different things. And here are those things we should be focusing on.
Time Management Secrets of Billionaires
Finding a system so that you maximize your impact per hour is key. Holmes identifies three things you can do to accomplish this. First, identify the most important impact areas of your company. That might include inside sales, outside sales, or marketing. Second, set a meeting for each of those areas every single week and make sure any non-emergency level issues get done at that meeting. Third, make sure that every meeting has a tightly controlled agenda that addresses all of the major issues that need to get resolved.
Institute Higher Standards and Regular Training
If you want to reprogram your organization to run like a finely tuned machine, training is key. We will achieve this end through deliberate and constant training. Without it, you'll ultimately end up addressing the same issues and problems over and over again. Involving people in either workshop type training where they work on real issues, or case studies are some of the most effective training formats.
The High Art of Getting the Best Buyers
Holmes says, the best buyers buy more, and faster, and more often than everybody else. These are the people you are looking for. One way to target your very best prospects is through Dream Affiliates. These are people or companies who are willing to send your product/service to their database of clients. Under these relationships, you give the affiliate a cut of the revenue, which would otherwise have gone to sales and marketing. Remember, a business that doesn’t have some sort of referral process in place simply isn’t trying hard enough.
The Seven Musts of Marketing
Holmes provides seven marketing weapons we all need to master in our mix.
- Advertising: It must be distinctive, capture attention with the headline, have body copy that keeps them reading, and include a call-to-action.
- Direct (e)mail: This still leads to massive results when done well. Your success in this arena is all about who you’re sending to.
- Corporate literature: anything that gets handed out by sales reps should have a consistent look and feel.
- Public relations: Get other people to write about you, whether it's the press or a trade association, it’s worth its weight in gold.
- Personal contact: Personal contact always has been, and always will be, your most impactful channel.
- Market education: If you are going to do trade shows and market education, it has to be bold and exciting.
- Internet: Mastering selling through your website is a must.
All Systems Go
Goal setting and measuring effectiveness is the final core skill area in building your Ultimate Sales Machine. The power in goal setting is its power to focus your attention. Holmes suggests we do a goal-writing workshop where we write down five lifetime goals, five annual goals, our desired annual income for the next five years, three things you will do each month to improve your life, three things you will do each month to improve your company or team, and finally, three things you will do each month to improve your personal performance.