Week of September 15, 2008

Friday 9/19, 2008

Get to the office at 6am on Fridays and make sure that folks know you are there for an hour if they have questions or just want to say hi, they can come by for 5 minutes. Then, in each meeting ask if they have any ideas for January money. Soon they will see you as an obsessive compulsive on January ... and you should be.

Thursday 9/18, 2008

Are you starting to understand "no pain" no gain" now? Love the pain ... get the gain. Try this: Work today till you fall aspleep at your desk at the office. Great ideas spring up right before you are completely exhausted and right after you wake up at your desk in drool. The security guard will ask if you are okay. Say "No, I have to hit January before the month starts or I am going to get fired in July" -- in a voice that appears to be close to sobbing. When Babe Ruth struck out, he fell down and folks laughed at him.

Wednesday 9/17, 2008

It gets darker earlier -- a false signal for sales folks to go home earlier. Warn them about this "false and highly negative to sales" mixed message. Get brighter lights in the building and pull down the shades in sales at 4p so they do not know it is dark out there.

Tuesday 9/16, 2008

There are only 59 actual business days from today until the first week of January. No vacation days for salespeople ... only days they choose not to earn commission. Receptionist has vacation; AE just a choice to lower commissions. They take vacations and no one does your prospecting, upselling etc. This is the time of year that separates real salesman from folks pretending to be one in the movies. Time to work twice as hard from Sept-Jan, -- not half as hard...

Monday 9/15, 2008

Its official: You are on week behind in your January sales effort if you are not full-blown in this direction (and you are going to get fired in July because you did not get the memo that radio is a seven-month year evaluation). Radio stations get evaluated in July ... I call it "GM Hunting Season" by corporations. Go ahead have a great October, but if you did not have an outstanding 1Q and 2Q (the second set up by strong first), it is too late to fix the year, my friend.

Be very heavy-handed about Jan (but no big sales days).Get packages and ideas in the hands of sellers. Become obsessed with January NOW! I know you have to make sure the business for 4Q is a top priority, the annuals are up and you gotta get those budgets done for corporate -- and your family wants you to spend time with them at the holidays. Get the AEs and managers their budgets for January in their hands now and have them sign them, so they know you are serious. AEs think signing things mean they're getting fired, but they aren't. Just get them to sign it and they will work 30% harder.

Plus pre-warn your husband/wife (spouse) and kids that the economy is in a tough spot, so we are not going to be having a "fun holiday season." "Plan on me working on Christmas day for now...." When we turn this deal, we get back to "having fun"...'Cause if not, your family is going to say "why can't we just enjoy the holidays like everyone else?" Answer: "Because I am a freaking blue-collar salesman that is paid like a white collar doctor!"

It is less about skill and more about effort ... did you not notice?" Get the AEs their budgets for January now and put them on a friendly notice that we must do a lot better than last January. Do not wait for corporate budgets to come down.....TELL THEM NOW ALL TOGETHER in ONE BIG ROOM (that you trade out and after work hours). Get the AEs and sales managers their January budgets yesterday; you can raise or lower them later.