Next week, on Tuesday, February 12th, we kick off a new round of my 7-part training called: “How to Elegantly Control Your Next Sales Conversation.”

You are invited to join Session 1 as my guest. To accept my invitation, go here to register.
“Winging it” is the culprit if:

• You dread – and therefore avoid – sales conversations. (Not a good way to fund that lifestyle upgrade.)
• You hesitate and feel awkward when talking price.
• You are intimidated by your prospect’s status.
• You get nowhere while trying to convince your prospect that she has a problem you can solve.
• You feel that what you sell is just a commodity.
• You waste too much time with unqualified prospects.

And so on.

Fact is this: Sales is leadership. When you’re selling something, you’re asking someone to follow your lead.

And if you’re winging it, then you don’t know where you are, nor where you’re going.

Would YOU follow a leader who doesn’t know where he is, nor where he’s going?

So what’s the answer? How do you lead – and elegantly control your next sales conversation?

I’ll tell you in Session 1.

Like everything else that works or fails predictably, the sales conversation has a structure to it. And when you learn – and master – the structure, you’ll never again wing it. And naturally, you’ll be closing more sales.

To accept my invitation and join my private clients and paying customers for Session 1 of “How to Elegantly Control Your Next Sales Conversation” go here now. << LINK to http://dovgordon.net/esc-session-1-free.php >>>

Dov Gordon

PS – Between now and then you will also have a chance to enroll in the full 7-part training program. We’re almost ready…

If you want to attract and close deals with first rate customers, you need to be highly skilled at controlling and directing conversations.  Not in a stifling way, but in a way that exhilarates your prospect.  A way that leaves them  feeling free, understood, and hopeful because of the new possibilities you helped them see for themselves.

“Robert,” who is currently enrolled in my “12 Weeks to Your Ultimate Selling System” one-on-one coaching program, recently had some frustrating conversations with a few active customers. 

It turns out that Robert’s combination of outsourced products and services had done such a good job that:

“All my clients now talk about, ‘Geez, I really need a full time person, Robert.  I need somebody in my office.’

“They don’t need anyone in their office, but that’s what they’re thinking…”

Hiring someone full time would make Robert unnecessary. So I asked Robert how he responds.

“I say, ‘Really!  You haven’t even maximized this, and now you think you need a full timer, which is $80,000+ in salary, and that’s not including all the technological infrastructure…’”

Oooops.  That’s not gonna do it!

*

Here’s the simple secret for controlling and directing conversations:

You need see beyond what your customer SAYS to what she really MEANS.

So Robert’s customer SAYS

“Your XYZ has proven so important, that we need someone in-house to run it going forward.  And since you can’t be here yourself, we may need to find someone who can…“

BUT, what Robert’s customer MEANS is

“I can see how valuable this is. And we’re only just scratching the surface. And that’s the problem! I don’t like the feeling of not getting all I can from this.

“Help me figure out how we can get even better results with you so that I’m not tempted to look elsewhere!”

If Robert responds to what his customer SAYS, he’ll talk about how his company’s solution is really much cheaper than someone in house.  And about how it doesn’t pay for them to invest in all the infrastructure.  And about how if the customer would do just a bit more of what Robert was telling her, she would see that there’s no need for someone in house.

But none of this answers the customers REAL frustration, what she MEANT.

Here’s how you respond to what the customer MEANT:

“Customer, this is what I live for!  I love when someone gets it like you do.  You’re so pleased with the results so far, and frustrated with your inability to really maximize your results, that you want to explore ways that we can help you more easily get the full benefit that my products can bring to you, isn’t that right?”

If you have a good relationship, and you did correctly hear what your customer really wants, this kind of sentence will make your customer FEEL GREAT because you’ve just articulated what she really wants far better than she could ever do it herself.

*

POP QUIZ FOR MY REGULAR READERS: There is a simple “structure” lying beneath what Robert’s customers have been telling him. Robert didn’t see it, so he almost broke himself over it.  I did see it, and therefore I was able to formulate a powerful reply.

What’s the structure?  Post your thoughts with an explanation in the comments section below.

Clear thinking is your most valuable work. Period.

This means lots of things. But at it’s most basic, it means you must see things as they are, not as you wish them to be. Self-delusion makes life and business painful and frustrating.

And when deluded people are in power, they create pain and frustration for millions of others.

Yesterday a friend sent me an audio clip of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin issuing a prediction:

“The nightmare stories of the Likud are well known. After all, they promised Katyusha rockets from Gaza as well. For a year, Gaza has been largely under the rule of the Palestinian Authority. There has not been a single Katyusha rocket. Nor will there be any Katyushas.” – former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, July 24, 1995

Well, as you may know, since 2001, more than 13,000 mortars and rockets came screeching over the border from Gaza. Something no sane country would ever tolerate.

Another example:

Back when Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was toppled in early 2011, a colleague pronounced a prediction of her own. “The Muslim Brotherhood is not a force. Egypt is not in danger of becoming fundamentalist.”

Just over a year later, the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical Islamic organization, is leading Egypt.

Why do people make these predictions – and with such confidence?

It’s because they confuse the way things are – Reality – with they way they’d like them to be.

And this line of thinking isn’t limited to politics and war. It applies to business just the same.

This is why the first principle of The Alchemist Entrepreneur is:

“Embrace Reality.”

Most people see only the superficial level of what’s going on – in business or in life.

A protester in California tells the TV reporter “If Israel isn’t the aggressor, then why are more Palestinians than Israelis dying?”

That’s taking a narrow, superficial look at things.   The broadminded, open-minded thinker doesn’t look only at what is visible right now. He also looks to see what came before. And what forces are at play that may not be immediately visible.

To see Reality you need a few things:

1. You need to honestly want to. There was a time when I didn’t want to look at my bank account because I was afraid of what I’d see. That’s avoiding Reality. My account was at what it was at, whether I knew the numbers or not. That was delusional thinking and behavior.

2. You need structured thinking skills. When you go to a doctor, you expect he’s going to look to find the underlying cause of your symptoms.

In business, when you conclude “I can’t charge any more for my expertise” or “My customers don’t want to buy in this economy,” or “We don’t have enough money to run a proper marketing strategy,”  you’re not seeing what’s really going on. You’re seeing prospects turn you down, but you’re not seeing the Real reason why.

And so when you don’t see Reality, you attribute the reasons for your problem to the wrong causes. This leads you to make poor decisions about how to use your time and money. And so you continue to get poor results.

It’s as simple as this: When you misdiagnose the illness, you’ll treat it with the wrong prescription. When you treat it with the wrong prescription, you suffer side effects even as the original illness progresses.

Just as a doctor learns a thought process that helps him make an accurate diagnosis, you, the entrepreneur, need to learn accurate thinking skills.

3. You need to master timeless wisdom. 

King Solomon observed “The bird sees the net and thinks it’s there for naught.” And so he lands to eat the bait.

Haven’t we all been that bird one time or another? And doesn’t it help when you learn to spot the trap so next time you can avoid it?

Study the ways of the world, how people think and behave, the patterns that repeat themselves and you’ll be studying Reality.

I believe that Yitzhak Rabin meant well.  He would not have knowingly put millions of people in harms way.

I know that my colleague, who predicted the Muslim Brotherhood would not win in Egypt, has a good heart. She very much wants the world to be a warm and loving place. And so she’s looking for evidence to prove that it is.

Both were wrong.  Both were naive; choosing to believe things were one way when Reality was something else.

If your marketing plan isn’t working with $500, it’s not going to work with $50,000.  It’s not the money.  It’s the way you’re thinking about the whole project.

The first principle of The Alchemist Entrepreneur is “Embrace Reality” because until you know the truth about how things are, you can’t possibly hope to change them to the way you’d like them to be.

Where have you noticed people choose naivety over Reality – and what were the consequences?  Please share below in the comments.

Dov Gordon

Strike at the root – while everyone around you hacks at the leaves.

It’s simple when you learn to see what others don’t see.

Take, for example, the question of “Tell me about your track record.”

Or “Tell me about your experience.”

Or “Have you worked with companies in our industry?”

Warning: Answer these questions and you’ve just derailed the sales conversation.

Now, I’m not advising you to evade the question. To the contrary.

You need to see that these are smoke-bomb questions. They conceal the REAL question.

Their real question is “How do I know that if I hire you, I won’t later regret it? I won’t later be seen as the idiot who thought you were the right choice?”

Listen to this 2 minutes audio clip taken from a live teleseminar where I coached someone through how to elegantly avoid the smoke and answer the question really being asked.

You need to master this or you’ll be talking to ideal clients who will walk away.

What’s an example of a smoke-bomb question you’ve been asked in a sales conversation?  Please share it below.

Dov Gordon

There are two types of failure:

TYPE A: You try. You fail. You learn from it. You try again. This isn’t really failure. This is Learning and Growing.

TYPE B: You try. You fail. You don’t learn from it. Or you learn the wrong lessons. THIS is Failure: Trying to make the unworkable work.

The hard part is this: When you’re in the thick of it, with muddy boots, a scratched up face and torn coat, it can be hard to tell if you’re Learning or Failing.

So here are some of observations from my own experiences both Learning and Failing to help you do more of the former and less of the latter.

- When you pride yourself based on who you associate with, you’re Failing.
- When your pride flows from an Inner Knowing that you’re doing what you should do when you should do it, you’re Growing.

- When you’re trying to automate a sales process you can’t do manually or one-on-one, you’re Failing.- When you’re failing to convert prospects again and again, but each time you reflect and try something new, you’re Learning.

- When you’re trying to be the person other people expeect you to be, you’re probably Failing.
- When you’re slowing down and figuring out what you really want first, you’re Growing.

- When you’re looking for the Right Way to Succeed, you’re probably Failing.
- When you’re studying the principles to understand why things work when they do and don’t when they don’t, you’re Learning.

- When you’re flitting from one info product or teacher to another, and never really mastering what any of them can teach you, you’re Failing.
- When you read, listen, and apply what you learned from one teacher before going on to another, you’re Growing.

- When you’re worried that you are inadequate in some important way, you are Failing.
- When you know that the mind game is to see how far you’ve come – and not how far you still need to go – then you’re Learning.

- When you compare yourself to someone who’s been in the game much longer than you, you’re Failing.
- Again, when you compare yourself to where you’ve been yesterday, you’re Growing.

- When you expect it should be easy, when you seek ease over excellence, comfort over mastery – you’re Failing.
- When you expect to be challenged, to be chewed up and spit out a few times before you conquer that next hill… you’re Learning.

- When you’re trying to make big leaps, you’re probably Failing.
- When you’re putting one foot in front of the other, setting targets you believe are achievable and pursuing them relentlessly, you’re Growing.

- When you’re trying to do it all yourself, you’re probably Failing.
- When you surround yourself with people who are on the same path as you and you learn from each other and hold each other to a higher standard, you’re Growing.

- When you believe the talking heads on Bloomberg TV, you’re probably Failing.
- When you ignore them and believe those who have done what you want to be doing, you’re Learning.

- When you avoid conversations that make you uncomfortable, you’re probably Failing.
- When you take a deep breath and confront people with respect, you’re Growing.

- When you think the problem is your wife, you’re Failing.
- When you realize you’re probably guilty of the same and more, you’re Learning.

- When you take responsibility for things you can not control, you’re probably Failing.
- When you take full responsibility for the things you can control, you’re Growing.

- When you’re trying to sell to people you don’t deeply understand and don’t honestly care about, you’re Failing.
- When you care so much that you can’t help but be deeply, passionately interested in the people you’re selling to… you’re Learning.

- When you fear man and forget God, you’re Failing.
- When you remember that you are here to serve God by helping your fellow man, you’re Growing.

- When you hold others to a higher standard than you hold yourself, you’re Failing.
- When you hold yourself a higher standard than you hold others, you’re Learning.

- What you think that selling is something you do to others, and that your job is to ‘get’ them to buy, you’re probably Failing.
- When you understand that sales is nothing but leadership, you’re Growing.

- When you’re busy, busy, busy and not making time to think deeply about what you really, really want… you’re Failing.
When you regularly make time to reflect. To think. To ponder. To question. You’re Learning.

I’ve made all these mistakes and more.

And the greatest gift is to become aware of them, so we can learn the lessons and keep on moving.

Your comments, reactions and experiences are welcome below.

Dov Gordon

Can you turn a lousy prospect into a great customer? Of course not.

But I bet you’ve tried – more than once.

I have. Who hasn’t?

So why do we waste our time talking to people who will never buy?

To answer that, I’m afraid I need to get a tad philosophical.

We humans have a problem. We tend to put our attention and energy in all the wrong places. We tend to spend time and money on the many things that achieve little rather than on the few things that achieve a lot.

The older I get (heh, heh) the clearer it becomes that we live in a Personal Fog and there is nothing more important than learning to see beyond it to… Reality.

Whilst lost in our Fog, we try to control things we cannot and we neglect to control the things we can.

And that, I postulate, is why we fool around with lousy prospects instead of fleeing from them — to talk to the ideal ones standing right next to them.

In our Fog, we think that our job is to ‘get’ someone to buy. To ‘convince’ someone that we have the best product for them. And when lost in that delusion, you look for sales tricks and closing techniques. Anything that will push the right buttons and ‘get’ the sale.

That, my friend, is silly.

Why?

Because any time you take responsibility for something you can’t control – such as another’s decision to buy – you’re setting yourself up for frustration. Disappointment. Stress.

Far wiser is to focus on the few things you CAN control. And master them.

I’ll be teaching just those few things in “How to Master the Elegant Sales Conversation.”  The training goes full speed ahead this coming Tuesday, August 28th.

If you value your time, then all this training needs to do is save you from wasting a couple of hours with the wrong prospects and it will have been money well spent.

Of course, you can expect a lot more than that. Like to earn 10x your investment. Guaranteed.

Go here for details and to register:
http://dovgordon.net/elegant-sales-conversation.php

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Use the comment box below to share your reactions.

Dov Gordon

High school memories can be painful.

I was not one of the popular kids. I distinctly remember wondering “Why is it that when Cool Dude cracks a joke everyone laughs? Even when it’s not funny. But if I would crack the same joke, they’d roll their eyes and snort.”

One day I had a sudden epiphany. I realized that people respond to me because of the totality of how I present myself. You relate to your friend Bob one way, and Larry another way. You are incapable of treating Bob as Larry or Larry as Bob.

Therefore, I reasoned, if I change, even a little, people will have no choice but to treat the new me differently. And so it was.

It’s been an encouraging insight ever since. Every small change forces others to relate to me differently. As I grow, there’s an equal and opposite reaction from others.

In high school, the first change I resolved to make was to never say or do anything simply for attention. I resolved that unless I had some other reason for saying or doing something, I would keep quiet.

This was a change. And the way people treated me changed. They had no choice.

All this was nice, because it helped me realize that the power lies with me.

Too many entrepreneurs fail to harness their power. They think “I need to hire a new salesperson.” Or “I need a new website.” Or “I’ll pay $5,000 a month to the nice people at the call center to set up great appointments for me.” Or “We need a killer booth at the conference.” Or… On and on.

A week doesn’t go by without me speaking to an entrepreneur who has given away his power. He’s placed his hope in some tactic or someone. And months or years later, he’s still struggling and disappointed.

Why?

Because until YOU change, you’ll keep getting the same reaction from your market.

If your message is uninteresting to them, it doesn’t matter if it’s delivered by a new website or an old one. By this salesman or that one. A fancy conference booth or a simple one. By you or by a call center employee.

Fortunately, the power lies with you. Change to a message rooted in a deep understanding of your ideal clients, and those clients will start to pay attention. They’ll call you up. They’ll send you emails.

And when they hire you they’ll follow your advice. That’s not only financially rewarding, but personally fulfilling as well.

If the clients you want most are not consistently reaching out to you, you need to change something fundamental, not just your tactics. And if you meet certain qualifications, I can help you make that change – and create a consistent, predictable flow of ideal clients for yourself.

It’s the beginning of June. Each month I give away about five free “Consistent Flow of Customers” strategy sessions. We’re now accepting applications for the June sessions.

To apply for a “Consistent Flow of Customers” strategy session, click here

Requirements:  (1) You know you should be able to add $100,000 or more to your income this year.  (2) Doing so is your number 1 priority.  If yes, then head over there and apply now.

Dov Gordon

PS – How was your high school experience?  Did you learn anything that has stuck with you? What do you think of my lesson?  Comment below…

Dov Gordon

Don’t set big goals. Big goals keep you small.

I know that’s not what you hear from many, but here at the Alchemist Entrepreneur we’ve learned that the herd is usually wrong. And every now and then they run themselves off a cliff.

Also, we’re practical. And big goals don’t work. Even when clothed in charming corpora-babble and called a BHAG – big goals keep you where you are.

For years I followed the classic advice and set big goals. And it was during those same years that I found myself spinning my wheels. And whenever someone shares their really big goal with enthusiasm and faith – I know the wine in their cask has some maturation to go through.

What does help you move fast in the direction you want is a little secret prescription called “Rapid Growth Through the Optimization of Greed.”

Sounds sinister, I know. But that’s because most people assume that greed is evil.

But is it?

The ancient Jewish sages observed that “He who has 100 wants 200.”

That’s brilliant because in one simple statement they’ve described the reality of human nature and also prescribed a process for growth.

They didn’t say “He who has 100 wants 1,000,000.”   That would simply be stating the obvious: People want more.

They also didn’t say “He who has 100 wants 110.” That would have lacked the powerful prescription I’m about to spell out for you.

We humans are wired to want more. To be more. To create more. Wanting more is neither good nor bad. It is what you make of it.

Who doesn’t want to win the lottery? Instant riches. The ability to do what you want. When you want. With people you love and care about.

We imagine that more is always better. But the statistics of lottery winners and those who inherit sudden wealth are pretty grim.

More money is only better when anchored to more maturity.

Why big goals don’t work.

Big goals don’t work because you don’t really believe you can achieve them. And so our Tragic Hero says “I’m going to earn a million dollars this year.”  But it is so far out, that he doesn’t have a clue how to make it happen.

A goal without a simple, clear-cut plan, a process, for its achievement is a mere fantasy.

And “fantasy goals” take a very tangible toll.

Since he doesn’t really know what to do, and lacks the true belief that he can achieve it, he’s afraid to act. This non-action (busyness is not action) erodes his self confidence. Which further increases his fear. So he doesn’t invest in himself and in his ideas. He says “When I get results, then I’ll invest.” But the way of the world is “When you sow, you’ll have something to reap.”

Without the guidance of a mentor and without the requisite tools, nor a clear plan for how to get to the 1,000,000, our Tragic Hero stays stuck.

He starts with 100. And he remains with 100. Such is the fate of “He who has 100 and wants 1,000,000.”

The secret prescription for Rapid Growth Through the Optimization of Greed:

Now let’s look at our Triumphant Hero – the person who has 100. And all he wants is 200.

He honestly knows it’s attainable. He also may not know exactly how. But he knows that if he commits to it fully, eventually, he’ll figure it out.

He’ll seek out and hire mentor. He’ll invest in training. He’ll make sure he has the tools – the ingredients to bake a 200 cake.

Sure, he is afraid. But fear is part of growth. And it’s a different fear. He acts in the face of this fear. He builds a real plan. And every step he implements builds his confidence.

Pretty soon he’s at 200. He’s grown. He’s more mature, too.

And here’s the magic – now he wants 400!

Our Triumphant Hero repeats the process. And before long, he’s at 1,000,000.

And that’s the Secret Prescription for Rapid Growth Through the Optimization of Greed.

Be careful who you share this with. Most won’t understand. They’re looking for something flashy and this sure ain’t flashy.

But if you ‘got’ what I’m sharing, hold it tight and live it. And as you ascend from 200 to 400, and from 1600 to 3200, you’ll attract other Triumphant Heros who are earlier in their journey. And they’ll be grateful for your wisdom.

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So, what do you think?  Please share below.

A grab-bag of good ideas will never be as valuable to you as a simple process.

Not 1 in 100 understand what I just said. So pay close attention to this story:

A $20,000,000 manufacturing company needed a new strategy. They coughed up many tens of thousands of dollars to an international consulting firm and waited.

The Consultants rolled up their sleeves and got to work. They interviewed suppliers, employees and customers. They watched. Asked questions. And scribbled notes.

After three months, the big day had arrived. Time to deliver their “strategy.” And this they did, in the form of a 52 page book.

The CEO looked at it and shook his head. “We can’t use this,” he concluded. “All they did was take all the ideas we already had and put them in a book!”

(It’s almost certainly the corporate consultants – not the street-smart solo guys – who are responsible for that famous joke about a consultant taking your watch to tell you the time.)

The “strategy” was a collection of good ideas. Things they could do. But listen carefully. The company didn’t need any more good ideas. They needed help choosing a very few of good ideas to implement!

It worked out OK in the end. The CEO found me and for tens of thousands more, I walked them through a process that actually helped them make a decision.

Notice the difference: I walked them through a PROCESS that helped them make a few important DECISIONS. They then knew exactly what to DO without being distracted by second guessing and shiny objects.

And all this was etched out in just seven pages.

Yes, a simple seven page process was far more valuable than 52 pages of good ideas.

If you’re good at what you do, but struggle to create a consistent flow of clients, then I bet your problem is the same.

Too many good ideas, no simple process.

It’s all them marketing plumbers out there waving their favorite shiny object at you. Each uses up more of your time and takes you in another direction. And many are actually good ideas.

BUT too many good ideas keep you going in circles. You don’t need more good ideas. You need a process. A process that helps you decide what few things you really should be doing.  So you can get to work and do them well.

Now, if you really ‘get’ what I’m saying here, that’s excellent.

But if you’re even a little unclear, go listen (or relisten) to my most popular free teleseminar: “The 5 Steps to A Consistent Flow of Clients.”

You can get it here for free.

After you’ve listened you’ll understand what a marketing process really is. And how to start building yours.

After you’ve listened, post a comment below and tell me what you think.

Dov Gordon

Joel, a friend with an office down the hall, just came back from New York. He’s from London, lives in Israel and this was his first time in the Big Apple. He went with his wife and their three year old.

As they emerged from Penn Station onto a crowded Manhattan sidewalk, their little boy’s eyes opened wide with wonder. Those buildings. They’re so TALL!  He’d never seen anything like it.

Even Joel was amazed. “It’s just like in the movies,” he said. “Ambulance sirens. Really tall buildings and lots and lots of people.”

But those of us who grew up there – we’ve lost that sense of wonder, if we ever had it.

And that’s the way life is. What gets you excited at three brings on a yawn at seven. And what’s fascinating at seven is borrrrrring at ten.

We’ve conquered those worlds. Time for new terrain.

It’s also true about fear. What scared you at three doesn’t scare you today.

If you were scared of the dark, one day you found yourself in that dark room and realized that there was nothing to be afraid of. Or maybe you were terrified of your bike. But when you finally got the balancing thing worked out, suddenly you could go far fast. That opened up a world of possibility, didn’t it?

Overcoming fear frees you up to experience new wonders. Which sets you up for new fears to overcome – so you can experience new wonders.

THAT is living: Doing what scares you until it no longer does. And then using that new-found freedom to experience a new wonder.

As an entrepreneur, you have this opportunity more-so than your employed friends and family. They’re bound and restricted by bosses and mindless corporate “this-is-how-we-do-it-here’s.”

Today, a single fear that, more than any other, is keeping you stuck. What it is? Make up your mind to over come it because that’s the only way to experience that new sense of wonder, amazement and thrill that means you’re alive.

You’re as free as you make up your mind to be. Your life will be as rich as the fears you overcome and the wonders you experience.

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If you liked this, please share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.   And I’d love to hear your opinion in a comment below.

Dov Gordon