The 5 Myths of Sales Prospecting

Myth #1: Prospecting is sales.

This is the number one mistake made by small business owners and sales reps. Prospecting is a separate function from sales. Just as marketing is distinct from sales but closely linked.
Prospecting is simply discarding all the unqualified leads and retaining the "gold". The job of prospecting is to find qualified leads that may buy your product. Only after this process is complete, should the selling begin.

Myth #2: Prospecting is a numbers game.

The old school of prospecting for business relies on contacting large numbers of cold contacts. However, quality supersedes quantity. You must find prospects that have a propensity and possible motive to buy your product or services.
I know of a large financial powerhouse, who provided sales reps with contact lists for mortgage and investments. The only problem was most prospects lived in a low income area and were highly unlikely to buy any financial product.

Myth #3: Scripts are for kids.

Many sales people insist on prospecting without any script. Scripting provides the framework of a successful prospecting campaign. It allows you to test what key benefits and qualifying questions work. The script must be personalized by the individual so the presentation does not sound "canned".

Myth #4: Prospecting takes time.

Prospecting takes only a few minutes to determine if the lead wants your benefits and can afford your company's product or service. Don't waste time on people unmotivated or unable to buy. Remember to focus on the "gold".

Myth #5: Close them on the appointment.

Far too many sales reps focus on setting the appointment. "Would Friday morning or afternoon, be better for you?" Next week only 20% of appointments show. What went wrong?
Prospects will sometimes find it easier to agree to an appointment rather than saying they are not interested. If a prospect is remotely interested, then offer a much subtler approach...send them an information package. This allows you to build interest and turn the lead from warm to hot.
Sales prospecting done right can have a huge impact on your sales revenue. It doesn't take an armor suit and great courage to deal with the fear of rejection during prospecting. Just keep an open mind to challenge the old school of sales and the myths of prospecting.

Business Trip To Waco, Texas

Well I'm staying 5 days in Waco, Texas on a business trip for my current employer. The cool thing I booked my hotel through myself and my employer is paying for it but the best thing is I'm making money by booking the hotel through my own travel booking web-site. Now that is pretty cool I was able to keep it below the amount required by my employer. So if you’re interested on that idea that when you travel you book it through yourself instead of going a traditional travel site such as Expedia or Travelocity. I know they won't pay you when you book travel through them but we do. So here is the web-site to check out the video at dreamtripslife.

So here are some of the things I did here in Waco, Texas. I first checked into the Extended Stay Hotel. It was a nice hotel and it wasn’t very expensive at all. I was there for 5 days and it only cost me $250.00 including taxes. The room was a good size and it had a small kitchen with a two burner stove top. It was as good as a home kitchen but for the week it was no problem and if you had to stay longer it still would be fine and manageable. You can get a pretty good idea by the picture

My rental car was through Avis and the process of getting the car went pretty easy and painless. I was able to upgrade to a large vehicle instead of the economy size car that I booked. It was a smooth riding can and I'm glad I did. The ride from Dallas Texas to Waco Texas was only about 2 hours and it was smooth sailing all the way there and back. I only spent $75.00 on gasoline on the hole trip and the Mercury Grand Marquis was and awesome ride for that type of vehicle and that’s the car I was in. My average MPG was 28 for the Mercury Grand Marquis and in my opinion that was good. Besides $75.00 for gas for the week was nothing. I'm usually just over a $100.00 when I'm in the Dallas, Fort Worth area anyways.

didn't do much while I was there because I was pretty busy with business but I did go to 3 restaurants and a movie theater. The first night I didn't want to cook so I asked the front desk about any pizza joints that were good. He told me to go to Poppa Rollo's Pizza and let me say he was right, it was delicious. So if your ever in Waco, Texas and you want some good pizza go to Poppa Rollo's Pizza it's worth the trip. Another place I went was called Rudy's BBQ and if you’re in Texas you have to have Texas BBQ. Now Rudy's BBQ is a franchise however its nothing like any fast food BBQ I've been too. The brisket was NOT dry, that’s a good thing and the portions were a half pound of brisket and that was more than enough for me. I actually enjoyed eating there at this restaurant.

I like Sushi, so I found a place call Fuji Waco and I went there for lunch and as soon as I walked in the door I knew I was in for a treat. They also had a sign posted giving military members and their families a 10% discount on their meal. I ordered shrimp tempura, Eal Roll, Spicy Yellowtail Roll, and a small sald with a ginger dressing and the meal was great.  I would defiantly go back to Fuji Waco if I’m ever in Waco Texas again.

Overall the trip was a great success and I completed all the businness I was there for and I also found new business. That's why it was such a great success. To reiterate, I booked my travel through my own travel site and I make and save money. Also while I was in Waco, Texas I was building my business. Now how funny is that, I'm saving and making money all at once? WOW a new concept, I am truly a mobile-preneur. That's right its not misspelled and if you don't understand you might in time after it soaks in some.

 

I would like to take the time and thank the peron that introduced me to this business. I just wanted to say thanks to Steve Glasker for showing it to me, and if you would like to see what I'm have been talking about just go to my link and watch a video, and click on # 2. You will either get it or you won’t and it's worth a good hard look. So take care and maybe I'll see you in my travels.

San Francisco Trip

Well let’s start off staying the trip was 3 nights and 4 days. We were pretty busy but we had a lot of fun. We left Dallas Texas on Virgin American airlines and this was probably the best air plane flight experience I have ever had. The employees were very happy and upbeat and they were not faking it they generally were happy. When you stepped onto the plane it felt like a disco tech with the pink and blue florescent lighting. All the seats were leather and every seat had a TV set installed. This was great since you had many choices to choose from food, music, movies, TV shows, drinks. Yes you had to pay for some, but there were complimentary drinks, snacks, music, movies, TV shows, and video games for kids. The selection was very rounded and pretty much could satisfy anyone wants, the food was good and even the environment on the planes had a positive energy to it. Seating was better for me since I'm 6ft 3in and 300 lbs I didn't feel like a sardine waiting for someone to peel the top open so I can get out, I actually had some room and I was comfortable the hole flight. We left from Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas on time and arrived on time in San Francisco, California and the hole flight went just like it should. Virgin America is defiantly an experience and for me if every Virgin flight is like this I want to fly Virgin where ever we go, if Virgin is flying there that’s who we are taking. Thanks Virgin America for your service to your customers.

We stayed in downtown San Francisco at a bed and breakfast called Haynes Valley Inn and it was nice. It was a very old building but very clean and it was in a European style which meant you share the bathroom and shower with all the guest on that floor. It wasn't a inconvenience at all and this was my first experience in this type of place. Every morning they had a continental breakfast from 7am to 9am which consisted of bagels, cereal, fresh fruit, juice, milk coffee, muffins, oatmeal, toast, peanut butter, jelly, lunch meat and cheese. Then from 3pm to 9pm they had cookies, coffee, tea available. The employees were very cordial and helpful with information about getting around in the city. We were told not to rent a car since there were so many ways to get around in San Francisco and they really got it down on transportation that’s for sure.

We couldn't check in real early since the room wasn't ready but we were able to leave our luggage and we went out walking in the city. The Inn said we are in a great location for food and we found out later that day. For lunch we stopped and a Patxi's Chicago Pizza and we actual tried a vegan pizza Now I'm not a vegan I'm a meat eater but my daughter was with me so we ordered something that she might like and let me say this, the pizza was delicious and it consisted of spinach, crushed garlic, red onions, and Daiya vegan cheese on a whole wheat crust and it tasted great

After eating we went back to the Hayes Valley Inn and were able to go to are room early so when we opened our door this is what we saw. It was a small room but able to have 2 twin beds in it. The beds were not supper fantastic. However if you are walking the city all day it really doesn’t matter because you will sleep if you’re like me. That I would say is probably the only negative with Hayes Valley Inn other than that it was great. We both enjoyed ourselves the whole time there. There were many restaurants we went to that were very close to the Inn we were staying in. Here they are names and the links to the their sites Lersos Thai food and was a very nice place to eat and to food was very fresh and had a great taste. Flippers where we had hamburgers and let me say it was tasty I had the Mediterranean burger and was good. Tartine Cafe Francais where we had breakfast one morning just because I wanted some bacon and it was a good portions with eggs and potatoes, and my daughter had bagel and some tea. 

On Sunday we went for a walk for about a half mile and we had an idea where we were going but had no idea really how to get there we walker down Market Street and made it to a shopping district and noticed the trolley and asked a few people questions. A gentleman showed us the ticket booth and told us to by a Day pass which was $14.00 per person but it covered all buses and trolleys in the entire city. We got around by asking the trolley and bust drivers how to get to where we wanted to go and they all were happy to give us advice and directions for the city transportation. They all were very helpful which made the trip much better. However when we come back I will probably rent a GoCar it's basically a 3 wheel motor cycle that you can sit in like a care, this way we can go more places because of time. If you want to see how they turn the trolly's around when they get to the end of there track just click on the picture of the trolly and it takes you to a video link.

We made it to Pier 39 and had lunch, we shopped and saw seals playing and fighting at the end of the pier. Pier 39 is basically where you go to get a tours of Alcatraz, Bay Tours, Speed Boat Tours, Whale Tours, basically any tour you want it can be found here. The only advice I can say is plan ahead. If you wait till you arrive you may not be able to do a Alcatraz tour or some of the others just because they are so popular. So plan ahead and book tickets in advance you will thank me later. We saw the seals so we decided to watch them and this is what we were looking at. To watch a video of the seals just lock on the picture of the seals.

After being at Pier 39 for a while we decided to start heading to the Golden Gate Bridge from Pier 39 you take Bus 30 then get on Bus 28 just ask the drivers to tell you where to get off, again they are very helpful so ask questions. There is an app in android and I'm sure theirs on for the apple phone but for the android look up MUNISF. Here is a link to SFMTA for bus routes for the trolly and bus services. We made it to the Golden Gate Bridge in about 20 minutes by bus and the Golden Gate Bridge was amazing to see it was so BIG and of course we took pictures and walked half way across the bridge it was windy and cold that day you may be able to tell by the picture here are a few. This was a great trip and we saw a lot and again we didn't rent a car and if you do expect to spend about $5.00 and hour for parking and about $15.00 to $20.00 dollars a night in a fenced in parking lot that may be a couple of blocks away from your hotel.


Finally I want to say thank you Rovia Travel for all my travel arrangements it went very smooth. If you would like to be a part of this great travel club just click dreamtripslife page and watch the Joe Traveler video it pretty cool and explain a lot, and I know I will be making another trip to San Francisco, California and that trip will we will be going to Napa Valley on a wine tasting tour along with seeing more of San Francisco so until then happy Travels.

No Matter How Busy You Are

No matter how busy you are, make sure to find some time over the next two weeks to reflect, think, give and plan.

The week between Christmas and New Year's is the ideal time for this. Try to slow things down. Spend time with the ones you love and care about. Take some time to talk with your spouse and kids about goals and dreams for the next year. Use this as a time to recharge your batteries (and not just by watching TV the entire time), and with excitement, think about a handful of changes or additions you want for your life in the New Year.

I believe you will find the act of reflecting, thinking, dreaming and planning (with your family) to be one of the most important exercises you can do that will positively impact the next 12 months.

And, remember, do not neglect to commit yourself to set this time aside, or you will find that the business of life can and will get in the way.

So, let's all take a moment to gather up the past year of victories and defeats, growing as well as those times of stagnation, and use it to wipe a clean slate and thoughtfully design the next year the way we truly desire it to be.

Surprised Orlando Florida Trip to Universal for Halloween

     We the day started off at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and 7:00am with Air Tran going to Orlando Florida. The Airline was on time and boarding was a breeze since all we had was two carry-on bags.  The flight was very smooth until we almost landed. The weather in Orlando was stormy weather and before we landed the pilot said it would be a little ruff until we touched down. The people on the plain were very entertaining towards the end of the flight and even one or two were praying because it was so ruff. Of course we landed safely or you wouldn't be reading this, and hats off to the pilot of United Airlines for dealing so well with the bad weather. It was no worse that a bad roller-coaster in an old theme park.

     After exiting the plain we headed to Advantage to get our rental car, and by the way Advantage is owned by Hertz. The process at Advantage was pretty annoying and they had to do a credit check for me to even get the rental car since I didn’t bring any credit cards with us during the trip. We finally made it through all that and then went to get the car, and the direction the Advantage clerk gave us for the location of our rental was completely wrong. After about 30 minutes of looking we found our vehicle. It was a Black Mitsubishi SUV and it handled very nice in the rain and was pretty good on gas. Getting out of the Orlando International Airport was pretty simple and the Hard Rock Hotel was only about 15 to 20 miles away from the airport.

     When we arrive to the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal we were greeted very well by the staff. The Hard Rock let us check in early at 11:30am instead of 3:00pm. The complete time we were at the Hard Rock the staff was great, they went above and beyond and made our experience staying there very nice. They gave my daughter a coupon for something free from the restaurant and a button to wear in the park because it was here birthday.  While in the Universal Theme Park many employee's was telling our daughter happy birthday, because of the button she had on and we all knew this but it really made her day. Later that evening when the park closed early to get ready for Halloween we came back to the room for a break and the Hard Rock Hotel had a birthday cake waiting for our daughter in our room with a card. Thanks again Hard Rock you truly ROCK. Here is a little secret for you if you’re going to Universal Studio’s on a two day pass. Any of the three hotels that Universal owns, Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, and Loews Royal Pacific Resort and your room key is head of line Fast Express Pass and it’s awesome along with park access one hour before it opens, and many other perks. Everyone that is staying in the hotel with you gets a Fast Express Pass. If you don’t like waiting in long lines at the Universal Studios Theme Parks stay at least one night in one of the three hotels on the Universal property and you have a Fast Pass for two days. I guarantee you will have more fun with the Pass than without it.

     Halloween night when the park open back up there was no rain and the 15 haunted house were great. While in the park we all three got our faces painted along with some new friends we met while in line, as you can tell to the right. Throughout the park were scare zones and that was fun along with all the special effects that they put on the buildings. You can see a little bit on a video on our YOUTUBE page, and it's only about six minutes with pictures and video. While there we decided to do this every year instead of doing all the Halloween set up at our home in Texas. We Just had a lot of fun but I recommend being there at least three days for an event as big as the Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. The reason is we went through it really really fast and would have had more fun if we had more time. We were also wore out, so I recommends at least 3 days so you can enjoy all that Universal studios and there Hotels can offer. This was a better gift for our daughter than any present because she will remember this trip years from now. We stayed till midnight and we did it all the haunted houses, and when we returned to the Hard Rock Hotel the beds were great and not because we were tired, the beds actually were very comfortable and we all fell asleep in minutes.

The best part of all this is, I was with my family and I booked it on my own booking site through my travel business. That is AWESOME and I save money just booking it and I made money booking it through my own site, and now where can you do that. Just click on MY SITE and then click the #2 button and watch the video it's that simple.

While in Washington D.C. on a short trip

     Ok, Lets start from the the moment I landed in Washington D.C. at Ronald Regain International Airport, I went to get my car rental from Enterprise Car Rental. They were awesome with there customer service and they were efficient in getting me checked inn for my vehicle. While waiting in the garage with a gentleman named Rodney. There were no standard vehicle that I was to be getting. Myself and Rodney were talking and I asked him about a SUV that was their. He went a head and upgraded me for the same price as my original agreement. I was very pleased since I'm 6'3", and I know I will enjoy the 2012 Ford Expedition much more than the car I was to get. A little more Gas but well worth asking for. The turn in was just as easy as getting it, thank you Enterprise.
     No I stayed in at a Holiday Inn in College Station in Maryland and the customer service there was great as well. The picture to the right is the front of the Holiday Inn. The room was very nice for the age of the building and the Hotel had a recent upgrade just a couple of years ago. The room was pretty nice the picture blow show it. There was a refrigerator and microwave, with a large desk that could be used as a table for two, and the bed wasn't that bad either.

The hotel had a restaurant that was very reasonable and the food was descent. The hotel also had a nice gym, pool, and laundry room that you could use during your stay. The Holiday Inn was close to shopping and restaurants. I went to a Chevy's Tex Mex restaurant and the food wasn't that great, now being from Texas has kind of spoiled me. I had the chicken and steal taco's winch were decent, however the cheese on top was Parmesan Cheese from a can. The cheese made it bad,  if your a restaurant owner use the real thin instead of a can. It wasn't that bad but bad enough I wouldn't go back. Now that's me and my taste are a little different from most and I'm sure if I tried something else it would have been fine. Now the black beans I had were pretty good only if you like black beans. Another restaurant while I was there was The Jerk Pit and it was Authentic Jamaican Cuisine and boy it was great. It was about a mile from Maryland University and it was AWESOME. I knew it was going to be good as soon as I walked in and could smell all the spices and seasonings, and I was getting real hungry just looking at the menu. I had a coupon that I pulled of my Dream Trips Life web-site before I left for Washington D.C.
The picture to the right is The Jerk Pit Restaurant, and what I liked about it was the environment. Their were people playing domino's in one room and in the other, people were just hanging out with friends. The place was a college hang out and everyone was just having fun with the DJ that was there playing music. I had some shrimp with rice and vegetables and boy I could have ate more. The Pit was mostly carry out but I was able to eat it there  and I just enjoyed the food when it came. It took about 15 to 20 minutes to prepared but worth the wait. The picture below is the the owner and the sign says it all. So if your ever in College Station Maryland you need to stop and get some of The Jerk Pits food, you will thank me.

Juicing, Fruits and Vegetables For My Meals

Ok, for 10 days I had nothing but fruits and vegetables for my meals. The difference was, I was juicing and had absolutely no caffeine. I did this instead of eating and it really wasn't that hard to do. The reason I did this is simple, I wanted to see if it worked and it did. I felt better my blood pressure and sugar levels both dropped. My complexion even looked to be better. I started this because a video I watched was called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" and the information I found at the Gerson Institute ( www.gerson.org ), was pretty amazing and it made more sense than talking with my Doctor. Oh and by the way only about 4 % of the doctors out there were tough nutrition in Medical School. I tried it and I lost 15 pounds and I've decided to continue juicing regularly in stead of eating. pretty much I will eat healthy food but I will supplement my food intake with fruits and vegetables juiced. Here is an example what a meal was for me while juicing.

6 to 7 carrots

3 apples

2 large oranges

1 squash

1/2 cucumber
1 sweet potato

small piece of ginger to taste

The taste reminds me of a V8 Splash. Its really not that bad, however you have the experiment with your taste and some blends will taste worse than dirt. Here is the best remedy for that, add 2 to 3 apples it solves that problem. In 10 days you will find out what you like but you must constantly try new recopies. Go online to fine some, like I did at www.juicerrecipesnow.com or www.harvestessentials.com , just look online and you can find some great ideas for juicing.

This is a picture of the juicer I use from Jack Lalanne, It's less than $100 dollars and it does a pretty good job for starting a juicing regiment.

have fun juicing and Live to Live...