Sales = Fun.

I know not everybody agrees with that formula. In fact, many people strongly disagree. But let me tell why I it’s true for me.

First, I get to meet all kinds of interesting people, who work in a wide variety of businesses. These people come from various backgrounds, each with interesting experiences and world views.

Second, selling allows me to learn about different products and services, like soda bottlers, cosmetics producers, chocolate creators and health care providers. Not to mention grocery vendors, cruise ship companies, and gas and electricity suppliers. And that’s just a few.

That’s fun to me. And we’re not even to the point where we are working together. This is just the sales process, the beginning of the relationship. This is the part where we learn about each other and work hard to identify and solve a problem. This is where they tell me what they think they need, and I either agree or suggest an alternative. It’s about being quick on my feet, and adapting to situations. It’s about being able to come up with solutions that make sense. It’s about being creative, nimble and open. But it is never, ever about me forcing something onto them. Selling is about collaborating, right from the beginning of the relationship.

See why I think sales is fun? It can be fun for you as well. It starts with your mind-set. If you think selling is drudgery, you will probably make it so. And, if you see it as a job filled with wonderful opportunities, you can make that come true as well.

I’ll take it one step further. Customers come in all different shapes, sizes and temperaments. I even like working with the difficult ones. They can be a challenge, but that’s the part I enjoy, figuring out how to work with them so that they enjoy this as much as I do.

Want to have some fun this week? Try selling. Open yourself to the possibilities and opportunities that are out there. Strive for fun. Everything else will follow.

You have a large number of Friends on Facebook. And you have many Connections on LinkedIn. Not to mention numerous Followers on Twitter. That’s great. But, right here, right now, how many prospects do you have? Friends, connections and followers are all wonderful to have. We want them. But we need people who will buy our products and services. And we need to reach out to them.

It’s time to push away from Facebook and pick up the phone. It’s time to stop the social activity and call on prospects.

Recently, I was hired by a VP of Sales to deliver a series of workshops and coaching sessions. When I asked what training needs he saw in his people, he explained that his salespeople believed an email was the same as a sales call. Startling, right? Except that it is not an unusual idea these days. In fact, I encounter it frequently. I am sorry to tell you that an email is not the same as a sales call. An email can have many positive attributes. It is instantaneous. It is concise. It can be shared simultaneously with many key players. But, it is not the same as a sales call.

A sales call is personal. It is face-to-face. It is a productive use of your time. It demonstrates to the prospect that you care. It gives them the chance to see how well you listen and comprehend. It is an opportunity for you to see their operation and meet other key players in the organization. It’s a way of differentiating you from your competitors. It’s too good to pass up!

So, here are a few steps to take. First, you don’t have to stop using social media. Far from it. I encourage you to continue using it. But always with the idea of reaching your objectives, not just being social. Next, make a list of five prospects you can call each day for the next five days. A total of 25 prospects, five per day. Be clear in your mind what you will say to them. Now, all you have to do is call them.  Make it your first activity each morning. Then you can go back to being social.

Selling has never been more challenging. You are pulled in a thousand different directions, at work and at home.  Everything is hectic and demanding. It’s important to remember that the same is true for your customers and prospects. Like you, they have endless demands on their time. They are overwhelmed by the idea of a new salesperson, from a new supplier, calling them and trying to get an appointment.  Why should they disrupt an already hectic day to meet with someone trying to sell them something that is already provided by an existing supplier? That’s the challenge we are all facing these days in sales.

In her book “SNAP Selling,” Jill Konrath describes today’s prospects this way, “Your prospects read your e-mails with their finger on the Delete key. They listen to your voice mails with their finger on the Delete key…Every three to five seconds they ask themselves, ‘Is this of interest?’ If not, you’re gonzo. Delete, delete, delete.”  Tough, right?

So, what’s the opportunity? How can we reverse this so it works to our advantage? The opportunity is this: so many salespeople do not understand the challenges and difficulties their prospects go through all day, every day. If you understand their work-life and adapt to it,  you will come out ahead.  Focus your efforts on making their job easier and simpler. If you assume that you are selling a commodity, regardless of what you sell, the sale is now all about value-added.  Be different from your competition. Differentiation has always been a critical skill in sales, but never as important as it is today.

Let’s look at a simple but essential part of the sales process, leaving a voice mail message for a new prospect. Most messages are terrible, for all kinds of reasons. Some of them ramble, while others are vague. Some are packed with details, while others are way too casual. And some of them, talk down to the prospect “I’ll be in your neighborhood on Friday, and thought I’d stop by and introduce myself.” Delete. Most salepoeple never get a meeting with a prospect because of their message. They just get deleted. So, instead, they call back, leaving another message. Of course, they are starting the downward spiral of annoying the prospect. This will not end well.

Focus on crafting a message that is concise, and introduces you and your company. Include how you have helped similar organizations. And always try to include a number, a figure that measures how you helped them. It could be a percentage increase in sales, or a dollar increase in profits, or a percentage decrease in costs. Give them tangible, measurable results.

Your voice mail message is at the very beginning of your relationship with this prospect. Because it is such a critically important step, you need to know how you sound. Invest in a small tape recorder, and practice your messages before you actually use one. Listen closely. Be critical. Imagine that you are the prospect. What first impression are you forming based on this message? What specific value are you describing? If you’re just describing your company’s capabilities, that’s probably an automatic delete. Listen to your voice tone. You want to be enthusiastic without being peppy. You want to be taken seriously without being serious. You want to be conversational without being casual.

It all comes down to describing the value you offer in a concise way, and the results you could provide. Remember, you’re trying to break through everything that your prospect is experiencing during their hectic day. I’m not saying that this is easy. Just necessary.