Title Details

Ralph R. Roberts is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed real estate agent, speaker, sales coach, consultant, and author. His articles have been featured in a host of national publications, online and in print, and he has authored and coauthored numerous books, including Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman; Advanced Selling For Dummies; Cross-Cultural Selling For Dummies; Mortgage Myths; and Foreclosure Myths, all from Wiley. For more about Ralph, visit AboutRalph.com.

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xv

WEEK 1 Start Now 1

Do the Hardest Thing First 1

Tell Everyone You Know What You Do 2

Remain Positive 3

Work For Today, Tomorrow, and Your Future 3

Stick to It 4

WEEK 2 Stay Put 6

WEEK 3 Cultivate an Entrepreneurial Mindset 9

Procure Tools and Resources 9

Market Yourself 11

Hire Employees (Assistants) 11

Build a Sales Team 12

WEEK 4 Project a Positive Attitude 13

Surround Yourself with Positive People 14

Seek Out Positive Ideas 14

Banish Negativity and Self-Defeatism 15

Master the Art of Positive Talk 15

WEEK 5 Set Goals 18

Associate with Fellow Goal Setters 19

Set a Goal 19

Set a Deadline 20

Break Down Your Goal Into Milestones 21

WEEK 6 Devise a Plan 22

Essential Elements of a Business Plan 22

Business Description 23

Market Focus 23

Situation Analysis 24

Vision Statement 24

Revenue Projections 25

Budget 26

Start-Up Money 26

WEEK 7 Develop Systems and Procedures 28

Document Your Job 29

Identify Procedures 30

Delegate the Work 31

WEEK 8 Hire an Assistant 32

Recruit Assistants 33

Screen the Candidates 34

Visual or Virtual? 40

Retain Your Best Assistants 41

WEEK 9 Prioritize 42

Stephen’s Not-So-Secret Secret 43

Rediscover Your A-B-Cs 44

Day Job, Night Job 45

WEEK 10 Know Your Product 46

Use Your Product or Service . . . IF Possible 47

Recruit Referrals 48

WEEK 11 Know Your Clients 49

Who’s Really Your Client? 49

Use What You Sell 50

Participate in Consumer Communities 50

Consult with Other Departments 51

Learn Your Customer’s Business 51

Gather Feedback from Clients 52

WEEK 12 Recognize the Difference between Customers and Clients 54

Be a Salesperson, Not an Order Taker 55

Customer Service Is Key 55

Become a Problem Solver 55

WEEK 13 Under-Promise, Over-Deliver 57

Ask! 58

Uncover Soft Expectations 58

Follow Up 59

Think Total Service 59

WEEK 14 Leverage the Power of Your Disabilities 61

Identify Your Abilities and Disabilities 62

Identify the Positive in Your Disabilities 62

WEEK 15 Turn Problems into Opportunities 64

Look for Trouble 64

Become a Problem Solver 65

Look for Problems in Your Own Business, Too 66

WEEK 16 Brand Yourself: You, Inc. 68

Nailing Down My Brand 69

Assemble a Marketing Packet 69

WEEK 17 Engage in Shameless Self-Promotion 72

Focus on Self-Promotion 73

Make It a Priority 73

Start on the Internet 74

Distribute Regular Press Releases 75

Draw Free Publicity and Positive Press 76

Invest in Paid Advertising 77

WEEK 18 See Business Where It Isn’t 79

Identify Unserved and Underserved Markets 80

Train Your Mind to Spot Opportunities 81

Build Business Synergies 82

WEEK 19 Brainstorm Problem Solving with Your Staff 83

Ask for Help 84

Don’t Get Hung Up on Hierarchy 85

Foster a Problem-Solving Atmosphere 85

Think Ends, Not Means 85

WEEK 20 Focus on Your Clients’ Success 87

Your Success Is My Success 87

Success Breeds Success 88

Your Mission Statement 89

WEEK 21 Write Notes to Your Clients 90

WEEK 22 Launch YourWeekly Hour of Power—100 Calls in 60 Minutes 93

Harvesting Pearls Called Referrals 94

No Selling! 94

No Interruptions! 95

Keep a Tally Sheet 95

WEEK 23 Master the 10-10-20 Technique 97

The Technique 97

Another Way to Network 98

Adjust the Technique 99

WEEK 24 Hone Your Networking Skills 101

WEEK 25 Market Your Home-Based Business 104

Bargain for an Advantage 105

Niche Marketing 105

Seek Feedback Constantly 106

Be Consistent 106

Set Aside Time Every Week for Marketing 106

WEEK 26 Master a New Technology 107

WEEK 27 Explore Marketing Opportunities on the Internet 111

Build Your Own Web Site 112

Build Communities through Blogging 113

Drive Traffic to Your Web Sites and Blogs 114

Add a Signature File to Your E-Mail Messages 115

WEEK 28 Reward Yourself 116

Create a Reward Collage 116

Reward Yourself before a Sale 117

Fine-Tune Your Reward System 118

WEEK 29 Find a Better Place to Meet Your Clients 120

Choose a Place with the Right Ambience 120

Set the Stage 121

Navigate an Office Meeting 122

WEEK 30 Improve the Way You Ask and Answer Questions 123

Ask Questions that Require Some Explanation from Your Client 124

Try to Answer a Question with a Question of Your Own 124

Break Down Bad News into Terms that Are Easier to Accept 125

WEEK 31 Perfect Your Tele-Sales Skills 126

Make a Lot of Calls 127

No Scripts 128

The “Mirroring” Technique 128

Have Something to Say When You Call 129

WEEK 32 Shadow a Top-Producing Salesperson 130

My Sales Mentors 131

Identify Prospective Mentors 132

Hire a Sales Coach 133

WEEK 33 Team Up with a Personal Partner 134

Choose a Partner 135

Develop a Plan 135

Meet with Your Partner 137

WEEK 34 Hook Up with a Mentor 140

Mentors in the Family 140

Mentors in the Neighborhood 142

Mentors in Your Office 142

WEEK 35 Jot Down Ideas for New Opportunities 144

WEEK 36 Nurture Relationships 147

Forget about the Money 147

Stop Hunting, Start Farming 148

Get Connected 148

Gather Contact Information 149

Keep in Touch 150

Give 150

WEEK 37 Launch Your Own Blog 151

Brush Up on Blog Basics 152

Test Drive a Blog for Free 154

Choose a Blog Host and Platform 154

Earn Higher Search Engine Rankings 155

WEEK 38 Try an Internet Lead Generation Service 158

Assess the Benefits of Lead Generation Services 159

Be Prepared 160

WEEK 39 Date Your Leads . . . or Someone Else Will 162
Create a System 162

Be the First to Call 163

Work on Your Follow-Through 164

Be Persistent 164

Date Your Clients, Too 165

WEEK 40 Build Trust in Online Communities 166

What Constitutes Social Media? 167

Tap the Power of Social Media Marketing 169

WEEK 41 Fire Your Worst Clients 172

When You Can’t Deliver 173

When The Customer Is Too Negative 173

When the Deal Doesn’t Fit Your Business Plan 174

WEEK 42 Attend a Convention or Seminar 175

I Learned the Hard Way 176

My First Convention 176

Attend Seminars and Workshops 177

Network 177

WEEK 43 Host a Seminar orWorkshop 179

Identify a Need in the Marketplace 181

Create Your Workshop or Seminar 181

Promote Your Workshop or Seminar 182

WEEK 44 Master the Platinum Rule 183

WEEK 45 Expand into Multicultural Markets 185

Test Your Cross-Cultural Competency 186

Follow Your Customer’s Lead 186

Take a Comprehensive Approach 187

WEEK 46 Avoid or Recover from a Sales Slump 189

Avoid Negative People and Situations 189

Set a Start Date 190

Be Committed 190

Make Marketing a Regular Activity 190

Keep Records 190

Talk to Your Manager about Your Sales Decline 191

Learn from Past Mistakes 191

Get Your Family and Friends Involved 191

Learn to Cope 191

WEEK 47 Build Your Own Sales Team 193

What Is a Sales Team? 193

Realize the Benefits of the Team-Based Approach 195

Are You Team-Ready? 196

Take a Lesson from Your Dentist 197

WEEK 48 Sharpen Your Team Management Skills 198

WEEK 49 Close a Sale the Right Way: Six

Follow-Up Steps 201

1. Save It! 201

2. When You Lose a Sale, Find Out Why 202

3. Stay in Touch with Them 202

4. Thank Them for Their Time 203

5. Ask for a Referral 203

6. Move On 204

WEEK 50 Become a Lifelong Learner 205

WEEK 51 Just Do It! 209

Plan 211

Delegate 211

Use Technology to Leverage Your Efforts 212

Know When to Take a Break 212

WEEK 52 Final Thoughts 214

About the Authors 216

Index 218