I recently conducted an ad hoc survey in which I asked a number of salespeople what they thought about the managers in their company. While many said they like their immediate manager, and other managers in the firm, they reported that, in general, all managers are too busy doing other things (selling, administrating, reading reports), and do not take the act of managing (developing people) seriously.

The replies were not encouraging; those who work in large companies were particularly harsh in their criticism. The survey respondents craved a culture of accountability, in which managers who proclaim their commitments to standards of excellence and mission statements follow through on their pledges.

If you want others to perform their roles at a higher level, you must ensure that they know and believe that you accept the responsibility to perform your managerial tasks and duties effectively.

Here are four powerful ideas that could help you radically improve your and your team's performance (and revenue generation) in the coming year:

1. Create a questionnaire

Examine the following statements, one by one, from your salespeople's point of view. Do you consider each of these principles of good management an important part of your role?

As a manager, you:

* Act and live by the principles you advocate
* Act as a role model that people want to copy
* Are a person of integrity
* Enforce the company values
* Are 'part of the team' as opposed to a detached boss
* Motivate your people to stretch to meet performance goals
* Are concerned about long-term issues, not just short-term profits
* Provide timely, balanced feedback that helps your people improve their performance
* Are a source of creative ideas
* Help your people grow and develop
* Have regularly scheduled, one-on-one meetings, with each of your people every two weeks
* Make your people feel that they are members of a well-functioning team
* Emphasize cooperation rather than competition between work groups
* Are prompt in dealing with underperformance
* Arrive on time for meetings, and expect others to be prompt
* Keep your people informed about things they need to know to perform their jobs properly
* Encourage your team to initiate tasks or projects
* Are more often encouraging than critical
* Are fair in dealing with all employees
* Consult others when making decisions
* Run interesting, results-oriented meetings
* Act more like a coach than a boss
* Are publicly generous with credit
* Are an excellent listener
* Ask thoughtful, curious questions

Examine your priorities seriously ... and slowly. Carefully think through which of these principles could really help you make a difference, and how effectively you currently practice them.

Then check your assessment against the opinion of the people with whom you work. Create a questionnaire on which people can rate you from 1 to 5 on how well you deliver on your management goals.

2. Circulate the questionnaire

Give the questionnaire to everyone you deal with in your organization. Have a third-party (can be someone internal) tabulate the results and calculate an average rating.

3. Publish the average ratings

Circulate the combined ratings to everyone who filled out the questionnaire.

4. Call a meeting of those you manage and give the following speech

"I have sent you a copy of your current collective assessment of my managerial performance. We will repeat this survey a year from now. Meanwhile, I promise to get better at the management priorities for which I am responsible. Don't expect me to be perfect. Perfection is not a standard you can hold me to, and it's not a standard I expect from you."

"But here is my commitment to you. If I have not improved in my management performance over the next year as identified in these priorities, then I will step down as manager of this group and I will find you a new one."

"You have a right to expect that I will get better at the tasks and duties that are my responsibility. And I have a right to expect the same from you."

Early on in my sales career I was elected into a management position based on my performance in sales.

I was excited and at the same time not sure what to expect.

Now I know we have all heard the phrase, "Not all good sales people make good managers and not all managers make good sales people." Well, lets just say I believe some people can learn.

Unfortunately I was one of those people that had to learn the hard way.

I found myself in charge of several people that were twice my age (I was in my early twenties) and in places in their lives that found them along with their egos being checked by someone who was a much younger age.

Many of them of course did NOT like that.

Now rest assured I knew my sales job inside and out and that is one of the reasons I was put in the position but I wasn't the best at communicating the process to the team. I had little empathy for their learning curve of the position.

I found myself demanding respect of the team because I had such a lucrative sales career with the company and was "obviously" put in the management position because I knew the process. Of course that is at least what I was thinking at that time.

You're probably thinking to yourself, "Yup, I can tell you were a jack ass alright!"

Well that was mistake #1. Demanding anything of anyone who is in a 100% commission position is anything short of silly. Egos are at play here and if you think anything different you're mistaken.

Demanding a level of excellence is one thing. Demanding people act, do and handle things in a certain way goes against their personal creativity & personality in the sales process. That gives them a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment in sales to begin with along with the financial results too of course.

Let me give you my insight into the difference of commanding and demanding the respect of your team:

1. Commanding respect is made up of your posture. You can be confident of yourself and have a level of excellence that you strive for. You "set the bar" so to speak and you live up to that bar each and every day. People can just pick up on this believe me. It is an air of confidence about you that must not be confused with being egotistical.

You lead by example in your actions and attitude and you lead your team in a way that you would want to follow yourself. I now today know I will not ask of my team what I'm not willing or capable of doing myself. They know this and willingly follow as we develop them and their leadership skills as well.They know I have their best interest at heart.

2. Demanding respect is thinking people should follow your every whim and word just because you're in a position of leadership. Expecting people to do your bidding just because you have a title. This is where I found myself very early on and quickly I experienced the fact that people did not like it.

Regardless I learned that respect was earned even if you had a title.

Titles don't make people. People make the title. I like to say you're sailing a ship of leaders and your at the helm. Hence the word leadership. Be careful where you sail so that you don't lead everyone into a battle you can't win.

Empower your people. Let know know by your actions and your words that you have their best interest at heart.

Know there is a fine balance between having empathy for your teams learning ability and expecting a level of work ethic and excellence on their part. They can be inspired by you, your actions and your words or torn down by them just as fast.

It seems it is a daily occurrence that people fail to communicate properly at work or home. Most places communication problems breed from ignorant managers, mentors, supervisors and mid-level directors. Credibility goes right out the window when lack of knowledge is exposed by subordinates. The result is a weak comprehension level of productivity from workers.

Listening is as important as speaking or sending a message. Communication involves sending and receiving ideas thoughts and feelings from one person to another person or more. The message is sent in a manner that the sender wants the recipient to hear or receive the meaning in the message. It is up to us to listen and interpret this meaning. If you can't pay attention to detail the indented message is lost.

There are many communication models that can be used and applied in the daily workplace. These models show problems in communication. Most problems start with listening. With communications these models identify listening most important over speaking and sending messages to the receiver. Speakers and receivers both need to listen.

A normal standard with communication models show people filter, identify, and attach meaning and importance to what they are listening to based on their personal interpretation, previous life experiences and relationships with peers. Responses from the communication message come from thoughts extracted from ones mind within milliseconds.

How many times have you experienced the feeling that someone was crazy or boring? It's fair to say this happens on a daily basis. We all know that the world revolves around meetings in the workplace. These are a norm in the office. The intent of meetings is to discuss and brief peers on goals. Everyone knows this isn't always the case. Most of the time nobody really cares and there aren't relevant details about the meeting or goals and standards. So the meeting veers to another direction usually with someone enjoying the sound of their own voice while everyone else is board to tears. Either way we are experiencing a filtration process and rejection of the messages in the meeting being sent.

Surely you have been to a meeting with a long-winded announcement to impress all the attendees. A long introduction soon turns into a boring ignored message by the listeners. But there are many non-verbal messages if the receiver is truly paying attention to detail. Listen with compassion, doing so can help you to relax and keep you patient. Rushing the message can end up rude and take the message in a new unproductive direction.

Listening is can be developed into a powerful skill. Messages are received and filtered based on our own unique thinking process. Our brain interprets the messages based on experiences and other cues, non-verbal, tones and suggestive expressions.

The ability to interpret the message, allows us to determine our responses. It is critical to pay attention to details in the message instead of filtering out too much and missing the true meaning of the message. Listening is a crucial active part in the communication cycle. Body language is the unvoiced communication component the shows volumes of communication for anyone to understand. It's definitely something to pay attention to. Body language is the "spark" of the messages. The more attention one places on the nonverbal such as body language, the more you can be aware of the true meaning of the message.

Listening must be an action by all receivers. There are many barriers that can interrupt or degrade the intended message. Some of these barriers especially external environment sounds, lack of sleep or drowsiness, can hinder this process. Language barriers are a common issue with continental and global communication. It's common knowledge that The English is the standard or international language. The Problem exists is the U.S. Why? Well most countries provide English studies to students. Europeans are known for their ability to speak multiple languages. While they are learning our language are we learning theirs? This surely causes huge language barriers. It seems the US is behind the language curve.

Take control of your listening environment. Establishing a safe, neutral place to hold meetings high importance it should be a common practice to secure the environment. Close doors, and windows, turn off fans and radios. Place signs outside the conference room to let others know to be curious.

Concentration is another variable in the listening equation. Focusing on the main idea, and reading between the lines can make or break a message. Mentally summarize the message in an orderly, realistic manner. Do not judge the message before you understand its meaning. This way you will not react to a message in an unnecessary manner.

Everyone has two ears and a mouth; it's up to us to use them properly. Listening is an active part of the communication process. By paying attention to the details such as body language and sound pitch in the voice of the speaker we can identify and grasp the meaning behind the message. The result will be a positive outcome from the communication process.

I recently conducted an ad hoc survey in which I asked a number of salespeople what they thought about the managers in their company. While many said they like their immediate manager, and other managers in the firm, they reported that, in general, all managers are too busy doing other things (selling, administrating, reading reports), and do not take the act of managing (developing people) seriously.

The replies were not encouraging; those who work in large companies were particularly harsh in their criticism. The survey respondents craved a culture of accountability, in which managers who proclaim their commitments to standards of excellence and mission statements follow through on their pledges.

If you want others to perform their roles at a higher level, you must ensure that they know and believe that you accept the responsibility to perform your managerial tasks and duties effectively.

Here are four powerful ideas that could help you radically improve your and your team's performance (and revenue generation) in the coming year:

1. Create a questionnaire

Examine the following statements, one by one, from your salespeople's point of view. Do you consider each of these principles of good management an important part of your role?

As a manager, you:

* Act and live by the principles you advocate
* Act as a role model that people want to copy
* Are a person of integrity
* Enforce the company values
* Are 'part of the team' as opposed to a detached boss
* Motivate your people to stretch to meet performance goals
* Are concerned about long-term issues, not just short-term profits
* Provide timely, balanced feedback that helps your people improve their performance
* Are a source of creative ideas
* Help your people grow and develop
* Have regularly scheduled, one-on-one meetings, with each of your people every two weeks
* Make your people feel that they are members of a well-functioning team
* Emphasize cooperation rather than competition between work groups
* Are prompt in dealing with underperformance
* Arrive on time for meetings, and expect others to be prompt
* Keep your people informed about things they need to know to perform their jobs properly
* Encourage your team to initiate tasks or projects
* Are more often encouraging than critical
* Are fair in dealing with all employees
* Consult others when making decisions
* Run interesting, results-oriented meetings
* Act more like a coach than a boss
* Are publicly generous with credit
* Are an excellent listener
* Ask thoughtful, curious questions

Examine your priorities seriously ... and slowly. Carefully think through which of these principles could really help you make a difference, and how effectively you currently practice them.

Then check your assessment against the opinion of the people with whom you work. Create a questionnaire on which people can rate you from 1 to 5 on how well you deliver on your management goals.

2. Circulate the questionnaire

Give the questionnaire to everyone you deal with in your organization. Have a third-party (can be someone internal) tabulate the results and calculate an average rating.

3. Publish the average ratings

Circulate the combined ratings to everyone who filled out the questionnaire.

4. Call a meeting of those you manage and give the following speech

"I have sent you a copy of your current collective assessment of my managerial performance. We will repeat this survey a year from now. Meanwhile, I promise to get better at the management priorities for which I am responsible. Don't expect me to be perfect. Perfection is not a standard you can hold me to, and it's not a standard I expect from you."

"But here is my commitment to you. If I have not improved in my management performance over the next year as identified in these priorities, then I will step down as manager of this group and I will find you a new one."

"You have a right to expect that I will get better at the tasks and duties that are my responsibility. And I have a right to expect the same from you."

What is the most important element in getting guaranteed online sales? How can you get guaranteed online sales? What is the secret to getting guaranteed online sales?

Guaranteed online sales involve two main elements. First, you need someone to actually visit your website. Then, they need to be so enticed by the sales copy of your website that they purchase your product. This is how you get guaranteed online sales.

You can achieve guaranteed online sales by figuring out a way to get traffic to your site and writing enticing sales copy. You could use pay per click search engines, e-mail marketing, Google Adwords, or a number of other methods to get the traffic to your site.

Once you get the traffic you will want to have already written great sales copy so that your new traffic will purchase your product and create sales for you. This is probably the most important part of your entire internet marketing and earning an online income. Without good sales copy you will never get the sales you should get.

The secret to getting guaranteed online sales is to write your sales copy so that your visitors have to buy your product. You have to entice them by pointing out the benefits and how the product is going to increase their wealth, solve a problem they have, or fix something for them. You want them to have a feeling like they need this product and they cannot go on without it.

So as long as you can create traffic to your website and you have great sales copy on your website you will get guaranteed online sales. This is not a hard thing to master, but will take some practice.

Are you interested in inside sales as a career? Inside sales can be a very rewarding job if you so choose. What is the difference between inside and outside sales positions? If you think the difference is staying out of the sun, read on and discover if or why an inside sales job could be for you.

With inside sales you will need to not only sale a product or service, but be a representative for it as well. You will most likely be required to be on call to serve your current or potential clients in the event they have a question or issue. You will need to study your product or service very hard, and be able to meet the needs of the customer on demand. You will most likely do very little traveling with inside sales so you will get to enjoy plenty of 1 on 1 time with your office. If you would rather be more independent; travel more, handle your own scheduling, etc, than you may want to look into outside sales.

No matter what type of sales job you feel would suit you most, know that in sales, you basically get back what ever you put in. In sales, you can make as little or as much as you want. Most companies offer great benefits and starting salaries with little or no limit on income potential. In sales, Hard work will definitely pay off.

How do you feel about telesales? Don't you think, "What an irritation - this salesperson hasn't earned the right to call me, interrupt me and try to sell me something that I can easily buy from any number of trusted friends if I wanted it?" That's exactly how I feel about salespeople who call me up and pitch me on their products and services. There is no reason why I should even consider talking to them, let alone do business with them. And yet, that's how 95% of salespeople operate these days. There is a better way.

Recently, I was interviewed by Heather Vale on her outstanding Success Unwrapped show. She did a wonderful job and she attended my seminar in Toronto last week. She is a Member of the international DollarMakers Joint Venture Forum, and a highly respected businesswoman. When she calls me, how do you think I respond? Very favorably, of course, I want to reciprocate. Right here, she gets exposed to many. She earned the right, impressed me and created massive value for me. Another Champion is Eric Gilbert-Williams, a Member who has contributed significantly to the growth of my business in Ontario. How do think I respond to any requests from Eric?

Whatever you're selling, even if you're selling yourself into a job opportunity, the same principles apply. Guarantee the positive, even eager attention of the person you want to sell to, using these simple guidelines:

1. Get introduced to them by someone whom they know, trust and respect.

2. EARN the right - use the Law of Reciprocity to sow before you attempt to reap. Only the brainless and desperate still believe that works.

3. Know the person to whom you are pitching - do your homework. I have been approached by some geniuses who haven't even taken the time to look at my website before calling me. Then you can push the right buttons and make them an offer they simply can't refuse.

4. Whatever it is you're selling, the person you are approaching has dozens of alternatives. Remember that and be prepared to differentiate yourself by adding massive, unprecedented value.

5. DON'T be CHEAP. Be prepared to spend some money to position and package yourself or you will simply reveal your desperation and ignorance. I had someone ask me to call him back so that he could save on the telephone call!

Here are simple tactics for you to generate the leads you need to increase your sales:

1 - Know your business.

People basically look for a company that knows everything there is to know about their field of business. When you position yourself as an expert in your niche, you'll be able to attract more leads to your business because they know that they can rely on you to provide them the solution to their needs.

Who else but you can better explain how your product works, right. Without knowing the facts and details, your clients would hesitate to buy something that you don't even believe in, enough to learn everything there is to know about the item.

That goes without saying that you have to be well versed not only with the type of market you're in, but most importantly, with the product you are trying to sell. Your knowledge will help you promote as well as influence your prospects' decision to purchase from you from your catalog printing pieces or even in the booklets you produce for your marketing efforts.

2 - Network your way to sales.

To spread the good word about your product, you have to network continuously. Meet people everyday, join social circles and organizations, attend functions and events, and more importantly, join trade shows and build effective displays while you're at it.

Networking also means getting to know your competition and how they work. Someone said to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Whoever said it is right. It pays to have knowledge of what's going on with your competition to better position your marketing campaign, especially your catalogs and booklets, to come out the best in your area of expertise. Learning the strengths and weaknesses of your adversaries can aid you in improving your own strengths.

3 - Customer service above all else.

Customers always look for the best service available. A courteous and pleasant business person is a better bedmate any day. When you want loyalty among your clients then the only way to get it is to make your clients so happy dealing with you that they won't see fit to go anywhere else.

And this also applies to your price. As cost is always a big issue for customers, be sure to have rates that are also customer friendly. Not only do you gain profit from your clients but more importantly, you'll have a network of his or her friends, relatives and lovedones when they feel satisfied with your business.

All in all, the key to having a successful marketing campaign that attracts your customers is actually better customer service that focuses on the needs of your target market. When you are able to acknowledge and provide solutions to their problems, then you don't need to do the math to know that what you have in your hands is a truly successful promotional strategy.

Being a salesperson is very much like being a performer on stage. Knowing what kind of person to hire as a salesperson is difficult sometimes; mainly because most people interview well, yet few perform well. To maximize your success in hiring a sales staff, there are some key traits to look for in interviewing.

First, is the individual likable? A salesperson is basically a personality. Fundamentally, the salesperson should be someone who you would like to be the face of the company. In my experience, it doesn't matter if the salesperson is black or white, male or female, fat or thin; what matters is if I would want to spend five minutes speaking to them. Attractiveness counts, of course, but an attractive personality and presentation is much more important. Ensure your new hires are likable folks.

Second, your salespeople need to fundamentally understand the sales transaction enough to close sales. Many salespeople are successful simply because they work in an industry where there is little competition. Others are good at building relationships and this ability carries their sales numbers. However, the best salespeople understand the simple transaction; establish interest, showcase features and benefits, validate yourself and your organization, close.

Third, your salespeople can be formulaic and mechanical, but they won't be winners. The winners believe in a "live without a net" approach to sales. This means the best people have the sales script in their head, but usually operate on an instinctive, personality driven and on-the-spot improvised approach. These people adapt their personality to the individual much like a therapist approaches a patient. Being not only a salesperson, but a partner in the emotional aspect of the transaction is very important. The best salesperson leaves the customer feeling a strong sense of empathy; almost as though they have made a new friend.

Lastly, and probably most important, your salespeople need to be persistent. They need to be so persistent that they never take no for an answer. This means 200 dials instead of 100. This means knocking on doors until one is exhausted. There is always a new prospect to speak with. There is never a time when there is no hope to make a sale. Find your persistent and aggressive people and you will find a quality salesperson.

Overall, these key traits above will be the best traits. Obviously there are exceptions. We have all seen very aggressive and even obnoxious salespeople with strong numbers. We have also seen quiet and shy folks who have a natural sweetness that lends itself to a strong closing ability. Empathy, understanding of the sales transaction, instinctive ability, and persistence; these are the most important factors to seek in your prospective sales representatives.

Closing the sale can make the best of us get sweaty palms. What will happen? Will they say "Yes!" or will they reject your offering? Because this process is so intimidating to many non-trained sales people, it is often botched. Either you go in for the close too quickly, or you never ask for the sale.

Here are five things to discuss with a prospect BEFORE you ask for their business.

1.Be clear of the needs and/or concerns of your prospect. What problem are they trying to overcome? What do they want and hope for? Ask lots of questions to be sure you have a very good understanding of each client's circumstances.

2. Explain how your product or service will SPECIFICALLY help your prospect. What is the benefit to them? This should sound different for each prospect - because it is based on their own situation.

3. Find out how your client feels about your product or service. Most purchases are made based on emotion. Gage the prospects emotional response by reading their body language and asking questions to help you learn their reaction.

4. Discuss any objections the prospect has about your service or product. Be sure and address these objections and answer any questions or concerns they have. Be honest. If their objection is legitimate, acknowledge it and when possible offer a solution or alternative.

5. Be sure you are dealing with decision-maker. Find out early on if the person you are talking with is able to make the final decision. If not, get the decision-maker involved in the discussion as soon as possible.

Take the time to discuss each of these five areas with your prospect before you even think about asking for their business. Once you have thoroughly talked through these items, and you are getting a positive reaction, then be sure and ask for their business. Be direct. Ask them, "Are you ready to get started?" or "Which color would you like to order?" The more thoroughly you get to know your prospect and genuinely offer them a solution to their problem or need, the more likely you are to win the sale.