Happy New Year!

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

Happy New Year!

Published: Tue, 01/03/23

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I sincerely hope 2023 is better for you and your family than 2022.

I will often say or write a variation of the above line yearly. It is not uncommon for me to get a reaction implying I know how bad the previous 12 months have been for you. I do know your struggles in some cases, but in many cases, I do not.

My admonition is simply a recognition that constant improvement in life is one of the few resolutions we can truly keep. If every year is just a little better than the last, then our situation in life is improving.

However, this is often a time of year when emotions can get the better of some for many reasons. If you are ever in a situation where you need someone to talk to and don’t know where to turn, please do not hesitate to call me. It doesn’t have to be about my sales expertise or advice, but I can be an ear for your problems and maybe a shoulder to cry on.

I hope you enjoy the latest version of my newsletter, and I sincerely hope this new year is much better than the last for you and yours. If you have problems reading this newsletter, please view the online version of it at .

Sean

—

Sean O’Shaughnessey
CEO and President

New Sales Expert LLC

[email protected]

513.348.8700

Drive New Sales
In Your Company

January 2023

Start The New Year Strong

I recently published a video series on how to start the year strong for this new year.

If I summarize all the videos, the common theme is that you must try something new. If you don’t evolve, you lose.

That should be your new year’s resolution for your business life:

If you don’t evolve, you lose.

Some suggestions in the videos were on what you can do between the holidays to be better at sales. The goal was to be better than you were. To improve on where you were from last year.

Salespeople and sales managers have long been responsible for driving organizational growth, but they can’t continue to do so effectively without evolving their strategies. To keep their organizations ahead of the competition, salespeople need to be aware of changes in customer demands, technological advances, and the buying behavior of today’s customers. Without staying tuned into these factors, they may find themselves without a job altogether because outdated methods can no longer deliver on expectations.

Your competitors are constantly trying to get better. In fact, your competitors might be watching my videos and reading my blog posts.

It can be daunting to keep up with the competition in today’s ever-changing business landscape. Every day, your rival companies are doing everything they can to get ahead—and you need to stay ahead of the game if you want your sales team to thrive. Whether it is finding new ways for lead generation or investing in better technology, the new year is a great time to improve your skills, strategies, and tactics.

There’s no way you do everything correctly. There’s always something you did wrong and could have done better.

Nobody ever played a perfect game of basketball. Nobody ever played a perfect game of football or tennis. And nobody ever had a perfect sales campaign, either.

Salespeople need to understand that sales campaigns always have room for improvement. With the dynamic sales process and ever-changing customer needs, salespeople must continuously revisit their sales tactics to improve results. Reviewing sales campaigns regularly and identifying areas where improvements can be made is essential. Learning from past mistakes and making the necessary adjustments will help salespeople achieve better success in their sales efforts and build confidence, giving them more motivation to reach higher goals.

You didn’t do everything correctly. You may have done it well enough to win the deal, but maybe you didn’t do it often enough. I challenge you to find one thing you will do better in sales this new year that you didn’t do last year. Try something new that you didn’t do last time, make it better, and be as professional in your sales career as possible.

Be successful, and have a great new year.

You can see the 12 video episodes here….

Taking the Sales Agility Assessment is a great starting point for improving your current sales process. Use the unique report to help you implement new procedures to accelerate growth, revenue, and new sales.

Take The Sales Agility Assessment Now!

Are You Coming To Beers & Biz?

Beers & Biz is an excellent opportunity to connect with other business leaders in the Cincinnati area and join some relevant conversations about today’s business challenges. It is probably the best networking event in Greater Cincinnati.

If you want to meet other B2B professionals and understand how to solve targeted business problems, this is the event to put on your calendars and attend.

There is no cost to the B2B professional networking group featuring topical roundtable discussion groups, open networking, and a featured charity. The group meets on the 4th Thursday of the month. We typically talk about business, have a drink (water, soft drinks, beer, and bourbon, too), and learn from each other. We stress networking with business-to-business professionals trying to expand revenue and offer great products and services to businesses.

Our next event is at Xavier Center for Innovation at 1605 Dana Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45207, on Thursday, January 26, 2023, from 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM EST.

Please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beers-biz-b2b-networking-tickets-244535701867 to reserve your spot and learn about the locations and times of future meetings.

Register to attend Beers and Biz…

GIVE YOURSELF A TROPHY FOR BIG WINS

We all know that there are times in the selling process that are just plain frustrating for the sales team. The prospect may be asking questions that are very basic. Or the prospect may be making it difficult to create a positive relationship. Whatever the frustration, it is helpful to have a little extra incentive to motivate you through the tough times.

Think of a sprinter in a track and field event. The sprinter wants to win so that her team will get more points and win the event, but that is not the sprinter’s only motivation. The sprinter is also motivated to beat her personal best time. The sprinter is also motivated to beat her arch-rival in the lane beside her. The sprinter is motivated to hear the cheers of the crowd and the accolades of her teammates, friends, and family.

This personal motivation is used by the sprinter to fight through challenging practices. She visualizes winning the race when she is trying to do that last painful lift in the weight room. She visualizes the first place award when she practices her first three steps over and over for hours. She doesn’t visualize the team winning; she visualizes her personal win. It is the personal win that inspires the extra effort and sacrifice.

The sprinter’s job is to score more points for the team. That is why she is on the team. While she wants the team to do well, she also wants to do well and needs her own motivation. You are like the sprinter, and it is your job to sell your product. Selling the product keeps your company afloat and helps to employ all of the people in the company. Just selling the product and having your company do well may not be enough to fight through those challenging sales calls.

You should develop your personal win award. You may think that your manager should do this for you, but you cannot depend on others for your success. You need to create a personal win that will motivate you to push through those tough sales calls.

I suggest that the personal win is something that you greatly enjoy, but you can live without it on a daily basis. Set aside one activity that you will only do when you have won a deal of 5% or 10% of your annual quota. Once you have identified that win, never do it without closing a deal. It is your trophy activity.

I develop this concept more in the below article.

Continue reading about personal motivation in Sales…

ATTN: BUSINESS OWNERS

YOU’RE INVITED

2023 PERSPECTIVES WITH GOLDMAN SACHS

We’d like to invite you to learn the 2023 perspectives presented by the Goldman Sachs Investment Strategy Group. This free webinar will focus on several top-of-mind areas for business owners, including:

The U.S. & Global Economic Backdrop
Inflation Outlook
Possible Recession Risks

Date: Thursday, January 12th, 2023

Time: 2:00 p.m. EST

Registration …

Sean O’Shaughnessey

New Sales Expert LLC helps SMB companies accelerate their revenue growth by helping them setup systems and best practices to bring products to market more effectively and develop new sales.

If the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected your company’s sales, you are not alone. As a veteran sales leader, I utilize my expertise to help companies in times of trouble by building the sales systems, processes and accountability you need to create record-breaking growth. If the past has taught me anything, it is that those that develop a plan-ahead strategy will far surpass their competitors once the crisis is over.

My goal is to drive sales growth. I do this with Sales Xceleration’s proven system that focuses on creating record-breaking sales for your company, defined in these 3 steps:

1. Create a Sales Plan
2. Find Your Best Customers
3. Grow Your Sales

My Website

My book, Eliminate Your Competition, is available wherever books are sold

Most salespeople lose the deal before they ever get started! It isn’t uncommon for the customer to have already made a decision before most salespeople even learn of the opportunity. Most salespeople must beat the preferred competitor by a significant margin just to be considered equivalent. Don’t you wish that you could be the preferred vendor for all of your opportunities?

Selling is a difficult career in which to make a living; it is not uncommon to have the commission check denied before the salesperson even gets a chance to win. Analysis of thousands of sales situations has made it phenomenally obvious that most salespeople begin their sales campaign so late in the decision-making process that they are virtually guaranteed to lose the order. To make matters worse, when they do start the campaign early enough, most salespeople do not know how to control the prospect adequately so that they can guarantee their victory.

You may purchase my book Eliminate Your Competition from your favorite book retailer. The ebook version is available at the most popular retailers, such as Apple, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. The paperback version is also widely available at retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books A Million.

—
Sean O’Shaughnessey
CEO and President
New Sales Expert LLC
[email protected]
513.348.8700

6561 Bluegrass Way
Mason OH 45040
US

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Start The New Year STRONG!

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

I published a video series on how to start the year strong for this new year. You can see the twelve video episodes here.

If I summarize all the videos, the common theme is that you must try something new. If you don’t evolve, you lose.

That should be your new year’s resolution for your business life:

If you don’t evolve, you lose.

Some suggestions were on what you can do between the holidays to be better at sales. The goal was to be better than you were. To improve on where you were from last year.

Salespeople and sales managers have long been responsible for driving organizational growth, but they can’t continue to do so effectively without evolving their strategies. To keep their organizations ahead of the competition, salespeople need to be aware of changes in customer demands, technological advances, and the buying behavior of today’s customers. Without staying tuned into these factors, they may find themselves without a job altogether because outdated methods can no longer deliver on expectations.

Your competitors are constantly trying to get better. In fact, your competitors might be watching my videos and reading my blog posts.

It can be daunting to keep up with the competition in today’s ever-changing business landscape. Every day, your rival companies are doing everything they can to get ahead—and you need to stay ahead of the game if you want your sales team to thrive. Whether it is finding new ways for lead generation or investing in better technology, the new year is a great time to improve your skills, strategies, and tactics.

There’s no way you do everything correctly. There’s always something you did wrong and could have done better.

Nobody ever played a perfect game of basketball. Nobody ever played a perfect game of football or tennis. And nobody ever had a perfect sales campaign, either.

Salespeople need to understand that sales campaigns always have room for improvement. With the dynamic sales process and ever-changing customer needs, salespeople must continuously revisit their sales tactics to improve results. Reviewing sales campaigns regularly and identifying areas where improvements can be made is essential. Learning from past mistakes and making the necessary adjustments will help salespeople achieve better success in their sales efforts and build confidence, giving them more motivation to reach higher goals.

You didn’t do everything correctly. You may have done it well enough to win the deal, but maybe you didn’t do it often enough. I challenge you to find one thing you will do better in sales this new year that you didn’t do last year. Try something new that you didn’t do last time, make it better, and be as professional in your sales career as possible.

Be successful, and have a great new year.

Header Photo by Pavel Danilyuk

Tip #12 of 12 – How To Start The New Year STRONG! – Try something new

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

As sales professionals, staying ahead of the curve is essential. You need to consistently leverage emerging trends and acquire new skills. The modern marketplace is ever-evolving, with dynamic demands and vast opportunities. By taking ownership of your personal growth in the industry, you can ensure that you have the necessary tools to continue succeeding as a salesperson.

Adaptability is key—though it would be great if there was an easy formula for success that never changed, it’s time to recognize that modernization requires us to continuously refine our skill sets and take chances on innovative approaches.

From customer relationship management (CRM) software to sales enablement tools, salespeople and managers have never had a better time taking advantage of the latest technology. The days of carrying around bulky spiral notebooks and juggling between emails, spreadsheets, and file folders are officially over, as technological advancements have made it possible for salespeople to access powerful yet intuitive tools to help them work smarter, close more deals faster, and grow their business.

The sales industry is quickly evolving, and it’s no surprise that innovative new tools are appearing on the market for salespeople. With so much potential value at their disposal, successful sales professionals must stay up-to-date with the latest developments and solutions designed to help them close more deals faster. A savvy salesperson will constantly be looking to increase productivity and efficiency. Some of the new tools on the market might just be the edge you need to stand out from your competitors.

Watch this video post for tips on prioritizing continual learning and remaining agile in a constantly changing landscape!

If you don’t evolve, you will lose
There is no way that you do everything correctly.
What are you going to change this year?

You can check out all of the 12 tips here.

Tip #11 of 12 – How To Start The New Year STRONG! – Reward Yourself For Small Wins

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

In any career, it’s important to recognize and reward yourself for your small successes along your journey. Salespeople are often guilty of pushing themselves too hard and forgetting to celebrate their smaller accomplishments. As a salesperson or manager, you will increase your motivation to keep pushing forward by recognizing those moments of progress. Celebrating said wins helps you stay focused on achieving larger goals and fosters a healthy corporate culture that validates individual growth within a team setting.

In this video post we’ll cover how celebrating successes can help professionally and personally while giving tips on how salespeople can reward themselves without losing sight of what’s important.

Sales is a marathon; reward yourself for the sprints
One special thing that you only do for significant wins
Give yourself a special and unique gift for deals that are 5%, 10%, or 15% of your annual quota

You can check out all of the 12 tips as soon as they are published here.

Tip #10 of 12 – How To Start The New Year STRONG! – Learn more by reading more

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

Read Sales Blogs
Make the most of your commute by listening to sales podcasts.

Earl Nightingale said many years ago:

One hour per day of study in your chosen field is all it takes. One hour per day of study will put you at the top of your field within three years. Within five years, you’ll be a national authority. In seven years, you can be one of the best people in the world at what you do.

If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Nightingale, he was a famed radio broadcaster and motivational speaker. As a Depression-era child, Earl Nightingale was hungry for knowledge. From the time he was a young boy, he would frequent the Long Beach Public Library in California, searching for the answer to the question, “How can a person, starting from scratch, who has no particular advantage in the world, reach the goals that he feels are important to him, and by so doing, make a major contribution to others?” His desire to find an answer, coupled with his natural curiosity about the world and its workings, spurred him to become one of the world’s foremost experts on success and what makes people successful.

Throughout his life, Earl Nightingale explored the subjects of meaningful existence, motivation, and human character, and all his works primarily take their inspiration from these topics. In the ’50s, Nightingale played the voice of ‘Sky King’. He also worked as a radio host at WGN for over half a decade.

Earl Nightingale remained a follower and disciple of Napoleon Hill all his life. It is said that the great American radio speaker attained his enlightenment in 1949, at the age of 29, while perusing Hill’s ‘Think And Grow Rich.’ Such was the book’s influence on his life that later, in the ’60s, Nightingale published its audio version.

Earl Nightingale’s incomparable contribution to the radio industry earned him a position in the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame in 1976 and The National Association of Broadcasters National Radio Hall of Fame in 1985. In addition, Nightingale’s book ‘Earl Nightingale’s Greatest Discovery’ won the Napoleon Hill Gold Medal for Literary Excellency.

You can check out all of the 12 tips as soon as they are published here.

Tip #9 of 12 – How To Start The New Year STRONG! – Optimize your LinkedIn profile for sales

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

In today’s hyper-competitive business environment, standing out is more important than ever. For salespeople and sales managers looking to build their network and gain exposure within their industry, optimizing a LinkedIn profile is one of the most effective ways to establish credibility, grow your professional brand, and find new business opportunities.

With all the noise out there competing for attention, an engaging and well-optimized LinkedIn profile can make you stand out from the pack by helping potential customers understand who you are and your experience with relevant qualifications.

By following a few simple steps in this video post, you will be able to create a powerful presence that helps foster trust among other professionals – giving you an edge over your competition. Discover how optimizing your LinkedIn profile could help take your career to the next level!

In the video, I cover the following points:

Choose the right profile picture for LinkedIn.
Add a background photo.
Make your headline more than just a job title.
Turn your summary into your story.
List your relevant skills.
Spotlight the services you offer.
Manage your endorsements more proactively.
Take a skills assessment.
Share relevant content from your LinkedIn feed.
Add comments.
Publish long-form content – and use it to start conversations.

You can check out all of the 12 tips as soon as they are published here.

Tip #8 of 12 – How To Start The New Year STRONG! – Check in with prospects that went another way

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

We are coming down on the end of the year and are now on the 8th video in my series of how to start the New Year strong so that you achieve more revenue next year.

In this eighth video in the series, I encourage you to return to the deals you lost.

It’s never a pleasant experience to lose a deal, but sometimes it’s inevitable. If you take the time to properly and strategically follow up on lost deals, however, you may be able to turn things around for yourself. Following up after losing a sale can yield numerous benefits for salespeople and their managers – from increasing revenue to developing relationships with new customers. This video discusses how following up on lost deals can benefit your business.

Did they actually buy from your competitor?
Do they have buyer’s remorse that you can use to your advantage?
Can you do a smaller deal that fills in a shortcoming in the winning solution? After all, some revenue in the new year is better than no revenue.

If you’re a salesperson, chances are you think about “lost deals” quite often. It can be incredibly frustrating to invest time and energy into a potential customer only for them to have opted out at the end of the day! So why did the prospect reject our offer? Be completely honest with yourself (even if you aren’t honest with your management). Can you go back and save it?

You can check out all of the 12 tips as soon as they are published here.

Tip #7 of 12 – How To Start The New Year STRONG! – Check in with current clients

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

Sales is about finding the best ways to reach new customers and grow your business efficiently. However, it’s essential not to overlook what you already have. Your current clients are one of your most valuable resources for growth – by serving them better than ever, you can open up a whole world of possibilities for expansion and success. In this video, I will challenge you to leverage your relationships with existing clientele to maximize opportunities for future revenue.

Can you upsell them more products?
What are their concerns?
How do you become their Trusted Advisor?

You can check out all of the 12 tips as soon as they are published here.

Tip #6 of 12 – How To Start The New Year STRONG! – Embrace new technology

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

Can you be more productive?
Can you work faster?
Can you expand your reach?

New technologies are dramatically changing how businesses operate across all industries, from analytics to artificial intelligence and from automation to social media. As our world becomes more technologically advanced, so does the competitive landscape for salespeople looking to grow their organizations.

To stay ahead of this curve, salespeople must learn to embrace these growing technological trends and leverage them for competitive advantage to remain successful in today’s marketplace. In this video, we’ll explore how these modern tools can be powerful tools for sales growth!

What are some of the examples of technology that you use and can share with others?

Do you use any AI or artificial intelligence tools such as Grammarly, People.ai, Zoovu, Saleswhale, SalesDirector, Tact.ai, Exceed.ai, TopOpps, Veloxy, Troops, Dooly, Drift, Warmer.ai?
What calendar scheduling tool do you use?
What video conferencing tool do you prefer (or not prefer)?
Do you use CRM software? If so, which do you love and which do you hate?
What sales intelligence tools do you use?
Are you using any sales acceleration tools?
What do you use for sales analytics?
What is your favorite sales productivity tool?
Are you using any e-signature and document tracking tools that you could recommend?
What does your company use for marketing automation and ABM?

You can check out all of the 12 tips as soon as they are published here.

Tip #5 of 12 – How To Start The New Year STRONG! – Know your customers better

By Sean O'Shaughnessey

Whether you’re a salesperson or manager, understanding how and why prospects make and lose money is a crucial element in helping them make intelligent business decisions. Knowing this can help you hone in on the solutions you offer that will benefit their bottom line, making it easier to close more deals.

In this video, we explore the following:

How does your customer/prospect make money?
How does your customer/prospect lose money?
Whom does your customer/prospect compete with?
Whom does your customer/prospect partner with?

This is the 5th video of 12 that explores how you can start the new year strongly. I hope that you enjoy the video and it makes you think about a few things.