Tweet

Diamonds Are a Rep’s Best Friend

Guest post by: Brian Sullivan

Article Overview: “How Current Customers Can Make You Rich!”

Diamonds Are a Rep’s Best Friend

Salespeople spend countless hours prospecting, cold calling and doing everything possible to get in front of potential clients to deliver their message. When they finally get that appointment with a new prospect, there’s a feeling of elation that they have accomplished something…and they have. I do not mean to knock new account prospecting. I do, however, mean to point you in a better direction. When given the choice between prospecting in existing accounts versus cold calling, which would you prefer? I know my answer. So if your objective this year is to increase your sales by 20%, explore for diamonds within your existing account base first, and then turn to new account prospecting.
Acre of Diamonds

There once was an African farmer who had heard tales of others making millions by discovering diamond mines. He became so excited at the thought of getting rich that he sold his farm and used the money to explore the African continent in search of the valuable gems.
Unfortunately for him, he never found any diamonds and he died a despondent and dejected man. Meanwhile, the man who had purchased the farm discovered a beautiful rock while crossing one of the streams on his newly acquired property.
The rock was so beautiful that he placed it on his fireplace mantel so that he could admire it. Several weeks later a visitor noticed the rock and nearly fainted from what he saw. The rock turned out to be one of the largest diamonds ever discovered. And it came from a small stream filled with many more large and precious stones. The man's small farm became one of the most productive diamond mines in all of Africa and he became a very rich man.
Dr. Russell Conwell, founder of Temple University used this story in the mid-1800s to raise millions of dollars to help fund the formation of the school. “We need not waste our lives looking elsewhere for better opportunities," Dr. Conwell told his audiences. I love this story because it has so many applications. Specifically, it reminds us, as salespeople, to keep our eyes and ears peeled for opportunities that exist right in front of us. It reminds us there may be “diamonds” within our existing accounts and that before we go exploring elsewhere; we must explore every inch of our own “farms.”

What Instruments Do You Need to Explore?
You don’t need a compass and a telescope, but you do need the essentials.
• Explorer’s Attitude—This is your most important instrument. Your explorer’s attitude should be “Christopher Columbus-like,” and your purpose should be to seek out as much business as you can possibly find in any existing account. Even when others are telling you “The account is flat, Christopher. It’s too dangerous to explore,” don’t believe them. Imagine where this thinking would have gotten Christopher…and many of us for that matter!
• Risk-Taker’s Attitude—Wayne Gretzky, perhaps the best hockey player ever to wear skates, reported the comment of an early coach who was frustrated with his lack of scoring in an important game. The coach made his point when he said, "You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take." So go ahead and ask for more business as often as you can. (I have faith in your ability to know when to back off.)
• Specific Objective—Let’s get something straight. When I talk about selling diamonds, I’m not talking about cotton balls and band-aids. If you are a distribution rep, your diamonds are equipment opportunities. And if you want to be your company’s top Explorer (and top equipment rep), you need to focus on just one or two new equipment products a travel cycle. Focus solely on those two products. Determine how many leads you want to pass off to you manufacturer, and how many sales you need to make. Write that number down and be specific. If somebody asks you, “How many ECGs do you want to sell this month?” your answer should not be, “Oh, one or two would be nice.” It should be, “I want to create five leads and believe it is realistic to close three of those.” Now that’s an Explorer with vision!
Earlier we discussed the importance of setting an objective for your sales call. That objective is often focused on only one product or service. While having one objective is essential, having two objectives is exceptional. Objective number two should be to explore for added business beyond objective number one.

• Exploration Literature—Come prepared with extra selling materials like literature and brochures. And make them easy to get to when it is exploration time. Keep them in the same location in your briefcase or presentation binder so you don’t find yourself clumsily fumbling for them.

So it’s time to set sail, my friend…and don’t delay. Because if there really are diamonds on your own farm, I promise you they will not go unnoticed for long. The question is, will it be you or your competition that finds them first?

Related Articles
  Network Marketing Game: The One With The Most Reps Wins.
  Should You Train Unmotivated Sales Reps?
  Tips for Working with Independent Sales Reps
  Preparing to Handle Independent Sales Reps
  Expand Your Advertising Budget By Getting Free Publicity From Local Media
  GordonMax, Creators of the World's Finest Diamond Simulants, expand their India Operations in 2011
  Pros and Cons of Using Independent Sales Reps
  Making your new product launch a success
  Build Your Salespeople’s Strengths And Use Them As Launch Pads For Better Sales Success
  Communication Breakdowns
  Acres of Diamonds
  How to Sell A Pencil - And Your Product Or Service
  Just a Job or Part of Our Deeper Purpose?
  What to Expect When Dealing With Independent Sales Reps
  Be More to Do More
  A New Year in the Pharmaceutical Industry
  New Manager LifeSavers
  Closing Challenges & The Buyer Engagement Process
  Dancing With the Stars
  Diamonds In Your Backyard

Article Tags: acre, african continent, appointment, audiences, countless hours, diamond mines, diamonds, dr russell, elation, fireplace mantel, hellip, mid 1800s, new prospect, precious stones, rich man, russell conwell, salespeople, streams, temple university, valuable gems



Related Forum Posts
Raising Capital for an Invention - There have been alot of great ideas and concepts already discussed here but I will add that love money is a great way to get the ball started. Family and friends that believe in you and your concept can asked and should be asked first. Banks and other lenders are always more eager to give you more - but getting the start up investment proves to be the most difficult. Remember ACRES of Diamonds and look in your own backyard first. Jude
Re: Raising Capital for an Invention - [quote="TheRainmaker":1226ijtz]There have been alot of great ideas and concepts already discussed here but I will add that love money is a great way to get the ball started. Family and friends that believe in you and your concept can asked and should be asked first. Banks and other lenders are always more eager to give you more - but getting the start up investment proves to be the most difficult. Remember ACRES of Diamonds and look in your own backyard first. Jude[/quote:1226ijtz] Hi Jude, When you're dealing with angel investors in the form of family and friends, what kind of interest rates do you offer them or are their contributions just considered to be donations (or at least interest free loans)?
The Value of Mentoring - Successful mentor pairings (in case there was any doubt as to the value of mentoring): 1. André Ouellet (President, Canada Post) mentor to Mark Whalen (Urban Organics and winner, Young Entrepreneur Award) 2. Marc Lefrançois (President, Via Rail Canada) mentor to Jeffrey Campbell (Core Networks, Inc. and winner, Young Entrepreneur Award) 3. Donald Kendall (former CEO of PepsiCo) mentor to John Scully (former CEO of Apple) 4. Harland Sanders (the Colonel) mentor to Dave Thomas (founder of Wendy's) 5. Stuart Friend (KMart manager) mentor to Wayne Sales (CEO of Canadian Tire) 6. Jim Rohn (author, motivational speaker) mentor to Anthony Robbins (author, motivational speaker) 7. Robert Patterson (CEO, National Cash Register) mentor to Thomas Watson (founder of IBM) 8. Henri-Paul Rosseau (President, Laurentian Bank of Canada) mentor to isabel Rodriquez and Yves Besner (i4design and winners, Young Entrepreneur Award)
Ladies Who Launch Profile: Heidi Flammang - Heidi Flammang Top Dog, Camp Bow Wow When one of the country's first doggy day cares opened next door to her dad's business, Heidi Flammang and her husband, Bion, would sneak over to hang out with the dogs. They fell in love with the concept—and the dogs—and were soon making trades of services with the owner to have their own dogs stay there. When the owner of that business wasn't interested in franchising, Heidi and her husband started brainstorming and the business plan for Camp Bow Wow was born. They were searching for their first location when Bion was killed in a plane crash, in 1994. Heidi received a $1 million insurance settlement after his death, and in the following years attempted a number of ventures, including a financial consulting business to help others handle sudden wealth. But Camp Bow Wow was never far from her mind. In 2000, with the help and encouragement of her brother, she dusted off that old business plan and set out to bring her and Bion's dream to life. Within weeks she had found her first location, and from that point on she never looked back. Camp Bow Wow has now sold more than 205 franchises, 125 of which will be open by the end of the year. It is the premier upscale doggy day care and boarding company, and is expected to generate $18 million in systemwide sales in 2008. What we learned from Heidi: To persevere and never lose sight of your dreams. Heidi was a young widow who tried financial consulting, pharmaceutical sales, and launching a high-end baby-bedding catalog before coming full circle to find success with the idea that she'd loved all along. Not Just Fun and Games "A lot of people come into this business thinking how fun it's going to be to hang out with dogs all day. But we are taking care of people's furry children, all day and night, 365 days a year! It is an all-consuming business and you have to know so much more than people think—everything from dog behavior to disease management, in addition to the nuts and bolts of running a business. We get franchisees from so many different backgrounds and they all have a love of dogs in common, but we have to teach them to be businesspeople and to market the business and not just focus on the dogs. It's a challenge to find people who want to make it a real moneymaker and not just a labor of love." Getting the Word Out "We receive a lot of leads on possible new franchisees through word of mouth from our existing franchisees and open Camps. Also, we've been featured on AOL's main page, Donny Deutsch's The Big Idea, in Pink magazine, and in some other great media outlets, and we advertise in the airline magazines and do quite a bit on the Internet, utilizing our Web site as a marketing tool. All of these have been great resources." What Worked "What has worked for us is to stay focused on our brand and what it's about: offering a place where a dog can be a dog. We don't let ourselves get distracted by other business opportunities that come in our direction, and we don't try to be everything to every dog owner. I am a perfectionist and have been very specific about what the rules are and what the brand is, and that really led the way for franchising opportunities. But we are constantly evolving based on the learning experiences and opinions of our franchisees, and I think that helps us stay ahead of the competition." And What Didn't "Be wary of getting family and friends involved and assuming that because they have good hearts and are interested in your business that they'll have the skills to do it. It's important to be surrounded by knowledgeable people who have great skills, not just people who love you." Networking Is Not Just For the Dogs "People in the dog-boarding business are very protective, so it's not as easy to network and meet people with like businesses as it might be in other industries. I found great mentors at the International Franchise Association, other people who had been there and done that in terms of franchising. I'm very involved with that group and work to champion other women entrepreneurs. I'm also part of a CEO support group called Vistage. There are 12 of us in the group who meet for a day once a month and it's extremely valuable, but I am the only woman in the group. So I also have an informal group of women who I meet with in Denver to share professional successes and disasters. Women are just so much more open to that type of dialogue." Like Mother, Like Daughter "I'm writing a book about starting and running a successful woman-owned business called Tales From the Bark Side. My tween-aged daughter is writing her own book that will be released at the same time called Tori's Tales, about growing up with a mom who's an entrepreneur. My pet project is working with young girls to help them set goals and develop self-confidence and pride in their accomplishments." Man's Best Friend "Last year we started Bow Wow Buddies, a foundation dedicated to improving the lives and health of dogs around the world. We foster dogs, we sponsor a PhD fellow in canine cancer research at CSU veterinary school, and we fund organizations such as RAVS and VIDAS that go into poor areas in the U.S. and elsewhere to spay and neuter stray dogs. We undertook a rescue mission abroad after our in-house counsel vacationed in Greece, a country with no humane society, and saw how poorly strays were treated there. We brought 17 dogs back with us and fostered them until finding them homes." Favorite Quote "'Worry is a debt you may never have to pay.' I really strive to live in the now, focus on solutions that are in the moment, and not worry too much about things that may never happen." Recommended Reading "My favorite dog book is Marley & Me. But I have two business books that I find invaluable: The E Myth Revisited (a fantastic book to help you figure out whether you have the right personality and skill mix to be an entrepreneur) and The Question Behind the Question (a great management book about instilling personal accountability in your people)." Parting Thoughts ... "I will retire when ... every dog has a home." "My greatest strength in business is ... my flexibility." "My dream is ... to give back as much as I get from my life. I have been so blessed with so many things and I want to respect the universe and give back." This featured lady was profiled by Noelle Pechar Hale, a freelance writer living in Los Angeles.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Inspiration for troubled times

Top 7 Tips to Real Estate Agents’ Success

Time management for DIY PR

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.