Are you located in the UK and looking to find a great business networking group? 4Networking is one of the largest growing breakfast networking groups in the UK. There concept is simple; small groups of about twenty to forty people meeting for breakfast and networking at the same time. It is about fifty percent social, and about fifty percent business.

Spend a few minutes to view a video about their concept. This is a very informal business networking event and it really does encourage us to be unique individuals in sales. After watching the video stop by their business networking website called 4Networking and join up for a free account!

The video can be viewed on youtube.com at the link below.

Your comments are always welcome!

How many of you attend any business networking events on a regular basis? If you do not or if you have never attended any business networking events it may be because they seem overwhelming. Really they are not and networking in this way is a very inexpensive way of marketing yourself and your company.

Learn Basic Business Networking Skills is a neat list of twelve steps that will help you to develop the skill of business networking. They are easy to follow and you will notice that a lot of it is just plain common sense when comes to meeting new people. The biggest thing to remember about networking is never to attend a business networking group with the intent to sell something -- it is only about starting and building new business relationships. Keep this in mind and you will find networking to be very enjoyable and profitable!

The 2008 Olympics are in full swing. Whenever I watch the Olympics I am awed by the incredible discipline it takes to even compete in the Olympics, let alone be a champion.

Recently, a friend of mine (who is truly a Sales Champion), started comparing being an expert in sales, to be being an Olympic Athlete in Sales. It is true that when we are in Sales we are continually disciplining and training ourselves to be the best. We are always out facing the competition. That's our job and that is part of what drives us -- to achieve and perform our best in every sales situation that we can!

Take a moment to stop by and read my latest article about the seven steps of how to become an Olympic Sales Champion and inspire yourself to be a greater sales person that what you are!

Often we are concerned about the way we say things to people; we are concerned about the impressions that we leave upon others. We can speak in pleasing tones and choose the right phrases, but what is the language, the silent language that communicates more to others than our choice of words and tone of speech?

Rob Purfield, a Master Hypnotist and Business Trainer, is passionate about understanding how the mind works. He shares the knowledge that he has acquired to explore ways in which everyone can use imagination, emotions and beliefs to bring out the very best in themselves. He has put together a wonderful free training video that is available on youtube.com entitled Free Training Films - Improve Influence Using Language. This short film is the first in a four part series where he discusses ways to improve your communication skills in both your personal and professional life. Do stop by youtube.com and take a peek -- I think you'll like what you hear and see!

Have you ever used your local Public Library to research and find leads for free? Libraries are such a great resource for free leads! If you're not so computer savvy or you're on a tight budget for getting new leads, then plan some time at your local library. You will be delighted at the resources that are available to you. You'll not only get names, addresses, and phone numbers of free prospect leads, but you'll often uncover very useful information about the background of companies -- sometimes even a list of executives and their titles for you to contact.

Your local Public Library may also allow their patrons free use of a computer. All you need to do is ask and your friendly librarians will be happy to guide you and help you out in anyway they can. If you need free leads, learn how to get leads for free from your Public Library -- and bring the kids with and make it a day!

Never again does a small business owner or sales manager need to rely on their gut or intuition to hire a sales person -- now that there is Topgrading for Sales. I read this book in a very short time and it took me an even shorter amount of time to realize what a terrific hiring tool this book is! It is chock full of guidelines, interview questions and worksheets that are designed to glide you through the interviewing and hiring process. This is a very scientific approach to a strategy for hiring top producing sales people through a very systematic interview process. This method is long over due and just in time for the small business owner needing to stretch their dollars in these economic slow downs by avoiding costly mis-hires.

Pssssst!...this is also a great book for salespeople out in the job market to investigate. It gives a long list of interview questions that will give you an inside look at what those that are hiring top sales people are looking for. Pick it up. You can thank me later.

Read the review for Topgrading for Sales by Bradford D. Smart, Ph.D, and Greg Alexander

This is just in and I wanted to let you know about it right away! On the heels of the post that I shared with you the other day (about getting yourself back to basics with your lead management strategies), here is one step further into becoming a champion with your lead list organization. Take a look at these free software solutions that are being offered in CRM (Customer Relationship Management) online services or free open source software. Getting organized, especially with your prospects information, is the oil that turns the wheels of progress in the Sales Industry!

Everyday in Sales, we are out there meeting people, making new contacts and at the same time, building our lead lists. But I'm curious -- how are you managing all of these leads that you're generating? Did you start with a plan of how you would keep them organized and up to date? This I can tell you for certain; if you are in Sales and you're dis-organized and not very thorough at keeping your leads organized and updated with good note taking skills, then you will lose money -- and lots of it! In fact, I think there are more sales lost for this reason alone than for any other, including not being able to close a customer during the sale!

Please do not say that you are keeping your leads, contact information and follow up notes on pieces of paper and napkins. If so, then it is time to stop that! You are losing sales if this is your lead list management strategy. You will make more money when you're organized and everything is in order, especially your lead list!

If you are new to Sales or maybe you're a Sales Senior that feels the need to get back to basics, then read my latest article that offers a few ideas for some simple, inexpensive systems to get you started with the basics of organizing your business leads". Never again let your competition step in and "take your paycheck" because you misplaced your prospects contact information!

Have you yet had a Sales trainer tell you to "look for the pain" when working with a prospect? I may get a lot of criticism for this, but I believe that this is insane to look for the pain!

In Sales, from start to finish, you are building a relationship with a prospect, right? Why then would you want to bring all these negatives into the sale? No one wants to think of their pain. Do you go on a first date with someone and probe and seek out all the pain they have had in previous relationships? I would hope not -- and if you did, you could rate that date in the negative numbers!

Why do I compare Sales to a date relationship? I would compare it to any relationship! Why? Because Sales is about communication and how difficult is it to have a great relationship with poor communication? Does a good communicator resort to focusing on pain, problems and failure or do they seek to first establish a trust by asking well crafted questions of genuine interest and curiosity? How can you succeed in building trust or rapport when you're poking around for "the pain"?

I recently came across these two short videos by Jeffrey Gitomer on Pain Free Selling. Since this "finding the pain" that is being taught to sales people has annoyed me for a number of years now, I was delighted to find someone (especially so great a trainer as Jeffrey Gitomer) in agreement with me. Take a moment to watch these two videos and you will see what I am talking about when I say, "It's insane to look for the pain!"

• Pain Free Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer
• Pain Free Selling - Part 2 by Jeffrey Gitomer

Your painful or pleasurable comments are always welcome posted here or in the Sales Forum.

There is a simple little sales technique that I have used successfully and also taught to others for years. I call it the "Box-Step" sales strategy to close more sales. It is so easy that even a newbie to sales can do this with great success -- not to mention that it is another beneficial sales technique that even the sales "pros" will want to add to their arsenal of sales tools. It is most efficiently used in the retail sales arena, but it can be modified for other sales environments as well.

Learn more about this selling tip of the "Box-Step" sales strategy and how to use it. Feel free to email me and let me know how it worked for you -- or post your results in the Sales Forum for discussion. Your comments are always appreciated.