I lost 19 of my 20 staff within 30 days.  They either quit or I let them go.  Because I lost my entire sales staff I was not able to generate enough money to cover the high overhead that I had.  I closed my office down with 24 months left on a lease that I had to personally guarantee.

When I would wake up each day I felt like pulling the covers back over my head and wishing it would all go away.  Have you ever been in a place like that before?  One day an idea came to me that turned everything around.  It was the exact idea that I needed at that moment.  The idea was to focus on revenue producing activities.

What I realized was fear, panic, and worry was not going to make my situation any better.  Worrying was not going to manifest money or sales.  When the thought hit my mind “to focus on revenue producing activities” my next steps became clear.

My revenue producing activities were:

-Generate leads

-Set appointments

-Close sales

I started to focus on the activities that would produce revenue…and guest what?  The money started coming in.  It took me 18 months to turn my situation around and rebuild my company.  What are your top 5 revenue producing activities?  Have you been spending enough time on these activities?  October 1 is in a few days.  That is the first day of the 4th quarter.  Make a decision today to focus on revenue producing activities in October.

I want to invite you to join me for a webinar my top 5 revenue producing ideas that I am doing on Friday, October 7 at 10 am pacific.

Click Here to register for the webinar

Here is a short video of me telling the story I just told you.

Want to learn more?

Click here to read the rest of the newsletter

1. Video of the Week

2. Social Media Training

3. Where is Eric?

4. Star of the Week

5. Sponsor of the Week

6. Quote

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1. Video of the Week
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Have you ever been in a situation where you absolutely had to
create revenue now? I have. Back in the spring of 2003 I was in
one of those situations. Ironically it came at a time when I was
achieving my greatest business success of my life up to that point.
I had a staff of 20 people working for me. We were regularly
getting over 500 people to attend our seminars...and then it all
came crashing down.

I lost 19 of my 20 staff within 30 days. They either quit or
I let them go. Because I lost my entire sales staff I was not
able to generate enough money to cover the high overhead that
I had. I closed my office down with 24 months left on a lease
that I had to personally guarantee.

When I would wake up each day I felt like pulling the covers
back over my head and wishing it would all go away. Have you
ever been in a place like that before? One day an idea came
to me that turned everything around. It was the exact idea that
I needed at that moment. The idea was...

If you would like to get the idea and the rest of the story click here

Success,

Eric Lofholm

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2. Social Media Training
*************************************************************

Social media is one of the newest and best tools
to generate a continuous stream of leads. Not only
that, you can develop stronger relationships with
people online through social media.

Get the skills you need to leverage social media.
Receive an amazing package of live training and
additional resources.

Both Rick Cooper and I will provide the training.
Rick is a Social Media Trainer who also leads my
social media efforts.

You'll learn how to get results using Facebook,
LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube!

Get $533 in Social Media Training for only $47!

Click here for all of the details

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3. Where is Eric?
*************************************************************

Do you know anyone in any of these cities? Will you kindly forward them
this email and encourage them to sign up for the seminar in their city
so I can change their life.

How to Grow your Business Using Sales Scripts (Los Angeles, CA)
Featuring Eric Lofholm
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Radisson Hotel
4545 MacArthur Blvd.
Newport Beach, CA 92260
To register go to: http://www.saleschampion.com/GrowBizWithScripts/

How to Sell in the New Economy (Phoenix, AZ)
Featuring Eric Lofholm
Wednesday October 19
7:00 pm to 9:30 pm
Four Points by Sheraton Tempe
1333 South Rural Rd,
Tempe, AZ 85281
To register go to: http://howtosellintheneweconomy.com/

Promotion and Selling Made Easy Seminar (Marin County, CA)
Featuring Eric Lofholm & Jill Lublin
Wednesday, October 26
6:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Marriott Novato Courtyard
1400 N. Hamilton Parkway
Novato, CA 94949
To register go to: http://saleschampion.com/jill-lublin

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4. Star of the Week
*************************************************************

The Star of the Week is Rosie Bank. Rosie is a Diamond Protege
Mastermind client who started working with Eric in October 2009.
When she first started working with Eric she was successful in
her business, but wanted to take her business to the next level.

Her specialty is helping people live more successfully in their
bodies through better nutrition and lifestyle adjustments.

Rosie focused on getting her scripts done and this propelled her
to greater success in her business. Rosie said, "Working with Eric
is among the most significant things I have ever done as an entrepreneur!"

What she learned from Eric enabled her to be much more confident
in building and marketing her business and serving her clients.

Great job Rosie!

One of the skills she learned from Eric that made a difference is
Train the trainer. She describes it as taking everything she has
learned and deliberately teaching her team in network marketing
the most effective strategies.

Another tool that has been a great help is the Person of Influence
or POI Strategy. This powerful technique provides the opportunity
to work with someone who has a network of people. It creates leverage
through influence.

Rosie is an Author, Speaker and a Coach. She has also built a successful
team with USANA Health Sciences.

To learn more about Rosie and to receive her Health Tips newsletter,
go to: http://rosiebank.com/

For details about her book, "You, Inc." visit: http://you-inc.biz

Would YOU like to be the Star of the Week? Click here and share a win!
http://saleschampion.com/go/star/

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5. Sponsor of the Week
*************************************************************

Our sponsor of the week is Dave Iuppa, Director of the
Sales Scripting Division for Eric Lofholm International.

Dave has 40 years of experience in the high tech industry
including professional sales and sales management with companies
like IBM and Hewlett Packard.

Dave specializes in creating persuasive presentations that close.
He is available for one-on-one consulting including script critiques.

Having an effective sales script is critical to succeeding in
today’s economy.

Dave is available to do a very limited number of script critiques
in the month of October.

To request a free 30 minute script critique, click here

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6. Quote
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"You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can
change your direction overnight."

~Jim Rohn

If you don't have a confident and effective final final close, you are leaving money on the table. The final final close is the sentence you say when you are looking for a commitment from your prospect.

In this video, you'll see me role play and hear how I respond when David gives me a really really tough objection to my initial close.

You'll learn a script that tells you exactly what you can say, no matter what your prospect says.  This script can be used to effectively handle any objection.

Watch and enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click the “Like” button below.

Get more free training and powerful sales scripts.

Warmly,

Eric

His script was outstanding!

What made his script so good was he was vulnerable.

Here is a copy of his statement on his website.

“I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try.

I would like to ask everyone, including my fans, the good people at my foundation, business partners, the PGA Tour, and my fellow competitors, for their understanding. What's most important now is that my family has the time, privacy, and safe haven we will need for personal healing.

After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person.

Again, I ask for privacy for my family and I am especially grateful for all those who have offered compassion and concern during this difficult period. “

This afternoon my wife told me she really liked Tiger Woods statement today.  I asked her why she was telling me that.  She let me know she had just read the statement about above on his website.  She was moved emotionally by his statement.

You might have heard the statement, “People buy based on emotion and they justify it with logic.”

Rapport is the cornerstone of the sales process.  Tiger built a tremendous level of rapport with his statement by being vulnerable.

To me the most persuasive part of his statement was:

"After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person."

The reason why this is so persuasive is it is almost impossible to disagree with this statement.

In your sales presentations you want to make statements where the prospect will agree with you.  You want to get into a state of harmony with your prospect.

Another powerful thing about his statement is the news reported his statement.  Virtually everything I have read on the internet or watched on TV about his statement has been positive.  This is very different than his 2 previous website statements.  With his powerful script he changed thousands of conversations about him from negative to positive!

Always remember that a script is simply words in sequence that have meaning.  All of your communication is a script.

The better you get at communicating the more influence you will have.

Your ability to influence others impacts your ability to create what you want in your life.

To learn more about sales scripts go to my script writing blog at www.salesscriptblog.com.

What really surprised me about Tiger's script was he chose to continue to ask for privacy.

Here is his statement.

"I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.

Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means. For the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives. The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious. Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect.

But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy. I realize there are some who don't share my view on that. But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one's own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn't have to mean public confessions.

Whatever regrets I have about letting my family down have been shared with and felt by us alone. I have given this a lot of reflection and thought and I believe that there is a point at which I must stick to that principle even though it's difficult.

I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology."

Tiger Woods is not just a person he is an industry.  He built his empire with well crafted, persuasive scripts.

Corporations loved him because his image of success helped them sell products.  His endorsement of their products was a part of their script.

Tiger gets paid $100 Million per year to endorse products because having his name in those companies scripts produces billions in sales.

His image is no longer gold to those companies.  In other words using Tiger Woods name in the company script is no longer going to produce the same level of sales.

Tiger most certainly some of his endorsements.

Be watching Tiger’s scripts in the future.  Based on those scripts you will be able to predict if the endorsement deals will come back.  (Assuming he loses them as I am predicting)

Always remember everything is a script.  A script is simply words in sequence that have meaning.

What really surprised me about Tiger’s script was how long it was.  This was probably Tiger’s most important statement he has made in his life up till  that moment.  Every word counts.  I have read the statement 4 times now.  To me the statement causes more questions than gives answers.

His statement is not a sales presentation like you or I would give to sell a product or service (it absolutely is a sales presentation though).  Always remember this for your sales presentations.  The confused mind doesn’t buy.

To read his statement go to www.tigerwoods.com.

Here are my thoughts on what we can learn from what Tiger said on his website.

Web copy is a script.  Web copy is the words on a website.  Tiger may have written the statement himself, hired a copywriter who wrote it, or worked with a copywriter and they wrote it together.

If I was coaching Tiger on the script I would have had him reverse engineer the statement.  Reverse engineer is a scripting term to begin by identifying the outcome he is trying to accomplish with the statement.  Reverse engineer is like saying the alphabet backwards.  *Tip for you:  Reverse engineer your presentation.

Then I would have had him make a list of all the benefits he wanted to convey.  Then I would have him make a list of the objections that might come up.  For example one of the objections is why didn’t you speak to the Florida Highway Patrol?  One way to handle an objection is to ignore it.  He may have decided to ignore that objection.  *Tip for you:  Make a list of benefits and objections for your presentation.

Next I would have him write his best statement.  Then I would have a script writing expert review it to persuasion engineer it.  Persuasion engineer is to take the script (or in this case statement) and review it line by line looking for ways to improve it.   Tip for you:  Have a script writing expert review your script and provide you high level feedback.

Success,

Eric Lofholm

Tonight was the annual Trunk or Treat event at my church.  My wife, seven year old son, Brandon, four year old daughter, and I went.

We had a blast.  My daughter loved the jump houses and my son loved climbing the rock climbing wall.

The lens I look at life through is the lens of sales.

My son wanted a snow cone before we left.  We stood in line for about 20 minutes to get him a snow cone.  When we got to the front of the line the snow cone vendor was making a huge mistake.  This mistake easily cost her 50% of her sales for the night.

This mistake could easily be costing you 50% of your sales.

The mistake was she was not prepared to handle the business.

To maximize sales she needed a better system to serve people faster.

She had 2 prices, $2 or $3.

She had 10 different flavors.

Each order took some time just to figure out what the customer wanted.

Here are some ways she could have increased sales.

She could have had one price, $3.

She could have offered 2 flavors.

She could have had someone have 6 snow cones of each flavor ready to go at all times.

Had she done that should would have easily doubled sales.

What can you do to increase your sales results?

One of the best things you can do to increase your sales results is to improve your sales presentation.  The most content rich audio program I have ever created is the Eric Lofholm Persuasion and Influence System.  This 8 CD set contains over 7 hours of step by step instruction on how to generate leads, set appointments, close sales, and handle objections.  I have bundled this product with my most content rich webinar called The Sales Mountain Webinar.

The bundled program is called the Jump Start Sales Program.  The regular price of the program is a little over $700.  The program is on special for only $47 with a 30 day money back guarantee.  You can get a set now at http://howtosellintheneweconomy.com/

Warmly,

Eric Lofholm

This is a challenge for the network marketer and it is also a challenge for most everyone on their team.

We know that at the end of a presentation the prospect is going to say one of four things.
1. I am ready to sign up.
2. I am not interested.
3. I have some questions.
4. I need to think about it, I don’t have the time, or I don’t have the money. (or raise some other concern)

Prediction is a form of power. Because we know what they are going to say we can then prepare a powerful, persuasive response to overcome their concern and move the prospect to action. Persuasion is about leading. It is about moving people to action. Great network marketing leaders are great at moving others to take action.

Handling an Objection is like Passing a Hot Potato Back and Forth!

After you have given the prospect your presentation you are going to ask them to take action. After you ask them to take action that is when they typically say I need to think about it, I don’t have the time, or I don’t have the money. I want you to imagine that when you ask the prospect to take action it is if you are giving them a hot potato. When they say to you I need to think about it, I don’t have the time, or I don’t have the money they are giving you the hot potato back. We now need to give it back to them.

In Part 2 of this post, I will share specific sales scripts on how to handle the objection of “I need to think about it.”

Success,

Eric Lofholm
Master Sales Trainer and Coach

Click here for Part 2 of this post

The recent recession has provided many lessons. Imagine being a company dependent on construction firms or home builders. As the recession of 2008-2009 hit, home builders were devastated. And so were many construction firms. Companies who relied on these industries for business suffered greatly. Don’t make the same mistake!

Here are 5 Reasons to Prospect for New Business:

1. Prospecting for new business creates opportunities

Prospecting is the act of finding qualified sales prospects. You can prospect by phone or in person. You can also prospect online or through mail or email, although that is often considered a marketing activity. In either case, any activity that helps to generate a lead creates an opportunity for a new prospective customer or client.

2. Prospecting for new business helps to sharpen your sales skills

According to Eric Lofholm, selling is a learned skill. To improve at any skill, you need to practice. And that means you need to do it over and over. Sales is no different. To improve your results, you need to prospect on a regular basis. If the idea of picking up the phone to make a cold call makes you nervous, then you know you have some work to do.

You don’t have to make cold calls to prospect for new business. You can call current customers and ask for referrals. You can follow up on leads received through your website. You can follow up with new contacts you meet at events or that you connected with online. Prospecting is an essential skill and one you to take time to develop.

3. Prospecting for new business opens the door to referrals

While cold calls are often challenging even for sales veterans, referrals are often easy to follow up with. There are several ways you can receive referrals. You can receive a personal introduction from the person making the referral. Or, you can receive the name and phone number of the person to contact. Or, someone might provide your contact information to the person being referred.

Whenever possible, ask for a personal introduction. This helps to build trust and rapport with the prospect. But, if that’s not possible, ask for the referral's name, phone number and other details and call them. Referrals don’t just happen. You usually need to ask for them.

4. Prospecting for new business provides an opportunity to craft and test new sales scripts

There is nothing more powerful than a good idea whose time has come. And sales scripts are a good idea for anyone who wants to increase their sales results. As you prospect for new business, you will have an opportunity to try out new sales scripts. Results take as long as they take. But, you can increase your results with a good sales script.

5. Prospecting for new business allows you to book more appointments and close more sales

Do you want more customers? If so, then you need to close more sales. But, how? It starts with booking more appointments. You need to actively prospect for new business. That means picking up the phone and talking to people for the purpose of scheduling appointments. Whether you meet someone in person or run an appointment over the phone, you need to deliver more sales presentations if you want to close more sales.

If you’re not getting the results you want today, then you need to take more action to prospect for new business. You need to generate more leads and book more appointments. You need to track your results and hold yourself accountable.

Strive for Success,

Rick Cooper

Sales Coach and Trainer

I thought of this idea today because when I was watching the Giant’s baseball game tonight on TV McDonald's ran a commercial where they used this idea.  I will share what McDonald's did a little later on.

This marketing idea continues to work even in the current economy.  In fact I am getting more business right now from this marketing idea that anything else I am doing right now

I learned the idea from Jay Abraham.  He didn’t invent the idea but he has used it to generate lots of business for himself and his clients.

When I worked for my first mentor, Dante Perano, he used the idea to acquire hundreds of clients per month.

When I worked for Tony Robbins he used the idea to generate more than 1,000 new clients per month.  The marketing idea is to offer something of value for free.

When I worked for Dante he teamed up with Mike and Irene Milan.  The Milan’s would offer a free real estate investment seminar.  At these seminars Dante offered his Treasure Map Course which sold for $795.  Dante regularly acquired 40 or more new clients per seminar.

When I worked for Tony Robbins I used to give free motivational speeches in companies.  I would be a guest speaker at the weekly sales meeting.  During these talks I would regularly sell 3 tickets to Tony’s seminar generating his company $1,000 per speech.  I would routinely give 40 speeches per month.  Tony had 10 people just like me working for him at the time.

In my business I offer free seminars, free conference calls, free reports, free consultations, and free speeches.  I have mastered offering free things as a way of generating leads and acquiring new clients.  Think of how you could use the marketing idea of offering something for free to help grow your business.

Here are 2 great free offers for you.  I would like to offer you a free sales script critique.  A script critique is where you will work with my script writing coach John Kurth for 30 minutes for free.  During the 30 minutes John will review one of your sales scripts with you.  If you don’t have a written sales script he will share ideas with you on how to create one.  To request a free sales script critique go to http://www.freesalesscriptcritique.com/

I regularly do free sales trainings for sales teams and network marketing teams on a conference call.  How it works is I would do a customized training for your team on the topic of your choice.  I will do this for you for free.  My most popular topic is How to Sell in the New Economy.  To request a free conference call email me  your name, company name, and phone number.  My email address is eric@ericlofholm.com.  I will have my assistant contact you back with all the details.

What is great about this blog post is this is what I am doing in this economy to acquire new clients.

Here is how McDonalds is using this idea.  They just started McCafe Monday's.  They are offering free coffee to acquire Starbucks' customers.  They are betting that if people try McDonalds coffee on Mondays they will create a new habit and get their coffee at McDonalds in the future.  When I get lattes I know go to McDonalds.  I no longer go to Starbucks.  The first time I ever tired a McDonalds' latte it was free.

Eric