Author: David Matney

With today being Valentine’s day it seems appropriate to take a fresh look at prospecting.  After all, isn’t it sales and marketing’s constant function to ask others, …. “Will you be my Valentine?”

The Valentine’s Day-Prospecting love connection light bulb went off in my head a couple weeks ago when I was talking to a pharmaceutical sales rep at a meeting. He was using a pharmaceutical sales scenario as a backdrop for describing his thoughts on how we can get prospects interested faster.  

I don’t have any drug firm clients, Pharmacy’s as y’all know can be a headache but I can easily see how his expertise can be applied to what we do selling merchant services.

Here are my takeaways from this conversation,  Think of this as a roadmap to winning the hearts and minds of your prospects.

1. To build trust quicker 
– Open with a negative or a drawback of your offering. Shows you are willing to be truthful and establishes yourself as both trustworthy (giving the straight scoop) and knowledgeable.  You are willing to share data that you understand.

– Frame what your stuff does in terms of what your prospect will miss out on, rather than what they will gain. The idea of losing benefits is more powerful than the idea of gaining the benefit in minds of buyers. People would rather protect what they have than work to achieve a gain.

– Use social proof – your offering’s popularity – to show it’s worthwhile. Below the surface, people actually make judgments based on what they perceive is going on around them. “Our most chosen dessert” attracts even more buyers. This is “social proof” of what constitutes proper conduct. So, if you have popularity – USE IT.

– Feature and benefit selling is important, but it’s old school. Today, science shows that we respond to what we perceive should be a better product based on price/popularity/other externalities. We experience things based on context. Prospects stop critiquing – actually turn off that portion of the brain – when they hear statements backed up by popular assent or experts.

2. People say yes to people they trust and like. So, how do we develop relationships quickly?

• Find similarities.
• Give honest praise, genuine compliments.
• Come to like your customer, first. That’s when people feel safe, when they feel liked. They will feel their interests are protected, so they are more likely to follow your recommendations. 

Don’t try to first try to make someone like you until you’ve tried to like them.

Hmm, seems like good advice for Valentine’s Day, too!

Happy Valentine’s Day,

David

There’s a lot of traffic out there; stay in your lane. If you try to cut lanes, you are going to get into an accident much faster. 

When you’re prospecting, chances are you chase a lot of leads, but get little to no traction. You have to get traction to be able to know what questions to ask, and to become confident and knowledgeable with the type of people you’re dealing with—no matter how many verticals you’re dealing with.

Let’s look at few tips that can hep you maximize multiple verticals.

Strategy #1: Deal with one vertical each day. 

I want you to set up your cadence to where you’re only dealing with one vertical each day.

By staying tight with that vertical, you’re going to pick up more information. Sure, the first few calls you make in that vertical are a little bit awkward, even if you’ve been selling in that vertical for quite some time.

But once you get four or five phone calls in and start getting some repetition, it’s amazing how much more confident you sound. It comes across better in your voice, in the voicemails and the emails you send, because now you’re able to be concise and targeted to that vertical. 

Strategy #2: Assign each vertical a time block. 

Some of you might say, “Mark, that doesn’t work for me because I’ve got to respond to everything as it comes in.”

Fine, I totally get it. But what you’re going to do is choose one vertical for a two or three-hour period, and then take care of all your other stuff. 

Then later in the day, come back and do another two-hour block in that vertical. You want to block your prospecting into minimally two-hour blocks, if not four-hour blocks or all day if you can. Follow this strategy and you’re going to gain so much more knowledge.

Absolutely update your CRM system.

You know who you are. Don’t wait until the end of the day. Put it in as you go. 

Why? Because as you type it in, it’s going to trigger another thought. 

Keep a pad of paper right by you as you’re making your calls, because you might think of great questions in the moment.  When you’re thinking about prospecting in the CRM system, you tend to record historical information about what happened. What I want to do is make sure I capture what I’m going to do as well. 

Create a playbook. 

You may have a section or create a tag in your CRM system where you’re keeping notes by industry, as well as great questions by industry. You can create a digital playbook. 

And if you don’t have that, then you have a notepad and you keep it handy. I’ve been doing this for awhile now, and it allows me to be incredibly smart about different industries quickly.

I deal with a lot of different verticals. I’ve got a library of questions, key insights. These are insights that I’ve picked up.  It doesn’t turn me into a subject matter expert, but it does give you more confidence to be able to make the call. And in time, you will become a subject matter master. 

More confidence, more motivation.

It’s going to do two other things for you:

One, it’s going to increase your level of confidence. Before you go to bed, you’ll know, “Hey, tomorrow morning I’m dealing with dental or medical office…. Tomorrow morning I’m dealing with automotive.”  It allows you to get more motivated to stay in that vertical. This is excellent for those of you who have to sell in multiple industries because of the nature of who you sell for. 

Clusterize.

As leads come across, clusterize them so that they you work all of the leads within the ________ space here. Clusterize, that’s a technical term. LOL

For example, one half of the day can work all the leads in trucking and the other automotive or whatever it might be, but allow yourself to stay tight. Don’t just randomly prospect willy nilly . When you keep leads focused by vertical, it’s amazing how much better their results will be. 

What ways do you use to target different verticals? Let me know.

Happy Selling,

David

All of us have a big decision when it comes to how we live our life. Unfortunately, far too many people choose to live a life looking at the glass half empty. This leads to a dull and boring way of living.

I believe that life is better and much more fun when we live with enthusiasm. Life may not always go perfectly, but if you remain upbeat and joyful, despite any circumstances, you will live a life that is abundant and fulfilling.

The goal is not to have fake enthusiasm. I am talking about living with genuine, from the heart enthusiasm. This all begins with our thought process.

Choosing to live a life of enthusiasm is a daily thing. It truly is about mindset. For many of us, it all boils down to retraining our minds. Any time a negative thought comes in, you must choose and replace it with a positive one. Whenever you are feeling down, you must remind yourself of all the blessings you have in your life.

Living with enthusiasm will be your new way of life. It’s part of who you are. It starts with one thought at a time, one moment at a time. It’s time to make a commitment to truly enjoy life and have fun in all that you do.

This applies to all areas in your life. Enthusiasm is one of the keys to a happy, fulfilled, and meaningful life. Every great achievement is due to the triumph of enthusiasm.

Having a vision and setting goals is essential. However, you need motivation, excitement, and enthusiasm to keep you moving towards your dreams and goals.

Understand that, in order to have consistent enthusiasm, you may need to change your daily habits as well as your thought processes. When you have high energy, naturally, you will be more enthusiastic. Make sure you are getting the proper sleep, proper diet and consistent exercise. Living a healthy lifestyle is integral to having success in all that you do.

Always believe in yourself, and no matter what, never never give up. You will always have challenges, and because of your enthusiasm, you will always bounce back.

Live with purpose and make every second count. Instead of counting the days in your life, count the life in your days. You must define what success means to you and have a vision of where you want to be in life.

Find out what matters most to you and focus on your success goals. When you know where you want to go in life, you can live with enthusiasm daily. Live the present with enthusiasm and look forward to the future with confidence.

I leave you with this thought today. When people describe your overall attitude, what would they say about you? If it’s not what you want to hear, you can change that today. The goal is to hear “That person is one of the most positive and enthusiastic individuals I’ve ever met.”

Choose this day going forward to live with joy and enthusiasm.

Life is short. Go after your dreams! Enjoy the journey!

Happy Selling,

David

Valentines is just 5 days away and you know what that means:  Valentine’s Day gift shopping, date planning, romantic dinner cooking, and lots of heart-themed crafting. Amid all this hustle and bustle in the name of love, you may be wondering, why exactly do we celebrate Valentine’s Day? 

Quite possibly followed by, didn’t we just wrap up the holiday season?
Time to take a break from your February 14 to-do list and check out this week’s top 10 fun Valentine’s Day facts and traditions instead, including a little history of the holiday.

So from the Home office in Valentine, Texas 

Here are the Top 10 Fun Facts about Valentine’s Day

10. A Roman fertility festival was the holiday’s precursor. 

It may be difficult to believe given how innocuous the holiday is nowadays, but the roots of Valentine’s Day stem from a bloody pagan fertility festival dating back to 6th century B.C. Every year, between February 13 and 15, Romans celebrated Lupercalia by sacrificing animals and slapping women with their hides, which was believed to make them more fertile. Later, notes Britannica.com, the women would be paired off with men “by lottery.” Definitely not the most romantic way to find that special someone.

9. One legend about St. Valentine says that, although the emperor had banned his soldiers from marriage, believing it a distraction, the priest secretly wed young couples. Another holds that while Valentine was jailed for helping Christians escape brutal Roman prisons, he wrote to a woman (depending on the version of the story, either to his love

 or to the jailor’s daughter whose blindness he had healed) and that he signed a letter to her, “From Your Valentine,” a sweet endearment we still use today.

8. The earliest known valentine has a sad love story behind it. 

The very first valentine is said to have been a poem sent in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife. Imprisoned in the Tower of London after his capture at the Battle of Agincourt, he wrote

, “I am already sick of love, My very gentle Valentine.” Unfortunately, it would be 20 more long years until the 21-year-old would be released from his cell.

7. Wearing your heart on your sleeve was a real thing.

 But not in a grisly sort of way. Back in the Middle Ages, during a festival honoring the goddess Juno, Roman men would draw the names of women they would be partnered with for the following year. (Remember, Emperor Claudius II didn’t condone marriage, only temporary couplings.) According to Smithsonian.com

, they would then show off the name of their intended by wearing it on their sleeves for the rest of the celebration.

6. Cupid was a Greek god.

Literally. Yep, that cute little chubby baby with the bow and arrow we associate with Valentine’s Day started out way back in 700 B.C. as the Greeks’ handsome, virile god, Eros. Able to make mortals fall in love (or hate) with his magical arrows, he was remade into Cupid by the Romans around 4th century BCE. But, as Time.com reports, it wasn’t until the turn of the 19th century that Cupid became the face of Valentine’s Day for his “love-creating abilities.”

5. Valentine’s Day chocolate was a stroke of marketing genius.

Next time you open a beautiful heart-shaped box of chocolates on February 14, you can thank Richard Cadbury. The son of the manufacturer of Cadbury Chocolate, he created the first known heart-shaped box of chocolates in an effort to drive up sales for the family business. From that first Valentine’s Day box sold in 1861 grew an industry that now counts some 66 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate sold annually.

4. Those little Conversation hearts had humble beginnings.

The iconic little candy hearts emblazoned with Valentine’s Day messages were first created by a machine initially invented to make medical lozenges. But it wasn’t long before the Boston-based pharmacist who originated the gadget’s design decided to switch from making cough drops to crafting candy wafers, rebranding his company as New England Confectionery Company, or Necco.

By 1866, Necco was producing candy printed with messages that included “Married in white you have chosen right” and “How long shall I have to wait? Please be considerate.” Thirty-five years later, that candy took on the familiar heart shape we know and love today. Every day, some 100,000 pounds of the chalky, talkative little candies, which have a shelf life of five years, are made. That adds up to a whopping eight billion conversation hearts annually.

3. The Victorians began the trend of giving flowers for Valentine’s Day.

Red roses as a symbol of romance dates back to ancient Rome—it was the favorite posy of Venus, the Roman goddess of love (and Cupid’s mom). But it wasn’t until the Victorian era that men really began giving the flower to women they were wooing.

2. Valentine’s Day is florists’ busiest day of the year.

That’s according to the Society of American Florists, putting the holiday ahead of even Christmas/Chanukah and Mother’s Day in terms of number of purchases. Most of those flowers are (you guessed it) roses. About 250 million roses are grown for Valentine’s Day, and more than half are red.

And the #1 Top 10 Fun Fact about Valentine’s day is……

1.  Valentine’s Day is expensive.

At least if you go by statistics released by the National Retail Federation, which found that Americans spent more than $25 billion (about 175 smackers per consumer) on the holiday in 2023. Much of that money goes toward jewelry (an estimated $6.2 billion!) and that includes a whole lot of diamond rings. As many as six million couples get engaged on Valentine’s Day.

There is this week’s Top 10 list about Valentine’s Day. So if you’re looking for a vertical to go after, candy shops, jewelry stores and flower shops are great to have in your portfolio.

have an awesome weekend, 

David 

Is your pipeline a water tap or a sewer line?

Too many salespeople have a pipeline that is really nothing more than a sewer line because stuff is just plugging it up. I’m talking about prospects that are sitting there, but  not going anywhere.

So how do we keep our pipelines from being clogged up?

I want to ask you five questions to keep you on track, and help you choose prospects that don’t slow down your workflow. 

1. What firm evidence do I have that this opportunity is going to materialize? 

The key word is firm. It’s not your belief, nor is it your gut hunch or simply “a feeling.” What are the facts that the customer shared with you? Without evidence, your moving forward with the prospect is baseless. 

I see too many salespeople chase deals and then they can’t close them. They get so close to the finish line, but they can’t get them across it because they never got the facts up front. Of course, the prospect was a nice idea, but they never had any intention to buy. 

2. Is the opportunity sizable enough to warrant my time? 

I see salespeople putting a lot of deals into their pipeline just to make themselves feel busy, but they’re so tiny. 

They’re so small that they’re never going to really materialize any level of business. And as a result, it’s just not going to happen. In your pipeline, you need a mixture of deals. 

You need large opportunities that are going to take longer, but they’re continually moving–not plugging up your pipeline. Then, any smaller ones that pop through on a regular basis, those keep you fed. This keeps you motivated, and keeps you in the game. But if all you have is small deals, you’ll be working your tail off and not really making any money. 

3. Do I know the barriers I need to remove in order to close this opportunity? 

I see a lot of customers who are very enthused. They’re gushing, “We want to buy this!” But then you present the offer and they say, “Oh, well I need to take it to management.” And it doesn’t go anywhere because management, or whoever is the decision maker, was never brought into the mix. This is a big issue here with salespeople! You must consider the possible barriers early on. 

The question I love to ask is, “How have you made decisions like this in the past?” I asked that early on, because I want to find out their methodology. What’s the process? Who are the people they talked to? How long does it take? Once I understand all those little nuances, I can be aware of those barriers and get them out of the way early.

4. Is this an opportunity that will generate sales for me at a later date? 

Top salespeople value their time, and they want deals to be closing in the current period. They’re not willing to sit there and spend tremendous amounts of effort on a deal that won’t close for several years. Now, I have closed big deals that have taken months. I’ve also got some deals that are not going to happen for three, four years. That’s fine. I stay in touch with them. We continue to nurture, but I don’t waste selling cycles on them until we get closer. 

Well, what’s the definition of “closer”? It’s going to vary depending on the type of deal, and the size of the deal.

5. Do I have a plan to maximize this opportunity without negatively impacting other opportunities? 

Here’s what I find happening: Salespeople will get this piece of business, and it’s a great piece of business, but it winds up sucking up so much time and energy they don’t have time to do other things. In fact, that customer’s relationship in the industry can block them from being able to do business with other potential merchants . This is a much bigger issue than people realize.

I see this with solopreneurs like us. Solopreneurs are really guilty of this. We wind up with a bad mix of business. We have business that looks great today, but because it’s so difficult to execute and implement, it takes us forever. And as a result, it holds us back. 

Let’s work our pipeline and prioritize our prospecting and make the smart decisions. 

Happy Selling,

David

I want to talk to you about a very important skill.  Do you know how to be broke?  Yes, I’m going to talk about how to be broke!

I’ve had people ask why I would go from making 6 figures a year to $30,000 a year? 

I’d rather make 30K working for myself than make 100K for someone else. Always bet on yourself. After all, you are your greatest asset.

Making sacrifices is part of the building phase of building your own business.

I have been reading and studying about business for 17 years at least.  I have not found any material that talks about being broke in business.  

Most successful business people want to focus on their achievements which presents an illusion of a smooth ride to success! 

This is not the case for most of us. What do we do? Let’s talk about some specific tips I have for you today.

1. Always make a plan.

• Learn to live on less by trimming unnecessary expenses.
• Understand that things may not be as bad as they seem. Good things can come from difficult times.
• Know that this is a sacrifice being made for a specific purpose with a goal in sight.

2. Communicate your plan.

• Explain your goals to your family. Help them understand the sacrifices you plan to make.
• Communicate with your creditors. Ask how they can work with you in time of crisis.
• Know your breaking point. A successful business is not worth more than a happy marriage or a close family relationship.

I’m here to tell you, “I have not had a smooth ride to success.” Success is hard! Going through difficult times will help you know that you can make it no matter what you go through!

Have a plan and work your plan on your MMA (Money Making Activities) journey and success will come.

Happy Selling,

David

Let me ask you a question, how do you create a sense of urgency when trying to make a sale? 

Let me give you my two-fold answer,

Number one being the necessary pre-requisite issue before making urgency a priority.

1. I encourage every sales professional, especially the newer ones, to focus on having a good follow-up system firmly in place before focusing on generating urgency with prospects. I already use Clientvine CRM and recommend it to you as well. . As we have discussed in the past consistency in follow-up and keeping good records of each visit is vital to closing sales.  Most top sales professionals tell me a large percentage of their sales come from fourth, fifth, or even sixth visits to merchants.

Frequently newer sales professionals stop after two or three visits, so they’re not going to have very good results or close many deals. Some of us learn the hard way.

2.   Now after you’ve ensured you have good follow-up, create some deadline dates and/or special programs to help generate urgency in closing the deal.  Learn to use language of urgency in specific dates and action steps rather than simply trying to make a hard close.

 Here is one example: Speedway Printing Hammond LA , “Hi  Kathy. I know we spoke last week, but I just wanted to follow up with you to let you know I did speak to management and can you locked in for our Dual Pricing program for only $99,  as long as you sign up with me this week, month etc. This is an incredibly good price for unlimited processing  and I’ve never seen them go that low before. We really want to earn your business.

I’m looking at having your sign-up done some time in the next couple of weeks to get this price locked in for you.  What questions do you have for me before we get you started?”

You want to let the prospect know there are some deadline dates in order to take advantage of the savings you are offering.

Rather than randomly talking about merchant services, mention dates:  “I hope you got a chance to look over the cost analysis I left.  I wanted to make sure you know those savings are good all the way until the end of next week.  You have all that time to make a decision.  Are there any questions for me?”  Such statements help set a boundary of the time frame for getting the deal done.

Work on making your own creative programs.  One of the most effective things I’ve done in the past was making a flyer which was Sign Up Today with a $100 bill background.  As I walked into a business and handed the merchant a flyer I said, “I have a special program going this week, month only, if you sign up today.  Once your account activates and your terminal is set up, I’m going to give you a check or gift card for $100! (form linked below)

Not only will I save you money over the long haul, but I’ll give you an extra $100 up front.”  Then I took that $100 out of the commission I got up front.  That’s a great way to generate some urgency and excitement for the merchants.

What are some creative ways you create a sense of urgency with your merchants? Let me know. 

Here’s the link for the Sign Up Today form doc below

Happy Selling,

David

Let’s face it, we live in a negative world. If you don’t believe that, turn on the news and they will tell you how bad things are. They will reel you in with breaking news and make you feel that the world is coming to an end.

This can definitely affect your mindset. Your mind is a powerful thing. Your thoughts will determine what kind of life you are going to have. You cannot allow outside negative influences to control your mind.

You have the power to decide what kind of life you are going to live based on your thought process. The average person has at least 6000 thoughts a day running through their mind. No matter who we are, a few of them are bound to be negative.

Negative thoughts can interfere with every day activities, interrupt sleep, and prevent people from leading happy, healthy, and successful lives. Perhaps you have found yourself struggling with too many negative thoughts. It’s time to change that today because the negative thoughts will definitely hinder your progress when working toward your goals.

The first step is to recognize when these negative thoughts start coming. Do not allow your inner critic to speak negatively. When a negative thought comes in, it’s time to turn it around and focus on all the positive aspects of your life. Even when things don’t go as planned, you can still push away stinking thinking.

When the trials come, you must look for opportunities in every difficulty. You must understand that every obstacle that comes is just a challenge that you will overcome.

Remember this, your past does not equal your future. Your past does not define you. Today is the beginning of the rest of your amazing life. Make a commitment to start each day with some peaceful time along with having gratitude hour. There is always something to be thankful for.

Start exercising each day and listen to motivational videos or uplifting music. It’s time to start some new positive habits. Instead of watching garbage TV and listening to negative news throughout the day, surround yourself with positive things that are going to encourage you and lift you up.

It’s also important to limit your time on social media. Social media is not the real world. Stop comparing yourself to other people. Your only competition is that person in the mirror. Choose to be better each day. An important thing to remember is that we become who we hang around with. If your inner circle speaks doom and gloom all the time, It is time to reduce, or even eliminate, your time with them. This may seem harsh but, if you’re truly serious about living a positive life and becoming successful, you must surround yourself with positive people that are going places. Have a seat at the table of the winners, and you will be amazed at the conversations.

 Finally, you have to be the number one supporter of yourself. Make a commitment to no more negative self talk. Don’t even joke about it. All the talk about you from you must be positive. Become your own best friend and start treating yourself like a best friend. Believe in yourself and treat yourself with love, compassion, care, and kindness. You deserve that.

Going forward, whenever negative thoughts or negative self talk start to creep in, zap out those thoughts and replace them with positive, uplifting ones. If you want a positive and successful life, you must match the thoughts and self talk to line up with that.

This is your time and this is your new positive life! 

Think positive! No more stinking thinking or hardening of the attitude! Attitude of gratitude always.

Happy Selling,

David

A part from the Bill Murray film  we discussed yesterday, what does that mean? In fact, the spring celebration  has nothing to do with  living the same day on repeat.  What is Groundhog Day all about? 

Today I’ve brought together all you need to know about Groundhog Day in this Friday’s Top 10.

Here we go from the home office in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania The Top 10 facts about Groundhog Day, 

and there’s no Bill Murray in sight…

10. Groundhogs, otherwise known as woodchucks, are rodents. They are one of the few animals that do truly hibernate throughout the winter, often building special winter burrows for their winter sleep. 

9. The legend goes that when the groundhog comes out of his burrow from hibernation, he will look for his own shadow. 

If it is sunny and he sees it, he will take fright and go back into his hole. Winter will then carry on for another six weeks. If it is cloudy and he doesn’t see his shadow, then spring will arrive early. 

8. The tradition began in Pennsylvania in 18th and 19th centuries. Based in ancient European weather lore where badgers were used to predict the length of winter. 

7. The legend of Groundhog Day has been spotted in two old British songs. In a Scottish couplet, it says: “If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year.” 

In an English song: “If Candlemas be fair and bright, come, Winter, have another flight; If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, go Winter, and come not again” 

6. Every year on February 2, all across Pennsylvania there are early morning festivals to watch the groundhogs emerge from their burrows. Punxsutawney holds the biggest Groundhog Day celebration in America, where over 20,000 people attend each year. 

5. In some areas there are German-Pennsylvanian Groundhog Lodges that hold big parties with traditional German food and skits. Pennsylvanian-German dialect is the only language allowed – if you speak in English you have to pay a small fine as punishment. 

4. The most famous groundhog is Punxsutawney Phil, who has apparently been making predictions in Punxsutawney for over 125 years. Residents say that Phil is given a magical potion every year to give him long life. 

3. The chosen groundhogs are kept in electric-heated burrows, and are said to utter their prediction in ‘groundhogese’ which is then ‘translated’ by a representative. 

2. The groundhogs are looked after by the Inner Circle, which is a group of local dignitaries who are responsible for carrying out all of the Groundhog Day celebrations. They traditionally wear formal dress, including top hats, on Groundhog Day. 

And the # 1  facts about Groundhog Day is…

1. The accuracy of the groundhog predictions is a matter of dispute – some Pennsylvania residents say that the rodents are accurate up to 90% of the time, whereas some studies say they are accurate only 35% of the time.There you have this week’s Friday’s Top 10. Let’s sit back, recharge and enjoy the weekend. 

Have a great weekend,

David 

Today is Thursday February 1st, a most peculiar American holiday. If you’re reading this with a feeling of déjà vu, then you may be thinking about Bill Murray’s1993 comedy ” Groundhog Day .” And for us  as sales people,  perhaps there’s something you can learn from this unique film.

For the handful of those who haven’t seen the film, the Bill Murray character relives the same day over and over again-aware of everything that has happened each time. All those around him experience the day normally, while he’s trapped in an endless loop. Between you and me, I would sorta like the time loop at least for a while.

Back to the article. If there’s a teachable moment in the film, it’s when Murray avoids a slush-filled pothole-having stepped in it on several previous versions of February 2nd. From that moment, he changes his behavior on a grand, comic scale, based on knowledge of “preordained” events.

1. Predictability

Of course sales professionals cannot literally re-live a particular day-even if they urgently want to. (Who hasn’t experienced a disastrous call and wished for a do-over?) However, one thing we can do is observe predictable human behavior. In the movie, we can easily see the behavior patterns of characters-aided by the time-loop storyline, but not necessarily dependent on it. In particular, we can observe and predict the cringeworthy behavior of the film’s only sales rep, “Ned the Head.”In real life, we don’t need time travel to predict what someone will say or do. Behavior patterns are often shared. An astute observer can learn from others’ cues as well as their own experience, anticipating what someone’s response is likely to be. This is a crucial sales skill. Good salespeople are usually students of human needs, and the outward signs that reveal them.

2. Repetition 

The film’s primary plot device is constant, seemingly meaningless repetition. A humorously poignant moment for Murray is the lament by a despondent, working-class character that “every day is the same, and nothing you do matters.” While literally true in the movie, repetition in real life can serve a different purpose. 
We can choose to make repetition a positive experience. The next time a sales call feels like déjà vu, take the time consciously to note the patterns. Write them down. 

What was said? 

How did you respond? 

Does a particular objection keep recurring? 

You get the idea. And be sure to discuss these repeating patterns with your sales colleagues. If they’re experiencing the same thing, you can be halfway to a better approach.

There’s also a literal way to apply the repetition principle: rehearsal and role playing. Whether you do so live or with online sales training, learning by repetition and feedback is a key to success. Practice what works, by watching what your coach and successful colleagues do, and repeat until it sticks.

3. Habits and Insights

In his award winning 2011 book,  The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg (available on Audible) points out that our habitual actions are not inevitable destiny. They can be changed and reinvented to avoid failure and foster success. The Bill Murray character did not succeed by remembering the same events of February 2nd, and planning a rote response. He succeeded in changing his habitually destructive behavior when he (eventually) gained new insights into himself, and responded genuinely to outside cues.

We as a salespeople succeed when we are genuine, engaged, and perceptive-not when we follow a rote set of procedures. By developing the habit of genuine connection, we will instinctively know how to meet our customer’s needs, and wake up on February 2nd ,  and perhaps have a Top 10 list from the movie GroundHog Day….. 

What movies do you learn a particular sales skill from? 

Happy Selling,

David