Don't Believe Everything You Read

Labels: blogs, business, sales, success, weblogs, writing

A new Blog post is up at my Wes Zimmerman blog

Employees 1st, Customers 2nd, Shareholders Last

Last evening I had a wonderful experience. I met a man who is filled with enthusiasm for life, learning and helping others. We talked for about thirty minutes and he never mentioned money, either as a commodity, goal or measure of success.

Read the rest here:
Employees 1st, Customers 2nd, Shareholders Last

Labels: blogs, business, managers, money, success, weblogs, wisdom

Read Wes Zimmerman's Latest Blog Post on the Subject:

Click Here:
Blogging, Web Selling, What I've Learned

Labels: blogs, business, marketing, sales, success, weblogs, writing

New Blog Post:




She Almost Lost Me By Using Two Words.

Elyse Clayson has developed a program that is effective in breaking addictions.

It accomplishes this by helping you to change your attitude and perceptions about yourself and your addiction. It works! It isn't an overnight thing and it requires your full participation and some coaching support, but the results are worth the effort.

Read more here: How Perceptions Form

Wes Zimmerman

Labels: attitude, blogs, business, first impressions, perception, success, weblogs

Wes Zimmerman's Latest Blog post is up on the topic of his Zingers promotional sales process.

Labels: blogs, success, weblogs, zingers

It has always been interesting to me that most of us don't really define, in succinct words, success as it applies to us. We usually define it, when pressed, in terms of either money or position in our workplace or industry.

Read More: What's Your Measure Of Success?

Labels: education, money, success, work

My latest blog post is about burnout and refreshing your soul.

...

A client recently said, "my mind is fried" to describe her mental state after a week that had too much effort divided between too many tasks, with no end in sight for any of them. I thought that was a pretty neat description for a condition that seems to make me useless for anything but making mistakes.

...

Read the rest here: When Your Mind Is Fried ...

Wes Zimmerman

PS: I am planning to ride in "Rip's BAD Ride - Arizona III" and may have a booth to sell my book "The Perception of a Difference."

Will you be there?

Rip's B.A.D Ride—Bikers Against Diabetes—is a motorcycle fund-raising ride and family festival of the American Diabetes Association. This event unites the biker nation in the fight against diabetes with a full day of great riding, big entertainment, delicious food, lots of activities and a good vibe!

The B.A.D Ride was born ten years ago in Southern California. Rip Rose, a biker and photojournalist for Easyriders, wanted to bring the biker nation together in the fight against diabetes. Today, that dream is a reality.

Labels: blogs, previews, success, weblogs

Zinger Teaser - A preview of this month's Zinger Newsletter.

But He Never Talked About It.

Is it possible to go through life and never tell an untruth?

One research study concluded that it is impossible to live in society without doing so. Whether you agree with this conclusion or not this Zinger will challenge you to examine your beliefs and habits as you interact with customers, loved ones, friends and your children.

Labels: honesty, life, research, success

Know Who You Are


On Sunday, instead of going for a long ride on my motorcycle, Betsy III, that I had planned, I stayed home to support Amy, who was not feeling well. I rested and read the book No One Succeeds Alone. It is only 132 pages from cover to cover, and I enjoyed it very much. It is a memoir of the transformation the author, Lois Tiedemann, experienced while training for, and competing in, the Ironman Triathlon in Arizona in 2005.

This is not a book about how to run the Triathlon: It is a story of what the author learned about herself, as she looked back at how she got to the finish line. In looking back she realized who she is, what guides her gut decisions and is content with herself. The subtitle of the book is Memoir of Transformation.

When I finished reading, the first thought I had was my Dad's words to me at the age of 14 or 15: "You will not be a man until you know who you are and are happy with yourself." There is great wisdom in those words. Until we know who we are and have fully accepted that reality. we will not know contentment, and we cannot really succeed within society.

I thought I knew who I was before I went into the Air Corps at age 19, but the experiences in the service made me very aware of it. Lois knew who she was before the Ironman Triathlon, completing it made her very aware of it. Few of us take the time to look back and see how it happened, and far fewer ever share this with anyone else. Lois has done a service for everyone that reads her book. It is an easy, interesting read, and I will recommend it to my children.

It isn't in bookstores, so few of the many really worthwhile books seem to be these days, so go to the website www.transformationtrisystems.com to order it.

Wes Zimmerman

famous famous people people transformation Triathlon sports success Ironman memoir memoirs author authors

Labels: success, transformation, wisdom

Wes Zimmerman Speaks On

The Perception Of A Difference




In the first five seconds of your first contact with a business or person, a perception forms in your mind.

You have absolutely no control over its formation.

You will have very great difficulty changing it after five minutes.

From that point on it will affect every decision you make concerning the business or person, including anything the business or person advocates.


Choose From Three Presentations

1. In twenty minutes Wes will help you to realize the truth of these statements. You will receive useful information on how you can improve the likelihood that perceptions of you and your business are positive.

2. In fifty minutes with Wes you will know how to apply the Perception of a Difference, both in your business, in whatever position or title you hold, and in your personal life as well. You will learn how you can make a positive difference everyday.

3. In one hour and forty-five minutes including breaks, you will appreciate the power of the Perception of a Difference and its effects on your business and life. Before his presentation Wes will ask you to educate him about your business, do additional research on your industry and then customize his presentation to your needs. You will realize positive results for many years.


Here are some comments from prior participants:

"I applied what I learned in your Inc. presentation "The Perception Of A Difference" and experienced a 40% sales increase [in my company] in 11 months."
CEO Maintenance Service Company.

"I flew 6000 miles to go to Club. It was a long, tiring trip. Your presentation by itself was worth the effort." President Software Company

"Since your presentation I'm doing the things I did 25 years ago and had forgotten. Sales are up 30%. I'm having more fun than anytime in 15 years."
Salesman Veterinary Supplies

"Your sincerity is motivating. When you speak to a group, you present ideas in such a way that people understand why they will work. Your "Perception Of A Difference Presentation" worked so well that when our people left the auditorium, they believed they could make a difference and they have."
V.P. Information Systems

"You're a man of integrity and that shows. You also have a wealth of information to give away. I appreciate how direct you are."
Marketing Director

"Wesley Zimmerman, I was in your Inc. Conference
audience, six years ago. I've never forgotten that
presentation. It was loaded with useful information.
One of our customers told me you were here.
I want you to work with my people."
CEO

I must admit it was a learning experience participating in your lectures. Though operations is primarily my responsibility, the information you communicated to all of us about being winners and how to respond to our customers, whether existing or prospective, will certainly be of help to me in the future.
Operations Mgr.


Contact Wes at wes@perceptionofdifference.com or call him on 480.628.2450
to discuss the presentation content of your choice and associated fees.


Throughout his life, Wes has been moved to help others. He's done this while successfully performing as industrial engineer, plant manager, salesman, sales branch manager, market planner, sales and business counselor. He mentors professionals, corporate executives and individuals in all walks of life. Wes is an accomplished speaker and author of numerous articles. He has written and published the "Perception Of A Difference Quarterly", "Zimmerman's Zingers" and the book: "The Perception Of A Difference - The Power In Buying, Marketing, Selling, Customer Care," the first in a series.


Wes will make a difference in your life and your business.


Wesley W. Zimmerman
WZA Inc. The Business Enhancement Team
11060 N. 77th Street
Scottsdale, AZ 85260-5564
http://www.perceptionofdifference.com/

Labels: first impressions, perception, sales, success

Sales Compensation Plan Musings

I worked in professional sales and managed sales professionals for many years. In all cases my compensation was percentage-of-sales commission-based. I liked commission compensation because I controlled my earnings. I was never in a group commission arrangement and would not have accepted such, because I would not have been the sole determiner of my income. However, there are as many versions of commission compensation as there are grains of sand on the seashore.

My first professional sales job paid straight or "pure" commission. I paid all my expenses and received 16% of all sales, plus a desk, a phone, and secretarial help, when I chose to go to the district office. I received half of the commission in the month the order was entered and the remaining half in the month when the order was shipped: paid in one check at the end of each month. It was fairest plan I ever worked with: no one could mess with it by creating a new interpretation of it. If you could not sell enough and went hungry, you quit and found other work. Managing sales professionals under this plan was simple; you helped them to get the job done, you trained and supported them: You did this enthusiastically because your income was dependent on what your sales people sold.

Every other plan I worked with demanded interpretation and the happiness of the sales person depended on who was doing the interpretation and their level on the organization chart. The plan I liked best was one that gave me a monthly check, referred to as two thirds of "planned earnings" plus a check at the end of the year for the difference between the sum of twelve checks and the total commissions earned in the year. You also were paid for travel and living expenses including mileage in your territory. Managing sales professionals under this plan was the same as straight commission and worked well as long as the products being sold met the needs of the customer.

When the products did not meet the customer's perceived needs, or were no longer competitive managing became a series of tough decisions. You kept your best sales people because they could live on the monthly check until such time as the product was improved; hoping it would happen quickly. If the product would not support enough sales to cover the monthly check you either convinced management to write off the difference, or you tried to sell the sales people on accepting a reduction in the monthly check and hoped you could hold them. If a salesperson declined and quit you divided their territory "temporarily" among those that stayed expecting them to keep existing customers and thereby earn enough to cover the monthly check.

It was important to keep as many sales people as possible because they were your best communication line to the customer. The customer-salesperson trust relationship was key to learning how to improve the product so it would again sell. As manager I had to convince management that asking the sales force to accept reduced income while management did not reduce its own, was unethical since product shortcomings resulted from their failure, not the sales teams.

Success depends on supporting others and sharing the results of your own experience.

Wes Zimmerman

Labels: compensation, compensation plan, management, sales, success

Success Ladder Or Crash Ladder

Which Are You Building?

You build and climb The Success Ladder one step at a time over many years.

Each decision you make builds the next step. How high you climb depends On the quality of the material you use.

You may not see the dry rot under The surface when you install it.

Too many weak steps and it becomes a Crash Ladder when you get high enough.

The people suffering the worst injuries are those who depend most on your success, your decisions.

How do you see the dry rot?


Zingers is a monthly newsletter subscription that includes the first two issues free. You may purchase this month's newsletter individually for $5.47 without subscribing to the monthly newsletter subscription.

Labels: success, zingers

Labels: first impressions, perception, sales, success, testimonials

A Discount = Lost Credibility = Lost Sale

About once a month I succumb to a promotion and register to listen to a free telephone seminar that will "Double your income in twelve months"; or "Help you to make your book an Amazon best seller," or give you "The Seven Secrets to Sales Success." You name it. I do this because I am always ready to learn something new. Like you, I am subject to times of self-doubt, lower sales than I want, and times when my enthusiasm dwindles. Sometimes I register just to see how the "expert" presents his/her product/service; today was one of those days.

A friend forwarded the email pitch with the thought that it sounded like it might be worthwhile. It promised ten secrets to better sales. I read it, learned that it would happen in two hours, last one hour, and only 14 slots were left. I jumped right in. This was the "wild card" buying decision described in my book "The Perception Of A Difference". Was it worth it?

Yes, for two reasons.

1. It reconfirmed the value of what I have practiced most of my life, including the absolute value of consistency in sales and business practices and
2. It demonstrated the destructive power of discounting.

The ten "secrets" are not new, but they were presented in a different way. They can be found in the Torah, The Old Testament, The New Testament, and "Dad's Sayings" on page 293 of The Perception Of A Difference. There is nothing new in this world, only new approaches to helping you and me learn the eternal truths of human nature. I needed and benefited from hearing them again.

For me, the seminar experience was a powerful demonstration of how to lose a sale in a series of small steps.

• It lasted one hour and twenty minutes, not one hour.



• The last twenty minutes were pure sales pitch.



• The featured expert used too many superlatives in describing results, including doubling your business/sales in one year. All businesses are not created equal. What proof could he offer for this estimate?



• He used many references to high placed, oft-quoted, rich people that I will never meet. Even the moderator noticed this and asked if ordinary people could use what he was espousing.



• He talked too much.

He should have asked for the order after thirty minutes, everything he said after that weakened his presentation and proved that he isn't the expert he claims to be. An expert knows when to ask for the order.

His normal charge for the eight session phone seminar plus three one-hour, one-on-one phone calls for $1,997.00. Eleven sessions would cost $181,59 each,- not unreasonable if you improve your business by even ten or fifteen percent in a year. If you double your business, as he suggested, it's a flaming bargain.

But then he discounted the price of his seminar by fifty percent -- yes, 50%. That blew the sale completely for me. I knew instantly that he wasn't worth his "normal" fee of $1,000.00 per hour. If he were, he wouldn't be putting on this free telephone seminar. If he were he would not be offering his $1,997.00, eight session, regular phone seminar plus three one-hour, one-on-one phone calls for $997.00. If he were, he would not invite us listeners to pay in two easy installments instead of the usually required 100% up front.

Had he not eroded his credibility, which lowered the perceived value of his seminar, and had he not offered a discount, he might have landed an order.

Dad taught me to never discount, I have followed that policy with great success.

What has worked for you?

Wes

Labels: credibility, discounts, perception, sales, success

To Tie or Not to Tie - Real Life Trust Example

Editor Introduction: During the learning session mentioned in the article, the topics of Trust and Authority came up as they relate to ranking of pages in Search Engine Results. What follows is a real-life example of a mark of trust and it's value in selling.


Last week I learned the difference between blogs, articles, Zingers and books. It was a fascinating three hours with people that know the difference and love all three. For now I will allow you to see the difference as you read my books, Zingers and blogs. I easily saw the difference when I proceeded to write a blog about motorcycle and business crashes; then realized it was either a candidate for a Zinger, an article or a story for another book, so herewith, I try again.

During that wonderful learning session I was asked if I always tie my bow ties, as opposed to wearing clip-on bow ties. This got my attention because it was the second time in two days that someone asked me that question. The answer is YES! I tie them myself because I do not like something that is false! I tie all 114 of the bow ties in my closet. Amy counted them when we were forced to empty the closets so new carpet could be laid in the house two weeks ago. She also found one long tie, which I had forgotten I owned.

Amy gave me my first bow tie. We worked in the same big room when first married. She was the engineering VP's secretary and I was a beginning Industrial Engineer. I worked at a stand up three by five foot drafting table drawing the changes that would be needed with new equipment coming into one of the factory floors. In those days before computers, a tee square, triangles, compass and protractors were your tools. One evening she handed me a bow tie.

"I am tired of seeing your various attempts to keep your tie out of the way of your drafting instruments. Clip this on tomorrow and see if it is practical."

I did, it was, so I went to the small men's clothing store where she'd gotten it. The proprietor had a great selection of bow ties without straps or clips. I had quickly come to dislike the clip on kind. They seemed dishonest to me. The proprietor stood behind me in front of a mirror and taught me to tie a bow tie. I can do it in the dark now. I have been wearing bow ties ever since. They don't drag in your soup or get full gravy when you are reaching for something during dinner, they don't hang below your belt which I think is obscene and you don't accidentally grab a bow tie instead of your napkin to wipe your lips. They don't flap in your face, when driving a Harley at highway speeds, either. They last a long time.

In the book "Dress For Success," that I read years ago, the author's research showed that men wearing bow ties are usually distrusted out of hand. Reading this statement gave me pause for deep thought, should I stop wearing bow ties? An awful lot of customers, friends, and Amy, trusted me ... I decided to keep wearing them. They became my easy identification mark. They say I am different, which I am and I like that.

Nuff said!

Wes Zimmerman

Labels: first impressions, judging, perception, success

The Great Dilemma
February 2007 Zinger Preview (Issue Z0207)

You have just been appointed/promoted to a position that carries the title, Manager. You will only succeed as a manager with the cooperation and support of the people in the organization you are managing. You keep everyone happy by being supportive, friendly, and not demanding. However, if someone stops working to capacity or fails to communicate: the work slows, output drops and your manager is unhappy. Do you continue to be friendly and supportive, or do you get tough. That is the great dilemma.

If you make the wrong choice the result can be tragic.

Zingers is a monthly newsletter subscription that includes the first two issues free. You may purchase this month's newsletter individually for $5.47 without subscribing to the monthly newsletter subscription.

Labels: management, previews, productivity, success, zingers

Read The Great Dilemma
February 2007 Zinger Preview (Issue Z0207)

Labels: management, previews, productivity, success, zingers