Sales As A Contact Sport

Vice President of Strategic Sales, New York, NY

2009-09-22T16:15:00.003-04:00

Confidential Search

Position: Vice President of Strategic Sales, New York, NY

Our client is an established industry leader and national distributor of high end retail fashion products sold through business partners including retail channels on a national and international basis.

Objective:

To advance the company's market reach and increase revenue through strategic planning, dynamic leadership, development of people, opening new channels of distribution and, ultimately, increasing gross sales and revenue.

Important:

All individuals must possess a successful track record as an innovative sales and marketing leader and have held the position of VP of Sales or VP of Sales & Marketing.

The right individual must be able to demonstrate their knowledge, experience and success developing strategic initiatives to help drive the growth of an established company and must also support their success with examples of how they've created and implemented these programs. Additional responsibilities are noted below.

Responsibilities include:

-Tactical and Strategic Planning
-Strong Leadership, Management and Development of People
-Creation and Implementation of Sales Strategy
-Strategic Forecasting
-Develop new channels of distribution
-Business management
-Establish Performance Metrics
-Create or building product marketing programs and campaigns
-Increase Sales

Note:

If you possess the knowledge, experience and success we've highlighted in this posting, we’d like to speak with you immediately to discover if we have a fit for this exciting leadership role.

Individuals with experience in the following categories, will be contacted first to determine whether there may be synergies and a possible match...

-Retail Channel Management/Distribution
-Pharmaceutical Industry
-Beauty & Fashion Industries

Confidentiality:

All discussions, resumes and identities will remain in complete confidence until both parties have determined that there is sincere interest and a reasonable fit for this role.

We require a copy of your CV in order to discuss any details of the position.

Thank You.

Mike North
Brookfield Associates Inc.
Your Partners in Success!
631-414-7680
www.brookfieldassociates.com
mike@brookfieldassociates.com

Employee Benefits B2B Sales Career - Southern New Jersey

2009-08-31T10:04:00.002-04:00

...Growing & Stable National Leader

...Focus on Cross selling and Up-selling into to an active, existing & receptive client base.
...Nurturing & Competitive Environment for Job Satisfaction & Long Term Career.
...Hot Growth Industry - Group Health Benefits
...Six Fig Income Potential (Salary + Uncapped Commish Prgm)
...Top training, Exc. Benefits & Perks, (Stks, 401K, Tuition Reimb,. Etc.) Laptop, BlkBry., Career development and Advancement Opp.)
...Current and Active Health Ins. License is Preferred
...Consultative Sales Professionals w/ documented track record only, please!
Connect Us Online or Offline: mike@brookfieldassociates.com

Powerful Reminders for Smart People during Challenging Times

2009-08-06T12:11:00.006-04:00

1.) We can all become better tomorrow than we are today.

2.) Every success that we experience, no matter how small, can and should serve to remind us that we are all forces to be reckoned with.

3.) Laugh often and find joy in everything that you do.

4.) Times may be tough. However, now's the right time to take action.

5.) Build better and stronger relationships.

6.) Make lots of new connections. Network, Network, Network.

7.) The little things mean a lot. Take no one and nothing for granted.

8.) Maintain your integrity, become more committed and stay focused.

9.) Know that things will get better, so work hard and smarter while trying to not sweat the small stuff.

Lion vs. Gazelle

2009-03-30T06:31:00.000-04:00

Lion vs.Gazelle...

Every morning in Africa, A gazelle wakes up...

...It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.

Every morning a lion wakes up...

...It knows it must out run the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.

It does not matter whether you are a lion or gazelle, when the sun comes up you had better start running... - Jim Rea

Action Plans & Baby Steps

2009-03-26T06:57:00.008-04:00

Did you ever see the very funny movie, "What about Bob?" If not, you should...

The story is simple, hysterical and packed with positive life lessons.

The story line :
Bob (Bill Murray) is a recluse who's afraid to leave his apartment and becomes attached to his new therapist, Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfus), who encourages Bob to take "Baby Steps". Shortly after beginning their relationship, Dr. M goes on vacation with his family and Bob uses the techniques he has learned from Dr. M to break through his fear and tracks him down while Dr. M's on vacation with his family...The rest of the story, Bob's journey, and his affect on Dr. M and his family is powerful and changes all their lives.

Please read on about how Bob overcomes his fear...

After meeting Dr. M, (the first therapist he is able to really connect with), Bob becomes single minded and focused on achieving his goal of overcoming his phobia, the fear of leaving his apartment. He just needed some encouragement to learn how to believe in himself again and an Action Plan on how to accomplish his goal. The concept of "Baby Steps" gave him an anchor or a starting point that he needed to begin taking those important first steps. After that, small successes lead to more success and momentum began to kick in. As a result, Bob's confidence grew and grew as he continued to persist on achieving his goal.

Sounds simple? It is. However, it's not quite so easy.

It does take a mixture of pleasure and pain..What I mean by that is, you are either moving towards your desire to get what you want or moving away from your fear of losing what you have. These are powerful motivators for anyone.

Achieving your goal(s):
You will require a goal (preferably something that you are passionate about achieving), a written action plan, sheer determination, persistence, desire and...asking a friend or colleague to hold you accountable (buddy system), in order to make this happen.

(CANEI) "Constant and Never Ending Improvement" Read it. Think it. Share it. Do it.

Quotes:
"I really believe that success is just getting up one more time than you fail" -Roxanne Quimby, Burt's Bees (2004)

"Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action." - Benjamin Disraeli

Do you have "game"?

2009-03-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

Athletes often talk about how they never alter their game plan. EVER. It doesn't matter who the opponent is or where the game is being played. One of the keys to success is remaining consistent, yet knowing how to adapt to different circumstances.

"Everything is hard before it's easy"

2009-03-20T05:50:00.000-04:00

"Everything is hard before it's easy" - Thomas Fuller.

There's a rhythm to this statement which I find to be very profound and simple to digest. The statement or idea, "Everything is hard before it's easy" is applicable to most everything in life that's new to us whether we are learning to walk, communicate, find our way or prospect for a new client. If we choose to accept this concept as a necessary part of our personal development, we can learn to embrace failure with excitement, knowing that it will ultimately lead us to experience successful outcomes.

"He who never made a mistake, never made a discovery." - Smiles

You may agree that most infants learn to walk with just a little encouragement and positive reinforcement, (i.e., great job, you can do it and so on). And, we can surely agree that there's usually little or no stress experienced by infants while they're crawling simply because it is much easier and safer for them. And, infants usually press on, trying to walk, despite awkward trials, off balance attempts and the pain experienced with these challenging events. Their instinct generally takes over and, since they haven't received much negative enforcement during these early stages of life, they usually can bounce back quickly after falling down and adapt well to changes in their environment.

As children enter into a formal learning environment, (i.e, nursery school and grade school), new challenges appear more rapidly and feedback from school teachers and peers add a whole new dimension to their personal development and self image. Positive and negative feedback become a daily reality throughout these formative years. When we experience any level of failure, pain or disappointment, such as failing a test, losing a game or being given any type of negative feedback, we tend to get down on ourselves, too. However, this is the opposite reaction about how to respond to any negative experience. Instead, we must embrace the negative experiences as opportunities to learn and to grow. And, clearly, we will learn from our mistakes and failures despite our fears, obstacles or lack of ability.

"It's not what happens to you, but how you react to what happens to you, that makes the difference." - Albert Ellis

Why are infants and children naturally able to respond to failure by brushing off the dirt and jumping back in without much fanfare? Some experts claim that encouragement from family, environmental conditions, natural instincts, self will and feedback from outside influences that all have a part in the development of our own 'screen plays of life'.

Without experiencing some degree of pain, disappointment and failure in our lives, it is not possible to build a strong foundation which is essential to achieving long term success. - mn

Why do some adults learn to excel or develop skills more quickly than others?

How does this question relate to the art of developing techniques and skills to be successful a sales or business development career?

I believe that the common denominator is "will".

"The glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time you fail." - Chinese Proverb

"As sales professionals, we must fail before we succeed". This is simple and very true. When you break it down and recognize that failure is a necessary means to achieving your goals, you can begin planning your work and focusing your attention to work your plan with a new confidence to forge ahead and build momentum. Momentum becomes a critical key to building more confidence to persevere and the 'will to succeed' is the main ingredient required to push ahead and achieve results.

Since life is full of obstacles and hurtles to overcome, it makes sense to embrace failure as a partner to enable our success. Once we accept this as our "global belief", we are halfway there. The rest can certainly be learned...

"People do not lack strength, they lack will." - Victor Hugo

When Preparation Meets Opportunity

2009-02-21T12:41:00.001-05:00

“When preparation meets opportunity, you have a chance to achieve success. Success is really the result of planning. Success is a process. It is growth and development. It’s achieving one thing and using that as a stepping stone to achieve something else. It is a journey.” - John Maxwell

Do you invest ample time to properly prepare for sales meetings, presentations or the solicitation of new clients?

Are you researching data on your clients or prospects prior to beginning communications with them?

Have you ever tried to “wing it” because you believe that you can dance with the best on a whim?

If you answered Yes to any of the above, then you are playing a very dangerous game with your success...

Proper preparation is critical to achieving success. You are a professional, not a hack. To be viewed as a professional, you must be viewed or perceived as an expert about your brand, products or services. Therefore, you must be thoroughly educated and prepared to educate everyone that you come in contact with. This means you are able to answer any questions, or concerns and overcoming objections that are presented to you.

“If you devote one (1) hour a day to learning your craft, and commit to it, you will become an expert.”

In order to become an expert, you must continually perform research about your industry and learn everything you can about your products, services and about your competition.

As an industry, the sales profession has received a poor reputation over the years because of the fast talkers and snakeoil sales people who are all about selling the sizzle without any substance or credibility. Generally, these folks are not trained professionals and often lack ethical sales practices. How do we change peoples' perceptions? The best ways to accomplish this are by constantly improving your knowledge base, listening closely to your clients and building your credibility by delivering measurable results. As a result, you will elevate your game and your clients' satisfaction. (The concept of building credibility is for an entirely different discussion)

“Becoming an expert in your chosen field requires a daily dose of training which is ongoing and never ending.”

Consultative selling or Solutions based selling is an art form which requires a mixture of formal training, creativity, applying your skills, passion and knowledge. And, of course, learning by rote (learning from your mistakes).

"Sales is a Contact Sport which requires an athletes' preparation, mental toughness and sheer determination to become the best." - mn

“Success is learning from failure. Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. Failure only truly becomes failure when we do not learn from it.” - John Maxwell

TOOLS OF THE TRADE:

Social Networking /Research Software Tools to utilize:

LinkedIn, Spoke, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Digg, Plaxo, Bebo, Zoom Info, Hoovers.com, etc.

Sales Training Methods to review:

Miller Heiman, Sandler Institute, Dr. Charles Karrass, Dale Carnegie, Robbins Research, etc.

Authors to review:

Napolean Hill, John Maxwell, Stephen Heiman, Robert Miller, Og Mandino, Les Brown, Anthony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar etc.

Contact Management Programs:

Act, Goldmine, Salesforce, Maximizer, SugarCRM, Zoho, etc.