Wanted to share my latest video testimonial as a funny motivational speaker. I had the honor of speaking at a recent national sales training event for medical client Devicor Medical Products.

What an awesome group of dedicated and passionate people. I want to thank the SR. VP of Global Marketing for saying this about my presentation…

Astonishing, relevant and perfect for not only sales reps, but also customers – WOW – thank you for those words.  As always, if you’re looking for a funny motivational keynote speaker or a kick-off/wrap-up speaker for your meeting, you can give me a call.

Byy the way, here is a link to a few more testimonials http://www.bobgarner.com/testimonials.html about not only my entertaining motivational speaker programs, but also as a trade show magician – or should I say trade show mentalist !

Many companies are now allowing employees to work from home a day or two a week. And the vast majority of human resource professionals will be the first to tell an employee that working from home is a privilege, not a right – and they are correct. Just because you “think” you can do your job from home doesn’t mean that your company “thinks” you can. It’s about accountability and efficiency. If you can prove that you deliver at work, there is a good chance – with more companies offering telecommuting opportunities – you will have a good shot to “deliver” from home. However, if you’re the employee who is always gossiping, hanging out at the water cooler and “slow to perform,” then you will most likely not get “the nod.” Making the transition from working at the office to working from home requires not only self-discipline, but also adhering to a few strategies. As someone who has worked from home (or should I say a “home office”) for nearly 30 years, here are 6 strategies to help insure success:

1 – Your Environment: Clear out an area from which you can comfortably work. If this can be a stationary location such as a small desk or table in your abode – or a separate room – so much the better. That way, you know when you sit down in that location, you are “at work.” Having a dry erase board, a post-it board or something hanging from a wall on which to clip notes is always good for reminders, etc. With regard to keeping your desk neat and tidy, Albert Einstein said, “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what then is an empty desk a sign?” Well, I would ask, “Of what then is an orderly desk a sign?” Unless you have a mind like Einstein, keeping your work location neat and orderly may be beneficial to increasing your overall efficiency.

2 – Minimize Visual Distractions: Make sure your work space is free from visual distractions such as the television or awaiting chores (i.e. dirty dishes in the sink). That doesn’t mean that you must face away from a window with a nice view. It means eliminating what might detract you. If you are in the middle of an important conversation and something comes on the television that distracts you, then you have just potentially created an uncomfortable moment that could have been avoided. The TV diverted your attention, which is different from looking out the window and taking a short break.

3 – Minimize Interruptions: When working from home, put phone numbers from relatives or friends who may call during your work day on vibrate. When checking your email, skip over personal messages until you take a break – that is also the time to check your personal phone messages. Also, refrain from web surfing, tweeting, and Facebooking, during your work time. Focus on what needs to get done and do it.

4 – Work Time & Breaks: Coordinate your day, so that you know when you will be working and when you will be taking any breaks. Try to stick to that time schedule. When it’s time to take a break, step away from your “office.” When it’s time to return to work, put personal issues or responsibilities aside and do your business.

5 – Shirt or Slippers: Maybe you can work just fine at home in your pajamas or sweats. However, for many people, “cleaning up” and wearing something more “appropriate” can increase efficiency and overall productivity. You don’t need to put on what you might wear if you were to actually go into the office, but you will probably feel more “professional” if you are wearing something other than a bathrobe and fuzzy slippers.

6 – Make Time for Motivation and Inspiration: Prior to starting your work day, take a few moments to read something that will inspire or motivate you. As stated, working from home requires discipline and discipline requires you to be self-motivated. Write down some sayings or affirmations that you like and keep them near your workspace.

While these strategies appear to be simple, many human resource professionals will tell you that some employees are unable to follow them. While those employees will have to trek into the office and continue working “in the cube,” by following these strategies, you may increase your performance and productivity and, therefore, be offered (or maintain) the privilege of working from home.

As a funny motivational speaker, I am known for delivering usable strategies on increasing performance and productivity via my programs for corporations worldwide. To view what I offer, visit my funny motivational speaker site. 

©2012 Bob Garner. All Rights Reserved. You may use this article, but you must use the byline and author resource.

Public domain late 1800's

It was 85 years ago on Halloween at 1:26 pm in Detroit, MI, when Harry Houdini took his last breath. Houdini is the person who is probably more responsible for keeping the art of magic alive than any other magician who has ever lived. In fact, if you ask most people to think of a famous magician, Houdini is probably one of the first names uttered.

Houdini’s secret was that he not only understood marketing and advertising, but also, even more importantly, he had a great product – he was an escape artist. He possessed the ability to escape. People desire to escape. People want to “break loose” from reality and their problems, as well as the chains that bind them to their everyday existence.

Houdini used that desire to create impossible situations and then he would escape from them. Houdini would accept challenges from other people and then escape from those challenges, as well. His escapes were based on a vast knowledge of what was going to be binding him – handcuffs, leg irons, a straightjacket, etc. – and then developing an exit strategy that would free him. He had unbelievable patience and a determination to succeed.

You can use that same strategy, when faced with a challenge that seems inescapable. Discover all you can about what the challenge is and then, calmly, create an exit strategy that will allow you to overcome it. The key word here is “calmly.” Even though Houdini knew how he would make his escape in advance, sometimes his idea didn’t work, so he had to devise and try another plan. Houdini, even with his most difficult escapes, knew that he must never panic. He was resolved that “in time,” he would always find a way out of the problem.

Therefore, don’t try and “force” an outcome. Develop a plan and move according to circumstance. If you need to change your strategy, do so. However, with any plan you devise, be steadfast in your thinking that you will, ultimately, find an answer to your problem and that you will succeed.

Undoubtedly, Houdini will be remembered as a great magician. But he will also be remembered as someone who showed people that despite any challenge, there is always a way to escape through an understanding of the situation, the development of a flexible plan and then, the calm execution of that plan … with determination.

At the age of 8, Bob read a book on Houdini and was hooked. Today, as one of the leading funny motivational speakers on the corporate circuit, Bob reinforces strategic points of his presentation with magic and mind reading. You can watch his funny motivational speaker video demo for a quick look at Bob’s work. 

©2011 Bob Garner. All Rights Reserved. You may use this article, but you must use the byline and author resource.

Asking for the sale is one question that sales managers and sales trainers spend a good deal of time covering, because it’s one of the most important questions a sales rep should ask, yet the least often asked. Understanding that not all reps feel comfortable using the question, “Do you want to go ahead with this?” as a sales closing technique, the following method provides an effective way to ask for the sale by having your client not only agree that he/she can see how your product/service will help them to solve their problem, but also openly affirm that now is the time to act and close the deal.

I first discovered this sales closing tip in “Ziglar on Selling,” by Zig Ziglar. In this great book, Ziglar refers to it as the “Three-Question Close.” To adapt it to my style of selling, I made some alterations and call it the “C.U.T.” approach. It comes from the term “Cut to the Chase” which was first used when making silent movies. The climax of many silent movies was the “chase scene” and during the editing of a film, when it was time to bring the movie to a close (so that the characters could live “happily ever after”), the director would say to the editor, “Cut to the chase!”

When it’s time for you to cut to the chase and ask for the sale, begin by asking your client:

C – “Can you see how my product will help you to …” (State client’s specific need or problem.) If the client says “No,” then you need to uncover what you missed. However, assuming that your product/service does solve their problem and you have presented your case correctly, the answer should be “Yes.” You then ask:

U – “Understanding that, obviously, you are interested in …” (Solving that problem.) Naturally, your client will say “Yes.” You then ask:

T – “Then, truthfully, if you were going to start (solving that problem), when do you think would be the best time to begin?”

At this point, if the client says, “Well, I guess right now” then you can say, “Great. Let’s get the paperwork started.” However, if the client says, “I don’t know” then you need to use what Ziglar called the “Probability Close.” Ask your client, “Okay. I was wondering, on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being that you want to go ahead right now – where do we stand?” 

If the client says 7 or higher, then you say, “Specifically, what can I tell you about how we can help you (solve the problem) to move you to a 10?” Then listen very carefully. Your client is close to making the deal and you need to find the concern and provide a solution. If the client says 6 or less, there is major unresolved issue and you’re far from closing the deal. You’ll need to discover that issue and provide an answer.

In either of the above scenarios, after you have reviewed and answered their objections, you ask, “I think I have answered all your concerns. So, on that scale from 1 to 10 – are we at a 10?”

If the client still says, “I don’t know” or “Not yet,” then you can either further penetrate their concerns or make the decision that, perhaps, you might be “spinning your wheels,” and you need to move on to your next client.

If you have answered all of your client’s concerns, asking for the sale is the easiest part of the sales process. Using the “C.U.T.” sales closing technique is a direct way to emphasize that you truly understand your client’s issue and allows your client to concur that your product or service can help solve that issue and that now is the time for him/her to act. Hopefully, by using the “C.U.T.” approach, your sales call will end just like the old silent movies after the “chase scene”… with everyone living happily ever after.

Recognized as a funny motivational speaker who actually has something to say, Bob Garner has worked with corporations worldwide to improve employee and sales productivity and performance. In addition to being an entertaining motivational speaker, Bob is an author and syndicated writer.

©2011 Bob Garner. All Rights Reserved. You may use this article, but you must use my byline and author resource.

I have been working with sales reps in a variety of industries for nearly 30 years. Generally speaking, they’re a congenial group of outgoing people who understand that they are essentially entrepreneurs – they’re in charge of their own success. Additionally, they are “thick-skinned” due to the heavy amount of rejection that they receive from customers. Even though customers can make them angry (that’s part of the game), from my research what also makes them angry is the treatment they receive from their own company. (You know, that same company that shouts “We need teamwork” at sales meetings.) Here are the 4 top ways a company can anger its sales reps – which reduces morale, teamwork, and profits – and how to stop doing that.

1) Don’t Pay Them on Time: There is no excuse for companies to not pay their reps on time. You expect your customers to pay their bills on time. The rest of the employees and those in the C-suite also expect to be paid on time. So, why would anyone think that you should not pay those who are “bringing home the bacon” for the entire company to be paid on time? How to stop it: Ask reps if they’re having problems being paid and fix the problem. Again, there is no excuse.

2) Mess With Their Territory: Some sales managers love to sit around and rearrange territories like it was their own personal serfdom. True, sometimes adjustments are needed if some reps aren’t pulling their load; however, oftentimes, it is just done to “shake things up,” which is ridiculous. Since all sales are based on relationships, you can’t develop a relationship if you keep changing the players. How to stop it: With the exception of a low performing sales rep – let your reps alone to build their relationships.

3) Give Them Little or No Support: A sales reps goes out and does his/her job and then transfers responsibility to fulfill or maintain the order/customer, as they are supposed to do. However, when support fails at their job, who gets the blame? The sales reps. Who loses the sale? The sales reps. Who doesn’t hit their numbers? The sales reps – due to no fault of their own. As many reps have told me, “Why do they drive teamwork down our throats, yet put up with the lack of teamwork from everyone else and do little about it?” How to stop it: Talk to your reps and find the “weak links” in the support chain and fix it. Again, no excuses.

4) Smother with Paperwork: Bottom line: When you add a lot of paperwork to a reps job, you slow them down. I have seen some of the paperwork that reps had to complete and much of it makes no sense. Not to mention, when the person who gets that paperwork – an employee who is not commissioned based – loses it, then everything has to be resent, etc. Wasted time equals wasted sales, which equals low productivity and profits. The sales team is the blood that makes the heart of the company pump, and when you clog the flow to the heart of the company with reams of unnecessary paperwork, you kill the company. How to stop it: Find ways to reduce the paperwork, so that reps can do what they are hired to do – sell, not fill out tons of paperwork.

These are the top 4 ways you can anger your reps and the beginning steps that sales managers and other executives can take to stop it.

As a funny motivational speaker who speaks to companies on performance and productivity, I have, as mentioned, spoken to hundreds of reps and these are the issues that frustrate them the most. For more ideas on improving sales, performance and company-wide productivity, visit my funny motivational speaker blog.

©2011 Bob Garner. All Rights Reserved. You may use this article, but you must use my byline and author resource.

Setting out to succeed with your own business requires managing your time well. If not done properly, not only will you waste time and not efficiently achieve your goals, but you may also find yourself losing clients, money, and/or possibly even the business, itself.

Here are three simple steps you could take in order to manage your time more effectively.

Step One: Develop a Plan of Action

You need to know what you want to accomplish and the time frame in which you want it accomplished. Developing an overall plan of action will aid you in achieving your goal. So, begin by writing down your primary goal and then writing down what steps you need to take in order to realize that goal. It sounds so simple, but most people don’t do this and become distracted and waste an inordinate amount of time. So, do not make the mistake of disregarding this important point.

Step Two: Develop a List for Each Step

Take each step and compose a list of smaller steps you may need to take in order to achieve each step. (Think of them as sub-steps.) This will help you tackle each step correctly and systematically. Additionally, you won’t forget or overlook something important and then have to go back and fix what you missed. You don’t want to overlook this, because fixing a mistake can cost you time, as well as money.

Step Three: Complete Each Activity

Finally, when focusing on managing your time, you’ll want to make sure and complete each step – and all the sub-steps. Set aside some time each day to review your plan and your steps. Examine what you did or didn’t do and make adjustments. Don’t be too hard on yourself – everything takes time. Remember that even if you only complete one or two steps a day, each accomplishment brings you closer to achieving your goal.

Keep in mind that your goal is about improving some aspect of your life – financial, physical, emotional, etc. And as long as your goal does not harm another living being – or creature – then it is a worthwhile goal and one in which you should make all attempts to achieve.

Successful entrepreneurs understand the importance of managing their time and follow a system that aids them in achieving their goals as quickly and efficiently as possible. They also understand the importance of actually “doing the work” to complete each step along the path to their goal. By following the above three steps, you will use your time wisely, cut down on distractions and time wasters, and systematically move closer to achieving your goal.

As a successful entrepreneur for nearly 30 years, I know these steps work. You can find other ideas to help you build your business and achieve goals on my funny motivational speaker blog . If you’re looking for a funny motivational speaker who actually has something to say, you can also check out my motivational speaking site.

©2011 Bob Garner. All Rights Reserved. You may use this article, but you must use my byline and author resource.

As a funny motivational speaker, I oftentimes wrap up a sales conference, which means that I have to sit through other presenters before I go on. At a recent sales meeting,  the Director of Sales was the last speaker before me and he was going talk about teamwork and how important that is to the overall success of the company. After presenting some valuable information on how all the reps needed to work together as a team,  he moved into speaking about the new sales incentive program and turned to a large flip chart and flipped the front page over. On this large chart was a picture of a race track and a bunch of horses. In place of the horses heads were pictures of the sales rep’s faces. Each horse was at different points on the track and the Director of Sales stated that each sales reps was responsible for hitting a specific goal and that depending on where the horse (sales rep) was on the track would determine who was closest to winning a cash prize.

My jaw hit the floor! Was this the same guy who just a moment ago talked about teamwork? You know, let’s all work together and help each other out… Well, any thoughts about teamwork flew out the proverbial window. (I mean when was the last time you saw a horse race where all the horses worked together?)

A sales incentive program, an employee incentive program or another incentive program for another group within your company, can either be productive or counter-productive. In my opinion, the race horse idea is definitely counter productive and is a good example of a close-ended incentive program. A close-ended incentive program has a specific number of winners and will leave the rest feeling demoralized. Many will give up or not even start the program, because they don’t feel that they could win.

An open-ended incentive program rewards everyone who reaches the goal, as well as everyone else who didn’t. The following are 6 steps that you can use to create an open-ended sales incentive program, employee incentive program or any incentive program for any group where you want a team approach to achieving a goal. I call it the 6 D’s:

1) Define the goal. What do you want to accomplish? (Make more sales,  improve safety, heighten customer service?) Don’t make the goal to complicated and eliminate as many obstacles to success as possible.

2) Decide if the program should be set-up for individuals or groups. Groups always seem to work better; however, it depends on what the goal is and how many people will be participating

3) Determine the prize. Will it be cash, gifts, or how about a company wide event where all can attend and have fun and the winners receive something nice, but not “over the top?”

4) Develop a system of measurement. How will you measure involvement and any improvement? Is you sales incentive program just for a certain level of sales reps or is everyone involved? Does your employee incentive program just focus on one or two departments or is it company wide?

Make sure that everyone who is participating knows the rules ahead of time and that all agree the goal and the system of measurement is realistic. Allowing for participation in the overall decision process is not only effective for morale, but also insures that everyone is in agreement, before the program begins, that the goal is a valuable one, the rules are fair, and the prize is worthwhile.

5) Declare a start date. Let your team know that the incentive program will be starting about a week or two before the actual start date and get people excited about participating. This also gives participants time to develop ideas and strategies.

6) Dedicate your time to help everyone. Get other leaders at your company involved and have them provide encouragement to all and keep everyone motivated. Don’t make this a “you’re on your own approach” by those in the C-suite. Leaders are supposed to provide encouragement and guidance not stand back with their arms crossed waiting to see how the teams will perform. If it’s a sales incentive program then there needs to be more involvement from leaders in other departments. If it’s an employee incentive program, then all department heads need to be involved.

If everyone will be rewarded and the prizes for the actual winners are not to outrageous, not only will everyone have fun, but also the teams will know that no matter who actually “wins,” the goal will be reached, and that you, as well as others in the C-suite, have noticed what everyone has accomplished – and that all of you are grateful for their hard work and dedication to achieving the goal.

Sales incentive programs and employee incentive programs are a great way to achieve goals, but you have to not only be careful as to what program you choose, you also need to be mindful of how it will be perceived by those actually having to do the work. The 6 D’s, will help you create an open-ended incentive program that will allow you to achieve an important goal, as well as increase morale.

Any incentive program is about achieving goals in a fun way. Unlike horse racing where only one horse is the big winner, unless you want to foster negative competition and bad feelings when the program is over, leave the horse racing to the race horses and let everyone who participates in your program be a winner.

Showing a 10-12% increase in employee productivity is just one result that you can expect when you conduct an employee incentive program correctly. My funny motivational speaker testimonial will prove to you it can be done, as will my other funny keynote speaker videos for sales incentive programs.

©2011 Bob Garner. All Rights Reserved. You may use this article, but you must use my byline and author resource.