Sales fitness exercises. Are you doing enough of them?

The fitness rage sweeping America. Sales fitness is no exception. In fact, sales people have to be the most physically fit of them all. “I don’t have time.” you whine. “Yes you do!” I exclaim. “Actually you are already doing these exercises each day, without even realizing it just not in the right quantity or with the right degree of intensity or passion.”

Mind you, these aren’t regular exercises. Selling exercises (like sales people) are special. They are designed to combine physical fitness with fiscal fitness. By doing these special sales exercises, you get fit and wealthy at the same time. WOW.

If you’re one of those people who thinks you have to go to a fitness center to get fit think again. You can do these exercises during the day as you work! This program allows you to get fit without ever even going near a gym. Moreover, if you follow these sales exercises in a few years you can buy the gym! Cool.

Selling exercises are easy, selling exercises are a bit unconventional, and if you repeat them daily with the right number of repetitions I guaranty your total fitness (and success). Get on your power suit (no exercise clothes here) and let’s go!

Warm up Stretch your mind for 30 minutes. Read something new about your career, your business, your industry, or your customer. New information is the best way to warm up for a full day of sales exercises. Now we’re ready to start: Here are 10.5 sales exercises. Become the master of each one to become a sales master:

1. Pump up your head. This is two part aerobic brain pumpup exercise Part one: take 1530 minutes a day, and read or listen to positive head food. Positive attitude is the mental strength to make it thorough the day but you must do it every day. Part two: listen to 510 minutes of your favorite music (song) just before you hit the office, or go on your first sales call. Get pumped early.

2. Keyboard fingering. Update your todo and hot prospect activity list every day. Write a few thank you’s and followup notes.

3. Reach for the phone. A critical exercise that must have the right number of repetitions in order to be effective. Twenty times a day minimum.

4. Fax machine dialing (and paper inserting). A great way to build your relationship muscle. Fax some humor, an article about the prospects personal interests, a lead, a challenge. Exercise your fax machine as often as possible.

5. Envelope licking. Mailing ten to twenty pieces a day is sure to keep your pipeline full of prospects, and your followups done in a timely manner.

6. Open and close your car door. Eight times a day, or you won’t build any sales muscle. Get your butt in and out of the car more often. Combine this exercise with office door opening, and firm hand shaking for maximum effectiveness.

7. Briefcase and sample lifting. Do this three or four times a day and your sales muscles will increase. Product sales are more challenging weightwise, than service sales. But one item is critical for both to carry order forms.

8. Tongue wagging. Perhaps the most critical exercise other than head pumping. Two parts here, too. Part one: You must wag it exactly the right way. Rest it periodically, so you can listen for needs and buying signals. Part two: Get in front of people who can say yes (see “car door” and “phone reach”), or you’re wasting your wags.

9. Stand up and walk around when you talk (add arm waving option). Get excited when you sell it gets the prospect excited. If you just sit there like a bump on a log you ll get stepped on. This exercise is also great for the phone. Standing and waving about while talking puts more weight behind your words.

10. Check taking. All other exercises are worthless without this one. You take the check from the customer, and put it in your wallet. This exercise must be done at least twice a day.

10.5 Yes screaming! An extension of the check taking. This is more of a primitive exercise, but it’s the most fun one person can have. Just scream “Yes! I did it! Yes!” about 1020 times after you leave the sales call. (Yelling it while you’re still in the customer’s office is a bit tacky.) An often used variation of this if you’re with someone else is “yes screaming” combined with “high fiving.” There’s extra satisfaction when you can share the exuberation of the moment.

Whew! What a workout. Most people can’t take that much exercise without whimping out. And when you’ve completed a successful day, you can rest but be careful not to rest on your laurels.

WARNING: Your sales muscles are connected to your wallet muscle. Flexing those sales muscles allows you to flex those financial muscles. Continued practice and exercise will bring continued wealth. Failure to exercise daily leads to all kinds of problems.

CAUTION: Don’t blame others for your failure to exercise. They can support you, but they can’t do it for you.

FAT CONTENT: Sales exercise leads to fat. You will build fat in one area that’s good for you a fat wallet.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, and Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless. President of Charlottebased Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts training programs on selling and customer service. He can be reached at 704/3331112 or email salesman@gitomer.com

1999 All Rights Reserved Don’t even think about reproducing this document without written

permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer 704/3331112.