Dear Archive Visitor, I know plenty of you will be watching Super Bowl XLII this weekend (Go Broncos! Okay, they're not in the Super Bowl... But this is still my ezine the last time I checked), so I have a fun assignment for you while you're watching: Pay very close attention to the advertising. Then ask yourself after each commercial whether or not you are now more likely to go out and buy the product/s that were just advertised. My guess is that you'll discover just how ineffective most of those marketing messages are. Here's what blows my mind. In 2004, the Super Bowl had 100 Million viewers. It cost advertisers 2.3 Million for a 60 second commercial, not including what they spent to produce the commercial, which was probably another 500,000 to one Million dollars. Now take a wild guess as to how many people went out and bought the advertiser's product. Would you believe, one out of 1000? That's only .1 percent. I realize they don't care because 100 Million people are watching. But listen, even honing in to make their message slightly more powerful and getting a .3 percent response could cause 200,000 more people to go out and buy their products. That's hardly insignificant. In today's article I'll share how you can make changes in your business that get significant results.

The Training Differential By Tammy Stanley If you head off to a fitness center these days, you're likely to see a good number of people like me looking mesmerized by a big black watch on their wrist. Listen! It's not just a watch - it's a heart rate monitor. If you don't have one, well... what you miss! These super cool gadgets determine your heart rate at any given moment, which helps you monitor how your workout is going. Now I could explain this in detail, but I think it's important for me to move on and get to my point! Because this heart rate monitor shows me my heart rate, I know for certain whether or not I'm slacking off, close to my threshold, or even above my threshold. What I've found since I received this cool little gift is that my spinning workouts are far more intense. This tool has definitely allowed me to improve my performance level. Last week at the end of each one-hour spinning class, I found that I burned right around 378 calories. Even though one class might seem more challenging than another, I discovered that I worked at a consistent level and burned 378 calories in an hour. Before owning a heart rate monitor, I had no way of knowing how many calories I was burning, but I know for certain that I wasn't burning as many because I didn't have this tool to show me just how frequently I was actually slacking off (I've never thought of myself as a slacker, but now I know how little I actually pushed myself). My guess is that I improved my performance by at least ten percent. But here's where it starts to get interesting. On Fridays, I take a spinning class with Steve Elwell, who's probably only 5'7" but looks like he could kick Arnold Schwarzenegger's behind (At least I know he could whop Arnold up any hill on a bike!). Steve actually says far fewer words than any other spinning instructor, but everything he does say drives one to push more, rest less, and work harder. At one point I even yelled to my spinning buddy, "Wait! Remind me why we do this again?" But then I looked up and saw this amazing coach leading and inspiring me to give everything I had that day and leave nothing on the table. Later, when I looked up how many calories I burned that hour, I jumped right out of my socks - 480! That's nearly a 30% increase. When I let Steve know how much I improved with him as the coach, he said, "Pfui! That's nothing. I could get you to double what you did today with the training that gets your muscles conditioned." (That's Mr. Atlas' way of saying, "You pansy, you're out of shape!") I don't doubt for a second that Steve Elwell could help me improve my performance by another 50% if I invested into a training program with him. After all, he burns over 1,500 calories in a one-hour spin class (That kind of tells me he knows all about conditioned muscles and how to get 'em) But here's my point (Yes, FINALLY, I'll make my point). If you want to make changes in your business this year and get significant results... Tools, training, and coaching do make the difference. It's as true in the sales world as it is in the physical fitness world. If you're one of my loyal subscribers, I know you understand that; it's one of the reasons you make time for reading The Sales Refinery Insights. I challenge you to step it up a notch this year. Invest in training your sales skills in some way that you never have before. When you apply what you learn, the results will astound you. I have clients who have completely turned their business around just from working with me to craft a Vocal Business Card that tells prospects what they do in an intriguing way without confusing them. Sometimes small changes and tools (just like the heart rate monitor) make a significant difference. Finally, avoid making the mistake that most of the Super Bowl advertisers will make this weekend. Most if not all of them won't bother to even think about their ideal customer, and what that customer actually wants and needs. Instead they'll just focus on being funny or cute, but they won't provide their prospects one good reason to go out and actually buy their products or services. WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE? WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR ON YOUR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Author, Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker Tammy Stanley publishes the propelling 'Sales Refinery Insights' weekly ezine for direct sales professionals. If you're ready to jump-start your direct sales business, make more money, and create more value, get your FREE tips now at www.tammystanley.com/ezine/ezine_offer_ds.htm

Tammy Stanley, founded and directs The Sales Refinery, a sales training company that assists sales professionals to generate more business and build long-lasting sales teams through powerful marketing, selling and leadership strategies.

Tammy has been coaching and training since 1994 and has a deep understanding of the challenges and needs of the independent sales consultant. While raising four children, Tammy built a multi-million dollar direct sales organization, reaching her company's Circle of Excellence 7 consecutive years in a row. She earned numerous sales and leadership awards, world travel, and promoted 11 offspring managers.

The Tammy Stanley Sales Refinery
Tempe, AZ 85283
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tammy@TammyStanley.com