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You should finish each day a little smarter than you began the day.
~ Warren Buffett

1. Love what you sell, the company you work for and the customers you serve.
2. Be empathetic and compassionate.
3. Add value and give first.
4. Make eye contact.
5. Express your true intent.
6. Don't go for the big decision all at once.
7. Use friendly, warm words.
8. Use people's names.
9. Ask the right questions.

Your most important investment is in yourself, your predominant investment should be in yourself, and your best moneymaking asset is yourself.

1. Get your own permanent e-mail address.  That means registering a domain name and buying e-mail service to go with it. This will give a professional image that states you are committed to your business.
2. Use the BCC address field when sending to more than one person.  Listing numerous address in the To field shares all the e-mail accounts with everyone without the owners permission.  This is abusing everyone's privacy.
3. Define your message well in the Subject field.
4. One topic per message makes it much easier to search and refer to past messages when necessary.
5. NO ALL CAPS.  TYPING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IS THE INTERNET EQUIVALENT OF SHOUTING.
6. Communicate professionally.  This means no abbreviated words or smiley faces.
7. Avoid sending confidential information to protect everyone’s privacy.

"The trouble with salespeople is that they'll say anything to make a sale."

This is a common complaint. Top sales performers get to where they are and stay there because they don't make this fatal mistake.  Zig Ziglar once said: "The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity."

A Customer is the most important visitor to our premises. He is not dependent on us, we are dependent on him. He is not an interruption on our work, he is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business, he is part of it. We are not doing a favor by serving him, he is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.

Rule #1: Take Care of the Customer
Rule #2: Take Care of the Customer
Rule #3: Take Care of the Customer

When you meet with a prospect or customer, shut the cell phone off. It is disrespectful to others if you take calls and have conversations on their time. Your clients will appreciate it if you are not taking calls and instead concentrating on them.

People will also appreciate it if you refrain from talking to them on your phone while you are driving. This is because you are unable to give them your full attention. People can sense when you are not completely listening. It is better to stop the car. The conversation will be focused, and you will be able to communicate more successfully and professionally.

Remember, life did exist and business did evolve prior to cell phones.

The person asking the questions in any conversation is always in control of the conversation. If the customer is asking the questions, they are in control. They have you on the defensive. You cannot sell effectively until you regain control.

* Never leave a voice mail on the first attempt you call. An Engage best practice is to call at least 3 times randomly during the day. If on the third time you still don't get through, leave a voice mail.

* Never leave a voicemail message for someone who doesn't know you. To the prospect, you're an anonymous caller. The chances of this stranger ever returning your call are, at best, about one or two percent! The only time you should ever leave a voicemail for a prospect is when you have been referred to them.

* Voicemail should only be used as a last resort. Too often, we give up as soon as the voicemail kicks in on a call, leaving either a message (bad idea) or simply hang up (better, but not great).

* If you do leave a message make sure you have a reference. Use a testimonial or reference to breakdown the skepticism barrier between you and the prospect. Make sure that the referral source's name is used up front in your message.

If you decide that you want to leave a voicemail message, try this two-step process to dramatically increase your chances of getting a positive reply from your prospect. This approach works because it is non-threatening, honest and friendly. It is also a method of shifting the focus from trying to make a sale to trying to start a conversation.

1. The first call -- Example: "Mr. X, this is Billy Bob from BB Real Estate Company.  Paul Smith suggested I call you because (insert Unique Selling Proposition statement or referral source or short reason for calling).  Sorry I missed you today, I'll try to reach you again on DATE and TIME."

Make sure your tone is soft, non-threatening and friendly. You don't want to sound like a radio ad for a furniture liquidator. Plus, it is critical that you do call back exactly on the date and time that you say.

2. The follow-up--Example: "Hi, Mr. X. This is Billy Bob from BB Real Estate Company calling because I promised to reach you today at TIME. Sorry I missed you. Paul Smith suggested I call you because (insert Unique Selling Proposition statement) I'll try you again on DATE and TIME."

Again, it's critical that you call back exactly when you said you would. Anything else would result in your being less than honest, and risk losing your local-market contact's confidence.

If you are a professional, you should communicate like a professional.

• Your e-mail messages should be in a similar format as a professional letter.  Do not include smiley faces.
• Do not abbreviate words.
• Do not use Acronyms.
• If you take shortcuts in your communications, it will be perceived you take shortcuts in your work ethic.

Avoid using “trade” words and abbreviations when communicating with prospects, customers and others not in your profession. For example, do not refer to a property owners association as a POA.

Talk as though you were explaining to your grandmother.  Use friendly, warm words instead of formal business language and terminology. You are in the people business. When you use simple language, people respond better and trust you more. So limit your words to three syllables max. And don't try to impress prospects with your extensive vocabulary, or you may end up just sounding fake. Communicate in plain English so there are no misunderstandings. Poor communications lead to misunderstandings, which lead to fear in doing business with you.

Few actions can build trust more completely than following through. From small things such as “I’ll call you tomorrow,” to huge issues such as bending over backwards to help someone, how you follow through is watched and evaluated by everyone with whom you come in contact. This is the quintessential “actions speak louder than words.” Many people have the ability to impress at first meeting – the ability to follow through is what develops relationships and sustains them.