If You Don't Have Big Breasts, Put Ribbons on Your Pigtails (22 page)

...and that equates to a tremendous increase in business since 1973, when Corcoran began selling real estate from her Manhattan apartment on a $1000-loan from her former boyfriend. He footed the cash for her new venture on the condition that he would own a controlling interest.

Eventually, Corcoran dissolved the partnership. From that moment on, she was bound and determined to make it in the real estate business on her own. By all accounts, she has achieved her goal.

Corcoran has been dubbed the "most sought after broker in the city," according to CNN, and is known as the broker to Hollywood celebrities and wealthy individuals.

Exactly how did the Edgewater, NJ native become one of the most powerful figures in New York City real estate?

"Exactly how?" I repeated the article's question. "My mother." 1 answered.

I slid a twenty under the saucer and headed back to my apartment. I had an important call to make.

"Hello, Mom. It's Barb. Can you get Dad on the line?

"Eddie, pick up the phone! It's Barb.'"

"Hi. Mom. Hi. Dad. You'll never believe what happened at the bank today." I began. Then I told my parents about waiting in line

for the teller machine, getting my usual $200 cash, and how I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked down at the receipt. "I'm telling you, Mom, I just couldn't believe it! I thought I was seeing things!"

"Well, what did you do?" Mom asked excitedly.

"I did just what you would have done. I went and had some breakfast and sat there staring at the receipt."

"What'd you eat?" Dad asked.

"Eat? Oh, eggs Benedict."

"Eggs, what?"

"Never mind, Eddie," Mom interrupted. "Go on! Go on!"

"So, I sat at the diner, and I thought about how it's true what you've always said, Mom, the joy really is in the getting there."

"Well, that's because it is," she agreed. "But just think about what you've done, Barbara! It really is unbelievable, isn't it?

"Yeah, I guess it really is."

And then I said what I'd wanted to say for a very long time. "In the end, Mom, it all comes down to this. All my life, you never told me I couldn't. You only told me I could."

HI \H\

THE END

Bonus Manual

WHAT MOM DIDN'T TEACH ME

BUT EXPERIENCE DID

INTRODUCTION

^ : -

Every great entrepreneur is a great salesperson, and I have three personal beliefs about selling anything.

1. People want to do business with someone they like.

Don't be misled into thinking that sales is all about the product. It's not. It's all about the people. It's as simple as this, if people like you, they're going to want to do business with you. And if they don't, you're going to have an almost insurmountable obstacle to overcome.

2. Selling is nothing more than playing up the good and playing down the bad.

If you know how to do it naturally, you're a born salesperson, and if not, it can be learned.

3. Always remember who's in charge of the market you're selling in.

In a buyer's market, the buyer is always right. In a seller's market, the seller is always right. But in an in-between market, nobody's rightl And it's in this market that salespeople make the most money, because that's when there's the most uncertainty and the most scope for negotiating win-w in deals.

B A KBA R A CORCORAN

F YOU DON'T HAVE BIG BREASTS

PARTI

The Most Amazing,

Extraordinary, and

Distinguishing Characteristics

of Great Salespeople

1. Great salespeople fail well.

Great salespeople get knocked down like everyone else, but take a lot less time getting up. In fact, the lowest rate of suicide is among commission salespeople because in the course of a normal day, they field so many rejections that even when life strikes them some extra-difficult blows, they bounce back out of habit.

2. Great salespeople are passionate!

Great salespeople have an attitude of "I'll either succeed, or I'll die trying!" You can't fake passion. There is nothing harder to resist than a passionate salesperson.

3. Great salespeople make lousy employees.

Great salespeople are creative, maverick personalities who put a lot of effort into their jobs, and do them well, provided no one tells them how to do it.

4. Great salespeople have split personalities.

Great salespeople are sometimes miserable to live with, but on the outside they're always masterful charmers.

5. Great salespeople listen between the lines.

With great salespeople, there's no such thing as idle conversation, even a pleasant conversation is really an interview.

6. Great salespeople can talk a dog off a meat wagon.

Spend more than five minutes with a great salesperson, and you'll walk away swearing their idea was your idea.

7. Great salespeople know when to cut bait.

Great salespeople recognize when they're not in the right place, at the right time, or with the right customer. They have the confidence to walk away.

8. Great salespeople believe their success is only temporary.

Every great salesperson ends each year convinced they will never have another good year. They have a hard time believing they can improve on or even repeat yesterday's sales, until of course they do, and then the whole cycle of fear and accomplishment begins again.

BARBARA CORCORAN

I \<)U DON'T HAVE BIC BREASTS

PART 2

The Ten Reliable, Verifiable,

Absolutely Undeniable Rules

for Getting Ahead

1. Get outside.

Selling is a face-to-face business.

2. Dress the part.

People do judge a book by its cover!

3. Spend your time wisely.

There are really only two hundred and twenty selling days in a year. The difference between a mediocre and a phenomenal performance is how well you use your time.

4. Always tell the truth, always.

Never fudge anything; it will always come back and bite you.

5. Do your homework.

Knowledge is the best shortcut to earning a customer's trust.

6. Walk in their shoes.

"I understand" are the two most powerful words in the sales business.

7. Build your referral base just like a pyramid.

The wider the base, the higher the peak.

8. Everybody wants what everybody wants. And nobody wants what nobody wants.

It's the basic psychology of sales.

9. Make a road map.

Without a clear plan, you won't know where you're going, and you'll have little chance of getting there.

10. Go out and play.

All the good ideas are on the outside. Besides, nothing really fun ever happens at the office.

BARBARA CORCORAN • IF YOU DON'T HAVE BIG BREASTS

(<>(<>(<>

PART 3

How to Make a Business Plan that Works

I've never met a great salesperson who didn't have a plan. With a good plan, you'll have a long-term view of where you want to go and a specific way to get there.

A good business plan should match the way you think. There's a left-brain and a right-brain approach:

It's the Money, Honey!" (The left-brain logical approach)

The first thing you do is decide how much money you want to make, and then work your plan backwards.

Let's say you want to earn $100,000 a year. Figure out what your average commission is likely to be, let's use $6,000. Now, divide your desired earnings by the average commission and the answer is roughly eighteen sales a year, or Wi sales each month.

Okay, what will you have to do to make IV2 sales a month?

"Paint a Pretty Picture." (The right-brain visual approach)

This plan is for daydreamers. The first thing you do is visualize yourself as an incredibly successful salesperson. Where are you, what do you look like, what are you wearing, and how do you feel? Fill in every detail and play that picture over and over again in your mind. This picture becomes your road map.

£23

Okay, what will you have to do to make every detail of your picture come true?

How to Make Your Map

/. Set aside a day in your calendar.

Set aside now.

2. Pick a place away from your desk.

Choose a place where you can't be interrupted. For me, the library has proven to be the best spot.

3. Organize your reference materials.

Bring your calendar, a list of your past sales, your current customers, and your leads. Also bring any business cards youVe collected in the course, of doing business.

4. Create a contact file.

Now, make a list of your past customers and contacts (whether you ve sold them something or not) and put their names and addresses on mailing labels. Send something to them this week and every six months thereafter. Jf'Tiat you mail is less important than that you mail.

5. Make a list of your individual strengths and weaknesses.

Everyone has different skills and talents, and to capitalize on them you'll need to know yours. If you cant figure them out, ask for the opinion of people who know you.

6. Take a good look at your past sales.

Identify where each of your customers actually came from and jot the source next to each name. With a clear picture of your

BARBARA CORCORAN • II YOU DON T HAVE BIC BREASTS

best sources of business, you'll be in a better position to get more of it.

7. Figure out what your customers have in common.

Salespeople become more successful once they've figured out who they sell best to. You'll probably discover that you sell best to people similar to you.

8. Rate your customers.

Rating your customers is simply deciding who you should spend your time with. Rate them based on need. The "A"s are the customers you should call tomorrow at the latest, the "B"s can wait till next week, and the "C"s should be thrown away. Don't be misled by customers with big budgets; they're often the biggest time wasters.

9. Make a "Not to Do List."

Figure out which past efforts amounted to nothing and label them your "Not to Do List." Post the list where you'll see it.

10. Expand on your best sources of business.

With an understanding of your best sources of leads, you can play to your strengths. For example, if most of your leads are from social contacts, spend more time socializing.

//. Find three new ways to get more business.

Design a marketplace report, create a personal newsletter, host a dinner party, produce a seminar, be a guest speaker, advertise your services, take a vacation, etc. Pick three.

12. Hire some help.

If you feel overwhelmed, you need an assistant. And when you calculate how much you make by the hour, you won't hesitate to spend the money. An assistant can answer calls, schedule

appointments, fax, file, e-mail, research, create sales presentations, and keep on top of your inventory. Picture your life with less responsibility for the minutiae.

13. Set aside your next planning day now.

Schedule a day six months out.

BARBARA CORCORAN • IF VOl DON I HAVE RIC BREASTS

PART 4

How to Pick lip, Speak Dp, and Hang lip the Phone

Salespeople spend at least a third of their time on the phone, more than they do working with customers and showing product. And with the advent of cell phones and e-mail, even more of the sale transaction is now done by phone. Fve found that customers don't really want to talk to a salesperson who "sounds professional." They'd rather speak with someone who's friendly, enthusiastic, and informed.

Checklist to get more out of your phone time

□ To speak forcefully, stand up.

Standing up gives you power, and since the guy on the other end is sitting down, you immediately take the upper hand.

Q Buy a mirror.

Put it near your phone and smile info it. Smiling on the phone is heard in your voice.

□ Tape-record your voice.

Listen to yourself while on the phone with a customer. The changes you'll make will increase your appointments by a third.