What I enjoyed about making cold calls was the challenge of gathering information. At one point in my sales career, I was selling copiers so cold calling was part of the job. What I learned during that period has helped me immensely. The goal of every contact was to learn something from each door you pushed open. Gathering reliable information is always the goal. Learning to heighten my comfort level, elevate my listening skills and become more observant was the key to my success. These skills helped to recognize when someone wasnt telling me the raw truth. Human behavior doesnt change all that much which is why receptionist are easy to read and good readers of salespeople.

Be advised that I dont have a degree in human behavior, my education comes directly from making thousands of cold calls and observing what happens when we trigger the right or wrong response. What I learned was that the typical receptionist or anyone for that matter prefers to do what they enjoy doing.

Logic dictates that when anyone hires a receptionist as a representative of their company, they always hire a friendly personality. This individual therefore has a preference to be helpful and tell the truth. Understanding this fact changed the way I made cold calls. My initial role in cold calling either on the telephone or in person is to trigger the friendly helpful response. I want to draw out this friendly person, NOT the protector.

If I was to act like or look similar to a salesperson, what do you think happens? In a split second they recognize me for who I am. So, they lie to me and protect their co-workers. They lie because I awaken the wrong person. I awaken the protector mode the receptionist must perform when they recognize an opponent. We are the opponent when we are in sales. The secret to success is to trigger the friendly, helpful response.

It is amazingly easy to trigger this mental switch. All I have to do is act like a person who needs help. Once accomplished, I get all the help I need. The receptionist is like putty in my hand. The manner in which questions are asked and the need for help makes a huge difference.

When I first started cold calling, the receptionist had the advantage the minute I told them who I was and where I was from. It was the tell tale sign of a salesperson. I wised up and stopped doing this. Instead I changed my pattern and began asking for help and appearing as if I was lost. This began my success pattern and triggered the preferred response. What was amazing was the ability to walk into a location and never tell them whom I was or where I was from but still learn what I wanted to know when I walked out the door. This knowledge made sales a fun game and changed the way I discovered opportunities.

Steve Martinez

My name is Steve Martinez and I started this business development company to eliminate sales failure. I have spent the last few decades honing my experience as a National Sales Manager, Sales Trainer, Mentor and Author of Selling. This history provides the depth of my experience and value to you as a client in the Business to Business marketplace.

I am proud to say that our innovative sales management strategies are revolutionizing sales for business to business companies. My clients are taught the advantage of building long term profitable relationships using his customized sales action plans. The results are nothing short of magical. Salespeople are able to perform twice, three times and, in some cases, ten times what they used to do before. Sales Managers enjoy the Selling Magic system as they more effectively manage and forecast sales.

I am not new to sales management, technology and sales workflow. I bring 25 years of business management consulting experience. I have been fortunate to have traveled the United States as a National Sales Manager, National Account Executive where I learned the real world lessons of sales. I've also worked for franchise organizations leading sales to a network of over 700 salespeople.

I wish I could say that sales success came easy. It didn't! I had to work at selling and learn the tough lessons. fortunately, this made me stronger and wiser. Through my experience I learned why businesses fail and why salespeople struggle in sales.

I enjoy applying these valuable lessons, focusing on teaching others how to increase sales, become more profitable using technology and following the best practices of Customer Relationship Management.

Our clients tell us, Selling Magic is a logical choice. It provides advanced business development strategies. We are certified members of the Cargill Consulting Group and the Mastermind Consulting Group. Selling Magic delivers sales management and Customer Relationship Building solutions with a suite of consulting services designed to enhance your business.

Steve is an accomplished speaker and writer for business development projects. Sales Automation, Sales Coaching and E-Marketing are his primary projects in business development.

We invite you to discover the Selling Magic approach to sales management and how Selling Magic can help you "out wit, out smart and out last, your competition."