Calls not getting returned? Prospects telling you your price is too high? Prospective customers asking for three bids? Unable to get to the real decision maker?

Do you think you’re the ONLY salesperson facing these issues? Come on; really now? My bet is every one of your colleagues has exactly the same issues. So, why are they reoccurring?

Here’s how to have a better, easier, more fun, more productive, less frustrating (sound good so far?), more bountiful and more profitable sales life: Create an internal sales mastermind.

One of the most powerful principles Napoleon Hill wrote about in “Think and Grow Rich” is the ninth step: Power of the Master Mind. He defines mastermind as a “coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.”

In other words, people working together in harmony to get to the “best answer” or “best response.” In your case: sales barriers or objections in common.

Take one objection at a time and have single-subject meetings.

• Everyone has two to five minutes to discuss their issues and whatever form of success they have had.

• Everyone takes notes.

• No one interrupts.

• Everyone has a chance to have two minutes to share their best idea based on their homework, their past experience and what they’ve just learned.

• Each person in the group shares their personal opinion of what they believe will work best, either by what they’re doing in the field or what they have just learned.

• One or several answers and strategies are agreed upon, and all participants agree to try them – and RECORD them as they’re being executed.

The next mastermind session (one week later) should begin with “what happened” in the past week.

• Everyone has two to five minutes to discuss their application, what happened and what form of success they have had.

• Everyone takes notes.

• No one interrupts.

• Everyone gives their refinements based on actual circumstances, applications and results.

• Final tweaks are offered and agreed upon.

• The entire sales force now has a set of answers they can use.

When applying new strategies in the field, or on the phone, do them a few times to get familiar. Depending on your situation, and whom you’re talking to, wording may be critical. Make certain your language is positive and non-manipulative.

For example, if you’re trying to find the decision maker and you ask, “Are you the decision maker?” it will breed inconsistent answers and half-truths. But if you ask, “How will the decision be made?” followed by asking, “Then what?” a few times, it will bring real results.

Pretty cool, huh?

If you wanna make certain to get the best results, follow these rules and guidelines:

• A mastermind is NOT a corporate meeting.

• A mastermind IS a real-world meeting designed to generate answers in less than 60 minutes – and those answers are to be taken out into the field, or delivered over the phone, the same day or sooner.

• A mastermind is all about what CAN BE DONE.

• At least three consecutive meetings on each topic.

• Let the laughs flow; the answers and ideas will follow.

CHALLENGE: Invite your CEO to attend. Besides being impressed, the boss will get to see how his or her paycheck is created.