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December 2013

In this Issue
Musical Sales Break
MXL Gets CISCO Award
Rule #42: You've Got the Template
Dickens on Christmas
Classical Christmas, by Michael Griego
Musical Sales Break

 

Holiday Classics on Classical Guitar

 

To help usher in the  holiday season, relax and  enjoy Michael Griego's classical guitar recording, Classical Christmas.

 

Taking a break from the day job, Michael Griego has produced and released a collection of traditional Christmas classics on classical guitar. The arrangements of traditional carols and tunes on classical guitar played with intermittent flamenco techniques make for a heart warming and moving musical experience. Pull up a chair and enjoy.

 

Locally in the Bay Area, Michael will be performing at:

 

Red Rock Coffee

201 Castro Street

Mountain View, CA

Wednesday, Dec 11th

7:00-9:00pm  

 

His CD is available on iTunes, also at  CD Baby, and Amazon.com.

 

Have a Merry Classical Christmas!

 

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New 2013 2nd Edition!

     

42 Rules to Increase Sales Effectiveness

by Michael Griego 

 

Foreword by Mark Leslie   Venture Capitalist and former Founder/CEO of Veritas Software

Amazon.com  

"This book rocks - I've got pages dog-eared and notes throughout!" - Enterprise VP of Sales  

 

 

"42 gems that any entrepreneur can use to their company." - Start-up CEO 

 

"An excellent, well-written guide that de-mystifies the process for repeatable sales success." - VP Business Development 

 

 

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Year-End Selling 
If you don't have it forecasted  by now, then it's not going to materialize and close in the next few weeks. The writing's on the wall, so to speak, when it comes to finalizing deals and closing out the year. Right?
 
Yes, probably. But don't give up yet. Not everyone's finished buying before the calendar year end.  And even if they are, the 2014 fast start opportunity sits right before you.
 
Here are 3 Year-End Selling Keys to consider as you dive into the final weeks: 
  1. Never Say Never, Until it's Done - This applies to deals you're closing as well as deals barely alive for the month. Never underestimate competition's tactics late in December. A deal's done when the agreement is signed and booked. Likewise, pull out all the stops when you're working to close. It's the 9th inning, the 2-minute Drill, the Final Drive - pick your analogy. Don't stop until large ladies start singing.
  2. Get Yourself Set-Up for January - For those companies not closing out a fiscal year, recognize that it is year-end for most of your customers and partners. Show respect for their time and proactive set up meetings "after the Holidays" and get on their early January calendars. Either way it gets you a Fast Start in January whether it a new year or mid-quarter.
  3. Serve Your Customer and Partners - Leverage the holiday season and think of helping/serving your customers and partners. Where you can, help them get done what they need to get done. Do an extra reach out during these weeks and seek to connect on a more personal level. Be sincere. It's not all about business. Extending some humanity is actually good business by good people.

Have a strong close for the month and a Merry Christmas!

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MXL Gets CISCO Sales Training Award
  
CISCO Systems has awarded Michael Griego of MXL Partners their 2013-2014 High-Performing Learning Partner Award.
  
For the past 2 years MXL has designed and delivered sales effectiveness training for CISCO's global Sales Associates Program and Partner Sales Academy. The program is a rigorous 14-week sales and technical training program for CISCO salespeople and their key partner firms.
  
"It's a privilege to be a part of CISCO global training program. To be recognized with this high-performing learning award is a real honor," says Griego.
  
MXL has participated in developing and honing curriculum focused on essentials for sales effectiveness and modules for sales qualification and objection handling. The CISCO world class programs are delivered globally live in classrooms as well as virtually via CISCO's Telepresence technology.  

Rule #42 - You've Got the Template

(2nd Edition)

    

There is less than five minutes left in the 4th quarter of a high school championship football game. The score is tied 7-7. The All-American tailback catches the punt at the 50-yard line and returns the ball to the 5-yard line. On first-and-goal the quarterback in the huddle calls for a "Pop Right"-a play in which he takes the snap from center, turns to the right and hands the ball off to the team's All League fullback who dives into the gap between the right guard and right tackle. The play is stopped cold for no gain. On second-down the quarterback calls the same play. This time the fullback runs to the three-yard line.

 

It's now third-and-goal. With the clock running, the quarterback calls for a "Pop Left"-the same identical play except to the left side of the line. As they approach the line of scrimmage, the left guard glances at the left tackle and they both nod their heads, as if to signal "it's now our turn." As the left guard gets into his 3-point stance he recalls all the blocking fundamentals that have been ingrained into his head by his coaches for many hours over years of practice. Stay low, explode into your man, drive the legs, dig, dig, dig, don't stop until the whistle blows....

 

When I think about it, I can still smell the grass as I lay face down in it, my chest across the goal line, that All-League fullback lying over my shoulder holding the ball. I was the left guard. We scored the touchdown. We won the game. We won the championship.

 

Like all those football blocking fundamentals, this book has included tools, concepts and fundamentals for effective selling and sales management. It's really on you, the reader, to pull this all together as appropriate and apply it to the big tasks in front of you. In many cases, much is at stake, even more than high school championship games. The clear memory I have was the flashing across my mind, at the exact moment of truth, all that I had learned and practiced to make me effective at that needed time. May it be so for you as well with all that is in this book. May you step up to the occasion and implement all tools and fundamentals necessary for you to be at your best, to sell and execute effectively and successfully in your own high stakes game. I'll be cheering for you. 

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Dickens on Christmas                      

 

"It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!"   

 
Charles Dickens, an English writer and social critic