Today's guest post is from Meryl Hooker, Sales Rockstar.

I am not a sports fan but like so many others, the Olympic games in Vancouver caught my attention. I didn't make time to sit down and watch any of the events, but some of the highlights really got me thinking. Of all the amazing performances, I found two athletes particularly inspiring: snowboarder and gold medal winner, Shaun White, and cross country skier and bronze medal winner, Petra Majdic.

Petra Majdic had a brutal time. During a trial run, she tumbled head first off the course into a rocky stream and could barely walk. Volunteers had to help her out of the ravine. She turned around and not only participated in the main event; she placed third – after rejecting a painkiller that would have hindered her movement. Talk about commitment!

How many times have you crashed into your own ravine and just stayed there in defeat?

Shaun White met and exceeded all expectation as well. He locked in a repeat gold performance in the amazingly elegant snowboarding competition. He later admitted he was nervous going into the qualifying round because he didn't want to be the guy who "couldn't hold." I don't know about you, but I sure can relate to that.

How many times have you reached a new personal best, and had moments of doubt about whether you could hold… or exceed it?

When he was asked about what he did to keep his emotions in check and deliver the killer execution of his routine, White responded, "That's how I pictured it in my mind, of how it was going to go down."

How good are you at picturing how something is going to go down… and then making it happen?

I am a die-hard sales enthusiast and there is no doubt that the principles of being an Olympic champion are not all that different from being a sales champion. It doesn't matter if you're running a store or a sales rep running the road. Here's what the games reinforce for me about sales training and execution:

• You don't get good in day.
• You must practice and train every day.
• You must have a deep, down in your soul, drive to be the best.
• Focus always.
• Discipline always.
• Have fun.
• Represent your sport (or manufacturer or customer or store) the very best you can.
• Take a trick and do it a little better and a little bigger.
• Create new things.
• Set goals for yourself. Some that are out of reach, some that aren't.
• It's not always easy and it's not always fun.
• Hard work pays off.

I don't know that any of these are revolutionary new lessons in sales or athletics. It doesn't have to take big events like the Olympics to remind us of these basic principles. We can create the motivation for ourselves everyday by focusing on, planning and practicing a better performance in our stores and with our customers. We may not be as hip as Shaun White, but that doesn't mean we can't earn the gold… or the green.

Meryl Hooker is a manufacturer's representative, writer, speaker, sales coach and all-around Sales Rockstar. She is the writer of "Road Rage," a blog about repping and selling and co-author of the forthcoming book, Pushing The Envelope: The Small Greeting Card Manufacturer's Guide to Working with Sales Reps (Center Aisle Press, May 2010). She lives in Washington, DC and can be reached via www.merylhookersales.com.

I've been busy today finalizing a webinar that I'm giving tomorrow (at 1:30 EST) geared toward wholesalers and manufacturers who are looking to understand how to market and sell their products to the cart and kiosk industry. I've had a lot of malls and retailers sign up as well, so it's really open to everyone.

I'm planning on covering the following topics:

• An overview of the specialty industry.
• A profile of cart and kiosk retailers.
• Which products work in the industry.
• Tips and suggestions for how to market to this lucrative segment of the retail industry.

For all those in the industry out there, I'd love to hear any tips you might like to share!

And it's not too late to register (for FREE) if you're interested in learning more.

The founder of Twitter is launching a new iPhone application that will enable you to accept credit cards from your iPhone—something that will be very convenient for retailers who are doing special events and don't have a portable credit card machine.

Watch the YouTube video below to see this cool technology. I know it will certainly come in handy for me at trade shows.

According to a survey recently conducted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, of 1800 independent stores sales were up 2.2 percent November and December, versus the same time period in 2008. In comparison, overall retail sales rose just 1.1 percent on a year-to-year comparison.

Retailers recently quoted in an article in the San Francisco Chronicle attributed increased holiday season sales to the shop local campaigns they promoted in their stores.

As you think about your marketing for the year, remember to incorporate the shop local message in your signage at the store, outgoing correspondence (email and direct mail) and in any advertising you do. It's a powerful tool that can influence consumer spending, as people do want to support their local community— they just need a friendly reminder.

By nature, I'm a very competitive person… but I think it's because I find it so rewarding to win. So naturally, I love participating in contests.

Back when I worked for the chain store Gantos, we were paid a base salary plus commission. In addition, our store manager loved to have contests. She would create different teams (day team versus the night team, or a mix of new and seasoned sales people) and the whole team was very motivated by the commission that we were paid for each item sold. It was amazing to see how competitive and driven the team became when a monthly contest was added to the mix (even if the contest reward was only $50 per person).

This just reaffirms that great sales people love recognition (some even more than money—or at least just as much!), so remember to recognize your sales team regularly.

Here are a few ideas:

1. A handwritten note or certificate for the person with the top monthly sales.

2. An individual or team contest with a prize (the prize doesn't have to be big).

3. A pay program that offers commission to reward your employees each time they make a sale. You'll find it will incentivize them to sell more as well.

4. Verbal recognition for a team member at a staff meeting who made a big sale, had a great month, or went above and beyond for a customer.

I do a lot of speaking all over the world to educate retailers, so I just uploaded my first professional video clip to YouTube. I thought it would be a good marketing tool in YouTube and on my website, so we've embedded the video on the homepage of PatriciaNorins.com. Plus, we've also added video testimonials to our tradeshow site.

It got me thinking about the many creative ways you can use YouTube to promote your store, so here are a few to get you started:

1. Interview some of your customers to get reviews of a product they've bought in the past. I just read a study that reported customer reviews can up web sales of a particular product by as much as 30%.

2. Feature a new product of the month that you profile and talk about in a two minute video. Make sure to link to your video in your enewsletter—and embed the video on the page of your site that lists the product.

3. Make a short design video. Show your customers how to set the perfect holiday table, how to accessorize their fireplace mantle or how to hang pictures to create a gallery effect on their wall. This will position you as not only a resource for gifts and home decor, but also as an expert who is willing to give advice to customers who are in need of a few tips.

4. Ask your customers why they love shopping in your store. (They keep coming back, there must be a good reason!)

5. Show a "before" and "after" display of your windows or a section of the store. Use the opportunity to talk about the products you've placed.

Have you made a YouTube video for your store? Post a link so we can see it!

One of the things I love most about a new year is that we go over the budgeting and sales from the previous year, which forces me to take time to assess how the year actually went—what worked and what didn't. Then, I plan ahead for the new year.

At a recent 2010 strategy meeting with our subscription department, I had everyone close their notebooks and put away the reports that were sitting in front of them. I then encouraged the team to imagine they were a new employee, just starting today. What questions did they have? What advice or suggestions would they give to grow revenue and profits? With this fresh perspective, it prompted us to all think a little differently. We walked away from the meeting with exciting new ideas and a great start for the 2010 plan.

In addition to that brainstorm idea (approaching your business as an outsider), here are a few questions you could think about as you plan your strategy for the new year:

1. What were your five top selling lines in 2010? Were any new to your store? If so, where/how did you find them? What age group(s) did the top selling products appeal to (i.e., are you seeing a spike in the sales of tween, teen or pet-related products?)

2. If you have more employees than just yourself, do you have the best possible sales team in place. After all, it's hard to grow your sales when you don't have a stellar sales force. Can you offer any exciting new sales programs or incentives for hitting personal or team sales goals?

3. What new marketing initiatives will you take? Will you try social marketing for the first time, a new direct mail piece or a new store promotion?

4. What will you do to continue to evolve your website (after all, your website enables you to sell globally, not just locally)?

5. What new displays will you do to make your store look fresh? How often will you re-merchandise? What's your window display plan for the quarter or the year?

I hope you have a healthy and successful new year!

I have a really crazy idea… what if you were to get competitive with online store retailers and offer free shipping to all customers who spent more than a certain amount for one week only? It would certainly create a powerful reason for customers to come and shop in your store, it would incentivize them to spend more money than they might have otherwise, it would offer them convenience and service and it would differentiate you from the competition.

Even though you'll have to cover the cost of the shipping out of your own pocket, the additional money you'll make in sales should more than cover it and then some.

One of the mantras I continue to repeat to retailers is "you must give your customers a reason to visit your store." Which is one of the reasons why I love store promotions.

Even if you already have a few store promotions planned this holiday season, here are five more ideas to create fast and easy last minute store promotions:

1. Have a cookie decorating party. Invite the first 100 customers to your store to decorate gingerbread cookies (you can purchase them in bulk from your local bakery). Set-up a special table for the decorating and give each each customer a special voucher for participating—$5 off any purchase over $30.

2. Invite Santa or Mrs. Claus to visit your store. Promote free pictures with Santa to all your customers.

3. If you buy from any local artisans, invite one of them in for an in-store signing. Customers love to buy things that have been autographed by the artist.

4. Offer to take pictures (and print them) of your customers' pets in an outside holiday display. After the event, print your favorite 25 pictures and create a store display. Reward customers for coming back to the store to see it.

5. Offer a free stocking stuffer to the first 25 customers (in an email blast) who mention the special offer.

This year I spoke to retailers across the country about one of my favorite topics—email marketing. In the sessions I teach, I always suggest that retailers sign up to get on the email mailing list of at least 20 retailers (from small to big retailers) so you can start an idea book of what the competition is doing. It's easy to signup—most retailers have an enewsletter signup prominently displayed on their store website—I'm on at least 100 different lists (which is very helpful!).

As the holiday season gets underway, it is imperative that you keep the momentum going with your email marketing. I know it's easy to get so busy with store operations that it falls to the bottom of your to do list, but with other retailers aggressively emailing this holiday season, you MUST continue to give your customers reminders and reasons to visit your store!