It's one of the simplest things we do every day, yet most people don't do it often enough. Smiling has numerous emotional and physical benefits, both for the sender and receiver. You'll hear a number of those, and you are guaranteed to smile during this episode!
You'll hear a recording of an actual prospecting call Art received. There was one fatal mistake that caused the call to fail, and a few other errors Art points out. To his credit, the caller did do a couple of things right, and you'll hear those as well. To ensure your prospecting calls don't contain these mistakes, get Art's free Cold Calling (without the cold) Fill-in-the-Blanks Template and free video training at http://SalesByPhone.com
In the movie "Boiler Room," about an unscrupulous stock brokerage firm and its managers and brokers, there are the typical stereotypes of salespeople. Art points out two of the myths perpetuated in the film, and the one good piece of sales advice they suggest.
Our prospects and customers receive thousands of marketing messages every day, and ignore most of them. The ONLY chance we have of getting attention is by being relevant. Today's guest, Bill Cates, is an expert at the messaging to use to help you grab attention by personalizing your messaging so that prospects feel it is all about them and has value. You'll hear a simple process to use right now to create messaging you can use in your voice mails, emails, and call openings.
You can make claims and statements about how great you, your company, and your products/services are. But, they can be viewed with skepticism. Or, you can use these techniques that people place credibility in, which is the key to helping them trust you, and ultimately buy from you. You'll hear exactly what to say in your own sales situations.
Technology has provided amazing tools to us as salespeople. It also hinders people who hide behind it. No tool can ever replace a human when it comes to the two-way communication that people need.
Everyone knows how to listen. Yet, most of us do it very poorly. The highest performing sales professionals do it at an extreme level. You'll hear how to do that in this episode.
Art shares a prospecting call he received, and points out the numerous mistakes the caller made in just a few seconds. And you'll hear what he could have said to grab interest and attention and have success on the call. You can easily do the same with Art's free Cold Call Fill-in-the-Blanks template (and free video) at http://SalesByPhone.com.
Most people would like to do better, and have more than where they are right now. Yet, most also continue to get the same results. A few however, are already getting what you want. They have taken the Quantum Leaps to get there. You can too. You'll hear nine brief tips from the book, "The Quantum Leap," by Price Pritchett, to help you on your way to achieving great things.
Salespeople, and businesses in general, often make two huge mistakes with the inquiries they receive, causing them to miss out on sales. You'll hear the mistakes to avoid, and what TO do to turn more more of the inquiries you get into sales, both now, and in the future.
A communication mistake many people make is assuming others know what we know. This is especially dangerous in sales. You'll hear how the airline gate agent thought Art asked a stupid question, but his perception was from his own world of aviation. You'll also hear other mistakes to avoid, and what to do to be clear and specific, and help your prospects and customers to be as well.
Salespeople often leave a lot of money on the table because they are uncomfortable recommending a higher-priced option. That's a huge mistake, as you'll hear with the example of the Best Buy sales rep that Art shares. You'll hear mistakes to avoid, and what to do to easily increase your average order size.
Everyone would like the "Easy" button for most things. And like with most things, real success requires more than the easy route. However, there are some simple steps we can take in sales to indeed avoid mistakes, and get some quick wins. Hear a simple way to put together an interest-creating message you can use in voice mails, emails, and call openings to grab instant interest and get replies.
There are many people who treat what they do as just a job. The highest earners are true professionals. Like Leo, the limo driver. Hear Art's experience with the ultimate in professionalism, from a driver his group had in Chicago. And, you'll hear the common characteristics that all true sales PROfessionals have as well.
Most things that salespeople hear from prospects regarding price are not real objections. Just statements or comments. The danger is when the reps don't know how to respond, and end up giving away profits. Here's an example of how the golf pro did this with Art, and sold his golf balls at a much higher price than they sell for online. And you'll hear what you can do, too.
Closing is not, and should not be about techniques or hard sell manipulative tactics. When done professionally, it is a natural next step in a natural conversation. James Muir has developed two simple questions that have been proven to be the most effective steps to take to get prospects to move forward in the sales process, and buy. You'll hear the exact words, and how to use them.
The people who directly interact with prospects and customers ARE the company to those buyers. One screw up by one person can cause them to never buy there again. And most of these people who interact with buyers don't realize the true lifetime value of a customer. Such was the case of the pizza shop owner Art had tried to order from. This will get you thinking about the real value of your customers, how important every interaction is, and what you can do to maximize them.
Old school, cheesy sales advice suggests you should always assume the sale, and use "assumptive" closing techniques. Part of that is partially true, and the other part can either make the sales rep look like a fool, or be the exact thing to do. It depends on the situation. All of this is explained in this episode so you will have a clear plan as to when to assume and what to do, and when to never to do it.
Too many sales are lost because the salesperson uses weak language. They wish for the business or next step, instead of directly asking for it. And, this is NOT being pushy when used correctly. You'll hear lots of tips and word-for-word closes and commitment questions you can use right now.
If the title of this episode got your attention, you will be listening for the word "wine" when you hit "play." And you will hear it. The sales point of this episode is that we look for what we expect. And you should do the same thing when you send anything to a prospect or customer after a sales call. Then, there's a greater chance they will actually pay attention to what you send. You'll hear Art's wine story, and how he got what he expected at a wine tasting.
Some sales training goes overboard on its insistence that you use or don't use certain words. The words we use in sales CAN make all of the difference. But WHERE they are used is much more important. You'll hear this explained using the "feel" vs. "thinking" example.
Almost all of the locals are salespeople in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, as Art observed on vacation this week. Beach vendors, kids working in jewelry stores, and more all provided valuable sales lessons--including how to deal with rejection--that we all can use.
Often, using the most simple, conversational replies are the best ways to deal with mild resistance. If someone doesn't have a good reason for their resistance, simply asking them to repeat it can help them to open up more to your offer. You'll hear how to do that in this very brief episode.
One of the best sales questions Art has ever heard was from the old TV show, Ally McBeal. You can use this simple question to get people off of the fence, and either tell you they are not a prospect, or get them to move forward. Both of which are better than a "maybe."
Sometimes prospects ask salespeople extremely technical, or outrageous questions that catch them off-guard, and cause them to respond with a long string of nonsense. We can avoid that, and it involves actually NOT answering the question immediately. You'll hear how to respond, and why.
Do you tend to put things off? How does that work out for you? Procrastination rarely leads to anything positive, especially in sales. Here are a few brief tips to help you take action on things you have been putting off--now!
It should be obvious that inquiries are your best source of new business. Yet sales reps mishandle them every day, and lose opportunities, and cash. Here are examples of how many reps made mistakes when Art wanted to buy now, and what one person did to get the business.
Salespeople waste a lot of time needlessly by easily giving in to something like, "Give me a call back next month." You'll hear what to say to learn if they even are a good prospect, and if so, why waiting is even necessary. You'll save time, and sell more.
Everyone who prospects for new business has heard, "We're satisfied with who we're using now," or some variation of that. There's a lot of nonsense that has been taught about how to respond, such as, "What do you like best about them?" That actually gets them to reinforce their decision to work with their vendor. You'll hear what TO say instead, to get them talking, which then opens up the chance they will work with you.
On the popular medical drama TV series from a few years ago, the surgeons would always ask one question with their new patients during the initial consultation. This is a question that revealed very important things about them. It's the same type of question we should use with prospects and customers to learn about them, and which will help them buy from us.
