Category archive for ‘Attitude’
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My Best Closing Tactic
Getting people to laugh helped me close more deals than every other method combined. Steve and I were negotiating our first deal. He was pushing me to the wall for a big discount. First, I was unwilling to cut my price. Second; I didn’t need to, because he had already made the emotional commitment to buy, which was why he was pushing so hard.It got tense. You know the type of tense negotiations I’m talking about. This wasn’t a poker faced, behind the shades, all in Texas old ‘em negotiation. This was an in your face, blood on the wall, last man or woman standing deal.
Finding an opportunity to raise a smile seemed impossible, but Steve finally gave me the opening, “You have it and I want it, so let’s make this deal.”
Without hesitation and a smile I said, “Steve, having is better than wanting, and I have it and you want it.”
He had a hard time catching his breath and nearly laughed himself to tears. I knocked off less than 1% on a six figure sale and we did plenty of business together down the road.
A father and son team tried working me over on $60,000 piece of equipment we were dying to sell. The son offered me $48,235.61 or some hokey number very close to that. Our deals are rounded off to the nearest zero, so this smelled fishy.
“Do you mind if I ask how you came up with that number?”
“My dad told me to offer you that.”
“Do you mind if I speak with your dad?”
“That’s an interesting number” I chortled. “Do you mind telling me how you came up with it?”
“It sounded good to me” he laughed.
“Well, $60,000 sounds better to me.” We laughed. He then explained that he was teaching his son how to buy. We agreed that I would give his son a small discount and a feel-good moment. We settled at $57,000, which I was very happy to get. His son felt like a hero and his father appreciated the discount and my handling the situation with a good sense of humor.
Of all the closing tips, tricks, and manipulations, nothing works better than authentically making someone feel good. And the best way to do that is to put a smile on their face and a laugh in their belly. Joke telling isn’t the only way. Most often, when we’re in tight negotiations, there is something in the situation that is truly funny. Try not to take yourself and selling too seriously. When all else fails, self-deprecation works very well.
When you laugh, the world laughs with you, and so do your customers.
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The Last Thing They See – Lasting Impressions
The importance we place on first impressions overshadows our last impression. Most people dress and check their front and maybe a side view in the mirror. Because we don’t have eyes in the back of our head, we pay little attention that side of ourselves. But it’s the last thing people see when we leave. (more…)
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It’s National Sales Day!
Back in the 80’s, I was fortunate enough to spend the evening with an icon in the machine tool industry at our monthly association meeting. Jay was an old school, NY sales pro in his 60’s. When I saw him, I told him I liked his tie. He immediately took it off, handed it to me, and invited me to sit with him. Jay turned to me and asked, “Do you know what day it is?” As I shrugged my shoulders he said, “National Sales Day”. As I pondered how that escaped me, he quickly asked, “Do you know what tomorrow is?” In New York harmony we both said, “National Sales Day”.
Barring Sundays, holidays, and vacations, every day is “National Sales Day.” The purpose of Sales Du Jour is to help you achieve your sales and marketing goals every day.
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Do You Know the Truth?
A linguistics professor was lecturing to his class one day.“In English,” he said, “a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative.”
A voice from the back of the room piped, “Yeah, right.” – From the Houston Chronicle via Aristotle Bancale
Words + Inflexion = Real Meaning (more…)
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Do You Really Give a Shit About Your Customers?
Do you care how they feel or how they are?Do you care about their future? (more…)
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I Want a Sales Force of Derek Jeters
Courtesy Robert Sabo/News
Queuing up the Yankee ballgame on my iPhone, in hopes of seeing Derek Jeter hit number 3,000, evoked childhood memories of my very first mobile device. My father cashed in wrappers from the countless cigars he smoked to give me the most popular electronic communication device in history.
I was 8 or 9 years old when he called me into the living room to watch him set it up. He opened the back and loaded the batteries before sliding it into the tan leather case. He turned it on, tested it, and said “Here’s the ear phone” as he handed it to me.
The transistor radio changed the world in its day, it made entertainment portable. On a sunny day, you could go to the beach or park without missing a game. It was the beginning of mobile life. We listened to our favorite announcers talk about Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays in a way that made you feel like you were sitting in the ball park.
Now I was sitting on the patio of a local restaurant, overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains, waiting to have lunch with my daughter and “watch” a Yankee game from a “phone!” The glass of wine I sipped was extra crisp and meaningful when we watched Derek Jeter’s 2,999th hit. Before we finished eating, Derek put one over the fence for number 3,000. He’s the 28th ballplayer to do it and only the second to have done it with a home run.
A few days ago, I remarked that I would love a sales force of Derek Jeters. The choice has nothing to do with his celebrity and everything to do with his character, personality, and attitude. The crowd would have cheered for hours because they love him, and with good reason. Even the Rays and ex-teammate Johnny Damon joined the standing ovation to honor #2.
Although Jeter was on the disabled list with an injury until last week, and has unexciting stats this year, he made the All Star team for the twelfth time. So what makes this guy so special?
Despite the constant leveraging of free agent status for more money that sends ballplayers to different clubs at a staggering rate, “Jete” has been a Yankee for his entire sixteen year career. Loyalty means more to him than making a few million dollars more. Loyalty is the cement of great teams and that’s one of the many reasons he has the rare honor of being the Yankees 13th team captain.
In a sport rocked by steroids, a litany of scandals and controversy, you never hear a bad word about this scandal-free guy. He’s never in the tabloids for anything scandalous. After his weak performance last year, with his contract expired, there were concerns about the Yankees resigning him.
After the Yankees publicized the negotiations all he had to say was “I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t angry about how some of this went; the negotiations were supposed to be private,” a class act. Nevertheless, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said of the Yankee captain: “If you had a daughter, you’d want her to marry Derek Jeter. He’s a great person.”
He finished this historic game with 5 hits including the game winning RBI, but as always, this gentleman never glorified his accomplishments. Here are some quotes from the post-game interview with Yankees announcer Kimberly Jones:
“The most important thing is we were able to win and I was happy I had the chance to contribute.”
“I wasn’t trying to do it (3,000 hits). I just come out here and try to play hard every day and if you do that, I guess good things happen.”
When asked what he would say to the fans, “I’m glad I did it here. Thanks for coming, thanks for the support throughout the years. I’m most happy that I hit them all in this uniform, playing for this organization.” -Derek Jeter
George Steinbrenner was known as being one tough boss. He paid his players more than anyone else, demanded a lot, was outspoken about it, and rarely paid a compliment for what he felt was due him. Yet here is what he said of his team captain:
“I have always been very, very careful about giving such a responsibility to one of my players, but I cannot think of a single player that I have ever had who is more deserving of this honor than Derek Jeter. He is a young man of great character and has shown great leadership qualities. He believes, as I do, what General (Douglas) MacArthur said, that ‘there is no substitute for victory.’ To him, and to me, it’s second only to breathing.” – George Steinbrenner
Real heroes and heroines aren’t perfect, but they share certain qualities that make them who and what they are: commitment, consistency, courtesy, discipline, enthusiasm, friendship, helpfulness, honor, humility, kindness, loyalty, passion, optimism, teammanship, and a tremendous work ethic.Even fans who hate the Yankees love Jeter. That’s the kind of person I want selling on my team.
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Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way: The 7 Traits of Great Sellers by Ron Karr – Book Review
More sales books, blog posts, and articles are published monthly than all the material available when my sales career began in 1971. Finding the gems can be daunting, so I was fortunate to find “Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way.” I met the author Ron Karr on Twitter, enjoyed his conversations and posts, and liked what he says about selling. A Fox TV interview with him finally piqued my interest enough to read his book. (more…)
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Slow Down, You’re Selling Too Fast
When the new Corvette came out in 1984, the president of our company gave me one as a company car. My red toy had the first digital dashboard; it was like driving a video game. Slamming the gas pedal pinned you to the back of the seat. I could go from red light to red light faster than almost any other car.An officer who gave me one of three speeding tickets awarded to the red beast told me, “Son this car looks fast standing still.” I do not believe I got anywhere any faster than I did in any other car.
My third speeding ticket came with a license suspension. I plead with the judge, “It should be illegal to make cars that go this fast.” The judge agreed, and then found me guilty. (more…)
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Sushi Chefs & Salespeople
I love watching a great sushi chef at work, so I sit at the sushi bar. They are masterful, food artisans that create with exquisite detail, care, and enthusiasm. The sushi chef knows that’s why you’re sitting at their bar, and usually, the patrons at the bar get better cuts, and a more decorative presentation, and ornately cut oranges for dessert. The chef’s tip jar gets filled and they get a big smiley arigato as an added bonus.
I love a great sales pitch. Most sales professionals and executives do too. Unfortunately, I hear very few these days and a call this morning prompted this post. But when I hear a great presentation, I stand up, pay attention, give a compliment, and sometimes make a purchase that I had not intended. There were many times customers told me that they made the purchase simply because of my presentation.
These are symbiotic relationships. They feed off of each other. There is much more going on than an exchange of money for food, a service, or a product. This is entertainment that fulfils an emotional need.
Most purchases are made to fulfill an emotional or psychological need. Most of what we buy, we can live without. No one needs a 5,000 sq. foot home, a Mercedes or Lexus, $2,000 suits, or garages filled with unused stuff instead of cars. We buy stuff to make ourselves feel better and the decisions we make are steered by the presentations.
“Enthusiasm is by far the highest paid quality on earth, probably because it is one of the rarest; yet, it is one of the most contagious.” – Frank Bettger
Enthusiasm triggers optimism and positive emotions that build faith and confidence. Before learning how to sell or reading books on sales, my natural enthusiasm filled the gap for my neophyte sales process. When I sat forward with a little animation and emotion in my voice, my audience responded the same way. They leaned forward with open eyes and open ears, and I made sales.
In a tough economy or a sales slump, it’s easy to get down and allow that to be expressed in your presentation. When that happens, you’re dead before you begin.
If you say, “I believe our product will increase your productivity 20%” with a slow cadence in a monotone voice, slouched back in a chair, you are conveying an incongruent message. Your body language disqualifies your words and you will not be believed.
But if you truly believe that their productivity will increase 20% and you say it with emotion and conviction in your voice and body, you will be believed. Your contagious enthusiasm will be caught and acted upon.
How much enthusiasm is enough?
Practice your key points in a mirror with a tape recorder, use your webcam if you have one, present to your sales manager, another salesperson, or your life partner. Practicing in my car on the way to a meeting was super preparation.
“Nothing but the determination to act enthusiastic increased my income 700% in 10 days.” – Frank Bettger
I promise you this. When you act enthusiastic, you’ll become enthusiastic, and your customers and audience will catch it too.
Next up; more on what sushi chefs and salespeople have in common.
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It’s Not About the Lollipop, It’s About the Customer Experience
Years ago, after a visit with the doctor and a painful shot or some other forgettable experience, we got a lollipop or some other sweet treat and a smile. Banks picked up on the idea and in recent times added doggie treats.
I just had a conversation with a friend about this tactic and he told me about his ritual of taking his dog for a ride to the bank drive through, which he describes as a fun time that he looks forward to. Imagine your customers describing their visits with you as a fun experience that they actually look forward to!
You might not invite your customer’s dog along or give it dog biscuits, because it really isn’t about the treats, it’s about the experience. This is a simple strategy that associates something enjoyable with you and your meetings. What can you close your meetings with that will associate you with something enjoyable?
Bill Malloy, an older business friend and mentor that joint ventured numerous deals with me, gave away gourmet jellybeans. He kept cases on hand and mailed them to anyone and everyone that made an inquiry. He gave Olympus OM 35mm cameras to customers that made referrals and was always running a unique promotion. He didn’t just give you a bag of candy or a camera, he made you feel good too.
Our entire industry associated Bill with a good experience. As a market leader and officer in our association, I introduced my wife to countless competitors, partners and customers. When I read this post to her, she said, “Of everyone I met in your industry, Bill Malloy stands out the most.”
My father-in-law kept his desk and closet well stocked with candy and all twenty-odd grandchildren knew it. The kids lined up for sweet treats and his laugh. “Have you been good?” he’d tease. I’m about to become a grandfather and my kids have reminded me of my obligation to have a big stock of candy. They associate candy with loving reward.
Remember my doctor that smiled? When I was 3 or 4 years old, he gave me a shot and I cried. He pulled out a lollipop, smiled, and apologized, “I made a mistake. That shot was for the girl downstairs!” There was no girl downstairs or upstairs. That was over 50 years ago and I still remember the lollipop, apology, and his smile, but the shot is foggy.
Buyers associate salespeople with pain, so change that association to something positive. The last thing you say and do is remembered most. Even if the meeting goes awry, you can patch things up with your close, and when it goes well, you can make it better. Say something personal and sincere, and apologize when necessary. Then throw in a bag of jellybeans, or something sweet, and most importantly, don’t forget your warm, sincere smile.
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