Tag archive for ‘Inspired Selling’
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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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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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Are You Selling Like Publishers Clearing House?
The first time a “You won a $1,000,000” showed up in my mailbox, my sales and marketing mind was piqued. Opening this treasure revealed I had not won anything yet and might only win a car or digital clock with a shortwave radio that doesn’t work. The pitch unfolded to a litany of stuff I did not want, yet subliminally suggested a purchase would help me win.
Sales people spend tremendous effort and expense to pay for the first meeting. Niceties are exchanged, the timing seems right, and the coveted secret value proposition is launched with something like this: (more…)
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Are All Sales Opportunities Equal?
The most widely accepted definition of a qualified sales opportunity is a decision maker with a budget to purchase a product or service. But are all sales opportunities equal? Are identical offerings to two different buyers equal in value to the sales rep?
In the 1940s, Frank Bettger, author of the sales classic “How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success” made several game changing observations over a 12 month period.
- 70% of sales were closed on first meeting
- 23% closed on second meeting
- 7% closed on third meeting or after
- 50% of his time was spent chasing the 7% that closed on the third meeting or after
By eliminating sales that did not close by the second meeting, Frank doubled his income!
“On average, it takes a salesperson 3 to 4 months longer to lose a deal than to win one.” – James Ninivaggi, Research Analyst for SiriusDecisions
Based on James’ research, if your average sales cycle is 90 days, then all sales should be dropped on the 91st day.
When I learned Frank’s simple and brilliant philosophy, I wondered if I could eliminate weak sales opportunities on the frontend. How could I avoid high-effort, low-return sales and sales I would never close?
Qualifying by itself is not enough for evaluation, so I assessed my best and weakest sales with questions like these:
Which sales netted the highest profit with the least effort?
What did those sales look like, including lead origin, products and services sold, price range, discount, and cycle length?
With which types of customer was I most successful, company size, organizational makeup, decision maker’s position, buying committee size, and personality types?
From the answers, I developed a quantification method that helped me evaluate and segregate new sales opportunities.
By eliminating high-effort, low-return sales that pay lower commissons, wear you down, and drain your enthusiasm and passion, you can focus that lost time with a better attitude on high-return, lower-effort opportunities. This is a secret of top producers.
The Declaration of Sales Quality Effectiveness
When, in the course of sales events, it becomes necessary for sales professionals to dissolve the methods that have failed them, then with authority, separate unequal sales opportunities, losers from winners, which the new process entitles them.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all sales are not created equal, that sales professionals are endowed as decision makers with certain unalienable rights; that among these are the right to the pursuit of quality sales opportunities that lead to higher commissions, greater ROI, and happiness.
Free yourself of lousy sales results, add your name and comment to “The Declaration of Sales Quality Effectiveness”
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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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Enthusiasm is the lever that moves a sale
Archimedes said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” Enthusiasm is the lever that moves a sale.
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Creating Inspiring Sales Presentations
When they were 17 and 18 years old, our daughters moved to South Carolina to perform with the Charleston Ballet Theatre, and our son moved to San Diego after graduating college. (more…)
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