Category: building rapport in sales

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Why Sellers Must Be Leaders with Ty Bennett #272

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Why Sellers Must Be Leaders with Ty Bennett #272

Ty Bennett is the author of  four books and the recent best-selling book Partnership Is the New Leadership. Ty and his brother started a business in direct sales, which they built to over $20 million in annual revenue while still in their twenties. He then founded  Leadership Inc., a speaking and training company. It’s mission is to empower individuals and organizations to challenge their status quo, cultivate exceptional relationships, and compete in extraordinary ways. In this episode Ty and I discuss why sellers must be leaders to inspire buyers and have them take action.

What is Leadership?

Leadership is the ability to influence people to take action. There are two sides to it:

    1.  Influence is built on deeper relationships  – Buyers must trust the seller before they trust the product. Sales is human to human, person to person. Sellers should authentically care about others and be interested and curious about their buyers.  Sellers become leaders by placing the emphasis on others before themselves. Over time they establish commonality which is the first step towards rapport building.
    2. You are your conversations  – Consider the words you use. Reflect on how you pitch and your storytelling.  It’s important to be conversational, brief yet  intriguing to solicit interest. Peak people’s curiosity and interest, by quickly sharing your story.

Ty is not of fan of saying “Let me tell you a story”.  This sounds boring. Ty’s a proponent of asking a “you” focused story questions:

  • “Have you ever had this experience? Yes. Let me tell you about a time when ……...”
  • “Have you ever had this happen to you?  Yes. Let me tell you about a time when ……...”

Take a case study with a client solution and start it with a question. Make the story VERY relatable. Your buyers will connect with it’s lesson.

Take Action

Lance believes that leadership has very little to do with title. It’s all about influence and action.  When you do that, success is created.

How to Find Ty Bennett

    • ty@leadershipinc.com
    • This is Ty’s website tybennett.com
    •  in/tybennett on LinkedIn
    • @TyBennett on Twitter
    • /Tybennett5 on Facebook
    • @ty.bennett on Instagram

For the Sales Babble listeners go here for leadership content and advice.

Please help with the Habanero.Community matchmaking mastermind study! two  minutes I promise!

Building Rapport in Sales

Listen to past episodes on leadership and rapport building today!

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Networking is a Contact Sport with Joe Sweeney #271

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Networking is a Contact Sport with Joe Sweeney #271

Our guest is Joe Sweeney, author of three books most recently “Networking is a Contact Sport”. Joe has owned, operated, and sold four manufacturing companies, headed up the Wisconsin Sports Authority, and launched a sports marketing firm, where he represented several professional athletes, most notably serving as Brett Favre’s marketing agent during his time in Green Bay. In this episode we discuss networking principles with advice all Sales Babblers will appreciate.

Networking Philosophy

Joe prefers to think of networking as Connecting. He believes:

  • Networking is not just business development but it’s really about relationship building
  • Give and serve and NOT get
  • You haven’t had a perfect day until you’ve done a favor from someone who can never repay you. – John Wooden
  • Networking is not about you
  • Don’t talk about yourself
  • Ask great questions

Approach to Business Networking

Ask, Listen, Take Action and lastly believe when you serve others it will come back.  God gave us two ears and one mouth, use them in proportion.  This is what makes networking a contact sport.

    • Ask:  Bad Question Examples:  How are you doing?  Are you busy? What’s new?  Good Question Examples:  What are you most excited about in your life?
    • Listen Deeply: Most people don’t want to go deep. People don’t talk about what’s really important in their life. The more you can learn  about the buyer, the better you can service them.   Let go of your attitude “I know what’s best for you.”
    • Take Action :  Create opportunities, not excuses. When he hears why something doesn’t happen, he knows the excuses are not true.
    • Believe and Receive: All the things you do for others, will come back two fold.

How To Find Joe Sweeney

Habanero Business Community

This episode is the first episode mentioning the Habanero Business Community app.  We’ve created the website in preparation for the announcement and commissioned a study to better understand the needs and desires of the market. Find the website at Habanero.community and sign up for the pre-launch.

 Networking Tips

 

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Trust me, I’m a Salesman with Yuri Vander Sluis Selling With Trust #268

Yuri van der Sluis Sales Babble

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Trust me, I’m a Salesman with Yuri Vander Sluis Selling With Trust #268

Yuri van der Sluis Sales BabbleDo you trust the value that your products and your services you bring to market? Do you really think its good stuff?  Because if you don’t it’s going to be very hard to build trust with the buyer. People can tell! They know when you’re just trying to get rid of a product and make a commission. They can smell it a mile away.  You’re not selling with trust. This is the belief of Yuri Vander Sluis, the author of the new book “Trust me, I’m a Salesman: How to Earn Customers through Trust and Value”. Yuri and I discuss concrete ways to build trust with real examples of building rapport, closing deals, dealing with price and selling with trust.

When Buyers Trust, Sales are Made

Despite what you see in the movies, you don’t need to be a jerk to  be successful in sales like in the movies. Instead adopt a different approach based on trust.  As mentioned, buyers don’t trust people at the start. But there are things you can do to close the trust gap.

Start with integrity.   How, you may ask can you demonstrate integrity? The best way to to show authenticity. Don’t be in a rush. Take your time to let the buyer get to know you. That’s selling with trust.

Example:

Ask the buyer

“Have you ever struggled with problem A?

In my experience I’ve had clients like you with X Y and  Z issues.

They  often face problems challenged by A.

Is that your experience too?”

You Must Believe in You

If you don’t trust the value you bring to market, you can’t sell and build  trust with the buyer. People can tell when you’re just trying to make a quick buck. Commission structures often get in the way.  Be authentic and believe in your business. If you can’t it’s time to quit. Life is too short being a con artist. Better to be a professional selling with trust.

Overcoming Closing Issues

Often sellers have millions of dollars in the pipeline, but they’re not really closing the deals. Yuri did a study on one of his clients, calling prospects in the CRM. More than had no idea about the company.  When selling with trust you need to go as fast or slow as the customer demands. Some deals take years of nurturing.

Example questions:

  • “Why are you interested in this product?”
  • “Why do you see this as a higher priority than other projects?”
  • “What distinctive value do you think you could get from this product?”

Price Doesn’t Matter

Deals are rarely stuck due to price. Instead sellers need to understand where is the urgency and where is the impact. Secure the value sooner rather than later. Don’t dump your price and yoru margins.

Selling with Trust Take Action Advice

Mature Seller advice:

  1. Ask existing customers why they found value in you personally as the sales person.
  2. Understand from different executive levels what the value they appreciate

New Seller advice:

Call on customers and ask how and why they are using an existing product. What works? What doesn’t work? Learn how to differentiate yourself.

How To Find Yuri Vander Sluis

Yuri is easy to find online:

This is his website www.yurivander.com

On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurivandersluis/

Link to his new book!  Check it out

https://www.amazon.com/Trust-Im-Salesman-Customers-through/dp/9887890103

Selling with Trust and Rapport in Sales

Here are other past episodes on building trust with buyers. Enjoy!

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Climb Everyday Sales Process with Mark Steel #263

Mark Steel Sales Babble

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Climb Everyday Sales Process with Mark Steel #263

Mark Steel Sales Babble

Our guest today is Mark Steel. He’s an international speaker, speaking skills coach, podcast host, and avid rock climber. In his 15 years with Microsoft, Mark stood out as a high-impact sales leader, contributing over $1B in enterprise sales.  Mark and I chat about the things leaders, sales people, and marketers need to do to  amplify impact,  and influence with intent buyers. In addition, his Climb Every Day podcast inspires professionals to achieve a life of confidence, growth, & success.

We Create Our Own Success

Mark believes that we create our own success in the steps we take every day. Mark studied theatre but when he got a job at Microsoft, transtioned to a  1 to many storyteller. As he found success he then transformed into a successful  1 to 1 sales professional.

As a professional seller Mark has learned:

  • Speak back what people say to you and you will be persuasive
  • Buyers will tell you everything you need to know
  • Tell a story, but apply it to a customer. Don’t make the stories long and irrelevant. The stories must have value.

Effective storytelling is about understanding the customer, and speaking back effectively what you hear from them. Leverage your experience to augment and compliment what they are saying. Compelling stories are short and sweet, less than a minute and HIGHLY relevant.

Sales is Like Climbing a Rock

Mark has a sales process he calls the Climb Everyday process.  Climbing is a great metaphor for sales. In both cases you’re stepping into an uncomfortable situation with the goal of success.

Climbling is a mental challenge, and not unlike selling, discover what works, what doesn’t work an. Reflect to develop a better methodology and become more efficient executing what does work.

Common Success Stories

Mark shared an example Microsoft story: “This is a similar situation we ran into with Company X and how we were able to help them. We were able to work directly with all the stakeholders,  learn how they communicate, put systems in place and training to make sure the processes were effective. “

Specific and measureable outcomes really matter.

Why Story

Make sure you know your companies “Why Story” : why your company does what they do, why this product was invented etc….

Practice these stories, have a clear message to make sure they are compelling. People will never remember the facts and figures, but they will remember the stories

Take Action

Challenge yourself a little bit everyday. Start a gratitude journal and find a daily affirmation. Push your comfort limits. Try something you’ve never done before. This is where growth comes.

How To Find Mark Steel

Selling Mindset

Here are some past episodes you will find invaluable to your selling.

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How to Conquer the Conversation in Sales with Erin Marcus #261

Erin Marcus Sales Babble Conversations

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How to Conquer the Conversation in Sales with Erin Marcus #261

Erin Marcus Sales Babble ConversationsToday’s guest is Erin Marcus, a speaker and consultant that teaches how you can create powerful and extraordinary conversations.  Each day there are consequences to the conversations we have. When they go well, they lead to closer relationships, more sales, happier customers. When they go poorly, the consequences are hurt feelings, lost money, lost opportunities and more stress. Today Erin and I discuss how conquer the conversation in sales. We dig into what it means to be a masterful communicator  and ways you can increase your sales and improve the relationships with your existing clients.

Action Cures Fear

Sometimes we have to give bad news to existing customers. Other times we have to attend difficult sales call in a competitive situation. Sometimes you have to explain why the price is going up. Other times why you can’t meet a commitment. I’ve had to have many of  difficult conversation in my career.  We the  sellers, we’re the face to our business. It’s a lot of responsibility delivering bad news because these conversations can make or break your business. Being pushy or assertive is just the result of desperation and insecurity.  Instead see all sales as research. There is no reason to fear the conversation because as Erin says “action cures fear!” 

Open Ended Questions

Let’s start the conversation with some great questions that build rapport and second understand their needs.

  • Tell me what’s going on……
  • Why did you invite me to this conversation?
  • Tell me about the event your putting together…..
  • Why now?
  • Why me? 

When you’re asked a difficult question and unsure how to answer, consider this; maybe it’s an opportunity to ask a better question!  You might find more information to understand the buyer OR they may come to a realization they’re unclear what they’re asking themselves!

Ask yourself this: what conversations are you bad at?  Maybe asking for referrals or asking for an appointment. Now think about what your average client is worth for you? Think about the money your losing. Also realize you’re losing it  just because you’re uncomfortable having a conversation. If you keep everything in perspective you can find the courage to move these conversations forward.

How To Find Erin Marcus

Get these free tips: Top 10 Ways To Make Hard Conversations Easy

Whatever it is that makes a conversation difficult for you – whether its asking for the sale, delivering difficult news or navigating interpersonal issues with your team – there is a tip in here for you to make it easier!

Building Rapport in Sales

Here are past episodes that babble about the power of building strong rapport with buyers. Listen now!

 

 

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Consulting Coaching and Serving Your Ideal Client with Ben and Aiden Hoppe #234

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Consulting Coaching and Serving Your Ideal Client with Ben and Aiden Hoppe #234

In this episode we turn the tables around and have two budding young entrepreneurs interview me on the podcast.  Ben and Aiden Hoppe are my nephews and this past summer we shared an adrenaline rush riding roller coasters at Cedar Point Ohio.  Today Ben and AIden ask me about consulting coaching and serving your ideal client.

The Questions

Download the free checklist to discover Who Do You Serve.

1. Who is your ideal client?

2. What is the problem you solve?

3. What are the typical symptoms people experience with that problem?

4. What are the common mistakes people make when trying to solve that problem?

5. In your experience what can your prospects do to remove these problems and find success?

6. What is one resource that you can direct your prospects that will further help with that problem?

7. What one piece of advice you can give your prospects they could take action on immediately and find success?

For Pat’s answers on coaching consulting, helping sales managers, startups, and sales professionals go here!

Top Thrill Dragster

My favorite roller coaster was the Top Thrill Dragster a hydraulic launched accelerator coaster that goes from 0-120 miles per hour in less than 4 seconds. That’s almost 200 km per hour.  Just as you get to the top it plummets 120 meters (420 feet), then flattens out
to a stop in 17 seconds. The entire trip last 31 seconds. It’s frightening. It’s awesome.

Take Action Now

Don’t put off tomorrow what you can do today. Yes it’s a cliche, but we’re running out of time. Take action now. Be fearless!

Free Links Checklists and Selling Aids

How to build your pitch. Great way to know what to say BEFORE you’re tested in public. Prepare now.

The Trick to being a persuasive seller. It’s not about being outgoing, pushy or assertive. You can do it too!

How to Connect With You Ideal Client

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You Can’t Challenge Your Way to a Sale with Meridith Elliot Powell

Meridith Elliott Powell Sales Babble

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You Can’t Challenge Your Way to a Sale with Meridith Elliott Powell #231

Meridith Elliott Powell Sales BabbleOur guest is Meridith Elliott Powell, an award-winning author, keynote speaker and business strategist. Meridith is the author of four books, including Winning In The Trust & Value Economy and her latest Own It: Redefining Responsibility – Stories of Power, Freedom & Purpose. Today we challenge the Challenger Sale and  discuss better ways to engage, qualify, and build client relationships that last.

The Challenger Sale

The Challenger Sale advices sellers to take control of the sale by taking on the role of teacher. This doesn’t work in all situations. The sales conversation is a dance where we learn about our prospects AND they learn about us. You can’t teach your way through most sales!

Sales is not a task to win according to Meridith. If a prospective  client is a fit, that’s great. If they’re not a fit, that’s OK too. We’re not a match for everyone. The goal is find those that DO see your value.  It’s a case of learn not teach!

Sell From A Place Of Power vs a Place of Need

Our responsibility as sellers is to make people aware of our amazing product and its benefits. Meridith believes we are driven by the desire to love people and help them. Yet we can’t be a human specification sheet. Instead we need to build a relationship and explore the buyers needs and desires. For example:

  • slow down at the beginning
  • sell aggressively on the subsequent sales
  • sell an urgent need
  • remember it’s unlikely you are top of mind when first meeting a prospect
  • customers need to be heard
  • sales training doesn’t apply to everyone

Take Action Advice

Lastly, listen, learn and allow the buyer to talk.  If you do that they will tell you what you need to do

How To Find Meridith Elliot Powell

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/meridithelliottpowell/
Website – www.valuespeaker.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/meridithpowell
Facebook –https://www.facebook.com/meridith.powell

This is the link to the FREE ebook 42 Rules to Turn Prospects Into Customers that Meridith mentioned in the podcast.

Sales Skills Training

Below are a number of past episodes that talk about mindset, rapport and generating genuine conversations that lead to closed sales. Enjoy!

 

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Valve Stem Sales Strategy with Corey Philip #229

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Valve Stem Sales Strategy

Corey Philip Sales Babble

In this episode we meet Corey Philip who founded Gulf Coast Aluminum, a patio and screen enclosure company. He attributes a large factor of the rapid growth of the company to earning referrals from happy customers and data-driven sales and marketing. It was there he invented the Valve Stem Sales Strategy.

Valve Stem Lets Out the Pressure

Corey’s goal was to build a presentation that didn’t sound salesy. He’s tried pushy sales techniques. He did not like them. Nor did he find that it helped his business in the long run. Corey arrived at the idea of the valve stem sales strategy. By placing the price of the product in the middle of the presentation, you let out all  the pressure. Typically the price is at the end. This moves the focus to the value. He wants people to feel like they are making a decision on their own.

Valve Stem Process

The strategy contains 6 steps to be completed in order:

  1. Introduction – ask if they’ve heard of you, share how you do things differently.
  2. Fact Finding – understand what they want, build value by explaining how you’ll do it in detail, step by step process.
  3. Calculate the Price – quote a price to the dollar e.g. $5020
  4. Show similar project – references build trust.
  5. Tell the company story – pictures of office, key people, trucks, equipment.
  6. Assumptive close – should we get this written up after all the story telling.

38% of the prospects are closed at step 6.  30% will come back with an objection that eventually close.

Take Action Today

Get a sales process that is comfortable, natural, with a story and trust. This will differentiate you from your competitors.

How to Find Corey Philip

  • Website: http://www.homeprosuccess.com
  • Infographic post: https://www.homeprosuccess.com/infographic-the-valve-stem-sales-strategy-close-more-sales-using-story-trust-without-sales-tactics/
  • Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/896216427196514/
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyphilip/

 

Closing Sales Tips

Coffee’s for closers, Sales Babblers too. Listen to these past episodes:

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Honesty Sells with Colleen Francis #223

Colleen Francis Sales Babble

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Colleen Francis Sales BabbleHonesty Sells with Colleen Francis #223

Colleen Francis is the Founder and President of Engage Selling Solutions and the author of Nonstop Sales Boom and Honesty Sells. Colleen is a successful sales leader for over 20 years, well versed on the challenges of selling in today’s market. She is a Certified Sales Professional (C.S.P.) and an inductee into the Speaking Hall of Fame.  In this episode we discuss the necessity of honest selling and advice on how sellers can build trust with transparency.

What Makes for Honesty Sells

  1. Trust is built on honoring your word in all you do. Keeping promises matters.
  2. Prove honesty through voice mail e.g., promise you will call them back at a set time, then do it
  3. If you made a promise and have no news, make the call and share you have no news
  4. Customer experience is the key differentiator
  5. Have a culture of honesty in your organization. It will spread to your client interactions.
  6. Always apologize when you make an error. Coddle them with kindness. Own it.
  7. The top performers (upper 10%) have a culture of honesty.
  8. Don’t over promise and under deliver
  9. Don’t under promise and over deliver
  10. Honor your word

Take Action Advice

Make sure you’re creating an open transparent organization, both inside a team and outside of the team. Next make sure the sales team starts telling customers exactly what they are going to do, then doing it. Meet your committments!

How To Find Colleen Francis

Books Mentioned 

Nonstop Sales Boom and Honesty Sells. 

Consultative Selling

Here are some previous episodes on the power of honest selling.

 

 

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How To Sell With the CRINGE Method from Doug Vigliotti #213

Doug Vigliotti Sales Babble

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Doug Vigliotti Sales BabbleHow To Sell With the CRINGE Method #213

Douglas Vigliotti is a sales consultant, workshop-speaker, and bestselling author of The Salesperson Paradox: A Strikingly Simple Way to Provide Solutions Your Customers Can’t Say No To.  In this book Doug shares how to sell with the CRINGE method, a strategy and mindset of focusing on helping clients, not pushing product.
Doug has twelve years of successful frontline sales experience, across three different industries, and two Fortune 500 companies—Automatic Data Processing and Johnson & Johnson. In January 2016, he opened the doors of groundupSALES, a strategic selling partner for non-sales professionals, entrepreneurs, and small business owners.
He’s an avid reader and writes a monthly reading list at douglasvigliotti.com.

Purpose of Business To Create and Keep Customers

Doug believes that customers will view you completely different when you go from selling to helping. Why is this? Doug sights a number of aspects:

  • Mindset shift – people will feel you are looking out after them.
  • Common way to reset your view ask ” Why did you start this business? “
  • If you  focus on money  it will hurt your sales performance. Yes it’s a paradox, but it’s true
  • Businesses pay commissions with the idea that the harder you work, the more you make. But great sellers work hard for reason above and beyond short term commissions.

Peter Drucker said ” The purpose of business is to create and keep your customers”

Furthermore Doug believes:

  • True performer able to set aside the “me first” inclination.
  • Consider that helping people is a moral obligation for you to SOLVE their problems.

CRINGE Solution

Doug then shared his CRINGE method. Consider a product service and solution that you have to cringe to say yes … a whole body solution.

  • Customer First – did my customer feel like they won?  If they do,  they will come back for more business.
  • Real Problem – are you solving a “real” problem? Don’t assume problems. Put yourself in their shoes.
  • Immense Value- in is the solution. Price is what you pay, value is what you get. Ways to differentiate: time, status, ease,  money.
  • Non-Negotiable – your mindset is complete belief in your solution. You know your customers are better off.
  • Good Timing – create good timing, improve your luck, by understanding your customer and they are ready to buy.
  • Easy – make it easy to say yes by reducing risk.

Take Action

Become more conceptual and strategic in your selling. It’s a quicker route to business success. Too many sellers are tactic driven when they should be more conceptual in their selling approach.
One tactic to consider is Sales Prevention: don’t oversell products in your portfolio that may not help your customers. If they don’t love the product it will hurt your next sale. Focus on your long game.

How Find Doug Vigliotti

You can find Doug on the internet. Look here!

The Lost Chapter 13

This is the lost chapter to Doug’s book mentioned in the podcast. Just for Sales Babble listeners!

SalesBabble.thesalespersonparadox.com   

 

Selling Mindset

Here are other past episodes that focus on the selling mindset beyond the CRINGE method.