The Selling Sherpa

Patrick L. Williams is a sales performance expert, international speaker, and a #1 hit recording artist with over 2 decades experience developing winning sales teams at top-rated radio stations, newspapers, phone directories and niche publications.

A Member of the National Speakers Association and an authority in creative advertising, customer-focused selling, and strategic networking.

Public seminars • Private workshops • Custom training programs • Keynotes

YOU ROCK!™ Communications • 253-318-7503

http://www.YouRockCommunications.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/SellingSherpa

Sales Tip of the Day: THE LETTER

Having problems getting decision-makers to take your cold call?  Why not send them a letter first?

In the letter, give a brief description of what you can do and how you might be able to help the prospect, then close by telling them you will call next week to set an appointment.

Then, when you do call a week later, you can start the conversation by asking if they received the letter.

If the say “yes”, you are already half the way to getting an appointment,  If the say “no”, you can simply tell them what the letter said and proceed to ask for the appointment.

Either way, you have already demonstrated that you are willing to do more than the average “cold caller” ever would just because you sent the letter.

Give this technique a try and let me know how it works for you.
 
© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: PEOPLE ARE STRANGE

A magazine publisher brought me in as a consultant to help their sales team (my sweet spot!) ramp up revenues.

During the initial phase, I spent some time with each of the individual salespeople to talk to them, assess their skills and attitudes, and generally get a feel for whether or not they are really right for the publication and the sales task at hand.

One of the younger men on the team came into the small office I was using and sat down.  He wasn’t an impolite fellow, nor a poorly dressed one (although he was a bit casual, even by my standards), but he had two of the biggest decorative ear plugs I’ve ever seen.  Not the kind that you wear to prevent hearing loss at a rock concert, but the ones that are worn in the ear lobes as a fashion accessory.  These were so large that they had actually grossly stretched the natural length of his ear lobes.

And can you believe it?  As small as his sales goals were, he had never achieved a monthly goal.  Ever!

Now I completely respect anyone’s right to express themselves as they see fit.

But people are strange, especially buyers in the business world.  They tend to believe people with shaggy beards, atypical body jewelry, copious tattoos or fashion sense that is less than conservative could not possibly be professional.

Is that fair?  Probably not.  But it is reality.  

So you might want to think twice about those fashion choices before you start making appointments to sell, because you will probably sell much less than you could simply because you don’t conform to what other people think you should look like as a professional salesperson.

Yep, people are strange like that.
 
© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: ARE YOU READY?

It’s probably never happened to you, but have you ever overheard a colleague make a phone call, obviously reach a voicemail system, and stumble through leaving a message?

The problem is they didn’t plan the call before they made it.

Winging it is never a good idea.  Sure, you might get lucky once in awhile and pull in a sale, but you’ll never get reliable results unless you prepare thoroughly and practice repeatedly until you sound natural.

Make sure that you thoroughly think through the call you are going to make.  Plan in advance how you will handle a surly gatekeeper, a “get to the point” executive, an overly busy owner, an anxious prospect.....even a voicemail system.

Every time you think about picking up the phone to call a client or prospect, ask yourself: “are you ready?”
 
© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: DRIVER'S SEAT

I’ve seen way too many salespeople take a reactive role in the selling process, and they usually miss more sales than they make.

Because they are just along for the ride, they have no control.  It’s like being a passenger in someone else’s car: you can try to influence the decision about the route, but ultimately the driver will determine the destination.

So, if you want to arrive at a successful close, you need to be the one driving.

Take charge of the meeting, presentation, or conversation, and ask thoughtful, probing questions designed to make your prospect really consider their situation, confidently share their buying criteria and, ultimately, make the decision to invest in your product, service, or treatment.

Want to make more sales?  Stop being a passenger.  Take your place in the driver’s seat.

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: SUPERSTAR

Back in ‘69, Delany & Bonnie wrote and recorded a song called “Groupie (Superstar)”.  It was the b-side of a single and did not chart at all.

But Joe Cocker heard the song, liked it, and added a version of the song to his concert set list in 1970, and it made it onto the “Mad Dogs & Englishman” live album but did not hit as a single.

Bette Midler, who was practically an unknown at the time, heard the song, liked it, worked it up and performed it when she was a guest on the Johnny Carson show in late 1970.  And it STILL didn’t skyrocket to fame.

But watching the show that night was a young pianist/composer/arranger named Richard Carpenter and he knew it was a hit just waiting to happen.  So he rearranged the version he heard, gave it to his sister Karen to sing, and the Carpenters took it all the way to #1 in 1971.  Somewhere in all that transition, the name of the song became simply, “Superstar”.

Sometimes, a really great product, service, or treatment just needs a little adjustment to make it work for the market you serve.

Maybe something that doesn’t work very well for one person, will be a huge success in the hands of someone else.

The point is, if you really believe in your solution, don’t give up just because you suffer a setback or a failure somewhere along the line.  Instead, try modifying your approach.  And if that doesn’t work, modify your approach again and keep making adjustments until you find the right approach to make your solution a hit with your customers.

And once you do that, you will be a superstar too!

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: IMAGINE

When you are making a presentation, you are a walking, talking advertisement for the solutions you sell.

I’ve been creating advertising for print and broadcast media for over 2 decades and, trust me on this, the most effective advertising leads people (listeners, readers) to visualize themselves using and enjoying the product or service being offered.

You can make all the promises in the world but, without a visual, you may not make the sale.  So, whether or not you have any visual materials, you must guide prospects to create their own vision.

In my experience, the easiest way to do this is start a phrase with “Imagine this...” or “Imagine yourself...”.  This phrase engages prospects and compel them to create their own mental image, which is more powerful and persuasive than any brochure or PowerPoint.

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: ACT NATURALLY

Have you ever encountered someone trying to “act” like something they are not?

You know the kind I am talking about.  They put on airs, seem to know everything about everything, and generally bore everyone around them with endless stories about themselves and their adventures.

Most of the time, these people are really just very insecure, so they try to project an image of what they think they are supposed to be like.

If you really want to make new friends, make relationships, and make sales, I have two words of advice for you:  act naturally.

Don’t try to be anything you are not.  Don’t try to convince anyone that you are more knowledgeable than you are.  And don’t ever suggest you have close relationships with people you really don’t know, just because you think it will make you look good.

My experience is that most folks have pretty good instincts, and they will see right through most attempts at deception and bravado.

More than that, truly confident salespeople don’t have to convince anyone of anything.  They just act naturally and have a lot of fun making sales while being themselves.

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: I'M A BELIEVER

Ever since we were both young, we’ve been cautioned that “seeing is believing”.  Unfortunately, it has become a part of our subconscious programming.

The truth of the matter is, you have to believe in your ability to achieve your goals before you can ever hope to reach them.

Visualize the end result in your mind, think about what it will feel like to achieve it, and start making plans for how you will accomplish your goals.

Stay focused on your vision, work diligently towards it, and nothing can stop you from achieving everything you want to.

I’m a believer.  

Are you?

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: BAD DAY

I was in a specialty retail store not long ago and ran into a cashier/clerk who was clearly having a bad day.

With a few items in my hands, I passed by the checkout counter to look at a display near the door and heard him ask, “are you gonna pay for any of that?”  My guess is he was assuming that I would walk right out the door with the merchandise and make a run for it.  Not likely.

I turned and responded, “excuse me?”  He realized what I was doing and answered, “nuthin’.”

When I did step up to the counter to have my purchases rung up, he just blurted, “zip code?”

No “thank you”, no “have a nice day”, no “sorry about that”.

I was going to suggest some ideas for more customer-friendly engagement, but one look at his face told me it would fall on deaf ears.  But I can still exercise my option not to return to that store.

So can your customers.

Sometimes, YOU will have a bad day too, but you can’t let it show.

If you have trouble putting on a smile and showing some positive energy, step way from the counter.  Go somewhere quiet where you can recompose yourself and come back out to put on a good show.

Because sharing your bad day with your customers is one of the quickest ways to run them off....forever!

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: IT'S MAGIC

Most people in sales are looking for the magic question.  You know, the one that will get them a sale every time. 

Actually, there is a question you can ask that virtually assures you will get the business.  I must warn you that it’s magic, so you have to be careful when and on whom you use it.

But before I tell you what the question is, let’s go over the prerequisites:

First, you must have a superior product, service or treatment with easily identified value.

Next, you must be the kind of salesperson that has a tremendous reputation for helping others first before helping yourself to a commission.

Finally, you must have made a personal connection and developed a real friendship with your prospect.  It doesn’t have to be a years long relationship; it just needs to be one that focuses on the prospect as a person, not just a buyer.

So, if you’ve done all that, you are ready to ask the magic question:  “Say, (prospect’s name), if I can get you what you (or, “your company”) really need(s), would you be willing to buy from me?”

The question is simple.  It’s direct.  It’s magic.  And it does work.

But only if you have done all the other things that make it possible for a friend to ask a friend for the sale.

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.