The Selling Sherpa

BE AN "ACTIVE" LISTENER

Buying is an active process. When people are talking, they feel a sense of control. They are actively making decisions and controlling their own future.

This feeling is especially strong when the listener appears sincerely interested. It is important for you to know how to "actively" listen.

“Active” listening involves three steps:

1. Provide good eye contact with the person talking. Eye contact is very powerful as a form of attention. Think how you would feel if someone you were talking to began looking away or at someone else while you were still talking. Even looking down at your notes may be distracting.

2. Repeat the main message you are hearing at selected times to be sure you are picking up the accurate meaning.

3. Repeat what you think the person talking is feeling. "It sure sounds like this is a major concern for you," etc. This often encourages the quietest prospect to dominate the conversation and, of course, feel great about the experience.

TURNING A MISTAKE INTO A SALE

Yesterday, I got a call from a publisher asking for my mailing address so they could send blue lines of my chapter so I can approve them for an upcoming book. “Which chapter is this?”, I asked, and ultimately we discovered they had called the wrong Patrick Williams. They meant to call the Patrick Williams who led the 76’ers to victory in the 1983 NBA Championship and is now the Vice-President of the Orlando Magic.

I am also in their contact list as a professional speaker, sales trainer and marketing consultant, so the mistake is understandable.

What I don’t understand is why the publisher’s rep did not immediately turn that call into a sales call.

If I was in her shoes (no jokes about me wearing pumps, okay?), upon hearing that I did not have any material submitted to them for an upcoming book, I would have asked questions like, “why not?”, “are you working on a book?”, “shouldn’t you be working on a book”, and, best of all, “are you aware that every professional speaker’s career explodes when they publish their first book?”

Hey, everyone makes a mistake and contacts the wrong person on occasion. A true professional will take that mistake and attempt to turn it into a sale, an appointment, or at least permission to stay in touch with the prospect.

With every conversation, you have a chance to make a sale or start a conversation that could lead to one. So the next time you make a mistake, have some fun and try turning a mistake into a sale.

THE SWEETEST SIGHT

I was meeting with a media representative the other day. We had talked by phone and set up the meeting, but this was the first time for us to be face-to-face and exchange cards. One look at hers and I gasped....her name is Alyson, but anywhere I had made notes about her I had spelled her name as Allison.

She asked what was wrong with her card. I told her it wasn’t her card that had me concerned, it was my misspelling of her name. Everything was halted while I updated my calendar to reflect the correct spelling, which I think she genuinely appreciated.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s not a big deal as long as you pronounce it right. Trust me, the other person will somehow become aware of your misspelling (email, invoice, note, etc.) and it will create an awkward moment where they may wonder how much you really care.

If there’s a client or prospect or colleague whose name you are unsure how to spell, ask for their card. Tell them you need another one for a networking opportunity (but only if you intend to network for them). Or that you need another one for your personal file.

If the sweetest sound to a person’s ears is the mention of their name, surely the sweetest sight must be their name spelled correctly. Get it right the first time, or make the correction as soon as you discover the problem.

PUT A HOOK IN IT

Every day, I encounter salespeople who’ve developed what they believe is a good elevator speech. Usually, it is something they can say in 30 seconds or less that is laden with features about their company, their product or their service. What most of them are missing is a hook.

In music, a hook is a musical idea, a passage or phrase, that makes the song stand out. A hook’s entire purpose is to catch the ear of the listener.

Typically seven to ten seconds in length, my radio station would call random people and ask them to listen to the hook in new songs. Their reactions would determine whether or not a new song made it to the play-list.

You need something funny, clever, catchy, and just plain fun in your elevator speech. It’s your only chance to catch the ear of prospects with something that invites them to ask you more about what you do.

What an example? I know a sales professional who introduces her line of vacuum cleaning equipment by practically singing, “Nothing sucks like an Electrolux!” Now, that’s funny, fun and memorable. (Thanks Cindy for letting me borrow that.)

Without a hook in your elevator speech, there is little chance your ‘listeners’ will add your ‘song’ to their list. So put a hook in it and you’ll have a much better chance to reel in prospects.

RAISE YOUR RATES

One of the companies I work with is a specialty retailer. 12 years ago, they created an affinity program to encourage customers to come back time and again and it works beautifully. Customers paid $3.00 to become ‘lifetime members’ of their club which gave them all kinds of discounts, extra value, and special events.

Since then, mailing costs have risen dramatically and they had been absorbing the extra costs which has also reduced their profits. Last year, they reluctantly agreed to change the program to a $5.00 annual fee. Yep, they had to go back to the people they had sold a $3.00 “lifetime membership” and inform them it would now cost $5.00 every year to stay in the club.

Did they meet with resistance? Surprisingly little.

Because they had created such a unique experience, very few members complained. Perhaps one-half of one percent refused to renew, and records revealed every one of those who refused had spent less than $100 total with my client during the last 5 years.

The overall result of the membership increase? Reduced mailing costs by over $10K, increased annual revenue by $20K (so far), net profits improved by at least $30K and counting!

If you have a quality product, world class service, and a unique customer experience, the quickest path to more profit lies in raising your rates.

PROFESSIONAL SALES LIBRARY

Earlier this year, I asked Sales Tip subscribers to share their Top 3 favorite books on sales and/or professional development. The response was overwhelming and the final complete list includes nearly 100 different titles!

Here are the Top 3 books selected by survey respondents:

How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger
Bettger reveals his personal experiences and explains the foolproof principles that he developed and perfected. He shares instructive anecdotes and step-by-step guidelines on how to develop the style, spirit, and presence of a winning salesperson.

How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
This grandfather of all people-skills books was first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling 15 million copies. This book is just as useful today as it was when it was first published, because Dale Carnegie had an understanding of human nature that will never be outdated.

The Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness by Jeffrey Gitomer
From the red cloth cover to the small trim size to the amusing cartoons on almost every page, this is an appealing and accessible book. Jeffrey Gitomer is obviously enthusiastic, if not manic, about sales, and much of his advice is straightforward and realistic.

Also, it is worth noting that Jeffrey Gitomer is the most popular author among respondents, with The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless/Customer Loyalty is Priceless, Little Red Book of Selling, Little Black Book of Connections, and Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude all being nominated for inclusion in the Top 3 list.

If you haven’t already started assembling your own professional sales library, consider these as a great place to start.

[If you want the entire list, shoot an email with “LIBRARY LIST” in the subject line to Patrick@SellingSherpa.com and I’ll sent it your way.]