The Selling Sherpa

BLUFFING IN SALES

Interest in poker is at an all-time high, with online options, television coverage, and all kinds of media attention being devoted to the growing popularity of the game. It is the only game I know of where bluffing can actually lead to winning.

Bluffing in sales is like playing Russian roulette with your career; you may get away with it for awhile but sooner or later that game will come to a disastrous end.

Whenever you are faced with a situation you don’t know how to resolve or a question you don’t know how to answer, be absolutely up front about it with your customer. Let them know you don’t know. Then take steps to get them the answer, solution, or information they need to make a decision about buying from you.

Your integrity is one of the most important things you own. If you trade it away just to make a quick sale and pick up some extra chips, it won’t be long before you’ll lose your entire stack.

HUNG UP ON PRICE

Price is a consideration in any purchase, but it is never the most important one. If it was, we’d all purchase only the cheapest products.

Are you wearing anything right now that you purchased solely because it was the cheapest? Is the car you are driving the cheapest one you could find? If you own your own home, was it the cheapest one available? I’ll wager your answers to these questions are ‘no’, ‘no’, and ‘no’.

If a prospect gets hung up on price, you should ask them to think about a time when they bought the cheapest option and regretted it later.

Make sure they have no regrets about buying from you. Don’t sell anything less than the right solution for their problem.

DWIGHT IS RIGHT

I picked up Season 3 of The Office on DVD and had it on the big screen last night. If you’ve never seen the show, it is morbidly hilarious and, sadly, not far from the truth when compared with places I’ve worked before.

In an episode titled “The Initiation”, the top salesman of the firm was supposed to take the new guy out for his first sales call but instead puts him through absurd hazing rituals. Pretty dumb stuff really; but, sprinkled throughout the ordeal, Dwight (the top salesman) shared little bits of sales wisdom with his charge.

Although the way he said most of it was ridiculous, one comment was dead on the mark.

He told the young rookie, “sales is 90% listening and 10% talking”.

Dwight is right! If you are too busy talking about the features and options, or the history and reputation of your firm, you are likely to miss out on some very important information, such as what the customer wants and how they want it.

Practice your listening skills, develop strategic questions, and learn how to keep quiet when you should.

If you do, you will ROCK your sales goals!

THEY SAY IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY

Okay, so you don’t really know the date of your customer’s birthday. Here is a way to find out and have some fun in the process.

Send them a birthday card this week. Include a little note saying something like, ‘They say it’s your birthday, so I wanted to send you my best wishes.”

Then, wait for them to call. Or, if they never call, you call them after a week and ask if they got your card.

Somewhere in the conversation, your customer will inform you that it is not their birthday. You respond with, “well, at least I sent you a birthday card, even if I sent it a little late or way too early. So, when is your birthday anyway?”

Bingo! Now you have the correct date and you can send a birthday card next year (or later this year, if need be) on the right date.

Even if they refuse to tell you, they will never forget that you sent that card.

Being memorable is good!

ANYONE COULD BE A CUSTOMER

Every time I get notice that a business has joined an Association or Chamber that I belong to, I congratulate them on their commitment and offer to send my Sales Tip to them.

I know it’s not for everybody, and I am not offended when I do not get replies from everyone. Occasionally, I get a reply that just floors me.

Recently, the owner of a home inspection service responded with “I don’t need or want your spam.”

Don’t misunderstand me. I am not bothered because he doesn’t value what I am offering. I am floored because this person clearly does not understand that I could be a customer.

Although they might be great at what they do, I would probably not choose to be their customer now based solely on the tone of the reply. And, they probably won’t be in my short list of recommendations when someone asks, “hey, do you know anyone who does home inspections?”

The key in all of your communications (phone, email, mail, etc.) is to remember that anyone could be a customer. Not only that, but they also know lots of other people who could be customers, too.

Try your best to treat everyone as if they are already your best customer. Someday, they just might be!

REWARDS CARD

Last weekend, I was picking up a few hardware items at a nearby location of ‘the helpful place’ when the cashier asked if I had a rewards card. My answer was no and that was the end of the conversation.

Which made me wonder how much time, energy, and effort the company invested in creating this customer-loyalty program, only to have that entire investment get jammed up at the register.

The cashier could have asked follow up questions like, “would you like to hear about the reward program?” or “do you know how much you could save on this purchase if you had a card?”.

Were I that cashier, upon hearing that a customer did not have a card, I would likely respond with a gasp and something like, “Oh my gosh, you are wasting so much money by not having one. Here, let me get one set up for you right now.”

Do you have a program to reward regular purchasers of your products or service? If not, create one and make sure you suggest participation to every customer with every transaction.

10/20/30 RULE

Have you ever been a viewer (victim?) of someone’s bad vacation slide show? Ever get the same feeling viewing a corporate presentation or seminar where the slides have exactly the same text as the handout which is exactly the same information (word for word) that the presenter is sharing?

Don’t bestow the same torture on your prospects. If you must do a presentation, keep it short, factual, and relevant.

Use Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint: a presentation should have ten slides, last no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty points.

Develop the most effective presentation you can, then test it in front of non-coworker friends, family, or even a trusted customer.

If you don’t bore them, you won’t bore a prospect.

A WORLD CLASS SALESPERSON

At my Rotary Club meeting today, we were visited by the coach and one of the members of a local canoe and kayak racing team.

Before 2002, this team did not exist; but, in 5 short years, the kids who became part of the program have developed into world class competitors. In fact, five of these teenagers qualified to represent the United States on the Olympic Team. Not bad.

Of course, it did not happen overnight. It took determination, focus, and the guidance of a coach who has “been there, done that” to help them reach this level of expertise. It also required the team members absolute commitment to do whatever it takes, even when it meant training in freezing weather.

If you are just starting out in sales, here’s the bad news – you probably will not be an overnight success.

The good news is that, with determination, focus, and guidance from the right sales manager, you can be a world class salesperson; but, only if you decide to make that commitment and stick with it.

So, do you want to be a world class salesperson?

What are you willing to do to become one?

THE LATEST "WOW" EXPERIENCE

I have to tell you about the latest “wow” experience.

Yesterday, I took my honey to this little harbor-side restaurant called Le Bistro. There’s not a lot of space inside, and attitude is kind of like the old city diners: lots of sass but great food.

I asked if I was too early to try the barbecue sandwich they were advertising on the reader board and the response was, “yep, unless you wanna deal with my sister in the kitchen.” Funny, factual, and not unfriendly. I opted for a breakfast selection instead.

A few minutes later I heard them declare that breakfast was over and the same woman who took my order turned around and offered, “See? If you had waited a few minutes, you could have ordered the barbecue sandwich!”

I responded that I’d be happy to change my order now, and she did so.

The sandwich itself was incredible! Slow smoked over hickory and apple wood, it was some of the best ‘cue I’d had since I lived in Texas. I raved about it and told her repeatedly how grateful I was that she allowed me to change my order.

On the way out, they called me back to the counter and the cook had wrapped up some extra barbecue and told me that, since I liked it so much, they wanted me to take some home that I could put in a sandwich later.

Wow! It could have been just a regular meal, but they went out of their way to make it something special. So, what’s the chance that I will talk about my experience and come back for more? Only about 100%!

Finding ways to “wow” your customers is the quickest and surest way to make sure they stay your customer. It’s also a great way to give your customers a reason to talk about you with their friends and encourage them to become your customer too.

So, what can you do to “wow” your customers today or, for that matter, every day?