The Selling Sherpa

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.

Sales Tip of the Day: THRILLER

There is little doubt that everyone with access to any media has heard about Michael Jackson’s passing.

Whether or not you liked his music, you have to admit he was professionally one of the most accomplished individuals the world has ever seen and it is unlikely that we’ll see anyone else come close to his achievements, which include:

Billboard – 

Most #1 Hits by a Male Artist – 13
Three albums debuted at #1 – Bad, Dangerous, HIStory

The most chart #1 hits by an artist in a decade, 80’s - 28
First group to have four consecutive #1 singles – Jackson Five
First person to enter the singles chart at #1, “You Are Not Alone”
First artist to simultaneous hold #1 on 4 charts, 1983 - Rock Album, Rock Single, R&B Album, R&B Single

Guinness Book Of World Records - 

Largest Contract, Sony Music - $890 Million
Most Grammy Awards in One Year, 1984 – 8 Grammies
Highest Grossing Concert Tour, Bad, 1987-88 - $124 Million
Biggest Selling Album Of All Time, “Thriller” - 109 Million units
Greatest Audience, Super Bowl 27, 1993 – 133.4 Million viewers
Most Successful Concert Series, Summer 1988 – total audience of 504,000
Highest-Paid Commercial Spokesperson, Pepsi - $12 Million for 4 television commercials

Why was he so successful in his profession?

He started early, he stuck with it, he learned everything he could about his craft, he knew what his audience wanted and he delivered consistently...well, at least he did up to and including his 1991 album “Dangerous”.

You can be as big a hit in your market if you learn everything you can about the selling profession, remain persistent, understand your prospects and give them what they want.

In other words, be like Mike and you will be a thriller 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: URGENT

You have a great product, service, or treatment, and a great presentation, and your prospect still puts off making a purchase?

Obviously, they don’t perceive their need as an urgent one.  So, what can you do about it?

Well, if you sell to businesses, break down how much money they are losing each year, month, week, day or even hour that they go without your solution.  When they see a number larger than the price of what you sell, they’ll buy.

And if you sell to consumers, take the same practical approach by breaking down how little it really costs to own what you sell.

Either way, limited quantities or time-sensitive pricing can also help them determine their need IS urgent, and buying from you now will satisfy that need.

© 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: YOU MIGHT THINK

My dog is getting along in age and has gone through some health challenges lately.  During a bout with anemia, he was prescribed steroids to combat the problem, and a supplement to help his liver withstand the punishment it would take from the steroids.

Unfortunately, the junior vet miscalculated the dose and, for almost a month, my dog was only getting about 1/5th as much of the supplement as he should have been getting.  He reacted so poorly that I started researching everything I could find on the subject and made the under-dose discovery myself.

So I left a message for the senior vet (who owns the practice) last week asking him to call me on Monday so we could discuss.  He didn’t, so I called him today and he started explaining away the problem before he even understood what was going on.  It took me nearly 10 minutes to get him to understand the issue.

Irritating!

You’ve never done anything like that, right?

I mean, you might think you know why a customer is upset, but you listen to them thoroughly before you address the situation, don’t you?

Because that is the only way to handle a complaint:  hear the customer out, repeat what you heard back to the customer to confirm your understanding, genuinely express your concern and an apology, then go to work to solve the problem.

© 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: TIRED OF WAITING FOR YOU

It’s happened to me, and it has probably happened to you.  

You show up on time for an appointment but end up waiting around because the person you are supposed to meet hasn’t finished up whatever it is they are working on, or they aren’t back from lunch, or whatever.  

Do you leave?  Do you stick around?  And for how long?

If you are like me, you’ll wait....but not forever.

My limit is usually 10-15 minutes, after which I will take out a business card, hand it to the receptionist or assistant, and ask them to let the person I was supposed to meet know I will contact them later to reschedule.

When I do that, I am not telling the decision-maker “I am tired of waiting for you.”  Actually, the message is, “obviously this is isn’t a good time for you.  So, let’s respect each other’s schedule by meeting when it’s more convenient for both of us.”

© 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: UNBELIEVABLE

Yesterday, I purchased an electronic keyboard for my sweetie from one of the big name music retailers, go it home, took it out of the box, and discovered the AC adapter is not included.  Unbelievable!

You can purchase an AC adapter separately, or you can load it up with a bunch of batteries, which are also not included.

This would have been nice to know when the purchase was being made.  By the time I made the discovery, it was already past closing time, so there was no chance to go back and get it.

A simple up-sell would have actually been appreciated in this case.  I am certain you know all about up-selling.

It shows up in the drive-thru as “want fries with that?”  And it also can be found in most coffee shops as “do you need any coffee beans to take home?”  Even the big box toy retailer maximizes their revenue (and profit!) with a simple, “do you need batteries for that?”

Think about what your customers might need to fully enjoy using your product, service, or treatment, and make sure you give them the option to make that additional purchase from you.  

At least make the suggestion.  Even if they decline your up-sell offer and regret it later, they will at least recognize that you do have their best interests in mind.

© 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: SHOW ME THE WAY

Let's go to the phones and take a request:

I run a business manufacturing additives for the plastic industries. We are a US$6M business based in New Delhi, India.  The problem I am facing is that my sales people have become order takers and not sales people. We are not getting enough new orders / growth. What monitoring systems should we set / follow to get growth. - B.S.

This is not an uncommon problem.  

When times are good, salespeople tend to relax a little too much and just coast on repeat business, renewals, and whatever orders come their way.  Then when the economy gets a little tighter, suddenly they don’t understand why they are not making their numbers.

The most important thing is to establish a baseline of daily activity designed to bring in the business.

My advertising sales teams use a point system like the one in Jeffrey Fox’s book ‘How To Become A Rainmaker’. They earn one point for contacting a decision-maker, two points for getting an appointment with a decision-maker, three points for making a presentation to a decision-maker, and four points for making a sale.  The goal is to earn four points every day.

While your targets may be different, the concept is the same.  Establish a baseline of daily activity and a framework in which your team can operate.  If they consistently fail to accomplish the minimums, you have to replace them with someone who will.

By the way, it really helps if you lead by example.  I don’t know about you, but I will do more for a leader who will show me the way to succeed instead of telling me the way.

© 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: PIANO MAN

Billy Joel is back on the road again, this time teaming up with Elton John for a series of concerts, and I plan to go.  You should too!

Last time I went to a Billy Joel concert was back in 1989 when he the ‘Stormfront’ tour came through Houston a few days after Thanksgiving, and the show absolutely rocked.  As a matter of fact, it was so good that when they announced they were coming back in a couple of weeks to do a second show, I got tickets for that one too.

One of the highlights of the show is when Billy Joel plays his signature hit, “Piano Man.”  At both concerts, when he came around to the chorus, the audience would almost drown out the singers on stage.  Toward the end of the song, the band stopped completely and let the audience sing the entire final chorus.

It must have be a great feeling to be on stage hearing 15,000 people sing your song back to you.  When that happens, you know the crowd is with you.

Guess what?  When you are with a prospect and they start repeating your sales story back to you, you know they are with you and ready to make a purchase.  But if you don’t take a break from your performance, they will never have a chance to “sing” back to you.

Take a tip from The Piano Man and pause during your ‘performance’ so your audience can participate.  When you hear them telling you the reasons they should buy from you, it’s time to close the sale and take a bow. 

© 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: CONFUSION

Recently, Warren Buffett said, “If you are fearful and confused, you don’t get over being fearful until you get over being confused.”

You should be thinking the same thing about your prospects.

If you sell a superior product, service, or treatment, and it is priced appropriately for the value it delivers, you should make a sale every time your make a presentation.  

When you don’t make a sale, it is only because your prospect is afraid of making a buying mistake.  That fear is there because you haven’t removed their confusion about what you offer.

Develop clarifying statements of fact about the benefits of what you sell, with documentation or testimonials that verify your claims, and you will crush confusion, flatten fears, and make a lot more sales.

© 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.